The Business Review September 2020

A monthly online digital publication, The Business Review targets business leaders from the Rogue Valley and beyond. This means that your published articles and advertising message are being seen, read and remembered by those who are seeking your products or services in and around Jackson County and within more than 55 Oregon communities.

THE CHAMBER OF MEDFORD & JACKSON COUNTY THE BUSINESS REVIEW

SEPTEMBER 2020

The Education Issue How to Work From Home with Your Kids During Coronavirus Page 6 How COVID-19 Could Shift The College Business Model Page 14 Oregon Lawmakers Letter to the Trump Administration Page 22

CONTENTS SEPTEMBER 2020 | VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 9

4 LEADERSHIP MATTERS A Letter from Brad Hicks, Our President & Chief Executive Officer 6 CREATING A STRONG ECONOMY How to Work From Home with Your Kids During Coronavirus ‘I don’t know if I can do this’ How COVID-19 Could Shift The College Business Model: ‘It’s Hard To Go Back’ 18 PROMOTING THE

COMMUNITY Fall term at RCC will include both online and some on-campus options SOU Remains Flexible in Pandemic, Pivots Toward Remote Courses Boise Cascade Wood

Products Donates $100,000 Matching Gift to ACCESS 21 REPRESENTING BUSINESS ISSUES Greg Walden Calls on Oregon State Government to Do More Merkley, Wyden, Blumenauer, Bonamici Push Trump Administration To Suspend Public Charge Rule Amid Dual Crises Of Covid-19 And Wildfires 24 CHAMBER MEMBER NEWS 28 RENEWING MEMBERS 31 MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY

The Business Review | September 2020

Promote. Promoting the community. Create. Creating a strong local economy. Connect. Providing networking opportunities. Represent. Representing business issues. Our Strategic Objectives

Meet The Editorial Staff

Brad Hicks, CCE, IOM President & CEO brad@medfordchamber.com 541-608-8514

Lydia Salvey Editor in Chief/Vice President of Communications & Programs lydia@medfordchamber.com 541-608-8520

Kira Zavala Director of Sales

& Membership Development kira@medfordchamber.com 541-608-8522

Cathy Watt Office Administrator cathy@medfordchamber.com 541-608-8515

The Chamber of Medford & Jackson County 101 E 8th St, Medford, OR 97501 (541) 779-4847 • medfordchamber.com

medfordchamber.com

September 2020 | The Business Review

LEADERSHIP MATTERS A LETTER FROM BRAD HICKS, OUR PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Over the last month southern Oregon’s worst fears were realized as catastrophic wildfires made their way out of our mismanaged forests and into our region’s communities, impacting or destroying, lives, homes and businesses. We ask that your thoughts, prayers and efforts be with every family in the Rogue Valley during this time, especially those who have experienced significant, or worse, total losses. Well wishes from friends and family are genuine and heartfelt but it is abundantly clear our path forward will require much more than that if we are to ensure no one is left behind. I should not have to make this next point, but we live in a time where the key role that businesses play in building prosperous, resilient communities is undervalued. Our region’s recovery will be directly tied to our business community’s ability to recover and reopen. As businesses consider what they need to do to survive a disaster or emergency, it is equally important that we also consider what our customers will need in order to survive. The ongoing involvement of businesses in the recovery activities will pave the way to economic and social resilience within the 11 communities around Jackson County. Giving in southern Oregon is always unparalleled, and this crisis is no exception. Our local private sector is already leaning forward in the area. Companies like Harry & David and Dutch Bros have already outpaced state and federal public sector efforts by days when it comes to relief. Equally, our first responders have been heroic and local governments are working around the clock in an effort to help all those in need. The specter of the wildfires can almost make one forget that we are still in the midst of the crushing effects the pandemic

has had on our local economy. The triple threat of a pandemic and a pandemic induced recession capped off by these crippling fires will test our resolve as a region. On the one hand, we simply cannot let bureaucracy be an excuse for failing to provide the necessary relief to those whose lives and businesses have been decimated. On the other hand, we also cannot allow pettiness and finger pointing to take our collective eyes off the ball. The spirit we have witnessed throughout all the above has been what keeps inspiring your Chamber staff, volunteer leaders and members everywhere to keep fighting on your behalf each and every day. Let’s keep it going and stay #Southern Oregon Strong! In the days, weeks and months ahead, The Chamber will continue to be your Convener, Catalyst and Champion. We will also call on you when necessary to pitch in, help out, show up and engage in our recovery. This is going to take each and every one of us pulling on the same end of the rope. Thanks so very much for all that you have been doing throughout this pandemic and now even more as we assess our losses. Your generosity and undying spirit are the silver lining to what could only, otherwise, be considered a nightmare. God bless,

Brad S. Hicks, CCE President & CEO The Chamber of Medford & Jackson County

The Business Review | September 2020

Let’s keep it going and stay #SouthernOregonStrong!

THE CHAMBER OF MEDFORD & JACKSON COUNTY IS A CATALYST • CONVENER • CHAMPION

Know of a compelling story that relates to business conducted in Southern Oregon? Email us at businessreview@medfordchamber.com

September 2020 | The Business Review

CREATING A STRONG ECONOMY

How to Work From Home with Your Kids During Coronavirus

Having kids can make you more productive - except when they’re there all the time. So how can you meet work obligations now that schools are closed By Alina Dizik | BBC | April 4, 2020

I love working from home, far away from chilly air- conditioning vents and noisy colleagues. I have few pointless meetings, zero interruptions and no need for awkward watercooler chitchat. My output should be high – after all, studies have shown that being a remote worker and a mother could both increase my productivity. Unfortunately, I now have new, tiny colleagues at home – and they are needier than any I have encountered before. Like many children round the world, my kids Anais, 7, and Theo, 4, have been sent home from school to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. But classes aren’t cancelled; they now have their own video conference calls with teachers, demand constant printouts of daily work and need to be motivated in the style of an all- hands meeting. My husband – also now at home – and I have suddenly taken on new roles as lunch caterers, office admins, therapists and assistants to our mini-

executives, all on top of our regular jobs. Every day feels like a Monday. Of course, I’m not alone in the new normal of balancing ever-present kids with work; parents in several nations are tackling this issue, with sometimes hilarious results. Many are trying to establish new rules to help with the transition and figure out how to remain productive in a comprehensively changed ‘office’. This, experts suggest, may come down to combination of measures. Good planning, structure, creativity and flexibility can all help you create an environment in which everyone can fulfil their obligations – while maintaining family harmony. Communicate a family plan With a house full of kids and working parents, it’s important to be realistic about your working situation

The Business Review | September 2020

and the willpower it will take to succeed – and that means taking time to explain what’s happening. “Be overly communicative and set boundaries,” says Tonya Dalton, a productivity consultant in Ashville, North Carolina in the US. Being transparent about every family member’s schedule can make it easier for children to understand when you’re off limits, she explains. “It’s okay if you want to talk to your kids to take your mind off work, but it needs to be siloed to work breaks.” Scheduling is vital, but when it comes to setting out your timetable, don’t try to mimic your day at the office; it’s important to acknowledge that the situation has changed. Instead, create a daily plan for the entire family that includes work and school schedules, and make it easily visible to everyone, says Holland Haiis, a New York-based professional speaker focusing on professional development and human connection. “It lets everyone know what they can expect next in this new environment where everything feels a little different.” For Ingrid Jansen, committing her husband and two children to the same weekday routine is making it easier for the entire family to adjust. “We recently agreed on a daily schedule that involves having breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time daily, adding in two exercise breaks with walking and cycling… and we are adding in time for chores,” says Jansen, the founder of an online de-cluttering business who is based in London. (Jansen spoke to the BBC before new restrictions came in limiting people to one external exercise period per day.) For parents with younger children, consider an early morning work shift before ‘school hours’ begin, suggests Roberta Andrade, who runs a business organising people’s homes in São Paolo, Brazil. She now lets her children sleep in until 0900 to allow time for her own work rather than

rushing them off to eat breakfast. With a couple of hours of work already under her belt, it makes it easy to take a break mid-morning to help the children with their schoolwork. “I am now in the process of redesigning our habits and being available to them in the mornings,” says Andrade. Swap In And Out With Your Spouse With schools and offices closed, parents may well find that their task list has gone up, not down. Some will be adapting to working from home for the first time, with the stresses and tech woes that might bring. Many will be navigating their first attempt at home-schooling as well as monitoring headlines for the latest developments, worrying about relatives and figuring out the best way to keep the kitchen cupboards stocked. Yet too much multitasking - like trying to work and oversee homework at the same time - can reduce a person’s ability to focus on a specific task. Creating windows for productivity is one option; if both parents are working, divide up the day into blocks that give one parent space away from the children at a time. Allocating each person time to concentrate solely on work ensures everyone gets key tasks done without resentment, says Claudia Gladish, a skincare line founder in Kentfield, California who is married with two young children. She and her partner have come up with a schedule swapping in and out of childcare duties in a way that allows each longer gaps of dedicated work time. “It’s the only way for us to not have one person fall behind more than the other,” she explains. That’s more of a risk for women than men, data from a German study from the Hans Böckler Foundation shows. Despite parenting and household responsibilities becoming

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September 2020 | The Business Review

address later.” Save non-linear work such as answering emails for times when you’re watching your children and can be more easily distracted, adds Haiis. Enjoy Your Kids Figuring out how to make the best of the situation, rather than dwelling on its challenges, might also make you more productive. Multiple studies show the positive link between happiness and productivity. Under lockdown that could mean sneaking in an online yoga class with your child, finding time to play catch or giving children a couple of extra hugs throughout the day. “Working adults with children have been gifted a rare opportunity to take a break and experience recess and playtime with their kids – and it too will pass,” says Haiis. Avoid judging yourself – or others – on what you can get done each day. People at all levels of a company are adjusting to a new normal, including your boss. And while Sir Isaac Newton’s quarantine during the plague was undoubtedly more productive than yours, don’t give up just because you haven’t discovered your own version of the theory of gravity. Just tucking your cranky colleagues into bed each night is an accomplishment. And it should feel like it. n

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more equally shared between the genders in recent decades, women still take on the bulk of managing children’s schedules and activities, even if both spouses work, and also perform more of the cognitive labour associated with keeping a household running (often known as the mental load). The study showed that when men and women in full- time work have flexible schedules, like working from home, only women expect to use the flexibility to meet additional demands at home, while men may “use it as high-performance strategy, rather than as a mean to combine different life domains”. A discussion between spouses about how tasks and time are shared during the coronavirus lockdown may well be a good investment. And despite exhortations on social media to use this time at home to be more creative or finish that special project, set realistic goals for both the home and work parts of your life, and don’t be afraid to let things that matter less slide. If you need to be available for your children throughout the day, focus on your most important tasks and don’t overload your own schedule, says Ellen Faye, a productivity coach from Naples, Florida in the US. “Identify your priorities with your work and focus on getting the essentials taken care of – all the unimportant stuff will be there for you to

The Business Review | September 2020

September 2020 | The Business Review

‘I don’t know if I can do this’ Parents brace for school year juggling jobs, remote learning

But as the virus surges throughout the U.S. and many school districts again shift much or all learning online, those remote routines are resuming with no clear end in sight. Now, employers and employees are grappling with how to adapt to a new reality that may require them to extend short-term fixes and create more long-term solutions, whether that’s staggering schedules, splitting jobs between two workers or offering leaves of absence. “I think employers had to very quickly allow a lot of things in the spring that they can’t sustain on an ongoing basis without a little more thought and a little more structure around it,’’ said Patty Pryor, a principal and litigation manager for the law firm Jackson Lewis who focuses on disability and leave management issues. “There has to be flexibility for all this to work out.’ The stakes are high. Without support, some overwhelmed parents, particularly mothers, who typically take on more of the caregiving burden, say they will likely drop out of the workforce – and many already have. Mothers stop working An analysis of federal census data by the Center for American Progress found that from April through July, roughly a third of unemployed millennial mothers were not working because of the closure of a school or child care

amid COVID-19 pandemic Charisse Jones | USA TODAY | August 17, 2020 T would stretch into the fall. “I was like, I cannot do six more months of this,’’ said Wells, a mother of four who is director of education for the global health program at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. With her husband working as well, “I don’t know how we’re going to be on all the calls and get the work done when we have these responsibilities. It’s just really, really hard.’’ When the coronavirus outbreak led schools to shut down in the spring, parents had to quickly rally, juggling their jobs with the added roles of teacher, tutor and occasional IT technician. raci Wells was at a school board meeting when she found out the springtime balancing act between her job and helping her children with online schooling It was a stressful time, but one that many families presumed would be temporary, coming at the end of the school year.

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The Business Review | September 2020

“They can use (it) a couple hours at a time,’’ Daly said. The company will also start offering an emergency backup care benefit in early September, enabling employees to use a center or to get in-home assistance when normal child or elder care arrangements fall through. And IBM employees who want to work from home can do so until the end of this year, even if their offices have reopened. Company management will weigh whether to continue allowing that option in 2021. IBM is not alone in offering more malleable choices for employees. RBC Capital Markets, the investment banking arm of the Royal Bank of Canada, is recording meetings so that staffers can tune in when the time is most convenient. “It could be at 10 o’clock at night, or 6 in the morning,’’ said Liz Lieberman, the company’s head of human resources in the U.S. Remote work, and job sharing, where a pair of employees trade off days performing the same role, were options before the pandemic, Lieberman said. But such arrangements may become more commonplace because of the ongoing challenges caused by the health crisis. The company is also taking into account how some workers are juggling jobs with family responsibilities when evaluating their performance. “There’s a lot of understanding around what people are able to do,’’ Lieberman said. “We have to prioritize...It’s quite a daunting experience to be doing two full-time jobs at the same time.’’

facility – about three times the number of young fathers who were out of work for the same reasons. But businesses still need their employees to perform to maintain the bottom line. Among companies, 66% say they are not planning or considering altering performance expectations or career development and promotion processes for workers dealing with child care issues, according to a survey by Willis Towers Watson. And morale may plummet as employees without children feel pushed to pick up the slack for their colleagues who are parents. Traci Wells and her four children have been working and learning at home, a balancing act that will continue in the new school year.

Productivity will dip with remote learning More than half of working parents say they will be distracted to a moderate or significant degree as they carry out job tasks while helping their children with remote learning, according to Perceptyx, an employee survey platform.

‘’There’s a lot to balance and think through,’’ Pryor said. “Employers are really struggling because of that. It’s not just dollars and cents.’’ Still, some are trying to step up to the challenge. “In the spring, we hoped this would be a sprint, but it is becoming clearer this is looking like a triathlon,’’ said Joanna Daly, a human

“It’s quite a daunting experience to be doing two full-time jobs at the same time.’’ – Liz Lieberman, head of human resources for the Royal Bank of Canada.

Meanwhile, the survey found 42% of working parents are also somewhat or greatly worried about their job security because they are having to grapple with their kids being at home. Even sympathetic employers may face a dilemma since they need a steady workflow to stay financially afloat. A PwC survey in June found that 44% of employers felt employees were more productive working at home during the pandemic, vs. 31% who believed they were less productive and 25% who felt work output was roughly the same.

resources vice president for IBM, which has more than 350,000 employees globally, 90% of whom are now working from home. “We really don’t want our employees to be burnt out, so part of this is to listen to what employees are needing and being prepared to respond in real-time.’’ IBM is now offering four additional weeks of flexible, paid emergency leave that can be used in increments or in a single, monthlong stretch.

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September 2020 | The Business Review

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“As much as employers really want to be helpful and recognize the issue parents are having,” Pryor said, “there is also the economic reality that they can’t afford to pay people who aren’t actually being productive and pulling their weight.’’ But being too inflexible can cost businesses current workers as well as future recruits. “For organizations who are not providing the flexibility and support to work from home with children present, more than one-third of parents plan to quit within the next year,’’ said Brett Wells, director of people analytics at Perceptyx. The Perceptyx survey also found that women in senior leadership roles were 1.5 times more likely to say they plan to quit within the next 12 months. ‘No more boundaries’ But for Traci Wells, quitting is not an option, financially or emotionally. “I’ve loved being a working mom ,’’ she said. At the office, “I’m fully engaged and present, and when I come home ... I’m the person who didn’t check emails in the evenings or weekends unless it was absolutely necessary.’’ But since the spring, the office, the classroom and her family’s home have all merged “like there were no more boundaries,’’ Wells said. “We’re all at home in a small space trying to make things work.’’ When it became too much, Wells said her manager went to bat for her, encouraging Wells to take the leave allowed under the federal medical leave act when she was unable to take off under a similar university program because she was deemed an essential worker. “I didn’t realize how bad it was until I took the break,’’ Wells said of the pressure she’d felt juggling work with her added responsibilities at home. Before her leave, Wells tried to create an office out of her bedroom, but “sometimes there was literally no place to go,’’ she said. “The baby would be napping in one room and the older kids are on calls, and my husband would be on an interview and I’d have a meeting (all) at the same time.’’ While her husband has been helpful with household chores, he would sometimes forget to put their daughters on their scheduled calls. Wells was the one the girls came to with questions about their Spanish homework. And then there was her young son, whose preschool was also closed at the time.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

The Business Review | September 2020

September 2020 | The Business Review

How COVID-19 Could Shift The College Business Model: ‘It’s Hard To Go Back’

Alison McCauley | Crypto & Blockchain

Could A Virus Accelerate Disruption Of The Four-Year Degree? It took just a few tumultuous weeks to completely change the entire U.S. higher education system. Campuses sit empty as millions of students are back in households that already fighting to pay the cost of college, are now closing businesses, losing jobs, and struggling to pay even basic expenses. Those students with internet access have been thrust overnight into hastily prepared digital substitutes of the campus experience. Could this abrupt and far- reaching shift put enough pressure on the college business model to trigger lasting change? Suddenly we have a digital learning lab that is millions strong. “There are hundreds of millions of students in China experimenting with various forms of online learning. We have tens of millions in the U.S., and many more around the world,” explains Matt Greenfield, Managing Partner of Rethink Education, a venture firm focused on edtech. Administrators, students, and teachers are experiencing the problems with online learning firsthand—but they are also discovering situations in which it works surprisingly well. “A lot of institutions are experimenting,” says Greenfield, “and it’s going to be hard to go back.” Meanwhile, many hallmarks that define an elite university today evaporate when it moves online. As this cohort graduates into a brutal job market, often in debt, the return on a college investment will be under even more scrutiny. We are in the midst of a high stakes global experiment—and it’s chaotic.

The Business Review | September 2020

Now Live And In Your Neighborhood: The Chaotic, Global-Scale Lab To many students and their parents, this forced march to online learning feels like a wild west, thrown together with duct tape and bubble gum. An entire class will fall apart because a teacher can’t figure out their mic. Lectures are being “Zoom-bombed” by trolls and porn. Many students struggle to stay engaged without an in- person experience. But as professors, students, and their institutions understand that they must make digital work for the balance of the school year, they are investing in making it better. We are seeing grassroots innovation at unprecedented scale as millions of diverse stakeholders around the world focus their collective attention on one of the most important questions of our era: how can we more effectively learn online? Some teachers are bringing workplace collaboration tools like Slack and Zoom into the classroom. Others have used tools intended for gamers, like Twitch and Discord, to stream classes and encourage discussion. But students and their teachers are also experimenting with all-new techniques. “You lose something without in-person human engagement, but you can also gain something,” explains Greenfield. “In a typical classroom, students sit in rows facing a teacher, which encourages a hierarchical approach to learning. But we know that being actively engaged is better. Having a screen with a bunch of boxes is less hierarchical. People who aren’t comfortable asserting themselves in class or a study session may be willing to enter the conversation via chat. New forms of collaboration are emerging.” After months of this kind of agile innovation, it is inevitable that the tools and how we apply them will have advanced. Under Pressure: Where Is The Financial Breaking Point? The price tag of a four-year degree has increased almost eight times faster than wages. But what will happen as we hit an unemployment rate that is the highest since the Great Depression? Students who are getting months of online learning experience may consider alternatives that would have been unspeakable a month ago, seeking ways to substitute online- centric alternatives for the traditional campus experience come fall.

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Patrick Methvin, the head of postsecondary-success programs at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has said “it’s difficult to imagine a fall 2020 where there aren’t some closures” of colleges. Parents and students are already demanding refunds for shortened semesters in the dorm while colleges navigate their response. Moody’s downgraded its outlook for higher education from “stable” to “negative.” “Over 30% of public universities and nearly 30% of private universities were already running operating deficits,” said Michael Osborn, a vice president who monitors universities at Moody’s. Could the traditional campus experience start to get the same kind of pressure to shift to online that besieged retail? Forecasts project 15,000 retail stores closing in 2020— many of which will never reopen. How many colleges will count the 2019-2020 school year as their last? And what happens to course credits and degrees earned by students of the institutions that fail—will the investment they already made in their education become collateral damage from the virus too? Is The Four-Year Degree An Outdated Model? These pressures may build to the point that students and their parents finally push back against the expensive traditional model of a four-year degree. But employers rely on degrees to certify that a certain level of credible learning has taken place—without this trusted packaging, students have few ways to prove what they’ve done. A more agile approach to certification could not only give students more flexibility than a traditional degree, but also help employers meet rapidly evolving resource needs. Jobs that didn’t exist a decade ago—leveraging artificial intelligence, robotics, and other technologies— are projected to be in high demand, and conventional universities are already struggling to keep their curriculum current with trends in the future of work. Jess Munro, who worked on Stanford d.school research, Uncharted Territory: A Guide to Reimagining Higher Education, explains, “We have seen that ‘when’ and ‘where’ learning happens is shifting, bringing into question some of the fundamental assumptions that underpin the traditional four-year degree model. We could envision a departure from the four-year model in favor of lifetime learning, allowing students to ‘loop’ in and out of the college experience at their own pace and on their own time.” Yet, we haven’t had a way to efficiently and reliably authenticate more modular learning or “micro- credentials”. In a world in which over half the PhDs awarded are from fraudulent degree mills, employers can struggle to confirm the veracity of university degrees, much less verify learning that takes place in smaller chunks.

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Could Blockchain Technology Solve For The Missing Piece? There is promise in a new technology, blockchain, to support new models for the “degree.” At their core, mature blockchain solutions will make it easier, faster, and cheaper to verify that data is true. When applied to higher ed, they hold potential to create a universal, trusted, lifelong record of learning that recognizes education outside of a formal degree program, such as online courses. They could also help to fight education credential

What will the future of college look like?

fraud and enable employers to cut administrative cost of verifying degrees—even if those degrees potentially shift from a traditional four-year model into smaller modules. Natalie Smolenski has been working on blockchain- based credentialing solutions since 2016. She explains, “Blockchain is an important technology to enable people to carry any kind of high-value, high-stakes credentials with them. These credentials can have extraordinary longevity and remain verifiable across space and time—15 or 30 years from now, in any geographic context, anywhere I end up in the world.” Obviously, when records and credentials can be quickly verified, without question, it cuts time and increases quality in hiring. But it can also become “a system of record that can withstand war, economic collapse, and climate catastrophes,” says Smolenski. “Blockchains credentials can be internationally portable, universally interoperable, and fully verifiable without dependence on vendors or issuers.” Could Blockchains Increase The Functionality Of A Degree? Blockchains contain other features that could enhance the way a degree is used, once earned. For example, the tech could one day assist employers in matching jobs to qualified workers. Because blockchains encrypt data and put the user in control of how it’s used, a worker could elect to participate in a program that crawls qualifications and micro-credentials to find potential matches—yet keeps identities private until a candidate is ready to divulge more. Or, using blockchain features, employers could more safely and easily tie education funding to the achievement of specific milestones.

The technology is still in its early days, but starting to achieve traction. Recently, the American Council for Education received funding from the U.S. Department of Education to explore how blockchain technology can improve the flow of data among educational institutions and employers while empowering individuals to translate educational outcomes into economic opportunity. IBM launched a blockchain network, the Learning Credential Network, which includes the National Student Clearinghouse, an organization that verifies academic qualifications for over 3,700 institutions. A credentialing consortium, the Velocity Network Foundation, which includes SAP, Upwork, and talent manager Cornerstone is evaluating blockchain’s application to the hiring process. Could The Crisis Pave The Way For A More Agile Future For Education? For many years I have told my early teen children to expect change in the four-year college model—but that it would not arrive in time for them. Now, around our shelter-in- place dinner table, I tell them solid alternatives that are more flexible and cost-effective may be within their reach. The next year will reveal much more about the nature of this shift—but it’s possible this heart-wrenching change may birth new models that flex in closer response to the needs of our fast-changing, complex modern environment. n

September 2020 | The Business Review

PROMOTING THE COMMUNITY

Fall term at RCC will include both online and some on-campus options

R ogue Community College plans to open its campuses on a limited basis for fall term, depending on conditions and guidance from the Governor’s office, local public health departments and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. Fall term will begin Sept. 21. RCC will continue to offer most fall classes online but will provide in-person lab instruction for science and career technical courses that require hands-on learning that cannot be duplicated online. The RCC fall schedule identifies which courses are online and which ones are on campus. It is available on the RCC website at roguecc.edu. Because most courses will remain online, RCC faculty are continuing to up their skills and network with colleagues to provide the same high level of instruction as on campus. If conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic change and make it impossible to keep campuses open, RCC will return to an all-online model. Every precaution for safety of students, staff and visitors

will be taken. All areas and surfaces used by students or staff will be cleaned and sanitized daily. The College will require all people on campus to wear facial coverings and keep social distancing (6 feet). Everyone’s cooperation will help us to keep the campuses open and will be greatly appreciated. Facial coverings are required in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Oregon Health Authority. Facial coverings will be required at all times inside buildings unless one is working in an individual office or workspace. Facial coverings will also be required outdoors in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained. Registration is open for fall term at Rogue Community College. In the uncertain conditions of the pandemic, RCC offers a safe, low cost opportunity for students to stay close to home while getting the quality education they need to achieve their goals. n

The Business Review | September 2020

SOU Remains Flexible in Pandemic, Pivots Toward Remote Courses SOU News / Ashland, OR / July 27, 2020 S outhern Oregon University is making use of the flexibility built into its reopening plan, pivoting to a fall academic schedule in which most – but not all –

academic progression and improved quality of remote delivery courses. Many faculty members are taking advantage of professional development opportunities this summer to enhance learning environments for students in the coming academic year. SOU’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning has helped upgrade the university’s online and remote offerings. n

classes will be delivered remotely. The shift is due to the continued spread of COVID-19 in southern Oregon and statewide, and will benefit from the university’s growing familiarity with online and remote classes. “I shared some months ago that our reopening strategy would be flexible and allow for these kinds of adjustments,” SOU President Linda Schott said in a message to students. “I remain committed to delivering a customized and flexible ‘hybrid’ learning experience this fall, balancing academic excellence with our community’s health and safety.” The president pointed out that COVID-19 continues to spread in southern Oregon and much of the state, and that SOU recently learned of some initial cases involving members of its campus community. The university has updated its safety and health protocols – including strict capacity standards for indoor spaces and a requirement for face coverings both inside and outside where adequate social distancing is not possible – to exceed CDC guidance. SOU is working with Oregon’s other public universities, community partners and Jackson County Public Health to plan for and respond to positive COVID-19 cases when they occur. “I want our students to continue their studies in safety,” President Schott said. “I want SOU employees to continue serving our students without putting their health in jeopardy. And I want our neighbors and community members to recognize that we are moving ahead with appropriate caution.” The university’s planning teams have worked to develop educational and student experiences that ensure both

Month 202X | The Business Review

PRESS RELEASE Boise Cascade Wood Products Donates $100,000 Matching Gift to ACCESS

Medford, September 22, 2020: Boise Cascade announced they would match all donations made to ACCESS up to $100,000 in support of its mission to provide food, housing, energy assistance, and basic needs to the Jackson County community. “The recent fires have had a devastating impact on so many people; when you combine the impact of COVID-19, there is a heightened need to help our community. Boise Cascade and its employees want to help our community and hopefully incentivize other individuals and businesses to donate. We know by partnering with ACCESS, our donation will stay local and help our community move forward,” R. J. Glover, Region Manager, Boise Cascade Wood Products. “Boise Cascade is a leader in corporate philanthropy, and they have been one of ACCESS’ most dedicated partners for more than three decades. This gift will make such a difference in our community,” J.R. Wheeler, ACCESS Board President. Since 1976, ACCESS has been Jackson County’s Community Action Agency and Regional Food Bank. In 2019, ACCESS served more than 52,000 people, which is 1 in every 4 residents. With the recent COVID crisis and devasting fires, ACCESS has seen the need for food and housing assistance increase by as much as 80% at times. “A matching gift of this magnitude will make such a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable

neighbors. Over the past week, ACCESS has received more than 200 calls per day from those impacted by the fire who are in need of food and housing assistance. Boise Cascade’s generosity will help us meet that need, and we hope it will inspire others to do the same. We are grateful for Boise Cascade’s generous support,” adds Kellie Battaglia, Development Director for ACCESS. These funds will help Jackson County residents recover from the recent devasting fires, economic and health impacts of COVID-19, and allow ACCESS to help those in need moving forward. To donate, go to www.accesshelps.org/donate or call 541-779-6691 .

ABOUT ACCESS ACCESS provides food, warmth, shelter, and other essential services to Jackson County’s low- income children, families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. As the Community Action Agency of Jackson County, Oregon, ACCESS has helped residents break the cycle of poverty since 1976. Last year, 52,497 people received assistance from ACCESS’s broad continuum of services, including obtaining safe, affordable housing, rental assistance, utility assistance, weatherization, free loaned durable medical equipment, and healthy food.

The Business Review | September 2020

REPRESENTING BUSINESS ISSUES

Greg Walden Calls on Oregon State Government to Do More September 17, 2020 | Press Release

To watch the entire interview, click here.

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) spoke with Neil Cavuto on Fox Business’s Cavuto: Coast to Coast yesterday, where he discussed the catastrophic wildfires in Oregon. When asked about the air quality in Oregon as a result of the fires, Walden emphasized that despite the vast size of his district it is almost entirely covered in smoke. “To put it in perspective, my district alone would stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to Ohio. I drove 1356 miles over the weekend from one end of it to get down to where this fire was and virtually the entire time, we were in hazardous air quality, you couldn’t see more than 30-50 feet in the road,” said Walden. Walden said that his focus right now is on “helping those who have lost everything.” During the interview, Walden also discussed his recent meeting with President Trump and the President’s swift approval of Oregon’s Major Disaster Declaration.

“I met with the President on Monday in Sacramento, he turned that major disaster relief request within 24 hours, FEMA has been in there doing a great job in partnership with the state,” said Walden. Walden concluded the interview, urging the need for more action from the state, who is responsible for distributing the aid provided by the Federal Emergency Management Office (FEMA). “I would like to see the state of Oregon actually do a little more in southern Oregon, have the governor come down there and take a look and bring her team with her. They control the distribution of all these things the federal government has made available through the FEMA and Trump administration. We need help with housing on the ground, they’ve got the support, they’ve got the authority, they’ve got the money, we just need to step up the contact and communication,” said Walden. n

September 2020 | The Business Review

Merkley, Wyden, Blumenauer, Bonamici Push Trump Administration to Suspend Public Charge Rule Amid Dual Crises Of COVID-19 and Wildfires Press Release | Friday, September 25, 2020 Families, children, and seniors struggling amid unprecedented wildfire season and coronavirus crisis should not be punished for seeking emergency assistance

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici, are pushing the Trump administration to suspend the public charge rule—which can jeopardize an individual’s path to obtaining a visa or green card if they access public services—to ensure that all Oregonians impacted by the wildfires and the coronavirus are able to seek necessary care and emergency assistance. “In response to the devastation caused by the wildfires in Oregon, it is imperative that you suspend the public charge rule in its entirety. While disaster relief is technically exempt from the rule’s scope, the rule has had harmful and widespread chilling effects that have led families to avoid seeking the services and coverage they need for fear of jeopardizing their immigration status, even when such services are not included in the

Red fire retardant dropped during the Almeda Fire covers the charred remnants of a mobile home and vehicles in Phoenix, Oregon.

status, at a time when communities were already struggling to make it through the coronavirus crisis. “The wildfires in Oregon and the coronavirus pandemic are unprecedented converging crises. A rule that creates barriers to immigrant families’ safety and recovery during a period of unparalleled destruction is not only counterproductive, it is cruel and discriminatory. For this reason, we request an immediate moratorium on any enforcement related to the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds rule during Oregon’s wildfire response and subsequent recovery. We also request your agencies issue robust and targeted public notices that alleviate fear and confusion regarding this rule during the time noted above,” they continued. The full text of the lawmakers’ letter is available here on the following page.

rule’s scope or when they themselves are not subject to a public charge determination. As a result, the rule could discourage immigrant families from seeking disaster assistance, medical care, and other critical services needed to weather these concurrent crises,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Kenneth Cuccinelli, who, according to a federal judge’s ruling, was illegally appointed Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) after the Trump administration violated a federal vacancies law. In their letter, the lawmakers emphasized that wildfires continue to ravage the state—fires that have displaced thousands of people, destroyed millions of dollars in property and scenic areas, exposed millions of people to hazardous smoke, and introduced new barriers to food and medical assistance for children and seniors. These impacts have affected Oregonians irrespective of their immigration

The Business Review | September 2020

Dear Acting Director Cuccinelli, On September 15, 2020, President Trump granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration in Oregon at the request of Governor Kate Brown due to catastrophic wildfires. On the following day, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared that a public health emergency exists in Oregon as a result of the wildfires. Considering that Oregonians need urgent relief as the state responds to and recovers from these fires, we request an immediate moratorium on the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule to ensure that all people, regardless of immigration status, are able to seek necessary medical care, housing, nutrition assistance, and disaster relief for which they are eligible amid this disaster and public health emergency. We also request your agency issue robust and targeted public notices to better inform individuals that receiving disaster aid and certain other forms of assistance will not be negative factors in any subsequent public charge determination. Wildfires continue to ravage Oregon and tribal lands. From displacing thousands of individuals to destroying millions of dollars in property and scenic areas, these fires have devastated the lives of Oregonians irrespective of immigration status. Families are homeless. Children face greater barriers to accessing nutritious foods. Many seniors require essential medical assistance. As harmful, heavy coats of smoke blanket the state and fires continue to spread to new communities, we must ensure people in need are able to access support without fear. On February 24, 2020, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) nationally implemented the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule. The rule, as you know, disadvantages or disqualifies certain individuals seeking a visa or green card to remain in the United States who are determined to likely become a “public charge”— that is, reliant on public assistance — based on their use of an expanded scope of benefits. While the federal government has conducted more limited public charge determinations for years based on receipt of cash assistance, the rule dramatically expanded the policy to include consideration of a person’s receipt of Medicaid, federal housing assistance, and nutrition support through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In July 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York halted the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to enforce, apply, or implement the rule for the duration of the declared coronavirus national health emergency. The court recognized the importance of prioritizing the immediate health and safety of people during a crisis, regardless of their immigration status. In response to the devastation caused by the wildfires in Oregon, it is imperative that you suspend the public charge rule in its entirety. While disaster relief is technically exempt from the rule’s scope, the rule has had harmful and widespread chilling effects that have led families to avoid seeking the services and coverage they need for fear of jeopardizing their immigration status, even when such services are not included in the rule’s scope or when they themselves are not subject to a public charge determination. As a result, the rule could discourage immigrant families from seeking disaster assistance, medical care, and other critical services needed to weather these concurrent crises. The concurrent coronavirus pandemic and wildfire disaster have resulted in thousands of Oregonians requiring medical care. Health experts warn that wildfire smoke can harm eyes, irritate respiratory systems that are particularly at-risk during the COVID-19 outbreak, and worsen chronic lung and heart diseases. Further, we know numerous Oregonians are in need of health services during the ongoing pandemic. It is unconscionable, and not in the public’s best interest, to maintain a rule that would scare individuals and families away from the help they may need simply because of their immigration status. The wildfires in Oregon and the coronavirus pandemic are unprecedented converging crises. A rule that creates barriers to immigrant families’ safety and recovery during a period of unparalleled destruction is not only counterproductive, it is cruel and discriminatory. For this reason, we request an immediate moratorium on any enforcement related to the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds rule during Oregon’s wildfire response and subsequent recovery. We also request your agencies issue robust and targeted public notices that alleviate fear and confusion regarding this rule during the time noted above. Thank you for your attention to this request in ensuring all Oregonians impacted by the wildfire disaster and public health emergency are able to seek necessary care and assistance during these dual crises. CC: Federal Emergency Management Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sincerely,

September 2020 | The Business Review

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