Fall 2020 Monday Message – Week 1

A Message From Dean Doolen Last week at the New Student Induction, I spoke to students and families about the importance of the Honors College community. The Honors College strives to form a community that supports students in the authentic expression of their identity and in the pursuit of their personal, academic, and professional goals. […]


September 27, 2020

A Message From Dean Doolen

Last week at the New Student Induction, I spoke to students and families about the importance of the Honors College community. The Honors College strives to form a community that supports students in the authentic expression of their identity and in the pursuit of their personal, academic, and professional goals. We work and grow together. We collaborate rather than compete. We succeed – and, yes, fail – together – and we are all the stronger for it.

In our current environment, many in our community can feel, at times, lonely, isolated, and unmotivated. It isn’t just that we aren’t able to congregate for social gatherings and special events. We’ve also lost the daily, casual interactions we used to enjoy before or after class, in the hallways, or over lunch or coffee. These small, in-between moments are often key to binding communities together.

In direct response to these issues, this week we are launching HC Conversation Clusters. All HC students will be assigned to a cluster and meet weekly on Zoom for a half hour. Our goal is for every honors student to feel included, connected, and cared for. Even if you don’t think you’ll benefit, I ask that you join in fully – because when everyone participates, everyone benefits. Greatness emerges from an environment that values, hears, and respects diverse voices and perspectives. So please listen, be open, and be giving of yourself and your time.

Please watch for communications about HC Conversation Clusters on Canvas and in your email inbox. Thank you all in advance for your help in keeping our community strong.

Toni

Toni L. Doolen, PhD
[she, her, hers]
Dean, Oregon State University Honors College
toni.doolen@oregonstate.edu
541.737.5974

HCSA Events This Week

Honors College Student Association – First Meeting THIS WEEK
Join HCSA and Honors X for an ice cream social Thursday, Oct. 1 from 7 – 8 p.m. via Zoom. Grab an ice cream from the SLUG, West, or Sackett freezer and come learn about leadership and involvement opportunities in the Honors College while meeting fellow students. We’re looking for new students to join the leadership team and will be holding elections to fill open positions. The meeting ID is 922 1349 4129, and the password is HCSA.

HC Announcements and Events

NEW! Earn 2 HC elective credit by volunteering with the INTO OSU Conversant Program
The INTO OSU Conversant Program provides an opportunity for volunteers to help international students practice English conversation. It is a great way to connect to your international student peers, make new friends, and learn about other cultures! Spend one hour per week meeting remotely with your conversation partner. The program lasts one academic term and is an immensely rewarding experience for everyone involved. Applications for Fall 2020 are due by midnight on Sunday, September 27th. Questions about the INTO OSU Conversant Program can be directed to Audra Wooldridge. Contact Leanna Dillon if you are planning to volunteer and are interested in earning HC elective credit by enrolling in the 1 credit HC 409 Conversant course.

NEW! It’s Coming… Conversation Clusters Kick-Off
With our community learning from a variety of locations, on-campus (in Corvallis, Bend, or Newport), remotely, or through Ecampus, all students will be assigned to an HC Conversation Cluster. Conversation Clusters will meet via Zoom for 30 minutes each week throughout the academic year to discuss topics, play games, and be in community together. On Tuesday, Sept. 29, your assigned Conversation Cluster will be sent to you via your OSU email. The Canvas page will monitor all cluster activities and track group participation. For this initial week, we’ll focus on getting to know our one another, establishing our meeting day, time, format, and assign roles. The first 100 clusters to complete the initial assignment in canvas will receive dinner on us! Be sure to watch your email for your assignment.

NEW! Navigating University: Remote Learning Tools
These sessions will be focused on navigating all of the remote learning tools available to you at OSU while also making sure you get to meet other students and classmates who live in our building. While we will spend some time talking about resources that you can use, the majority of our time will be spent hanging out and getting to meet everyone that lives in the hall! 

  • West: Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 6-7 p.m. Zoom link here. Password: 982870.
  • Sackett: Thursday Oct. 1 from 6-7 p.m. Zoom link here.

NEW! Dean and Friends Conversation with Todd Kjos
All HC students are invited to the first Dean and Friends conversation of the year on Thursday, Oct. 8, from noon-1 p.m. We will host Todd Kjos on Zoom, a 1986 graduate of the OSU honors program in engineering physics. Todd is currently a software engineer with Google, where he is the technical lead for the Android kernel. His career has included work as a software engineer with Facebook and Hewlett-Packard, and he will answer questions about his career and lead a conversation about his current work. Sign up to receive the Zoom link by emailing Kevin Stoller at stollerk@oregonstate.edu.

NEW! Movie Voting for the HC Movie Marathon
The HC will be hosting an outdoor movie with small group showings on Friday, Oct. 9. The details are still coming together, but please take a few minutes to vote on the movie you’d like to see here!

NEW! Attend HC Student-Faculty Mixer with College of Science, College of Engineering and more
Honors College mixers are an excellent way to connect with faculty members, learn more about their research, and potentially get involved in projects that could be the basis of an HC thesis. Even if you don’t yet feel ready to begin research or are not sure about your interests, attending these events help you to explore opportunities and make connections. Dress in attire you are comfortable making a first impression with. Be prepared to discuss your research interests and/or academic background. Some faculty members may also ask for a resume.

Fall 2020 Mixers:

  • Multi-discipline mixer on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020 from 4 p.m.-5:30 pm via Zoom
  • College of Engineering mixer on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020 from 4 p.m.-5:30 pm via Zoom
  • College of Science mixer on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020 from 3 p.m.-4:30 pm via Zoom

Register here today! Registration is required to receive the Zoom link, which will be sent two business days before the event.

Stage One Thesis Workshops
Complete the first stage of your Honors Thesis! Learn more about the possibilities and requirements for the Honors Thesis and create your personal Thesis Map in a 45-minute workshop. You can view the full schedule of workshops and register online here.

You will receive a reminder and a Zoom invitation via email the business day before your workshop. You must register online to receive the conf

Scholarship Opportunities

NEW! Honors College Differential Tuition and Emergency Grant
The Honors College recognizes this may be a particularly challenging time for Honors College students and their families. We encourage students experiencing difficulty paying the costs associated with Honors College enrollment to apply for a one-term Honors College Differential Tuition and Emergency Grant. Determinations will be made on a rolling basis and will consider both need and the likelihood of earning the Honors Baccalaureate. 

Inability to pay Honors College differential tuition or other costs this term should not be the primary barrier to any student’s successful graduation from the college or continuation as an honors student.
 Approved grants may be for the full HC differential tuition (currently $500) or a portion of it and are for one-term only. Grants will not be renewed for additional terms, but students can reapply. Typically, students can only receive two Differential Tuition and Emergency Grant during their time in the Honors College. See the application for additional information.

Professional Development and Job Opportunities

NEW! Tips for Obtaining Letters of Recommendation
Applying to internships, scholarships, or graduate school? Recommendation letters are a crucial piece to any application because they can present you in the best possible light by showcasing your skills and abilities. Join Stephanie Ramos as she talks about getting strong letters of recommendations this Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. If interested, enter at the Zoom link here with the password 281330.

Dell Technologies Summer 2021 Internship Opportunity
Interested in interning with Dell Technologies? Come learn about the different job opportunities Dell has to offer HC students by joining a Zoom meeting with their University Relations Team on Monday, Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. They will be sharing information about their company, how they identify top talent, and their 2021 summer internship opportunities across disciplines such as engineering, business, and marketing. If you are interested, please register here for the Zoom link. If you have any questions, please email Emily Garcia at emily.garcia@oregonstate.edu.

Apply for the HC Student Leadership Circle
The HC is seeking students from all across our college to participate in this year’s Student Leadership Circle. The Honors College Student Leadership Circle lends a diverse student voice to college issues and advises the deans and directors on various topics affecting students and their educational and social experiences at the Oregon State University Honors College. This year the Circle will provide feedback on a high-level college strategy to confront perpetuated and reflected privilege and structural racism in the honors community and work toward a more just and better future for all. Additionally, the Circle may be charged with special initiatives to strengthen the sense of community and continue to build relationships with academic departments in hopes of enhancing the Honors College experience for all students.

The Honors College is looking for student representatives from every undergraduate college at OSU. To be considered for selection, student applicants must be available to attend quarterly meetings and be willing to share advice and counsel to college leadership on issues and concerns. All participants must be willing to seek input from relevant student groups when issues arise and engage in ways that enhance the general well-being of the population that make up the Honors College.

The priority deadline to apply is Monday, Oct. 5. If this sounds interesting to you or someone you might know, please visit the Honors College Student Leadership Circle web page here for more information along with details on how to apply. 

Scribendi Magazine Accepting Submissions
Scribendi, a nationally recognized art and literature magazine for honors students, is accepting submissions from honors students until next Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. What to submit:

  • Creative nonfiction
  • Photography
  • Visual art
  • Poetry
  • Digital art
  • Open media
  • Short fiction
  • Foreign language

Submissions accepted for publication will appear in the 2021 edition of Scribendi. Excluding foreign languages and open media, a $250 prize is awarded to one winner in each category! To apply and find more information, please visit the website here.

Campus-Wide Opportunities

NEW! Virtual Honors Society Info Session
Engineering Honors Societies are hosting a Virtual Honors Society Info Session on Wednesday, Oct. 7 from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. via Zoom here. The password is 569569. More information about the event is in the flyer below!

NEW! Anti-Racist Lectures
Anthropology Lecture Series, Fall 2020

  • Visioning Oregon State University as an anti-racist institution
  • Dr. Charlene Alexander, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at OSU
  • The event will be held via Zoom on Friday, Oct. 2 from noon-12:50 p.m.
  • For more info, visit the event site.
  • Zoom meeting ID: 918 8649 8232, Passcode: 8c574f

2020 Bray Health Leadership Lecture

  • “Racism is a public health crisis: Now that we see, what do we do?”
  • The College of Public Health and Human Sciences announces the 2020 Bray Health Leadership Lecture featuring Camara Phyllis Jones, MD, Ph.D., MPH, a family physician and epidemiologist whose work focuses on naming, measuring and addressing the impacts of racism on the health and well-being of the nation.
  • The lecture will be held live via Zoom from 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2
  • For more information and to register, visit the event site.

NEW! OSU Investment Group Looking for New Members
The OSU Investment Group is a student-led asset management group that provides students with experiential learning opportunities through performing in-depth equity research, fundamental valuation techniques, and portfolio management of about $2.8 million on behalf of the OSU Foundation. The group is employing new tactics to improve diversity and candidate experience in this new virtual environment.

They are always looking for high-caliber students to strengthen the group. The application will close on Oct. 9. If you are interested in learning more about the group, visit their website here, and view their LinkedIn profile here.

NEW! Information Sessions: Get Involved with Community Engagement & Leadership
Community Engagement & Leadership (CEL) is offering a series of virtual info sessions during weeks 1-4 (Monday, Sept. 28-Friday, Oct. 23) for students interested in community service, taking action on social causes, and building leadership skills! CEL offers community service projects, conversation spaces, workshops, and a variety of other events for students to get involved in the greater community and connect with other OSU students! Students can register for a 30-minute virtual info session on the CEL website to ask questions, learn how to get involved, and meet some of the student staff working in CEL! Register here and email any questions to cel@oregonstate.edu.

Wellness Agents Applications Open
Do you want to influence student health and well-being on campus? Do you believe in community connection and wellness as a source of strength in challenging times? Apply to become a Wellness Agent!

Wellness Agents have unique opportunities to get involved in prevention and wellness efforts at Oregon State University. Each term they help plan awareness events and connect with the student population on college health issues. Wellness Agents are trained to be campus leaders and work in a cohort. They have opportunities to work with professional faculty and apply skills outside of the classroom to promote health and well-being. 

**Note, the Fall 2020 cohort will be completely remote.

Requirements

  • No prerequisites
  • We look for students from any academic background and all experiences
  • We look for students who believe in the power of community, connection and building programs with and for students
  • Serve for a minimum of three terms (the first term is dedicated to training)
  • Serve at least 15 hours per term (an average of about one to two hours per week)
  • All incoming Wellness Agents need to be able to attend the following training sessions:
    • Ongoing training sessions, Tuesdays from 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., weeks 4-8 (Oct. 20 – Nov. 17)
    • A one-time virtual retreat on Oct. 24 from 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Sample Projects
Each term Wellness Agents work with campus partners to put together one large awareness and community week, including the annual Boldly Me Health Week and Game of Your Life Events. This year, students will also focus on building community, education and engagement through social media and virtual collaborations with other departments and student groups on topics including alcohol prevention, sexual health, sexual violence prevention, mental health, community-based and culturally-specific wellness and social justice in health.

How to get involved
There are two deadlines for fall term. Early bird deadline has passed, but other applications are due on Oct. 4. To apply, visit the link here. For more information, please visit our website here. If you have any questions, please email wellness.agents@oregonstate.edu.

Real Time Strategy AI Research Study
Are you 18 years or older? Do you have experience with StarCraft, StarCraft II, or other real time strategy games?

If you answered yes to these questions, you may qualify for a two-hour human-computer interaction research study. The experiment involves attending a two-hour session with Oregon State University (remotely via Zoom) where you will work to evaluate and explain the actions of an AI player in an AI-powered RTS (real-time strategy) game.

Participants will be paid $20 for their time and effort, provided upon completion of the study. Dates and times will be determined to find a mutually agreeable time. Apply to be part of the study here.

HC Resources

These resources are available throughout the term.

HC Main Office, SLUG, and Classroom Use Information

The LInC is open Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
-The HC main office in LInC 450 is open Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
We have requested that all Honors College students have card lock access to the LInC during the hours when the SLUG is open but the building is closed. You will need your ID card and will need to enter at the main (north) entrance. For more information about getting an ID card, see here. As we know many students do not yet have IDs, you can currently access the building using a code, which was emailed to you last week. Contact Kevin Stoller at stollerk@oregonstate.edu if you need the information resent to you.
-Access to the building is only authorized for Honors College students. Allowing non-honors students to enter the building, sharing the entry code, using spaces inappropriately, or not following staff directions will lead to the end of afterhours access privileges for all honors students, so please be responsible. If you are in the LInC outside of its normal open hours, you are restricted to the third floor. If you have questions, please contact us at honors.college@oregonstate.edu.

HC Study Groups
Need a way to deepen your understanding of course material, discuss challenging concepts, and study for upcoming exams and assignments with your fellow beavs? Sign up for the fall term HC study groups! The Honors College will be offering about 30 different study groups per term throughout the 2020-2021 school year, all through Zoom. Study groups are a great way to receive extra academic support in any of your courses. Sign up for the fall term HC virtual study groups! Please register for the course(s) you would like to participate in for by Monday, Oct. 5. If you have any other questions, feel free to email Emily at emily.garcia@oregonstate.edu.
COMM 111COMM 114COMM 218BA 160(H)BI 221(H)CH 201CH 231(H)CH 331ENGR 201(H)MTH 251(H)MTH 252(H)MTH 254(H)PH 211PH 212(H), & PSY 201(H).

“Forgot your lunch?” Station Available in SLUG
The Honors College is back with a “Forgot your lunch?” station for you to have a snack or light lunch if you ever need it. Whether you need food because you forgot your lunch, are low on money, or simply need a snack – please help yourself to this free resource. The resource is self-serving and can be accessed any time that the SLUG is open in the kitchen area.

West & Sackett Drop-In Office Hours
Emily Garcia, the Honors College Student Engagement Coordinator, will be hosting office hours throughout fall term. Stop by if you have any questions regarding the Honors College, the Honors College Student Association, how to get involved, or just need general advice and someone to talk to!

  • Mondays: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in West Hall 121
  • Tuesdays: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Sackett 105
  • Wednesdays: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in West Hall 121
  • Thursdays: 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Sackett 105

COVID-19 Resources

Honors College Compact
Recognizing the interdependence of all members of our community and the responsibilities as an HC student, the Honors College Community Compact outlines health and safety expectations and requirements for the upcoming academic year. This compact is designed to help protect our campus and local communities from the risks posed by COVID-19.

Human Services Resource Center: COVID-19 Resources
The HSRC has changed many processes and programs so they can continue meeting students’ basic needs – this includes access to food, shelter, and other course related materials. More information on HSRC services can be found here.
Remote Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Basic Needs Navigation and Emergency Housing

COVID Emails Sent to Students
The emails in this link were approved by the OSU Registrar to be sent to Student Communications listserves in the 2020-2021 school year. It provides a clear overview of emails sent to students regarding the OSU response to COVID-19 in the past few months.

By: Sukhjot Sal

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CATEGORIES: Monday Messages


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