recounted & compiled by Gunner Stuns, design by Zoey Ryan, photography by Javier Angulo & Keaton Weyers & Tyler Diltz

Imagine if this PULSE you hold in your hands was the very last one. Or the next copy of The Observer you picked up was their final edition. This was nearly the reality of Student Media during spring 2025.

In March, the Student Services & Activities (S&A) Committee made public their decision to defund several student organizations across campus that fell under their funding umbrella. Among those affected were PULSE magazine and our sister publication, The Observer. While our publications would not be defunded completely, the funds S&A proposed would have rendered us unable to print, submit items for awards or pay our leadership staff, calling into question how we would continue to function following these budget cuts. It should be noted that S&A’s intention was not to censor either of our publications. However, even if unintended, censorship of student voices would be an unfortunate consequence of said decision.

Despite this, those of us in Student Media refused to allow ourselves to be defeated. With published statements, social media campaigning, creation of a petition and organization of a campus-wide protest, we made our voices heard. This led to the May 15 Board of Trustees decision, where they did approve S&A’s proposed budget but with stipulations, including that the budget would only be in effect for a single year instead of four and that affected programs would be able to apply for adjustments or supplemental funding as soon as October 2025.

But how was this achieved? Detailed below are written accounts of some of the ways in which we at PULSE and students all across campus advocated for their right to have a voice at CWU.

The Campus-Wide Walkout:

The CWU campus came alive with cries of “stand with students!” May 7 as an estimated crowd of over 300 people came together in protest of the S&A’s budget cuts and with hopes of making our voices heard. Students and staff alike walked out of classes and gathered in front of the wildcat statue outside of the SURC at noon, where Co-Editor-In-Chief of The Observer, Brandon Mattesich delivered a speech prior to the march. “This past quarter we have seen unprecedented cuts and defundings that threaten not only freedom of speech and expression at CWU, but threaten the very foundations of our educations at this institution” says Mattesich, before detailing how he felt the S&A committee’s budget was inequitable and “devastating to the students affected.”

Students, staff and alumni marched from the wildcat statue, through the SURC and towards Barge Hall before circling back around to where they had initially gathered. Alongside the push for Student Media, protesters chanted and waved signs in support of other programs that were harshly affected by the budget cuts, such as theater and film. Others protested budget cuts that were made in decisions outside of S&A, including the withdrawn varsity sponsorship of Rugby and the closure of CWU’s pool. After the march, protesters once again rallied around the wildcat statue, where Z Morris, lead graphic designer at The Observer, stood up with more to say. “It’s moments like these that show we are not alone in our fights; we are fighting together. Whether this is your first protest, or your hundredth, your presence carries power,” Morris says.

The protest was covered by media outlets such as the Yakima Herald and KimaTV.

For myself as well as Mattesich and Jackson Roberts, the other co-editor-in-chief of The Observer, it was difficult to walk the line of journalists and advocates. However, all of us felt that we had a duty to our readers to keep them informed on the budget decisions and the fact that our publications were in danger. We also came to the conclusion that in order to continue serving the CWU community, we had to fight to stay alive. The leadership staff of both The Observer and PULSE came together to organize the walkout, taking it upon ourselves to spread word of the event across our own social media accounts. Creative designers on both staff also created powerful posters, which were put up around campus. Speaking personally, I feel that the protest was a massive success and may have been the biggest factor in the Board of Trustees’ compromise decision weeks later.

From The Editor-In-Chief:

When the news of the proposal to defund PULSE first reached me, I drafted an open letter to S&A, administration and anyone who would listen, giving my thoughts on the matter and defending my publication. Below is an abridged version of my statement, which can be read in full on our website at cwupulsemagazine.com:

It has come to my attention that the S&A committee intends to defund the publication of which I am employed, PULSE magazine, from our initial request of $28,412 down to $2,000 based on supposed violation of Killian Guidelines as was recorded in the S&A committee’s meeting minutes from March 14, 2025. This would greatly damage our ability to operate as we have in previous years and make it impossible to further serve our readers and the CWU community as a whole. In writing this statement, I intend to explain why it is essential for PULSE to receive our requested funding and urge those who hold the power to reject this defunding proposal do so by detailing the role that our publication plays in the CWU community and the many positive ways that it reflects on the university as a whole.

Put quite simply, to defund PULSE is a form of censorship, silencing the voices of our diverse community and preventing their stories from reaching a larger audience. This goes far beyond tracking trends or providing students with easy reading material. PULSE has published hard journalism stories that raise awareness for readers, such as “Cats Fight Back Against Assault: 1 in 4 Women” and “Weighing The Workload: Are On-Campus Jobs Worth It?”, both of which were nationally recognized for their coverage of topics relating to assault and fair treatment of student employees. Were PULSE magazine not a printed publication, it is unlikely these stories would have been recognized or been able to inform the larger CWU population. People have a right to this information and they are reading, as evidenced by how well-received the Fall 2024 edition of the magazine was around campus, with few copies remaining in our possession for archive purposes– the rest were all taken to be read by students and staff alike.

I will conclude with a personal anecdote about my time with PULSE magazine. I personally chose to attend CWU due to the reputation of its Student Media Program based on word of mouth and what I’d heard doing research, speaking to the outreach it has beyond campus. However, even then I was not yet sold on the idea of becoming a journalist. It was not until I served several quarters with PULSE producing quality stories that I was proud of and attended events such as the Associated Collegiate Press Conference, where I was given the opportunity to interact with professional journalists and have my work recognized on a national level, that I realized that journalism is what I was meant to do. If not for this opportunity, I don’t know who I would be or what track I would be on in life. I consider working for PULSE magazine to not only be my favorite thing that I’ve done at CWU but also the most invaluable to my education. I’ve learned skills I otherwise would not have, met and collaborated with talented people I otherwise would not have, been mentored by professionals I otherwise would not have, and chosen a career for myself that I can be proud of when otherwise I would not have. Gaining real experience as a reporter and editor has set me up for my career and life beyond college, and that is something that should not be taken for granted.

I hope that in reading this testimonial, you come to understand the importance of PULSE magazine to the CWU community and its own staff, which would not be possible without our requested funding. I urge you to listen and continue to support Student Media as it provides a voice to Central Washington University students when otherwise, they may not have one.

Gunner Stuns, editor-in-chief

From The Creative Director:
One of the actions student media advocates took was addressing our concerns with S&A directly during public comment at their meetings. Zoey Ryan, PULSE creative director, was a speaker at one such meeting. Below is an abridged version of her statement:

In fall quarter 2024, I felt as if I truly found my space and passion at Central Washington University when I took this position. During my time here I have spent three wonderful quarters with PULSE.

It is very disheartening to hear the proposed funds for student media which would diminish the student voices on campus.

With PULSE I have found a home, a second family. It has become a vital part of my daily life. I am a graphic design major and without PULSE, I don’t know where I would be. I have boosted my skills entirely through the accomplishments and hardships of designing for this magazine. I have learned how to become a better designer, director and have made some of my most important networking connections in life because of PULSE. I feel immense joy and pride to have my designs published in a magazine that is printed. Having a printed publication to hand to students, my family, friends and future employers is something I take joy and pride in. This class has better prepared me to use my degree more than any other program at Central.

The community is profoundly uplifting and I have created some of my truest friendships due to PULSE. In this class I personally become my most creative; bouncing ideas off all my team members and hearing what they say to create the best version of our publication. This group of writers, photographers, and designers have exceeded my expectations and have gone far beyond their allotted paid hours, and class hours to get the magazine printed on time.

It is my honor to visually express student voices at Central Washington University with my amazing team of designers through the printed publication of our magazine. Through student media at this school I have found my true passion for journalism and publication, and I want my entire life to be surrounded by it. However, with the proposed fund from S&A, there will no longer be a printed magazine. More importantly, there will be no future generations of students to experience student media like I have. This isn’t just the death of student media for me and the people in this room, this is the death of student media at CWU. No longer will students get to experience printed media that proves to them the school is listening.

Without student media, the diverse voices on campus would be silenced.

PULSE and Observer are for the students, by the students. We will fight to maintain the life of these publications and we will fight for future students' voices to be heard and experience student media at Central Washington University.

Zoey Ryan, creative director

The Future of Student Media:
At the time of writing, the state of student media at CWU looks brighter than it did just a few months ago. With the Board of Trustees’ “middle-ground” decision regarding the S&A’s budget, both PULSE and The Observer will have the opportunity to request funding adjustments by October.

With that in mind, I am hopeful that PULSE will continue to print and keep readers up to date on information about all aspects of student life, both on campus and off. As editor-in-chief, it’s my hope that this publication will go on not just for another year, but for many to come. For as long as there are students willing to tell the stories of themselves and their peers, there will always be a place for PULSE magazine.

Standing With Student Media