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COVID-19 website: To facilitate the ongoing sharing of information about the virus, Oregon State University has added a link on the OSU homepage to a page that provides detailed and up-to-date COVID-19 information; links to OSU, local, state and federal resources; and updates on the latest federal travel restrictions.
TRACE OSU testing: OSU has invited all OSU students to be tested through TRACE-OSU the week after spring break. All students living in the residence halls are required to be tested within the first three days of spring term. Prevalence testing for university faculty and staff will be offered in Corvallis and at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport by TRACE-OSU, the week after spring break. Employees working on-site at OSU-Cascades in Bend can be tested on March 30 and 31. Testing will not take place during Spring Break. Please join the effort to build a safer and healthier Oregon State University community. To enroll and for more information: https://trace.oregonstate.edu/osu.
Timely Teaching Tips: Need an assist to make your Zoom sessions run smoother so you can focus on course content and delivery? The Tech Keep Teaching Assistant (TechKTA) program to support remote teaching is continuing for Spring 2021. Request a TechKTA now.
Today in the News Media is a synopsis of some of the most prominent coverage of OSU people and programs. Inclusion of any item constitutes neither an endorsement nor a critique, but rather is intended only to make the OSU community aware of significant items in the media. Content appearing includes timely news and feature stories from broadcast, print and online sources. Occasionally, opinion pieces and first-person columns appearing in mainstream media outlets that are written by faculty members and pertain to their academic or professional expertise may be included based on their unique, informative value, timeliness and space constraints. It is not the policy of OSU Today to include Letters to the Editor.
F. King Alexander has resigned from his position as Oregon State University's president, effective April 1. Alexander offered his resignation Sunday, and OSU Board of Trustees Chair Rani Borkar announced it during a public OSU Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday morning. After an executive session closed to the public, the board voted to accept Alexander’s resignation and place him on administrative leave until his resignation is effective. Edward Feser, provost and executive vice president, was appointed as acting president until an interim president is appointed by the board. (see also USA Today, Oregonian, OPB)
A lawsuit filed by an Oregon State University professor alleges the university violated anti-discrimination and whistleblower laws. (see also Democrat-Herald)
"That concern about efficient distribution of the vaccine has to be balanced against matters of equity,” said Dr. Courtney Campbell, a medical ethicist at Oregon State University. “You don't want vaccines to go to waste, there's no question about that.”
The Corvallis Wastewater Project, a collaborative effort between the City of Corvallis and researchers at Oregon State University, is currently detecting unexpected rises in viral COVID-19 RNA in the city’s wastewater.
The University of Oregon and Oregon State University were served with separate lawsuits from students this month, arguing they should not have had to pay the same they would for in-person instruction when the universities only offered remote or online instruction during the pandemic. (see also OPB)
More than six months after the devastating wildfires of September 2020, researchers at Oregon State University are studying the impacts of the fires on watersheds and forests.
Ryan Gordon is with the Oregon Department of Forestry. He says the agency is teaming up with the Oregon State University Extension Service and other organizations to help landowners meet their goals. (see also JPR)
How the pandemic has thrown college admissions process into a kind of slow-motion chaos. One of the biggest changes: most colleges have stopped requiring the SAT. For decades, there’s been a debate over whether schools should drop the test. What’s it mean that it finally happened? Featuring OSU's Jon Boeckenstedt as a guest.
NEW! Board of Trustees: The Oregon State University Board of Trustees Executive & Audit Committee will meet Wednesday, March 24, from 8-10 a.m. The committee will discuss next steps in identifying an interim president, including the process that will be used for soliciting nominations and consulting with stakeholders. The committee will also discuss a proposed course of action the Board will take related to the motion adopted by trustees on March 17, related to the LSU Husch Blackwell report and OSU Title IX reporting and survivor services. The committee also will discuss next steps to respond to feedback and questions the Board has received from the OSU Faculty Senate related to this matter. The agenda, meeting materials and options for joining the meeting are located at this webpage. If special accommodation is required, contact 541-737-3449 or lauren.skousen@oregonstate.edu at least 24 hours in advance.
NEW! HMSC Research Seminar: On Thursday, March 25, at 3:30 p.m., Solène Derville, GEMM Lab, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, will give a seminar titled “Combining aerial and boat-based surveys to model large whale habitat year-round in Oregon (OPAL project).” Zoom link. Password: 972587. Or call +1-971-247-1195 Meeting ID: 945 5573 115. Click here for more information.
Racial Aikido – March 26-27: Racial Aikido explores the experiences of Students of Color at OSU and beyond. The focus for the 2021 experience is on community building, the recognition of identity and racism, and response and replenishment to these realities. Our goal is to build a supportive network to learn and thrive at OSU and beyond. Applications will be accepted until retreat is full. Check out the application here: https://uhds.link/racialaikido
Bella Voce Takes the National Stage: Creating During COVID-19: Over the weekend, Bella Voce, the OSU treble choir directed by Sandra Babb, performed virtually at one of the most prestigious choral events in our country: the American Choral Director's Association national conference. Having a choir invited to audition and perform at this conference is a pinnacle achievement for a choral director. View the video that was produced for the conference by Oregon State University Productions, hear from Babb, OSU Multimedia Producer Daniel Cespedes, and some of the singers about representing our university and state and about creating during COVID-19. Tuesday, March 30, at 5:30 p.m. Register.
"Trees to Know" Book Launch Party: Learn to identify native trees and meet the authors in this interactive, free webinar Tuesday, March 30, from 6 to 7 p.m. Includes book giveaways. Published by OSU Extension Service. Register here. Authors: Edward Jensen, emeritus professor, OSU College of Forestry, and David Shaw, Forestry and Natural Resources Extension.
American Strings: An Evening with David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez, Jr. of Los Lobos. Los Lobos is an American rock band from East Los Angeles that fuses rock and roll with Tex-Mex and traditional Mexican music. The band gained international stardom in 1987, when their cover version of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" topped the charts in the U.S., the UK and several other countries. Since then, Los Lobos has enjoyed much success in recording, touring and performing as a band and with a variety of other successful artists. Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle, requinto jarocho) and Pérez, Jr. (vocals, drums, guitar, jarana huasteca) are two of the founding members of the band and wrote most of Los Lobos' songs together. Hidalgo and Pérez will talk with OSU’s Bob Santelli about their longtime collaboration and unique experience of fusing cultures and crossing genres, and play some of their music. Wednesday, March 31, at 5 p.m. Register
Crossroads Conversation School for Women: Crossroads invites international women to join them for spring term English conversation classes beginning on Tuesday, March 30. In volunteer-taught classes, students explore other cultures, practice English, and develop friendships. Classes meet via Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. For more details and registration information go to www.facebook.com/Crossroads-Conversation-School-for-Women-111562023572850 or contact Kara Hanson at crossroadsconversationschool@gmail.com.
A New Faculty Learning Community for Instructors and TAs: The Community for the Advancement of Antiracist Instruction seeks instructors and teaching assistants for a spring pilot, weeks 5 through 8. In this professional development opportunity, participants will explore antiracist teaching in a community of colleagues and create an antiracist teaching action plan. Apply here by March 31.
Core Curriculum for Current OSU Supervisors and Managers: This workshop consists of online modules followed by 4 half-days of classroom training via Zoom. Topics include the performance management cycle (position descriptions, expectations/standards, engagement, appraisals and integration), equal employment and affirmative action, ADA, discrimination and misconduct, safety and compensation, and supervising represented employees. Monday, April 5, through Thursday, April 8, 8:15 a.m. to noon each day. Register by March 31.
Crucial Conversations: Crucial Conversations is a 10-hour course that teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement — by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional or risky topics — at all levels of your organization. By learning how to speak and be heard (and encouraging others to do the same), you’ll surface the best ideas, make the highest-quality decisions and then act on your decisions with unity and commitment. This program consists of a series of five live, online sessions on Thursdays, 9-11 a.m. April 15 through May 13. There is a $100 fee to attend Crucial Conversations. Learn more and register here.
Research in Environmental Health Sciences Seminar Series: Perry Hystad, associate professor, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, will give a seminar titled “New Technologies to Measure Environmental Exposures and Influences on Human Health,” April 2, 3-4 p.m., https://bit.ly/3vitsoC. Passcode: 218039.
This spring, it’s time to ACCELERATE your startup, technology, and/or business idea: The OSU Advantage Accelerator is offering a virtual Accelerate program starting this April. In just 10 weeks, streamline your value proposition, get to market faster, and validate your product-market fit. The Accelerate program is open to OSU researchers, students and staff, and members of the Corvallis community who intend to start or grow an entrepreneurial venture and can qualify teams to receive NSF i-Corps funds. The fun starts April 13. Learn more and apply here: https://advantage.oregonstate.edu/advantage-accelerator/programs/accelerate.
OSU Today on break: OSU Today will be on Spring Break the rest of the week, and will return to daily publication on Monday, March 29. Send submissions for next week to osutoday@oregonstate.edu.
OSU Community Hub: Managed by the Family Resource Center, this free platform is where Beaver families can connect, learn and share. Introduce yourself and get to know other Oregon State employees through this new resource; ask questions to your colleagues about child care, caregiving and community resources; and join interest groups to connect with those who share similar experiences.
Key pick-up counter service relocated to ID Center: The service counter for picking up keys from the Access, Lock and Key Shop has been relocated to the university ID Center, located in the Memorial Union. The key pick-up process will not change and an OSU ID will be required to receive keys. Learn more about the change in key counter service at https://beav.es/J75. Send questions to keyshop@oregonstate.edu.
Working with Students in Distress: Faculty and staff may be the first to notice a student is struggling and may be in the best position to reach out with care and concern. The Office of Student Life, in collaboration with Counseling and Psychological Services, developed a CARE folder, which is intended to provide you with resources and referral information that we hope you find valuable. Simply click on this link and you will be directed to login to Box to access these resources. We recommend you bookmark this link for easy access on your phone, laptop or tablet.
PCOSW Statement to the Board of Trustees: Read the full President’s Commission on the Status of Women Leadership Team statement submitted for the March 17 Board of Trustees public session with President Alexander.
Cybersecurity Spring Cleaning Checklist: Find out how you can “spring clean” your cyberspaces to help prevent hacker access and damage. Topics include passwords, email, apps, social media, app or system accounts, desks, backups, updating devices and disposal of paper and electronic media at https://www.cisecurity.org/newsletter/2021-cybersecurity-spring-cleaning-checklist/.
Dear Survivors: An open letter from faculty and staff at the Survivor Advocacy and Resource Center, Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services and the Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center reaffirming support for all survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence. The full letter is available here.
Visualize Your Bibliography Competition: The OSU Libraries and Press invite currently enrolled graduate students to enter this year’s Visualize Your Bibliography Competition. Submissions should creatively display 20+ sources used in a thesis, dissertation or other scholarly work. Displays might range from a series of erasure poems made for each source to a multimedia timeline of your sources. Prizes: 1st: $750, 2nd: $500, 3rd: $250. Deadline: April 1. For questions, contact colleen.johnson@oregonstate.edu.
Ecampus Online Teaching Principles now available: Quality online education happens when courses are well-designed and well-facilitated. With that in mind, Oregon State Ecampus is sharing its new Online Teaching Principles. Building on a strong foundation of research-based course design, these teaching principles help faculty facilitate engaging, student-centered learning experiences in online and hybrid courses. Read more about the principles and how you can apply them in your work.
Nominations open: The President’s Commission on the Status of Women, Office of Institutional Diversity, Office of the Provost and OSU Athletics are accepting nominations for the Breaking Barriers awards. All OSU community members whose work advances gender equity in alignment with the award categories are eligible. Categories include Breaking Barriers in Education, Breaking Barriers in Research, Breaking Barriers in Athletics, the PCOSW Community Builder and the Harriet "Hattie" Redmond awards. Learn more and submit nominations at beav.es/Jby. Nominations close Tuesday, April 6. For questions, contact pcosw@oregonstate.edu.
Our Little Village (OLV) Child Care: Registration for spring term ’21 is open until Wednesday, March 31 at noon. For children ages 5 months to 12 years, OLV high quality short-term campus child care is offered for 3.5 hours/day and is available two, three or five weekday sessions for winter term. To learn more about the Our Little Village program and/or register for spring term, visit the OLV|Milne or OLV|Dixon page. Have questions? Email the Family Resource Center at familyresources@oregonstate.edu.
Campus Way: As part of a construction project at the RAIL 244 facility, this is an informational campus-wide notification to inform pedestrian path users about the potential for increased vehicle traffic along Campus Way between SW 35th Street and SW 53rd Street (view map) from March 4 through June 15. Vehicles will be traveling to and from the RAIL facility and the Building 244 construction site. The general contractor for the project will post signs at key points for the duration of the project. For questions or comments on this closure, contact construction manager Amy Keene at 541-214-1038.
Motor Pool Canopy Construction Project work: As part of the Motor Pool Canopy Construction Project, a new canopy is being built at the fuel island north of the Motor Pool Building. Fencing will go up around the area, and work will start on Tuesday, March 2 and continue through Friday, April 2 (view map). Staging will occur in the parking lot west of the Motor Pool Building. For questions or comments on this closure, contact OSU infrastructure project manager Aaron Collett at 541-207-2780.
"We don't even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward." ~ Isabel Allende
Corvallis: Rain and patchy fog Wednesday, with chance of showers until Friday when the sun returns.
Central Oregon: Slight chance of rain and snow Wednesday and Thursday, with sun by the end of the week.
Newport: Rain on Wednesday, then breezy with showers until Friday when the sun returns.
Statewide: For OSU employees around the state, find your local forecast here: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/
