WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000 applause 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:08.000 applause 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:12.000 Thank you so much. It is now both a privilege and an honor to have 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:16.000 Oregon representative Betty Komp as our commencement speaker today. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:20.000 Representative Komp has served the state of Oregon since 2004. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:24.000 In addition to her public service career, she has deep roots at Western Oregon University, 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:28.000 where she earned a Bachelor's degree, and a Master's degree. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:32.000 She was 35 and looking for a life change when she began investigating 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:36.000 college. She enrolled at Chemeketa Community College and eventually transferred 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:40.000 to Western Oregon University, graduated in 1990 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.000 with a Bachelor's degree. She took a job teaching at Woodburn High School 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:48.000 and began working on a Master's degree, which she also received in 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.000 at Woodburn High, and during a time when the school was experiencing intense 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:60.000 gang activity and violence. She was part of an 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.000 administrative team that created a zero-tolerance policy, and also a 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:08.000 plan for handling gang activity on campus. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:12.000 By advocating for high standards of discipline, Representative Komp 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:16.000 gained the respect of students, staff, and the community, by lowering the dropout 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:20.000 rate, improving the attendance rate, and cracking down on violence. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.000 In her own words, "it comes down to setting a high bar. 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:28.000 If we expect more of people, chances are, they 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:32.000 will live into those expectations." It is my honor, as president 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.000 of the University, to welcome Representative Komp to the podium. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:40.000 applause 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:44.000 applause 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:48.000 Good morning. It's almost afternoon, and you're waiting for the 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:52.000 special moments that you're all here for. It is my 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:56.000 humble honor to come before you today. This is a 00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:60.000 first for me. I have never given a commencement speech. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.000 I have been a principal 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:08.000 at the ceremonies. I have read the 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:12.000 graduates name, but to be here in front of you 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:16.000 is an exceptional privilege. But first I want to 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:20.000 extend my thanks to every parent, 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.000 every neighbor, every friend, 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:28.000 every person that made it possible for all these Wolves 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:32.000 to sit here and say "I'm a Wolf and I'm graduating." 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:36.000 Thank you to all your support people. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.000 applause 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.000 Many of you might 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:48.000 be the first. You might be the first in your family to get this 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:52.000 degree. President Fuller told you a little 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:56.000 bit about my background. I'm gonna tell you a little bit more, 00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:60.000 and a couple of lessons that I learned at Western Oregon University. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.000 Of course, it wasn't called Western Oregon University 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:08.000 at that time. I don't know what rendition we were in, 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:12.000 but we were from OCE to...something. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:16.000 Well, it's about growth. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:20.000 I'm the child of a mother and father - 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.000 I have thirteen brothers and sisters - 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.000 yeah, it's a little crazy. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:32.000 But I'm third-oldest, and I was fortunate 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:36.000 that, in that role, I was 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.000 becoming a parent at a very young age. My parents had a dairy 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.000 farm, and my older and brother and sister went out and milked cows 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:48.000 with them. So it was my job to 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:52.000 always be changing diapers, always making sure breakfast 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:56.000 was ready, school lunches were ready to go when it was time, 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:60.000 and, for my baby brother, which, he's 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.000 over 50, folks, and he just had his first 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:08.000 child last week. So the name 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:12.000 will continue. But 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:16.000 the reality is, he didn't like to wear socks, even at a very 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:20.000 very young age. And we'd always be waiting to put his socks on 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:24.000 to get to the school bus. Some of you might have something 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.000 in common there. I'm gonna ask you 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:32.000 a couple of questions as a graduate, and 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:36.000 beyond that, I want you to know 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:40.000 that my life changed 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.000 dramatically when I was 18 years old, and became pregnant 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:48.000 with my first child. I focused on my 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:52.000 four daughters until I was 35 years old, 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:56.000 decided I alway wanted to be a teacher. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:60.000 And so my journey began there. And continued 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.000 at Western. And it was 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:08.000 this climate, this culture, this campus, 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:12.000 that has brought me to where I stand today. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:16.000 I'm very 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:20.000 teary about this - this is the first time I've stood here like this 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.000 and so I appreciate your indulgence a little bit. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:28.000 But I want you to think back, as graduates now, 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:32.000 and what was the best class that you 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:36.000 have ever had? At Western. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:40.000 Can you even think about it? 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.000 You figured 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:48.000 it out? Okay! But now I'm going to ask you the reverse... 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:52.000 What was your worst class? 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:56.000 laughter 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:60.000 No problems there, okay! 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.000 Well, when I went to Western, 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:08.000 my best class was a class called 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:12.000 Classical Drama, and 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:16.000 we had small books 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:20.000 and believe it or not, this one cost three dollars and 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:24.000 twenty-five cents. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:28.000 This one cost four dollars and twenty-five cents! 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:32.000 But these were the classical dramas of the Greek 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:36.000 and the Romans - Aristophenes, 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:40.000 Platus, and School of Thought by 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:44.000 Sheridan. And 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:48.000 I just thought that that class was awesome. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:52.000 Everything that I needed to know 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.000 in politics, I learned in these three books. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:60.000 But now I want to talk a little bit about my worst 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:04.000 class. And, don't get too 00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:08.000 worried, I won't get too deep. But, oh, my gosh, as an English 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:12.000 major, we had to take this class that was called 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:16.000 The Nature of the English Language. I assure 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:20.000 you, I don't have that textbook today. 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:24.000 I threw it in the trash 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:28.000 the day of the final. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:32.000 cheers and applause 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:36.000 Yes, I'm a real person. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:40.000 But, that class, The Nature of the English Language, 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:44.000 brought me forward 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:48.000 as an incredible teacher in the classroom, that had 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:52.000 multi-diverse students. They were 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:56.000 second-language speakers, third-language speakers, 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:60.000 and, of all things, the lessons that kept coming 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:04.000 to mind, were in that little orange book that I 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:08.000 threw in the trash. And 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:12.000 it's the motivation of the teachers 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:16.000 that brought me thus far. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:20.000 I hope you think of your teachers today, and 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.000 you thank them. I recently was told by 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:28.000 my political consultant - he called me 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:32.000 and he said "Betty, do you know that you are the only candidate 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:36.000 in fifteen years that he's worked with, 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:40.000 that sent him a thank-you note?" And I said, 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:48.000 He helped me; he was a 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:52.000 source of support, criticism, and 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:56.000 good advice. And I want to talk about 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:60.000 just a couple of stories that happened 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:04.000 to me on campus. I 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:08.000 worked in the tutoring center. I was 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:12.000 somebody that always liked to help others out. And 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:16.000 plus, it was part of my financial aid package. 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:20.000 But I had a student that was 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:24.000 struggling and struggling. We used to have 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:28.000 to pass the C-best test. Don't know if you have to these 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:32.000 days, but it was not a linguistically 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:36.000 easy thing to pass. So we worked on it 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:40.000 and the cost of that exam was expensive even then. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.000 And, so, he took it three times, and he still failed. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:48.000 And finally, I thought, "well, this is a smart young man. 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:52.000 He wants to be an elementary teacher. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:56.000 What aren't we doing right for him?" 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:60.000 And I sought out some help from one of my teachers, 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:04.000 Doctor Gerard. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:08.000 And I said, "he just isn't can't put his 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:12.000 words on paper." I said, "is there a way that we 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:16.000 can have him take the test orally." 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:20.000 And Doctor Gerard said "give me some time; I'll work on it." 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:24.000 And, lo and behold, we 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:28.000 got an exemption. He was able to 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:32.000 take the exam orally, and to 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:36.000 share his thoughts, and Doctor Gerard typed it out and 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:40.000 submitted it. Thankfully that young man is a 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.000 teacher today. If it had not been for Doctor Gerard, 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:48.000 his time, his willingness to come in on a Saturday, 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:52.000 to take the dictation of this young man's test, 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:56.000 it would not have happened. That 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:60.000 is a spirit of Western Oregon University. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:04.000 applause 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:08.000 applause 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:12.000 Very briefly, I'll talk to you 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:16.000 just about one of my advisers, my school event adviser. 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:20.000 I just couldn't get forward thinking it'd take 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.000 me six, eight years to become a school administrator. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:28.000 And I walked into his office one day 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:32.000 and I said "is there 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:36.000 any way we can speed this up? I'm getting old! 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:40.000 I mean, my goal is to graduate when I was forty. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:44.000 Who in this world, in Oregon, hires a high school teacher at age forty? Come on!" 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:48.000 And so 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:52.000 I sit there in his office, and he picks up his phone, 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:56.000 he calls an educator from PSU, 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:60.000 and he says "I've got somebody that needs to talk to you." 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.000 And I'm sitting there, going "who am I talking to?" 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:08.000 Well, it was a professor of the administration 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:12.000 department at PSU. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:16.000 And, lo and behold, to this day, I'm the only 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:20.000 undergraduate that has been admitted to the PSU 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.000 administrative program. Again, that was through 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:28.000 Doctor Wyse. Wasn't me. It was a professor and an 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:32.000 adviser here. Lastly, 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:36.000 I want to talk to you because I 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:40.000 grew up in poverty. When we milked those cows, 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:44.000 we had plenty of milk to drink. We had food on the table, 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:48.000 but when I entered first grade, 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:52.000 I did not know what the alphabet was. There was 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:56.000 not one book in my home. There was no newspaper. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:60.000 There was no print medium of any sort. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:04.000 And so, I was really 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:08.000 scared to go to school. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:12.000 I was the last person in my class 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:16.000 that got my reading book. And that was after Christmas, because 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:20.000 it took me a while to catch up. But 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.000 it was hard. I always felt like I was out of 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:28.000 place. And, frequently, even 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:32.000 at college level, I would make sarcastic remarks 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:36.000 about myself. "Well, Betty can't do this, and Betty can't 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:40.000 do that." Well, I had a professor one 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.000 summer. It was just a seminar class, 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:48.000 and after class one day, he said, "Betty I need to talk 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:52.000 to you." And I thought, "well, this is like going to the principal's office." 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:56.000 But not quite. But he did tell me, 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:60.000 he said, "if you make one more 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.000 derogatory statement about yourself, you cannot come 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:08.000 to this class." Wow. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:12.000 That hit me right through the 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:16.000 eyes. I didn't realize that I 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:20.000 had been making such negative comments, that my self esteem 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.000 was terrible. And 00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:28.000 yet, here, another professor - somebody that I never 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:32.000 ever knew before that week started - 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:36.000 I've never seen him since. But he changed my 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:40.000 life. He made it possible for me to say 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:48.000 And when I became frustrated with federal regulations, 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:52.000 I said, "this is not what kind of education 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:56.000 we want in Oregon." And I ran for election. 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:60.000 It was these people that gave me 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.000 the strength and courage to come here. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:08.000 You will not find my name on a building like my good 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.000 colleague senator Courtney. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:16.000 I'm a very different type of a legislator. 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:20.000 I work in quiet circles behind the doors, 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.000 and my focus has been 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:28.000 increasing the amount of funding for higher ed, 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:32.000 making sure that all students 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:36.000 can and should have the best education 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:40.000 we can give. Most of my work in the last six years 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.000 has been on teacher development and support. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:48.000 Because they don't near the recognition they 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:52.000 deserve. 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:56.000 Hear, hear! Teachers 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:60.000 are pretty awesome people. Every one of 'em. 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:04.000 applause 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:08.000 I hope that's the teachers in the audience. The teachers that are graduating. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:12.000 And all the teachers in the future, here. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:16.000 I'm gonna close with a quote. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:20.000 Lots of visionary things have been said 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.000 already today. I'd like to just say "never give 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:28.000 up. Keep up. You can do it." But 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:32.000 one of my not-so-favorite authors is 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:36.000 Mark Twain. I think about him when I read 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:40.000 United States history and I still wonder if 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:44.000 he's rowin' down the Mississippi river, if he's somewhere 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:48.000 in the Missouri. But Mark Twain says 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.000 gratify some people, and astonish the rest." 00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:60.000 Congratulations. God bless America. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.000 God bless you and your families. 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:08.000 applause 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:12.000 applause 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:16.000 Thank you Representative Komp. Thank you for being a champion 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:20.000 for Oregon, a champion for education, and a champion for Western.