PSU Magazine Fall 1999

Nytagod ien, International Studies and Black Studies; Delys Ostlund, Spanish; Nancy Perrin, Psychology; Michae l Phili ps, Philosophy; Gwen Shusterman, Chemistry; Mary Taylor, Biology; Ric Vrana, Geography; and Linda Walton, History. A Native American educational journey Native American author Sherman Alex ie, provides the last stop on a journey of his people's history, life, learning, and art through a new PSU course offered at three sites in Oregon. The First American Education Series begins in October with a sess ion on The Journey-lectures on Native American ora l tradition, life on the reservation, and the resurrection of tribes. It continues with sessions on The Family, including women's issues and the Child Welfare Act; Education, from earl y boarding schools to today's tribal colleges; and The Arts-story– telling, music, and dance. In addition to the PSU campus, each topic will also be presented at the Chemawa Indian School in Salem and the Tribal Governance Center in Grand Ronde. The four courses of study can be taken as noncredit or fo r one to four credits depending on how many sessions a student attends. Noncredit tuition is $45 per course. For more information or to reg ister, call (503) 725-3276. Instructors for the sessions are all Native Americans. They include Tom Ball, a member of the Modoc Klamath Tribes; Sonciray Bonnell, who is a Sandia Pueblo, lsleta, and Salinan; Ed Edmo, a member of the Shoshone– Bannock Tribe; Debbie Lacroix, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Nation; Patrick Weasel Head, of the Blackfeet and Gros Ventre Tribes; and Cra ig Whitehead, a member of Tututini Siletz and St. Mary's Ktunaxa. The First American Education Series concludes with a public lecture by Alex ie on campus, May 19. Cost of admiss ion to hi s lecture is two cans of food to be donated to the Native American Rehabilitation Assoc iati on of the Northwest Inc. 0 The Capes 'experts' missing common sense After reading the "Sands of Time" segment of Jack Yost's article, "Slip Sliding Away" in the spring 1999 issue of PSU Magazine, I felt compelled to comment. Regarding "The Capes" develop– ment, it is stated that "first-rate geologists, hired by the developer, did a careful study of the 89 acre site ... concluding that it was stable..." It is also stated that "they were wrong, though they had no way of knowing it at the time, according to Professor Curt Peterson." These statements fly in the face of both that most uncom– mon of commodities, common sense, and history. Most anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of sand dunes and wave action could walk that beach and see that on any occa– sion, when there was a combination of an extra-high tide and a strong storm, there would be wave action undercutting the base of the sand upon which The Capes was to be built. The results of such undercut– ting can only be land slippage. Had anyone bothered to ask any of the locals or paid attention to volunteered information, they would have known that during WW II there was a Coast Guard Beach Watch lookout building on the top of the sand escarpment. In about 1945 or '46, the lookout and several thousand cubic yards of sand ended up on the beach. Every few years since, smaller segments of the dune have slipped onto the shore. When excavation first started on The Capes project, I walked out one of the old sand roads to see what was happening. This road, which in the '40s had been a couple of hundred yards long, ended in an abrupt drop after a mere 100 yards. I talked to two of the workmen there, asking them if this seemed like a smart place to build houses. They laughed at the idea. I asked them if they had conveyed their doubts to their boss. They informed me that they had told a group of engineers and geologists this was not a stable place to build and had been advised to stick to the "stuff' they knew about and leave the siting to the experts! It seems that every– one knew what was going to happen... except the "experts." Why? John A. Woolfolk '60 Molalla, Oregon Article out of place I generally look forward to receiv– ing PSU Magazine and being kept abreast of activities on campus, accomplishments of faculty, students, and alumni. I must say, however, that the article "Ground Truth" in the latest edition is completely out of place. It has noth– ing to do with PSU. It is difficult to believe that a more relevant feature story could not be found. Dr. Gary Leiser ' 69 sent by e-mail PSU Magazine wants to hear from you. Send your comments to PSU Magazine, Portland State Uni.,ersity, PO Box 751, Portland OR 97207-0751; or to e..mail address psuma.g@pdx.edu. We reser\le the right to edit for space and clarity. FALL 1999 PSU MAGAZINE 5