The Cooper Point Journal reached out to Evergreen’s Media and Public Relations department to provide our campus community with the school’s official statement on the recent campus tragedy. Below John Carmichael’s words, the CPJ has compiled relevant items from recent updates and notices previously released by the college as well as a few community updates of our own. All released statements from the school are available on evergreen.edu/campustragedy.
On Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, at The Evergreen State College, suspected carbon monoxide poisoning took Evergreen student Jonathan Rodriguez’s life and sent two other students to the hospital. A campus police officer who responded and performed CPR was also hospitalized due to exposure.
Evergreen is devastated by Jonathan’s death. Friends, faculty and staff have all shared wonderful memories of how Jonathan’s light shone on them. He was clearly deeply loved and respected, and his death is a shocking and profound loss.
The Washington State Patrol is actively investigating this incident, and we hope and expect that their findings will provide clear and actionable answers.
While we await the Washington State Patrol’s report, we are acting on what is known. As such, we have moved all students living in the mods that used propane as a source of heat or hot water into new housing. We have also begun a process to thoroughly review and address maintenance needs generally in student housing.
Everything we are doing comes from our goal to ensure safety and restore trust and confidence. In addition to sharing weekly updates moving forward, we will also work hard to ensure students’ voices are heard by striving to improve regular dialogue, one-on-one discussions and community engagement.
Sharing information is an important part of that, and you will be able to find the most up-to-date information and resources on the web at www.evergreen.edu/campustragedy. In addition, I and others at the college want to hear from you. Please send any questions or concerns you have to community-response@evergreen.edu and we will do our best to respond as quickly as possible.
John Carmichael, Evergreen President
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CLARIFICATIONS TO
EVENT SEQUENCE:
Established in the December 12th Tragic News email from Dr. Gordon, the carbon monoxide alarm had gone off earlier in the day and underwent inspection by an independent contractor.
Mentioned in the same December 12 Tragic News email and corrected in the December 19th Clarifications and Responses email from Carmichael’s office, a Residential and Dining (RAD) student worker (position: residential maintenance technician) was the first to enter the MOD after being unable to make contact with the students and discovering the unit unlocked.
The December 19th email also addresses the narrative from Evergreen’s Dec. 12 press release, published in outlets like Fox13 and KOMO News that the police officer broke down the door to the MOD. The email corrects that all doors to the unit were in fact unlocked and states that this was reported by Chief Brunkhurst. Conversation with KOMO News on December 13th established that the breaking down of the door was reported by Washington State Patrol, who had also consulted Chief Brunkhurst.
The RAD technician raised the inaccuracies corrected on December 19th. The technician had equal if not more exposure time within the MOD as the police officer and was not taken to the hospital.
Surrounding MOD residents claim that contrary to the press release, no communication was given about their safety on the night of the 11th. The first updates they received were contained in the campus-wide Dec.12th Tragic News email from Dr. Gordon.
WASHINGTON STATE
PATROL INVESTIGATION:
All WSP press releases can be accessed on their website as the investigation into the timeline and causes continue. wsp.wa.gov
Contact for the investigation is listed in the TESC press release as follows: Chris Loftis, Communications Director, Washington State Patrol (360) 485-3983
The investigation confirmed the cause of death and injury as carbon monoxide poisoning on December 15th.
COMMUNITY UPDATES:
The graffiti near Evans Hall (pictured at left, pg.2) will be maintained by the college per the Dec. 19th Clarifications and Responses email. The school has committed to connecting with the family about this space and consulting about whether or not, and in what form, a permanent memorial for Jonathan is desired.
The MOD Smoke Pit has become an altar for Jon and is being tended to by independently motivated RAD student workers and community members. Offerings, drawings, and memories are encouraged. The altar is open for all to pay their respects.
In October and November of this year, a survey of Evergreen Student Housing was conducted and analyzed by two capstone student researchers. More information available on page 12.
Residents of the seven propane-fueled MOD units were temporarily relocated to hotels over break as the school performed additional safety inspections on their units. Originally proposing replacement of all appliances to electric before the students returned, the school has now relocated the MOD residents to on-campus apartments and units in the Evergreen Gardens.
Residents have expressed ongoing grievances over lack of communication, transparency, and quality in the state of student housing. Residents have also pointed out discrepancies in the timing of their communications from the college and what is claimed in the community update emails. An investigation into these stories warrants its own article, but relevant testimony from campus residents points to halved accommodation square footage for relocated MOD residents at the same rent price, short or inaccurate notice before walkthrough inspections, and general confusion over the college’s next steps for their student housing plans
The CPJ encourages use of the community-response@evergreen.edu email forum to record grievances and concerns for both the school’s institutional records and yours. As we move forward in the quarter, the community expects longer form explanations of school initiatives such as the reopening of C-dorm, and the hiring process for the permanent housing director of residential and dining services rather than just bulletin summaries. We’re appreciative of the school’s commitment to community involvement and student voice on items such as this.
