The Voice // Issue 7 // The Past, the Present

T he V oice 2019/ Volu m e 1/ Issu e 7

Creators of this issue Anita Harris Charlene Frett

LETTER FROM

THE

Emmalyn Guzman

EDITOR-

Tanisha Willis

IN-CHIEF

Katelyn Joyner Olivia Steffey Katie Silvestri JD Protiva

Cover ph ot o by Kait lyn Joyn er

@eou t h evoice

Mounties,

next, just realize that it doesn't

The past is impor tant. Some of

matter. You can spend all of your

us spend our free time

time r uning towards something,

reminiscing about it, while other

only to end up on a completely

tr y their best to for get it. If

different path in the end. Life a

there's one thing I lear ned about

jour ney. If there's anything that

the past, it's that you need it

all my wor r ying has taught me,

shape your future. Don't resent

it's that the r ide is what counts,

it, but use it to lear n and prepare

not the destination.

for the future.

Stop wor r ying. Stop over

Now, the future, that is what

thinking. Use your past to

scares me. I have spent my entire

br ighten your future.

life prepar ing for the future, and

In this issue, we will be looking

now that it's hear....I'm not sure

at the past and the future of

what to do. It has taken

EOU. There's a lot you can

numerous yoga classes, hour s of

discover about this campus when

ther apy, and sleepless nights

you just take a moment to slow

tr ying to figure out what comes

down and look.

- Anita Harris

Con ten ts 2

Edit or Message

4

The Grand St air case

14

Ar t ist t o Appr eciat e

11

Rem em ber Us, Always

Ph ot o by Kait lyn Joyn er

The Histor y and Futur e Hope For EOU?s Gr and Stair case

By Em m alyn Gu zm an

archi tect John Bennes and

especi ally the stai rcase. The

com pleted i n 1929 duri ng

w ear and tear becam e m ore

the foundati on of EOU, sti ll

evi dent. Because of i ts gradual

under the nam e of Eastern

deteri orati on, the stai rcase

Oregon Norm al School,

w as closed off from the publi c

servi ng only as a teacher?s

i n 2004 and sadly enough,

trai ni ng school. Over the

som e students w ho have been

years, courses w ere added,

here for years don?t even k now

the student di versi ty

the locati on of the structure,

expanded, the school?s

let alone the long hi story

nam e w as changed (four

behi nd i t.

ti m es), the school becam e a

In recent years, attem pts to

From the Grande Ronde Ri ver to

four-year publi c uni versi ty,

the Hot Lake Hotel, La Grande i s

and the stai rcase w ent

the hom e of m any natural and

unnoti ced by the student

m an-m ade beauti es. One that

body.

has often been overlooked i s our

Throughout the years, the

Endangered Places Li st i n

i ntri cate, Itali an

m erci less w i nters of La

2015. Thi s year, the proposal of

Renai ssance-i nspi red Grand

Grande took thei r toll on all

a com plete restorati on has

Stai rcase located ri ght behi nd

of our i ndustri ous

been m enti oned i n a board

Inlow Hall. It w as desi gned by

educati onal bui ldi ngs,

m eeti ng i n Apri l. Governor

save the stai rcase and preserve i t has com e up, i ncludi ng putti ng i t on the Restore Oregon?s Most

Kate Brow n recom m ended

stai rcase renovati on

a budget to the 2019

project. A trustee by the

Legi slator w hi ch i ncluded

nam e of Cheryl Marti n

a generous $3 m i lli on to

stated: ?The Grand

restore the Grand

Stai rcase i s so uni que and

Stai rcase. Her generosi ty

so beauti ful [? ] We need to

w as m enti oned i n a post on

m ake sure i t?s m ore vi si ble

the Facebook page

and accessi ble for people.?

sponsori ng the stai rcase.

The post i s opti m i sti c, show i ng that even though the plan sti ll has a long w ay to go, recogni ti on for the stai rcase?s restorati on i s fi nally bei ng noti ced.

board of trustees approved the proposal of restori ng the resi dence halls to add enough room s to house up to 100 m ore on-cam pus students (EOU page). As for

i n Apri l, restorati on of the

i m provem ents have already

stai rcase plan of acti on

been started. There i s even

w as m enti oned, and the

a new i nterpreti ve si gn

overall proposal w as

coveri ng the hi story of the

revi ew ed. Accordi ng to an

m onum ent that i s i n i ts

arti cle coveri ng the

fi nal stages and i s new ly

m eeti ng, along w i th the

i nstalled as of thi s May.

budget of $12.5 m i lli on to

After thei r fi nal deci si on,

renovate Inlow Hall addi ng

the Cham ber of Com m erce

?classroom [s] and offi ce

sent a letter to the school,

space, sei sm i c

show i ng thei r support and

m odi fi cati ons and

upcom i ng plans.

archi tect?s ori gi nal outli ne?, a quarter of that sam e $12.5 m i lli on w i ll be put i nto the

created to rai se aw areness for surroundi ng com m uni ty m em bers and current college students about the updates on the stai rcase. They are also offeri ng donati ons for the restorati on project.

the stai rcase, updates and

approach to m eet the

Instagram page, have been

After the m eeti ng, the

Duri ng the board m eeti ng

landscapi ng the bui ldi ng?s

Facebook page, along w i th an

There i s som e debate on w hether or not the project i s salvageable, but there i s also hope that li es w i th the stai rcase and the students, alum ni and com m uni ty m em bers w ho w ant to restore the Stai rcase to i ts form er glory. As to quote a post from the Facebook page: ?We appreci ate every step that has been taken along the w ay to save thi s archi tectural treasure. Slow and steady w i ns the race.?

For m ore i nform ati on on how to donate to the restorati on of the Grand

As the w ai t for constructi on preparati on goes on, support from soci al m edi a i s on the ri se. The Fri ends of the Grande Stai rcase

Stai rcase, em ai l savethegrandstai rcase @gmai l.com .

1967 EOU Grand Staircase. Photos from Restore Oregon & Savethegrandestaircase.org

2019 EOU Grand Staircase. Photos by Olivia Steffey

Ph ot o by Olivia St ef f ey

The Past of Acker man Hall

By Kat ie Silvest r i In 1929, Eastern Oregon Normal School was

purpose was for teachers to be able to work

founded. Normal School refers to the norms

in live settings of classrooms. Ackerman

of teaching being taught at the school for

Elementary was a fully functioning school.

teacher education. At first, there were only

One of the ways the students got to school

200 enrollees of the school with a two-year

was the Grand Staircase. Two other ways

teaching certificate offered. Even though the

were walking up the large sledding hill on 8th

majority of teachers at this time were mainly

or a winding path where Badgely Hall is

women, men had enrolled in Eastern Oregon

located now. Some parts have not been

Normal School as well. Due to the growing

altered from the original elementary school

number of teachers in the making attending the school, a training school needed to be

There have also been a lot of changes. The IT

constructed. It was not until 1936 that H.

Tech room used to be the children's library.

Ackerman Elementary School was founded.

Ackerman 111 used to be the cafeteria where

It was merely an elementary school, and its

the students received their food before

walking into another room

professors in the

of the world. The

and eating; on the bottom

education programs.

Undergraduate Elementary

floor was the gym. A

Eastern Oregon

Education program and

current faculty member still

University stays firm in its

Masters Education program

teaches, though their

education roots. The

would not be what they are

previous job was as the

education program has

today if it weren't for the

principal of Ackerman

been growing for 90

ability to train in the

Elementary School.

years now and will

classrooms at Ackerman

Compared to now, there is

continue for many years

Elementary School. EOU's

not just a two-year teaching

to come. In many eyes,

education programs are

certificate, but at the

such as the U.S. News &

known for their numerous

minimum a four-year

World Report, EOU is an

hands-on hours in

Undergraduate Elementary

excellent program for

placements for future

Education Program, and at

future teachers. In 2000,

teachers to practice teaching

most a ten month Masters

U.S. News & World Report

in real classes. Many

Education Program. The

ranked EOU as one of the

universities are not fortunate

classes for teachers in the

top four public liberal arts

enough to have as many

making are still held in

colleges in the West. That

hours as available here at

Ackerman Hall, although

was 19 years ago, and the

Eastern Oregon University.

the in-class training is not

program has grown into

Thank you to Ackerman

held at the Ackerman

many changes that keep

Elementary School for

Elementary School since it

the students up with new

starting a type of training

was closed in 1996. In the

regulations for licensure.

that is so valuable until this

multitude of schools

The groundwork laid by

day, 73 years later.

around what is now known

previous professors and

as Eastern Oregon

future teachers has

University, the student

grown into a flourishing

teachers are placed in

university with many

in-class training. They have

talented future educators

supervisors that include the

Remember Us, Always A Sh or t St or y by Ch ar len e Fr et t I take a small sip of this

always about business with these

him to respect me more,

champagne, feeling it warm my men, never about pleasure.

especially when they are times

senses as it travels down my

he doesn't.

throat, attempting to smile at each guest my husband introduces me to, all the guests he does business with. Most are men of course, their wives by their side, smoothing their tuxes as they shake my hand or kiss me on both cheeks. They would introduce their wives wearing diamond necklaces and silk dresses to me, and the women would smile as a sign of greeting as if they don't have a voice of their own. W ith my husband, it's

My hand is resting on his forearm as he leads me through the jazz

A man jokes about a colleague

club, occasionally caressing the

of my husband's and I laugh

back of it to make it known to men

when they do. Surely, they are

that I'm currently unavailable. If I

convinced I'm listening to every

had to be honest with you, it's quite

word they say which you see, is

flattering when they stare, when

hardly the case at all. I'm

their eyes roam the length of my

looking for someone, a man I

body in this silver satin dress, when

should say, someone I once

their lips open in awe at my mere

knew long ago. I'm aware that

presence, when they pause in their

he would make an appearance,

step to take a peek at a woman

that maybe I'll catch another

who doesn't mind the attention. I'm

glance at the man who makes

delighted my husband worries

women fall at his feet. He said

about the men I can get. It reminds

he might stop by, that I should

save him another dance?just like old times. I try not to seem desperate in looking, my eyes falling upon the jazz band that plays in front of the room. A handsome young man plays the saxophone as if he's making love to it, pouring out his heart and soul into the instrument, making you feel his emotion within the jazzy tunes. I always admired musicians, the way they are able to find passion in something they love and make a living out of it. My husband says I don't need to work, that my hands are too beautiful to be ruined. I'm still trying to convince him otherwise.

"Are you doing alright, my darling?" I hear my husband ask beside me, placing his hand over mine.

And then I see him, a man leaning against the bar with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He takes a sip before noticing me, a grin tugging on his lips as I do the same. I have to say, he was right about having the best tailor in town. His tux fits him quite well! His hair is slicked back for style and he has an aftershave glow, having a sudden urge to feel it against my cheek. He places the glass on the counter and begins walking towards me.

"I'm doing just fine, darling," I say to my husband, giving his arm a gentle squeeze, "just fine."

My husband notices the man approaching his wife and I hear him quietly clear his throat, wondering what brings him to us.

"Mr. Callahan, I'm sorry to interrupt. My name is Mr. Jake Bentley, " they both shake each other's hands.

"Jim Callahan, and this is my wife, Isabel," I give a nod, and Mr. Bentley takes my hand and gently kisses the back of it, "Jake Bentley. You wouldn't happen to know Dave Bentley, would you?"

Mr. Bentley chuckles, "Know? I'm his son."

Dave Bentley is one of the top five owners of a successful business, but Mr. Bentley doesn't like being known for just being Dave Bentley's son. He wants to make a name for himself, especially since he isn't even that close with his father.

Both of the men become well acquainted with each other for a brief moment before Mr. Bentley asks my husband if he can dance with me. My husband suspects nothing, and agrees to his proposal.

Mr. Bentley leads me to the dancefloor and a new song begins to play. He takes my hand in his as his other hand rests against the midst of my back. I bring my arm up to place my hand behind his upper shoulder and we begin to dance, swaying against the soothing tones of jazz while he leads each step and movement we make. We look into each other's eyes in utter bliss, both of us remembering what it was like to be like this again, to finally dance the night away and forget the realities we created for ourselves.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come, Mr. Bentley," I say.

"Of course I would, Bel. Of course I would," he smiles.

We don't speak for a while, just letting the music take us, letting ourselves just be within this moment. We leaned in closer to each other, our bodies almost pressing against one another. I feel as if we are both attempting to withhold the temptation we feel, understanding that he too wants us to embrace each other, that he too wants our lips to touch.

We have so many memories, of us leaving town together and exploring the city, of us laughing at the mud on our shoes and sweat on our brows, of us telling stories and dancing in his kitchen, of us laying in bed and kissing our fears away. But then he left, unexpectedly, and my heart broke, aching for him, needing him. It's been over ten years since he left, and then I saw him at the garden shop yesterday, looking as if he hasn't changed a bit.

"Do you love him, Bel?" I hear him say, "do you really love him?"

I feel something inside me collapse, hoping he wouldn't ask tonight, at this very moment. I look up at him, "Oh, Jay. I?I wish things were different. I loved you, I did."

"But you love him," he says, seeing a bit of sadness in his eyes as if he was young again, as if we were young again.

"He was a good man?and he still is a good man, Jay," I sigh, fighting the urge to smooth the back of his neck like I used to, "if I would of known you'd come back, I would of waited for you. I loved you then. I loved you once."

He closes his eyes for a brief second as if he's trying to take in my words. "I know, baby. I'm sorry?I'm?I'm so sorry."

And that is all he can say as we continue to dance, knowing that the timing of this is not aligned to fit our souls, that sadly, it is too late for us to just be, for us to just be together.

So we dance and dance and dance, dance until we can't anymore, until reality speaks its harsh words and reveals our woes, until we become aware of the people who dance along with us, until I see my husband from behind the tables watching our movements, until the song finally ends. We applause the band and look into each other's eyes, knowing we can't ever embrace or kiss, that we can't escape the present and travel into the past.

He then leans down to whisper he loves me in my ear, to whisper goodbye. Before I could speak another word, he leaves, just like he did before.

T he V oice