SOU Wilderness Experience

Raider Wilderness Experience sign-ups now live!

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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

SOU Student Recreation Center

Student Recreation Center grand opening

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Campus Recreation has announced its grand opening celebration for Southern Oregon University’s new, state-of-the-art Student Recreation Center on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

The Campus Recreation team has been working with departments from across campus to fill the SRC with top quality equipment, engaging spaces and the tallest climbing wall in southern Oregon. The entire campus community is invited to join in the celebration of the outstanding new facility.

The grand opening will begin with opening remarks from President Linda Schott, Director of Campus Recreation Hugues Lecomte and Campus Recreation students. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will follow, and then everyone will be invited to transition into the SRC for tours, giveaways, games and activities.

The 58,000-square-foot facility includes two gymnasium courts lined for basketball, volleyball and pickleball; a two-lane, suspended indoor running track; locker rooms with showers; an all-gender changing room and bathrooms; a 44-foot-high climbing wall; a state-of-the-art fitness center; two fitness studios; offices and other amenities.

Date: Wednesday, September 26th
Start Time: 11:30 am
End Time: 2:30 pm
Venue: Student Recreation Center (SRC)

SOU LGBTQ Friendly

SOU earns high LGBTQ-friendly ranking in online guide

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NEWS RELEASE

(Ashland, Oregon) — Southern Oregon University has been recognized by a third publication in the past year as one of the nation’s most LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities.

Affordable Colleges Online, a popular website that offers various rankings and advice for prospective students, placed SOU seventh on its list of the 69 most LGBTQ-friendly universities in the country. SOU is the highest-ranked Oregon university on the list, which also includes University of Oregon, Portland State University and Oregon State University.

“This recognition is important during these times, since our SOU students are navigating their sense of belonging on a campus that appreciates and celebrates their diverse gender, affectionate and sexual identities,” said Thomas Arce, coordinator of the SOU Queer Resource Center, “From their peers, to faculty and staff, we have created a welcoming environment for SOU students and understand there’s still growth to be made.”

SOU was recognized last fall, for the fifth year in a row, as one of the nation’s Top 25 LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities by Campus Pride, a nonprofit that supports and improves campus life for LGBTQ people on more than 1,400 U.S. campuses. The university also ranked 21st among the 50 best colleges for LGBTQ students by the online publication College Choice.

Criteria for the most recent list from Affordable Colleges Online included having an LGBTQ support center, inclusive housing, LGBTQ scholarships and college affordability. The ranking mentions SOU’s Queer Resource Center, gender-inclusive housing, Lavender Graduation celebrations for LGBTQ graduates and availability of a gender-inclusive Greek life option for students seeking to improve their professionalism.

SOU includes sexual orientation and gender identity in its non-discrimination policy and offers LGBTQ-related academic offerings through its 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.

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SOU Fringe Festival

SOU’s “boundary-breaking” Oregon Fringe Festival begins on Tuesday

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NEWS RELEASE
(Ashland, Ore.) — The Oregon Fringe Festival – a distinctive blend of visual, musical and theatre arts presentations – will kick off its 2018 lineup with Gallery Openings at Southern Oregon University’s Center for the Visual Arts at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24. The six-day arts celebration will continue with shows and exhibitions on and around the SOU campus through Sunday, April 29.

The Oregon Fringe Festival, established in 2014, is described on its website as a “boundary-breaking platform for artists creating unconventional work in unconventional spaces,” and as a “celebration of zany, alternative (art) forms.” It encourages bold content from courageous artists of all ages and in various stages of their careers.

All of the festival’s presentations are free and open to the public.
Visual arts highlights include exhibitions from current SOU students, visiting master students from the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and headlining artist Ruth Lantz.

Musical highlights include performances by current SOU students and alumni, and visiting headliners such as Grammy Award-winning Third Coast Percussion and flautist Tessa Brinckman. SOU’s Left Edge Percussion Ensemble will perform Michael Gordon’s iconic “Timber,” and the vocal octet Desiderata will premiere a new work from composer Judd Greenstein that was commissioned by the Oregon Fringe.

This year’s theatre highlights include performances from current SOU students and alumni, a headlining performance of “The Truth” by Ashland’s A Muse Zoo, a staged reading of Stephanie Neuerburg’s “Ella Enchanted” and the one-woman show “Artichoke Hearts” by Sarah Mitchell.

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sou luau hawaii club

SOU’s Hawai’i club offers annual lu’au and performance

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NEWS RELEASE
(Ashland, Ore.) — The 22nd annual lu’au and hō’ike (feast and performance) by Southern Oregon University’s Hawai’i club will be an event with a purpose. This year’s celebration has a theme of Hoʻolaha Ana I Naʻokoʻa Me Ke Aloha – spreading diversity with love.

The lu’au will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, at The Hawk dining facility off Wightman Street in Ashland, and the hō’ike will begin at 4:30 p.m. at SOU’s Music Recital Hall.

The meal will be $12.25 per person and the dance presentation will be $10 per person, and both are open to the public. Students who have paid for SOU meal plans will be able to use their cards to “swipe in” to the lu’au.

The two-part program is presented each spring by the Ho’opa’a Hawai’i Student Union – one of five multicultural student clubs and organizations that are part of SOU’s Multicultural Resource Center. The Hawai’i club works to educate and inform students and community members about Polynesian culture while helping first-year members of the club in their transitions to life on the mainland.

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SOU NASU Powwow

SOU’s Spring Powwow to be presented by Native American Student Union

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NEWS BRIEF
(Ashland, Ore.) — Southern Oregon University’s Native American Student Union will share native culture with the campus and greater community when it presents the 26th annual Spring Powwow on Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15, at the Phoenix High School gymnasium.

The event will include drumming, dancing and cultural sharing from tribes throughout the Northwest. Aztec dancers will perform and Native American arts and crafts will be available.

The grand entry ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and at noon on Sunday.
The family-friendly powwow is free and open to the public. No alcohol or drugs will be permitted. Phoenix High School is located at 745 North Rose St., in Phoenix.

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