FROM PAGE ONE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2022
CAMPUS
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testing clinics every
Tuesday and Thursday
throughout the month of
January. In the case of a
positive result, after an
interval of time the indi-
vidual is tested again to
be extra cautious — two
consecutive positives are
still tallied on the school’s
COVID-19 dashboard, con-
tributing to a test posi-
tivity rate of 11.2% through
Sunday, Feb. 6.
Prior to the pandemic,
Eastern and most higher
learning institutions were
already off ering the option
of online learning. When
students or faculty members
test positive for the corona-
virus or are experiencing
symptoms, the ability to
shift to online education
allows the learning process
to go uninterrupted — both
online and on the classroom.
“If there’s a positive in
a class, our focus has been
to continue having the
in-person class,” Seydel
said. “Our push has been to
ensure that students have
the opportunity to attend
in-person classes.”
Both Seydel and Karpilo
noted that by this point
in the pandemic, stu-
dents and staff are gener-
ally being extra cautious
when it comes to COVID-
19. The university’s health
center has seen many stu-
dents come in and check for
COVID-19, even if they just
have a common cold.
“Students are a lot more
aware of the spread of ill-
ness, so they’re being very
smart about it,” Seydel said.
“The awareness among stu-
dents is neat to see.”
Vaccine mandate
When Eastern Oregon
University announced its
vaccine mandate on June
3, 2021, the decision was
met with opposing views.
Seydel noted that the initial
reaction by many was the
misconception that unvac-
cinated individuals could
not go to school or work
at Eastern. He explained
that the mandate was a pre-
caution toward the goal of
maintaining a safe environ-
ment for everyone, regard-
less of vaccination status.
“We’ve always held up
that we need to create a safe
THE OBSERVER — A5
and healthy environment
for everybody who inter-
acts with EOU — students,
faculty and staff ,” he said.
“Whatever we need to do
to ensure our students can
achieve academic success,
we have focused on.”
As of the university’s
latest vaccination status
report, on Oct. 30, the
in-person vaccination rate
among Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity students was 75.7%.
The in-person exemp-
tion rate was 24.2%. For
employees, 80.1% were
reported as vaccinated
and 17.7% received an
exemption.
As COVID-19 case num-
bers in the omicron spike
begin to plateau, Eastern is
aiming to continue its proto-
cols to ensure the campus is
a safe learning environment.
“This has really been a
group eff ort at EOU. All
faculty, staff and students,
it really has been a group
eff ort,” Karpilo said.
“Everyone on this campus
has had to step up to get
us through this. I think
it’s just a testament to the
dedication of our faculty
and staff , as well as who our
students are.”
FIRE
Continued from Page A1
gotten out were sitting in
a vehicle less than 50 feet
from the home. Fearing for
their safety, he urged them
to get out and move farther
away, which they did.
Not long after they left
the vehicle a power line fell
down near it, causing a cas-
cade of sparks, Bell said.
Elgin Rural Fire Depart-
ment Capt. Doug Durfee
said the possibility of
the fi re spreading was a
concern, so fi refi ghters
sprayed water on some of
the nearby structures soon
after arriving.
“It was one of the fi rst
things we did,” he said.
Those who were worried
about the fi re spreading
included Regena Warren,
whose house is just east of
the home the fi re struck.
She feared the fl ames
would spread to her house
because of a number of
dead and old trees between
the two structures. She was
outside watching intensely
Friday morning and said
she was ready to take
action if necessary if her
house was threatened.
She said that had the
fi re begun to move toward
her home it would have
been hard for her to subdue
because her water hose was
frozen. Warren said though
that she was ready to start
tossing buckets of water on
it if necessary.
Warren said that she was
unaware of the fi re until a
friend, Janet Flippo, came
by to see if she was OK.
Warren said the fi re had
been burning about half
an hour at that point. She
suspected that something
was wrong though because
her dog was barking and
seemed anxious.
“He was freaking out,”
said Brayson Devin, War-
ren’s stepson.
No wind was blowing
during the blaze, which was
reported at about 10 a.m.
“That helped a ton.
Wind is the worst thing
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Elgin Rural Fire Department Capt. Doug Durfee battles a late-morning house fi re in Elgin on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. The family of four were able to get out of the home without injury.
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Homeowner Skyler Payne hangs a replica of an American fl ag over a
soot-covered swingset outside his home at 25 N. Fifth St., Elgin, on
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, as he searches through the damage to fi nd
any salvageable items. The home was destroyed in a fi re Feb. 4.
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
La Grande Rural Fire Chief Craig Kretschmer douses the smoking remains of a house on Fifth Street in
Elgin on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.
you can have during a fi re,”
Durfee said. “It causes
sparks to leapfrog.”
The Imbler and La
Grande rural fi re depart-
ments, the La Grande Fire
Department and the Union
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce also
responded to the blaze.
The fi re burned into the
roof over the garage and
home’s living room. Fire-
fi ghters fought this portion
of the blaze by spraying
water on it from below.
Durfee said it would have
MASKS
Continued from Page A1
daily, fi lling Oregon hospi-
tals. Oregon health offi cials
say the average number of
new COVID-19 cases has
dropped about 40% over the
last week.
“By the end of next
month, we’ll be in a place
where disease rates should
be much lower, hospital
capacity much less strained,
and we can move to a more
individual and commu-
nity-based approach to
masking requirements and
mask use,” Sidelinger said.
Although state models
show hospitalizations
peaking at 1,169 before
declining, Sidelinger said
Oregon is “past its peak.”
The latest numbers from
OHA show hospitalizations
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File
Carla Sorweide, owner of Hought’s 24 Flavors, serves burgers to a
couple on Thursday, July 1, 2021, in La Grande. The Oregon Health
Authority has announced an end to indoor mask requirements in
public places “no later than March 31.” The end of the mask mandate
indoors also will apply to schools, according to the OHA.
at 1,092.
There have been 6,181
Oregonians who have died.
OHA offi cials say the
indoor mask mandate could
lift sooner if hospitaliza-
tions decline at a faster rate
than expected. Offi cials also
recommend high-risk indi-
viduals continue wearing
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been too risky to go on the
top of the roof because of
the possibility of it falling
through. He pointed out
during the fi re there were
indications that portions of
the roof were weakening.
The family of four
masks indoors, including
people who haven’t been
vaccinated and those with
compromised immunities.
OHA’s announcement
will soon put masking rules
back into the hands of busi-
nesses or employers.
More than 100 people
testifi ed during a recent
public hearing on the
indoor mask rule, with
several folks asking
the state to drop the
indoor mask requirement
immediately.
A hearing on the mask
requirement in schools last
month yielded a similar
response, but the Oregon
Health Authority made its
school mask requirement
permanent as the temporary
rule expired.
living in the home were
assisted by local Amer-
ican Red Cross volunteers
Heather Stanhope and Pat
McDonald. The American
Red Cross is able to provide
comfort kits, which include
hygiene items, fl eece blan-
kets, toys for children and
cash assistance, Stanhope
said. The Red Cross can
also help connect victims
with social services.
Firefi ghters were able to
rescue a number of family
keepsakes from portions of
the home, including framed
photos. However, many of
the photos and keepsakes
kept in the living room
were lost in the blaze.
“There are a lot of mem-
ories in there,” Payne said.
The cause of the
fi re remains under
investigation.
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