“Together, it’s possible” is my mantra. Interdependence is one of our core values at EOU because we recognize opportunity is enhanced and success is achieved through the cultivation of vibrant connections and relationships. It is through our collective capabilities and strong alignment of purpose that EOU has served so many in its 91-year history. Resiliency is a byproduct of embracing our interdependence and we enter EOU’s 92nd academic year poised to meet the challenges of today.

Access and opportunity are at the heart of our mission to serve this region and its students. Last fall, we welcomed our most culturally and ethnically diverse freshmen class in school history. In the last five years, the proportion of ethnically diverse students attending EOU has doubled. We have made strides in supporting and retaining these students, essentially eliminating the achievement gap, both online and on campus. Overcoming intersecting systems of oppression, many of our Black, Indigenous and students of color model resilience every day. 

This year, the global pandemic has tested our resiliency. As we resume in-person instruction this fall, every member of our community is testing their strength to rebound, reorganize and reimagine. We do so knowing that together, it’s possible.

During this moment in history, recognizing our interdependence is a powerful act. We celebrate it in this issue of The Mountaineer. Pageant contestants, student body presidents, organizers, educators, doctors, scholars and “ballers” are valued for their contributions to the community. Continuing to learn about and address institutions, such as systemic racism, that create barriers to success for some is a way that we live out our value of interdependence. 

As always, our students are leading the way. In this distinct and often difficult time, Mountaineers remain as compassionate, courageous and determined as we have come to expect them to be. 

Sincerely, 

Tom Insko, ’94

President

The Grande Ronde Valley is Cayuse country, frequented by Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes. EOU Trustee Bobbie Conner called it, “an abundant and much beloved landscape.”

The Cayuse have burial and gathering sites throughout the valley where EOU has had its main campus for just 91 years. Groups travelling west from the Wallowas came through this trading hub, so the Cayuse gathered here seasonally with their relatives the Walla Walla, Umatilla and the Nez Perce. Conner said these traditions and the connection to the land remain central in these cultures. 

“People still hunt, fish and gather,” she said. “We still visit many of the places that were beloved by previous generations.”

Her grandmother’s favorite place was near Catherine Creek, and the Blackhawk Trail along the base of the foothills was important to her family and people. But the treaty signed in 1855 excluded the Grande Ronde Valley from the . 

“It was one of the areas discussed at the treaty in Walla Walla,” Conner said. “T��� Grande Ronde Valley was very much sought. The reservation that was identified went as far as Five Points Creek. Had the reservation been what we agreed to at the council, that was set aside in June 1855, it would have come very close to what we now call La Grande.”

EOU has its share of connections to local tribes. Alikut Hall is named for one of Conner’s ancestors, a younger brother of . Dorion Hall commemorated , who travelled from Iowa as the only Indigenous woman in her fur trade expedition as a translator.

Conner pointed out that the resources of northeast Oregon supported communities here long before the arrival of white Americans. 

“Timber, fisheries, fire, travel corridors, interpretive stories, water rights, any of those topics begins with our indigenous history,” she said. “Anyone who loves the Grande Ronde Valley must acknowledge that it’s been loved a very long time. It was cared for and stewarded long before the Euro-American trek from the east.”&�Բ�����;

Today, education plays a significant role in framing the history Conner’s people lived through. Her mother is an EOU alumna, who went on to become the only American Indian educator in every school district she worked in. 

“When EOU is educating our people and our neighbors, we want them to know that we still love that land and we want people to take good care of it,” she said. “If EOU is growing the leadership of tomorrow, regardless of their place of origin, we want them to understand what’s important to us.”

Conner highlighted the connectedness of rural Oregon, and said better understanding promises mutual benefit for EOU, reservations and local communities. She said that ignorance and fear of the unknown often keep people apart. 

“People tend to think that racism, bias and prejudice are what divide us. That is not true,” she said. “It’s rare that anyone thinks less of our culture and thinks less of us the more they know. Typically, the more they know about us, the better friends we become and the more we can achieve together.”

In the 19th Century, white settlers perceived Cayuse people as murderers and terrorists. The growing throng of immigrants had brought a measles epidemic that wiped out entire villages, and a few members of the tribe sought to stop the wagon train bringing more people through the mountains. 

“We have suffered much inequity and oppression since the arrival of Euro-Americans,” Conner said. “It doesn’t have to be that way, but that’s part of our history. We have been subject under local jurisdiction before we had tribal police, and we understand what bias can do in the execution of job duties. I’ve seen it with my own eyes as a child in my hometown.”

As a member of EOU’s governing board and Director of the , Conner continues to build relationships as she shares the stories of her people and their land. 

“Historically, our people lived our lives in abundance,” she said. “This homeland has food at every elevation if you know how to take care of it. We come from a position of wellbeing that we hope to see again. When we are not in poverty, fighting for survival or under irrational threat, much, much good is possible.”

Named for Native Americans

Alikut Hall

Alikut, also spelled Ollokot, was a younger brother of Young Chief Joseph, the son of Old Chief Joseph and grandson of Wallowa Man (Wilenotkin). He was a Cayuse-Nez Perce man with a Cayuse wife, who was Bobby Conner’s maternal grandfather’s mother. Ollokot and Joseph were considered Joseph band Nez Perce, but Conner said the band is actually the Wallowa band. 

Dorion Hall

In 1939, the third building established on campus was named after Marie Aioe Dorion, an indigenous woman who traveled to Oregon from Iowa as a translator. Originally a women’s dorm, it was renamed Hunt Hall after female students moved out. The hall was demolished in 2017 for safety reasons, but Dorion, the only Indigenous woman in her fur trade expedition, remains a significant part of regional history. 

Further reading: 

is an ethnogeographic place names atlas for the Grande Ronde Valley that includes the original American Indian names of rivers and geographical features. Copies are available in the EOU library.

Alexander Zuluaga

Psychology, ’21

Men’s soccer (Forward)

“I was expecting to see a lot of student-athletes like myself that have the same goals in mind, to find like-minded people, which I have.”

“It’s easy to get distracted in a bigger city, but being here has kept me focused on what I want to achieve in soccer and academically.”

“I’d like to try out for a soccer team. I want to get my bachelor’s degree as a thank you to my parents for everything they did for me. Maybe I’ll go to vocational school to become a vitals monitor in surgical rooms.”

“T��� university needs to be open to criticism, and willing to hear people out. They need to listen to students’ concerns because there’s a lot of opportunity to progress.”

Noel Orozco

Business Administration, ’21

Wrestling (Heavyweight)

“It’s a very close community, very supportive. Everybody knows each other, and it’s very welcoming.”

“I want to absorb everything from my teachers, become a national champion and just be involved on campus.”

“T��� university could add a free resource to help students learn and understand what people of color go through. There are a lot of people from small towns in Eastern Oregon where they just haven’t been exposed or they just aren’t really educated on what people of color deal with.”

“Providing counseling for people of color who need it would make a difference.”

Yahaira (Yaya) Chavarria-Mondragon

Exercise science, ’22

Women’s soccer (Defense)

“I was looking for a school with small classes, where professors know you and want to help you. I’ve loved it so far.”&�Բ�����;

“La Grande is a small town with a hugely supportive community.”

“I would love to attend grad school and go into occupational therapy.”

“EOU is a very welcoming place. There’s so many opportunities for everyone.”

“Everyone’s allowed to grow and follow their dreams. In order to continue making EOU a place where everyone feels welcomed and supported, the university should reach out to students, professors and staff to continue looking for ways to make EOU a great place to be.”

Marco Retano

Physical education, ’22

Wrestling (Heavyweight)

“I definitely expected to adjust because I grew up in one town my entire life. I had to learn what it’s like to not be known and how to build new relationships.”

“I know people who are my dear friends now who just needed that exposure. It’s about finding a way to create experiences for people coming in from rural areas who just haven’t had that opportunity.”

“99% of it is a great experience … I have white friends who are getting to know me and I’m getting to know them, and we’re learning about each other. When we get our education, it’s not just about the books, it’s about meeting new people and learning about the world.”

As families around the world coped with isolation, illness and financial hardship, EOU faculty members shaped a new concentration and licensure specialization that prepare teachers to respond to their students’ needs. 

The Trauma in Educational Communities concentration and specialization are the only programs of their kind in Oregon. Housed under the fully online degree, both offerings opened for enrollment this fall. 

Even before the coronavirus pandemic struck, Dean of the College of Education Matt Seimears found a significant need for trauma-invested teachers in the region. 

“Superintendents were calling me to ask what we can provide to help with traumatized students,” Seimears said. “We built this because of the demand in our schools.”&�Բ�����;

A team of EOU faculty began developing trauma-specific courses in September 2019 and worked collaboratively with K-12 schools to refine them. 

“Faculty are in the schools seeing things first-hand. Most program developers never see that,” Seimears said. “We have the potential to be the leading institution in the state of Oregon with trauma and resilience.”

Associate Professor of Education Amanda Villagómez coordinates the program and led the faculty planning team. 

“School districts offer some training, but they’re often expensive or hard to access. Plus, we wanted to dig deeper than a one-time training,” Villagómez said. “T��� coursework looks at individual and systemic traumas.”

She said the curriculum development team was intentional about approaching the topic through a culturally responsive and equitable lens. The College of Education prioritizes cultural responsiveness in developing educators: running the , hosting the Center for Culturally Responsive Practices, sending faculty to the , and incorporating English for Speakers of Other Lanugages (ESOL) training into undergraduate degrees. In 2020, that inclusive approach has become even more valuable.

“T��� COVID pandemic is bringing trauma to the surface,” Villagómez said. “Certain populations are having higher rates of impact, and it’s revealing inequities.”

Looking ahead, the college plans to continue its work toward integrating cultural responsiveness and equitable practices into teacher coursework. 

The Trauma in Educational Communities concentration addresses age groups from preschool through high school. Interactive elements and a flexible start term mean that students can complete all required courses in just three terms. The content is accessible and applicable for administrators, recent undergraduates, substitute teachers, and even those who’ve spent years in the classroom. 

“We always have the lens of how this affects teachers in our area,” Villagómez said. “EOU is all about relationships, and that’s a big part of the coursework. A lot of what EOU stands for aligns well with principles of trauma-invested care.”

More information about the Master of Science in Education program and the Trauma in Educational Communities concentration and specialization is available at . 

Strikes and fouls occupy most of Ed Smith’s, ’83, time these days. The former EOU quarterback founded and runs the , training and mentoring referees across the Pacific Northwest. 

Smith was a member of Coach Don Turner’s highly ranked football team in the 1980s. He remembers the tumult of that era on campus. Turner recruited Black players from California, Pacific Islander players to hold the line, and white players from small, rural towns. 

“Coach Turner’s outlook on football, culture, and diverse nature of athletics seemed extreme at the time, but it was absolutely wonderful,” Smith said. “T��� old weight room had a long mirror and we’d do hours of circuit training with music blaring. We played two songs of R&B, two songs of country and two songs of Islander music in a rotation.”

Smith reunited with his teammates last fall when Turner was inducted into the . He said the relationships built in that tiny weight room have held firm. 

“It was amazing to me that after almost 40 years, there was not one iota of team spirit or camaraderie lost,” he said. “At the time in La Grande that team was all we had. It was a bit terse when these new athletes first showed up. It was a new horizon for the city and the school.”

With Coach Turner’s encouragement to get involved on campus and the activism modeled by his parents, Smith decided to run for student body president. He’d served on the presidential search committee and was politically motivated. 

“We were in a time of turmoil when they were talking about closing down either Western or Eastern—we were on the chopping block,” he said. “I picked up the mantle and decided to run.”

After initial pushback, Smith focused his campaign on building grassroots support. He found common ground with fellow non-traditional students, hanging around evening classes. Smith was an older student at 27, having served six years in the . He lived on campus and campaigned in the residence halls. Plus, he drew votes from student-athletes.

In 1982, EOU elected its first Black student body president and Smith was named Most Inspirational Player. 

“I was Obama before Obama was,” Smith joked. “I hosted a political forum with Gov. Vic Atiyeh and in their debate on campus… and we successfully lobbied in the legislature to not close the school.”

He said his time as a Mountaineer and his role as a leader on campus transformed his worldview. Smith had grown up in Detroit and lived on military bases in California, but in La Grande he worked with a local farmer and bucked hay for the first time in his life. He said the experience connected him with teammates from Elgin and Cove. 

“I had no concept of where milk came from or what it was like to be in a rural place,” he said. “I went out to Baker City and would kick bales of hay out to cows at 4 a.m…. Every city kid should do that at some point. I learned about the lifestyle, and hopefully people learned about these strange kids from the city.”

Smith remembers women shuffling to the other side of the street and clutching their purses when he first arrived in La Grande. He figured he’s probably the first and only student body president to have received death threats while he was on campus. But by 1982, the football team was holding community car washes. 

“We opened the door for a lot of kids of color and different cultures starting to attend EOSC,” Smith said. “I really, really, really loved my school. It made a difference in my world.”

His recent return to campus showcased a much more ethnically diverse student body than the one he led decades ago. He reflected that although he may have been the first person from an underrepresented group to lead the student body, he’s glad to find that he wasn’t the last.  

EOU established the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion (SDI) in 2018, expanding the role of the MOSAIC Center. Bennie Moses-Mesubed, ’99 and ’13, has built up the department’s educational and support services.

She explained that advocating and providing resources for students who are marginalized because of their gender identity, sexual orientation or ethnicity is only half of her job. The department also organizes events and discussions that equip white students with a more complete understanding of inclusion, equity and diversity. Moses-Mesubed said she hopes all EOU students gain a truly global perspective at EOU, and then apply it in academics and as active community members.

“We are just as accountable for providing education about privilege and white fragility for our white students, as we are for providing validation and support for students of color who experience microaggressions,” she said. 

Moses-Mesubed and her staff talk to white students about race as a construct, but add that white people have been excluded in conversations about racism. 

“Our culture has conditioned them to think that race and racism is not about them,” she said, pointing out how difficult it is for students to name a white person who walked with MLK. “, and others have historically been excluded in white conversations about the racial justice movement. This results in young white people not having role models or seeing how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) impact them.” 

EOU’s student population is 70% white, nearly half of last year’s freshman class came from low-income homes, and about a third were first-generation college students. Part of EOU’s rural mission means walking alongside students who are just beginning to understand concepts like diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Wherever students are in understanding DEI, we want to be there for them as a resource,” she said. “It’s OK to make mistakes, it’s OK to fumble, and we will pick each other up and figure out where to go from there. The key is to not be discouraged.”

The benefits of difference

“Being different is not bad,” EOU business professor Michael Fields said. “When we understand each other better, we work together better, learn together better and create a better society for people to work and succeed in.”&�Բ�����;

Fields’ research explores intercultural competence: a set of skills, knowledge and abilities to communicate and interact with people who are different from one another in a positive and productive manner. He found that the value of intercultural competence and its impact aren’t widely known. 

Fields chairs EOU’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He said part of the committee’s work involves compliance with , which requires that all public universities work to improve intercultural competence.

He furthered his research by inviting five international graduate students to attend his undergraduate classes for weekly mentoring sessions. The experience marginally improved students’ competency, and the graduate students showed even more improvement. Fields found that high-contact, positive experiences with people who are different from one another influence intercultural competence. 

As a business faculty member, Fields said intercultural competency is key for future managers, leaders, employees, neighbors and participants in the global economy. 

“One of the aspects of intercultural competence is communication, which is something we do daily as humans, as faculty members, as parents, as community members, as coaches and more,” he said. “We are often speaking to people who have different views than us, and intercultural competence prepares people for that.”

View Fields’ Colloquium talk here: .

By the end of June, ��ݮ��Ƶ had awarded $307,745 from the federal CARES Act to support 282 on-campus students as they adapted to remote learning for spring term. 

Students who didn’t meet the criteria for federal CARES Act funding received support through the EOU Foundation’s Student Crisis Fund. When the pandemic hit this spring, EOU alumni and donors raised over $16,000 in a matter of weeks to help students stay in school. 

Australian student Samantha Blake lives in Baker City, and didn’t qualify for CARES Act support because she attends classes online. When her husband lost his job because of the pandemic and unemployment payments were stalled, she turned to EOU to cover phone and internet costs. Private funds through the kept her on track to graduate in June 2021.

“T��� told me about the help available,” she said. “We were so far behind on bills it was scary. For someone who didn’t qualify for assistance through other channels, I was so lucky [EOU Foundation donors] were willing to be generous. I’m so grateful for EOU and the donors that give us all support.”

More than $6,000 was distributed in spring term, and the EOU Foundation continues to assist students in need. Misha Feeley, ’19, was one of them. 

A staff member in the Financial Aid Office directed her to the Foundation when other options came up short. 

“I applied for the award, hopeful that it would financially assist me in paying for surgery-related expenses to get me through my last term in my undergraduate studies,” she said. 

Originally from Guam, Feeley was able to finish her English/Writing degree on time thanks to a $500 award. 

“I cannot express how grateful I am to the donors and those who have not only assisted me with a much-needed surgery, but also in supporting me to complete my last term successfully and ultimately receive my undergraduate degree,” she said. “This award has benefited me in retaining my employment, as well as carved a path toward furthering my education to obtain a master’s degree. Being the recipient of this award has transformed my outlook of ��ݮ��Ƶ and the community at large, knowing that they care about students’ education, well-being, and success.”

In addition to the Student Crisis Fund, the Foundation provides hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships every year. Eligibility requirements vary, but students can apply for over 100 scholarships by submitting one application, which opened Oct. 1. 

Browse the list of EOU Foundation scholarships, or learn how to donate to the Student Crisis Fund at eou.edu/foundation. 

In March 2020, EOU transitioned all spring term courses to remote-access in response to the quickly spreading coronavirus pandemic. Students, employees, alumni and stakeholders created new ways of teaching, learning, leading and interacting as the world went into lockdown. 

As people emerged, they did so with a new set of habits. Face coverings, physical distance and take-out became ubiquitous with everyday life. The Mountaineer spirit of resilience and innovation has never shone out so clearly. 

Hear from more members of the EOU community and add your story at eou.edu/coronavirus/eou-story-map.

“Quarantine and the cancellation of in-person classes led to my moving back home to Willowcreek to be with my family. This sudden and unexpected change was tough on me as I was enjoying my independence and freedom in La Grande. However, spending time with my family has been wonderful, as my brother and cousins are all out of school. Being able to work on my family’s farm and ranch every day has been quite relaxing. This pandemic has changed the way EOU, America and the world operates, in this time of uncertainty it is critical to hold onto family, community and friends.”

Emma Kindschy (Student)
Vale, Oregon

“One of my students, Gloria Wagner, completed her degree during winter term.  Gloria is an exceptional student. She finished her degree with a 4.0 EOU GPA and an overall GPA of 3.770. While that in itself is an accomplishment, her most outstanding attribute is that Gloria is 81 years old!”

Kerrie Wylam (Staff)
Roseburg, Oregon

“I attempted to offer the best remote learning for my students, and provide them with support as needed. I am following the guidelines set forth by the government agencies for social distancing. I volunteered with the high school graduation planning and assisted with the construction of infrastructure for the virtual graduation. I have been supporting my family and their needs as well.”

David Ford (Student)
Central Point, Oregon

“I have been volunteering at a local food bank. It has been great to see all of the extra donations during this time!”

Jessica Coughlin (Faculty)
Bend, Oregon

“Now that I have become an RA, COVID-19 has heavily impacted the way that programs and physical interactions take place. For instance, residents will not be able to go inside other halls or into other individuals rooms/suites. A positive take away is being able to be creative. In other words, finding alternatives for programming to make sure we are abiding by mask/social distancing guidelines. Additionally, finding other ways to create that community within your own hall and floor. This experience has and will continue to challenge me throughout the year and I’m excited to have this leadership opportunity during a global pandemic.”

Joseph O’Brien (Student)
Boardman, Oregon

“Dan and I have been taking walks together. I’ve been restoring Orff instruments for teachers as Dan learns Spanish. Each night my friend calls and we pray for first responders, safety, support for all and wisdom for a cure.”&�Բ�����;

Dan and Ann Hutchinson (Alumni)
Boise, Idaho

“I had recently accepted a position as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer to serve in Peru another year as an At-Risk Youth Social Reintegration Specialist, but with COVID there was no post to go back to…. I now work as a Mentor in Outdoor Recreation Therapy for a residential young adult transition program! I am planning on staying with this company to grow as an individual in this industry, learn about somatic outdoor therapy and finish school. I plan to focus on mental health, while advocating to increase access to outdoor recreational activities for all.”&�Բ�����;

Alondra Esquival (Alumna)

“Ceramic artists have a love-hate relationship with the material because the limitations and the resistance of the material is the thing that actually allows you to do more while pushing against the boundaries. Bouncing off the walls of our limitations sets up the failures that lead to our next big idea. These new boundaries limit us, but how can we use those parameters in a way that’s exciting? This is going to force some really interesting changes society-wide.”&�Բ�����;

Nate Prouty (Faculty)
La Grande, Oregon

“I never expected my first year as a nurse to include a pandemic – one where I began to care for only one type of patient that can present, decline, and improve in a multitude of ways,” said Christensen. “I never expected to gain some of the experiences I have so fresh in my career and yet being thrown into the fire has allowed me to learn and be witness to some of the most interesting medical interventions.”

Sierra Christensen (Alumna)
Tri-Cities, Washington

“Virtual Preview Day was the most rewarding admissions event I’ve ever been a part of. It went really well and the student engagement was incredible. Students and families from Saipan, Colombia, New Jersey and Georgia joined us! Most times, families from distant locations can’t attend an on-campus event, but taking it online eliminated the barriers to visiting EOU.”

Genesis Meaderds (Staff)
La Grande, Oregon

Note: Since this story was written, the Board of Trustees met on Nov. 12 and voted unanimously to remove Pierce from the Library’s name. Read the news story here: eou.edu/news-press/board-approves-budget-de-names-library.

Before spring term ended last June, over 100 EOU students joined several hundred community members in making their voices heard in a public forum. drew attention on a Tuesday afternoon, but student leaders had already been at work on a poignant racial equity issue for years. 

EOU students tapped into a legacy of campus activism in 2018 when student body leaders passed a that questioned the appropriateness of an EOU building named for former Oregon governor Walter Pierce. This resolution, combined with a , led President Tom Insko to form a committee of students, faculty and staff to review the naming issue. 

This fall, after two years of academic research and community involvement, the EOU Board of Trustees will vote on whether to alter the library’s name. 

Now a senior studying public health and psychology, Andrea Camacho has been a strong voice in these conversations since the ASEOU resolution. Camacho was joined on the committee by fellow student Joel Chin, library faculty member Katie Townsend, ’06, and history professor Rebecca Hartman. The committee was chaired by Vice President for University Advancement Tim Seydel.

Learning by committee

Together, they were tasked with investigating Walter and Cornelia Pierce’s public stances on inclusion and recommending a course of action. 

The processes of public institutions are often at odds with the passion of student leaders, but Camacho remained persistent. For over a year, committee members met to discuss recent findings, review Pierce documents and materials, delve into previous research and collect input from peers. When COVID-19 emerged in early 2020, the committee’s long-anticipated visit to the state archives had to be cancelled. 

“I had to learn the process,” Camacho said. “This conversation has been happening since 1999—I was born in 1999.”

Over 20 years ago, a committee of EOU faculty investigated Pierce’s history and found no convincing evidence that he was affiliated with Ku Klux Klan. They concluded that, while he cultivated the Klan vote, he was not a member, and that there was not sufficient reason to rename the library. The also identified Cornelia Pierce’s role as Oregon’s state librarian. The university moved to rename the building “Pierce Library.”

The 1999 committee did not include student input, but for the last two years Camacho has solicited feedback from her classmates, continuing to elevate student voices.

“I had conversations with , Speel-Ya and Navigators Club,” she said. “T���se students were dumbfounded that EOU just hadn’t changed the name yet.”

Community members, employees, students and alumni also shared their input through an online form.

Townsend, who has overheard students’ discomfort with the library’s name throughout her 12 years as an employee, said she hoped to collect evidence that could serve as a reference point for questions that surface regularly.

“I really appreciated having students on the committee, to hear from them and see them continue to push for this, and go through the process, which takes so much longer than any of us want it to usually,” Townsend said. “It doesn’t move as fast as students expect or want, and they figured out how to persevere and stay passionate about it.”&�Բ�����;

Hartman agreed that student participation strengthens EOU’s liberal arts approach to graduating well-rounded, engaged citizens. Hartman said she saw students become educators for faculty, staff and administrators, and they continued to agitate from outside the committee, posting an. 

“Students did have to tussle with that lesson of how to bend the system to your will, how to work the process and the system,” she said. “It’s easy for institutions not to listen to voices that want change, not because of ill-will but because it’s easier to not change. I was impressed not just by their passion, but their tenacity.”

Busting misconceptions

Pierce governed Oregon from 1922 to 1926. He also spent 10 years in the U.S. Congress and two terms in the state senate. 

Townsend said historical records list him as an honorary member of the KKK and show that he cultivated the group’s support in his gubernatorial campaign. No conclusive evidence of his KKK membership was found, but Townsend said this particular facet of the controversy can distract from other important questions. 

“Some past discussions seemed to only consider his Klan membership, but there’s so much that is concerning,” Townsend said. “His speeches and actions show racist views toward so many groups that continued for his whole career. The Klan membership question is part of his history that should be examined, but the conversation needs to be expanded.”

recounts a thorough investigation of Pierce’s legacy saying, “We conclude that regardless of the question of his Klan membership, Pierce’s support of the [anti-Catholic] Compulsory School bill, his and Cornelia’s successful campaign for forced sterilization [of people with mental illnesses], his vote against a federal anti-lynching law, and his sustained assault upon the civil liberties of Japanese-Americans are clear evidence of the Pierces’ discriminatory actions and values.”

They found that while Pierce supported agriculture and infrastructure, he did so exclusively for the benefit of white Oregonians. 

The committee report reads, “For Pierce, civil liberties, due process, and democratic processes were not universal rights and principles but rather, entitlements of white Protestant Americans. However one might attempt to historically ‘contextualize’ these values, even in the early 20th Century, and certainly by the mid-century, the Pierces’ commitment to exclusionary racial policies reflected a strain of racist ideology that was increasingly rejected by Americans. We see no way to reconcile such a legacy with the values and goals of our university.”

In his 2020 Convocation address to staff and faculty, EOU President Tom Insko shared insights from a friend of the university who responded to concerns about erasing history.

“His words were: ‘This is not an exercise in rewriting history. History cannot be re-written, only our perceptions of what our collective histories mean to us can be revised. This decision is about whose lives and philosophies we in the 21st Century choose to celebrate and honor. 

“It is one thing to accept that people lived in their times and must be judged in that context. It is quite another thing to continue to honor a century later people who we know in our hearts were wrong, and whose actions generated a divided society we are struggling to this day to correct.’”

A pillar for change

“I believe it’s time for us to drop the name Pierce from the library, but we need to approach this in such a way that it allows for inclusion and many points of view because there are many out there that disagree with that perspective,” Insko said. 

The committee’s report has been submitted to Insko and he’ll make a to the Board of Trustees at its Nov. 12 meeting. As a public meeting, community members, students and employees are invited to provide testimony on the issue. 

At the close of a long process and following 66 years of contentious debate, committee members see an opportunity for EOU to fully embrace its mission, values and principles. 

“We used the EOU mission statement to frame our analysis of the Pierces’ legacy and we concluded that their legacy fundamentally conflicts with the university’s mission,” Hartman said. “Part of what we do as an institution of higher learning is examine, reflect and think about ways our history can be an opportunity to learn about ourselves, and make choices about what we want to stand for. Denaming the library empowers us to move past our history and work toward a more equitable and inclusive future.”

The professors who co-authored the 1999 report now favor de-naming the building, which Hartman attributes to increased awareness of how systemic racism is entrenched through cultural symbols like building names. Hartman added that student activism has aided a general seachange in public opinion regarding racial equity, oppression and how to remember historical figures. 

“It’s a testament that EOU is doing what it’s supposed to do: creating critical thinkers engaged in the world around them,” Hartman said. “T��� fact that students have spearheaded this should encourage us and give us hope. We are, in fact, doing our jobs because students are equipped to change the world.”

Camacho, who anticipates earning her degree in spring, embodies that success. She acquired letters of support, not just from peers, but from the . Her efforts to educate the community resulted in wider awareness that spurred public action. 

“I don’t have a Ph.D., I’m not a historian, but I do know what’s right and what’s wrong,” Camacho said. “For the past two years, this is all I’ve wanted from EOU. We need something to show that EOU is moving in the right direction.”

In her final year on campus, she said this particular decision could stand as a pillar for change as higher education follows its students into the future. 

As valedictorian of his high school, Mitchel Ornelas, ’13, had his pick of Oregon colleges to attend on a full-ride scholarship. He chose EOU.

Now a doctor, he is drawing on his experience at EOU and his own upbringing in his work with underserved and Indigenous people in Seattle.

He played football for the Mountaineers, but quit the team after a year to focus on academics and the cultural organizations in which he became involved.

With close family ties to the Umatilla Tribe, Ornelas was exposed to traditional foods, sweat lodge ceremonies and powwows during visits to Eastern Oregon. At EOU, he was drawn to the Pacific Island Heritage Club’s luau that featured dances and performances—traditions that rang true to him. He later discovered his father was from Southeast Asia. 

“I met a lot of people at Eastern and was introduced to island culture—something brought me to them,” Ornelas said. “I realized this is my culture and I was meant to find my identity.”

His interest in heritage culture led Ornelas into activism. He attended leadership conferences focused on racial equality. In medical school, all of his experiences with culture and race paved the way to where he is now: a doctor of osteopathic medicine working for Swedish Health Services in Seattle with Alaskan natives and other Indigenous people.

Ornelas also credited cultural influences with his decision to practice osteopathic medicine, which focuses on muscular and skeletal systems.

“It really ties in well with mind, body and spirit,” Ornelas said.

After a year in the classroom, Ornelas spent three years training at community health centers, including one in Oahu, where he learned about yet another culture. The Hawaiian healers, who practiced in the room above Ornelas, sussed similar hands-on treatment as the osteopathic students learned and used plant and herbal treatments. The comprehensive health center also provided a place where families could work through social issues.

In Hawaii, he also met medical providers with a bent for social justice. Ornelas said when he learned about the residency program at Swedish, he took the opportunity to come back to the Northwest to practice family medicine with Indigenous people, many of whom struggle economically.

As a resident entering a new career, he witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic putting even more pressure on traditionally marginalized communities. Ornelas said he serves people who are homeless, and most methods of treating patients from a safe distance, like tele-health, aren’t available to people without a smartphone, computer or tablet.

“A lot of the people I serve don’t have a phone or other electronics and that’s a barrier,” Ornelas said.

So is not having an address to receive letters from a healthcare provider. Sometimes one of the resources a patient may receive is a phone so they can make and keep appointments and communicate with clinics and hospitals.

“I think the COVID pandemic highlights what the barriers are in the population I serve,” Ornelas said. “People suffering from historical trauma find it tough to find providers they trust. Organizations like ours are trying to break down those barriers.”

To gain trust providers need to understand their patients’ culture. Swedish offers both Western Medicine and traditional American Indian medicine, Ornelas said.

“Trust allows a relationship to develop,” Ornelas said. “T���n we can work to avoid heart attacks and cardiac disease or focus on healthy pregnancies.”

When she was still in high school, Anay Mendoza, ’19, witnessed the power of language in a classroom. 

She was shadowing a reading specialist in an elementary school, and after the teacher read a story she asked each student a question about it. All except one boy, whom she skipped as she went around the circle.  

“He didn’t speak English well enough to answer the questions,” Mendoza said. “I asked him in Spanish, and you wouldn’t believe the look on his face when he understood what I was saying. He knew most of the answers, but he didn’t have the opportunity to show it.”

Mendoza, one of the first graduates of EOU’s Oregon Teacher Pathway Program, spent her first year as a teacher in a dual-language school. She taught her third graders in Spanish each morning and English each afternoon. 

“Students who are learning English thrive during Spanish time, and vice-versa,” Mendoza said. “It helps students understand and learn a lot about empathy, perseverance—things we’re still learning as adults.”

Mendoza uses images and creative curriculum to engage her students regardless of their language skills. She said cooperation and communication are always the top priority. 

“I’ve learned that it’s better to be flexible,” she said. “This year threw me a ton of curveballs on top of learning how to teach in dual-language: how to be in a new place, brushing up on my own Spanish, and then a global pandemic.”

Like her students, Mendoza is finding opportunity amid the demand to adapt. Her classroom met virtually throughout the spring and commenced in the same way this fall. As the global community discovers new ways to stay in touch, Mendoza’s students are already developing a robust set of communication skills.

“T���re’s a lot of benefit to learning a new language. You’re given this key to a much wider community,” she said. “It’s not easy to learn a new language. It’s a great opportunity because down the line these kids can connect to a much wider audience.”

Mendoza’s horizons broadened when EOU faculty members introduced Oregon Teacher Pathway (OTP) at her high school. The program collaborates with schools to offer “Intro to Education” classes to teenagers interested in becoming teachers. 

Mendoza shadowed elementary teachers each week, cementing her desire to become an educator and spend her days with young students. 

“OTP played a huge role in my own college experience,” she said. “During high school it gave me the opportunity to discover that teaching was what I wanted to do … it gave me good insight into what it would be like to be an elementary school teacher.”

The program offers credit reductions and scholarships that made higher education affordable for Mendoza and her family. With its grow-your-own-teachers model, OTP aims to increase the number of racially and ethnically diverse educators in Eastern Oregon. 

“OTP is also about representation,” Mendoza said. “It’s a powerful moment when a student sees themselves in a teacher and they realize they can do that, too.”&�Բ�����;

Of the artwork all the innovative artist Danean Herrera-Riley creates, the upcycled angels best depict the trail she’s blazed in the last two decades.

The angels are eclectic collections made of buttons, ribbon and beads—their images used for greeting cards sold to help support . The female deities were cobbled together from leftover craft paraphernalia, a metaphor for how Herrera-Riley and the women she serves have rebuilt their lives to reach independence.

Herrera-Riley describes herself as an all-around artist, working with different mediums. Her wall hangings, on display at in Baker City, are more traditional Native American artwork, with images of animals like coyote, turtle and elk, all intricately beaded on buckskin.

The angels are new to her repertoire, Herrera-Riley, a Klamath Indian, said.

“Angels never came to me until after my mother died in December—that’s when the first three came,” Herrera-Riley said. “When my father died in February, the fourth and fifth ones came.”

As a child, Herrera-Riley moved a lot, never going to the same school for an entire year. As a young adult, she struggled with substance abuse. After she got sober, she moved her children to Halfway and eventually found her way to and later graduated with a liberal arts degree from EOU.

While Herrera-Riley didn’t major in art, she said it’s always been an outlet for her.

“For me as a Native American, art has always grounded me. It is where I find peace, especially in my life of chaos,” Herrera-Riley said.

The 55-year-old mother of two grown children combines her experience of transition and her love of art into her current work helping women re-integrate into society as she works on a master’s degree in counseling.

The transitional housing focuses on women coming out of prison because there isn’t a lot of housing available. She said women her age find it especially difficult to get help. Younger women with small children more easily qualify for housing assistance, Herrera-Riley said, and they aren’t old enough for senior housing.

“That age group gets left over in kind of a void,” she said. “T���y don’t have housing or a rental history.”

Besides a place to live, Herrera-Riley tries to provide a running start, helping her clients with life skills. 

“I teach women how to pick and can fruit,” Herrera-Riley said. “I have a gleaning program [to collect fruit from orchards] and besides canning I teach cooking and sewing.”

Herrera-Riley said her classes are open to all women in the community, not just those living in transitional housing. The life skills she teaches spills into art, where women make rugs out of T-shirts and quilts out of jeans, sold in the upcycled shop, along with the angelic greeting cards. She has also taken the program to other tribes and communities.

“I wanted to show them I’m teaching classes and writing a program to incorporate cooking, canning and gleaning—even if I teach just one person at a time,” Herrera-Riley said.

Herrera-Riley’s success comes from her personal drive, attending college while raising two children and working. 

As a part Native American and part Mexican woman, she had to deal with racism from within her own culture, as well as during her time in a Native American rehab program when she and the other women were targeted as a group.

“When I think about barriers, like a Caucasian person being racist with me, I try to overcome it,” she said. “I don’t want to use it as an excuse and I figure out a way to go around it.”

The artwork and upcycled items Herrera-Riley makes with the women she teaches are for sale at One Transition at a Time in Baker City or online at .

After 14 months off the air, Craig Tucker, ’14, revitalized his sports podcast with a new topic: racism. 

began back in 2016, and ran for almost 50 episodes with talk between Tucker and fellow alumnus Derek Maloney, ’15, about Fantasy Football, the NFL, the World Cup, Wimbledon, and pro baseball and golf. Mostly though, they talked about basketball. 

Both alumni played on EOU’s championship basketball team in 2012-13. Tucker’s jersey number at EOU was 3 and Maloney was 25, so when they decided to make their sports-centric phone calls public, they called it 325 Sports. The podcast became fairly popular on and , but moves and marriages meant they stopped recording for a while. 

When protests erupted across the globe last June in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Tucker decided to end the podcast’s hiatus. 

“T��� big gist of it is that some of my closest friends are Black, and I didn’t feel like I could just sit back—I had to do something,” he said. “I wanted to talk to my friends about these concepts and these tough things to see what I could do better, and also to raise awareness.”

Tucker held six conversations with former EOU teammates who identify as Black or people of color. During these hour-long episodes, EOU alumni shared stories they’d never told before. The one with Maya Ah You Dias, ’19, was downloaded over 500 times. 

“To hear some of their stories of being disrespected, it hits more home when it’s your friend,” Tucker said. “It can be hard to connect with news stories that happen far away, but seeing what my friends go through it finally hits home. All of them told me a story that I’d never heard before. I was blown away that my friends were being disrespected as humans because of the color of their skin.”

Tucker said the “War on Racism” series got an overall positive response. His goal was to raise awareness, but in the process he also strengthened the relationships with his friends and teammates. 

“T���y know now that I’m willing to step up for them,” Tucker said. “It’s going to take the white majority to take care of this issue, to make sure people in the minority feel safe.”

He said he’s learned about the importance of having an open mind, making the effort to responsibly self-educate, and being kind to others in every circumstance. 

“With social media and instant gratification, we can say mean things without consequences. The majority of things people type, they wouldn’t say in person. Take a step back, try to educate yourself, understand and then respond,” he said. “Conversations are important, but when you don’t take the time to understand someone’s perspective first, it just spirals down. Just treat people like you would want to be treated.”

325 Sports Pod

Excerpt from “War on Racism: Maya Ah You-Dias” (June 7, 2020)

“My dad was another young Black male that was murdered. My mom went back to the detective and couldn’t get a full investigation….We still don’t know all of what happened. That was the first real racial discrimination that my mom really talked to me about, ‘Sometimes officers just don’t really care about people because of the color of their skin.’… I still feel like if he was a white male that there would’ve been a full investigation, it wouldn’t have been quiet or been let go. I’m still trying to process that whole situation. I still struggle with feelings of guilt.… This is something that’s really close to my heart that’s really personal. 

“That was when I was 7…. We moved to Middleton, Idaho when I was 11, and that was a bit of a culture shock coming from Buffalo, New York where 36% of the population is African American. My elementary school was one of the most diverse schools in the nation … then I came to Idaho and it was 0.6% Black people in Middleton. That’s when I realized that I was different and there were stereotypes about Black people … Everyone was like, ‘Your hair is so different. Your skin is so dark. You jump so high. You play basketball so well.’ All this because I was Black, and I never even knew those were stereotypes of African Americans before I came to Idaho.”

Excerpt from “War on Racism: Tony Eackles Jr.” (June 4, 2020)

“I was really debating if I should share this cuz I don’t know if I ever really dealt with it all the way. I moved to Washington in 2017, and one day I’m in the mall shopping in January 2018. I’m shopping in the mall and two policemen come up to me and just grab me. I’m on the phone and my phone drops. I’m confused, I don’t know what’s going on. And they’re saying, ‘What else you got in here? You’re not gonna get away with this.’ I’m confused. I’m lost. I’m thinking Ashton Kutcher is gonna jump out and I’m punked. They’re going through my jacket. Basically they’re trying to find clothes, they think that I’m stealing from the store. So they put me in handcuffs. I get put in handcuffs and I go to the back. And they said, ‘This looks like the guy who’s been stealing from all the stores in the mall.’ … I was just like, ‘What?’ I was in so much shock because I’d never been arrested before, I’d never had any run-ins with the police before. I was just in so much shock, but all they identified me as was just, he was a tall, Black male.…

“I’ll never forget how the officer was talking to me. He was like, ‘You probably stole before haven’t you? You’re probably a petty larceny thief.’ I’m still processing it to this day. 

“I was really skeptical about sharing this story because it bothered me a lot. They took me to jail. You never had a shame walk ’til you left the mall in handcuffs. You’re thrown, like really thrown, in the back of a police car, they don’t put a seatbelt on you. You’re treated like less than a person…. I ended up being in there like four hours. I felt like they played me. I felt like I really got taken advantage of because they were like, ‘Your bail is $500.’ When it just happened to be that I had $500 in my wallet.… I bail myself out, I go home. I didn’t even really know how to deal with it. It was real tough for me because I didn’t know what to do.… I ended up having to get a lawyer that I had to pay for … it took me a year to get the case dismissed. I had to keep going back to the hearing. The judge read the charges and everybody laughed, like, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna dismiss the charges for what looks to be a normal Saturday out shopping.’ I’m sitting in there with people who do drugs, DUIs. I just got back from London, I just won a championship. … I still think about that, so many things. I was racially profiled and I never got a chance to stand up for it. I never got a chance to see that officer again … You would have thought that I was throwing things in my bag and about to run out the store. They put me in a submissive hold for shopping, shopping! I just couldn’t believe that something like that had happened to me.”

is not usually required reading for high school students, but when Althea Huesties-Wolf, ’03 and ’16, re-wrote the program for the (CTUIR) she made it part of the curriculum.

The book consists of essays that cross genres and combine indigenous stories with economic analysis and the history of colonialism in the Americas. She initially planned to cover the book in a term, but adjusted the pace to suit her students—prior curriculum lacked this flexibility. The result: custom-fitted lesson plans for people seeking college-ready skills in science, math and language arts. 

On average, the students she taught dropped out of school in ninth or tenth grade, and many face difficulties outside of the classroom. 

“Because of what students come to the classroom with, you have to be sensitive to the story you don’t know,” Huesties-Wolf said. “You get these kids and they feel things from home and bring it to school with them.”

In fall 2019, the GED program had its own classroom for the first time, allowing Huesties-Wolf’s to showcase her background in writing (she has a master’s degree in nonfiction from EOU). She expanded the program’s impact and developed an assessment process to determine which students were ready to schedule a GED test right away. 

Huesties-Wolf and her family are members of the Hawtmi clan, a more isolated group that made their homes in the southern area of the Umatilla Reservation, where she is a tribal member. Her mother still lives in that remote area, and her great-grandfather established a drum group with the same name that her son is now learning from. 

She remembers gathering and preserving traditional foods, sewing clothes and pulling rye with her mother, back when jobs were scarce on the reservation. Since graduating from EOU, she’s held a variety of roles within the CTUIR and its partner organizations. She is now the Hanford Policy Analyst for the that she said connects her to those childhood memories. 

The range of reading material in the GED classroom now reflects the many-faceted lives of Huesties-Wolf and her students. Their bookshelf includes a wide array of essays, poems and stories at all reading levels. 

“I tried to incorporate multi-genre because when you’re Native American you have to be multi-genre,” she said. “I can’t just be home on a day off when I know there’s roots in the field, medicine to gather, or berries to pick. Some of the best observations of the resources are when gatherers, hunters and fisherman talk about their annual outings. I consider it Cultural .”&�Բ�����;

As her students worked through and Huesties-Wolf was on a learning curve of her own.

“I learned to slow down and read one essay, or a portion of it in class and the other part they read at home. We would spend a week on one essay to ensure we all understood it,” she said. “My hope is that all of my students go off and change the world for the better.”

From an orphanage in Haiti, to a one-room schoolhouse in Keating, to the stage—at 21 years old, Sophia Yervasi has already experienced more than most. This fall she plans to transfer to EOU and work toward completing her bachelor’s degree in business. 

Adopted by a Baker City family when she was a toddler, Yervasi faced bullying in elementary school, which led her parents to enroll her in one of Oregon’s last functioning one-room schoolhouses. With first through sixth grade students all together, Yervasi said the class never totaled more than 25 students. After the torment she’d experienced, Yervasi found comfort and friendship in the tight-knit group. 

“I was there from third to sixth grade, and it taught me to act more mature because you’re a role model for the younger kids. I had to live by example,” she said. “It was a great experience and I’m really grateful that I got to go to school there.”&�Բ�����;

But things took another downturn a few years later when Yervasi’s mother got seriously ill in 2009, and then she lost two grandparents and her pet dog over one summer in 2012. 

“It made me feel like everyone around me was going to die,” Yervasi said. “It felt like a constant pain in my chest, like someone squeezing my heart, like darkness. That was really confusing because I had never felt pain like that before.”

With support from friends, family and her church, Yervasi said she developed an inner strength and the pain faded away. 

“Most people outside my close friends and family didn’t even know I was depressed,” she said. “A couple times I attempted suicide.”&�Բ�����;

Before one attempt, Yervasi was planning on saying goodbye to her best friend Kara Bennett, but when they locked eyes Yervasi changed her mind. 

“T��� second I saw her I just started bawling … I’m pretty sure that saved me that day,” Yervasi said. 

Almost a decade later, Bennett and Yervasi are still close. This year, they’ve channeled their friendship into a new endeavor: competing in Miss Oregon USA. They made a spontaneous decision to sign up together after watching Miss Universe, and now they will represent Union and Baker Counties in the . 

“I hope to learn about marketing and how to deal with stress better, and it’s good motivation to keep getting fit,” Yervasi said. “I’m in a time of self-discovery. Whether I win or lose, I’m going to gain so much out of this.”&�Բ�����;

Each contestant selects a or a cause they’ll promote if they win the pageant. Yervasi hopes to spread awareness about depression and anxiety. 

“If we talk about it more, people can figure out how to get through it,” she said. “It’s really sad to think that maybe I wouldn’t be here right now … and if my story can help anybody else, then it’s worth sharing.”

In the first six months of 2020, Yervasi lost about 85 pounds. Entering Miss Oregon USA became an additional motivator for pursuing her fitness goals.  

“I struggled at first seeing the other people and how they all look like models, but then I realized I’m doing this for myself and I’m going to put my best self forward,” she said. “I’m nervous for the swimsuit portion, but I’m excited for how empowered I’ll feel afterward.”

And Bennett, a junior at EOU, will be by her side through it all. 

“Especially when you start comparing yourself to others, it’s helpful to have somebody there with you,” Yervasi said. “We’re going to share a room in the hotel for the weekend, we get to shop for our dresses together, and we can motivate each other.”

Regardless of the final scores, Yervasi hopes to spread awareness about the pervasiveness of depression and anxiety among teens. And her positive, spontaneous attitude is bound to come out unscathed. 

“Whether I get top 10 or not, it’s going to be a great experience,” she said. “I’m doing it to push myself and to build even more confidence—also, I think it’s going to be fun!”

If you or someone you know is experiencing severe depression or having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Trisha Harshberger, ’09, married Josh Stout on May 5, 2020 in La Grande.

Accomplishments

After 43 years in journalism, Dan Bain, ’73, retired from The News-Review in Roseburg. His media career began at a small radio station in La Grande and saw his footage featured on nationwide broadcasts.  

Mary Strode, ’82, retired from the California Department of Public Health after a long career of leadership and service to the public. She looks forward to enjoying her animals, friends and family, and also her favorite pastimes such as travel, camping, kayaking and the outdoors.

J.T. Higgins, ’89, was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame. 

Heather Moon, ’98, Chair of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Lewis-Clark State College played an important role in Idaho’s response to COVID-19. Moon helped develop mathematical models to show the positive effects of social distancing practices. 

Columba Jones, ’06, has returned to her other alma mater, Hood River Valley High School to serve as interim principal, and the school’s first biracial principal.  

Imbler High School agricultural sciences teacher JD Cant, ’10, was named InterMountain Teacher of the Year and is in the running for the statewide title. 

Victoria Davis, ’16, is practicing as a Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a high school counselor in Los Angeles. “I appreciate my undergrad education at EOU and how it has helped me get to where I am today,” she said. 

Kendra De Hoog, ’19, earned her second bachelor’s degree (nursing) from the Oregon Health and Science University, and less than a year later she’s helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic as an emergency department (ED) nurse at the St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton.

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Obituaries

Randy Dolven, ’67, the retired Kamiakin High School teacher, coach and administrator died on March 13 at the age of 74. 

At 6-foot-4, Dolven was a star athlete at EOU, playing baseball and basketball. He was inducted into the EOU Hall of Fame in 1989 for baseball, and he is still EOU’s all-time leading career scorer and career rebounding leader for men’s basketball. He was an NAIA honorable mention All-American.

He married his college sweetheart Cheeta in 1968, and then coached EOSC’s junior varsity basketball team for two seasons. At 25 years old, he was hired to teach history and start a boys basketball program at a first-year high school in Kennewick. He eventually became the school’s athletic director, overseeing all athletic teams for eight years. Dolven retired in 2000, but stayed on for five years as a consultant.

“He was the glue for the school, for at least the first 30 years… To this day, he was the guy I would never want to disappoint…. He was my hero,” wrote Dolven’s former player Jeff Morrow.

Summarized from Jeff Morrow’s tribute in the Tri-City Herald. 

Faculty & Friends

Janet Buss

Fanny Fitzgerald

Barbara H. Odegaard

Edwin Sinner

Nayda V. Wiseman

Alumni

1940s

Ruth J. Regnier, ’49

1950s

Eva F. Bay, ’50

Shirley Mallon, ’52

Donald Swart, ’56

Elvin Ballou, ’57

1960s

Clifford E. Corn, ’60

Joan S. Shaw, ’60

Tom Neel, ’61

Gary M. Kuykendall, ’63

Dennis Oliver, ’65

Corrine Wacken, ’65

Treva J. Bakken, ’66

Kaye C. Prouty, ’66

Randy R. Dolven, ’67

Joseph P. Sullivan, ’68

1970s

Cynthia L. Attwood, ’71

Rita Haun, ’71

Steven G. Schiewe, ’72

Bruce L. Hepburn, ’73

1980s

Billie W. Wells, ’80

Sally M. Webb, ’82

Camden G. Baird, ’83

Joann R. Croteau, ’84

Kenneth W. Elder, ’84

Donald Ray Arbogast, ’86

Tara L. Burgess, ’87

Connie Stenlund, ’88

2000s

Joel Royce, ’04

2010s

Kimmy (Moore) Cloud, ’12

Shannon L. Boor, ’17

Becoming like sisters with a teammate took on a much more literal meaning for Jamie Jo (Cant) Haddock, ’04, and Tricia (Haddock) Kelly, ’04. They played on the Mountaineer women’s basketball team together, and Jamie Jo later married Tricia’s brother. 

The sisters-in-law remain involved on campus as members of the , the athletics booster club. When they wore the blue and gold, MAA scholarships didn’t exist. Now they’re ensuring future student-athletes have every possible opportunity to succeed. 

“I can see the value as a player who had to have a job, go to school, and practice,” Jamie Jo said. “It is hard to focus on school or basketball when you are working 10 to 20 hours a week to help support yourself. Having that burden removed can make our student athletes more successful.”&�Բ�����;

The MAA consists of EOU alumni, fans and friends who focus on fundraising for student-athlete scholarships and the needs of athletic teams. As an affiliate of the , the MAA is a private nonprofit organization. 

A surge of enthusiastic former athletes has brought fresh energy to the MAA. Tricia and Jamie Jo are among this new generation of alumni. They’ve expanded year-round events, invited recent grads to start participating right away and offer membership for just $25 a year. 

Scholarships attract top-tier athletes to EOU, and connect them to the community in an enduring way. Wider involvement, regardless of the donation amount, can help EOU athletic teams continue their winning ways. 

“I know giving can sometimes be difficult, especially the first few years after college,” Tricia said. “Personally, I haven’t been consistent in my giving since graduating from Eastern. Knowing the impact my donation can make on a student-athlete’s success means my family will continue to give yearly.”  

Join the team behind the teams!

Members of the Mountaineer Athletic Association support student-athletes through scholarships and other fundraising efforts. Become a member today!
Questions? Call 541-962-3946 or email sflett@eou.edu for more information.