During the month of February, Oregon State University participates in a campus-wide food drive. All benefits go to support the Linn-Benton Food Share. You can help support the drive by coming to the Memorial Union Quad Feb. 12 from noon – 4:00 p.m. We’ll be there collecting donations!

“We rode 4-wheelers, drove tractors and played in the dirt,” Boock says. “It was what we did.”

Her passion for the land certainly helped her land her current position as the Vice President of operations at Dobbes Family Estate and Wine by Joe in Dundee, the heart of Oregon wine country. But so did a strong work ethic and a degree in general agriculture from Oregon State.

When thinking about college, Boock initially had her eyes on a small private school, but fell in love with Oregon State’s campus when she visited for a high school leadership seminar.

“I loved the feeling on campus, and I realized quickly that I could fit in and that it was the place for me,” Boock said. Despite its size, Oregon State felt small, friendly and intimate to Boock.

And that feeling stayed with her when she arrived as a first-year student, making her transition from high school to college easier.  “At first, I was trying to decide what my major would be with different advisors. Everyone was so helpful and friendly, and I just thought, ‘Perfect,’ she says.

Boock started as a business major, but as her freshman year wound down, she realized it wasn’t for her anymore. She had to think about what she really loved to do.

“I just thought, ‘What about my roots? What about all the things I did as a child?’” she says.

Boock reached out to OSU’s advising staff and met Greg Thompson, an adviser for the College of Agriculture Sciences. She decided on a double major in general agriculture and Spanish – general agriculture would give her a breadth of career choices, and Spanish would enable her to continue studying the language she loved learning throughout high school. Not only would the second language be a resume builder, it would also be key to allowing her to communicate with the Spanish-speaking workers who help tend Oregon’s fields.

During her junior year, Boock developed an interest in wineries, and started looking for a job in the field. She found one with Joe Dobbes, then of Willamette Valley Vineyards.

Boock spent the majority of her summer working as a cellar assistant, informally known as a “cellar rat,” where she was simply thrown into the grunt work of the operation.

At the end of the summer, Dobbes offered Boock a long-term position. Now, 8 years later, Boock and Dobbes are still working together for Dobbes’ company.

OSU’s contribution to the wine industry isn’t limited to talented alumni like Boock. OSU pioneered a system for predicting crop loads more than twenty years ago, and researchers like Patty Skinkis are developing new methods to increase productivity.

“I know how good the college is, and I know that the kids coming out of OSU’s wine program know their stuff,” Boock explained.

Boock also says that the Oregon wine industry is unique, calling Oregon “its own animal.” “Because Oregon’s climate is so different compared to the rest of the country, research becomes very important, and OSU does a great job of that,” Boock says.

en Español

We thought a good way to show you our reach was to produce a video series that highlights these people. And the Powered by Orange video project was born.

We got to talk to viticulturist Patty Skinkis, who told us about increasing the quality of wine grapes in Oregon while decreasing vine vegetative vigor and cost of production; we talked to Hong Liu, who told us about how harvesting energy from wastewater can have global implications, especially for developing countries; fish biologist Carl Schreck described how he can monitor changes in the climate by understanding changes in fish physiology.

So, check out the videos to your left, and enjoy – and thanks for watching! Feel free to comment on these videos, or comment here and suggest some more subjects for us to work with. And stay Powered by Orange.

May told his older brother that he wanted a 1977, Camaro, and that he’d rather be a Beaver than a Duck. Jaime-Diaz didn’t know why May said that. And he never would. May died a month after their conversation, when their mother’s single-wide trailer burned down.

“It didn’t seem like life was worth living after that,” says Jaime-Diaz. “It’ll never be the same without him, I will always feel numb & empty.”
What made Jaime-Diaz persist was May’s wish to become a Beaver. “When he died that popped into my head. And I made myself a promise. In order to keep myself alive I’m going to honor May and become a Beaver. I thought, ‘What you wanted to do I’m going to do for you,’” Jaime-Diaz says.

A Long Way to Go

On paper, college for someone like Jaime-Diaz seemed improbable. He’d dropped out of high school, and had been working at Hermiston’s Wal-Mart distribution center for four years when he decided to get his GED. “I always hung my head low when I thought about how I didn’t have a diploma,” Jaime-Diaz says. “It always hurt that I was a dropout.” He finished his GED a few months after May’s death, and then got his Associate’s degree at Blue Mountain Community College in 2005. “I remember when I was at Blue Mountain on my first day,” Jaime-Diaz says. “I thought, ‘I am in college.’ To this day it still feels unreal. The other day I was freezing on an old couch at home, hungry, suffering with my family and now I’m here.”

After Blue Mountain, Jaime-Diaz honored May and became a Beaver. It was through fulfilling his promise that he found his passion – helping educate and uplift marginalized communities. This spring, Jaime-Diaz graduated with majors in speech communication and ethnic studies. But before that, he spent 10 weeks at an internship working with barrio youth in Santa Cruz, California. Their stories were all too similar to his own.

Giving Back

Jesus Jaime-Diaz holds a Barrios Unidos t-shirt - Jaime-Diaz worked at the Santa Cruz organization last year, mentoring at-risk youth.

Jaime-Diaz first heard about the Santa Cruz-based organization Barrios Unidos when he spotted one of their posters in ethnic studies professor Robert Thompson’s office. It depicts two hands clasping each other in a gesture of solidarity. The image resonated with Jaime-Diaz, who decided that day he would work for Barrios. He made that a reality after e-mailing the organization to volunteer his services.

From January to March 2009, Jaime-Diaz worked with at-risk kids of all ages. At the Live Oaks Community Center, he assisted in workshops for teenagers who were on probation. He played volleyball with them and cooked traditional Mexican dishes, like ceviche, with them. Soon, teens who weren’t even on probation started showing up, simply to have a new, healthy place to hang out. Jaime-Diaz spent time at Pajaro Valley High School in Watsonville, helping reduce gang hostility among students. He worked at Barrios’ Cesar Chavez High School for Social Change, too, teaching workshops on the core foundation of ethnic studies – slavery, genocide and colonization.

Through Barrios, Jaime-Diaz worked with young kids at the Beach Flats Community Center, which was a home away from home for young children whose parents worked multiple jobs, and who were at high risk of succumbing to the gang life. “I got to play Candyland with the kids,” he says. “I never got to as a kid, because I didn’t speak English and could never join in. Those kids helped me heal emotionally, and I will always be thankful and never forget them.”

Jaime-Diaz got to give the kids in Santa Cruz what he had always been looking for – a mentor. “They told me I made a difference in their lives, and that no one had ever treated them that way. I’d always looked for that kind of guidance as a little kid.”

The Road Ahead

Now, Jaime-Diaz is enrolled in Oregon State’s Master’s of Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) program, studying adult education, speech communication and ethnic studies. “My focus is on college recruitment and retention of oppressed and underrepresented communities,” he says. “I hope to pursue my doctorate in adult education with an emphasis in community college leadership, and ride it out as a ‘Beaver.’” Eventually he wants to return to eastern Oregon and develop an intercommunity approach in the recruitment of Latina/o youth. “Education does not make you better than anyone else. What it does is give you a moral responsibility to assist others in getting there” Jaime-Diaz says.

en Español

Adam Aguilar, left, and Kasra Azizian, right, have challenged KidSpirit employees to donate monthly to the program. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

Oregon State University students Adam Aguilar and Kasra Azizian aren’t the type to send a thank you card and leave it at that. They are more interested in making a lasting impact. And that’s why they’ve challenged fellow KidSpirit employees to start donating monthly to the program.

Both men have been enthusiastic supporters and advocates for OSU KidSpirit since being hired to work for the program, which links local children with the expertise of the OSU community. The OSU students who work for KidSpirit learn leadership skills and teaching strategies, and form a tight bond with fellow staff members and director Karen Swanger. They serve as teachers and activity leaders, and also become mentors to the children they work with.

Aguilar, who is getting ready to graduate with a degree in English, and Azizian, a sophomore in New Media, are both at different stages in their school career, but both also recognize that their time at KidSpirit has impacted them academically and personally. That’s why the two came up with a plan to challenge KidSpirit’s fellow enthusiasts to financially support the program.

The friends created the KidSpirit Staff Giving Program, which challenges staff members to donate $10 a month to the program. At first, they aimed their challenge at fellow staffers, but now, they’ve decided to expand it, and appeal to the more than 900 KidSpirit employees who have worked with the program over the years.

“KidSpirit needs to see growth,” Aguilar said. “We need to take the program to the next level.”

Aguilar thinks it makes sense to ask those most vested in KidSpirit to make the monthly donation.

“We see where we can put the money,” he said. “We see where the money is going.”

Azizian is a Corvallis native who started his college career at University of Oregon, but switched to OSU after being hired by KidSpirit and having “the most amazing time” his first summer with the program.

“I really saw what the program can do for me, professionally and as a person,” he said.

Once they received approval from Swanger to start the challenge, Aguilar and Azizian worked with the OSU Foundation to make sure they were doing things by the book, and so they could set up a site online where students, as well as OSU staff and faculty, could make donations.

Although they’re just in the early stages, they already have 21 people donating $10 a month to KidSpirit. They’ll now be reaching out to former KidSpirit employees to see if they want to participate.

“I can’t express how cool it is, especially in these economic times, to have students initiate this, and to understand, “Let’s be part of the solution,” Swanger said. “It really is amazing and it is a testament to the kind of kids who work with KidSpirit.”

Swanger said $10 a month is a big chunk of money for students, and she made sure that those who donate are doing so not by putting it on their credit card or charging it to an account that parents might pay off, but are actually budgeting the donation into their monthly financial plans.

“It’s a life lesson,” she said. “You have to give something up to give.”

Each month, the Giving Program will host a peanut butter and jam lunch in the KidSpirit Office to celebrate the staff’s monthly gift, and to raise more donations from other campus members who want to stop in and get a sandwich. Roman Meal is donating the bread for the sandwiches. The next lunch will be held Feb. 12 in Langton Hall Room 125.

MU student employee Heather Quackenbush puts up a Mercy Corps poster in the MU Concourse. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

For the last few days, many people have been glued to their computer screens and television sets, watching the horrific aftermath of the Haiti earthquake and wondering what they can do to help.

At Oregon State University, students, faculty and staff now have an opportunity to make cash donations through the Memorial Union that will go directly to the aid effort in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere in Haiti. Michael Henthorne, director of the MU, and his staff are using the Memorial Union as a collecting and communication agent for Haitian Quake relief.

“We believe that we are the community center of the University and as such, campus-wide efforts should have visibility and a contribution to the effort from the MU,” Henthorne said. “It is deeply rooted in our past. If you look at the periods of civil rights, the peace movement, support for military during WWII, etc., all of them have a strong connection to the MU.”

Oregon State has a pre-existing partnership with Mercy Corps International, a Portland-based aid group that is sending staff and supplies to Haiti in the wake of the disaster. The student organization ISOSU is acting as the fund dispersing account for cash donations on campus, all of which will go directly to Mercy Corps.

“They have one of the highest gifts-to-aid ratio of any relief agency at 89 percent,” Henthorne said of Mercy Corps. “People on campus are familiar with them and they get frequent media exposure in the state and region because of their out-reach efforts.”

Mercy Corps has also made staff available to travel to campus if needed to provide direction presentations on emergency efforts and answer questions about what they are trying to do.

Seniors Neal Frederick and Heather Quackenbush prepare a display on the Haiti relief effort. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

There is currently a display in the MU concourse that explains Mercy Corps’ mission and has an area to keep track of group, organization and departmental cash contributions. Donations will be collected in the MU Business Office.

The MU has been the focal point of a number of disaster relief efforts, most notably following the tsunamis of 2004.

“We did a similar effort (in 2004),” Henthorne said, “but we were more focused on individual contributions with the Tsunami. This time, we’re also targeting groups, and in particular, encouraging them to conduct activities over the next few months of Winter Term, perhaps even into Spring Term and beyond, given how much of Port-au-Prince is going to need to be rebuilt.”

Henthorne said it makes sense to provide an opportunity for OSU community members to help out those in Haiti in an immediate and tangible way.

“We have plenty of evidence that people at OSU want to make a difference for those who live with far fewer resources than we have enjoyed. When disasters strike, the OSU community generally responds,” he said. “This catastrophic earthquake will be a marker in time, perhaps the single greatest loss of life in an earthquake in modern time. I believe that the campus community will want to look back on it and recall that they did something to help.”

To learn more about Mercy Corps, go to www.mercycorps.org or call (800) 292-3355.

Former Oregon State running back Yvenson Bernard, who is organizing relief efforts in his home country, Haiti, after 2010's earthquake.

Yvenson Bernard, former OSU running back and a native of Haiti, has reached out to former colleagues and friends to gather donations for his home country. Bernard, who plans to travel to Haiti in two weeks and bring donations to the earthquake ravaged country, wrote the following e-mail to request support:

Hello everyone,

As you have heard Haiti had a catastrophic earthquake this week. My family and I are from Haiti and much of my family is still living there now so I am starting a Haiti Relief Fundraiser. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, so relief is absolutely needed for survival!

We are accepting new hygiene products, all types of new and used clothing and shoes, as well as money donations. I am traveling to Haiti in two weeks to respond to this tragedy. All proceeds go to Haiti Relief! Any help would be appreciated! Thank you SO much and God Bless.

Donation drop boxes are at these locations (more to come):

Today’s Salon
425 W. 1st Avenue Albany, OR.

Kappa Kappa Gamma
1335 NW Van Buren Ave. Corvallis, OR.

Charitable donations:

Please make check payable to:

International Sports Agency
Children’s Foundation
P.O. Box 51508
Irvine, CA 92619
http://www.helpisakids.com/Donations.htm

And here’s your guide.

Take special note of the popular Peace Breakfast and appearances by Freedom Rider Ruth Koenig and human rights activist and author Richard Lapchick, who has been described as “the racial conscience of sport.”

Oregon State’s celebration is one of the oldest continuous MLK events in the state – activities this year are based around the theme of “The Door to Equality is Voice Activated,” and are open to the public and mostly free. OSU will cancel classes on Monday, Jan. 18, to allow students, faculty and staff to observe the celebration and join the annual Peace Breakfast, which starts at 7:30 a.m. in the Memorial Union (MU) Ballroom on the OSU campus.

Featured events at the breakfast include a keynote address by Lapchick, presentation of the Phyllis S. Lee & Frances Dancy Hooks Coalition Builder Awards (among other honors), a video created by Director of Community and Diversity Terryl Ross and a performance by Outspoken, the OSU Men’s a cappella group.

Tickets will be available at the door, but organizers advise patrons to buy tickets in advance from the MU business office, as the event regularly sells out. Tickets, which go on sale starting Wednesday, Jan. 6, are $10 for general admission and $6 for students; children ages 5-and-under will be admitted free. Call 541-737-4381 for more information.

•    Also on Jan. 18, a “Kids Supporting Social Justice” activity takes place from 7:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the Pan African Sankofa Room of the Memorial Union. It will be followed by a “Kids for Equality” event for preschool to middle school children in the Native American Longhouse on campus, just south of the Memorial Union.

•    A birthday party for King will be held from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, 2325 N.W. Monroe, followed by a candlelight walk and vigil starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Black Cultural Center, with the procession ending with a program and vigil at the north steps of the MU. Afterward, a roundtable discussion will be held at the MU Lounge.

•    On Jan. 20, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Koenig will share her experiences as a Freedom Rider during the cross-country civil rights activism that took place in 1961.  She will speak in the Arnold Hall Gold Room. For more information call 541-737-8268.

•    Other ongoing MLK events include a community art event called The MLK Project, which takes place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Jan. 6 and 1 to 3 p.m., Jan. 9. Participants are asked to pick up a phrase from MLK’s speech “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” on the fifth floor of Snell, and register to create an artistic “response,” that is in either an art medium or verbal response. The results will be displayed by Counseling and Psychological Services starting Jan. 12.

•    The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Children’s Celebration takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 15 at the Majestic Theatre.
Other MLK Celebration events include:

Friday, Jan. 8 
After Dark, 9 p.m.–1 a.m., Dixon Recreation Center. Concert, Snacks, Movies, Poker, Wii games, arts and crafts.  Free and open to students. Co-sponsors: Recreational Sports, Student Events & Activities, University Housing & Dining, MUPC, ASOSU, ISOSU, Summer Session.
Monday, Jan. 11
“The Dhamma Brothers” video,  noon–1:30 p.m., MU Journey Room.
A story set in a maximum security prison in Alabama. The prisoners are introduced to an ancient meditation technique that internally changes their lives. A brief description of the meditation technique and its utility to all people will be highlighted after the film.  Co-sponsor: Counseling and Psychological Services

Tuesday-Thursday, Jan. 12–14 
MUvies: “The Long Walk Home,” 2:30, 5:30, & 8:30 p.m., Memorial Union Commons. A perceptive and powerful drama about changing times in 1950s segregated Montgomery, Alabama. When her black maid (Whoopi Goldberg) takes a stand in Martin Luther King Jr.’s bus boycott, an affluent white woman (Sissy Spacek) does what she can to help despite the disapproval of her husband. Co-sponsors: Student Events and Activities, Memorial Union

Wednesday, Jan. 13
The Voices Project: Being Black, noon–1 p.m., MU Journey Room. OSU students, staff, and faculty share the opportunities and challenges of being Black at OSU. Sponsor: OSU Community and Diversity

Moving beyond privilege and guilt: Become an advocate for equality, 5–6:30 p.m., Pride Center. Learn strategies about using your social location and privilege to advocate for oppressed and marginalized groups. Use the power you have to become an ally and change the world. Co-sponsor: Team Liberation

Full voice command – unleashing the power, 6:30–7:30 p.m., MU Journey Room
 An introduction to the most powerful voices in history, their impact, and the echo of them today. A mix of clips, performances, and tips to showcase the power of words and how to make them your most valuable asset. Co-sponsor: Student Leadership and Involvement

Service to community, 7–9 p.m., Corvallis High School Theatre, “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” – MLK, Jr.  An evening of celebration. A panel of local dignitaries will speak on service, and discuss the impact on individuals and the community. Entertainment includes the Fiesta Mexicano Dancers. Immediately following there will be a reception. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, City of Corvallis.
Jan. 13-20
“Sign the Pledge,”– MLK, Jr. Pledge Wall, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Daily, MU Display Wall, Student Lounge. Reaffirm your support for nonviolent social change, equality and justice, freedom and peace. Co-sponsor: Panhellenic Council

Scavenger hunt for activism, daily, OSU Campus. There will be stations around campus at the Cultural Centers, Pride Center,  Women’s Center, International Student Center, Community Service Center and Multicultural Literacy Center. Participants will answer a question about activism and how they can get involved. They will have a “passport to activism” to get stamped at each station upon answering the question. Those completing their passport with five stamps will be entered in a drawing for a free iPod. Co-sponsors: Education Students for Peace and Justice

“Look Out: Race, Gender, Activism!” daily, The Pride Center. This visual display will highlight current activism projects both on the local and (inter)national stage. Come see what’s going on and learn how to get involved. Co-sponsor: The Pride Center

Thursday, Jan. 14
 The Red Wagon: Facing Hunger, 6–7:30 p.m., MU 213 Pan African Sankofa.
Story of Vermonters struggling every day to feed their families. They rely on
 the charitable food banks, soup kitchens and food shelves. The film shows how
 food insecurity ravages one’s sense of dignity and how hunger is more than
just not having enough to eat. It will challenge what you thought you knew
about hunger and discuss ways to battle hunger in our community. 
Co-sponsors: Community Service Center, Student Alliance for Environmental Justice, Team Liberation

Friday, Jan. 15 
Martin Luther King, Jr. Children’s Celebration, 2–4 p.m., Majestic Theatre. Sponsored by: Corvallis Montessori School
Monday, Jan. 18
MLK, Jr. Day of Observance
 28th Annual Peace Breakfast, 7:30–9 a.m., MU Ballroom. Sponsors: OSU Community and Diversity, President’s Office, OSU Athletic Dept.

Kids Supporting Social Justice, 7:15–9 a.m., MU 213, Pan African Sankofa Room
Who is Martin Luther King, Jr.? What is social justice? At this event, elementary and middle school youth will explore these questions and many more as we read about important figures in Black History. They will also develop an “action plan” on what they want to happen in the world with regards to social justice. Co-sponsors: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sigma Delta Chapter

Kids for Equality, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Native American Longhouse. The following activities are for preschool to middle school students to learn about equality. Different stations will be set up for art projects, an exercise on being the outsider, a skit, a tap dance and speech project for kids to perform. A soup lunch will be provided. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Co-sponsors: ASOSU Non-Traditional and Multicultural Affairs, Native American Longhouse, Community Service Center

Birthday party for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 5–6 p.m., Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center,  2325 NW Monroe. Co-sponsors: Black Student Union, Black Cultural Center

Candlelight Vigil, 6:30–7 p.m., MU Steps. Meet at 6 p.m. at the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center (2325 NW Monroe) for the candlelight walk to the MU Steps. Co-sponsors: Black Cultural Center, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Round table discussion, 7–9 p.m., MU Learning Lounge (following Vigil) Co-sponsors: Black Cultural Center, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Jan 18–20 
Equality Board, MU Display Wall, Student Lounge. Please write your comments about what equality means to you and join students, faculty, and the campus in this important conversation and educational opportunity on Jan. 20. Co-sponsors: Team Liberation, Intercultural Student Services

Jan. 19–21 
MUvies: “Do the Right Thing, 2:30, 5:30, and 8:30 p.m., Memorial Union Commons
Spike Lee combines humor, drama and music in a technique used in his
previous films to again expose the absurdity of racism. “Do the Right Thing”
moves its cast of characters through a minefield of sensations over the course 
of the hottest day of the year, on one block in the Brooklyn neighborhood of
Bedford-Stuyvesant. This blood-boiling, 24-hour period will change the lives of
its residents forever. Co-sponsors: Student Events and Activities, Memorial Union

Jan. 19-20 and 21-22
MLK 365, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 1/19-20 MU Commons; and 1/21-22 MU Student Lounge
Students stop by the Community Service Center booth to sign up for volunteer opportunities in the community and learn more about the upcoming annual Volunteer and Non-Profit Expo. Co-sponsors: Community Service Center, University Administration Business Center

Tuesday, Jan. 19
 Red Power, Black Power, Brown Power, Yellow Power, Gay Power workshop, 6–7 p.m., MU 206. Come learn about the five power movements in America’s history. There will be an open discussion about similarities that occurred within each power 
movement and how these movements have affected our lives today. Co-sponsors: SOL, Intercultural Student Services

Tuesday, Jan. 19
 An Evening of Song and Poetry, 7–9 p.m., MU Journey Room.  An evening will be devoted to poetry and song contributed by whomever signs up to do a piece (or two pieces as time permits). Participants are invited to present poetry or songs that follow the Celebration 2010 theme or that pertain to social issues such as injustice, discrimination, racism, peace, freedom, equality, and justice. Contact us now or sign up at the door to do a poem or song (or two?). Come early to sign up if you can.
Co-sponsors: College of Science, The Corvallis Folklore Society, The Beaver
Poets Society

Wednesday, Jan. 20 
Equality Is…3:30–5 p.m., MU 208, LaRaza Room
What does equality mean to you? How does it affect our campus and what
can we do to foster equality? How can we use our voices to bring about
 equality? Many of the topics that will be discussed will be drawn from the
comment board. Please join students, faculty and campus organizations in this
conversation and educational opportunity. Co-sponsors: Team Liberation, Intercultural Student Services

The Voice of a Freedom Rider, 5:30–7 p.m., Arnold Gold Room. In 1961, civil rights activists, known as Freedom Riders, from all over the country set out to challenge the status quo by riding public transportation into the South to challenge local segregation laws. Join us in welcoming Ruth Koenig to share her story as a Freedom Rider at this catered event. Ruth will share her experiences in the struggle to get Black citizens to vote and share her artifacts related to her time spent as a Freedom Rider. RSVP to 541.737.8268. Co-sponsors: University Housing & Dining Services, Community Relations Facilitator Program

Legacy of Hope, 7–8 p.m., MU 206. Student and faculty panel presentation and discussion on how Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideas not only affected the African American community but how it relates to the Latino/a, Chicano/a, Hispanic community and how recent hope for change will affect us. Refreshments will be offered. Co-sponsor: Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority, Inc.

Thursday, Jan. 21
 Interfaith Prayer Service, 3–4 p.m., MU 212. A time for prayer and reflection from community members from different  spiritual, religious and philosophical backgrounds. Join us and be inspired to continue to celebrate the life and work of the Reverend Dr. King. Co-sponsors: OSU Campus Coalition Builders, United Campus Ministry

Friday, Jan. 22
 All University Dance, 10 p.m.–2 a.m., Club Escape. Free to all OSU Students. Please bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to Linn-Benton Food Share.
Co-sponsors: Gamma Alpha Omega Sorority, Inc., Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Saturday, Jan. 23
 Reign 2010 Strolling Competition, 2–6 p.m., MU Ballroom. Admission is FREE with an OSU Student ID. Fraternities & Sororities from around the northwest will unite at OSU to compete in the first annual Reign strolling competition. Co-sponsors: Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, University Housing & Dining Services, Office of Student Affairs, ASOSU, MUPC, Centro Cultural César Chávez,  Unified Greek Council.

Power Up featured participant Teresa Hall, who works in the OSU marketing department, throws a Frisbee to her dog Jack in front of Weatherford Hall on the Oregon State campus. Hall wants to improve her fitness level after conquering cancer.

Television is full of reality television shows focused on dramatic weight loss and questionable approaches to fitness. But at Oregon State University, a new competition is focusing on a holistic approach to health, utilizing the many resources available on campus.

Oregon State students, faculty and staff are gearing up for a 19-week health and wellness event called the “Power Up Challenge” that will promote healthy living in all its aspects, from nutrition to fitness, to sustainability, to financial responsibility.

There are as many reasons to focus on health as there are people on campus. Rachael Bergstad wants to run a marathon. Steve Geissler wants to lower his cholesterol without using medication. Teresa Hall wants to be able to work with her agility dogs after recovering from cancer. And during the Power Up Challenge, the campus will be able to watch as they work toward meeting their goals.

Two teams of challengers selected during fall term will publicly face off during a series of campus events during winter and spring terms, but all students, staff and faculty are invited to form their own teams or compete as individuals. They’ll be able to keep track of their progress on-line, and compete to gather points as they work toward becoming healthier versions of themselves.

Dixon Recreation Center will host a Wellness Fair kickoff event for OSU’s Power Up Challenge on Jan. 7 from 3 to 5 p.m. The public can meet “Power Up Challenge” contestants in Dixon’s atrium and learn about the wealth of wellness resources and services available at OSU. One booth will offer a chance to win a free massage, but you have to guess which one.

The campus community will be able to follow the progress of the two selected teams via a blog and can learn how to sign up and chart their own progress.