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.
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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. Rice, M.D.
Adult & Geriatric Psychiatry
Mary Goldstein, LCSW
Individual & Relationship
Counseling
Steve Eder, Licensed
Psychologist, Associate
Testing & Counseling
Nancy Anderson, LPC
Individual & Family Counseling
Joel Goldstein, LCSW; M.Div. Jeff Harman, LPC
Mediation
Individual & Family Therapy
Susan Hughes, LCSW
Individual & Relationship
Counseling
1-541-962-0162
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GRANDE RONDE RECOVERY
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2011 4th St. La Grande • 541-963-4139
www.lagrandefamilymedicine.com
Coming
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T H E N E X T S TO P O N O U R
A DV E N T U R E I S I S L A N D C I T Y
Who are we?
We are a credit union that has been
rooted in Northern Idaho since our
organization in April of 1938. We have
proven our strength and stability
through the years as we have grown
and expanded our footprint to a larger
population of folks all over the Pacific
Northwest. That includes right here in
Union County.
Now Hiring
We are searching for the right candidates for:
Branch Manager &
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Island City, OR Located within Walmart
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Federally Insured by NCUA
More info: Cecelia@cnpa.com or call (916) 288-6011
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Nicole Cathey
she said.
Charles Crowson, a
spokesperson for Walmart,
said more than 12,000 asso-
ciates are taking advantage
of Live Better U. After as-
sociates fi nish their degree
or certifi cation, there are
no strings attached — some
are putting their knowledge
to use in furthering their
career with the company,
while others are using it to
get a job elsewhere.
“It’s a wonderful opportuni-
ty for our associates,” he said.
10106 N. ‘C’ • Island City
541-975-1364
Toll Free 1-866-282-1925
Medicare, Auto, Home
insurance and Annuities
www.reed-insurance.net
Kevin Reed