Comedian Mike E. Winfield has been seen on shows like “Comics Without Borders,” on Showtime, and “Late Show with David Letterman,” and recently students were able to enjoy his show at Eastern.

Winfield performed his comedic act in the PUB on Feb. 5 and was sponsored by Eagle Entertainment.

To break the ice, Winfield began his act with a few jokes about the weather and college life and even spoke about the proper way to pronounce the word Cheney. However, his act truly began when he started talking about his appearance.

Winfield, whose afro adds a few inches to his height, said he gets a lot of questions about his hair.

“‘I just want to touch it. Is it hard? Is it soft? What happens when you put water in it. Do you even need a pillow,’” asked Winfield. “Well, I’m not going to tell you the answer.”

Before using his looks to make people laugh, Winfield made a living by working in a grocery store.

“I worked the steal, otherwise known as the self-checkout stand. I literally got paid to watch people steal,” Winfield said. “My boss wanted me to do something about it, but I knew that I would just get yelled at for trying to stop them.”

He continued to tell the audience about an instance when he and a customer were arguing with each other, and what he had to say next became somewhat of the theme the rest of the night.

“To end the argument you just have to tell them the old saying, ‘You can’t steal the cake mix, if you ain’t stole the bowl,’” Winfield said.

Dumbfounded, the audience sat in silence until Winfield clarified.

“Just kidding, I made that up. But, it’s true isn’t it? How are you going to mix the cake if you ain’t got the bowl,” he said.

Freshman Ra’layzia Cyprian said that was her favorite part.

“It was really funny and I think overall he did a really good job,” Cyprian said. “I think I was laughing the hardest in the crowd.”

Winfield proceeded by telling jokes about grocery store produce, women and relationships.

Freshman Sydney Webster said, “My favorite part was when he was joking around about the bread.”

Webster was referring to when Winfield said silence was the worst in a relationship. He knew when he had upset his girlfriend when she didn’t say it but showed it.

“You know your girl is mad at you when she makes you a sandwich … with both ends of the loaf. She even tried to trick me by turning the bread inside out,” said Winfield.

“I loved it. I thought he was really good,”said Alahn White, a freshman at EWU.

Years after the passing of Martin Luther King Jr., his legacy lives on to encourage students to strive for a higher education.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center, located in Spokane is dedicating to improve the quality of life for children and families in the area.

“We provide a variety of social and educational programs to low income families,” executive director Freda Gandy said

The outreach center offers many different services for both children and young adults to help them get involved in the community and acquire necessary life skills to better their future.

According to their website, they strive to support local families, improve academic and social outcomes for children, improve leadership in youth and teens, encourage community involvement and celebrate Spokane’s diverse culture.

In order to uphold their goals, the outreach center and the EWU Office of Admissions partnered up with the center to create a symposium for 20 teenagers to learn about Eastern and the programs that EWU offers in the summer of 2013. The event was title “Students of Color Symposium.”

This event, Gandy said, was a way for students to realize there are people out there who will help them through the process and encourage them each step of the way.

Jana Jaraysi, associate director of admissions, was involved in the summer symposium and thought it was quite the experience.

“Dr. Jeffries wanted to create an event for students from the MLK Center to experience college life, and to show them they can come to college,” said Jaraysi.

Jaraysi continued to explain that the committee to put this event together consisted of members from not only the outreach center and the admissions office, but also Africana Studies, college of social and behavioral science and social work and the advancement office.

“Many students who are low income, first generation [students] don’t always have the change to spend the night at a university,” said Jaraysi. “Many don’t know how to pay for college.”

To show the students what college tuition amounted to, presentations were done to explain the processes admissions and financial aid.

“This program showed that yes, they can come to school here at EWU … if they put their minds to it,“ Jaraysi said.

The two-day event was planned and run by EWU ambassadors.

Janell Jordan explained that her job as an EWU ambassador was to encourage students to attend Eastern and motivate them to do more.

“[Ambassadors] make the students strive for their goals,” said Jordan.

Gandy agreed and said that her main goal is to see every student of hers go to college.

In May 2013, a study from the Georgetown University Center on Education found that 7.9 percent of college graduates are unemployed.

On Feb. 7, the sixth annual Work It! career conference will be held. The goal of this conference is to combat this statistic. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the PUB MPR.

Work It!, presented by EWU Career Services, is geared toward preparing students for the job market and creating networks with business professionals.

Romeal Watson, career service’s internship coordinator and career advisor, said he believes that this conference allows students to take what they are learning from books, classes and professors and apply it to the work force.

“That is mostly what Work it! is about, talking directly with professionals to get inside perspective on what industries are like,” said Watson.

The day will consist of two sessions in the morning and one in the afternoon. Ten different topic areas will be covered, such as social media, etiquette and interviewing. Time has been scheduled at the end of the event for students to network with the various presenters and employers.

The keynote speaker is president and CEO of Desautel-Hege, Michelle Hege, who is also an EWU alumna. She will discuss how students can brand themselves to future employers.

“For a student who is searching the job market, this presentation is really geared towards how to ensure that your personal brand is really strong and is a brand that really helps you stand out from the crowd,” said Hege.

“I am going to share some secrets,” she said. “It’s kind of like you’re hearing what you want the person who is interviewing you to tell you, but they don’t.”

Hege works for the public relations and marketing firm helping businesses with branding and reputation management.

“It’s about differentiating and it’s about preference,” Hege said. “That’s what job candidates want to do.”

Career adviser Shannon Turner said she is most excited about something new they are offering called “The Majors Races.”

“The students from the major with the most attendees at Work it! will have their names entered into a drawing for prizes totaling $500,” said Turner.

She said she believes that this event is overall a great opportunity for students to broaden their perspective of the industry by interacting with business professionals.

“Students who have participated in the past have shared with us that they appreciated the diverse perspectives offered from various panelists,” Turner said.

Senior Theresa Turner attended the conference last year and said she was impressed by the array of professionals as well as networking opportunities.

“It was very beneficial,” Theresa Turner said. “The [employers] really want to talk to you and answer your questions.”

Although this is an all-day event, students are still encouraged to come when they are free.

Turner, who could not stay for the entirety of the event, encourages students to go to any part of the conference they can go to because it is that valuable.

Shannon Turner said she believes that students will gain skills that will set them apart from others looking for a job.

“[Work It!] will prepare students to be more competitive, gain insight in career opportunities and how to actively prepare for them and learn the nuts and bolts of a successful career,” Turner said.

Expected presenters include employers from Itron, Avista, U.S. Marshals, Washington Trust Bank and Northern Quest Resort and Casino.

Admission is $5 per student, and scholarships are available for those who do not have the means to pay. Lunch is included in the registration fee.

If students have not registered, they will be allowed to sign up at the door on the day of the event.

For more information, contact career services at 509-359-6365.

Fifty years after Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, students gathered in downtown Spokane to celebrate him and answer the question, “What are you doing for others?”

On Jan. 20, about 100 Eastern students joined thousands of community and civic group members who took part in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march.

Afterwards, several attendees completed volunteer hours at several non-profit organizations. Some of the non-profit organizations included House of Charity and The Salvation Army.

Clubs and organizations represented EWU at both the walk and during service hours, like BSU, the Office of Community Engagement and a group of international exchange students.

For the international students, the event was very enlightening and gave them a look into how far America has come in recent decades.

“This is a really good experience, not only because of the history, but because of the diversity,” said senior Noriko Sunada.

“I think [the march] is pretty cool because it gives us a real view of how people should treat minorities,” said Lucy Wu, an international student at EWU. “They are supposed to be equal to everyone.”

Before beginning the march, attendees listened to five speakers and a performance at Spokane Convention Center all pertaining to Martin Luther King Jr. Speakers included Mayor Dave Condon and keynote speaker Rev. Carolyn Gordon.

BSU President Satori Butler said, “[Carolyn Gordon] was by far my favorite. She touched everybody … and she was really inspiring.”

Gordon’s speech, which was themed around “walk it off,” made walkers question why they were at the march.

Senior Megan Schlenker, an Office of Community Engagement intern, thought the theme was really inspiring and personal.

“[Gordon] told us if you aren’t happy with your job and you’re just in it for a paycheck, walk it off,” said Schlenker. “If you feel like you’re not tall enough, short enough, thin enough, pretty enough, then just walk if off.”

“I more or less came because of work and, after Gordon’s speech, I was like ‘No, I need to be here,’” said Schlenker

Once the speakers had finished, the conference room slowly emptied and began their five-block march from the INB Performing Arts Center to the front of River Park Square.

Civic groups and organizations marched with banners while families walked with signs that read encouraging messages such as “Never lose hope.” Eastern students carried a large red banner during the march.

“It was spectacular. It was like Bloomsday without the running,” said international exchange student Jay Chili

Bystanders from on-looking businesses and apartments on Main St. stopped to watch and wave as the marchers strolled by.

When they all arrived in front of River Park Square, they were greeted by Ferris High School marching band and hot chocolate at no charge.

“I love that Spokane does this, even in a mostly white community,” Butler said. “That’s why I came. I felt like all different races came together.”