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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2020)
2A — THE OBSERVER SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2020 LOCAL Former La Grande woman utilizes program D AILY P LANNER TODAY Today is Saturday, Feb. 22, the 53rd day of 2020. There are 313 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT On Feb. 22, 1980, the “Miracle on Ice” took place in Lake Placid, New York, as the United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviets, 4-3. (The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.) Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group Ashli Palmer, the human resources manager at the Walmart Distribution Center in Hermiston, recently completed Walmart’s Live Better U program, a program that allows Walmart employees to get a college degree for $1 a day. By Jade McDowell EO Media Group ON THIS DATE In 1732, the fi rst president of the United States, George Washington, was born in Westmoreland County in the Virginia Colony. In 1857, Robert Baden- Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, was born in London. In 1909, the Great White Fleet, a naval task force sent on a round-the-world voy- age by President Theodore Roosevelt, returned after more than a year at sea. In 1924, Calvin Coolidge delivered the fi rst presiden- tial radio broadcast from the White House. In 1935, it became illegal for airplanes to fl y over the White House. In 1984, David Vetter, a 12-year-old Texas boy who’d spent most of his life in a plastic bubble because he had no immunity to disease, died 15 days after being removed from the bubble for a bone-marrow trans- plant. In 1987, pop artist Andy Warhol died at a New York City hospital at age 58. In 1995, actor Ed Flan- ders, 60, died at his own hand in Denny, California. In 1997, scientists in Scotland announced they had succeeded in cloning an adult mammal, produc- ing a lamb named “Dolly.” (Dolly, however, was later put down after a short life marred by premature aging and disease.) In 2004, consumer advocate Ralph Nader an- nounced he was running again for president, this time as an independent. In 2018, the U.S. women’s hockey team won the gold medal at the Winter Olym- pics in South Korea, beating Canada 3-2 after a shootout tiebreaker. LOTTERY Megabucks: $4.6 million 1-9-14-39-42-47 Mega Millions: $50 million 6-12-39-61-70-4 x3 Powerball: $60 million 10-12-15-19-56-19 x2 Win for Life: Feb. 19 8-23-34-35 Pick 4: Feb. 20 • 1 p.m.: 3-5-2-1 • 4 p.m.: 1-3-8-6 • 7 p.m.: 4-9-2-9 • 10 p.m.: 5-2-7-9 Pick 4: Feb. 19 • 1 p.m.: 8-9-5-0 • 4 p.m.: 4-0-3-1 • 7 p.m.: 4-8-3-0 • 10 p.m.: 0-6-2-3 DELIVERY ISSUES? If you have any problems receiving your Observer, please call the offi ce at 541- 963-3161. QUOTE OF THE DAY “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” — President George Washington of online classmates were from multiple states and represented a diverse ar- ray of Walmart positions, from trucking to cashiers to working at corporate headquarters. She said the network she built has given her access to differ- ent perspectives, allowing her to bounce ideas off of associates in other loca- tions and jobs. “I now have friends from all across the country I’ve worked on projects with,” HERMISTON — Ashli Palmer’s Walmart career has funded two college degrees, but the company had a much more direct hand in the most recent one. Palmer started at Walmart at age 20, working as an overnight stocker in the corporation’s Island City store to help pay her way through a bachelor’s degree in business from Eastern Oregon University. Now, more than 15 years later, she is the fi rst Orego- nian to graduate through Walmart’s Live Better U, which offers Walmart associ- ates the opportunity to earn a college degree or other certifi - cations for only $1 per day. “I push this program to ev- eryone, because it’s designed for people who are working and have lives,” she said. “They made it so easy for working professionals, and at such a great cost.” Palmer has done “a little bit of everything” for the company over the years but now works as the human resources manager at the Walmart Distribution Center in Hermiston. When Walmart announced Live Better U in 2018, she jumped at the chance to increase her knowl- edge by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in supply chain, transportation and logistics management. “It aligns perfectly with what we do here,” she said. Live Better U offers about 30 degrees, as well as certi- fi cations such as pharmacy technician, through various institutions, with Walmart picking up most of the tab. In Palmer’s case, her degree comes from Bellevue Univer- sity. She started coursework in October 2018, with new courses every six weeks involving homework, tests, video presentations and discussion boards. Palmer said her cohort Eastern board OKs presidential pay increase Observer staff LA GRANDE —The Eastern Oregon University Board of Trustees approved a meager salary bump for uni- versity President Tom Insko. The board meet Thursday for its regular winter meeting at the campus in La Grande and covered an array of topics, according to a news release from the university, including recommendations from the Ad Hoc Committee for Presiden- tial Compensation. The committee recom- mended a three-pronged approach that sets a base salary for the college boss plus potential awards for goal attainment and meritori- ous achievement. Based on Insko’s 2018-19 performance, the board approved a 2.75% increase — $6,885 — in base salary, increasing the annual pay from $250,351 to $257,236. The board also OKed a one-time meritorious achievement award of $5,007. The board also worked on the university’s strategic plan. Several points high- lighted considerable progress as well as room for growth. Over the past year, 61% of EOU students participated in civic, service or co-curricu- lar activities, and 94% com- pleted some type of intern- ship, practicum or research project. Additionally, 89% of alumni said the university prepared them to achieve their long- term goals. Holly Chason, the as- sociate vice president for Enrollment Management and Institutional Effective- ness, pointed to new initia- tives, such as Mountaineer Success Teams, behind the university’s increase to 72% retention of fi rst-year fresh- men. The program pairs students with faculty and staff to build connections and help resolve problems or challenges. Chason also reported 63% of undergraduates from Oregon come from rural high schools, and the rate is even higher, at 87%, among EOU’s freshman class. Trustees also agreed to delay the construction of new residence halls until spring 2023. Chair of the committee Richard Chaves said enrollment trends don’t suggest the college needs the extra space before then and postpon- ing allows further housing needs assessments. “It’s really encouraging for our company to see so many people become engaged in it.” Palmer feels the same way, and as a human resources manager, she said she is in a good position to spread the word to other employees about the benefi ts of pursu- ing a degree while they are in a position to do so for only $1 per day. “Any time we invest in ourselves and broaden our thinking, it makes us better,” she said. T O Y OUR H EALTH HEALTH CARE DIRECTORY CHIROPRACTIC SPECIALISTS BLUE MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATES, LLC Joel D. 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