(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University (SOU) has launched a new partnership with Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, to offer a Zipcar car sharing program on campus. The convenient transportation option is now available at an affordable rate 24 hours a day, seven days a week for students, faculty, and staff ages 18 and older, as well as members of the local community ages 21 and over.
SOU will initially offer two vehicles, a Ford Focus and a Hyundai Elantra. The Zipcars will have designated parking spots located in a campus lot near Raider Village for convenient pick-up and return.
This year, SOU members can join for $15, with rates for Zipcar vehicles on campus starting as low as $7.50 per hour and $69 per day. After the first year, members will pay an annual membership fee of $25. Gas, insurance, and up to 180 miles of driving per day are included in Zipcar rates, and cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days. SOU students, faculty, staff, and community members can join Zipcar at www.zipcar.com/sou.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer Zipcar service to our campus and community through this partnership. A lot of students—particularly those living on campus—leave their cars at home when they come to SOU and this ensures that they will have convenient access to transportation,” said Craig Morris, SOU’s vice president of administration and finance. “Our staff members in Campus Public Safety and Parking worked hard to bring this idea to fruition and it’s great to see the service available on campus.”
Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may download the Zipcar mobile application to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles and honk the horn to help locate the vehicle. Reservations can also be made over the phone or on Zipcar’s website.
“The Zipcar program on campus gives students, faculty and staff the freedom of using a car without the hassles of owning one,” said Katelyn Bushey, Zipcar director of university sales. “We’re happy to partner with Southern Oregon University to give their community a transportation option to fit their needs and their wallet.”
With the new Zipcar program available on campus, student organizations at SOU also now have the opportunity to participate in the “Students with Drive” grant program sponsored by Zipcar and Ford Motor Company, which provides students with Zipcar membership and driving credit to support student organizations on campus.
Through the Students with Drive grant program, Ford and Zipcar will provide $200,000 in grants to be awarded to student organizations at eligible Zipcar colleges and universities. The program is running now through April 2016 and will culminate with a grand prize worth $25,000 in scholarships, cash, and Zipcar driving. For more information and to participate in the program, students can visit www.zipcar.com/studentswithdrive.
Zipcar has established relationships with more than 400 universities across North America. For more information and how to become a member of Zipcar at SOU, please visit www.zipcar.com/sou. Additional information and promotions can also be found by following @ZipcarU on Twitter.
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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.
About Zipcar
Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, has operations in urban areas and college campuses throughout Austria, Canada, France, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Zipcar offers more than 50 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for smart, simple and convenient solutions to their urban and campus transportation needs. Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAR), a global leader in vehicle rental services. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University will formally welcome the 2015 entering class of students during its annual convocation ceremony Friday, Oct. 2, at Raider Stadium.
The ceremony, which will take place at 12:30 p.m., marks the official recognition that all of the students entering SOU this fall have met the criteria for admission and matriculation into the university. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for SOU faculty and staff to welcome and greet new students.
“The start of a new year is always an exciting time,” said Lisa Garcia-Hanson, SOU’s associate vice president for enrollment and retention. “This is a very strong and diverse group of students that we’re welcoming and we know they will make positive contributions to the University and the community.”
This year’s ceremony will feature a keynote speech by creative writing professor Craig Wright.
Following Convocation, students, faculty, and staff will make their way to Raider Village, where a “Rock the Block” party will take place, marking the culmination of the first week of fall term.
 
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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.

(Ashland, Ore.) —Fall classes at Southern Oregon University will begin Monday, Sept. 28, and the start of a new academic year also brings new programs, services, and initiatives to the University.
“As we prepare to welcome one of the largest first-year classes in school history, there is a lot to look forward to,” said SOU President Roy Saigo. “With the closure of the Oregon University System on July 1, this is the first academic year to begin with a local Board of Trustees overseeing the University, and we are confident that will be a positive change for SOU.”
One new offering at SOU this fall is the pilot “Bridge” program, designed to invest in the strengths of Oregon college students, especially underrepresented populations—first-generation college students, second language learners, students from low-income families, and underserved minority groups—and to support their transition into higher education socially, personally, emotionally, and academically.
The program includes a tuition free, yearlong course that began prior to the academic year. It is constructed to connect Bridge students’ strengths and experiences to learning outcomes, programs, resources, people, and opportunities at SOU. “If we hope to reach the state’s 40-40-20 goals, we need to make strides toward investing in the rich experiences and talents of Oregon students and closing the achievement gap currently experienced by underserved and underrepresented student groups,” said Dr. Amy Belcastro, professor of education and Director of the Bridge program. “The Bridge program is designed to do just that. It is one example of how Southern Oregon University is investing in our future alumni today.”
The pilot program, which is being offered to a cohort of 20 students this year, has plans to extend invitations next year to more state and local high school seniors with strengths that are not always recognized with an S.A.T. score, such as leadership, creativity, and innovation. The Bridge program also provides leadership opportunities, career connections and on-campus job opportunities, enhanced academic advising, peer mentoring, and tutoring support.
Also new this year is a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree offering that was approved by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission over the summer. A creative writing minor and concentration had previously been available within the Department of English and Writing, but a recent academic restructuring at SOU placed creative writing as part of a newly created creative arts program under the purview of the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University.
“This restructuring provided the perfect opportunity to expand the role of creative writing within the University and offer students a vibrant, interdisciplinary experience that explores contemporary creative writing practice and theory,” according to Dr. Susan Walsh, SOU’s provost and vice president of academic and student affairs. “We feel strongly that this program will contribute to our region’s identity as an arts-based, culturally inclusive location.”
Classes begin Monday on both SOU’s main campus in Ashland and the Higher Ed Center in downtown Medford.
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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.

(Ashland, Ore.) — In recognition of Constitution Day, Southern Oregon University is hosting an informational exhibit in the Government Publications Section of the Hannon Library, honoring the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. Across the country on the week before or after Sept. 17, education institutions host events to remember the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
Available upon request at the Reference Desk are DVD programs featuring selected Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court speaking on Constitutional issues. Among the programs:

• Our Constitution: A Conversation, features Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor discussing why we need a Constitution;
• A Conversation on the Constitution: Judicial Independence, features Justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, and retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor discussing judicial independence; and
• Key Constitutional Concepts, a three-part series examining the guiding principles of the constitution.

Students may also participate in a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to the SOU Bookstore.
Copies of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights will be available in the Government Publications Section of the Hannon Library at SOU, which is the Government Documents Depository for Oregon’s Second Congressional District.
These activities are free and open to the public.
The federal government has asked that all institutions receiving federal funding sponsor some type of event. For additional information on the Constitution Day federal requirement, go to: www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2005-2/052405b.html.
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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.