REGION Wednesday, May 29, 2019 East Oregonian A3 New scholarship recognizes high-achieving transfer students EOU recognized by Phi Theta Kappa for offering a PTK fi nancial aid award STATEWIDE PTK CHAPTERS East Oregonian LA GRANDE — High-achieving transfer students have a new home at Eastern Oregon Uni- versity, thanks to a unique scholarship program aimed at supporting their contin- ued success. The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society boasts 19 chapters and more than 2,000 student members at community colleges across Oregon, but EOU is the only public university in the state recognized by Phi Theta Kappa for offering a PTK fi nancial aid award. “Currently, EOU offers a Transfer Scholarship that’s based on both merit and fi nancial need, but the Phi Theta Kappa Award is specifi cally designed for high-achieving students as a way to honor their hard work,” said Cody Singer, an online and transfer stu- EOU photo by Vicky Hart Full-time transfer students to Eastern Oregon University can apply for a $1,000 Phi Theta Kap- pa Honor Society Award through EOU’s Financial Aid Offi ce, and combine the funds with other EOU scholarships. The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society boasts 19 chapters and more than 2,000 student members at community colleges across Oregon, but EOU is the only public university in the state recognized by Phi Theta Kappa for off ering a PTK fi nancial aid award. dent advisor at EOU. Full-time transfer students can apply for the $1,000 PTK Award through EOU’s Financial Aid Offi ce, and combine the funds with other EOU scholarships, including the Transfer Scholarship up to $2,500. PTK advisers invite stu- dents to join their chapter if they have a high GPA and have earned at least 12 credits. Singer began exploring a partnership with regional PTK groups earlier this year, and soon LOCAL BRIEFING Pendleton woman dies in crash PENDLETON — The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Offi ce confi rmed a 21-year- old Pendleton woman died in a crash near Pendleton. The sheriff’s offi ce at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday responded to Mill Road near Hoeft Road near Pendleton for a single car rollover. Ini- tial reports provided confus- ing information about the location, but deputies arrived and found a Chevrolet Malibu rolled over and the driver and only occupant of the vehicle was dead. The sheriff’s offi ce did not release the name of the vic- tim but stated the case remains under investigation to deter- mine the cause and other fac- tors in the crash. The sheriff’s offi ce also reported it would release more information as it becomes available. Union resident begins Peace Corps service WASHINGTON – Union resident Margaret Sheehy has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will depart for Benin on June 10 to begin training as a health volunteer. “The Peace Corps pro- motes a lot of values that I hold, including service, inter- cultural awareness, opportu- nity to travel and live in a dif- ferent country, and of course, peace,” Sheehy said. “Peace Corps will serve as a bridge between my college education and my career post-college, and I feel lucky to have an opportunity to do something meaningful that will help me develop practical skills and professional attributes.” Sheehy is a graduate of Union High School and the University of Portland, where she earned a bachelor of arts in social work, psychology and Spanish in May. Prior to joining the Peace Corps, she held a variety of residence hall positions while in college, including as a service and justice coordinator who pro- vided students with service opportunities at local orga- nizations. During her senior year, she worked as an intern at the Marie Smith Center, a day center for older adults with functional or cognitive impairments. During the fi rst three months of her service, Sheehy will live with a host fam- ily in Benin to become fully immersed in the country’s language and culture. After acquiring the necessary skills to assist her community, Sheehy will be sworn into ser- vice and assigned to a com- munity in Benin, where she will live and work for two years with the local people. Sheehy joins the 184 Ore- gon residents currently serv- ing in the Peace Corps and more than 6,547 Oregon res- idents who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. Comments open on vegetation project PENDLETON — The Walla Walla Ranger Dis- trict of the Umatilla National Forest is seeking review and comment on the draft envi- ronmental assessment for the proposed Upper Touchet Veg- etation Management Project. The 4,450-acre project is located 20 miles south of Day- ton, Washington, and is antic- ipated to increase forest health and vigor, decrease wildfi re risk, and protect values at risk through vegetative thinning and prescribed burning. The Forest Service has evaluated four alternatives in the draft environmen- tal assessment in response to public comment that was received during scoping. For- est staff now are interested in hearing feedback on specifi c issues that the public feels still need to be addressed. The comment period is an oppor- tunity for the public to be involved in the process and offer thoughts on alternative ways the Forest Service can accomplish the project pur- pose and need. The comment period for the project is anticipated to begin on Friday and will be open for 30 days from the date of publication of the legal notice in the East Oregonian. Comments may be sub- mitted electronically through w w w. f s . u s d a . g o v / p r o - ject/?project=53438; or hand– delivered between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; or mailed to District Ranger, Michael Rassbach, Walla Walla Ranger Dis- trict, Upper Touchet Project Comments, 1415 W Rose St., Walla Walla, Washington, 99362. For additional informa- tion, contact Johnny Collins at 509-843-4643. Eagle Cap Excursion Train Gold Rush Bandits to Rob Train! Saturday, June 15 & Sunday, June 16 “Chemeketa’s PTK stu- dents are dedicated and very interested in the scholarship opportunities available to them through partner universities, and as of right now, the major- ity of those come from pri- vate institutions,” said Dr. Youngest defendant in drive-by shooting readies for trial MILTON-FR EEWA- TER — The youngest defendant facing three counts of attempted murder and more for a drive-by shooting last August in Milton-Freewa- ter could go to trial. Gabriel Ivan Arriaga Cruz, 16, has a trial readi- ness hearing June 7 in the Pendleton courtroom of Circuit Judge Jon Lieual- len. Cruz faces 13 counts in all. According to court records, Cruz will appear via video from the juvenile jail at the Northern Ore- gon Regional Correctional Facility, or NORCOR, in The Dalles. His next appearance, then, comes June 26 for a 12-person jury trial. That’s still plenty of time for him to follow fel- low co-defendants Char- ley Lozano Magana, 25, Juan Venegas Esquivel, 25, and Michael Angelo Cantu, 28, all of Walla Walla, who took plea deals. Esquivel and Cantu are serving more than three years each in prison for unlawful use of a weapon for their roles in the shooting, which resulted in no injuries, while Magana is serving almost seven years for two counts of unlawful use of a weapon stemming from the drive-by and one for an unrelated third-degree assault. The fi nal defendant in the case, Aurelio Vil- lalobos Rodriguez, 38, of Milton-Freewater, remains in the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful use of weapon. He has a pretrial confer- ence June 11. SUPPORT FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS If you’re managing medications for an older adult, there’s help. Medication management can be complex but it is an important part of providing care for your loved one. You don’t have to do it alone – Oregon Care Partners can help. In our free, online or in-person classes, you’ll learn: • How medicines affect older adults, including risk factors, age-related changes and adverse medication side effects Classes offered online and in-person at NO COST to you Funded through the State of Oregon • The importance of regular medication reviews Tickets online or call 800.323.7330 5/30 received a wave of positive responses. In a survey from Singer, more than half of Ore- gon PTK advisors indi- cated that their students rate scholarships “very important” in selecting a transfer school. Blue Mountain Commu- nity College, Chemeketa Community College, Clackamas Community College, Clatsop Com- munity College, Colum- bia Gorge Community College, Klamath Com- munity College, Lane Community College, Linn-Benton Commu- nity College, Mt. Hood Community College, Oregon Coast Commu- nity College, Portland Community College, Southwestern Oregon Community College, Til- lamook Bay Community College, Treasure Valley Community College and Umpqua Community College all have partici- pating PTK chapters. Alexis Butzner of Cheme- keta Community Col- lege. “To have a dedicated scholarship that applies to a public institution in Ore- gon would be incredibly exciting and would greatly boost interest in East- ern’s programs for transfer students.” Advisers from Port- land Community College, Umpqua Community Col- lege and Clackamas Com- munity College echoed her sentiments, noting the lack of scholarships available from Oregon public univer- sities for this elite group of transfer students. “It’s a great opportunity for us to provide afford- able, effi cient ways for these students to complete their degrees, with the per- sonal support and small classes EOU is known for,” Singer said. “Attract- ing high-achieving stu- dents aligns with our insti- tutional goals to increase enrollment, retention and completion while serving the region.” EOU will begin offer- ing the PTK Award during its summer term, which begins June 24, and in fall term, which starts Sept. 25. 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Avengers: Endgame (PG13) 3:40p* 7:20p A Dog's Journey (PG) 4:30p Pokemon Detective Pikachu (PG) 4:40p Godzilla: King of the Monsters (PG13) 7:00p, 10:00p Rocketman (R) 7:00p, 9:40p * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 Become a CASA Info & Training Sessions Starting June 10th, 2019 Call a local CASA Coordinator for details! Hermiston: (541) 667-6169 Pendleton: (541) 278-6292 Court Appointed Special Advocate www.OregonCarePartners.com umchs.org/CASA 1-800-930-6851 • info@oregoncarepartners.com