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TUESDAY EDITION
May 10, 2022
EOU will
decide
on tuition
hike soon
Effects of COVID-19 pandemic
play major role in increased
tuition at public universities
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LA GRANDE — A tuition increase could
be on the horizon for students at Eastern
Oregon University.
As institutions of higher education deal
with the repercussions of infl ation, low-
ered enrollment and the COVID-19 pan-
demic, public universities across the nation
are turning to higher tuition rates. At Eastern
Oregon University, a pending board decision
on Thursday, May 19, could
lead to similar increases in the
coming years in order to con-
tinue off ering services at the
highest quality.
“The priority is always on
student resources and student
support services, how do we
Seydel
ensure that our students get the
best that they need to be successful and grad-
uate,” said Tim Seydel, Eastern’s vice presi-
dent for university advancement.
Six out of Oregon’s seven public universi-
ties saw decreased enrollment in the 2021-22
academic year, with Eastern included in that
group. Eastern’s 2021 fall enrollment was
2,825, compared to 2,853 in the fall of 2020
and 3,067 in 2019. Of that student popula-
tion, 65% are Oregon residents and 35% are
from out of state. The university had 1,193
part-time enrollments and 1,632 full-time
students.
Eastern Oregon froze tuition in 2021 as a
result of the pandemic but is considering an
increase of just under 5% for undergraduate
students for the 2022-23 academic calendar.
The decision revolves around lengthy discus-
sions from the tuition advisory committee
and budget planning committee, which con-
sists of students, faculty and staff — the rec-
ommendation from the two committees will
be handed up to the board’s fi nance admin-
istration board and then decided upon by the
board.
Eastern’s student population primarily
divides into on-campus and off -campus stu-
dents, a trend that existed well before the
COVID-19 pandemic increased the usage of
online learning at all universities. According
to Seydel, the pandemic multiplied that trend
and led to more incoming students taking the
online approach.
“What we saw over time was more stu-
dents shifting to the online modality,” he
said. “We also saw a slight increase in the
number of traditional students wanting to go
into our online program.”
Davis Carbaugh/The Observer
Union County commissioner candidate Lisa Hill, right, responds to a question as incumbent Paul Anderes looks on at a 2022 election debate
moderated by Eastern Oregon University students at Huber Auditorium in Badgley Hall on Friday, May 6, 2022, in La Grande.
SQUARING OFF
Commissioner candidates share beliefs on county issues
By DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The race for
the Union County Board of Com-
missioners Position 1 is coming into
sharper focus.
Voters got a closer look at the
race’s two candidates, incumbent Paul
Anderes and challenger Lisa Hill, at
a debate at Eastern Oregon Universi-
ty’s Huber Auditorium, Friday, May
6. Sparks did not fl y and voices were
never raised, but Anderes and Hill
were not shy about answering ques-
tions straightforwardly and with
candor.
Hill took an outspoken stance when
asked about the La Grande School
District’s $4.545 million construc-
tion bond on the ballot. Funds from
the bond would pay for the construc-
tion of a new academic and athletic
building, one that would replace the
aging Annex gym. The construction
would be conducted with the aid of a
$4 million matching state grant the La
Grande School District would receive
if voters approve the bond.
“It is great that we got a matching
grant. My concern is infl ation,” Hill
said during the debate, which was
sponsored and moderated by the the
Eastern Oregon University Debate
Club.
The challenger said she believes
infl ation is actually much higher than
the 8% rate often reported, especially
for building material costs.
“I’m worried that if the bond passes,
the school district might not have
enough money to fi nish the building,”
Hill said.
Anderes supports the bond.
“It would be an investment in our
community and children,” he said.
Anderes said it might be another
two or three years before the school
district would have a chance to get
another matching grant.
The Union County commissioner,
who previously taught at La Grande
High School for 23 years, said that
infl ation can be looked upon as an
incentive to vote for the bond. He
explained that if the new building is
not constructed soon, the cost of con-
structing it in the future might rise to
the point that it is out of the La Grande
School District’s reach.
Candidates talk MERA project
The candidates also addressed the
Mount Emily Recreation Area, where
a forest management work, a portion of
which which involves logging, is being
conducted as part of a two-year project
to help prevent a destructive wildfi re.
Hill said she hopes funding will be
available to repair trails damaged by the
forest management work. She said this
will be important because of how pop-
ular MERA is to many in the commu-
nity and people outside the area who
come to Union County to recreate there.
“It is a tourist attraction,” she said.
Anderes said forest management
at MERA is one of his priorities. He
noted he has a fi rsthand appreciation
of the importance of forest manage-
ment since he fought summer wildfi res
in the western United States for many
See, Debate/Page A7
See, EOU/Page A7
Wallowa County rancher legally kills wolf
Death comes after
repeated attacks
on livestock, issue
of kill permit
By KALE WILLIAMS
The Oregonian
ENTERPRISE — A
Wallowa County rancher
on Tuesday, May 3, shot
and killed a wolf from a
pack believed to be respon-
sible for multiple attacks
on livestock in the region,
state wildlife offi cials said.
The rancher had been
granted a permit to kill
up to two wolves from the
Chesnimnus Pack, which
the Oregon Department
of Fish & Wildlife deter-
mined was responsible
for at least four attacks on
cattle between April 25
and 30.
Under the state’s wolf
regulations, wolves can be
killed after they are deter-
mined to be responsible
for “chronic depredation,”
or a minimum of two con-
fi rmed deaths within a
See, Wolf/Page A7
WEATHER
INDEX
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nine-month period.
The death of the canid
comes just weeks after the
state’s annual wolf report
showed anemic growth
in Oregon’s wolf popula-
tion in 2021. The tally rep-
resents a minimum number
of wolves in the state,
counting only the ani-
mals that can be verifi ed
by direct observation, trail
cameras or physical evi-
dence like tracks.
The report also high-
lighted a sharp rise in wolf
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Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife/Contributed Photo, File
A wolf pack is captured by a remote camera in Hells Canyon National
Recreation Area in Northeastern Oregon in February 2017. A Wallowa
County rancher on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, shot and killed a wolf from
a pack believed to be responsible for multiple attacks on livestock in
the region, state wildlife offi cials said.
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Issue 56
2 sections, 16 pages
La Grande, Oregon
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