Over the past week, Lindsey White and Kelton (Tad) Cobb have been making their rounds on the EMU campus about an opportunity called the Oregon Extension. White is the Sustainability Coordinator for the Oregon Extension and a 2023 alum of EMU who has been allowed to go out and spread the word of the OE’s goals. What are those words, and why should EMU students find their way to the Oregon Extension?
The Oregon Extension is a fall semester program that is a collaboration between 26 colleges around the country that share many similar values to those of EMU. Compared to a normal semester at EMU, the main difference at the OE is that “we do one class at a time,” says White. “Instead of having five classes you’re juggling and trying to balance, you’re just focusing on one class.” She continues talking about a curriculum that targets reading books cover-to-cover instead of chopped-up articles now and then. The OE also acts as an opportunity to slow down. “There is no access to technology during the week, allowing for you to be more present,” White states.
A major selling point for the Oregon Extension is the importance of your own hands. At the very beginning, each student makes their own desk, which is then used for the rest of the semester by them. When it comes to being in nature, the OE encourages students to learn what it means to use the land respectfully when it comes to foraging and farming within an educational perspective.
White learned a lot when she was a student of the OE, but most importantly, was learning how to have communicative debates. As White put it, “How do we just hold a conversation that’s beneficial and we can, which is a skill I didn’t have until I was at the OE.” Another learning moment was her time getting to know her cohort, as they might not always be people students would interact with outside of the OE, but they get the skill of having conversations and making friends with the small group around them.
The Oregon Extension is not only an experience to sit up in a cabin and read books, but also provides a fantastic opportunity to explore the West Coast. Along students’ journey with the Oregon Extension, they will visit the Trinity Alps in California, the Oregon coast, San Francisco, Medicine Lake, Lava Tubes in Northern California, the Shakespeare festival in Ashland, Oregon, and even climb Mount McLaughlin. This exploration of the west coast pulls students away from the books in a tiny town in Oregon to many environments that give them a taste of the world of the Northwest. This does not take away from on-site learning, though. White is in charge of the OE’s farming program, where students get to learn how to grow crops and humanely take care of animals within a small farm setting.
The Oregon Extension provides an environment like no other that prioritizes learning through a lens of conversation and nature, away from the business of a “normal” college experience. Although the Oregon Extension is not a part of the intercultural program, this is a hard-to-miss opportunity for all majors who want to spend a semester out West with a good book and some friendly faces.
