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SOU Outdoor Program offers Winter Term climbing opportunities

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The SOU Outdoor Program is offering multiple climbing opportunities this winter for those who want to learn something new or experience something challenging.

The Outdoor Program is offering a chance for climbing beginners to start their learning experience on Feb. 17 at Emigrant Lake. Intermediate climbing at Rattlesnake will be offered on March 16.

The Emigrant Lake climbing trip is $24 and the Rattlesnake trip is $37, and both prices include transportation, instruction and lunch.

To sign up, log in to SOU Connect­ and fill out the form. Both trips are on weekends, to avoid school-week conflicts.

The Climbing Center in SOU’s new Student Recreation Center is also offering a series of clinics during Winter Term. Belay technique clinics are taught on Monday nights from 8 to 9:30 p.m., and are $5 each.

A three-part Lead Climbing Clinic is being offered over three evenings – Feb. 6, 13 and 20, from 8 to 10 p.m. – for those who want to take their climbing to the next level. The cost is $10.

SOU’s Outdoor Program supports students experiencing the spirit of adventure during their time at the university. It offers student-led trips throughout the school year for the entire campus community, and rents high-quality equipment for camping, rafting, kayaking and backpacking.

The Outdoor Program is associated with Student Life, and support all adventure-based clubs on campus.

SOU Connect is often updated with new information from the Outdoor Program.

Story by Bryn Mosier, SOU Marketing and Communications intern

Scholarships-application-deadline

March 1 deadline approaches for more than 600 OSAC scholarships

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(Salem, Ore.) – The Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) of Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission is encouraging Oregon students to apply for privately funded scholarships at OregonStudentAid.gov by the March 1 deadline.

Oregon students may explore more than 600 privately funded scholarships and apply for as many as 40 with a single application. There is no cost to apply, but students must submit their completed OSAC scholarship applicationsand all other required materials by 5 p.m. on March 1.

SOU students may also seek help with their financial aid options at the Financial Aid Office in Britt Hall, or on the university’s financial aid website.

SOU’s Financial Aid Office is urging current and future students to complete their Southern Online Scholarship Applications (SOSA) by March 15 for financial aid during the 2019-20 academic year. Completion of the SOSA form is required for those seeking any from a pool of scholarships – both need- and merit-based, for undergraduate and graduate students, and for Oregon residents and nonresidents.

The scholarship funding available through Oregon’s HECC office is for groups including graduating high school seniors, undergraduate and graduate students at colleges or universities, GED and homeschooled students, community college and vocational school students, and single parents returning to school. Details on specific scholarships that are available through HECC can be found on the OSAC Scholarship Catalog.

Students who want to be considered for federal or state financial aid, including grants and loans, must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Oregon Student Aid Application (ORSAA) in addition to the OSAC application. The ORSAA is Oregon’s alternative to the FAFSA for undocumented students, including students who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.

OSAC uses data from the FAFSA or the ORSAA to determine students’ eligibility for the Oregon Promise, the Oregon Opportunity Grant and numerous scholarships. Information from the FAFSA is also used to determine eligibility for federal aid, including the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Loans and Federal Work-Study.

More information about deadlines and eligibility for the Oregon Promise and the Oregon Opportunity Grant is available at OregonStudentAid.gov. OSAC also hosts several webinars and resources for students, counselors, students, parents, and educators on financial aid opportunities.

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SOU-filmmaker-MovieMaker

Magazine names Ashland among best locales to work as filmmaker

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For the sixth year in a row, MovieMaker Magazine has named the scenic town of Ashland in its annual ranking of the best places to live and work as a filmmaker in the United States.

This year, Ashland placed sixth in the magazine’s Small Cities and Towns category, competing well against larger markets including New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

The magazine chose Ashland due to its picturesque filming locations, such as Lithia Park and Mt. Ashland, and because of the increase in moviemakers and actors moving to the area. Film students in the region can also take advantage of the Digital Cinema curriculum in the Communication program at Southern Oregon University.

“Because Ashland is a small, connected community, our students get tremendous benefits by learning filmmaking here,” said Digital Cinema professor Andrew Gay. “Filmmakers in the region enthusiastically support our student population with internships and PA gigs, helping them build skills that transfer to sets in larger markets such as Portland and Los Angeles.”

Gary Lundgren produced the coming-of-age film “Calvin Marshall” in the Rogue Valley in 2009, and has always seen Ashland as a welcoming community for filmmakers.

“When we made ‘Calvin Marshall’ in 2007, we employed quite a few first-timers and promoted people within their departments,” Lundgren told MovieMaker magazine. “A lot of those people are still friends of ours and have careers in bigger markets now, like Portland or Atlanta.”

Lundgren tries to contribute to Ashland’s positive and welcoming vibe by hiring a few first-timers whenever he’s assembling a crew for one of his films, such as his latest project, “Phoenix, Oregon,” a comedy about two friends who open a bowling alley and pizzeria.

MovieMaker magazine is geared toward the art and business of filmmaking, and claims to be the world’s most widely read independent film magazine. It was founded in 1993 in Seattle, but is now headquartered in Burbank, California.

Story by SOU student writer Sophie Passerini

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SOU donors just might turn students into doctors

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Mackenzie Murphy, an SOU Honors College senior and hopeful physician-to-be, has reached out through the SOU Foundation to thank donors who have contributed to the university and made her honors scholarship possible.

“A lot of the students in the Honors College come from low-income backgrounds and most of us honestly would not be able to afford to go to a four-year college,” Murphy said.

She is a biology major with minors in chemistry and mathematics, and plans to attend medical school and then work as an emergency room physician. She is from New York, and fell in love with the university and Ashland community when she came to SOU for a visit.

“Everybody here is so nice and supportive,” Murphy said. “My ideal goal is to go to OHSU and to practice in the Oregon area.”

Acceptance into the SOU Honors College can be life-changing for students. All students in the program receive scholarships.

“I am deeply appreciative of each and every donor,” Murphy said. “Their donations have helped so many students like me, and they have impacted the way we see our education and how well we are going to do in the future.”

Private gifts from donors and other philanthropic partners make up an important revenue source for the university. Funding through the SOU Foundation helps to attract and retain the best and brightest faculty, provide scholarships, build first-class facilities and maintain the quality of SOU’s education and research programs.

Reposted from the SOU Foundation website