JANUARY 15, 2001
Smoke Signals 3
OSU Offers Educational Opportunities Program
Administrator Delphine Jackson says program is unknown,
needs a higher profile among Natives.
By Chris Mercier
OREGON STATE
UNIVERSITY
A v
"We're a minority among rninori
ties," said Delphine Jackson
rather calmly of Native Ameri
cans.
Indeed she is right. Native
Americans form a smaller
group than any other ethnicity
in the United States. And quite
contrary to popular (and mis
guided) belief, the eruption of
casinos across the American
landscape, while offering solu
tions to many of the Tribes' finan
cial problems, has done little to
mend the educational woes that
abound in Native communities.
Jackson grew up in Klamath Falls, a
member of the Modoc Tribe, and knows first
hand that Natives are fighting an uphill battle to
improve their situation, especially in the pursuit
of education. Jackson decided to make a career
out of that battle and that is why she attended
the University of Oregon. That is why she stud
ied hard and achieved her doctorate in Education.
And that is why six years ago she joined the team
with the Educational Opportunities program
(EOP) at Oregon State University (OSU).
As an Academic Coordinator for the EOP the past
six years, Jackson has transcended her role as a
recruiter for nontraditional students. After a visit
to the EOP program on OSU's campus it becomes
obvious that Jackson is also a
mentor, and more importantly, a
friend.
Yet, she is not alone, a quick
view of the program reveals that
every member of the EOP faculty
shares Jackson's convictions that
college and perhaps higher edu
cation in general is not as acces
sible to underprivileged students
as it should be. To remedy that
is the mission of the program.
The EOP was started more than
30 years ago, in 1969. The in
tent of those who founded the
program was to attract more
"nontraditional" students to OSU.
The category of "nontraditional"
encompassed students of color,
older than average students, students with dis
abilities, single parents, low-income students and
students from isolated, rural areas. That inaugu
ral year saw 48 students take advantage of EOP
chances, and the number has blossomed hand
somely to well over 700 students today. More than
1,600 EOP students have graduated since its first
year into a myriad of professions law, social
work, teaching, counseling and even professional
sports. Former Los Angeles Laker Forward A.C.
Green of the National Basketball Association and
Seattle Seahawks Safety Reggie Tongue of the
National Football League (both of whom were student-athletes
at OSU) have also participated in
the EOP program.
Recruiting students, Jackson said, is only one
part of what the EOP does. The heart of the pro
gram lies in its ability to get students to stay, which
very often presents a much greater challenge than
simply recruiting them.
"For many students, especially those who hadn't
planned on coming to college, their initial experi
ence here on campus in the academic environment
can be overwhelming " Jackson said. "And that is
pretty scary for the students who needed help just
through the admissions process."
But that is essentially where the EOP steps in,
during the "process" of attending college. The pro
gram offers numerous services for all the bumps
and grinds that can intimidate newcomers. They
provide orientation for all new students. Academic,
personal and financial aid advising are available
as well as courses to offset deficiencies in reading,
writing and math. Fellow upperclassmen often
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provide tutoring. EOP students
considering graduate school are
helped with assistance in find
ing jobs, internships and work
shops. Resume and cover let
ter writing classes are also of
fered. On campus, the program
that occupies the third level of
Waldo Hall also provides facili
ties such as a computer lab, writ
ing labs, math labs and the of
fices of the faculty. All of who ap
pear to maintain an open-door
policy for virtually anyone.
The faculty, to give due credit, may
be the biggest draw of the program.
Jackson became part of the crew in 1994,
yet compared to most of her co-workers, she is still
a rookie. Most of her peers have been part of the
EOP for well over a decade, and some of them ap
proaching the 30-year mark. As Jackson can at
test, there may not be a more cohesive, earnest,
hard-working and devoted group on campus.
And their legacy is a continual one.
This year, OSU and EOP began to represent the
Ronald E. McNair Scholars program. McNair was
an African-American Astronaut who had a PhD
in Physics. He came from a low-income back
ground and overcame many obstacles on his way
to success. Sadly, he was part of the crew of the
Space Shuttle Challenger that exploded in 1986
after takeoff, killing all aboard.
The McNair Scholars program is federally funded
and was developed to provide academic prepara
tion for low-income and first-generation students,
many of them underrepresented with the ultimate
goal of sending them on to graduate school.
Jackson is proud of the program and glows with
excitement when discussing it and giving a tour.
But strangely, she expresses disappointment in one
aspect.
"We're successful," she said. "But we're unknown
among Indian people."
A glaring statistic from the EOP 2000 Annual
backs Jackson's claim. Of the 1,600 graduates
during the program's three decades of existence,
only 58 have been Native Americans.
Why the disparity? Jackson has her theories.
"Parents just don't develop those expectations for
their kids," she said.
Jackson speaks from personal experience. She
cited her grandfather as a catalyst in her decision
to go to college.
"My grandfather believed in education," she said.
"And he never passed up a chance to remind me of
that."
Jackson, however, sees herself as an exception
rather than a norm. She is lucky to have had some
one impress upon her the value of education.
One of Jackson's compatriots, Allison Davis White
Eyes, can't help but back her up.
"Education is not an ingrained value among Na
tive Americans," she said.
Like Jackson, White Eyes can speak with an air
of authority. As OSU's Coordinator for the Indian
Education Office, she has dealt with hundreds of
Native American students in the EOP and out of
it. While many Native students may possess the
requisite ambitions and eagerness to learn they
are nonetheless quite unprepared to enter the de
manding abode of higher education.
"Lack of preparedness is without a doubt one of
the biggest deterrents for Native American stu
dents," she said.
One problem White Eyes points to is the dispar
ity of education between urban high schools and
rural. She and Jackson do quite a bit of recruit
ing and often target Native students from the more
rural parts of the state, often on reservations.
"The chemistry you learn in some small-town
high school in rural Oregon is going to be a lot less
advanced than what you would learn in a Portland-area
high school." White Eyes said. ,
That is why the EOP helps students get on par
with their peers. White Eyes claimed that OSU is
perhaps the best college in the state for Native
Americans.
"OSU is a great place for Indian students," she
said. "We offer so many activities, we have a spring
pow-wow, a longhouse...
"And we offer lots of support," she added.
Jackson offers a tour of the longhouse, which is
technically not a part of the EOP. But she does
this to illustrate once again the diversity of ser
vices extended to students. The longhouse is
roughly 70 feet by 20 feet, and the
interior is cozy. The building of
ten serves as a meeting place for
various Native American groups.
It also has couches, a stereo, CD
player, a large TV and VCR, as
sorted Native artwork along the
walls and throughout, and other
amenities that give the place a
homey feel and are conducive to
just relaxing and hanging out.
With all this less than 50 miles
away, Jackson still can't quite un
derstand why so few Grand
Ronders have made the journey
down Highway 99 to partake of
OSU's rare opportunity. No single
explanation seems to work. Jack
son sees the Tribe, however, as one
of the great success stories among Native Ameri
cans. Jackson has been to Grand Ronde a few times,
usually to attend the pow-wow when she likes to
dress down and take part in the ceremonies. Last
October she drove in to meet with Tribal Council,
and ask them what they saw in the future of the
Tribe. To sum it up in one word "ambition."
Her visit hasn't been forgotten.
"People like her are good," said Tribal Council
Chair Kathryn Harrison. "They set an example
for us all."
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Education Opportunities Program Administrator
Delphine Jackson (left) of Oregon State University
and Grand Ronde Tribal Chair Kathryn Harrison.