Found Deceased OR - Owen Klinger, 18, University of Portland, 6 Oct 2019

[Pseudonymph]

Can confirm we did similar if not the same assignment when I was at UP in the freshman orientation class.

And probably in high school too! It’s not the most original assignment.

 

[Pseudonymph]

Depends on the poetic ability of the poet. To me, his poem starts out with more allegorical references (and poetic rhythm) but by the end, is less free verse and more just insightful wriing.

We have no idea what he meant when he mentioned scrapbooks. We have no idea how good a poet he might be, at 18.

That’s why I thought it sounded dashed off. He spent time on the first few lines and then finished it rapidly. (Full disclosure: high school teacher here.)

 

[88GlavineRC]

I didn't know much about how adderall exchanges work so looked it up. One article said this, which makes sense why they would not be able to find it on email/computer:
"Another student, Nicole, advises against even bringing it up over electronic communication. “[Don’t] talk about Addy on any social media, text, nothing. I mean, that’s hard, but if anyone messages you on Insta, Twitter, anything, don’t reply, you’re just setting yourself up. SnapChat is alright. Basically, you don’t want any black and white evidence laying around.”

According to streetrx.com one pill of varying dosages in Oregon in the last week has sold for anywhere from $4-12. A bottle could easily have been around $150.

RE: Adderall Pills. The dynamic of dealer/buyer does potentially place Owen in a bad scenario. If the buyer is desperate/uninitiated then the dealer is in control. Dealer could playful razz, or be straight up abusive, looking to just plain steal from Owen or his family bank account.

 

[10ofRods]

BBM:

^^^^^^^^THIS RIGHT HERE^^^^^^^^

It's the central line in the poem.

Translation: OK was feeling pressured.

JMO.

No one feels "pressured" by Extra Credit, IMO. Exams yes. Exams are hard and they are not optional. Extra credit is usually something less directly related to the course. I give an early extra credit assignment in all my classes, and the students who do it will almost always earn an A in the course (but not because of the extra credit, the gradebook calculates the two things separately).

There are just some students (they are called "A" students) who seek and enjoy every opportunity to learn and do better in a class. I guess some of them might feel pressured, but in all my years of teaching, having interacted more with the "extra credit" kids than any other group of kids, I'd say it's really not a valid generalization. They tend to be very motivated, creative and interested, but not necessarily driven. Some of them poke around for years, exploring, not getting through college at any particular pace.

However, I agree it could be taken that way especially in Owen's case (that somehow, Owen was taught or internalized that he had to get the best grades - I do think he may have been bummed about midterms coming up).

I found the first line to be the major tone of the piece and it was truly poetic, "I am from rain jackets, wool Pendelton sweaters and the neverending rain." Also, "I am from Our father who art in heaven most Sundays..."

"I am from rain jackets and wool..." so evocative.

 

[10ofRods]

That’s why I thought it sounded dashed off. He spent time on the first few lines and then finished it rapidly. (Full disclosure: high school teacher here.)

Thought the same! It seemed like a typical freshman attempt to me, with great promise though. It's more stream of consciousness than anything, but it does give us a psychic imprint of Owen.

 

[momrids6]

Sounds to me like he was reflecting on his storybook, picture perfect life. Things others wish for, things others don't have. Advantages, family, church and friends....Pretty vanilla and very stable

 

[GordianKnot]

No one feels "pressured" by Extra Credit, IMO. Exams yes. Exams are hard and they are not optional. Extra credit is usually something less directly related to the course. I give an early extra credit assignment in all my classes, and the students who do it will almost always earn an A in the course (but not because of the extra credit, the gradebook calculates the two things separately).

There are just some students (they are called "A" students) who seek and enjoy every opportunity to learn and do better in a class. I guess some of them might feel pressured, but in all my years of teaching, having interacted more with the "extra credit" kids than any other group of kids, I'd say it's really not a valid generalization. They tend to be very motivated, creative and interested, but not necessarily driven. Some of them poke around for years, exploring, not getting through college at any particular pace.

However, I agree it could be taken that way especially in Owen's case (that somehow, Owen was taught or internalized that he had to get the best grades - I do think he may have been bummed about midterms coming up).

I found the first line to be the major tone of the piece and it was truly poetic, "I am from rain jackets, wool Pendelton sweaters and the neverending rain." Also, "I am from Our father who art in heaven most Sundays..."

"I am from rain jackets and wool..." so evocative.

He used some wonderfully descriptive imagery and language.

He does have some raw, undeveloped talent...as you correctly pointed out in a previous post, he allowed his writing style to lapse into much looser, wordier descriptive narrative at the end vs. the beginning, which was more tightly constructed.

I do slightly disagree with you re: the "extra credit reference" in this regard:

He used the phrase "from extra credit is mandatory..."
Keyword: Mandatory.
That word changes everything.

Mandatory means obligatory.
Mandatory implies involuntary action.

Again, it's just a poem, but what this poem expresses, is ambivalence.
It's actually quite a good poem.
Why was it made public, though?

A separate question:

Has anyone read or seen anywhere what Owen's intended career path is and/or what his intended major field of study is?

Does he have an occupational goal right now, and if so, does it require a college degree, or is he attending college just because that's what he's expected to do?

JMO.

 

[happyday]

No one feels "pressured" by Extra Credit, IMO. Exams yes. Exams are hard and they are not optional. Extra credit is usually something less directly related to the course. I give an early extra credit assignment in all my classes, and the students who do it will almost always earn an A in the course (but not because of the extra credit, the gradebook calculates the two things separately).

There are just some students (they are called "A" students) who seek and enjoy every opportunity to learn and do better in a class. I guess some of them might feel pressured, but in all my years of teaching, having interacted more with the "extra credit" kids than any other group of kids, I'd say it's really not a valid generalization. They tend to be very motivated, creative and interested, but not necessarily driven. Some of them poke around for years, exploring, not getting through college at any particular pace.

However, I agree it could be taken that way especially in Owen's case (that somehow, Owen was taught or internalized that he had to get the best grades - I do think he may have been bummed about midterms coming up).

I found the first line to be the major tone of the piece and it was truly poetic, "I am from rain jackets, wool Pendelton sweaters and the neverending rain." Also, "I am from Our father who art in heaven most Sundays..."

"I am from rain jackets and wool..." so evocative.

He’s writing about where he comes from and says “extra credit is mandatory.” To me that means very high expectations and a high achieving environment. It’s also a pretty poetic way to put it. I can’t tell you how many times throughout the school years my kids have said something like, “I don’t need to do the extra credit because I already have an A in that class.” I’ll agree. But maybe he’s saying he never has that option. That he’s always expected to do better—the best. Perfectionism has bad consequences, and I wonder if he felt the need to be perfect. The fact that he said this about where he comes from is telling IMO.

 

[AnotherSetOfEyes]

No one else has brought this up since the 4pm interview with Owen's parents was aired. The interviewer asked about a crime that Owen had witnessed on campus. Did I misunderstand, or didn't the parents confirm that was true? Am I alone in thinking that is significant? If Owen either reported the crime or implicated someone when questioned, couldn't retribution be a possibility here?

 

[MsArk]

RE: Adderall Pills. The dynamic of dealer/buyer does potentially place Owen in a bad scenario. If the buyer is desperate/uninitiated then the dealer is in control. Dealer could playful razz, or be straight up abusive, looking to just plain steal from Owen or his family bank account.

There are tons of opportunities to get adderall on college campuses without having to venture into sketchy parts of town. IMO

 

[88GlavineRC]

There are tons of opportunities to get adderall on college campuses without having to venture into sketchy parts of town. IMO

True Adderall does have the reputation as being less risky, more pervasive on campuses/high schools. But i'd happily generalize anyone willing to sell ANY pharmaceutical as a criminal, no real moral barrier to selling stronger pills too.

 

[daydreamingbraindoc]

No one else has brought this up since the 4pm interview with Owen's parents was aired. The interviewer asked about a crime that Owen had witnessed on campus. Did I misunderstand, or didn't the parents confirm that was true? Am I alone in thinking that is significant? If Owen either reported the crime or implicated someone when questioned, couldn't retribution be a possibility here?

Absolutely. What I noticed was the parents reaction about it. They seemed kind of upset the police haven’t acted more on it, immediately stating it was something that had been known since day 1. I think this adds to their adamant statement disregarding the train hopping theory.

 

[gliving]

No one else has brought this up since the 4pm interview with Owen's parents was aired. The interviewer asked about a crime that Owen had witnessed on campus. Did I misunderstand, or didn't the parents confirm that was true? Am I alone in thinking that is significant? If Owen either reported the crime or implicated someone when questioned, couldn't retribution be a possibility here?

I understood it as an incident. Not necessarily a crime. His parents were concerned he might be involved helping someone out, as he has a kind heart.

 

[Kittybunny]

I'm not a parent so it's hard for me to imagine that Owen's parents prefer a scenario where he is in danger or has met with foul play, rather than one in which he is pursuing his own interests, albeit in a rebellious and unconventional way. That said I guess either way they just want LE to pursue everything.

BTW Now that the new video was released I'm less inclined to believe the rail hopping thing, but do strongly believe he left voluntarily. He lied about where he was really going, he took money out, he had some intention or plan for that evening. The timing of it being the day before midterms is also relevant. Whether he intended to stay away for this long is the question.

I wish we knew more about the incident that he witnessed, is there anyway to access campus papers? Is it possible it was related to the lacrosse team and that is why they are being so silent? Someone mentioned hazing I could see that as a possibility.

 

[gliving]

An important thing to remember is he said he was going to a meeting when there wasn't a meeting. He fibbed for some reason. He could have said he was going out for a walk.

 

[natesma]

PaulR..i agree.. His parents may care and love him, but they sure do not have an open honest relationship. OMG they watch his bank account.

RBBM
My parents watched my bank account when I was 18 too. Because they funded it! And we had an open, honest relationship. I’m guessing it’s a similar situation for him. IMO MOO

 

[EHS86]

I'm not a parent so it's hard for me to imagine that Owen's parents prefer a scenario where he is in danger or has met with foul play, rather than one in which he is pursuing his own interests, albeit in a rebellious and unconventional way. That said I guess either way they just want LE to pursue everything.

BTW Now that the new video was released I'm less inclined to believe the rail hopping thing, but do strongly believe he left voluntarily. He lied about where he was really going, he took money out, he had some intention or plan for that evening.

I think they may just be struggling to understand the "why" of why a person in his situation would leave and I'm sure grasping at straws there (rather than preferring it over the alternative). I don't mean to overstate but while growing up here may be a little 'vanilla', he truly did seem to have it all. He had great friends, great support, a great home, solid family... he's good natured, caring, SO well-liked. He doesn't fit the profile of a runaway in basically any way, shape or form, nor as someone suicidal. I don't think he was sheltered- he grew up in a good neighborhood, but it's a city. His pals were allowed a fair amount of freedom over the past few years (lets just say probably more than I'd ever comfortably give my own children) and I imagine, though cannot verify, that he was too. He went to a good public high school but not a pressure cooker by any means- it's not like his classmates were all off to the Ivy Leagues. Friends do not present Owen's parents to be "hoverers".

I do agree that he had an intention for at the very least those next few hours & that intention involved money. It makes me think that something went wrong there too, and probably within a narrow window of time (I'm betting before 9:30 or so when he would've been back to study). I wish the people on that group text would just come forward.

 

[NickieDrew91]

No one else has brought this up since the 4pm interview with Owen's parents was aired. The interviewer asked about a crime that Owen had witnessed on campus. Did I misunderstand, or didn't the parents confirm that was true? Am I alone in thinking that is significant? If Owen either reported the crime or implicated someone when questioned, couldn't retribution be a possibility here?

This is my first time posting. I live in Portland and have been following this case and reading through this thread. I also found this particular tidbit interesting and wish the reporter had asked for more elaborating. This was the second time I had heard that Owen may have had knowledge of a crime. The first time I heard it was very matter-of-factly but I don’t think I’m allowed to go into detail about that exchange, based off the rules of this group.
I am wondering if possibly there was a situation involving another student and the friends&family may have knowledge but are reluctant to put it out there because they want to protect the privacy of the other young adult(s) involved or simply don’t know a lot about it themselves. This is all speculation, I don’t know the family nor do I have any idea what this possible crime scenario is all about.

 

[Dre]

Oh wow, I hadn’t heard that he had possibly witnessed some sort of crime... that is horribly alarming to me...if that is the case then I’m very much afraid he’s been silenced in the worst way..

 

[Tutter]

An important thing to remember is he said he was going to a meeting when there wasn't a meeting. He fibbed for some reason. He could have said he was going out for a walk.

There actually was a meeting, but it does seem that he did not intend to go to it.