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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2014)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM O CTOBER 22, 2014 P ORTLAND AND S EATTLE V OLUME XXXVII, N O . 3 For The Skanner website scan this QR code CENTS Pacific NW The Skanner News presents our new regional edition, featuring more news and local information. C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW C for Women’s Health 25 TEBEAU HALL Nonpartisan think tank says Northwest states can do better Of The Skanner News PHOTO BY THERESA HOGUE A new women’s health study ranked the state of Washington #22 nation- ally and gave it a C+ grade, while Oregon was listed at #26 and given a C. That’s according to the 2014 Women’s Health Report Card released last week by the Alliance for a Just Society. The non-partisan think-tank boils down government statistics on health issues facing women as a whole, as well as broken down by race, tallying government research data points into focused grades and rankings The study was carried out in cooperation with Washington Community Action Net- work, Oregon Action, the Center for Intercultural Organizing, and grassroots nonprofits around the country. Washington was graded C+ for coverage (#22); C for access (#24), and C for out- comes (#24). On access, Oregon earned a C- (30th); on coverage, a C (#24); and on out- comes, Oregon earned a C grade (#25). The report shows that among non-elderly women in 2013, 14.7 percent had no health insurance in Washington State, while 15.8 percent lacked insurance in Oregon. It’s unclear how the roll-out of the Afford- able Care Act has impacted that so far. “Politicians must put aside partisan bick- ering, advocate for women, and take action to improve women’s health by moving for- ward with a proactive health equity agenda,” said Alliance for a Just Society Executive Director LeeAnn Hall. The 2014 Women’s Health Report Card draws on government data to rank each state on 30 specific health measures. Researchers from the Alliance use the numbers to build state rankings and grades, analyze race- based disparities, and offer specific recommendations for state action to improve women’s health. The best-ranked states were: Delaware (#1), Massachusetts (#2), Vermont (#3), Hawaii (#4), and Connecticut (#5). Genevieve Tebeau, the wife of the late William Tebeau, weeps after cutting the ribbon during a dedication ceremony for Tebeau Hall, the newest OSU residence hall. Her daughter Cheri whispers in her ear as daughters Deni and Jenine and son David look on. OSU Moves to Right Old Wrong New residence hall named for student denied housing for race By Tim Hall, Special To The Skanner News O n Oct. 10, 2014, Ore- gon State University gave recognition to a man who overcame the adver- sity of racism to succeed in a college education with the dedication of a new Residence Hall. The $27 million housing complex was named for William “Bill” Henry Tebeau, the first African-American male student to graduate from OSU in 1948. What made this honor historic is that Tebeau was turned away from campus housing because of his color. From the number of poten- tial names, the OSU selection committee stated that the choice of the new dorm became clear after reading about Tebeau’s challenges. “Mr. Teabeau’s unjust treat- ment is a painful legacy that OSU must own in our history,” said a committee member. “It is because of the fortitude, resiliency, compassion and courage he exemplified through his entire life.” Bill Tebeau was born in 1925 and raised in Baker City (Baker), Oregon by Henry and Francis Tebeau. He graduated from Baker High School in 1943. When he arrived in the rural town of Corvallis, Tebeau faced many hardships with humility. Denied a bed in a student dorm, Tebeau found housing at a fraternity house for interna- tional students. In exchange for shelter and daily meals, Tebeau tended the furnace and helped in the kitchen. His time at Oregon State College was See WOMEN on page 3 INDEX News ..............1,3,9-10 Opinion .....................2 Calendars ..............4,5 A & E ......................6,7 Bids/Classifieds ........11 spent dedicated to academics. He graduated with a degree in the difficult field of Chemical Engineering. Following his passion after graduation, Tebeau returned to Baker to start a 36-year career with the State Highway Department – now the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). He studied on his own for a license as a Civil Engineer and was promoted by ODOT. He and his family moved to Salem, where he was See OSU on page 3 Achievement Gap Linked to Absence Report says students who miss 10 percent of year likely to drop out By Helen Silvis Of The Skanner News A new report from Upstream Public Health finds that Oregon’s student absence rates are the fourth worst in the nation, with children of color and poor children most affected. That’s a problem because when students miss school they are in danger of falling behind. And students who are absent more than 10 percent of the school year are far more likely to end up dropping out. But what parents might not realize is that missing just two or three of days a month can put a student into that high-risk group. The Connection Between Missing School and Health: A Review of Chronic Absen- teeism and Student Health in Oregon looks at the problem and what to do about it. Why do Absences Matter? One study found that one in four kinder- gartners miss too much school with low-income children four times as likely as higher-income children to be chronically absent. That matters, the report says because kindergarten is a crucial time for learning to read. See ABSENCES on page 3
