Jefferson kids were mistakenly told to remove OSU gear during tour at University of Oregon

By Steve Lundeberg

Albany Democrat-Herald

JEFFERSON - Eighth-grader Alex Owens had eagerly donned the orange and black of Oregon State for a field trip to the rival University of Oregon on Friday.

But midway through the visit, the Jefferson Middle School student, along with a half-dozen classmates, found himself unwillingly starring in an overzealous tour guide's version of "What Not To Wear."

"I'm a hard-core Beaver fan, so I wore my Beaver jersey," said Owens, the son of Karen and Richard Myers. "The first part of the tour of the actual school went well, until we came to the football stadium, indoor practice field, sports honor room and rec room."

At that point, Owens said, the male UO student serving as tour guide told the group that no one displaying the logo of any other Pac-10 school would be admitted to the Ducks' athletic facilities.

Owens, 14, was annoyed, but he and the others - wearing OSU T-shirts, hats and even pants, which had to be rolled up into shorts to obscure the Beaver logo - did as they were told.

"My friend, he had to take a girl's sweater and put it over his shirt," Owens said.

Three Jefferson teachers - Joe Whaley, Joan Swafford and Ranae Quiring - accompanied the 60-plus eighth-graders to Eugene.

Swafford said it was "a fabulous field trip" and while she affirmed Owens' version of events, she didn't think the logo edict was a big deal.

"They were very gracious, and very pleasant," she said. "It was very well done. I don't believe anyone else took offense."

"Our kids are very respectful and took care to do what was asked of them," added Quiring, who did think the apparel-removal request was a curious one. "They had the choice to stay outside if they wanted."

Choices or no, UO Assistant Athletic Director Dave Williford was dismayed by what happened. Turns out the guide was not following any university or athletic department policy but was simply acting on his own.

"The tour guide was a bit overzealous," Williford said. "Certainly we have pride in the University of Oregon, but there is not a dress or apparel policy that involves anybody coming in. We probably did not do a very good job of coaching this tour guide. It's one thing to kid and have a good time, but to carry it through and remove clothing or take any other measures … It's very unfortunate, and we apologize."

Williford said he hadn't yet learned which tour guide made the request, but "we have it narrowed down."

Like at the University of Oregon, there is no apparel or logo policy for visitors to Oregon State either, the OSU admissions office said.