Admittedly, Tuesday, November 5 was a tough day for many, including me. Mine started with trepidation, like waiting for the expected announcement of the results of a biopsy. When the polls closed in the West, I flashed back to 2016 and felt that same, undeniable sense of dread. I remembered, however, in that instance, the outcome was a coldcock, an ambush.
This time, I truly believed the seemingly endless and relentless onslaught of fear and loathing prompted by a would-be tyrant with a cult following might finally abate. Sadly, it will not. Instead, the American electorate
Silly me. I was operating on the false assumption that Americans possess above average intelligence. Woefully wrong on that count. Instead of electing the first woman as president, voters have chosen the first convicted felon as president. If a critical mass isn't bothered by his transgressions, those who were hoodwinked will witness a sad transformation.
Many voters possess no reasoning skills to differentiate reality from fantasy, confused by information segmentation and sheer welter of media disinformation. As a result, many subscribe to a false narrative. The minorities and those on the economic fringe who fell prey to the pitch will come to regret their bad choices. Most don’t know it yet. Joke's on them.
These same voters have either unwittingly, or worse, knowingly struck a Faustian bargain with demonic forces. The deal is tragic because they have given up something more valuable than what they receive. Imagine a “thank you” letter sent to selected voters: “Thank you for your contribution and your vote. This letter will also serve as your deportation notice….”
Turning off the television knowing that Kamala would not prevail, my stomach took over, issuing that familiar telltale sign, a harbinger of what was to come. In my lifetime, I have well learned that my stomach is the bellwether for a bout of severe stress. The stomach cramping intensified, exacerbating intense back pain from spinal fusion surgery a few years ago.
With very little sleep that night, the misery of an upset stomach persisted into Wednesday. Meanwhile, the sun rose in the east as always, and the day began. A hot tub was in order. Then I started thinking: What would the late Hunter S. Thompson say about this depraved and decadent descent into the netherworld? He left plenty of clues addressing this sorry state of affairs.
"No sympathy for the devil. Keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well...maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion." And then there's this gem: "In a closed society where everybody is guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only sin is stupidity."
The next four years will be a savage journey into the heart of the American Dream, a harsh, often destructive exploration of the darker side of the American ideal, highlighting the contradictions and excesses that can arise from pursuing wealth, success and freedom at any cost. I sense there’s more fear and loathing on the immediate horizon.
But I’ll be damned if I’m going to allow the election results to despoil my golden years. I will concentrate on what’s really important to me: my family and friends, and especially my granddaughters. Yesterday, I picked up both girls from school, and the two bickered the whole way over this and that. Then my Zen enveloped me like a cloud.
I was filled with a warm, comforting feeling in my soul, and I found inner peace and tranquility in the uproariously chaotic moment. “These are my people,” I pondered, “They shall be my focus. They shall be my reward going forward.” I will severely limit or ignore the pointless chatter and embrace what makes me happiest by concentrating on the people I love.
I will continue to spend as much time in nature as possible, pursue my art and service projects and follow the University of Oregon Ducks as they join the Big 10 Conference. I will remain stoic and continue to fight the good fight for our civil liberties, speaking out whenever necessary. In other words, I will forego my final year of eligibility and turn professional.
Everybody loves a good comeback story. Yet to experience a comeback, you must have weathered a setback.
At the 2018 PRSA International Conference, the University of Oregon PRSSA Chapter, the oldest in the Pacific Northwest since its founding by UO Associate Professor Jack Ewan in 1972, was as strong as ever.
At the conference, UO PRSSA accepted PRSA’s Certification for Education in Public Relations on behalf of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication from PRSA Chair Anthony D’Angelo and Chair-elect Debra Peterson at the PRSSA Champions breakfast. Life was good.
Lily Gordon (above, left), UO PRSSA Chapter President for 2018-19, reported that by the end of fall quarter, the chapter had 75 active, dues-paying members, with 24 members participating on the events and communications committees.
“Average chapter meeting attendance increased by 25 percent during the fall quarter of 2018 compared to the previous year,” said Gordon, “and we launched a new website that was more user-friendly and featured career resources and video content. For 2019, we anticipated expanding our Seattle professional development tour to include a networking function with the PRSA Puget Sound Chapter.”
The next year, UO PRSSA ramped up for another record-breaking year after riding the wave of success inspired by previous executive teams, with no signs of slowing down.
But then, COVID-19 made its way to America, affecting institutions and organizations everywhere. UO PRSSA was no exception to the difficulties and challenges during this period.
In 2019-20, Amelia Bennett served as Chapter President for UO PRSSA. She recalls that the pandemic presented myriad issues in continuing to support members.
“Fearful of the unknown, we transitioned our meetings to Zoom,” said Bennett, “and as a team, we relied on each other to remain optimistic about the future as we passed the baton to the next leadership team.”
As classes continued online, University of Oregon student groups, if they even met at all, utilized virtual methods to connect with one another through Zoom and FaceTime. The first year of the pandemic proved to be the most difficult of times, and the challenges continued into the 2020-21 school year.
After two years of pandemic shutdowns, UO PRSSA membership numbers practically fell off the map, dwindling from over 75 in 2018 to only five in 2022. The low water mark for the chapter came in spring 2021, when only six candidates applied for five leadership positions for the 2021-2022 school year.
UO PRSSA had lost its momentum, but then leadership found new ways to accomplish their stated goals, according to 2021-22 Chapter President Madilyne Nguyen-Acosta.
“When the pandemic hit, we had to get creative with programming for our chapter” said Nguyen-Acosta. “Despite the challenges of navigating a virtual landscape for the first time in class, and also with our extracurricular activities, we made the most of our circumstances.”
The UO PRSSA executive team, taking advantage of the virtual environment to expand its reach, and understanding that members often seek public relations positions in Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles, introduced the West Coast Connection: a collaborative, virtual speed networking event hosted by PRSSA chapters from University of Oregon, University of Washington, and University of Southern California.
“The event was a success in expanding networks for our members both horizontally and vertically.” concluded Nguyen-Acosta.
By spring 2021, the UO PRSSA team acknowledged that while they couldn’t turn back the hands of time, they could pivot in rebuilding their chapter by modeling approaches that professionals across the U.S. had begun to implement, according to 2021-22 President Ellie Shalvarjian.
“We learned how to take our meetings from fully remote to hybrid to in-person,” said Shalvarjian, “but another wave of COVID cancelled our first in-person professional development tour in over two years, so we continued to rely on the practicality of the West Coast Connection.”
But the issues facing UO PRSSA were far more significant than the pandemic. Internal processes concerning budgeting had changed dramatically and support systems for the chapter were in flux. For example, instead of writing checks to become members of UO PRSSA, an electronic portal process through the PRSSA website had been instituted.
Yet a clear resurgence would develop in the 2022-23 school year. That previous spring, UO saw a 100 percent increase in the number of members interested in leadership positions, from five to ten. Momentum, however modest, was building, and an enthusiastic new leadership team was in place.
While working to address the electronic portal process, UO PRSSA received a timely assist from Public Relations Society of America Headquarters in New York. Senior Vice President of Programs Jeneen Garcia appealed to the PRSA Foundation to help fund membership dues for the new UO PRSSA executive team, providing a jumpstart for the school year.
The energy of the new team was palpable, with bold visions for the upcoming school year, including a trip to the PRSA/PRSSA International Conference in Dallas, Texas. Unfortunately, the group didn’t quite have its sea legs yet when negotiating internal policies and procedures within the University of Oregon, and the effort fell short.
So the group pivoted strategically and focused on providing professional development tours for members in Seattle, Portland and Eugene. With each tour, the leadership team learned valuable skills for providing meaningful and transformative experiences for growing membership.
“Not only did students finally get the opportunity to engage face-to-face with an expansive network of PR professionals,” said 2022-2023 Vice President Megan O’Keefe, “but we witnessed beautiful friendships growing between our members that I believe played a vital role in restoring the group’s spirit.”
The 2023-24 UO PRSSA immediately began to build upon the success from the previous year, and the leadership team, led by 2023-2024 President Karrigen Hansen, attended the PRSA/PRSSA International Conference in Nashville, the group’s first ICON since 2018-19.
“Attending ICON in Nashville for the first time in five years bonded our team and allowed our chapter to ignite the passion projects we hadn’t seen for a while,” said Hanson. “Back in Oregon, our numbers grew to the point that we were able to curate a guest speaker series and professional development workshops that truly benefited our members. Even outside Allen Hall, our executive team worked diligently in nurturing and continuing to grow the chapter.”
“For example, we worked with PRSA Oregon in collaborating with other PRSSA chapters like George Fox University,” continued Hanson. “More specifically, we learned the ins and outs of what it takes to finance a club. Beyond that, we were determined to advocate for ourselves as an organization that should be taken seriously.”
Much like the phoenix, the immortal bird from Greek mythology that cyclically regenerates, UO PRSSA is now back to its former position of strength and vitality. Thanks to the diligent efforts of student leaders and their mentors, the recovery was gradual but steady and consistent. These students literally willed UO PRSSA to succeed while emerging from the pandemic.
“It’s been gratifying to witness their perseverance, and continued growth to their former position of strength,” said UO PRSSA Professional Advisor John Mitchell, APR, Fellow PRSA.
As for the future, current UO PRSSA Chapter President Jillian Gray said the future is bright and 2024-25 is shaping up to be an exciting year for members.
“Last year, we had more applicants than ever for our executive board,” Gray noted, “and full classrooms packed with eager members ready to learn from inspiring guest speakers from companies like Dreamworks, Starbucks L’Oreal, Edelman, Airbnb, Dutch Bros, and Allison."
“There’s real energy in our chapter right now,” Gray continued. “We have an incredible team leading our chapter and more members than ever attending meetings, with new faces each week. We’re also in the process of planning robust professional development tours in cities like Seattle and Portland.”
Indeed, these Ducks appear to have risen from the ashes.
Editor's Note: 2024-25 UO PRSSA President Jillian Gray, (below, right) contributed to this article.
The fire grew to 15 acres before saw crews dug fire lines along the irrigation ditch on the west side of Bee Sting Hill.Other firefighters prepared buffer zones around nearby structures. Fire activity then moderated with heavy rains. The next morning, a Forest Service air tanker strafed the fire with water from Lake Wenatchee to dampen the flames down more.
Initial attack crews then fell hazard trees and reinforced existing control lines for the rest of the week before establishing direct control lines and mopping up hot spots and heavy fuels. The steepness of the hillside terrain led to burning materials and rocks rolling downhill, creating hazardous challenges for firefighters. Hose lays were installed to provide firefighters with water support to mop up the conflagration.
Crews continued to create containment zones using hand crews on the sides and lower edges, and a bulldozer along the top edge. Multiple air resources were used to drop water within the fire's perimeter. Air resources included two helicopters with buckets, two "super scoopers," four "fire boss scoopers," and an air attack aircraft used to coordinate air traffic. The fire was declared contained on Thursday, August 22.
The Chiwawa-Wenatchee Irrigation District canal flows along the west side of Bee Sting Hill, and its summit stands about 600 feet above the little mountain community of Shugart Flats. On a clear day, the summit provides an excellent perspective toward the south, overlooking the pastoral village of Plain, along with Natapoc Mountain, Beaver Hill and Icicle Ridge near Leavenworth, Washington in the background.
