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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 2017)
A10 News Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, November 8, 2017 Connecting educational dots OSU Open Campus brings growth opportunities By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Educational opportunities are returning to Grant County. Oregon State Universi- ty Extension Service agent Shanna Northway and OSU Open Campus Coordinator Didgette McCracken recently hammered out details to offer more educational services at their Grant County offi ce in John Day. Besides helping people with online degrees through the Open Campus, they also help adults earn high school diplomas and assist students with class credit recovery and alternative learning. No matter a person’s lo- cation, those wanting to earn their high school diplo- ma can contact the John Day extension of- Didgette fi ce for assis- McCracken tance. “Every- body has a different scenar- io,” Northway said. “Maybe they are 60 years old and want to receive their diploma or a kid that’s 18 who didn’t fi nish school last year, who realizes it was a mistake.” With class credit recovery, if a student has a full school schedule but needs to make up a math class in order to advance to the next grade or graduate, McCracken said they can help the student af- ter school, even after regular business hours. If a high school student is interested in nursing or other specifi c fi elds, they can ex- plore adding a college-credit Contributed photo A group of Grant County 4-H youth decorate cookies during a recent signup night for the program. The room is available for educational and community meetings through the OSU Extension office. course to their schedule. McCracken said they can develop multiple options to help students be successful. Several years ago, some of the rooms of the current extension offi ce, located at 116 NW Bridge Street in John Day, housed an alternative ed- ucation center. Northway, at that time, was one of the teachers with 21 students, and 10 more on a waiting list — but it closed down seven years ago. “When that went away from our community, not only did it leave a gap for the high school students who didn’t fit the system, it also created this gap for people wishing to complete their di- ploma,” Northway said. “We want to provide sup- port to existing school pro- grams and, for those who need it, provide an alterna- tive, if desired,” McCracken added. “Together, we can work out some options for the student.” The new extension office, which opened Oct. 2, has 3,100 square feet of space, including rooms to study, use computers and take tests. Video conferencing equip- ment is also available in the computer room. One room is big enough to hold a class and includes an attached kitchen. McCracken said the OSU Open Campus in John Day is one of the few in Eastern Oregon. Crook County and Umatilla County also have an Open Campus. She said she plans to of- fer mentoring assistance, job shadowing opportunities and help with resumes. She said her job is not only about helping students receive a diploma or complete a de- gree, but how to connect them to the workforce. Northway said there is a need to “rethink education.” “I want people to think of us as an education resource — no matter how big or small,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what your education need is, check in with us and see how we can help.” For more information, call McCracken or Northway at 541-575-1911 or visit exten- sion.oregonstate.edu/grant. The offi ce hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. 700-plus Oregonians choose third gender on ID cards By Paris Achen Capital Bureau More than 700 Oregonians have selected a third gender — neither male nor female — on their state-issued identifi - cation cards and driver licens- es since the option became available July 3. The state transportation commission approved the change in June, making Or- egon the fi rst state to allow people to identify as “nonbi- nary,” or Gender “X” on their driver licenses and identifi ca- tion cards. Southeast Portland res- VETERANS DAY With respect, honor and gratitude, we THANK YOU. Keith J. Thomas, MD, FACS Board-Certified General Surgeon Blue Mountain Hospital Distrigt 541-575-1311 Know when to call it quits. We can help. Help is FREE , CONFIDENTIAL , and it WORKS . call 877-MY-LIMIT (24 hour help line ) OR chat with us oline at www.1877mylimit.org ommunity ounseling olutions 528 E Main St. • John Day 541-575-1466 Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Serving Morrow, Wheeler, Gilliam and Grant Counties Portland Tribune/Jamie Valdez Southwest Portland resident J Gibbons’ driver license with “X” identifying the gender. ident J Gibbons, 26, went to the local DMV offi ce to change the gender on their license from female to nonbi- nary, on the debut day of the option, July 3. “For Oregon to be the fi rst and to fi nally have an identi- ty document that refl ects all aspects of my identity, I felt I was fi nally being seen by the state I live in, which is some- thing that had never happened before,” Gibbons said. Having to carry the label of female was a constant source of pain and invalidation, Gib- bons said. For instance, when Gibbons went to the doctor’s offi ce or went to buy some- thing with a credit card, staff would call Gibbons “ma’am,” or make other assumptions about Gibbons’ identity. Gib- bons, who goes by the fi rst name of “J” (no period), was assigned the female gender at birth but shops for clothes in the men’s section and keeps a short haircut. Coming out to the world as neither male or female involved counsel- ing and doggedness, Gibbons said. “I’m not a man or a wom- an; I’m somewhere in be- tween,” Gibbons said. “To be able to have the correct gen- der marker was an incredible source of validation.” Last month, the California Assembly followed Oregon’s lead but enhanced the offer- ings to include birth certifi - cates and other offi cial state documents. As of the last count Wednesday, Nov. 1, 720 Or- egonians have selected the Gender X designation, said David House, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles. That’s a fraction of a 1 percent of about 3.2 million people with some kind of Oregon-issued driver license. Transgender and intersex Oregonians may self-certify the gender designation with “no questions asked,” the same way applicants may self-report height and weight, House said. The number of people who have taken advantage of the option is a “powerful statement” and represents a larger trend of people, in- cluding celebrities, embrac- ing nonbinary identities, Gib- bons said. Facebook has for several years offered dozens of dif- ferent gender identities. In 2015, the number was esti- mated to stand at more than 70 different ones and was customizable in certain coun- tries, including the United States. The dating app Tinder offers a selection of nearly 40 gender identities. “This world constantly and subtly sends the message that there are only two gen- ders,” Gibbons said. “For Or- egon to move to the forefront (of that trend) was incredibly powerful for me.” To our veterans, today, and every day, we are grateful for your service. Blue Mountain Chiropractic 155 NW 1st Ave | John Day 541-575-1063
