professor – The Western Howl

A photo of a student study group in the Hamersly library. Pictured left to right: Kalyn Gambill (junior), Preet Dhaliwal (senior) and Richard Loos (junior). | Photo by Hannah Field

Nov. 19 2025 | Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief

Starting Jan. 5, 2026, all staff members will be required to work on campus five days a week due to a request by Western president, Jesse Peters. The request excludes faculty, meaning professors, but includes all other full-time employees at Western, such as janitorial staff, advisers, counselors, administrators and others.

Any part-time staff member may review their hours with their supervisor, who will then, on a case-by-case basis, determine the best course of action for the staff member. No further information was disclosed regarding the new rule and the effects of the changes are yet to be seen until Winter term begins.

According to Western spokesperson Maureen Brakke, faculty are encouraged to be on campus and communicate with the community as much as possible. With that in mind, the university is aware of additional responsibilities connected to teaching, scholarship and service, leading to greater flexibility for faculty hours. Many professors on campus are long-distance, either via commute or purely teaching online. While the potential of that changing seems unlikely, Western in the new year will be pushing toward in-person classes more than ever before.

“This decision comes in light of WOU’s strong tradition of in-person classroom instruction, with many faculty and students expressing a preference for enhanced face-to-face learning experiences,” said Brakke.

With in-person classes as one of the main priorities of Western at this time, President Peters also requested that the Academic Affairs Division assess undergraduate courses and determine which should be offered as hybrid or fully online options. Considering previous statements from Western, it’s likely that fewer online courses will be available.

Those changes, however, have no announced timeline. The faculty will complete an audit of online and hybrid classes by the end of Winter term, which will then offer more information to the school about maintaining or altering those as online options.

With that information being gathered at the end of March, it’s unlikely that any major changes will take place in the Spring term of 2026 following the week-long break.

“Nothing will be changing immediately,” said Brakke.

Contact the author at howleditorinchief@mail.wou.edu

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Anti-protest bill in Oregon to be conscious of

Important protest bill to keep on the lookout for heading into summer

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

A national debate over peaceful and violent gatherings has sparked U.S. lawmakers to engage in writing “anti-protest laws.” 46 states have currently proposed or passed bills.

In Oregon, there have been three bills presented; two of them have been defeated or expired, while one known as House Bill 3329 — introduced on March 2 — is currently under review by the House Committee On Judiciary.

The proposed bill, sponsored by Representative David Brock Smith of District 1, introduced a new felony charge to peaceful protesters who block traffic.

Under the bill, vehicles or people blocking roadways would be classified as a Class C felony. Convicted of the felony, people could expect to serve up to five years in prison and pay around $125,000, done during a ‘violent or disorderly assembly,’” according to icnl.org.

Additionally, the legislative proposal introduced a Class C felony for “engaging in threatening or intimidating conduct” in public, which disqualifies people from receiving financial aid from the state if convicted of these charges. In addition, it prohibits immediate release if arrested for rioting or for “violent” behavior, and gives protection to police if a person filing a civil claim was “grossly negligent.” More information about the specificities of the bill can be found at incl.org.

Associated Students of Western Oregon University President NJ Johnson said he believes the bill is in direct response to People of Color in Oregon after a full year of using their voice to protest.

“Whether we want to admit it or not, the state of Oregon has a history of trying to silence the voices of People of Color,” said Johnson. “This is obviously a bill (that) if passed is going to be implemented largely to punish and silence People of Color for speaking out against racial injustice. I want to make it clear (that) a lot of this violence that we see and blame on protesters is incited by law enforcement.”

To follow the bill’s movement, community members can visit olis.oregonlegislature.gov or email Rep.DavidBrockSmith@oregonlegislature.gov to learn more.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

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WOU softball enters GNAC championship as alternates

Wolves softball team place third overall in GNAC championship

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

A rise in COVID-19 cases in the state of Washington caused the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s original fourth seed — Central Washington — to drop out of the softball championship being hosted at Western.

As a result of the Conference’s bylaws, the Western Oregon Wolves softball team — fifth seed — was promoted to the fourth seed position and entered into the championship game for the eighth consecutive year.

Similar to years prior, GNAC formatted the championship game as a double elimination tournament. The first round winners went head to head in a second round, and the losing teams from the first round played in a second round match to determine the competitors for the third and final championship match.

In the first round of the tournament on May 6, Western lost to first seed Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks 2-1. The following day, Western competed against third seed Saint Martin Saints; the team gave the Wolves several walking opportunities to fill the bases, leading to a 7-6 victory for the Wolves. Western advanced to face off again against the Nighthawks, only to lose 9-0 in five innings, bringing an end to the softball season. With this, the Wolves placed third in the GNAC conference.

After the game, the Wolves commemorated the senior members of their team that will be graduating in June. Head Coach Lonny Sargent commented on how proud of the team he is after having such a hectic year.

“It’s such a great group of kids,” said Sargent. “We have a lot of young kids … they just (want to) go play.”

Going forward, Sargent is excited about the upcoming season and what the next year will bring.

“The players we have and the players we have coming in, we’re building another great program for next year,” he said.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

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Western professor wins “Educator of the Year”

IndyMo honors Dr. Leanne Merrill during the 56th year of community awards

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

For a little more than half a century, the cities of Monmouth and Independence have celebrated community members through their “Community Awards.”

This year, Western’s own mathematics professor Dr. Leanne Merrill was honored as co-honoree in the “Educator of the Year” category. A newer hire at Western, Merrill has been teaching full time for less than four years, and taught part time at University of Oregon while completing her master’s degree.

“I feel very lucky to have been recognized at such an early stage in my career — I don’t even have tenure yet,” said Merrill. “I love my job because I am so grateful that I get to work with (Western) students. Every single day I am energized and inspired by (Western) students’ work ethic, humility, bravery and accomplishments.”

Merrill goes on to say how rewarding it is for her department to receive such a high achievement.

“Mathematics gets a bad rap a lot of the time,” said Merrill. “But I strongly believe that everyone can be a successful practitioner of mathematics, and that mathematical empowerment is a human right.

As an educator, Merrill says she has struggled with imposter syndrome, particularly being a woman in science, technology, engineering and math. Being given the award made Merrill feel empowered, and that her teaching style is resonating with students while also making a difference in their lives.

“Teaching is a great but challenging career because there is no one right way to do it — what works well is depending upon the teacher, the students and the relationships that are formed in the classrooms,” said Merrill. “As a teacher, I believe it is my duty to meet students where they are. Teaching is so dependent upon the individuals involved that it’s always possible to rework ideas or discover new fun ways of doing things.”

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

Push for in-person

Anti-protest bill in Oregon to be conscious of

WOU softball enters GNAC championship as alternates

Western professor wins “Educator of the Year”

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