A12 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2018
NEWS
Homeless numbers increase tenfold
By PHIL WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER
Case managers for Com-
munity Action Program of
East Central Oregon had
a problem with their 2017
count of the area’s homeless
population.
The point-in-time census
counted 55 homeless people
in Umatilla County, one in
Wheeler County and none
in Gilliam or Morrow coun-
ties — the regions where
the nonprofit aims to help
low-income
populations.
Glenda McDaniel, one of
those CAPECO case man-
agers, said the figure was
surprising because it was so
small.
They conducted a sec-
ond count at the end of the
summer, that time finding
64. Still lower than their
estimates.
The latest count came
Jan. 31, and it revealed 557
homeless people in the four
counties.
“We knew the numbers
were out there,” McDan-
iel. “And there are probably
even more.”
Gilliam and Wheeler
counties had no docu-
mented homeless popula-
tion. But 46 were counted
this time in Morrow County,
including 17 females and 18
males in Heppner. Umatilla
County had 511, with 292
HH FILE PHOTO
A homeless woman who identifies herself as “Nana” and Christopher Stad of Kennewick panhandle at the Hermiston Walmart
store in December.
in Pendleton, 123 in Herm-
iston, 51 in Athena, 44 in
Milton-Freewater and one
in Echo.
Males
outnumbered
females 274 to 252, and 31
people did not identify their
gender.
The census found they
ran the gamut when it came
to where they spend the
night: 1.4 percent squatted;
15.1 percent stayed on the
street; 40.6 percent stayed
with friends.
“A lot of people are one
paycheck away from losing
housing,” McDaniel said.
Susie Stuvland and Sean
Ruud, fellow case manag-
ers, said the organization
examined its methodology
and added more volunteers
to arrive at a more accurate
picture of the area’s home-
less situation. The effort
included talking to school
districts to find homeless
students and going to where
the homeless gather, from
churches to The Salvation
Army to the banks of the
Umatilla River. They also
worked on asking better
questions and asking ques-
tions in better ways.
“It’s more just making
sure we’re doing it appro-
priately, going to the right
places and talking to the
right people,” Ruud said.
The higher number
shows the area has greater
needs than previously
thought, Stuvland said, and
that opens the door to more
grant funding for CAPECO
and other institutions to
combat
homelessness,
including schools.
Ruud, Stuvland and
McDaniel also are part of
Home 4 Hope, a local coali-
tion that helps the homeless.
The group held its annual
forum March 8 in Pendle-
ton, where about 30 mem-
bers identified key obstacles
for the homeless and brain-
stormed solutions.
Previous forums helped
hatch the idea of warming
stations in Hermiston and
Pendleton, and this time
McDaniel said she hoped
the forum would address
two big hurdles for the
homeless: a place to get mail
and phone service. McDan-
iel said both are essential for
people to connect to every-
thing from employers to
the Social Security Admin-
istration, which requires an
address to receive benefits.
Stanfield hires new principals Harkenrider center surges with donation
as a baseball coach.
She said they screened applications
in late February and interviewed the top
Stanfield School District will wel- three. She said the committee was united
come two new principals for the 2018- in their support for hiring Sheller.
2019 school year. Last week the board
The position became vacant when Bur-
ton was appointed to the superin-
unanimously approved the hire of
tendent’s position, after Liscom
Steve Sheller as the next princi-
pal of Stanfield Secondary School,
announced her resignation. Burton
and of Lacey Sharp as the princi-
had previously served as the prin-
cipal of the secondary school. She
pal of Stanfield Elementary School.
said the interim principal for the
Both will begin their positions July
remainder of the school year was
1, 2018.
Sheller is currently an athletic
hired in late February. The interim,
director, science teacher and year- Steve Sheller Wayne Kostur, is Burton’s father
book advisor at Irrigon Junior/
and was the interim superinten-
Senior High School, and has been at that dent of Stanfield School District for the
school for four years. He served as the 2013-2014 school year. Burton said she
football coach at Stanfield for the 2013- cannot supervise Kostur directly, so an
2014 school year. He has also taught in InterMountain Education Service Dis-
trict employee has been appointed as his
Umatilla and Hermiston.
Sharp is the interim principal at Stan- immediate supervisor. Burton said that
field Elementary, and was the vice princi- Kostur retired from the Molalla River
pal under superintendent/principal Shelley School District six years ago, but many
Liscom, who resigned at the end of 2017 years ago he had worked in the Athe-
and was placed on paid leave shortly after. na-Weston School District. She said she
Stanfield Superintendent Beth Burton turned to him when the position became
said she posted the open principal posi- open because she couldn’t think of any-
tion for two to three weeks, and got sev- one else who would be able to start the job
eral applicants. A group of school employ- immediately.
ees were on the hiring committee, as well
“The board loved him when he was
as board chair Scott Morris, in his capacity here,” Burton said.
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
STAFF WRITER
EOU gets ‘rural university’ designation
By JADE MCDOWELL
STAFF WRITER
Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity has always been a
home for students looking
for a smaller, more rural
college experience in Ore-
gon, but that role is now
official.
The La Grande-based
university has been des-
ignated by the state legis-
lature as Oregon’s Rural
University.
“It defines our role in
the state and shows our
unique mission,” said
Tim Seydel, EOU’s vice
president for university
advancement.
The designation —
which passed both cham-
bers of the legislature
unanimously and was
signed by the gover-
nor earlier this month —
doesn’t come with a boost
in state funding or new
rules for how the univer-
sity is run. But Seydel said
it could help set EOU apart
when applying for state
and federal grants for pro-
grams that are targeted
toward helping first-gen-
eration college students,
for example, or those from
rural communities.
“When they say, ‘Why
Eastern?’ we can say,
‘That’s what we do,’” he
said.
Seydel said it could also
help with recruitment at
the university, which was
at 3,016 students during
the fall term. He said some
students are searching for
a smaller, more rural expe-
rience where their profes-
sors know them by name.
Many of those students
come from Umatilla and
Morrow counties. Uma-
tilla County students have
made up roughly nine per-
cent of EOU’s enrollment
for the last decade, and this
year there are 311 students
from Umatilla County and
48 students from Morrow
County. The university
has increased recruitment
efforts in both counties
as it looks to boost its
numbers.
Rep. Greg Smith, who
sponsored the bill, agreed
that the designation as
Oregon’s Rural Univer-
sity could help EOU with
recruitment of students
from rural areas who don’t
want to attend school in a
big city.
“They’ll know that
they’ll be coming to an
environment they’ll be
comfortable in,” Smith
said.
Officials in other parts
of the state have sometimes
eyed closing the small uni-
versity as a way to save the
state money, so Smith said
he also felt the designa-
tion will remind lawmak-
ers from more urban areas
of EOU’s importance in
serving Eastern Oregon
residents.
Jer Pratton of Hermis-
ton, who serves on EOU’s
board, said being Oregon’s
Rural University sets EOU
apart from the state’s other
public universities and
helps define the universi-
ty’s purpose.
“When funding issues
come up it sends a better
message and we can advo-
cate for EOU in a stronger
position,” he said.
Pratton said as a fiscal
conservative he was wor-
ried about the university’s
financial position when the
board of trustees was cre-
ated in 2014 (before that,
a single board oversaw all
of Oregon’s public univer-
sities). But he credited the
board, its financial com-
mittee, then-interim uni-
versity president Jay Ken-
ton and current president
Tom Insko — who is an
EOU alumnus but came
from a business, not edu-
cation, background — with
working together to help
turn the situation around
and put the university on
solid financial footing.
HERMISTON HERALD
Hermiston area seniors
recently received a huge
boost from the Umatilla
Electric Cooperative.
Tami Sinor, UEC mem-
ber services representa-
tive, was welcomed by the
seniors in early February
during a lunch at the parish
hall at Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church. She deliv-
ered a check for $25,000
from the Co-op’s Commu-
nity Giving Program. The
money will be used for the
Harkenrider Senior Activity
Center project. Judy Ford-
ice, senior center secretary,
said the donation was a very
pleasant surprise.
While construction of
the facility is edging closer
to completion, the move-in
date likely won’t take place
until late summer. In the
upcoming months, con-
struction will move outside
with the development of
an extensive parking area,
including additional handi-
cap spaces and a bus drop-
off area. The new location
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY JUDY FORDICE
Umatilla Electric Cooperative member services
representative Tami Sinor, center, recently presented a
donation to Hermiston Senior Center representatives Irene
Miller, president, and Virginia Beebe, vice president.
is in the 100 block of North-
east Second Street between
East Ridgeway and East
Gladys avenues.
Meanwhile, the senior
meals will continue to be
served at the parish hall.
The group is appreciative
of the temporary home after
moving out of their old site
when the property was sold.
“We have so many things
coming at the senior cen-
ter right now,” Fordice said.
“It’s amazing.”
For
more
informa-
tion, call 541-567-3582 or
search Facebook, which is
updated often, for “Hermis-
ton Senior Center.”
Visit us online at www.HermistonHerald.com
SHE ALSO SERVED:
An Eastern Oregon celebration of women in military service
A remarkable exhibition featuring 20 portraits of
Oregon women military veterans on display
March 23 & 24 at the SAGE Center in
Boardman, Oregon
RECEPTION
March 23 - 4:30pm
Guest Speaker:
Elizabeth Estabrooks
Oregon Women Veterans
Coordinator
LIONESS
March 24 - 11:00am
Friday, March 23rd Noon-7pm
Saturday, March 24th 10am-5pm
Sage Center - 101 Olson Road, Boardman, OR