Month: November 2018

Posted on

Black Bean Chili with Acorn Squash and toasted pumpkin seeds

 

Serves 6

  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 acorn squash, peeled and diced
  • 2 cans (15-ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 2 cans (14-ounce) fire-roasted tomatoes
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds, for topping

Directions

1.In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add acorn squash and onion. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add black beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste and fire-roasted tomatoes.

2.In a small bowl, combine spices and mix. Add to chili pot.

3.Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4.Top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

 

Posted on

Students: Come work at the HSRC!

Please help us spread the word about this opportunity at the Human Services Resource Center: We are looking for three students to help us with various projects through the rest of the academic year – our existing staff is overwhelmed and overstretched and we need more students to help us serve students!

We are looking for the following:

A Food Pantry Assistant

A Textbook Lending Program Assistant

An Event and Program Planning Assistant

 

All positions will be cross-trained heavily to help where needed. For the first term or two, all of these roles can expect to do a lot of the following:

 

  • Working at our front desk, learning how to assist students with basics, answer common questions
  • Basic food pantry operations: how to make a food box, helping with deliveries, helping with food pantry nights/shopping days
  • Cross training and basic collaboration with other HSRC student team members

 

These three positions will also fall into one of the following three individual roles:

 

  1. Food Pantry Assistant: This person will provide additional support to food pantry projects, assisting the Food Pantry Organizer with needed tasks, but generally mostly supporting the HSRC Food Pantry. This would be a really great role for a student interested in food justice, food sovereignty, nutrition, food security, health promotion, retail/merchandising, non-profits, etc.
  2. Textbook Lending Program Assistant: the student who currently oversees the HSRC Textbook Lending Program will be graduating in May and we are hoping that the student hired into this role can work alongside current staff to learn processes and help make a transition to a new student staff as seamless as possible. This role is one of the most technical we have – it involves some database work, pulling some reports, and some skill with Microsoft excel (more than your average student may know). This would be a really great role for a student interested in technology, engineering, business/operations, etc. Any other student, interested in justice or educational access, and who isn’t afraid of learning new, somewhat intimidating computer skills/processes would also be well suited to this role.
  3. Events and Programming Assistant: This person will help plan events and workshops at the HSRC as we built out having more conversations about socioeconomic identity, classism and as we provide more skills workshops for our students (cooking classes, budgeting etc). This would be a good role for any student who wants to plan events and is interested in economic justice, social justice and/or topics related to food security, housing affordability and the challenges of being under-resourced while in college.

 

We hope and anticipate that students hired into these roles, if successful will be asked to return in subsequent years, possibly in other staff roles pursuant to the student’s interests and strengths.

 

The HSRC anticipates paying these students $11.75 to start and if they return to their role next year, it’s likely that they’ll then be earning $12.75.

 

Students must apply though the OSU jobs page for each position they are interested in. First priority for review of applications will be Dec 1 – we are hoping to hire and have these staff in place by start of Winter term.

 

Thanks,
Nicole

Posted on

Inside the HSRC – Breonna

My major is Liberal Studies, with the theme of Human Rights and Government. Liberal Studies is a program where you can design your own major by creating a plan with 2+ majors in it. I’m currently studying Ethnic Studies, Women Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as Political Science. I bring this up because my major is an intersectional lens on how government systems can affect marginalized communities. The Human Services Resource Center is financially supported through Oregon State University, which is a federally funded institution that works with multiple minority groups, and identities unique to a university like first-generation students. In my major, I learn about textbook definitions of poverty, homelessness, race, gender, sex, sexuality and many other identities. At the Human Services Resource Center, I see these situations actually happen in front of my eyes. They don’t always appear the way classes say they do.

Since working at the HSRC, I’ve noticed that people from all walks of life come in to use the food pantry, the textbook lending program, laundry facilities, or meet with our Basic Needs coordinator. There is no uniform, cookie-cutter description for what food insecurity looks like. My position is the Food Pantry Volunteer Liasion, I work directly with volunteers and train them how to stock the pantry or how to work food pantry days. I work with university organizations to host food drives or bringing in more regular volunteers. I walk clients through the pantry and explain our point system and every time it’s a different experience. I make emergency food boxes for people who come in. The one huge lesson, I’ve really taken away is that struggling materializes in many different ways. It’s not always the people who’d think it is. Often times, especially with college students, food insecurity and houselessness are invisible. It’s sometimes easy to hide that you need help. This has taught me that there is never a wrong time to tell people about the Human Services Resource Center.

P.S. If you’re reading this, November of 2018, we have a surplus of all kinds of squash at Champinefu Lodge. Please come get some free squash.

Posted on

Get To Know Our Staff: Kevin

Name: Kevin Schultz

Pronouns: He/His

HSRC Job Title: Partnerships and Outreach Graduate Teaching Assistant

Major/minor: Master’s in College Student Services Administration

Career Aspirations: I intend to work within higher education, focusing on gender equity, sexual assault/coercion, and male identity development. Where exactly and in what capacity, is yet to be determined.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC? I spent 6 1/2 years with Jackson Street Youth Services, working with youth and young adults facing basic needs insecurity in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties. I could not turn down the chance to continue this work, with students facing similar situations. I also believe that basic needs are a right and when students struggle with them they struggle with succeeding as students. I believe a solid education is the solution to most of the world’s problems, so I was excited to help students achieve that.

What will you be working on? I help supervise our student staff, assist with Poverty Action Week (formerly H&H Week), establish and maintain partnerships with community members from OSU and Corvallis, handle various office responsibilities regarding Champinefu Lodge, recruiting for our Advisory Board, etc.

What do you like to do in your free time? I spend as much time as possible with friends. But I also really enjoy TV and movies as well as playing video games. I try to find time to do homework as well.

What’s your favorite yummy and cheap meal that you like to make? I really like eating chips with tuna fish mixed with black beans and hot sauce. Treating it like a dip. Try it, thank me later.

Do you have any tips for students on how to save money? I grocery shop at WINCO, exclusively. Their bulk section is the best in Corvallis for the price. I try to walk or bike most days and utilize the FREE BUS SERVICE. I also share streaming accounts with friends so we don’t all have to pay for the entertainment.

What are you favorite things to do in Corvallis? I enjoy going to the movies, concerts, and the myriad of local events here in Corvallis.

Where is your favorite spot to relax on campus? I really enjoy the Student Involvement Lounge in the SEC, as well as the library. Also the student lounge in Bexel is quite cozy.

What is your favorite TV show and why? My list is quite long but my absolute favorites: Bob’s Burgers; Queer Eye; Scrubs; Parks and Rec; South Park; Shameless; and American Horror Story. Just to name a few. I really enjoy comedies and very layered dramas.

Posted on

Get to know our Staff: Gloria

Gloria; Nutrition Education coordinator

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Major: Food Science and Technology with a minor in Chemistry

Career aspirations: I keep changing my mind about this but, currently I would want to work in Food and Agriculture research, using science and technology to address the world’s food and agriculture challenges.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC?

I first learned about the HSRC when I had just transferred to Oregon State University. I wanted  a job that would give me the opportunity to connect with other students and the Corvallis community. I also wanted to be able to make a positive impact by joining the fight against hunger and poverty on campus, so HSRC was just right for me!

What will you be working on?

I will be working on cooking classes! I love cooking, and learning new things in the kitchen. I’m also looking forward to having more conversation and discussions about classism, food insecurity and several other topics during the classes.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I am always down for a Netflix Binge. I  also really like cooking and trying to recreate some of my mom’s recipes (doesn’t always go well).

Favorite yummy and cheap meal:

Black bean Chili and rice. This is one of those meals that I grew up on. I think it’s always really easy to make,really yummy and filling. Also, for one of the cooking classes we had during Spring term we made a really quick and easy bread recipe! The bread always goes really with the black bean chili!

What are your favorite things to do in Corvallis?

I really like trying out new restaurants and walking around downtown especially over the summer!

Favorite TV show?

I have quite a couple, but my current favorite is Mr. Robot. It’s a show that follows a young man who is computer programmer by day but a vigilante hacker by night. He’s trying to bring down multinational corporate companies that he believes are running and ruining the world by hacking them. (He’s kind of like a modern day robin hood.)It’s easily one of the best things I’ve ever watched, the writing is really good and the actors do a really good job giving life to the characters.