Community
In our often atomized, individualistic
society, “community” is a much
sought-after commodity. As a lived
reality, however, it presents difficult
challenges. A semester at Lincoln
offers a daily laboratory for taking up
and responding to those challenges.
In our often atomized, individualistic
society, “community” is a much
sought-after commodity. As a lived
reality, however, it presents difficult
challenges. A semester at Lincoln
offers a daily laboratory for taking up
and responding to those challenges.
Students often come to the OE expressing a desire to experience genuine community and many
assume it will happen automatically when they arrive at the OE. Those of us who have lived here
year around for more than three decades know the real challenges that community life presents.
For our semester together, we try to talk honestly about struggles and work together in an
experiment of community building.
Cabin life requires group planning for meals, grocery shopping, and cabin cleaning. Through
sharing a room, starting the daily woodstove fire, and participating in small group discussions with
others, students learn that building a community is a constant process. Of course, deep and
lasting relationships develop in this context, but living so closely also entails handling conflict. We
strive to honor our differences and learn from one another. Our hope is that by semester’s end,
students will be enabled to engage in community building wherever they find themselves after their
OE experience.
Spiritual Life
The OE welcomes pilgrims in all spiritual traditions, or none, and offers each a space in the
conversation. It also schedules religious activities for those who are interested in participating. Non-
participation is a respected option.
Morning classes begin with a contemplative prelude comprised of a short poem or reading
followed by a minute of silence.
On Sunday mornings, we drive interested students to Ashland to attend local churches or religious
services. At Lincoln, a small church meets in the Cookhouse. Its services are informal and
contemplative, and students are warmly welcomed. And each Sunday evening, the faculty conducts
a contemplative Taize service, short lectio divina style biblical readings, opportunities for prayerful
candle-lighting, and extended silences.
Once each semester, students are invited to join faculty in a week structured by rituals of
contemplative silence and prayer, drawn from the Christian monastic tradition. The faculty’s hope is
that practice in silence and contemplative listening will deepen our sense of the presence of the
Spirit of God in every moment of our lives, in every person we meet. More traditional academic
practices are scheduled for those who choose not to participate.
Out of the Mainstream
The Oregon Extension offers you a semester “out of the mainstream”—a temporary retreat from the
rush, the noise, the technologically-driven interruptions and media distractions that comprise the
background texture of life.
To help us reach our goals, and to help disrupt our dependency on our “gear,” we ask (as many of
our former students have recommended) that our students leave certain items behind. These
include TVs, cell phones, and music systems (except for those with earphones). We request that
students use personal computers for DVDs or publicly audible music only on the weekends.
On its campus, the OE seriously maintains an alcohol-free, drug-free environment. For us, “out of
the mainstream” includes an honest attempt to truly meet each other and live out our semester
together in a context of trust, sobriety and clarity. So, we welcome you to join us if drugs and alcohol
are not a necessary part of your daily life; or, if you have openly embraced the path to recovery, we
will gladly assist your participation in one of the many NA or AA meetings in Ashland.
We ask students to leave their automobiles home as well. Regular shuttle trips take students down
the mountain to Ashland, especially on weekends, for theater, coffee shops, recreation, shopping,
and religious services. We transport students for medical appointments and other necessary
business. We provide transportation, at the beginning and end of the semester, to and from airports
and bus or train stations, and on adventures to San Francisco, the Oregon Coast and to
backpacking sites.
We realize that we are asking students temporarily to relinquish items that seem necessary to life
itself. We believe they will come to appreciate how such commitments contribute to the quality of
their experience—intellectual, social and spiritual—at the Oregon Extension.
While many off-campus programs offer a passport for international travel and exposure to centers
of world culture, the Oregon Extension invites you to find your place in a mountain community “out of
the mainstream.”. It is not a better program than the rest, but one that meets different needs. In a
momentary break from the frenzied pace of our culture, perhaps we will see our lives, our
relationships, our faith, and the life of the world just a bit more clearly. For full explanation of the OE
Community Expectations, click here.
assume it will happen automatically when they arrive at the OE. Those of us who have lived here
year around for more than three decades know the real challenges that community life presents.
For our semester together, we try to talk honestly about struggles and work together in an
experiment of community building.
Cabin life requires group planning for meals, grocery shopping, and cabin cleaning. Through
sharing a room, starting the daily woodstove fire, and participating in small group discussions with
others, students learn that building a community is a constant process. Of course, deep and
lasting relationships develop in this context, but living so closely also entails handling conflict. We
strive to honor our differences and learn from one another. Our hope is that by semester’s end,
students will be enabled to engage in community building wherever they find themselves after their
OE experience.
Spiritual Life
The OE welcomes pilgrims in all spiritual traditions, or none, and offers each a space in the
conversation. It also schedules religious activities for those who are interested in participating. Non-
participation is a respected option.
Morning classes begin with a contemplative prelude comprised of a short poem or reading
followed by a minute of silence.
On Sunday mornings, we drive interested students to Ashland to attend local churches or religious
services. At Lincoln, a small church meets in the Cookhouse. Its services are informal and
contemplative, and students are warmly welcomed. And each Sunday evening, the faculty conducts
a contemplative Taize service, short lectio divina style biblical readings, opportunities for prayerful
candle-lighting, and extended silences.
Once each semester, students are invited to join faculty in a week structured by rituals of
contemplative silence and prayer, drawn from the Christian monastic tradition. The faculty’s hope is
that practice in silence and contemplative listening will deepen our sense of the presence of the
Spirit of God in every moment of our lives, in every person we meet. More traditional academic
practices are scheduled for those who choose not to participate.
Out of the Mainstream
The Oregon Extension offers you a semester “out of the mainstream”—a temporary retreat from the
rush, the noise, the technologically-driven interruptions and media distractions that comprise the
background texture of life.
To help us reach our goals, and to help disrupt our dependency on our “gear,” we ask (as many of
our former students have recommended) that our students leave certain items behind. These
include TVs, cell phones, and music systems (except for those with earphones). We request that
students use personal computers for DVDs or publicly audible music only on the weekends.
On its campus, the OE seriously maintains an alcohol-free, drug-free environment. For us, “out of
the mainstream” includes an honest attempt to truly meet each other and live out our semester
together in a context of trust, sobriety and clarity. So, we welcome you to join us if drugs and alcohol
are not a necessary part of your daily life; or, if you have openly embraced the path to recovery, we
will gladly assist your participation in one of the many NA or AA meetings in Ashland.
We ask students to leave their automobiles home as well. Regular shuttle trips take students down
the mountain to Ashland, especially on weekends, for theater, coffee shops, recreation, shopping,
and religious services. We transport students for medical appointments and other necessary
business. We provide transportation, at the beginning and end of the semester, to and from airports
and bus or train stations, and on adventures to San Francisco, the Oregon Coast and to
backpacking sites.
We realize that we are asking students temporarily to relinquish items that seem necessary to life
itself. We believe they will come to appreciate how such commitments contribute to the quality of
their experience—intellectual, social and spiritual—at the Oregon Extension.
While many off-campus programs offer a passport for international travel and exposure to centers
of world culture, the Oregon Extension invites you to find your place in a mountain community “out of
the mainstream.”. It is not a better program than the rest, but one that meets different needs. In a
momentary break from the frenzied pace of our culture, perhaps we will see our lives, our
relationships, our faith, and the life of the world just a bit more clearly. For full explanation of the OE
Community Expectations, click here.
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