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EDUCATION EASTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY
ea
o r a n e w i rec on
• Funding cuts necessitate a new route for Grande Ronde Symphony Orchestra, its director
• Local educators not happy about proposed state education budget picture By Dick Mason The Observer
Tim Mustoe/The Observer
Leandro Espinosa conducts the Grande Ronde Symphony Orchestra in McKenzieTheatre at Eastern Oregon University in November of last year. Espinosa has conducted the orchestra for 13 years. "Both Espinosa and Fetz have played a leading role in Shock and surprise. That was Leancommunity music ensembles," dro Espinosa's initial reaction when he Witte said. learned last June he was among two music The Grande Ronde Symprofessors whose positions had been cutat phonyAssociation is currently Eastern Oregon University. Espinosa coordinating aseatch fora "My position had not been announced as new conductor for the 2015one of the targeted positions," the Grande 16 academic year to replace Espinosa, and Ronde Symphony Orchestraconductor ArtsEastis also working with the Community said."The cut was sudden and unexpected." Symphonic Band to hire a conductor to replace Two full-time positions were cut, which Fetz. Both of these ensembles,in addition essentially takes away 40 percent of the totheGrande Ronde Community Chorus, EOU music department, according to Espi- which has moved toArtsEast, will continue to nosa, who started asan assistant professor rehearse and perform on campus, Witte said. "Thetargetedpositionswere allinstruof music in 2002. He has been an associate professoritenuredl since 2006. mental iorchestral and band), creating EOU will continue to offer a bachelor of a new direction, which they expect to be music degree, said Sarah Witte, interim very popular in vocal and musical theater," provostand vice president for academic Espinosa said. affairs. The music and art departments are The cuts were necessary, university reducing two full-time faculty positions, officials said, to balance the budget and and there will be one full-time equivalent keep the university sustainable for years faculty reduction in the theater departto come. ment, Witte said. Espinosa and Teun Fetz But Espinosa disagrees with the larger will finish the current academic year at business emphasis the universityis pursuing. "It is understandable that a university EOU and then move on to other employment opportunities, she said. needs numbers of students, enrolling, By Jeff Petersen
The Observer
graduating, being attracted to a program, a place and a university," Espinosa said.'Yet treating universities as businesses may distort universities' very function. By all means universities should fulfill a crucial role in our society, and that is way beyond the common accepted notion of a technical preparation to fulfill a job. There is a deeper and very important role that universities must fulfill, which is crucial in a democracy, for a true democracy is only possible when peoplearenotpuppets,arewellinformed and well prepared. People at a university or coming out of a university should be independent, strong and not blind followers of any popular trend. On that depends the health of a country." Among other accomplishments, Espinosa, during his time at EOU, gave a presentation at the Oxford Union in England concerning the future of the arts and the sciences. He also participated in the exhibit The Splendor of Truth, the Beauty of Charity,attheVatican aspartofthe celebration of Pope Benedict XVI's 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination. A symphonic-choral mass composed by Espinosa was commisSeeMusic / Page 5A
Barrelnwalchinglivestock-relaleddills By Katy Nesbitt The Observer
ENTERPRISE — With just eight weeks in the Oregon House of Representatives under his belt, Greg Barreto, R-Cove, has had a baptism by fire. Barreto sits on three committees including Business and La-
bor and Agriculture and Natural Resources.
owe have areallygood agcom-
mittee," he said."Both the majority and minority members ate like minded on those committees." A wily aspect of politics is political activism. Activists target the state's capital to make public
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appearances— eitherby protest- thing to have a concealed carry," ing outside or attending hearBarreto said. ings inside. During a hearing on Two pieces oflegislation that pesticide aerial spraying, Barreto Barreto and Sen. Bill Hansell, said someone in attendance was R-Athena, are watching affect yelling at the committee. Secuwolves and cattle. One bill would rity was summoned to remove providetax creditsto ranchthe person from the room. ers who lose an above normal "It makes you think it's a good SeeBarreto / Page 5A
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Local educators are not excited about the $7.255 billion education budget the Legislature's Ways and Means Committee approved Thursday for the 2015-17 biennium. "I haven't talked to a superintendent yet that felt $7.25 billion is adequate," said La Grande School District Superintendent Larry Glaze during Friday's town hall meeting with State Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove, and Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena. The proposed budget, which will soon be voted on by the full House and Senate, would likely not force local schools to make personnel or major program cuts. However, it would make it much harder for school districts to add full-day kindergarten and impossible to continue restoring positions and programs cut seven years ago when the recession hit. Imbler School District Superintendent Beth Burton said the proposed budget would provideher district$77 lessper student in 2015-16than itcurrentl y isreceiving,costSeeBudget / Page 5A
Wyden, Crapo m ove wildfi re funding for1vard Observer staff
— Sens. Ron Wyden, WASHINGTON, D.C. D-ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, moved another step forward in providing a bipartisan wildfire funding solution that will ensure vital resources in the fight against catastrophic wildfires across the West. The senators attached a provision to the Senatebudgetthatsetsthestageforpassing the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, which Wyden and Crapo reintroduced on Jan. 22. The bill ends the cycle of underfunding fire suppression. Instead, Wyden and Crapo's bill will end this so-called fire borrowing by funding the largest wildfires from a similar disaster account used to fund other natural disasters. The Interior Department and the Forest Service estimate these fires — about 1 percentconsume 30 percent of firefighting budgets. SeeWildfire / Page 5A
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Issue 38 3 sections, 20 pages La Grande, Oregon
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