Training Update: Response to Active Shooter

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The next opportunity to take part in Campus Public Safety’s Response to Active Shooter training will be Thursday, Dec. 3 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in the Arena inside the Stevenson Union.
This session is being offered the day after SOU Emergency Management Team personnel attend a training put on jointly by the FBI and regional law enforcement that responded to the shooting at Umpqua Community College. The FBI training will focus on lessons learned from that incident and information gleaned there will be incorporated as appropriate into the Response to Active Shooter training on Dec. 3. There is no need to RSVP. If you have not yet attended a training session, you are encouraged to do so at this time.
Additional training opportunities will be announced as they are scheduled.

Mexican Official Juan Carlos Romero Hicks to Speak at SOU

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, a high-ranking official in Mexico and graduate of Southern Oregon University, will give a presentation this Friday on campus at SOU. The presentation, “The Politics, Economics, and Culture of Mexico” will discuss those aspects of Mexico from his perspective as former professor and chancellor of University of Guanajuato, governor of the State of Guanajuato, Director General for the Mexican National Science and Technology Council, and his current position of federal Senator.
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After receiving a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations from the University of Guanajuato, Romero earned master’s degrees from SOU in business administration as well as social sciences. In 1992 he was named SOU’s Distinguished Alumnus.
“We are very pleased to welcome Senator Romero back to Ashland and Southern Oregon University,” said SOU President Roy Saigo. “His message, based on decades of experience and expertise in education and politics, is one that we think our students and the entire community will appreciate.”
The presentation will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Meese Auditorium inside the Center for Visual Arts on SOU’s main Ashland campus. It is free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized campus that provides comprehensive educational opportunities with a strong focus on student success and intellectual creativity. Located in vibrant Ashland, Oregon, SOU remains committed to diversity and inclusion for all students on its environmentally sustainable campus. Connected learning programs taught by a host of exceptional faculty provide quality, innovative experiences for students. Visit sou.edu.

SOU, RVTD Win Award for Transportation Options Outreach

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University and Rogue Valley Transportation District’s Drive Less Connect: SOU program was recently awarded the 2015 Oregon Transportation Options Program of the Year Award by the Transportation Options Group of Oregon. The award was announced at the Oregon Public Transportation Conference in October. Drive Less Connect: SOU received the award for developing and implementing a first-of-its-kind, innovative and successful transportation options outreach program for a college campus.
The program was implemented through a partnership between Southern Oregon University, Rogue Valley Transportation District, and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Drive Less Connect: SOU was designed to help and encourage students to reduce drive-alone trips and explore biking, walking, carpooling, and public transit opportunities to get to campus, work, or beyond. SOU student ambassadors administered the program on campus through events and challenges, presentations, and partnerships with other campus groups to connect students to resources to help them find alternatives to driving. More than 14 percent of SOU Students participated in the program, a participation rate that exceeded traditional programs of this kind. Results show that students reduced their drive alone trips and that the program helped them increase trips taken by transit, carpooling, walking and biking.
While the program officially ended last year, RVTD and ODOT are providing funds to SOU for a student transportation options coordinator to build off of the momentum Drive Less Connect: SOU created and continue helping students connect to their transportation options. The program is now housed at SOU’s Commuter Resource Center.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized campus that provides comprehensive educational opportunities with a strong focus on student success and intellectual creativity. Located in vibrant Ashland, Oregon, SOU remains committed to diversity and inclusion for all students on its environmentally sustainable campus. Connected learning programs taught by a host of exceptional faculty provide quality, innovative experiences for students. Visit sou.edu.

SOU 2015 Fall Enrollment Increases

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(Ashland, Ore.) — For the second year in a row, Southern Oregon University’s fall enrollment has increased over the previous year. Fall 2015 enrollment data certified this week by the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission indicate that enrollment climbed to 6,215 students this fall, a 0.2 percent increase compared to fall 2014.
“Though modest, this increase was achieved while we are operating under a retrenchment plan that projected an enrollment decline this year, so we are thrilled to see enrollment go up for the second year in a row,” said SOU President Roy Saigo. “This illustrates our commitment to educating Oregonians and preparing the next generation of the state’s middle class to enter the workforce.”
One major factor in the University’s enrollment increase is the substantial number of new freshmen attending SOU this fall. The number of first-year students is up 17 percent from last year, constituting the largest freshman class in 12 years.
Other factors include increases in the number of non-resident students, international students, and students of color, which saw increases of 7.4, 4.7, and 7.3 percent, respectively.
Strong retention numbers also contributed to the overall enrollment increase, as 72 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen from fall 2014 were retained to this fall while the retention rate for all admitted undergraduates reached 76 percent from year to year. “These strong retention rates are testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff,” Dr. Saigo said, “and with the commitment to and investment in higher education that the Oregon Legislature made for the next biennium, we will be investing in strategies designed to result in these numbers continuing to grow.”
SOU is now accepting applications for the winter, spring, summer, and fall 2016 terms.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.

SOU to Host Race Awareness Week

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(Ashland, Ore.) —Southern Oregon University will hold its annual Race Awareness Week Nov. 2 – 6, with multiple presentations and panel discussions designed to encourage attendees to think and talk about race and its impact on the community and nation.
“Race has always been a hard topic for our nation to talk about. It will often become a flashpoint following a tragedy or other controversial event where race is a factor, then it falls of the radar,” according to Marvin Woodard, coordinator of SOU’s Multicultural Resource Center and one of the organizers of Race Awareness Week. “Race Awareness Week provides an opportunity for our community to address the issue from a positive, productive standpoint, not an ‘us vs. them’ perspective.”
Highlights of this year’s Race Awareness Week include a presentation by Claudia Alick on “Exploring the Racial Divide.” Her presentation will take place Monday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. in the Rogue River Room inside the Stevenson Union on SOU’s main Ashland campus. Alick is an associate producer with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and has been named one of the top 25 theater artists who will shape American theater in the next 25 years.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, also at 6 p.m. in the Rogue River Room, a panel of students, faculty, and community members will share their experiences as people of color in Ashland and surrounding cities.
Keynote speaker Lee Mun Wah will give a presentation Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 9 a.m. in the Rogue River Room. Lee Mun Wah has garnered national attention for his work as a master diversity trainer, documentarian, folk story teller, writer, and educator. A screening of his documentary “If These Walls Could Talk” will take place Nov. 4 at 6 p.m., also in the Rogue River Room.
Thursday, Nov. 5, Marc Weinblatt of the Mandala Center for Change will present “Theater of the Oppressed: Rainbow of Desire,” a workshop utilizing image and forum techniques to investigate internalized oppression and identify greater social issues and opportunities to act for change. Weinblatt’s presentation will also take place at 6 p.m. in the Rogue River Room. There is a $10 admission fee for this presentation, but all other Race Awareness Week presentations and forums are free and open to the public.
For more information on Race Awareness Week and a full schedule of events, contact Woodard at 541-552-8793 or via email at woodardm@sou.edu.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized campus that provides comprehensive educational opportunities with a strong focus on student success and intellectual creativity. Located in vibrant Ashland, Oregon, SOU remains committed to diversity and inclusion for all students on its environmentally sustainable campus. Connected learning programs taught by a host of exceptional faculty provide quality, innovative experiences for students. Visit sou.edu.

SOU Wins National Sustainability Award

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(Ashland, Ore.) —Southern Oregon University was named the winner yesterday of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Best Case Study sustainability award. SOU, which was runner up for the award last year, won for its project “Bee Campus USA as a Model for Pollinator-Friendly Campuses.”

Pictured, from left: Fahmida Ahmed, AASHE board chair; Craig Morris, SOU vice president of finance and administration; Jessica Harper, student farm manager at SOU’s Center for Sustainability; Sydney Lund, student director of SOU’s Ecology and Sustainability Center; Roxane Beigel-Coryell, SOU sustainability and recycling coordinator; Sam Pennington-Vrsek, staff member with the SOU grounds department; and Meghan Fay Zahniser, AASHE executive director.

Pictured, from left: Fahmida Ahmed, AASHE board chair; Craig Morris, SOU vice president of finance and administration; Jessica Harper, student farm manager at SOU’s Center for Sustainability; Sydney Lund, student director of SOU’s Ecology and Sustainability Center; Roxane Beigel-Coryell, SOU sustainability and recycling coordinator; Sam Pennington-Vrsek, staff member with the SOU grounds department; and Meghan Fay Zahniser, AASHE executive director.


For the project, SOU collaborated with Bee City USA to establish a Bee Campus USA designation. The designation recognizes campuses that commit to a set of practices that support pollinators, including bees, butterflies, birds, and bats, among other species. Through a six-month process SOU was able to align its practices to meet the newly established guidelines and in April 2015 was named the nation’s first Bee Campus USA.
In its application for the AASHE award, SOU noted that the project had several key goals, including “to work with Bee City USA to establish a Bee Campus USA designation; to organize for SOU to meet the requirements of Bee Campus USA designation; and, to establish broad support across the campus and in the community for pollinator-friendly policies and practices.”
Through their collaboration, SOU and Bee City USA established seven key pollinator-friendly practices that can be used as goals for all campuses nationwide. They include establishing a permanent university committee that develops a Campus Pollinator Habitat Plan, hosting annual events that celebrate pollinators, surveying and encouraging service learning projects that benefit pollinators, offering courses and workshops on pollinator ecology, posting educational signage that educates the public about campus pollinator-friendly practices, maintaining recognition as a Bee Campus USA designee, and maintaining a website that shares Bee Campus USA news.
“We were very excited when we were named the nation’s first Bee Campus USA,” said SOU President Roy Saigo. “This recognition confirms the importance of the hard work that went into not only earning that designation, but helping to develop the guidelines as well. This is just one of the many ways that SOU demonstrates our commitment to sustainability.”
The work to create the Bee Campus USA program comes at a critical time, as many pollinators are experiencing unprecedented losses: continuing declines of honeybee colonies reached the highest rate for summer losses ever recorded this past year; Monarch Butterfly migration is threatened due to habitat losses; and multiple pollinator species such as the lesser long-nosed bat are threatened with extinction. “Hardworking pollinators are responsible for about 1/3 of our food and 85 percent of the world’s flowering plant species,” according to Phyllis Stiles, director of Bee City USA. “We are grateful to SOU for helping to pioneer this important new program to harness the influence of educational campuses to expand pollinator habitat, and educate their students and communities about ways to protect pollinators.”
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A brief video illustrating SOU’s commitment to pollinators can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaILzmHTp58.
Authors of the award-winning case study are Jamie Hickner, teaching supervisor and instructor of English, education, and University studies; Michael Oxendine, landscape services supervisor; and Roxane Beigel-Coryell, sustainability and recycling coordinator. The case study is available online at https://www.aashe.org/resources/case-studies/bee-campus-usa-model-pollinator-friendly-campuses.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized campus that provides comprehensive educational opportunities with a strong focus on student success and intellectual creativity. Located in vibrant Ashland, Oregon, SOU remains committed to diversity and inclusion for all students on its environmentally sustainable campus. Connected learning programs taught by a host of exceptional faculty provide quality, innovative experiences for students. Visit sou.edu.

SOU Launches 'Count Me In' Campaign

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(Ashland, Ore.) — The Southern Oregon University Foundation will launch its second annual “Count Me In” fundraising campaign on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 8 a.m. The campaign—which will run for 100 hours—will raise money for the SOU Scholarship, which is awarded to students based on financial need. The SOU Scholarship is designed to help students bridge the funding gap between other forms of financial aid and the cost of attendance at Southern Oregon University.
The campaign will engage SOU alumni and supporters via social media with the goal of raising enough money to provide 100 scholarships to SOU students with high financial need. “Our students work hard every day to achieve their academic dreams,” according to Janet Fratella, vice president for development and executive director of the SOU Foundation. “Scholarships inspire them to succeed.”
During last year’s “Count Me In” campaign, more than 440 participants contributed over $210,000.
The campaign can be followed on social media by using the hashtag #SOUCountMeIn, or at countmein.sou.edu.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized campus that provides comprehensive educational opportunities with a strong focus on student success and intellectual creativity. Located in vibrant Ashland, Oregon, SOU remains committed to diversity and inclusion for all students on its environmentally sustainable campus. Connected learning programs taught by a host of exceptional faculty provide quality, innovative experiences for students. Visit sou.edu.

SOU to Reopen Campus Thursday, Oct. 8 at 5 a.m.

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(Ashland, Ore.) — Upon consultation with law enforcement, the administration of Southern Oregon University has determined that campus will reopen Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5 a.m.
The decision to close campus was made in response to threatening communication received Tuesday evening. The campus closure allowed SOU and its law enforcement partners to fully assess the situation and threat. No further evidence has been found to substantiate the threat.
“Although there is no indication of a continuing threat, all members of the campus community should have a heightened awareness of their surroundings and immediately report any suspicious activity, including threatening or concerning activity on social media,” according to Frederick Creek, SOU’s director of campus public safety. “Reports can be made by dialing 911, contacting Campus Public Safety at 541-552-6911, or by utilizing an Emergency Blue Light Phone.”
There is currently an increased uniformed and non-uniformed Campus Public Safety and Ashland Police Department presence on campus.
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About Southern Oregon University
Southern Oregon University provides outstanding student experiences, valued degrees, and successful graduates. SOU is known for excellence in faculty, intellectual creativity and rigor, quality and innovation in connected learning programs, and the educational benefits of its unique geographic location. SOU was the first university in Oregon—and one of the first in the nation—to offset 100 percent of its energy use with clean, renewable power, and it is the first university in the nation to balance 100% of its water consumption. Visit sou.edu.

UPDATE: SOU Campus Closure

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UPDATE:
Southern Oregon University’s main campus in Ashland will remain closed throughout the day Wednesday. All classes and activities scheduled to take place on campus have been cancelled.
Forensic evidence collected from the location where the threat was found Tuesday evening has been sent for processing. However, at this time there is no estimate for when it will be processed or when details will be available.
A search of University facilities conducted jointly between Ashland Police Department and SOU found no additional threat to the campus.
SOU administration continues to assess the situation working closely with APD. SOU Campus Public Safety and APD will maintain an increased presence on campus.
Additional updates will be provided online at news.sou.edu, social media, and SOU Alerts as necessary.

SOU Alert

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Due to an unconfirmed threat currently under investigation by Ashland PD, the main SOU Ashland campus will be closed Wed., Oct. 7.
Classes and other activities on Ashland campus are cancelled. The Higher Ed Center in Medford is not impacted and will remain open.
Only essential personnel, including Campus Public Safety and Food Services staff, are to report to work on the Ashland campus.