A4 The BulleTin • Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Alexander
Continued from A1
Although OSU-Cascades
has its own leadership, and is
located three hours away from
the primary Corvallis campus,
the university’s president does
have an impact on Bend’s cam-
pus, Johnson said. Perhaps the
biggest example is how much
sway the president has over lo-
cal and federal legislators to de-
liver funding to the expanding
Cascades campus, she said.
Johnson believes OSU’s act-
ing president — Provost and
Executive Vice President Ed
Feser — will be effective as a
university leader for now.
“He’s been very supportive
of OSU-Cascades,” she said.
Johnson also expects the
leadership shakeup shouldn’t
affect OSU-Cascades’ enroll-
ment growth, which contin-
ued at a strong pace this school
year despite the COVID-19
pandemic.
“Our applications are look-
ing good for next fall, which
means people are feeling good
about our campus as an op-
tion,” she said. “I don’t think
this (resignation) is going to
impact that.”
Taha Elwafati, OSU-Cas-
cades’ student body president
and a sophomore at the univer-
sity, said accepting Alexander’s
resignation was the best call.
“I think (the board of trust-
ees) made the right move,”
said Elwafati, 19. “It sounded
like the leadership amongst
our faculty also agreed with
that, and at a university, it’s im-
portant to acknowledge those
voices.”
Michael Tornatta, a senior
at OSU-Cascades and a mem-
ber of the university’s student
government, said he was happy
Alexander was gone, but frus-
trated it didn’t happen sooner.
This situation shows major
flaws in OSU’s administrative
hiring process, he said.
“Obviously, the adminis-
trators that hired him, they
could’ve vetted him a bit better,
or they just didn’t care about
his background,” said Tornatta,
25. “We need to hold our ad-
ministration accountable.”
Tornatta added that the Al-
exander scandal has changed
how some OSU-Cascades stu-
dents view their university’s
leaders.
“I know for a fact this has
made a lot of students on cam-
pus really uncomfortable, es-
pecially survivors (of sexual
assault) — they can’t trust their
administration now,” he said.
“They brought someone with
this background, who was will-
ing to look the other way with
assault, and that trust needs to
be regained now.”
Multiple OSU-Cascades fac-
ulty members did not respond
when asked for comment.
e e
Reporter: 541-617-7854, jhogan@
bendbulletin.com
OSU board accepts resignation of
new president after LSU scandal
BY EDDIE PELLS
The Associated Press
Oregon State’s trustees ac-
cepted the resignation of uni-
versity president F. King Alex-
ander on Tuesday, concluding
he was unable to rebuild trust
at the school because of his
role in the mishandling of sex-
ual misconduct cases during
his previous tenure at Louisi-
ana State University.
The Oregon State board
had placed Alexander on pro-
bation last week, but on Sun-
day, it received his offer to re-
sign, effective April 1.
Board Chair Rani Borkar
said the outpouring of com-
ments since the probation de-
cision from students, alumni
and people who have alleged
sexual misconduct led the
board to realize “that rebuild-
ing trust is no longer possible.”
The board voted unani-
mously to accept the resigna-
tion.
Alexander, who will be on
administrative leave until his
departure, said he was sorry to
survivors of sexual abuse.
“I offered my resignation to
allow us to move on,” he said
in a statement after the board’s
Courtesy Oregon State University, file
F. King Alexander speaks during
an event at Oregon State Uni-
versity in Corvallis. Prior to tak-
ing over as OSU president in
July 2020, Alexander was the
president at Louisiana State
University.
vote. “Students have and al-
ways will be my top priority.”
Borkar said, “We admit
when we make mistakes and
we always seek to improve,”
and her thoughts were echoed
by the rest of the board.
“I know it triggered a lot,”
Brown announces 10-Point Economic
Recovery Plan for pandemic relief
BY SARA CLINE
The Associated Press/Report for
America
PORTLAND — Oregon
Gov. Kate Brown announced
a 10-Point Economic Recov-
ery Plan on Tuesday that aims
to help families and businesses
across the state —with a focus
on people of color — impacted
financially by the pandemic
and 2020 wildfires.
In addition, Brown said the
state is slated to receive $6.4 bil-
lion in funds from the recently
passed COVID-19 stimulus
package, which she said should
be invested in a way that “max-
imizes economic recovery ef-
forts for Oregonians this year,
while also addressing the ex-
Wirkkala
Continued from A1
Prosecutors with the Ore-
gon Department of Justice are
resubmitting much of the ev-
idence from 2014, including
the 12-gauge shotgun that has
spent most of the past eight
years in a cardboard box in an
evidence locker at the Bend Po-
lice Department. Because it’s a
retrial, there’s pressure on wit-
nesses to give exactly the same
testimony as in the first trial.
That was the case Tuesday and
Friday, when witness Cameron
Crownover’s testimony was
word-for-word the same as be-
fore — only it was spoken in
this trial by another person.
Crownover is the nephew
of Wirkkala’s girlfriend at the
time of the killing, Rachel Ras-
mussen, and was in the home
that night. Under questioning
in the first trial, Crownover,
who has been diagnosed with
autism, was unable to remem-
ber many of the details from
that night, despite repeated
prompting from the prosecu-
tor.
He testified to hearing a loud
thud and shattering glass, fol-
lowed by Wirkkala yelling, “I
f------ killed him.”
Now 24, Crownover’s au-
tism inhibits his ability to recall
events accurately, his mother,
Jennifer Benedict, testified Fri-
day. Benedict said the shooting
caused severe PTSD in her son,
whom she called “the sweetest
person I know.”
isting disparities that
were exacerbated by
the pandemic.”
Oregon had
among the strictest
COVID-19 restrictions
and safety measures
Brown
in the United States,
with the state shutting
down in March and businesses
— restaurants, gyms and indoor
entertainment venues — again
forced to close their doors in
November for weeks and in
some counties months.
Since the start of the pan-
demic, Oregon has paid
around $8 billion in jobless
benefits. Between March and
July 2020 alone, more than
500,000 people filed unem-
ployment claims in the
state, causing major
delays in people re-
ceiving funds.
In the midst of the
pandemic, Oregon
faced another dev-
astating challenge —
wildfires.
During the wildfires that
burned more than 1 million
acres, at least 4,000 homes were
destroyed and some people are
still displaced.
“My 10-Point Plan provides
a roadmap for economic re-
covery, and will guide our state
and local governments as we
invest our shares of federal dol-
lars from the American Rescue
Plan,” Brown said.
Due to Crownover’s con-
dition, the state received per-
mission for a legal intern to
take his place on the witness
stand. On Friday, law clerk Ca-
leb Stats and prosecutor Jayme
Kimberly read dialog from the
first trial, with Stats as Crown-
over and Kimberly as his ques-
tioner.
At one point, Kimberly read
questions originally posed by
defense attorney Joel Wirtz,
who has represented Wirkkala
in both trials, and who was
seated several feet away.
Tuesday featured other ev-
idence that factored prom-
inently in the first trial: re-
cordings of Wirkkala’s time in
police custody after the shoot-
ing. Wirkkala’s unusual de-
meanor after Ryder’s death was
a salient fact of the first trial for
many.
Wirkkala was driven by a
Bend Police officer from his
home to the Bend Police sta-
tion and taken to an interview
room. The officers testified
that for the next hour they
waited for a detective to arrive
at the station to formally inter-
view Wirkkala.
“My goal was simply to keep
him company,” officer Michael
Hatoor testified Tuesday.
Wirkkala showed an inter-
est in the officers, breaking the
silence at numerous points to
ask about their lives and opin-
ions about music and other art,
Hatoor testified.
“So you ski or snowboard?”
Wirkkala asked officer Scott
Eliott. At one point, Wirkkala
got serious.
“Now I’m here — that f----g
guy,” he said, indicating Ryder.
“But I’d trade places with him
in a second.”
Wirkkala’s demeanor
changed when detective Tim
Knea tried to interview him,
with Wirkkala eventually tell-
ing Knea to “cut the s--t.”
In 2014, the jury did not ac-
cept Wirkkala’s defense. The
Diving
Continued from A1
“I have my little inflatable
boat that I have decked out
with sonar to be able to pin-
point a vehicle,” Leisek said.
“Antonio was inside (his car)
and they were able to bring
Antonio home that night.”
Leisek said recoveries in-
volving bodies are humbling,
and he becomes emotionally
invested with the families of
the deceased. He is honored
to be the person to bring a
resolution.
“It comes down to being
able to do something that
others cannot and to give an-
swers to families who would
never receive those answers,”
Leisek said.
Sarah Clark, an owner
of Central Oregon Diving
in Bend, said her company
helped Leisek start diving lo-
court of appeals later ruled that
jury heard portions of the in-
terview with Knea that took
place after Wirkkala had re-
quested an attorney.
A partial version of the re-
cording was played in court
Tuesday.
Trial proceedings continue
Wednesday with more wit-
nesses for the prosecution.
e e
Reporter: 541-383-0325,
gandrews@bendbulletin.com
OBITUARY
board member Lamar Hurd
said, as he choked back tears.
“I know there’s a lot of discus-
sion around how too much
gets overlooked. But I want
you to know it wasn’t over-
looked. I haven’t been sleeping
well.”
An investigation into LSU’s
response to the misconduct
cases found systemwide flaws
in the school’s reaction to al-
legations during Alexander’s
tenure there from 2013-19.
Alexander told the board
last week he was never inter-
viewed by the law firm that
conducted the investigation.
But in an extraordinary
move, the chair of LSU’s
board sent a letter to Borkar
on Monday, saying Alexander
denied requests to be inter-
viewed and only would re-
spond to questions in writing.
LSU board Chair Robert
Dampf said Alexander’s tes-
timony last week to Oregon
State’s trustees left him “be-
yond offended by ... arrogant
and condescending comments
about Louisiana’s culture, our
state and our university.”
The board agreed to a sev-
erance package that will pay
Alexander $630,000 and an
additional $40,000 in reloca-
tion fees.
The president came to Or-
egon State in the summer, be-
fore the mishandling of the
misconduct charges at LSU
were brought to light.
Also revealed was a 2013
investigation into the former
football coach, Les Miles, who
was banned from contacting
female students after a report
found he had acted inappro-
priately with a few of them.
Alexander said he was
aware of the Miles report and
didn’t feel comfortable with
him as coach, but that the LSU
board had decided on his sta-
tus before Alexander arrived
there in 2013.
Oregon state Sen. Sara
Gelser, who represents Cor-
vallis, called Alexander’s res-
ignation “the right step for-
ward.”
“Now the real work towards
healing and rebuilding trust
can begin,” she said. “Sur-
vivors and advocates have a
detailed, actionable plan that
simply needs administrative
funding and support to put in
action.”
cally three years ago.
The company offered
Leisek air and gear at a dis-
count as he kept finding
trash in the Deschutes River,
Clark said.
“We’ve been there support-
ing him with whatever we
could do to further his en-
vironmental impact,” Clark
said.
Clark is amazed Leisek
went from picking up soda
cans to recovering cars and
solving cold cases. She is
impressed with how Leisek
connects with the people he
helps and shows compassion
with every search in the wa-
ter.
“He would do anything for
anybody,” Clark said. “He’s
made that his mission.”
Leisek admits finding the
bodies takes an emotional
toll on him. He also feels a
burden by not being able to
help every family in need
who reaches out through his
YouTube channel.
“The burden is we have
hundreds of people who
reach out, who are now look-
ing to us,” Leisek said. “It’s
me having to tell these fami-
lies no.”
Despite the difficulties,
Leisek has no plans to stop
searching in the rivers and
lakes in Central Oregon and
across the country.
“The entire thing is a very
humbling experience,” he
said. “We honor that and
don’t take that lightly.”
Geraldine E. Silva
of Bend, OR
Thomas “Tom” Rich-
ard Littlehales
of Bend, OR
June 4, 1930 - March 16,
2021
Arrangements:
Niswonger-Reynolds
Funeral Home is honored
to serve the family.
541-382-2471 Please
visit the online registry for
the family at www.nis-
wonger-reynolds.com
Services:
A graveside service will
be held at a later date
in Valley of the Temples
Memorial Park in Honolulu,
Hawaii.
Contributions may be
made to:
The charity of your choice
or just do a kindness for
someone in Geraldine’s
memory.
Anthony J. Conte, Sr
of Bend, OR
Shirley Dexter
February 23, 1933 - March 15, 2021
Born to Lester and Helen Garbutt in Rose Lodge,
Or. She att ended school in Grande Rhonda, OR. She
moved to Tumalo when she was a Junior in High
School where she met Fred. She graduated from
Redmond High School on June 1, 1951 and married
Fred on June 3, 1951. She was a lifelong resident of
Terrebonne. Shirley was a homemaker and raised 4
children. Later in the 80’s she pursued her passion
for dolls. She purchased and dressed them for herself
and to sell to others. She also donated several dolls
to the Redmond Fire Dept for the Christmas Toys for
Kids program. In 2001 she fl ew to Ohio to the Lee
Middleton doll factory and in 2005 went to Oklahoma
to meet Sheila Michaels who is a famous doll arti st.
Shirley has the largest private doll collecti on in the
State of Oregon. She also started the local Second
Childhood Doll Club. She loved to crochet for her dolls
and was a 4-H knitti ng leader when her daughters
were growing up. Shirley was preceded in death
by her parents, a sister, 2 brothers, a grandson and
granddaughter. She is survived by her husband Fred
of 70 years, Her children Linda Reynolds of Caldwell,
Id, Debbie (Dick) Ridgeway of Madras, Barbara (Ron)
Twardowski of Newport, Wa and David of Redmond,
8 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and 6 great
great grandchildren.
March 8, 1929 - March 4,
2021
Arrangements:
541-318-0842
www.autumnfunerals.net
Services:
Private services will be
held at a later date
Contributions may be
made to:
Knights of Columbus, c/o
St. Francis of Assisi Cath-
olic Church, 2450 NE 27th
St., Bend, OR 97701
James H. Farleigh
of Bend, OR
Feb 13, 1928 - March 13,
2021
Arrangements:
Autumn Funerals, Bend
541-318-0842 www.au-
tumnfunerals.net
Services:
Memorial services will be
held at a later date
e e
Reporter: 541-617-7820,
kspurr@bendbulletin.com
Find it all online
bendbulletin.com
Jan 13, 1944 - March 16,
2021
Arrangements:
Baird Funeral Home of
Bend is honored to serve
the Littlehales family.
Please visit our website,
www.bairdfh.com, to share
condolences and sign our
online guest book.
Services:
A Celebration of Life will
take place August 5, 2021.
Contributions may be
made to:
Humane Society of Central
Oregon
www.hsco.org
61170 SE 27th St Bend,
OR 97702
541-382-3537
Mt. Bachelor Sports
Education Foundation
(MBSEF)
mbsef@mbsef.org
541-388-0002
2765 NW Lolo Drive Bend
OR 97703
Linda Ann Burger
of Redmond, OR
November 15, 1951 -
February 25, 2021
Arrangements:
Arrangement entrusted
to Redmond Memorial
Chapel. 541-548-3219.
Please leave condolences
at redmondmemorial.com
Services:
A Celebration of Life is
being planned for this
summer.
Contributions may be
made to:
Memorial contributions
may be made to Special
Olympics Oregon at
https://soor.org
OBITUARY DEADLINE
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Phone: 541-385-5809
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