Ryleigh Norgrove Staff writer Today marks the first day of in-person classes at Willamette University. At 10:35 a.m., the Willamette University Reopening Committee sent a mass email to students stating, "an individual working on campus tested positive for the Coronavirus." The email reports that the individual lives off campus, and has been in isolation since Saturday. Marion County Public Health is "coordinating contact tracing." As of now, it is unclear how and if this news will impact university procedures.

Piper Lehr Staff writer Along with everything going on at the current moment, one area of life that incoming students may be unsure about is food options in the Salem area. Incoming students may find themselves wondering what their options are if they don't want to go to Goudy, either because they don't want to risk contact with others or because the dining hall is on the opposite side of campus from the east side dormitories. Avoiding Goudy is not a new experience for returning students, and several were more than happy to share their favorite alternatives. Junior biochemistry major Devyn Mandala recommended Rick’s Cafe in the law building. Though it seems like an obvious option, many students living on Willamette’s main campus forget that it exists. She also recommended the restaurants Fuji Rice Time, Adam’s Rib Smokehouse and India Palace. Rowan Barton, a junior and a double major in archaeology and classics, recommended the restaurants Birdies Bistro, Wild Pear, Ritter’s Housemade Foods and Tiga Sushi. Additionally, restaurants around the area with appreciable vegetarian options are: The Ram, The Sassy Onion, La Margarita, Fuji Rice Time, India Palace, Bo and Vine and Ritter’s Housemade Foods. But restaurants are not the only option for students seeking an alternative to Goudy. There are a couple of ways you can make food from the comfort of your own room. “If I’m not looking to walk to downtown, but also don’t want to eat at Goudy, a lot of times I’ll have a frozen meal from Trader Joes or Safeway,” Barton said. The dormitory kitchen areas do not only exist so that one can make intricate meals every once in a while. Many students make use of the microwave and toaster by stocking up on items like Hot Pockets, Waffles, Uncrustables, TV Dinners and the like. Besides frozen food, Rowan also said: “on the weekends I like to cook if I have time, so my roommate and I will occasionally get a meal subscription box from something like Sun Basket or Hello Fresh to make together. That’s a lot of fun because it’s a good way to spend time with friends and also add some variety to your diet.” For students seeking yet another convenient way to make food from the comfort of their own room, some kind of hot water maker is a must have. Whether it's a dual coffee maker, hot water dispenser or a standard kettle, hot water will allow you to make instant products including oatmeal, ramen, tea and hot chocolate. Like frozen food, instant food is efficient and cost-effective. Finally, be aware that the UberEats app has the residence halls in its database. Typing “Willamette University” as the destination will give the driver directions to the campus in general. Specifically entering “Matthews Hall,” or any other campus building, is a more accurate instruction.

Piper Lehr Staff writer During the first couple of weeks of school, it is common for students to realize that either they forgot to bring something to campus, or that certain items they initially disregarded are more useful than they predicted. This can be a trial and error exercise for some, but in order to help incoming students save some time, below is a list of nonintuitive items to consider. 1. Handheld vacuum. Communal vacuums are full-length. These can be cumbersome, and are inefficient in clearing hard-to-reach corners. Additionally, during move-in, move-out and near holidays, one might have to wait for others to finish using the communal vacuum. Though they can be somewhat pricey, a handheld vacuum is something that can be handy even after one moves out of the dormitories. 2. Silverware, plates, bowls, cups, etc. It is easy to think that one’s room is only for eating snacks, not full meals, but this is often not the case. Whether it’s because Goudy is too disagreeable, or because one is too swamped with work to have a sit-down meal, it is common for students to eat ready-made meals in the comfort of their own room. This is especially true for this year, since the dining halls are taking precautionary measures to limit the amount of people allowed in at once. To make this endeavor more cost-effective, paper silverware can be found in bulk at most grocery stores. Paper silverware is also beneficial because one doesn’t have to wash them afterwards. 3. A small desk fan. While most months of the school year are cool, a small desk fan is nice to have when it is needed. Hot days can be common during the beginning and ending months of the school year. Additionally, if water spills on loose papers, a fan can help dry them faster. 4. A small pair of headphones. Listening to content around campus can be more enjoyable with earbuds. This is because it can get annoying to lug bulky over-the-ear headphones to and from destinations. Earbuds typically fit into pockets better, and are easier to hear out of when talking to Goudy or Bistro servers. 5. A pair of sweatpants. A pair of sweatpants that look presentable but that are still comfortable are a very practical article of clothing for campus life. They can double as both a lazy day outfit for lounging around the dorms, as well as a pair of pajamas. 6. Bed risers. Bed risers can drastically increase the amount of space in a room. Though if one is short or lazy, consider buying small or medium-sized risers, as it can become a chore to climb up and down the bed if it has risers that are too tall. Good luck this semester, Bearcats!

Noah Dantes Editor-in-chief On August 16, Willamette alum Rebecca Alexander published an op-ed on Medium.com calling for Willamette to postpone its reopening. Alexander, alongside nearly 400 other alumni and current students, signed an open letter asking Willamette to demonstrate “a commitment to the safety of its students, faculty, and staff by switching to full-time virtual learning.” This open letter was sent to President Thorsett and the Board of Trustees on August 3. As of August 17, Willamette has not replied to the open letter, or Alexander’s op-ed. Find below the full text of Alexander's op-ed on Medium.com: --- Earlier this year I got some great news. I was selected to receive the Young Alumni Leadership Award from my alma mater, Willamette University. I was supposed to receive this award in June at an on-campus ceremony during my 10th reunion weekend, but the festivities were postponed because hosting such a gathering during a worldwide pandemic would have been immoral. While disappointed, I was proud that my alma mater acknowledged the severity of this pandemic and acted responsibly. So imagine my surprise to learn that next week, with little to no progress in controlling the pandemic nationally or in Marion County, Oregon where my alma mater is located, Willamette University is preparing to welcome well more than 1,000 students and employees back to its residential campus for in-person instruction. Currently, there is a 30% chance that in a gathering of 25 people in Marion County, at least one person will have the coronavirus. This is part of the reason why Marion County’s public school district has postponed the in-person reopening of its schools until at least November 16. What will happen to these odds when hundreds of students fly in from coronavirus hotspots in California, Arizona, Idaho, and other states to start class at WU? Will Willamette’s rush to reopen risk an even later reopening date for public schools in Marion County? It certainly will. Willamette’s classes will be conducted inside buildings. Students have been given the option of online learning, but most faculty are required to teach in person. Custodial staff must clean up and breathe in “droplets” from every single person who uses a bathroom on campus. Every person who moves into a dorm hall. And every person who spits ever-so-minimally onto desks while having 90-minute discussions that could absolutely happen over Zoom. The university is limiting the number of people who will be in one room at any given time to 15 and requiring masks be worn, but Willamette is a residential campus and even the best-laid plans will likely result in unintended death — either of students, faculty, food service workers, janitorial staff, or family members of any of these groups. I wrote about Willamette’s motto, “Not unto ourselves alone are we born,” in my application essay to Willamette 15 years ago. I lived this motto as a student at Willamette and I’ve lived it every day of my life since I graduated, always working to improve the lives of my friends and neighbors. Tens of thousands of my fellow alums do the same. Our alma mater is betraying our legacy of community service and its mission to care for others by reopening in person this fall. President Thorsett, as a Young Alumni Leader to you, the ultimate leader of this university, I beg you to do the monumentally difficult, but morally required thing: Delay in-person reopening. In the absence of effective federal leadership, community leaders like yourself are our nation’s only hope to slow the spread of this deadly and debilitating virus. According to a recent Forbes article , the following universities moved to online-only learning just last week: Columbia University Princeton University Johns Hopkins University University of Massachusetts Amherst Howard University Loyola University Maryland Smith College It is not too late for Willamette. My life will be forever changed because of the education I received at Willamette. It would not have been the same if it occurred over Zoom. It is not fair that today’s Bearcats will have fewer of these in-person moments when they look back on their college years, but this is their “Not unto ourselves alone are we born” moment. And it is yours as well, President Thorsett. Please press pause on in-person reopening until it is safe. Keep students where they are. Don’t make this pandemic worse for your employees and others who live in Marion County. With hope, Rebecca Alexander College of Liberal Arts ‘10 Willamette University P.S. — I and hundreds of other WU alum have signed an open letter requesting Willamette take several actions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, including moving to online-only instruction in the fall. The letter was originally offered by @WUAlumniForVirtualFall2020

Noah Dantes Editor-in-chief On August 17, Willamette announced that they had hired Tony Stafford as the new director of campus recreation . Stafford said over email that he had begun work on August 3. In the same email, Stafford said that Willamette plans to reopen Sparks Fitness Center in early September because they are “still working through COVID-19 concerns… we will have more information [to share] soon.” The previous campus recreation director, Kosti Efstathiou, resigned on October 28 last year after inexplicably disappearing from campus for nearly three weeks. Tom Kirch, a previous campus recreation director at Oregon State University, came out of retirement to help fill the vacant position. Kirch worked part-time from December through spring semester supported by administrators Lisa Holliday and Zach Cardoso while Willamette’s hiring committee searched for a permanent and full-time replacement. The search concluded with the hiring of Stafford.

Noah Dantes Editor-in-chief Willamette’s art department has made all public events this fall virtual, according to department head Alexandra Opie. The end-of-semester art show will be held over Instagram at @wustudioart. The Instagram account will also be used to show works-in-progress throughout the semester. The department had planned on hosting two visiting artist public events this fall, both of which have been moved to Zoom. The department is holding a second art show, unique to this semester, displaying the thesis work of last year’s graduating art majors. This display usually takes place during the spring term. The show will run from September 5 to 19 in the Rogers building gallery and in the student gallery in the Art building. The students whose work will be displayed are Bailey Dickey, Claire Read, Joya Biebel and Andrew Nelson. The department made several changes in order to reopen safely. All art classes can be attended in-person—to do this safely, the department has shrunk class sizes. While fall class registration began before Willamette shifted to distance learning in the spring, class sizes were reduced without removing students from rosters. One class closed registration before it opened for first-years, while others lowered the enrollment cap over the summer so that as students dropped, new class spots did not become available. The classes that remained too large to hold in-person were broken into two groups, with groups taking turns attending class in-person and attending virtually. Bigger tables have been removed from classrooms and many spaces have been reoriented into a row-like configuration, which Opie claimed is more efficient in getting students safely in and out of the classroom. All class group events have been made virtual, including group critiques, where students would gather around one piece and discuss it. Art will still be displayed physically in campus buildings, though the official end-of-semester art show will be virtual. Additionally, Opie has worked with physics professor Daniel Borrero Echeverry to test the air quality in classrooms. “He’s got a very wonderful system for testing the air quality in terms of COVID-19 and safety and we’ve been making all the changes that need to happen [to ensure good air flow],” Opie said. The department has made preparations in case Willamette returns to distance learning. They have prepared work kits for students to take home with them, something they are continuing from spring term. Opie hopes that even if all classes go virtual, students will continue to have access to campus studio space. “There’s precedent for that at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where their plan for the semester is that classes are not meeting in-person but students can go into the studios,” Opie said. Art department students work with materials, which is different from many humanities classes, where the focus has mainly been on ensuring social distance. “Studio art classes are very space oriented—it’s been about creating safe spaces,” Opie said.

Sophie Smith Editor-in-chief slsmith@willamette.edu As the Collegian reported earlier this month, some students, concerned they are not receiving the same quality of education and resources they would have if classes were not moved online, have been publicly advocating for tuition refunds for the spring 2020 semester. In an email sent to the Collegian , Vice President for Finance and Treasurer Dan Valles said he was aware of students’ calls for refunds, but clarified that the University will not offer tuition refunds for the spring 2020 semester.  Valles explained that the move to online classes did not provide the University with any savings. In fact, it is likely that the expenses necessary to move classes online will make this semester more costly than if the University had not adopted distance learning. “There is a common perception that remote or online teaching costs much less to provide and therefore the tuition should be less,” wrote Valles. He explained that this might be the case if class sizes were expanded, or if they were taught by less qualified professors. However, Willamette did not make such changes in its transition to online learning. “Our professors continued their commitment to delivering a high-quality and engaging educational experience, albeit under the executive order from our governor to do this remotely, and it created no cost savings for Willamette to pass on as a tuition reimbursement.” Students who had been living on campus but left before the end of the semester can receive room credits or cash grants to refund them for part of the room and board payments they made before the semester began. Room credits will be added to students’ accounts, and can later be used to pay for next semester’s tuition or room and board. The University is calculating both room credits and cash grants based on the date the student left campus, beginning on March 29. Questions have also been raised about tuition costs for next semester, should distance learning continue into the fall. “We are anticipating an in-person start in the fall,” said Valles. However, he said, should it be the case that online classes must continue in the fall 2020 semester, the University may then consider adjusting tuition prices. “We would expect to have more time to prepare for online classes in the fall than we did in the spring which may enable us to reduce our cost structure and pass savings onto students,” Valles said. He noted that an adjustment in tuition would require students’ financial aid to be adjusted as well.  The temporary closure of Tokyo International University of American (TIUA) will impact the University’s finances, since Willamette received revenue from TIUA students living on campus and taking Willamette classes. However, Valles noted that the closure of TIUA will not impact tuition for the 2020-2021 academic year, saying, “the loss of that revenue is a relatively minor part of our budget and is not a cost we will pass onto our students.”

Jasper Jones News editor and former editor-in-chief, lifestyles editor and staff writer Jasper has worked for the Collegian for three and a half years. Q: What advice would you give to future Collegian staff members? A: If you really dedicate yourself to journalism and making work you are proud of, you will learn so much about writing, truth-telling, yourself and the world around you. Embrace the process, challenge yourself to think deeply, always be open to hearing critiques, and make sure to be proud of yourself for your hard work.  Dawn-Hunter Strobel  Lifestyles editor Dawn-Hunter has worked for the Collegian for one semester. Q: What is the biggest lesson you have learned from your work with the Collegian? A: People have so much information and so much to say about everything around them, all we have to do is ask! Working as a reporter has taught me how easy it really is to find stories and hear people’s experiences, we just have to know to ask the right questions and how to listen.  Simone Stewart Business manager Simone has worked for the Collegian for one year. Q: What’s next for you? A: Next for me is a gap year to recharge and work before I go to graduate school. James Willis Sports editor James has worked for the Collegian for one semester. Q: What made you want to work for the Collegian? A: I wanted to work at the Collegian because I saw an opportunity to work with sports, and wanted to interact and work with people outside of my friend group. I also wanted to see what it would be like to write journalistically, which proved to be a fun challenge.

Jasper Jones News editor mgjones@willamette.edu Students place candles into the Mill Stream as a part of the Matriculation ceremony. This symbolizes the official beginning of their Willamette journey. Photo: Frank Miller. Opening Days (OD), Willamette’s student-run orientation program for incoming students, welcomed first-year, international and transfer students to the campus community through five days of activities. Groups of 10-15 students were paired with two Opening Days leaders who led group meetings, facilitated conversations about campus culture and offered information about campus and its resources.  This year, Opening Days coordinator Jaelin Sonoda (‘20) and lead team members Katie Bick (‘20), Tara Hickman (‘21) and CJ Chow (‘21) organized and ran the program. After being hired in the fall 2018 semester, they started making changes to the event based off of feedback from last year, planning trainings and hiring Opening Days leaders.  Once hired, Opening Days leaders had a few trainings in the spring semester of 2019, and then four days of all-day training right before the beginning of the program in August. In the trainings, the student volunteers learned about skills they would need during the job, like learning about campus resources available to students, group dynamics and leading conversations.  “My main goal was to make training for the leaders significantly less overwhelming… The way I tried to make it a little more digestible is by having activities instead of just presentations. [Having] something that people can engage in I think helped a lot, rather than just getting information told to them,” said Sonoda.  After training, Opening Days 2019 began as students started checking in and moving into their residence halls. Last year, the beginning of the school year was welcomed with over 100 degree weather, whereas the first day this year was uncharastically rainy and kick-off ceremonies had to be moved to Smith Auditorium, despite usually being held on the quad.  Every year, Opening Days has a handful of staple events that serve certain purposes in the process of orienting students to their new home. These events include Family Ties, Passport to Salem, Bearcats Give Back and Reality Check.  Family Ties is an event for the families of incoming students. It is a show of skits that presents scenarios that may happen with the evolving student-family relationship and offers solutions for handling them. At the end, a panel of current Willamette student family members and a few current students answered questions from the audience.  As explained by Chow, the director of Family Ties, the main goal of the event is to “help [family members] have different strategies and communication styles” during this time of change.  Passport to Salem is an opportunity for students to start exploring their new surroundings outside of campus limits. They had a choice of going to the state fair, Exitus escape rooms, Create A Memory or to take a walking tour of downtown complete with a booklet of coupons for local businesses.  Bearcats Give Back is a service-oriented event that introduces students to service-learning, a focus of Willamette that relates to the University’s motto, “Not Alone Unto Ourselves Are We Born.” 79 students and 10 OD leaders volunteered at five different sites: Shangri-La, Salem Audubon Society, Marion Polk Food Share at the John Know Community Garden, SOAR Center and the Zena property (a plot of farm and forest land owned by WU), as reported by Hickman. Afterwards, the volunteer groups reflected on their experiences in a conversation to encourage mindful service-learning.  “All of the service sites were very excited to work with our incoming WU students and amazed by the amount of work that was accomplished within two hours. Many students also expressed that they wanted to stay at the service site for longer,” said Hickman.  Reality Check is another performance of skits, but this event is geared towards students. “Reality Check is an event intended to make students aware of situations that may occur during their time on a college campus, and to ensure that incoming students are able to identify resources that may help them navigate their Willamette experience should any of these situations arrive,” said Bick.  These scenes deal with topics spanning from roommate conflict to sexual assault. Since this event handles more serious and difficult topics than the rest of Opening Days, there is a briefing beforehand to set expectations, a more serious tone and a debrief afterwards. This gives students a space to reflect on, internalize and discuss all of the information they just received.  “It is truly a toe-dip, or a 101 crash course, into the myriad of complex and nuanced issues that are common on our campus,” said Bick, acknowledging that Reality Check is just the beginning of conversations that are too complicated to be fully discussed in a night and should be ongoing. The last day of Opening Days featured a volleyball tournament and Willamette Night Out, an event where activities were spread throughout campus, including an open mic night and s’mores. The next day, Aug. 27, classes started.  “At the end of OD, we hope that students feel like they are prepared for their time at WU and know people and places they can reach out to for support,” explained Hickman.  If you have an experience as an Opening Days leader and are interested in becoming the next coordinator or a member of lead team, applications are out now and due to the Office of Student Activities by Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. If you are interested in being an Opening Days leader, applications will be out later this semester.  Chow spoke to the impact being a leader and a part of lead team has had on his time at Willamette. “Honestly, if I didn’t have such a good experience as I did, I probably would not have come back to Willamette this year. I met a lot of people as an Opening Days leader, and beyond that I learned a lot about myself. About how I deal with stress… solve an issue, lead discussions, facilitate groups. I learned a lot about myself.”

Sophie Smith Editor-in-chief slsmith@willamette.edu Bishop Wellness Center recently unveiled 98point6, a free app available to the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) that allows students to connect with primary care providers and receive free mobile healthcare and health-related advising over the phone. Those who have been on campus long enough may recall that in 2017, Bishop Wellness Center nearly ceased to offer physical healthcare services to the Willamette community. Since then, Bishop has made several changes in order to provide healthcare in effective, accessible and cost-efficient ways. One such change is the introduction of 98point6.  Don Thomson is the director of Bishop Wellness Center. He was instrumental to bringing the 98point6 app to the College of Liberal Arts. Photo: Montana Hunter. 98point6 is a Seattle-based company that virtually connects its users with primary healthcare providers. The program uses both artificial intelligence and real doctors to diagnose certain ailments or illnesses and, if necessary, to prescribe users with medication. After having downloaded the free 98point6 app, users can communicate with doctors via written messages, as well as photographs and video chat if needed. Doctors on the app may diagnose and provide assistance with a variety of ailments, including colds, the flu, dermatology issues, gastrointestinal issues, UTIs and more.  98point6’s physicians are board-certified and the service is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, so students’ information will remain confidential. If a doctor chooses to prescribe medication, they send the prescription to the user’s preferred pharmacy. Pharmacists, not 98point6 employees, work with the user and their health insurance provider to pay for the medication. “It’s sort of the wave of the future for medicine,” said Don Thomson, Director of Bishop Wellness Center.  The service was brought to Bishop as a way to improve the wellness center’s accessibility to students, Thomson said. “It’s not a guarantee that you’re going to get sick between eight and five, Monday through Friday,” he said, referencing Bishop’s hours. Now, students can “talk to a live doctor in the moment, sitting in the residence hall, sitting in the library, wherever. You can get healthcare that way.” 98point6 is free to all Willamette College of Liberal Arts (CLA) students who are 18 or older. As of now, the service is not available to graduate students or other members of the WU community. According to Thomson, Willamette is one of the first universities to use the service, which allows it to be free to undergraduate students now and in the future. When asked if he anticipates 98point6 will be introduced to those other than CLA students, Thomson said it could be in upcoming years. “If it’s highly utilized and in demand, I think that’s a conversation we’re going to have. It’s a budget issue, of course.”  Should the program be offered to a wider Willamette audience, the University will have to find a way to pay for it. Thomson said that the Bishop Advisory Committee, which students may apply to join, is the group that makes these kinds of decisions. Until recently, 98point6 primarily served private businesses, not universities. When asked what prompted the company to venture onto college campuses like Willamette’s, Robbie Cape, 98point6’s CEO and co-founder, said, “98point6’s mission is to deliver quality primary care to every human on earth without requiring a financial trade-off.”  Cape emphasized that 98point6 aims to improve students’ ability to access healthcare. “Far too many college-aged consumers don’t have a relationship with primary care today due to a variety of factors, whether it be time, cost or accessibility. 98point6 removes those barriers by meeting students where they are.”  Dr. Brad Younggren, 98point6’s chief medical officer, noted that college students often avoid seeking healthcare until symptoms become unmanageable, and cited that half of millennials report they do not have their own primary care physician.  Younggren said, “If we’re able to give university students a convenient way to be more proactive about their care or health concerns, we’re going to see better outcomes over time.” When it comes to 98point6’s future at Willamette, Thomson said success depends on how much students utilize the program. “Is it something that’s heavily utilized, is it something that’s helping, keeping students healthy and engaged in class? That, to me, is the measure of success.”

Sophie Smith Editor-in-chief slsmith@willamette.edu On June 12, Willamette University Alumni of Color released an open letter addressed to the Willamette community and its leaders, calling for the University to dismantle its relationship with the Salem Police Department and to “assert an anti-racist agenda to protect Black people and other POC on campus.” With the statement, the group also published a petition. Those who sign the petition endorse the group’s demands. The Collegian’s executive team has signed this petition. Find the petition here . Another group, Black Students and Alum, published a statement of its own, which also calls on the University to confront police violence and Willamette’s “complicity in white supremacist practices.” The full statement can be read here .  Collegian executive members have published an editorial addressing the issues these statements raise and expressing support of Willamette’s Alumni of Color and Black Students and Alum. The editorial can be found here . Found below is the full statement written by Willamette University Alumni of Color: To the Willamette University Community, President Thorsett, Board of Trustees, and Administrators: On May 27th, 2020, the University of Minnesota announced that it will reduce its ties and ultimately discontinue its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department. In light of current events, we ask Willamette University to follow University of Minnesota’s footsteps to deliver the following message: police brutality against Black people must end . We, as Alum of Color, ask that Willamette take a proactive stance to demonstrate solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and to protect its students. We call for Willamette University to end its relationship with the city of Salem and state of Oregon’s Police Departments, and to ask that Salem PD respect the University property boundary.   In October 2019, armed state and local police officers were invited to train on Willamette’s campus facilitated by Campus Safety Associate Director, Rich Dennis, a former State Trooper. Alum and students were alarmed by this because of Willamette University’s zero tolerance policy regarding firearms, weapons, and simulated weapons on campus , which is “ applicable to all members of the University community including visitors and guests ” according to the Standards of Conduct. This double standard has and continues to raise alarms because it communicates (1) that the Standards of Conduct may not apply to law enforcement and (2) a disregard for the wellbeing and humanity of Black people and other people of color on campus. Because of this, we are justified in saying that Willamette University’s priorities in relation to its students and law enforcement need to be re-evaluated. On October 16th, 2019 students were notified by Ross Stout, Director of Campus Safety, that the “ cooperative and collaborative relationship with law enforcement is important to ensure the ongoing safety of the Willamette University community .” Yet, the police departments (city of Salem and Oregon State) the University is so invested in “collaborating” are characterized by violent histories of targeting marginalized Black and Indigenous people throughout the state of Oregon. For example, Salem PD has received national attention for collaborating with local P roud Boys , a far-right, neo-fascist organization that not only promotes anti-Blackness, but also actively works to harm Latinx and Indigenous people, as well as LGBTQ+ folks and womxn. Last year, independent researchers from Oregon Live found that Oregon police departments have routinely allowed officers who were fired for having records of violence and brutality to evade criminal charges and remain eligible for work. The alarm raised in response to the previously cited actions taken by the University in regard to its relationship with law enforcement has compelled us to ask: (1) Whose safety is law enforcement  ensuring? and (2) Why is it necessary to maintain a “collaborative” relationship with law enforcement? Motivated by promoting the safety and wellness of Black, Latinx and Indigenous people in Willamette’s community, we ask that the University act in accordance with their values to protect the dignity and worth of all current and future members of its community. It is absolutely necessary that Willamette specifically outlines detailed procedures of when and why Salem PD would need to be contacted, if at all.  Ultimately, the University must make a firm commitment to using other forms of protection and de-escalation practices before resorting to these violent institutions. The presence of police on Willamette’s campuses threatens Black, Latinx and Indigenous students’ wellbeing because of law enforcement’s violent history and current behavior. Willamette’s current open campus policy allows officers to be on campus without advance notice or supervision. Given how the University’s values should be in congruence with addressing the threats imposed upon Black, Latinx and indigenous students’ wellness and safety, we ask that both state and local police no longer be considered “guests” of the campus and that their movement in our community be heavily monitored. While we acknowledge that there may be certain situations that are above campus safety’s capacity, we invite and encourage Willamette to make a proactive effort to divest from its reliance on police in order to actively keep everyone in our community safe before a member of this community is killed by police brutality . As much as Willamette University seeks to distance itself from Oregon’s anti-Black history , it is unquestionable that Salem and other S undown Towns laid foundations for racialized violence to be perpetuated, and that the University has played a role in that. In it’s 178-year history Willamette University has failed to protect students from political, social, and physical violence. While Willamette University has publicly condemned racism, neither past nor current actions from the University have supported their proclamations. As former students, we hold the scars of blatantly racist moments that distorted our college experience. We remember the Indigenous children forced into manual labor in attempts to “educate and civilize” them by the Indian Manual Labor School —now Willamette University. We remember that Willamette is on stolen land, which was forcibly taken from the Indigenous groups of the Kalapuya Yamhill, Santiam, and Ahantchuyuk. We remember the 1942 forced removal of  10 Japanese-American Students from Willamette’s Campus to internment camps.  We remember your attempts to defund and eradicate Willamette Academy and their students from our campus. We remember the hesitant and untimely response to the need for a Native Americans Program and full-time Program Director. We remember the trauma caused by the Anthropology department displaying the bones of Indigenous people on campus claiming them as “historical artifacts”.  We remember the dismantling of the American Ethnic Studies Major and the incredible faculty and staff of color who left never feeling at place at Willamette University.  We remember the student activism to reclaim the E&E from a “gathering space for all” to a gathering space for students of color and the labor of love put into this effort by students . We remember the STEAM (Students for Transparency Equity Accountability and Mobilization) Collective, their ten demands , and the unsatisfactory response from Willamette’s Administration . We could never forget the hostility students faced when we protested the murder of Mike Brown and the acquittal of then police officer, Darren Wilson. Willamette University, publicly condemning racism is the bare minimum. It is not enough to share empty words if they are not followed by meaningful action. The University must actively take steps to protect not only the general student body and students of color, but very specifically Black students, faculty, and staff in the Willamette and Salem Community. President Thorsett, in a recent letter you stated that “a nation in crisis doesn’t need more words from white men like me”-then stop talking, take charge, and make a change. Alumni of Color in Solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and members of the Black Community at Willamette University. To learn more, please read Willamette University Black Alum and Students Against Police Brutality & White Supremacy For more information email: willamettealumniofcolor@gmail.com Sign the Petition: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScO_UIoawPoz2iN8ax90SzkEgQxvLs1WSuyi4jZGdL_Gny-ZQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

The Collegian aligns itself with the Black Lives Matter movement and its struggle for justice and the safety and freedom of Black people. We denounce the discriminatory violence that this country’s police force inflicts, as well as the oppressive, white supremacist structures that uphold this violence.  The Collegian also supports the work of Willamette’s Alum of Color and Black Alum and Students Against Police Brutality & White Supremacy, two groups that are advocating for anti-racist agendas and policies at Willamette University. We recognize that this university was built on a foundation of violence, and continues to fail to protect and uplift its students of color. We assert that Willamette University must do better to actively protect and uplift its Black students, its Indigenous students and its students of color, as well as its trans and LGBTQ+ students of color. This assertion cannot be made without also an acknowledgment of the Collegian’s own responsibility to help dismantle oppressive systems. As leaders of a newspaper meant to give a platform and voice to all students, we have an obligation to amplify the voices of the university’s students of color. The Collegian is committed to learn, unlearn and grow from past mistakes, and urges the University to do the same.  Do you have thoughts you want to share? We encourage you to write a letter to the editor or guest opinion piece for the Collegian. Send submissions or questions to collegian-editor-in-chief@willamette.edu.  Black Lives Matter. In solidarity, Collegian executive team Sophie Smith, Editor-in-chief, 2019-2020 Noah Dantes, Editor-in-chief, 2020-2021 Kathleen Forrest, Managing editor, 2020-2021