A8
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Bullying:
Continued from Page A1
Greenough said when
there is a report of bullying,
school administrators inves-
tigate it. Then, he said, there
are consequences.
The exact definition of
bullying is difficult to pin
down, he said, though he
added it involves a power
dynamic in which one or
more people have power over
others and are abusive. It can
take place in person or over
the internet, he said.
Dealing with it becomes
complicated, he stated, as it
only becomes a school issue
when it involves students
while at school. Also, he
said, it can sometimes be
diffi cult to know if a reported
Erick Peterson/East Oregonian
case is actual or perceived, Marc Martinez and Melissa Strong, Hermiston residents, pose for a photo Monday, April 18,
which is why investigations 2022, after playing basketball together at Martinez’s school, Sunset Elementary. Martinez
said he is having trouble with bullying.
are necessary.
In these cases, schools
contact involved parties,
including parents, to discuss
bullying and how they can
move forward more civilly.
Sometimes, depending on
the severity of the bullying,
students are met with conse-
quences, he said.
Resolution is important,
Greenough said, because
bullying can have terrible
eff ects.
“We want to make sure
that students are supported
through their educational
experience,” he said.
Lack of support, Gree-
nough said, can lead to
mental health issues.
He also said there have
been deaths in Hermiston
students, but he could not say
whether instances involved
either suicide or could be tied
Erick Peterson/East Oregonian
Ryan Humphrey, dean of students at Clara Brownell Middle School, Umatilla, stands next to
to bullying.
School counselor
sees the aff ects
Over at Clara Brownell
Middle School in the
Umatilla School District,
school counselor Nayeli
BMCC:
Continued from Page A1
“We have no idea the
college would be canceling
classes that are full,” he said.
Brow n i ng said t he
faculty’s alternative to his
proposal was to just not make
any cuts.
Hernberg said the asso-
ciation has not presented
a proposal but on April 19
left a message to set a time
to meet with the administra-
tion and discuss alternatives
to layoff s. Two days later, he
said, there was not word back
from the administration.
“We are eagerly awaiting
their reply,” he said.
Browning stressed cutting
jobs is a hard choice to make,
but this is more than about
the budget.
“I think what’s lost is
about where we’re heading,”
he said. “We’re losing sight of
where we’re going.”
Blue Mountain, he said,
needs to make some changes
in how and what it provides
students, he said, and the
days of the two-year trans-
fer degree being the heart of
the teaching at the college are
passed.
He said the college’s
declining enrollment refl ects
the changing work environ-
ment.
According to Brown-
ing, BMCC in 2011-12 had
the equivalent of 2,482
full-time students, and in
2021-22, that total was down
to 1,124, and transfer educa-
tion is forecast to continue a
downward trend for the next
three to fi ve years.
a poster Friday, April 22, 2022, at his school. The poster promotes good behavior, including
showing respect to others. He agrees bullying is an important issue.
Guzman-Madrigal offered
her own insights on bully-
ing. She said she speaks to
bullied students, as well as
the bullies themselves.
“The way that I like to
look at bullying is when the
instigator seeks to harm,
intimidate or coerce someone
who they see as a vulnerable
victim,” she said.
She added she has seen a
wide range of bullying. Some-
times, a bully will threaten
harm, making students feel
fearful. It has a signifi cant
mental health eff ect, she said.
“It aff ects their self-confi -
dence,” she said. “Students,
who face bullying, frequently
don’t want to come to school.
They kind of withdraw from
participating in other activ-
ities, which students are
normally engaged in.”
She said Clara Brownell
tries to act quickly when there
is a report of bullying. Then,
she said, a clear message can
be sent “that bullying is not
accepted at our school.”
According
to
Guzman-Madrigal, potential
punishment includes deten-
tion, in-school suspension,
suspension from school or
expulsion.
“It just depends on the
severity of the incident,” she
said.
The case of Marc
Martinez
Martinez, who said he is a
victim of bullying in Herm-
iston, said he is otherwise
happy. He likes his school,
his teachers and his friends.
He loves basketball, idolizes
NBA star Steph Curry and
often practices basketball.
Unfortunately, he said,
even his love of basketball is
damaged as a result of bully-
ing.
One classmate in partic-
ular makes fun of him for
being thin and mocking his
skills, he said. In addition,
he said, Martinez’s bully has
roughed him up as they have
played against one another.
He said he has reported
the bullying to a teacher,
who brought the case up to
the school administration.
His mother, Melissa Strong,
has gotten involved, as have
other parents and people at
the school.
Strong described a cycle.
Bullying is reported and
addressed. Then, she said, it
will stop for a while, while
Martinez’s alleged bully
moves on to other students.
According to Strong, the
bully returns after a while to
pick on Martinez again, only
for the cycle to repeat.
She described this prob-
lem as frustrating, a senti-
ment her son shared.
Martinez said the bully-
ing has gotten worse, as it
has begun to involve his
sister. In one particularly
hurtful instance of bullying,
Martinez said, his bully told
his sister she is the reason for
her parents’ divorce.
Martinez described feel-
ing hopeless about this situa-
tion. He said the bullying has
gotten to the point he does
not even want to talk about it.
He does not think anything
will change, he said, and his
mother said she has simi-
lar feelings. The bullying
increases mental instability,
she said, and she worries for
her son.
“The situation with him
has been an ongoing thing,
and I think it will eventually
take a toll on his mentality,”
she said.
Escalation is another
worry for the pair. Accord-
ing to Martinez, his bully
is trying to encourage other
students to bully him.
“He shouldn’t have to
come home from school,
crying or upset,” Strong
said. “And he shouldn’t have
to go to school, afraid to be
himself. He should be able to
focus on other things.”
Instead, she added, it is
bothering him, aff ecting his
schoolwork and his well-be-
ing.
Meanwhile, Martinez said
he is trying to keep a positive
outlook. He said he thinks of
his Golden State Warriors’
hero, Curry, and tries to
follow his example.
Curry, too, felt pressure
from people who were not
very nice to him growing up,
Martinez said.
“I’ll try to do that, too,”
Martinez said.
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT:
BMCC BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING INFO
The Blue Mountain Community College Budget Committee
meets Monday, April 25, at 5 p.m. via Zoom at bluecc.zoom.
us/j/97330220871 or by phone at 253-215-8782. The meeting
ID is 973 3022 0871 and passcode is 911962.
The budget document will be available online at www.bluecc.
edu/about/administration/fi nance no later than April 25.
This is a public meeting where deliberation of the budget
committee will take place. Any person may participate in
the meeting and discuss the proposed programs with the
committee.
If you would like to provide public comment during the
meeting, notify Shannon Franklin at sfranklin@bluecc.edu
no later than noon the day of the meeting or by mail to
Shannon Franklin, board secretary, 2411 N.W. Carden Ave.,
Pendleton, OR 97801.
If a person with disability needs assistance to participate in
the meeting, or if you wish to off er your comments regard-
ing the proposed budget, notify Franklin at 541-278-5951.
The committee, if necessary, may hold a second meeting
May 10 and a third May 12, both at 5 p.m. via the same
Zoom link and phone number. Public comment will be
handled in the same manner as above.
Instead of two-year
degrees and lengthy certifi -
cation courses in technical
and mechanical fields, he
said students and employ-
ers need courses that deliver
job-specifi c basic skills and
education in just a few weeks.
After that, employers want to
be able to send employees for
more training and education
as needed.
“We’re giving them the
full Sunday dinner, but what
they need is a real good roast
beef sandwich now,” he said.
All of Blue Mountain’s
approach to structure, course
off erings and compensation
must change, Browning said,
and the hurdle to that pivot
is the collective bargain-
ing agreement between the
college and the faculty.
The deal is too restric-
tive to allow the college to
provide the kind of educa-
tion students and employers
want today. Without an over-
haul of the agreement, he
said, BMCC cannot meet its
mission statement to provide
quality, innovative eduction
that strengthens the local
communities.
Browning’s take on the
collective bargaining agree-
ment struck Hernberg.
“I’m surprised to hear
that because Mark Browning
signed the collective bargain-
ing agreement in January,” he
said.
He also said as of the
afternoon of April 21, 656
members of the community,
BMCC alumni and students
have signed an online peti-
tion at savebmcc.com urging
the committee to not follow
through with the administra-
tion’s budget plan.
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Sunday, April 24th 1:30pm
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want to share.
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