{"id":1048,"date":"2018-10-25T10:07:10","date_gmt":"2018-10-25T17:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1048"},"modified":"2025-02-05T06:08:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T14:08:54","slug":"environmental-sciences-online-alum-finds-support-with-on-campus-native-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/environmental-sciences-online-alum-finds-support-with-on-campus-native-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmental sciences online alum finds support, family with on-campus Native community"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"744\" height=\"419\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dos1qdBjf7w?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption video-caption-full\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cWe are a close-knit community. We\u2019re close to our families. We look up to our elders for guidance as mentors,&#8221; says environmental sciences alum Orman Morton III, featured above. &#8220;To have a facility like this established on the university grounds where you could go and be Native and connect with other Natives, it\u2019s highly important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>By\u00a0<a title=\"All stories by Heather Doherty\" href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/author\/turnehea\/\">Heather Doherty<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<a title=\"Contact Heather Doherty\" href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/staff\/bio\/turnehea.htm\"><em class=\"icon-user osu-gray fa fa-user\"><br \/>\n<\/em><\/a>Oct. 25, 2018<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Wrapped in the welcoming embrace of someone he had just met \u2013 a Native elder \u2013 Orman Morton III was right at home, right where he should be.<\/p>\n<p>But in reality, he wasn\u2019t even close to his home in Baltimore, Maryland. He was 2,400 miles away visiting Oregon State University\u2019s Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws in Corvallis, building on the virtual connections he had made with the university\u2019s indigenous community as an online student.<\/p>\n<h3>From hopelessness to hope<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/orman-morton\/?utm_source=ecampus-news&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=environmental-sciences-native&amp;utm_content=20181025\">You may remember Orman<\/a> from Oregon State Ecampus\u2019 commencement reception in 2016. He touched the hearts of many when he teared up in response to an interview question about what graduation meant to him.\u00a0<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The emotions of earning his degree overwhelmed him as he thought back to where he was just a few years prior after suddenly being laid off from a decade-long stint working at a Baltimore steel mill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was an intense situation,\u201d Orman says. \u201cI had a newborn baby. I\u2019m a father of three. I had no job. Your life has no direction at that point, so it was a sense of hopelessness and things had to change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Orman found hope in the form of an <a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/online-degrees\/undergraduate\/es\/?utm_source=ecampus-news&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=environmental-sciences-native&amp;utm_content=20181025\">environmental sciences degree online<\/a> from top-ranked Oregon State Ecampus. That hope culminated with a feeling of true pride in his achievements that has lasted beyond graduation.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span class=\"smartquote\">&ldquo;<\/span>The job I got just two weeks after graduating was a direct result of my education at Oregon State.<span class=\"smartquote\">&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_1052\" class=\"wp-caption wp-caption-250 alignright\" style=\"width: 250px\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1052 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/orman-morton-environmental-sciences.jpg?resize=250%2C250&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Orman wears a neon green work vest and leans over a shallow stream with a measurement tool.\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">As an environmental scientist, Orman assesses water quality and performs wetland delineations.<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>A degree that changed his life<\/h3>\n<p>Fast forward two years and things are going great for Orman: He has his dream job as an environmental scientist, working with stream restoration and water quality, a degree to back his hard work and, overall, a better life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe job I got just two weeks after graduating was a direct result of my education at Oregon State,\u201d he says. \u201cI sat down with the gentleman who\u2019s now my boss, and he was asking me water quality questions that I had all the answers to from my education I had received here. Oregon State immediately had an impact as soon as I graduated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So when OSU President Ed Ray wanted to highlight the successes of an exceptional alumnus at the 2018 State of the University Address in Portland, Oregon, he knew the right person to feature: Orman.<\/p>\n<p>Orman <a href=\"https:\/\/oregondigital.org\/concern\/documents\/fx71cs83k\">was invited to be the guest of honor<\/a> at the event, where his achievements were touted in front of a large crowd of faculty, staff and friends of the university.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe State of the University Address was an exciting time,\u201d he says. \u201cTo meet the people that are behind the scenes and always working hard to make Oregon State University the great university it is was a great experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His two-day whirlwind trip to Oregon was jam-packed with activities that also included face-to-face conversations with his former instructors and advisor and a guest lecture to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/584495291651776\/\">Environmental Sciences Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was an opportunity for me to talk to the club and address questions they had involving environmental science, career choices and tips they need to pursue,\u201d he says. \u201cTo have the opportunity to interact with the student body here like that was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>A place to connect<\/h3>\n<p>Perhaps the most memorable experience for Orman, who is a Penobscot Indian, was his multiple visits to the <a href=\"https:\/\/dce.oregonstate.edu\/nal\">Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws<\/a>. It was an opportunity he looked forward to since enrolling online with Ecampus.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textBox\" style=\"width: 30%;\">\n<h2>Join on-campus clubs, cultural resource centers as an online student<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1051 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Native-American-screen-printing.jpg?resize=250%2C250&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Orman leans over a table where he and several other students are screen printing T-shirts at an event hosted by the Native American Longhouse Eena Haws.\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" \/><br \/>\nAs an Oregon State Ecampus student, you have access to the university&#8217;s on-campus clubs, recreational sports and cultural resource centers at the Corvallis campus \u2014 no matter where you live.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"button\"><a title=\"Learn more about joining on-campus communities\" href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/services\/student-services\/organizations.htm\/?utm_source=ecampus-news&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=environmental-sciences-native&amp;utm_content=20181025\">Learn more<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c(Ina Haws) is a physical structure on campus where the Native community can go and be Native. That blew my mind. That was one of the largest recruitment tools for me, even as an online student,\u201d said Orman, who stayed connected to the Ina Haws from a distance through their email listserv.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are a close-knit community. We\u2019re close to our families. We look up to our elders for guidance as mentors. To have a facility like this established on the university grounds where you could go and be Native and connect with other Natives, it\u2019s highly important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During his visit, Orman spent time with the Ina Haws staff members, participated in a T-shirt screen-printing event with fellow Native students (pictured to the right) and got a chance to speak one-on-one with elders.<\/p>\n<p>It was an experience he says he\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was very overwhelming to be on the campus in Corvallis and interact with the Native American community here and have that sense of community and family. I\u2019ve only experienced that on my reservation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny Native American who wants to pursue a degree online through the Ecampus program needs to be aware that (Ina Haws) is a resource that they need to tap into.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 4<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute read<\/span><\/span>Orman Morton III felt at home at OSU&#8217;s Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws, building on the virtual connections he had made with the university\u2019s indigenous community as an online student.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[638,146,439,470],"class_list":["post-1048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-conservation-and-natural-sciences","tag-environmental-sciences","tag-kaku-ixt-mana-ina-haws","tag-tribal-communities"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Orman-Morton.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-gU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":430,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/orman-morton\/","url_meta":{"origin":1048,"position":0},"title":"Proving his mettle","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"March 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Two hours before he walked across a stage to accept his Oregon State University diploma, Orman Morton III was asked to reflect on what the feat meant to him. The question caught him off guard. His eyes welled up. His booming voice quivered. In that moment, the events of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Archives&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orman Morton III in a bright green work vest. He is looking up at the top of a long white measuring stick, and in his other hand he holds a small yellow notebook.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/OrmanMorton33-web-news.jpg?fit=638%2C425&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/OrmanMorton33-web-news.jpg?fit=638%2C425&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/OrmanMorton33-web-news.jpg?fit=638%2C425&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1191,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/native-american-online-degree-support\/","url_meta":{"origin":1048,"position":1},"title":"Oregon State offering enhanced support services to help Native American students earn degrees online","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"May 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State University is increasing its outreach to Native American communities in Oregon and across the country by enabling tribal members to earn college degrees through OSU\u2019s nationally ranked online programs. The new initiative is a partnership between Oregon State Ecampus \u2013 the university\u2019s renowned online education provider \u2013 and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Native American drum and drumbeaters","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/native-drum-web.jpg?fit=744%2C503&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/native-drum-web.jpg?fit=744%2C503&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/native-drum-web.jpg?fit=744%2C503&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/native-drum-web.jpg?fit=744%2C503&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1344,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/native-american-students-benefit\/","url_meta":{"origin":1048,"position":2},"title":"Paying it forward to benefit Indigenous students","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"November 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Luhui Whitebear has been closely connected to Oregon State University\u2019s Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws in different ways during her academic career. While pursuing an anthropology bachelor\u2019s degree online with Oregon State Ecampus, she would drop in whenever she came to campus to pick up books. Now, as assistant director of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Cultural-resource-centers-Ecampus-news-744x478-210924-Kaku-Ixt-Mana-Ina-Haws.png?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Cultural-resource-centers-Ecampus-news-744x478-210924-Kaku-Ixt-Mana-Ina-Haws.png?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Cultural-resource-centers-Ecampus-news-744x478-210924-Kaku-Ixt-Mana-Ina-Haws.png?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Cultural-resource-centers-Ecampus-news-744x478-210924-Kaku-Ixt-Mana-Ina-Haws.png?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":95,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/luhui-whitebear\/","url_meta":{"origin":1048,"position":3},"title":"Blazing a trail","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"October 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Throughout her multiple experiences as an online learner with Oregon State, Luhui Whitebear has immersed herself in OSU's extensive support system for Native American students. It helped guide her to success as an undergraduate, and now she provides guidance to a new generation of students as assistant director of OSU\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Archives&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Luhui Whitebear, the assistant director of Oregon State's Native American Longhouse Eena Haws, stands amid trees outside the NAL.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/luhui-whitebear-2019.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1838,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/understanding-needs-of-native-american-students\/","url_meta":{"origin":1048,"position":4},"title":"Providing support comes second to understanding the needs of Indigenous students","author":"Tracy Scott","date":"August 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Through Dr. Samantha Chisholm Hatfield's own rigorous education and personal experience, she's helped build a support network for Oregon State's Indigenous students. 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Bernard","date":"May 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A Grand Ronde tribal member, Native American anthropologist and educator, David Lewis is committed to shining a light on our nation\u2019s forgotten and suppressed tribal histories, and sharing what he learns with the next generation of thinkers brings that work full circle.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/David-Lewis.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/David-Lewis.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/David-Lewis.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/David-Lewis.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1048\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}