Rick Bailey comments on federal DEI letter, demolition of Cascade Hall
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
Southern Oregon University President Rick Bailey, along with an entourage of Raider representatives, plan to be in Salem on Tuesday, March 4, for SOU’s first lobby day of its own at the state capital.
Bailey spoke with Ashland.news last week about the upcoming event and noted the importance of lobbying state legislators for funding for higher education. SOU is among the state’s seven public universities asking for a collective $1.275 billion for the Public Universities Support Fund (PUSF). All public universities will have a lobby day on May 7, according to SOU’s State of the University Address presented by Tiana Gilliland, president of Associated Students of Southern Oregon University (ASSOU) in February.
“We’re really excited about this – this is, to my knowledge, the first time ever that we’ve had a day in the Legislature devoted specifically to SOU,” Bailey told Ashland.news in a virtual interview last week. “I think it’ll be a chance for us to showcase the things that we are doing innovatively to move the university forward. I think it’s also a chance to continue to articulate to the state the importance of colleges and universities to the state’s future and to think about how public education at all levels is the engine that the state needs to move forward economically.”
Among the projects Bailey will be advocating for is a roughly $42 million renovation of SOU’s music building.
“We are excited that we have second-highest ranked priority capital project in the state, and for us it is a project that will transform our music facility, which is badly in need of renovation into a creative industries facility that will incorporate music, but also digital media center and a lot of other creative arts together so we’re excited about that,” Bailey said.
The project would renovate the facility’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, but would also add to its use as a community space.
“(W)e think about that space as a community space,” he said. “We host the Rogue Valley Symphony, we host chamber music, and we host all of these events there.
“We need to make sure we are providing not only for our students and faculty and staff, but also for our community members who use it. We have some real challenges when you start looking at the dead of summer and deep into the winter, those are some challenges. It also will help to transform it in terms of more energy efficient modeling … It gives us a chance to really look at how we move creative industries into the 21st century and what students need to be prepared for as that industry evolves.
“It’ll also create an environment that will provide for a lot more interdisciplinary education, activities, opportunities,” he added.
If funded, Bailey said the Legislature would likely have a decision in summer as they approach the end of the session.
“Then it takes some time for those bond funds to be available so I don’t think it’s something that would start July 1,” Bailey said. “But it is something that could, hopefully, start within the following year (2026), and likely it would be so transformative, it would be a two-year project (with tentative completion in 2028).
“It’s a big deal,” he added.
Bailey will also be advocating for the Oregon Opportunity Grant for SOU students.
While at the capital, Bailey plans to emphasize that funding for SOU is an investment that will pay dividends to the entire state, not just for students and their families.
“That’s my hope,” he said.
‘Dear Colleague’ letter response
Bailey also commented on the status of the “Dear Colleague” letter sent to universities by the Office of Civil Rights on Feb. 14 calling for an end to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs on campuses nationwide, which listed Friday, Feb. 28 as the deadline to remove such programs.
“We took that letter, and we still take that letter, very seriously,” Bailey told Ashland.news. “That letter was an interpretation of an existing law and there are now legal scholars and legal entities that are challenging not the law, they’re challenging that interpretation of the law, and so we are keeping a keen eye to that debate right now.
“We are also looking at ourselves and looking at things that may be or could be targeted by the federal government,” he added, “so we are looking now at what are those things that depending on how this interpretation plays out, what are the things that might be a target of the federal government for us.
“In the meantime, we’re committed to that principle of love and respect for everybody,” he added.
Bailey said while the university awaits interpretation of the letter, the campus will not make changes to its DEI programs.
Bailey confirmed that the letter has created “a lot of anxiety and stress at the university and in the community.”
“The flurry of action and guidance coming from the federal government is dizzying,” Bailey said. “I think it would be naive of me to give a prediction of when something’s going to settle down or change.
“I have a feeling we’ll be responding to this for quite some time,” he added.
Bailey said the goal at SOU is to do two things simultaneously: On one hand, continue to stand by the principle that everyone has a home at SOU, meaning individuals across the political spectrum, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, people from rural communities — everyone.
“As a university, we should not be the judge of who has access to education,” he added. “That’s not our job. Our job is to be a loving, supportive environment for anyone who wants to further their education, so we are going to stay committed to that principle. At the same time, we are a public institution and we have a responsibility to follow state and federal law so we will also stay committed to that.”
As of March 3, no changes have been made to SOU’s DEI team, according to the universities website.
“Depending on how the legal interpretation shakes out, there may be requirements that come from the federal government that force the institution to modify some of the things that we do, but what I don’t want to do is preempt that,” Bailey said. “I don’t want us to dismantle programs, I don’t want us to do anything that sends a message that we are not a loving, inclusive place, so I think it’s more important for us to see how these legal debates shake out and then we will be responsive based on what is decided at the end of those discussions.”
Bailey believes SOU is “not, or should not be, a target because I think we meet the spirit of the guidance coming from the federal government.”
Ninety-seven percent of individuals who apply to SOU are accepted, Bailey said, and the 2-3% who are not accepted are encouraged to attend community colleges that may better serve them.
“There is no one here being harmed by our stance that is utterly inclusive,” he said. “We’re a place that does not discriminate.”
When asked about the past few years of his presidency at SOU and some of the financial challenges, such as addressing a significant budget deficit, he acknowledged he is accustomed to the stress that can happen in his position.
“We are a university that is fiercely committed to each other and to our principles,” Bailey said.
“I know that will help us navigate all of the challenges that are ahead,” he said.
Bailey, whose contract as president has been extended to June 2028 by the SOU Board of Trustees, aims to help lead that charge.
“Even with the challenges that we have faced the last three years, it is not lost on me that every single day here at SOU has been a gift and I don’t say that lightly. There’s no other job in the world I’d rather have.”
Cascade Hall demolition
In other SOU news, Bailey commented on the removal of Cascade Hall, sharing that plans are in place to complete the demolition as soon as March 31.
“We have a request for qualifications that went out a few weeks ago on the senior living facility,” he said. “It’s exciting to take something that we have had an idea about and now actually starting to translate that into action has been really rewarding and exciting.”
Bailey said the request for qualifications process is open for the next two months before SOU moves forward with evaluations of bidders to develop the site.
“If all goes well, we actually may get to a decision by late spring/early summer, who would partner with the university on the project,” Bailey said. “It’s ambitious, but the goal would be potentially to cut a ribbon on that project, that facility, by the fall of 2027.”
Those interested in getting on a list to potentially become a resident at the future facility can contact the Office of the President by email at [email protected].
“We’re not going to be the ones who are providing the operations for the facility,” Bailey said, “but it’s certainly a list that we could share with whoever wins the bid, to say ‘here’s a list of people who are really interested.’”
Reach Ashland.news staff reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
