SOU-Martinez-CCC

SOU’s Martinez conference player of the week in women’s soccer

/in

Misty Martinez, a standout redshirt sophomore on SOU’s women’s soccer team, picked up the Cascade Conference Red Lion Offensive Player of the Week award this week.

Currently playing the forward position, Martinez scored her third, fourth and fifth goals of the season in SOU’s two games last weekend in Portland. She tallied the game-winners with a 9-0 decision at Multnomah and a 3-0 decision at Warner Pacific.

Martinez currently has team-highs of six goals and four game-winners, including in the Raiders’ three most recent games. All were in CCC play, and she also was responsible for the Raiders’ lone goal in a recent conference draw.

Martinez has stood out both on the soccer field and academically. She graduated and was a four-year letter-winner at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, Calif. She received the Niels and Amalia Scott Scholarship and the Robert Girabaldi Memorial Scholarship, both for academic and athletic prowess.

The health and physical education major redshirted in 2016 and made one goal and two assists last year in her first season in uniform for the Raiders.

Going into this weekend’s women’s soccer Homecoming games, SOU is 7-2-2 overall and 5-1-1 in the CCC. The games will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday against Northwest (Wash.) and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday against Evergreen (Wash.).

SOU Schneider Children's Center fee

ASSOU special election would remove Schneider fee

/in

Students at Southern Oregon University may have noticed a small fee on their Fall Term bill that seemed slightly out of place. The $13 fee is for the Schneider’s Children Center and ASSOU is running an election through Wednesday to get rid of it.

In reality, the fee was assessed for Fall Term students and then automatically reversed. But the fee will be eliminated altogether if students vote to do so in the special election.

Originally, the Schneider Children’s Center fee was implemented to support the Schneider Children’s Center. The Center supported many families over the years, but experienced much financial hardship because of little to no financial support from the state.

The Schneider Children’s Center was closed on Aug. 31 because there was no viable funding solution that wouldn’t raise childcare costs for parents using the center.

The funds generated by the Schneider fee are intended to help pay the center’s annual operating costs. The fee cannot be used for anything else on campus.

A “yes” vote in the special ASSOU election is a vote to remove the Schneider Children’s Fee, effective this fall.

A “no” vote is a vote to continue charging the Schneider Children’s fee.

Follow this link to vote (you must be logged in to your SOU Student account). The online ballot will be open until Oct. 10.

Questions, comments or concerns, can be sent to ASSOU President Alexis Phillips at assoupresident@sou.edu.

Story by Bryn Mosier, SOU Marketing and Communications intern

SOU football haka war cry

Southern Oregon football team brings haka war cry to the field

/in

At their practice in Ashland, Southern Oregon University football players kneel to the ground and growl, their eyes bulging, their tongues sticking out. Lineman Masi Tunoa leads the chant.

Tunoa and his family used to perform lū’aus for tourists back home in Hawaii. They also did the haka, a battle cry that originated from the indigenous people of New Zealand. It’s a powerful ritual that Polynesian cultures still perform today for ceremonies like weddings or funerals, or before a big game.

“The haka was performd by the Maori people,” Tunoa said. “It’s like a war cry. They do it to get their warriors ready for battle. I thought why not take that can get ready for a game. Get that same energy.”

Tunoa had a friend translate the haka into English so he could teach it to his team. He says each sentence has a special meaning that energizes and grounds them.

“One of the lines we say is, ‘Make us one with the lion,'” he said. “So wherever we go, whether home or away, that’s home field. No matter where we go.”

About a fifth of the SOU football players are of Polynesian descent. Head coach Charlie Hall says while the haka might get his team pumped up for a game, it has also brought them together.

“Beyond performance it’s about team culture,” he said. “It’s about sharing another people’s culture with our own team. It’s about who we are and being a better family.”

And Tunoa says that’s exactly what brought him to this team. Something about it reminded him of his family, reminded him of home.

This story is reposted from Jefferson Public Radio, and was reported by April Ehrlich

See a video of the Raiders’ haka:

Southern Oregon University Football Haka from April Ehrlich on Vimeo.

SOU men's soccer Gonzalo Garcia

SOU’s Garcia voted CCC Defensive Player of the Week in men’s soccer

/in

For the second week in a row, the Southern Oregon men’s soccer team produced one of the Cascade Collegiate Conference’s Red Lion Players of the Week – this time Gonzalo Garcia, a junior from Stockton, Calif.

Garcia, named the conference’s defensive player of the week, was a key player on the back line as the Raiders turned in two more clean sheets. They won 2-0 on Saturday, Sept. 29, against Northwest Christian and 0-0 on Sunday, Sept. 30, against No. 18-ranked Corban. He also assisted Noah Addie’s 57th-minute header that turned into the game-winner against NCU, his team-leading fourth assist of the season.

SOU’s Mitchell Pinney, a senior forward from Hockinson, Wash., was voted the Cascade Collegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Week the previous week.

The Raiders (8-2-1 overall, 5-0-1 CCC) extended their team-record unbeaten streak to nine games, seven of which have been shutouts. They remained tied in first place with Corban, becoming the first team to blank the Warriors this season.

This week, they’ll play Friday, Oct. 5, at Multnomah and Saturday, Oct. 6, at Warner Pacific.

From SOU Sports Information

SOU Landscape Facilities Workers

SOU Facilities hiring student workers

/in

Student jobs are available in most sections of SOU’s Department of Facilities Management and Planning, which is responsible for general maintenance across campus.

Student workers assist full-time staff in day-to-day facilities operations at SOU. The current job openings include landscape, mechanics, sorting recycled goods and office work.

No experience is necessary for most if not all of the student jobs.

The class schedules of student employees are the first consideration for all positions. Student employees can’t work more than 20 hours per week during the school year, but must work a minimum of 10 hours, Monday through Friday, for most of the jobs.

The following positons are currently open:

Office Assistant. Send résumés and questions to Jennifer Corcoran at corcoranj@sou.edu for this position.

Maintenance. Send résumés and questions to Leon Crouch at crouchl@sou.edu for these positions.

Support Services. Send résumés and questions to Leon Crouch for these positions.

SOU Linking Leadership participants

Linking Leadership: Join SOU’s newest leadership program

/in

SOU students can learn how to be leaders and gain an edge on their educational goals through the university’s newest leadership program, which is inviting students to sign up for required orientation sessions.

Linking Leadership is a competency based program, which allows students to learn at their own pace and through methods that work best for their personal learning styles. The intentional leadership development program is hosted by the Office of Student Life in collaboration with various departments and programs across campus. 

Participants will develop leadership skills through their existing activities and classes, and by engaging in new and diverse leadership opportunities. Students will learn leadership skills that will last a lifetime, make new friends and have fun with various program activities.

Students must attend an orientation session, which will be offered on three dates this fall, to participate in the program. Orientation details and signups are available at Tinyurl.com/LLSOU.

Questions should be addressed to Larry Locke, assistant director of Student Life, at lockel@sou.edu.

SOU Players of the Week

Tyson Cooper, Mitchell Pinney voted conference players of the week

/in

Southern Oregon University football player Tyson Cooper and men’s soccer player Mitchell Pinney have been voted conference players of the week, the Frontier and Cascade league offices announced Monday.

Cooper was selected as the Frontier Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career following No. 3 SOU’s 27-0 win Saturday at Carroll (Montana). The all-conference linebacker made nine tackles and nixed the Saints’ first drive of the day with an interception, ultimately lifting the Raiders to their first shutout in 15 years.

Cooper, a senior from Gresham, has made a team-high 28 tackles this season for the Raiders, who are 4-0 and alone in first place with a bye this weekend.

Pinney, a senior forward from Hockinson, Wash., was voted the Cascade Offensive Player of the Week after Friday’s 2-0 win at Eastern Oregon and Sunday’s 10-1 win at Walla Walla (Washington). He scored both goals against the Mountaineers – including the game-winner just 27 seconds into his shift out of halftime – and recorded another goal with two assists against the Wolves.

Pinney leads the Raiders with 12 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on the year. In his three-year SOU career, he’s up to 14 goals with six game-winners.

The Raiders (7-2 overall, 4-0 CCC) are tied in first place with Corban entering two home games this weekend – Friday against Northwest Christian and Saturday against Corban.

From SOU Sports Information

SOU LGBTQ Pride

SOU earns top Campus Pride ranking for LGBTQ-friendliness

/in ,

NEWS RELEASE
(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University has been recognized by Campus Pride for the sixth year in a row as one of the nation’s Top 30 LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities.

Campus Pride is a nonprofit that supports and improves campus life for LGBTQ people on more than 1,400 U.S. campuses. The Campus Pride list is considered the most reliable list of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities.

SOU earned five out of five stars on the Campus Pride Index, which ranks universities in each of eight categories: policy inclusion, support and institutional commitment, academic life, student life, housing and residence life, campus safety, counseling and health, and recruitment and retention efforts. SOU drew five-star rankings in six of the categories and four-and-a-half stars in the other two.

Thomas Arce, coordinator of SOU’s Queer Resource Center, said the recognition from Campus Pride is a testament to equity and inclusion efforts throughout the university.

“Southern Oregon University’s commitment to LGBTQ+ student success is unparalleled,” Arce said. “That includes living in the residence halls, accessing health and wellness resources, finding a community to befriend, studying queer and feminist scholars, and simply thriving in an inclusive and affirming campus environment, where it’s OK to be one’s authentic self.

“I’m grateful to be part of the many collaborative ventures with students, faculty and staff to make the LGBTQ+ experience at SOU prideful.”

SOU was also named as one the of the nation’s top LGBTQ-friendly universities by Affordable Colleges Online in 2018, with special recognition given to the Queer Resource Center and the university’s gender-inclusive housing.

The Campus Pride list of the top 30 LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities included three Oregon institutions: SOU, the University of Oregon and Portland State University. Only three other states – New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – had three colleges or universities on this year’s list.

Arce said that some of the activities and services that make SOU stand out as welcoming to LGBTQ students are the presence of sexual orientation and gender identity in the university’s non-discrimination policy; gender-inclusive housing options; the stand-alone Queer Resource Center; and LGBTQ-related academic offerings through the Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Program. SOU also participates in LGBTQ-specific college fairs and its counseling and health staff provide queer- and trans-friendly services.

-SOU-

SOU Mt Ashland ECOS

Save the Date: Raiders volunteer @ Mt. Ashland Oct. 6

/in

ECOS — the Ecology and Sustainability Resource Center — is hosting its third annual SOU Day of Service at Mt. Ashland, and the Oct. 3 date is rapidly approaching.

The clean-up, spruce-up is SOU’s largest off-campus day of service and the entire SOU community is invited to participate. All volunteers will receive a free t-shirt, a free lunch and free transportation to and from the mountain.

The day of stewardship will help care for the slopes and buildings of the local not-for-profit Mt. Ashland Ski Area. Service work will include helping with erosion mitigation, clearing brush from slopes, indoor lodge work and maintenance, and removing trash from the slopes before the snow flies.

Project work will be available for a variety of abilities and interests.

Questions? Email Jill Smedstad, Environmental and Community Engagement Coordinator at smedstadj@sou.edu.

SOU Wilderness Experience

Raider Wilderness Experience sign-ups now live!

/in

New and returning Southern Oregon University students are invited to start their new school year on the right foot by signing up for this year’s Raider Wilderness Experience (RWE).

Students can join Outdoor Program staff Sept. 17-20 for a week of rock climbing, whitewater rafting, backpacking or camping in some of the most breath-taking outdoor locations in this region. These wilderness trips are a fantastic way to get outside and meet new people, with highly trained Outdoor Program staff ready to make this week one of the most memorable moments of the year.

None of the trips require any prior experience, and costs include transportation, instruction, food, equipment and lodging. These trips fill quickly, so those who are interested are encouraged to register soon.

Living in the dorms this year? Early move-in is available on Sept. 16 for all students participating in RWE.

Interesting in learning more? Visit https://inside.sou.edu/outdoorprogram/signups.html for more information and registration.

Have any other questions? Email outdoorprogram@sou.edu