Earth Day at The Farm drew about 2,000

Earth Day exceeds expectations at The Farm at SOU

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Organizers outdid themselves with their celebration of Earth Day at The Farm at SOU on Friday, April 21, with about 2,000 people and 50 dogs joining the festivities to enjoy exhibits, live performances, an electric vehicle showcase, bike rodeo, art, food trucks and more.

Earth Day boothThis year’s Earth Day celebration was sponsored by Sustainability at SOU, the Ashland Food Co-op, Café Mam and Stracker Solar, and other partners in the event include the ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum and Southern Oregon Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Association (SOHEVA). More than 30 community organizations and sustainability-minded businesses hosted educational exhibits and opportunities for action.

A variety of educational activities were available for those who took part in the “Earth Day Ecoquest,” vying to win prizes for completing tasks at designated booths.

The Klamath Bird Observatory and the Audubon Society offered information about birds, and how to identify and protect them. Rogue Valley Storm Water Management, the local Forest Service and Stream Smart all taught about water use, showing kids how to identify different types of pollutants in water and using a watershed model that simulated water run-off. Pachamama Alliance and the Water League teamed up on a gratitude activity, asking everyone to write down why they are grateful for water and to contribute a stone to a gratitude pool.

Several matching games were offered, including animal track matching with The Crest at Willow Witt, seed-to-flower matching with the Understory Initiative, microgreen-to-seed-to-vegetable matching with Rogue Valley Farm to School, and even scat-to-animal matching with Lomakatsi Restoration Project.

Earth Day participants had a chance to get their hands dirty by helping out in the Farm at SOU, weeding onion and garlic beds, and transplanting kale and fennel starts. Siskiyou School made seed bombs, participants planted sunflower seeds in compostable plant pots with Jackson County Library Services, and Subaru had various native shrubs and pollinator plants to give away.

Children gained knowledge by answering questions about pollinators and bees, and drawing butterflies at Pollinator Project Rogue Valley’s tent.

The Rogue Valley Transportation District provided free bike tune-ups and free, bike-blended smoothies. Bike riders were then directed to the bike valet, run by Siskiyou Velo, before enjoying the other festivities.

Food trucks from Caba Empanadas and Sultan’s Delight offered meals, and SOHEVA showed a large assortment of electric vehicles the parking lot of The Farm, and offered test rides to participants.

Entertainment was provided by Elbow Room Taiko, followed by performances from Jackie Tomato, Creekside Strings, Liz Pisarcyck and the Dad Rock band.

Earth Day has been celebrated annually each April 22 in the U.S. since 1970, and globally since 1990; it was observed a day early this year at SOU because the actual holiday was on a weekend. The SOU Student Sustainability Team (formerly ECOS) has hosted a local version of the event for more than 20 years – historically, in the Stevenson Union courtyard. The Student Sustainability Team moved the event to The Farm at SOU last year to help fill a void that was left when the Rogue Valley Earth Day event at the neighboring ScienceWorks was discontinued.

Precious Yamaguchi in Faculty Spotlight Podcast

Faculty Spotlight Podcast: SOU’s Precious Yamaguchi

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AHS junior varsity Brain Bowl team

SOU hosts middle and high school Brain Bowl

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The 46th annual Southern Oregon Brain Bowl, a quizbowl tournament organized by Southern Oregon University for area middle and high school teams, is in the books and the winners were Sacred Heart Home School, Cascade Christian and Ashland High in the high school divisions, and Ashland Middle School, Eagle Point and North Middle in the middle school divisions.

Sacred Heart Brain Bowl teamThe Southern Oregon Brain Bowl, which began in 1977 and is based on game show Jeopardy, is a local academic competition between southern Oregon middle schools and high schools. The schools compete in teams through a semi-final round, then championship rounds are held in the studios of Southern Oregon PBS and broadcast to the local viewing audience.

A total of 17 teams representing 14 schools competed in this year’s high school tournament, played with a March 18 opening round and then a final round last Saturday, April 22. The finals for both the varsity and junior varsity levels were held on the SOU campus and aired Sunday on SOPBS.

Ashland High School competed against the Sacred Heart Home School team in this year’s Division A Varsity, with Sacred Heart taking the trophy with a 75-40 final score. Cascade Christian and Eagle Point High School had a close match in Division B Varsity, with Cascade Christian coming out on top, 43-40. Ashland High School won a nail-biter over defending 2022 champion Grants Pass High School in the Junior Varsity Division – the two teams were tied until the final question, and the Ashland High team won, 39-37.

Cascade Christian Brain Bowl teamThe middle school divisions played in a round-robin format for five weeks beginning in January and ending in February. Winners were determined by their win/loss standings, and ties were broken by the winners of head-to-head competitions.

Division A was made up of Ashland, Hedrick, Logos, McLoughlin, St. Mary’s and The Valley School. Ashland and St. Mary’s each finished the tournament with a win-loss record of 4-1, but Ashland won a head-to-head match against, 13-12, in week two.

Division B was made up of Cascade Christian, Eagle Point, Kids Unlimited, Sacred Heart and Siskiyou School. Eagle Point and Siskiyou School each finished with 3-1 win-loss records, but Eagle Point won the two schools’ head-to-head matchup, 30-27, in week four.

Division C was made up of Fleming, Hanby, North, Rogue River, Scenic and South. North and South middle schools were the top finishers, with North running the table for a 5-0 win-loss record, followed by South at 4-1.

SOU Pre-College Youth Programs organized the tournaments, which were sponsored by Lithia 4Kids and open to participants from the Jackson, Josephine and Klamath County school districts. Organizers congratulated all team members and participating schools in both the middle and high school competitions, and thanked the coaches who served as mentors to their students and the SOPBS staff and volunteers who helped host the events.

More program information, pictures and scoreboards are available at the SOU Pre-College Youth Program website.

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SOU Forward realignment plan approved

SOU Board of Trustees approves realignment plan

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The Southern Oregon University Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to adopt the SOU Forward fiscal realignment plan – a four-plank strategy that balances expenses with revenue and then prepares the university for strategic growth by diversifying its sources of revenue.

The board focused primarily on the plan’s first plank – immediate cost management – while the three planks or elements that are centered on revenue generation will unfold over the next several years.

“University leaders clearly understand SOU’s difficult position and have identified the steps necessary to address the institution’s immediate financial threats,” said Daniel Santos, chair of the SOU Board of Trustees. “What my fellow board members and I find most hopeful is that this plan also lays out a course of action that will enable the university to diversify its revenue and avoid similar threats in the future.”

The cost management measures that trustees adopted will reduce expenses by $3.6 million this year while identifying another $9 million in recurring cost reductions. They address structural flaws in the university’s financial model that otherwise would result in a projected $14.6 million deficit by the 2026-27 fiscal year.

The measures will reduce the SOU workforce by the equivalent of almost 82 full-time positions – about 24 of them resulting in current employees losing their jobs. The remainder will be achieved through a combination of current job vacancies, retirements, voluntary departures and non-renewable contracts. The university is working closely with the 24 current employees whose positions will be lost to identify other opportunities.

Those whose positions are impacted are being given advance notice ranging from 120 days to 15 months, depending on job category.

“Make no mistake, this continues to be a challenging process for all of us at SOU,” President Rick Bailey said. “But we will remain committed to kindness, compassion and unity. We are in this together, and will always be mindful of the ways in which this plan affects all of our students, faculty and staff.

“Ultimately, as challenging as this work is, we are doing it because we are united in our love for students. We owe it to current and future students to take the steps necessary to keep SOU affordable and accessible for generations to come.”

The staffing reductions will touch SOU’s three employee groups almost equally, with 27 faculty positions, 30 classified positions and 25 unclassified positions affected. The timing of reductions will vary over the next year and a half, with most being achieved by June 2024 or soon thereafter.

The realignment process, which began in earnest last October, has aimed for transparency and collaboration, with input from SOU’s shared governance partners – the Associated Students of SOU, Faculty Senate and Staff Assembly – and the unions representing both faculty and classified employees. With each decision, efforts have been made to maintain academic excellence and student experiences.

The structural flaws in SOU’s fiscal model are the result of a longstanding reliance on the combination of state appropriations and tuition revenue to pay for most operations. The proportion of those two funding sources has flipped in recent decades for all of Oregon’s seven public universities – what used to be about a two-thirds share from the state and one-third from tuition is now the exact opposite.

President Bailey has said that SOU can “no longer pull the tuition lever” each time its budget must be balanced. The SOU Forward plan identifies strategies that will build the university’s fiscal resilience and reduce its reliance on state funding and tuition.

Those revenue-generating planks call for the university to reimagine how it supports faculty and programs seeking funding from external granting agencies and organizations, leverage an ongoing surge in philanthropic support for SOU and diversify revenue by pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities that include solar power generation and creation of a senior living facility.

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Electric vehicle carshare program comes to SOU

Ashland and SOU partner with nonprofit for EV carshare

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The City of Ashland and Southern Oregon University have partnered with Forth, a Portland-based nonprofit whose mission is to electrify transportation, to bring electric vehicle carshare to Ashland. The collaborative effort will start with one electric vehicle in Ashland, to be located in the SOU parking lot at 390 Wightman Street, next to The Hawk Dining Commons and Lithia Motors Pavilion.

The electric carshare project is part of a new pilot program called GoForth that was created by Forth. The goal of the partnership with Ashland and SOU is to provide access to affordable, all-electric cars for community members to test drive or use.

Carsharing is a system where individuals have access to a network of vehicles for short-term rental. Participants in the GoForth project will need to download the Miocar Network app, create an account and take a brief orientation to use the car. They must be at least 21, have a valid driver’s license and relatively clean driving record, and a valid credit, debit or bank card.

Participants’ first four-hour ride is free, and after that, they will be charged $4 per hour or $35 per day. The electric vehicle stationed in Ashland is a Chevy Bolt.

“It is great to be able to partner with the City of Ashland and Forth to provide access an electric car for community members to test drive or use for errands, shopping or appointments,” said SOU Sustainability Director Becs Walker. “This helps with access to an electric vehicle as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Ashland is the most recent of GoForth’s 10 active locations – nine in Oregon and another in Washington. The program has another four future locations planned – one in Oregon, two in Washington and one in Jackson, Wyoming. Electric cars drive much like traditional cars – the pedals, steering wheel and controls are the same, but they are fueled by electricity instead of gas and charge through a plug.

“This carshare allows people a climate-friendly and affordable way to rent a car. It also provides the opportunity try an electric car before committing to one,” said Chad Woodward, climate and energy analyst for the City of Ashland. “As a bonus, the fuel is included.”

SOU's 150th anniversary recognized by Oregon Legislature

Oregon Legislature congratulates SOU on 150th anniversary

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The Oregon Legislature has recognized the 150th anniversary of Southern Oregon University, moving last week to adopt a resolution that applauds and congratulates the university for its ongoing “service, leadership and contributions to the State of Oregon.” The legislation – House Concurrent Resolution 1 – was signed by Oregon Senate President Rob Wagner in an event attended by SOU President Rick Bailey and SOU Board of Trustees Chair Danny Santos.

150th anniversary event in SalemSOU, which was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary throughout the 2022-23 academic year. The institution has been in its current location since 1926, and was known by a total of nine other names before becoming SOU in 1997.

Last week’s resolution was sponsored by State Rep. Pam Marsh and State Sen. Jeff Golden, both of Ashland. It was co-sponsored by representatives Kim Wallan, Zack Hudson, Boomer Wright, Emily McIntire, Ricki Ruiz and David Brock Smith.

The resolution contains 19 “whereas” notations – recognizing everything from the evolution of SOU’s name and focus, to its commitment to sustainability, to the leadership of its graduates – before concluding with a “therefore” statement congratulating “SOU, tens of thousands of SOU alumni and all Oregonians” on the university’s 150th anniversary.

The complete text of the resolution follows:

House Concurrent Resolution 1
Sponsored by Representative MARSH, Senator GOLDEN, Representatives WALLAN, HUDSON, WRIGHT; Representatives MCINTIRE, RUIZ, SMITH DB

Whereas Southern Oregon University (SOU) can trace its beginning to 1869, when local citizens formed the Rogue River Valley Educational Society with the goal of building an academy of higher learning in Ashland, Oregon; and

Whereas in 1872, the first building was completed, and the Ashland Academy officially opened and welcomed its first students; and

Whereas in 1882, the Legislative Assembly authorized creation of a state normal school in Ashland for teacher training, and the school was renamed Ashland State Normal School; and

Whereas in 1895, the school was renamed Southern Oregon State Normal School and was located about a mile south of the present campus; and

Whereas in 1925, the City of Ashland donated 24 acres for a new campus, the present site of SOU; and

Whereas the institution has grown and evolved as a resilient organization with the support of the public over the course of 150 years, including attaining university status in 1997 with an official name change to Southern Oregon University; and

Whereas SOU has prepared future generations of teachers since 1882 and was named the top college for K-12 education degree programs in 2020 by schools.com, based on the United States Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; and

Whereas SOU’s School of Business was named best in the Northwest and was ranked 10th in the United States for MBA programs in nonprofit management by intelligent.com, based on analysis of regional accreditation statistics in 2019; and

Whereas SOU advances and encourages the arts within the institution and in the surrounding community, including Professor Angus Bowmer’s vision that created the world-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1935; and

Whereas SOU has fostered creativity education by hosting the annual international Creativity Conference since 2018; and

Whereas SOU proudly implements character-driven athletics programs as a foundation for sportsmanship and athletic accomplishments, and SOU has been recognized twice with the Cascade Collegiate Conference Presidents’ Cup for Academic Excellence, was first in the fall 2018 LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup rankings from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and has achieved multiple conference and national championships; and

Whereas SOU has been lauded as one of the most environmentally responsible higher education institutions in the United States and Canada, including recognition as a “Tree Campus USA,” as the nation’s first “Bee Campus USA” and as the nation’s top pollinator-friendly college in the Sierra Club’s “Cool Schools” rankings; and

Whereas SOU has been included in the top 20 list of green colleges and universities by the United States Environmental Protection Agency since 2008 and received the Excellence and Innovation Award for Sustainability and Sustainable Development from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities; and

Whereas SOU achieved the “Gold” level for sustainability from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and received a Climate Leadership Award at the Presidential Climate Leadership Summit of the nonprofit organization Second Nature; and

Whereas SOU strives to create an inclusive campus community, resulting in it being named one of the nation’s “Best of the Best” LGBTQIA+ campuses for 10 consecutive years by Campus Pride; and

Whereas for 150 years, dedicated faculty and staff have led the way at SOU, continually renewing the university’s commitment to putting students first by building a community of learners who impact their own lives and the lives of those around them; and

Whereas graduates of SOU have become leaders in business, government, academia, the military, science, medicine, education, the arts and every other field of human endeavor; and

Whereas the SOU Board of Trustees received the John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership in 2019-2020; and

Whereas Southern Oregon University has publicly acknowledged that these successes exist within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Takelma and Latgawa people; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:

That we, the members of the Eighty-second Legislative Assembly, commemorate the 150th anniversary of Southern Oregon University and congratulate SOU, tens of thousands of SOU alumni and all Oregonians on this significant public milestone of service, leadership and contributions to the State of Oregon.

SOU Forward plan goes to Board of Trustees

Final version of SOU Forward realignment plan goes to Board of Trustees

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Final revisions have been made to SOU Forward, the four-plank realignment strategy that will be considered for adoption by the SOU Board of Trustees on Friday, April 21.  The plan, which was developed over the past several months by SOU leaders and the campus community, is intended to address the university’s current fiscal challenges and position it for long-term success.

Revisions to SOU Forward’s specific cost-management proposals have been based on feedback and recommendations received since an initial version of the plan was introduced in March. The plan’s overall strategy combines cost management with revenue diversification, emphasizing financial viability and strategic growth through four “planks,” or elements:

  • Cost management: The plan that will be considered by the Board of Trustees includes reductions equivalent to almost 83 full-time positions. About 24 of those will be achieved through the elimination of current positions; the remainder will come from a combination of job vacancies, retirements, voluntary departures and non-renewable contracts.
  • Reimagining grants: SOU is expanding support for faculty and programs seeking funding from external granting agencies and organizations.
  • Leveraging philanthropy: The university will maintain an ongoing surge in philanthropic support for SOU, its students and its programs.
  • Revenue diversification: SOU will diversify its revenue streams by pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities including solar power production, a senior living center at the site of the Cascade Complex, creation of a new University Business District and transitioning its core information system from Banner to Workday.

The Board of Trustees may ask for further revisions to four-plank realignment strategy before voting on its approval at Friday’s meeting, which begins at noon in the Hannon Library’s Meese Room. If the cost management plan is approved, the timing of reductions will vary, with most achieved by June 2024 or soon thereafter.

The detailed, 43-page SOU Forward plan can be viewed on the Planning for the Future page of the president’s website. Those who have questions about the realignment strategy may submit them at realignment@sou.edu.

SOU leaders have been directed by the Board of Trustees to balance the university’s budget by reducing costs by $3.6 million this year. In addition to current-year cuts, the plan identifies another $9 million in recurring cost reductions.

That process, which began in earnest last October, has aimed for transparency and collaboration, with input from SOU’s shared governance partners – the Associated Students of SOU, Faculty Senate and Staff Assembly – and the unions representing both faculty and classified employees.

The structural flaws in SOU’s fiscal model are the result of a longstanding reliance on the combination of state appropriations and tuition revenue to pay for most operations. The proportion of those two funding sources has flipped in recent decades for all of Oregon’s seven public universities – what used to be about a two-thirds share from the state and one-third from tuition is now the exact opposite.

Celebrate Earth Day at The Farm at SOU

Earth Day to be celebrated April 21 at The Farm at SOU

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Earth Day to be celebrated April 21 at The Farm at SOU

Southern Oregon University and community partners will celebrate Earth Day at The Farm at SOU from 3:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 21, by offering exhibits, live performances, an electric vehicle showcase, bike rodeo, art, food trucks and more.

Earth Day has been celebrated annually each April 22 in the U.S. since 1970, and globally since 1990; it is being observed a day early this year at SOU because the actual holiday lands on a weekend. The SOU Student Sustainability Team (formerly ECOS) has hosted a local version of the event for more than 20 years – historically, in the Stevenson Union courtyard. The Student Sustainability Team moved the event to The Farm at SOU last year to help fill a void that was left when the Rogue Valley Earth Day event – traditionally held at the neighboring ScienceWorks – was discontinued.

Partners in hosting this year’s Earth Day celebration are Sustainability at SOU, the Ashland Food Co-op, the ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum and Southern Oregon Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Association (SOHEVA).

Live entertainment will be featured throughout the event on The Farm’s Thalden Pavilion stage, and Ashland Food Co-op will host a “Play Zone” in the ScienceWorks plaza, where there will be activities for all ages – chalk art, games and more. ScienceWorks – The Farm’s next-door neighbor – is offering extended hours (open until 7 p.m.) and free afternoon admission on the day of the event. A “quiet zone” for those needing a break from the action will be located in the ScienceWorks geodesic dome, with earplugs, snacks, seating and quiet activities.

SOHEVA members will display their EV’s at the electric vehicle showcase, and answer questions on their electric driving experiences. Lithia Motors Green Cars will offer test drives or rides for a true EV experience for those who register to participate.

Kids of all ages who bring their bikes to the event can take a spin around the “Bike Rodeo,” hosted by Rogue Valley Transportation District, to learn and practice bike safety.

More than 30 community organizations and sustainability minded businesses will host educational exhibits and opportunities for action. Many will also participate in the “Earth Day Ecoquest,” to win prizes for completing activities at designated booths. Those who walk, bike or carpool to the event can stop by the RVTD exhibit and get two bonus Ecoquest tokens to be used toward Ecoquest prizes.

Participants at the Earth Day celebration can also sign up with The Farm at SOU to help with planting and weeding spring crops.

The Farm at SOU is located at 155 Walker Avenue, Ashland Oregon. Attendees are being asked to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by walking, biking, skateboarding or taking transit to the event. On-site parking for people with disabilities or limited mobility will be available, as well as on-site “bike valets” offering secure bicycle parking.

To learn more about the event, visit sou.edu/earthday.

Nicole Waehner receives tourism award

Recent SOU business grad earns tourism award

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Nicole Waehner, who earned her bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in tourism management last June from Southern Oregon University, was awarded the Rising Star Award at this month’s Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Portland.

The Rising Star Award recognizes an individual who is new to the tourism industry within the past five years and has shown leadership, commitment and a passion for Oregon tourism.

Waehner is currently the Sustainability and Accessibility Project Manager at Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance. Her boss, network director Emily Reed, nominated her for the Rising Star Award.

“Don’t let her calm demeanor and professionalism keep you from missing her drive and passion, which you can also see early most mornings on the river in a rowing crew,” Reed said in the nomination.

“In addition, I would say that she has single-handedly battled the red tape and complexity of our visa system to fight her way to work another year here in Oregon (with all of our digits crossed in hopes of winning the visa lottery for next year).”

Waehner, in her first three months at the gorge alliance, promoted a new, coordinated transit pass – the Gorge Pass – at numerous live events, supported the “Ready Set Gorge” campaign on social media and helped to coordinate the Waterfall Corridor Accessibility Audit, turning the findings into a visitor-facing brochure and a formal report. She spearhead the creation of the Accessible Gorge website this winter, gathering information from visitor-facing businesses so travelers with disabilities know what to expect before arriving.

SOU business professor Pavlina McGrady, Ph.D., who worked with Nicole in a few courses last academic year, recognized Waehner’s passion for tourism management.

“Nicole proved to be an outstanding student in all of (the courses),” McGrady said. “She was intelligent, ambitious, hard-working and a leader in group projects. After graduation (or even before that), Nicole was eager to find an internship and apply her knowledge and passion.

“I know that she has put her heart into the work for the Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance. She joined one of my classes as a guest speaker, sharing her professional journey and the amazing work she has done for a short period with the alliance, being an inspiration for the students in the class. She truly is a rising star, and I can’t wait to see what else she will accomplish!”

The Rising Star Award was presented to three recipients as part of the Oregon Travel and Tourism Industry Achievement Awards at the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism, at Portland’s Oregon Convention Center.

The Oregon Tourism Commission (Travel Oregon) is a semi-independent state agency with a mission to inspire travel that uplifts Oregon communities. The organization collaborates with stakeholders to align as stewards of Oregon, working to optimize economic opportunity, advance equity, and respect the ecosystems, cultures and places that make Oregon unique. The organization supports the state’s $13.8 billion tourism industry and more than 117,360 tourism-related jobs.

SOU ROTC pays respect to Bataan Death March

SOU’s ROTC program honors WWII Bataan marchers

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Southern Oregon University’s ROTC program paid respect to – and drew inspiration from – one of the most notorious incidents of World War II’s Pacific Theater when 19 cadets and cadre participated recently in the Bataan Memorial Death March 2023 – a 26.2-mile “ruck” with 35-pound backpacks from Central Point to the SOU campus.

SOU’s “Raider Company” of the U.S. Army ROTC chose the local route after coming up short on fund-raising to send participants to an annual Bataan event at the Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The local ruck, mostly along the Bear Creek Greenway, became a virtual counterpart to the New Mexico event – which bills itself as “26 miles of high desert, 26 miles of pure perseverance.”

“Twenty-six-point-two miles was the distance that was dictated by the Bataan Memorial Death March event and not chosen by SOU ROTC itself,” said SOU ROTC Cadet Maribett Malubay. “The cadets were inspired, and wanted to take on the challenge in order to honor those that did the 65-mile forced march on Bataan.”

The SOU cadets and cadre – ROTC instructors, staff and facilitators – also turned their efforts into a local benefit, by using canned food to reach their 35-pound ruck weight and then donating their load after the march to the SOU Student Food Pantry.

The historic Bataan Death March occurred after about 75,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers surrendered to Japanese forces on April 9, 1942. Thousands died as they were marched for several days and about 65 miles through scorching Philippine jungles to confinement camps, where they suffered at the hands of their captors until 1945, when U.S. and Filipino forces recaptured the lost territory.

This year’s commemorative event at the SOU was the final term project for seniors in the ROTC program, who took responsibility for planning, coordination and preparation. They organized 6- to 12-mile training rucks each Friday for several weeks leading up to the March 19 main event, planned the route and arranged checkpoints where participants could stop for food, water or rest breaks.

“Through the blood, sweat and tears, Raider Company finished strong, with positive attitudes and huge smiles on their faces,” Cadet Malubay said.

All 19 cadets and cadre who signed up for the voluntary event completed the 26.2-mile course – all but two of them completing the marathon distance for the first time.