SOU men's soccer Gonzalo Garcia

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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SOU Mt Ashland ECOS

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

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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!

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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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