Faculty return for 90th year

Welcoming faculty back to campus

Sept. 10, 2019 LA GRANDE, Ore. – Faculty and staff of Eastern Oregon University return for the university’s 90th academic year on Sept. 16, as fall term begins with Convocation and Opening Session.

Among the annual line-up of trainings and orientations for new and returning employees, EOU will host “The Defamation Experience,” which aims to spur discussion about diversity and inclusion. A courtroom drama and follow-up deliberation explore issues of race, class, religion and gender.

Davon Dunajski, who chairs EOU’s Diversity Committee, said the performance and ensuing conversations encourage participants to consider perspectives other than their own.

“It’s really hard for people to understand something outside of their own experience or perspective, so this will give an opportunity to present different perspectives in a way that’s more personal and authentic,” Dunajski said. “For Eastern Oregon University to reach its utmost potential, the entire populous must move forward together. By bringing ‘The Defamation Experience’ to campus, we want to bring new perspectives that will allow for new conversations.”

Now in its 10th year, the three-phase interactive diversity program has been presented nearly 500 times and seen by more than 100,000 people nationwide. More details and a trailer are available at defamationtheplay.com.

EOU President Tom Insko will share a “State of the University” address in the afternoon, followed by a reception. Faculty members spend the rest of the week in orientation and trainings, as students move back into the residence halls on Sept. 20, and classes begin Sept. 25.