President’s Letter – Spring 2019

My Dear Fellow Alumni and Friends, It is my honor to write this issue’s opening letter. I am a 2011 and 2013 graduate of Eastern Oregon University, and the current President of the EOU Alumni Association Board of Directors. It has been my pleasure to work with the Alumni Association for the last six years, […]

Social butterfly

EOU outpaces all other regional and technical universities in Oregon with the fastest growing fanbase on Facebook and Instagram. A significant part of this growth comes from the work of art and anthropology student Berenice Chavez, who served as social media intern for admissions throughout 2018-19.

Finding their voices

Seven hours earlier they wouldn’t have taken the risk, but by 3 p.m. on the second Saturday of March, dozens of youngsters lined up to read their freshly written work. Poems, skits, short stories and essays resounded through EOU’s McKenzie Theatre as teachers and peers listened to the many new works crafted at the 2019 […]

One step at a time

The iconic Grand Staircase at EOU has touched generations of students and community members as a link between campus and downtown La Grande. Anne (Hanford) Olson remembers when graduation and Evensong took place on the steps. As the ceremony concluded, graduates carried their lit candles (the light of knowledge) out into the community. Today, the […]

Closing the gap

New advocate gives sexual assault survivors options Privilege means more than special treatment for Tyana Musrasrik, ’18. In her new role as Privileged Campus Advocate at EOU, it signifies her ability to provide resources and services while keeping information confidential. Musrasrik, who earned her degree in social welfare, has an on-campus office, but technically works […]

Waiting on the DAWN

Judy Cornish, ’99, was a divorced mother of three when a friend talked her into registering for community college in Coos Bay. “I had just gotten out of an abusive relationship where I was told how stupid I was for 16 years,” she said. “And I was convinced I was going to flunk out.” She […]

Living in Neon

Rebels on homemade motorbikes clash with gleaming cyborgs in the cyberpunk landscape of Neon District. The soon-to-be-released video game is the brainchild of Blockade Games CEO Marguerite deCourcelle, ’09. Hidden riddles and surprise attacks await players in the painterly tech-noir environment.

Finished degree gives others a strong start

By Katy Nesbitt When Angelica Fuentes, ’18, enrolled at EOU, she found an institution that invested in her career and success as an individual. An early childhood education professional, Fuentes attended Treasure Valley Community College and EOU in a variety of non-traditional ways – online from home and by taking intensive weekend classes on the […]

Writing off the page

When Sandra (Ellston) Mason’s husband passed away in 2008, she decided to commemorate him with a gift to the EOU Foundation that would bear his name in perpetuity. The Carl and Sandra Ellston Ars Poetica Literary Lecture Series invites professional writers to visit campus in La Grande each term, where they read from published work, […]

A winning team

Anji Weissenfluh, ’94, hates to lose. But it’s all right because the long-time women’s basketball coach and athletic director rarely does it. EOU’s all-time winningest coach and the CCC’s 2017-18 Athletic Director of the Year said she’s driven by a fear of failure more than a love for trophies. That humility grounds Weissenfluh, who said […]

Pulling her weight

“So we’re just standing there looking at each other, holding more than double our body weights in our hands. We got 30 seconds in and she’s looking strong, then all of a sudden at about 40 seconds she dropped it.” Ashlee Munsey, ’10, ’11, held onto her 375-pound metal frame for about a minute before […]

Crossing the finish line

For the first time in seven years, the Mountaineer track and field student-athletes competed at home in La Grande on March 16. The team’s home-opener christened EOU’s brand-new track surface and facilities, which were installed last fall with funding from the EOU Foundations’ Building Champions campaign. Head coach of track and cross-country Ben Welch cut […]

A place to land

By Katy Nesbitt The Landing, a boutique hotel in downtown La Grande, is quickly becoming a destination for tourists, business travelers and locals seeking a gourmet dining experience. According to owner Karin Tsiatsos, ’93, the hotel is just the right fit for the location. Tsiatsos and her husband Gust, ’95, who own GCT Land Management, […]

The right to remain buried

It’s happened all over the world — in Slovenia, Indiana and the Arctic Circle — the remains of native people have been unearthed and carted away in the name of science. Anthropologists and archeologists who study ancient civilizations often come face-to-face with ethical questions about the rights of the dead.

Mountaineer Tracks

WEDDINGS Suzannah Moore, ’08, ’09, ’10, married Patrick Hemann on July 28, 2018 in La Grande, Ore. Suzannah serves on the EOU Foundation Board of Directors and was recently appointed Executive Director of the Union County Chamber of Commerce. Natalie Elizabeth Hattrup married Jaymon Burns Udy, ’10, on August 11, 2018 near Genesee, Idaho. Cody […]

Donor Spotlight: Linda and Herb Jolliff

It all adds up One good teacher can make the difference between loving math or hating it. But for Herb and Linda Jolliff, ’66, a calculus professor at EOU taught them even more. The two met in Leroy Damewood’s class in 1963 and graduated together three years later. “We met and got to know one […]