SOU's Danielle Mancuso receives ACUI award

SOU’s Danielle Mancuso recognized by international group

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The Association of College Unions International has recognized Danielle Mancuso, SOU’s associate director of student life, with the organization’s Excellence in Volunteer Service Award.

Mancuso served as the association’s 2019 Region IV Conference coordinator and co-chair, and developed the first joint regional conference in ACUI’s modern regional structure. Mancuso has held volunteer positions with the association for two years.

“Working for ACUI is so rewarding and fulfilling,” Mancuso said. “I count on my time at these conferences to rejuvenate and to learn. What I appreciate most about being in service to this organization are the talented and committed colleagues that I connect with regularly.”

ACUI is the professional home to thousands of campus community builders around the world, primarily focused on the work of those in the college unions and student activities field. The Excellence in Volunteer Service Award acknowledges individuals for their success and loyalty to ACUI during the previous 12 months in a volunteer role.

“Two weeks into my role as Conference Chair, I was asked if I would be interested in collaborating with Region I (another 5 states) to create a joint conference,” Mancuso said. “It meant more people and the opportunity to host a conference at University Nevada, Reno, at the Joe Crowley Student Union.

“It was amazing to lead a team of seasoned professionals, mentors, mid-level and new professionals. From the beginning of planning the conference, we designated a theme and a purpose, everything we did was rooted in that purpose – ‘Collaborations for a Common Vision.’”

The volunteer award recipient is chosen based on a high level of engagement that affirms ACUI’s value of professional service, validating their leadership, passion and contribution to the association.

“Mancuso’s work, vision and action has been centered on a deep and constant care for the experience of others,” the ACUI said. “A true storyteller, they succeeded in spinning a narrative throughout the joint regional conference that supported delegates in reflecting upon how identity shapes our stories.”

Mancuso’s achievements in professional service are significant to the association and to SOU. Mancuso began at Southern Oregon University in 2008 as Commuter & Veterans Resource Center Coordinator, and has positively impacted the SOU student experience for the past 12 years.

“In higher education, we engage in collaboration with departments, community partners, staff and faculty, organizations,” Mancuso said. “Our work is about people and processes. I was determined to put people and our stories of coming together at the center of this conference. I think what is most meaningful to me is that of the 400 conference attendees, 11 of them were SOU students. It is so much more meaningful to share in this good work with them.

“At the closing of the conference, I had a number of colleagues and mentors approach me and say it was the best ACUI Regional Conference they had been to – they said it met the National Conference Standards. I was so heartened that the intention we had set as a team came to pass. This award is a symbol, an acknowledgement from people that I deeply respect that are telling me that my leadership is strong, recognized and needed.”

Story by Kennedy Cartwright, SOU Marketing and Communications assistant and student writer

Kempner studies role of women in Saudi universities

SOU’s Ken Kempner studies role of women faculty in Saudi universities

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Southern Oregon University emeritus professor Ken Kempner, a former dean of social sciences at SOU, has continued studying the role of higher education in developing countries – most recently, the role of women in Saudi Arabia’s universities.

Kempner’s research was cited last month in a story in the life sciences magazine The Scientist about women faculty members at Saudi universities.

“I have been most surprised in our research that the level of education and inclusion of women in Saudi society was much more than I realized,” Kempner said. “Women are highly discriminated (against) and marginalized in Saudi society, but ironically, because of the gender apartheid there is a great need for women professors, doctors, lawyers and school teachers.

“There are some extremely brave women out there who struggle against great odds to even show up to class,” he said. “We found women professors in Arab countries outside of Saudi Arabia face daily harassment and physical violence just by teaching their classes.”

Kempner said he has worked with several Saudi students during his career at Portland State University, the University of Oregon and then SOU. One student – Sana Almansour – studied under Kempner in a doctoral program at PSU and is now a professor at Princess Nora University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The two have collaborated on various projects over the years, including the essay – “The Role of Arab Women Faculty in the Public Sphere” – that was cited by The Scientist. The paper focuses on the involvement of women professors, both in their universities and in larger society.

“I am a Western Male and am unable to interview women in many Arab countries,” Kempner said. “For this reason my colleague, Sana, had to do all the interviews and translations. She has access to women in countries I would not be allowed to travel –Iran, in particular.

“Therefore, my role in our research is as the conceptual scholar and synthesizer of the interviews Sana conducts. I formulate the questions for Sana and she tells me which questions are politically too dangerous to ask. And there are many.”

Kempner began his faculty career at Portland State, then moved to the UO before becoming SOU’s dean of social sciences, education, and health and physical education in 2001. He took emeritus status in 2012.

He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach at the Federal University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; a fellowship at the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico; and was a Yamada Scholar in Japan.

“My writing and research has always focused on the role of higher education in developing countries,” Kempner said. “I’ve been most interested in how universities contribute to social and economic development, and the role universities play in equity and social justice for women and under-represented groups.”

Kempner has continued to advise international students since his retirement and serves on several department committees.

Story by Blair Selph, SOU Marketing and Communications student writer

Esports management minor is coming to SOU

Esports team and esports management minor coming to SOU

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University will be among the first universities on the West Coast to offer both an academic program and a competitive team in esports when both are launched this fall. Esports is a billion-dollar global enterprise, and the programs will position SOU students for future employment in the burgeoning industry.

The University of California, Irvine, has an existing continuing education program in esports and a growing number of universities are exploring academic or team esports programs. SOU’s academic minor in esports management will be one of just a handful nationally.

The combination of competitive esports and the academic minor may help to attract more nontraditional students to SOU, President Linda Schott said.

“By offering a new academic minor, the university can meet the needs of students and the demands of a rapidly growing industry,” the president said. “Our new esports team will provide competitive, non-traditional sports offerings to students, which has the potential to increase student recruitment, engagement and retention.”

The academic minor – offered through SOU’s Business Program – will include curriculum in business, marketing, digital media and communication. Preliminary plans for the program call for new courses including Introduction to Esports Management and Contemporary & Ethical Issues in Esports.

SOU business faculty member Jeremy Carlton is organizing the esports management minor. Students can enroll for classes that begin this fall.

“The minor will help prepare students to be an integral part of the action in a field that values quick and strategic thinking, mental agility, intellectual curiosity and creativity,” Carlton said.

The university will also open an Esports Lab in its Student Recreation Center. The lab will house multiple computer gaming stations, one of which will be reserved for streaming and esports commentating – known as “shoutcasting.” The lab will be used for intercollegiate competitions, intramural gaming and open play for all SOU students and SRC members.

The university anticipates that its intercollegiate team will compete in the Collegiate Starleague (CSL). Collegiate esports started with CSL, which hosted the first collegiate competition in 2009 and has grown to include teams from 1,800 college campuses across North America. The CSL offers leagues across several titles and platforms, for players at all skill levels.

The CSL’s leagues and tournaments award scholarships to top-rated student gamers each year, and the organization is expected to eclipse the $1 million mark in scholarships in 2020.

SOU has elected to have members of its intercollegiate team help choose which games it will play. A survey conducted earlier this year indicated that students were most interested in “Apex Legends” and “Call of Duty.”

An important focus of the SOU team will be on health and well-being.

“This is a new sport, which means we have asked our campus recreation program to ensure that our players can perform at the highest levels,” Schott said, noting that there is a wellness and physical activity component required for students who participate on the competitive team.

“Our team members will engage weekly as part of a mandatory wellness component,” she said.

-SOU-

JPR wins Edward R. Murrow awards

JPR wins news reporting awards in regional Edward R. Murrow contest

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The Jefferson Public Radio newsroom is among the winners of the 2020 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards. The Murrows are presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) to recognize outstanding broadcast and online journalism.

JPR won in the Feature Reporting, Hard News and News Series categories in RTDNA’s NW small market division. That’s made up of public and commercial radio stations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. This is the third year running JPR has won in the Hard News category.

JPR was also recognized by the Associated Press Television and Radio Association (APTRA).The Associated Press award for News Feature was chosen from among submissions by small market public and commercial radio stations in the 13 western states, including California, Oregon and Washington.

“I’m thrilled to see the JPR news department recognized once again for its journalistic excellence,” stated JPR Executive Director Paul Westhelle. “Thanks to the support of our listeners, we’ve made a major investment during the last year expanding the capacity of our newsroom to create better, deeper local journalism for citizens of our region. These awards acknowledge that commitment as well as the dedication of the talented JPR journalists who work each day to create a better informed public.”

The RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Awards are presented to news organizations whose work demonstrates the spirit of excellence that Murrow set as a standard for the profession of broadcast and digital journalism.

Listen to the winning entries:

Hard News

Bulldozers In The Wilderness: Are They Worth The Environmental Cost?
by Liam Moriarty

Federally designated wilderness areas are strictly protected. So it raised eyebrows last summer when fire managers brought bulldozers and other heavy equipment into wilderness areas to fight wildfires in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

News Feature

Ashland’s EJ Holland Continues Oregon Running Legacy
by Erik Neumann

At the State of Jefferson cross-country meet in Ashland’s Lithia Park, the tangy smell of trampled grass hangs in the air. Lanky teenagers sprint the last few hundred yards to the race finish line while parents and classmates cheer from the edge of the course.
(This story won both a Murrow and an APTRA award)

News Series

Oppressed By Wildfire
by April Ehrlich

Jefferson Public Radio spent months speaking to families in Northern California about how wildfires impact them. We found that wildfires leave the most long-lasting impacts on marginalized populations — including people of Latino and Native American descent, people who are homeless, and people with disabilities. The key issue is that wildfire response and preparation systems weren’t designed with these communities in mind.

Regional Murrow winners are automatically entered in the national Edward R. Murrow competition. National winners will be announced in June.

This story is reposted from Jefferson Public Radio

Centralized trash cans and recycling bins will be the focus at SOU

Initiative to reduce trash cans – and trash – continues despite COVID-19

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COVID-19 has reached so deeply into everyday life that it’s affected even seemingly unrelated procedures and initiatives – such as a project to reduce waste at SOU by eliminating individual trash cans.

The program – launched in January by sustainability and recycling manager Rebecca Walker – is continuing, but at a different trajectory and pace.

Walker, who became SOU’s sustainability and recycling manager in November, launched the initiative to remove individual trash cans from rooms across campus, starting with the Facilities, Management and Planning building.

“This is a small change, but to me a critical one,” Walker said. “Studies have shown that removing individual trash cans has a number of benefits, including the reduction in the use of plastic liners, helping staff and students to think about how they handle their trash, increasing recycling rates … and reducing overall trash.”

It will also save money by reducing the amount of time the custodial staff needs to take out the trash.

The Science Building, Taylor Hall, and Churchill Hall had their trash and recycling measured in early January, before the initiative started. The intent was to allow Walker and the rest of the Facilities, Management and Planning team to check the initiative’s outcome by comparing measurements later. Unfortunately, COVID-19 threw a wrench into that plan – the reduced presence of students and employees on campus would skew trash comparisons,.

“We haven’t done any trash measurements since January,” Walker said. “And with less people on campus and a campus operating differently, we are going to roll out this program of work over a longer period of time.” 

It’s only small, individual cans found in classrooms, offices and other locations that will be removed. The centralized waste stations (the ones containing three bins for trash, paper, and glass) will still be in every building, a short walk from most locations. And Walker is prepared to make exceptions in some situations.

“Not all individual trash cans had been removed,” she said. “In some cases, it makes sense to keep a smaller trash can between a few people or an individual trash can. We need to put in place systems that work for everyone, and in some cases there may be a reason why someone has to keep an individual trash can.”

The initiative has temporarily slowed, but it isn’t going away. 

“We do intend to continue to roll out (the trash can) project – including centralized locations, signage and education and awareness for recycling – over the summer,” Walker said. “Recycling is an important foundation for any campus to have in place to achieve its sustainability goals.”

In the meantime, she has refocused her team on projects that can be completed predominantly online – such as a new, more ambitious SOU Climate and Sustainability Plan.

“I have been working with the Sustainability Council and students to initiate (the development of a Climate and Sustainability Plan),” she said. “We have exciting plans of getting as many involved as we can through Zoom workshops and social media to maximize participation and involvement in the current, more online community.”

Those who want to be involved or have ideas for sustainability and climate action at SOU should complete the form at (https://form.jotform.com/200288565040148) by Friday, May 15.

Story by Blair Selph, SOU Marketing and Communications student writer