Letters for Jan. 28, 2024

Zag women are doing better than Zag men, cover it

In Tuesday’s paper, The Spokesman-Review published three stories about the unranked Gonzaga Men’s basketball team (13-5 record), including one on the front page of the sports section. Those stories totaled about two-thirds of a full page.

You published a four-sentence blurb in the sports “In Brief” section about the 17th ranked Gonzaga women’s basketball team, who are 18-2. The third sentence was actually about two other teams. To add insult to injury, the final sentence was about the men’s team!

The women’s team is having a great season and has players who are among some of the best in the country, but your readers wouldn’t know that because you don’t cover the women’s team to the same extent you cover (over and over again) the men. Why don’t you fix that?

Ellen Clark

Spokane

Board of trustees must reduce EWU’s overspending

More context on Shawn Vestal’s carefully reported piece (“Trimming down?,” Dec. 10) on Eastern Washington University’s budget woes:

First, the Strategic Resource Allocation committees that recommended cuts to EWU’s Athletics program were created at the request of the EWU board of trustees. The university community did this difficult work because the board asked them to do so, and the board committed to following their recommendations.

Second, it should be emphasized that the SRA University Services Committee, which recommended athletics cuts, was not a faculty committee. Its 16 members included only two faculty. The recommendation to leave Division I Athletics is the consensus of the EWU community.

Third, be skeptical about how EWU measures the athletics deficit. The university counts student tuition and fees diverted to athletics as “revenue” rather than a cost. The 2021 Athletics budget included $1.7 million in student fees, $9 million in “direct institutional support” and $1.4 million in “indirect institutional support.” This $12 million should be counted as part of the athletics deficit.

Recent years have seen the EWU Board of Trustees demand deep cuts across the university to fill the black hole of an expanding athletics budget. In 2022 $2.4 million was transferred on a permanent annual basis from academic affairs to athletics. EWU spends 20% of student tuition on athletics, compared to 4-6% at comparable Washington state universities.

This cannot continue. The board of trustees must reduce EWU’s overspending on athletics and restore funding to student services and academic programs.

Larry Cebula

Spokane

Avalanche report update

I appreciate the update (“Report offers detail on fatal avalanche,” Jan. 23) on the fatal avalanche in Idaho. Kudos to Michael Wright for writing a piece that communicates the love and respect these three men had for each other and their families.

I especially appreciate the detailed report describing all the preparations the men did before they began to ski. They checked the avalanche report, took every safety precaution, had the right equipment, and even encountered an IPAC forecaster who found the area to be a “generally stable snowpack.” In other words, they did everything they had been trained to do and were cautious but just happened to encounter a weak spot.

I can only imagine the grief the survivors feel and second-guessing that goes through their minds, so I am thankful these details were included in the report. Especially since an earlier report of the accident, on Jan. 13 at the end of the article, implied the men had been careless.

Again, thank you for writing a sensitive piece.

John Frankhauser

Spokane

Avalanche article reflects admiration and respect

Compliments to Michael Wright on his well informed and heartbreaking article about the avalanche that tragically claimed the life of Corey Zalewski on Jan. 11 south of Mullan, Idaho, near Stevens Peak.

Wright tells the story with such a sense of place, it is easy to imagine yourself on the side of the mountain where the three cross country skiers found themselves, trying to decide which slopes to ski down.

They were experienced skiers, and it sounds like they did everything right and were fully prepared for any potential hazardous circumstances they might encounter. Sometimes, that is not enough.

Nevertheless, this tragedy cannot diminish the power of love and support from friends and family, and because of Wright’s article, the admiration and respect all of us now have for three skiing friends including survivors Landon Crecelius and David Sittser.

Mark Quinn

Spokane

Let’s vote ‘yes’ for kids

I wholeheartedly express my support for the upcoming Spokane Public Schools bond and levy, poised to bring significant benefits to our district. The bond focuses on modernizing and replacing 10 schools while making improvements districtwide, all while ensuring a predictable and consistent tax bill.

The assurance of a consistent tax for the next three years provides stability to our community, reflecting a thoughtful approach to financial planning and responsible governance. This commitment emphasizes ongoing support for our schools, aligning with Spokane Public Schools’ proven track record of constructing and maintaining durable, well-designed school buildings, safeguarding the community’s investment.

Equally crucial is the levy, aimed at enhancing extracurricular activities, special education programs and vital health and wellness services. These components contribute not only to academic development but also foster overall well-being and success.

The 2024 levy supports a range of programs benefiting all SPS students, from preschool through 12th grade, to provide everything from arts to athletics, programs for highly capable students and those needing intervention. It funds essential positions like nurses, counselors, behavior specialists, librarians and custodians, ensuring a well-rounded education.

Investing in our schools is an investment in the future of our community. I urge fellow residents to support these crucial measures, recognizing their undeniable positive impact on education and student growth. Voting “yes” is an imperative step towards ensuring a thriving future for our community.

Let’s vote “yes” for kids.

Carissa Gran

Spokane

Drive-thru convenience is costing the planet

In reference to the “Drive-Thru Comfort” article of Jan. 24, are these the same people complaining about climate change? While they want everyone else to sacrifice for society, they sit in their car idling away, all for “convenience.” I’ve counted as many as 31 cars or more sitting in line between fast food, coffee and banks in just in a mile of Division Street numerous times. Multiply this across the country and the waste and carbon contribution must be huge.

John Herning

Spokane

Council misrepresentation of northeast Spokane

In 1999, Spokane voters approved a Charter amendment creating three City Council districts with two council members being elected from each district. It replaced a council dominated by the south and northwest neighborhoods and gave a voice to the northeast, the most socially and economically diverse part of the city. The move ensured all voices in the city would be included in developing policies and programs. Voters knew equity requires representation.

Twenty-five years later, we have a City Council poised to exclude council members from the northeast district from the opportunity to represent the voters who elected them. The City Council is currently scheduled to appoint two residents from the South Hill and two from the Northwest District to the STA board, leaving the Northeast District unrepresented.

Residents of the northeast neighborhoods of Spokane have the highest percentage of ridership both by choice and need. The northeast district will experience the greatest amount of change with the completion of the North/South Corridor, Transit Oriented Development at the Community College and the proposed North Division Bus Rapid Transit system to mirror the City Line. All these changes are coming to the northeast part of town and yet residents may be denied a board appointment to represent their interests by council members who profess to value diversity, equity and inclusion. Really? Words are hollow when not matched by actions. There is still time to practice what they preach.

Al French

Spokane