Josie Clark Oral History Interview, March 4, 2024

Partial Transcript: Can you talk a little bit about how you grew up?

Segment Synopsis: Josie moved around a bit as a kid due to parents jobs, bounced around between Oregon and the South. She had to put a but of effort into making friends by doing lots of activities around school because she moved around so much.

Partial Transcript: How did your experience moving around effect your family as a whole?

Segment Synopsis: Moving around a lot made their family very close and provided a lot of connections for Josie. Often experienced culture shock, but moving around has really shaped both her and her families life. She has two younger siblings, one is a freshman at Oregon State and the other is a junior in high school. As the oldest sibling, Josie was put under a bit of pressure to be a role model for her siblings. She enjoys sharing her experiences with her siblings and proving guidance for them that will make their lives easier. Her dad works for Intel and her mom has traditionally been a stay at home mom, but she has recently transitioned back into working with a research group at the University of Oregon. Josie often finds herself asking her mom for career advice even though she was a stay at home.

Partial Transcript: You mentioned that you graduated with an undergraduate degree in marketing, is that always what you wanted to do growing up?

Segment Synopsis: Growing up, Josie wanted to be an astronaut. She started out college as a biology major but switched to business as she realized it would open up more opportunities. Within the business realm she often enjoyed her marketing classes and decided to specialize in marketing because of that enjoyment.

Partial Transcript: Can you go into more detail about what your experience was like in high school?

Segment Synopsis: Josie began to branch out more in her junior and senior years of high school. As she was going to a new school her junior year, her family decided to enroll her in a smaller, private school to make the transition easier. She was able to find a very close group of friends that she has maintained contact with up until today. Was not very focused on academics until she was in college. Going from a public school in the South to a private school was very interesting, and Josie often found that it was more strict at the public school than the private school. She also found that sports were quite a big deal in the South compared to her private school, and that girls would often dress up for school, which was not the case at her private school.

Partial Transcript: What was it like playing sports at a large public school in the South?

Segment Synopsis: When she moved halfway through middle school, Josie and her family decided to have her repeat seventh grade so that she would be could be more competitive playing soccer, considering that she was a scrawnier kid growing up. Soccer was very competitive in the South, and it was quite a culture shock moving from that environment to a private school in Oregon, where she found that she had an easier time withs sports. Josie found that there were not many discrepancies or discrimination between the girls teams and the boys teams at any of her schools and often found that the girls teams were more respected than the boys. While she feels that leadership is one of her core values, she found that it did not really stem from her time in sports but rather her time at Sigma Kappa.

Partial Transcript: You went through some awakenings between your time in high school and college, were there any defining moments that contributed to these changes or was it gradual?

Segment Synopsis: Josie found that there were some specific conversations and instances were she felt motivated to be the president of Sigma Kappa, such as conversations with the current president at the time. She found that some of her biggest shifts between her high school and college self took place as she became chapter president for Sigma Kappa.

Partial Transcript: Covid-19 occurred during your freshman year, what was that experience like for you?

Segment Synopsis: Covid began while Josie was in her freshman year, and while it was sometimes discussed as it was spreading, it did not gain traction in the US until after spring break, so rather than choosing to stay in the dorms, Josie moved home for the remaining part of her freshman year. In the fall of her sophomore year she moved into the sorority house with about twenty other girls.

Partial Transcript: Would you ever say you got involved with the OSU campus as a whole?

Segment Synopsis: Aside from greek life, Josie found that most of her campus involvement came from a few jobs here and there but greek life was her main extracurricular. She enjoyed attending sporting events with friends and spent a bit of time at the library.

Partial Transcript: It seems like you were pretty focused on academics, how did you balance that and being so focused on your sorority?

Segment Synopsis: Josie sometimes felt that she was in Corvallis with the purpose of being Sigma Kappa president and that school was an activity on the side, and sometimes it reflected in her grades, but she never found school to be particularly hard. She really emphasized time management during her time at OSU and that made it easy to block out time for both presidential duties and academic work. Going through her undergraduate degree, she found that she was often motivated by getting good grades. She had goals of going to graduate school and knew that getting good grades would make her application processes easier.

Partial Transcript: Was Oregon State the only school that you applied to?

Segment Synopsis: There were a number of schools that Josie applied to, but she had always known that Oregon State was a top choice for her. Going from private school to a public university was somewhat difficult for Josie, but she found that her time moving around during her childhood really helped prepare her for college and being in a new environment.

Partial Transcript: What would you say some of your core values are?

Segment Synopsis: Josie would say that personal growth is a big value of hers, and she often finds herself pushing herself out of her comfort zone and always doing what is best for her. She also values networking and relationships. She also very much values leadership, and these values came about during her time at OSU.

Partial Transcript: You joined Sigma Kappa as a freshman, what was your recruitment process like?

Segment Synopsis: Throughout her recruitment process Josie remembers crying a lot and found it to be a difficult process. She remembers being very nervous and that it was a very important decision that would effect the rest of her time at Oregon State. There is a long line of sorority women in her family, and because of this Josie always knew she wanted to be in a sorority. She also felt that it really helped her find her place within the university.

Partial Transcript: While you were Sigma Kappa president, you did work with ADA renovations and reduced the housing debt, how did those projects come about?

Segment Synopsis: When Josie became president, the chapter was still struggling to bounce back from debt that accumulated during the covid years, and the chapter was in danger of shutting down and losing the house. In addition, during her time as president she was tasked with bringing the house up to ADA standards by implementing a ramp that led up to the house. Josie was also tasked with applying for the affiliated housing program, which allowed freshman to move out of the dorms and into the sorority house. She helped develop a nine year ADA plan so that the house would meet ADA standards. During her time as president, Josie developed a new appreciation for how difficult leadership was and had to have a lot of difficult conversations. She also held the position of Ritual Chair and was in charge of overseeing activities regarding ritual practices. While her positions gave her an understanding of some of the darker sides of greek life, she loved it and would absolutely do it again. However, she also acknowledges that there is a bit of sexism and negative connotations that still are a part of greek life at Oregon State. She also discussed some double standards that occurred between the sororities and the fraternities while she was a part of Sigma Kappa.

Partial Transcript: You mentioned that there is a long lineage of sorority women in your family, was sorority life discussed a lot during your childhood because of this?

Segment Synopsis: Josie's mom was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta at the University of Georgia and she recounts stories that her mom told her during her childhood of the high standards that women were held to during her time at the University of Georgia. She was often told severe stories that resembled very stereotypical ideas of greek life, but she still decided to join Sigma Kappa at Oregon State regardless.

Partial Transcript: What was the general opinion in your family regarding women and going to college to get degrees?

Segment Synopsis: Josie's mom never intended to become a stay at home mom, but while she began applying to MBA programs her priorities shifted to her family. Josie also recounts how her dad once discussed with her that there was never an expectation for her mom to be a stay at home mom, it was simply how the situation occurred, and there was also no expectation for Josie to become one. Rather, there was expectation that Josie go to university for both an undergraduate degree and a masters degree. Josie has two younger siblings, one girl and one boy. While she was the closest to her mom, she feels that her youngest siblings are more independent and go to her for advice and sensitive conversations rather than the parents.

Partial Transcript: How do you feel about the future of Oregon State and the Pac-12 dissolution?

Segment Synopsis: While Josie enjoyed going to the games during her time at OSU, she really does not have strong feelings regarding the topic of the dissolution.

Partial Transcript: Looking back on you time as an undergraduate student at OSU, what were some of your biggest regrets?

Segment Synopsis: Josie felt that she really doesn't have any major regrets, but she wishes that she got more involved with the school outside of greek life. She also wishes that she took a language. Regarding advice for others going through undergraduate at OSU, she recommends that individuals take advantage of every opportunity and to push your boundaries. She also recommends joining clubs and emphasizes having diverse relationships.