UHDS News

Oregon State University will name its new residence hall after William “Bill” Tebeau, a pioneering student who persevered through numerous challenges to become the first African American male to earn a degree from the university.

William Tebeau Hall, located just east of the Kerr Administration Building on Washington Way, will open in fall of 2014. A dedication ceremony will be held at the site in October.

Tebeau was admitted to what was then Oregon State College in 1943 and, according to stories, was not offered a housing assignment because of the color of his skin. Undaunted, he took a job in a fraternity tending the furnace in exchange for a room in the basement and set out in pursuit of an engineering degree, which he received in 1948.

“Bill Tebeau did not let this act of bias keep him from his goals, and he went on to a tremendously successful career – staying connected to his alma mater for his entire life,” said Dan Larson, executive director of University Housing and Dining Services at OSU.

“Our history does not always reflect the best of us,” Larson said. “The naming committee and UHDS Leadership believed strongly that honoring Mr. Tebeau by naming our newest residence hall after him not only recognizes a man of great humility and strength, but will represent our ongoing commitment to learning from our past, the imperative of seeking our own personal awareness and growth and an unwavering pursuit of a socially just community.”

Born in 1925, Tebeau grew up in Baker, Oregon where he was an avid Boy Scout and ambitious student. After graduating from Baker High School, he was admitted to Oregon State College, where his lifelong love of education continued. After earning his Chemical Engineering degree at OSU , he received his civil engineering license and joined the State Highway Department (later Oregon Department of Transportation), where he enjoyed a 36-year career doing everything from surveying and planning to designing highways and bridges. He also taught part-time at Chemeketa Community College, and in 1970 was named the institution’s Teacher of the Year.

In 2010, he was inducted into the OSU Engineering Hall of Fame. Tebeau died at the age of 87 on July 5, 2013, leaving behind his wife of 62 years, Genevieve, seven children, 13 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren.

When completed, William Tebeau Hall will house about 324 students. The five-floor, 76,400-square-foot building will become OSU’s 15th residence hall. The $28 million facility, which is adjacent to Wilson and Callahan halls, is funded through state bonds that will be repaid by resident fees.

During the winter months, we see a rise in stomach flu-like illnesses (aka: Norovirus or Gastroenteritis), especially in a close proximity living environment like a college campus. As you may begin to notice or maybe experience the symptoms of these illnesses around campus, we’d like to reiterate the use of good health habits.

Below are some good health habits to maintain for yourself and your community:

• If you are sick, feeling sick, or have been around someone who is sick, take appropriate precautions for your safety and the safety of others.
• The very best method to combat getting stomach-flu types of illnesses is to wash your hands often with soap and hot water, especially after using the restroom or before eating. (Note: Instant hand-sanitizer is not an effective method of protection alone)
• If you are experiencing a combination of flu-like symptoms (low-grade fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, fatigue, headache, and/or stomach cramping) consult your physician, Student Health Services, or a local health clinic, and stay home.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Practice other good health habits. (Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.)
• Lastly, if you become ill with Gastroenteritis/Norovirus, stay home for 72 hours after your last symptoms subside. You are still contagious for this entire time, even if you feel better. Your Resident Director can assist you in finding support resources to help you as you recover, such as the Food Buddy program available through MyUHDS, which allows friends to purchase food on your behalf.

If you become ill, and need to miss class, communicate prior to class with your professors to let them know of your absence. Student Health Services does not write notes to professors excusing a student for any absence. If after notifying a professor, and communicating your situation and illness to them, you are still having trouble working out missed course work, talk with your academic advisor or the chair of the department.

Learn more about Norovirus on the CDC website.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact UHDS at (541) 737-4771 or housing@oregonstate.edu.

Dear UHDS Residents,

Below is a reminder of important dates and information to be aware of as Fall Term comes to a close:

Break Housing

All OSU residence halls and cooperative houses will remain open during Winter break at no additional cost.  If you are planning to stay for any period of the break beginning December 14^th through Sunday, January 5^th, 2014, please sign up for Break Housing so that our Residential Education and Public Safety staff are aware of who will be in the building. This will also help us best serve students over the break with the appropriate custodial levels in the bathrooms.

To sign up for break housing, go to your MyUHDS account (https://uhds.oregonstate.edu/myuhds/ ) and select “Break Housing”. The deadline has been extended to sign up until Monday, Dec. 9, 2013.

Please remember that winter term meal plan money will not be loaded until January 1, 2014. If you need to add money to your meal plan over the break period, please add it to your Orange Rewards account. Dining center hours for winter break can be found here: http://oregonstate.edu/foodatosu/

Health and Safety Room Inspections

UHDS staff will be doing health and safety checks of every room to make sure that there are no health or safety issues present, including waste in the trash, windows left open, or appliances plugged in (curling irons, extension cords, etc.).

Health and safety checks will be begin at 1 PM on Friday, December 13^th. If you want to be present for your room check, schedule a time with your Cooperative Director or Resident Assistant prior to December 13^th.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact your R.A., C.D., Resident Director or area Service Center. You can also contact our main office at 541-737-4771 Monday – Friday.

Please have a safe and enjoyable Winter Break!

UHDS Staff

Checklist – To Complete before you leave for Winter Break:

• Remove all perishable items and unplug your refrigerator at least 24 hours before you leave.  Be sure to place a towel or two under it to catch the water while it defrosts.
• Securely close and lock all windows.
• Pull all blinds/drapes into a closed position.
• Open heater valve (valve should be turned to the left).
• Unplug all electrical devices (including computers, hair dryers, curling irons/straighteners, holiday lights).
• Remove all garbage and recycling, as well as any perishable items, and dispose of them in the outside dumpsters and recycling bins. There will be a $45 charge if staff has to remove garbage from a room.
• Remove any fire hazards.
• Turn off clock radios/alarms.
• Take trays, dishes, etc. back to the dining centers.
• Return any lounge furniture or other room’s furniture to the place of origin. Failure to do so will result in a charge and an incident report being filed.
• Turn off all lights.
• Lock your door behind you as you leave.
• Take your keys/student ID card home with you and remember to bring them back so you can get into your room.

Beginning Sept. 30, current University Housing & Dining Services residents have the chance to designate their parking permit as a “Resident” permit with UHDS and Transit & Parking Services (TAPS).

Spaces in three newly designated “R” lots near residence hall communities will only be available to the first 400 residents that purchase OSU parking permits and present proof of purchase at the UHDS Central Office.

Only 400 permits will be approved to ensure that students have full-time access to the 400 resident-only parking spaces at three newly designated “R” lots located near OSU residential complexes on  the east, west and south side of campus.

Residents that purchase “R” parking permits and use these parking lot locations will receive a one-time $50 dining card useable in all UHDS dining facilities.

Users of these lots will not be required to move their vehicles for OSU athletic events. Once a permit is designated with an “R” it can only be used in “R” lots during campus hours.

The details

• Resident lot spaces become available Monday Sept. 30 until all 400 designated permits have been claimed.
• Only annual permit holders will be eligible to participate in the promotion and receive the $50 dining card.
• After purchasing a permit, resident must bring their permit to UHDS, where the permit will be “punched” with a unique symbol.  Only resident lot permit holders will be allowed to park in “R” lots.

“R” Lots

• West Campus:  A gravel lot located east of the National Forage Seed Research Center and west of OSU Motor Pool.
• South Campus:  Fifth floor of the parking garage located adjacent the OSU Beaver Store.
• East Campus: Paved lot located at corner of 11^th Street and Washington Way.

To purchase a parking permit, visit the Transit & Parking Services website: http://oregonstate.edu/dept/facilities/taps.

As you are getting ready to arrive at Oregon State University, we wanted to send you some resources and reminders.

We look forward to helping you move-in Sept. 24-25. Before you arrive we encourage you to watch the welcome video, read our move-in guide, and check MyUHDS for your arrival date and time. If you have additional questions, please email the housing assignments office at housing@oregonstate.edu.  There is a fair amount of construction on our west side of campus with the Austin Hall project and on our east side of campus with the construction of our New Student Residence. Both of these facilities are set to open in Fall 2014. Thank you for your patience, as you find your way to your building, where our staff and our volunteers will be happy to help you unload your car.

After you get settled, we hope you will join us at the New Student Picnic at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, in the Memorial Union quad. It’s a great way to meet and mingle with hundreds or your new campus neighbors. Tickets are $7 and can be billed to your OSU dining plan. Use this online reservation form to reserve your ticket.  Additionally, check out the full schedule of events and activities that take place throughout CONNECT at connect.oregonstate.edu.

Have a great rest of your summer and we look forward to seeing you next week!

Special notes for south side residents (Bloss, Finley, Halsell and ILLC):

Your mailbox for the year can be seen when you check MyUHDS. In years past mailboxes were tied to room locations but all of our system now has a four digit number for mailboxes. More information on how to address mail to your new address can be found here: http://oregonstate.edu/uhds/service-centers.

We discovered some discrepancies of information around bunks kits for Bloss and Finley Halls on our website. Please know that we do not provide any loft or bunk kit materials for the beds in these buildings. If you want to raise your bed you can purchase bed risers and if you would like to loft your bed you can build your own kit per the specifications we describe here: http://oregonstate.edu/uhds/loft-kits. Sorry for any inconvenience this misinformation caused you.

[Corvallis Gazette-Times, June 24, 2013] –Oregon State University housing and dining officials have announced the closure of the four aging co-op housing units on campus. Now they are evaluating how any future co-op program might look and where it might be located after the houses close in June 2014.

“The cooperative program is not about a particular house,” said Tom Scheuermann, the director of University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS) at OSU.

The four co-op facilities that will close next year are Avery, Azalea, Dixon and Oxford. They are clustered along Southwest Jefferson and Monroe avenues between Southwest 11th and Ninth streets. The oldest of the buildings date to just after World War II and house about 200 students in a communal living environment. For the 2013-14 school year, UHDS lists the room fees for co-ops at about $3,300. For a triple room in several dorms, the cost is about $4,900. Neither cost includes dining fees.

“The facilities are safe,” Sheuermann said. “But we also know that’s not going to continue to be the case indefinitely.”

Scheuermann said the co-op program and facilities need to be analyzed separately.

The co-op program enables each house to hire its own chef, and each house largely is in control of its own management. Maintenance is handled by the university.

“That’s a fine approach, but if someone wants to keep that, that’s probably more likely going to be something that’s off campus,” Scheuermann said.

On-campus living in the future likely would include food services and management through the university, Sheuermann said.

The co-op buildings themselves need full renovations. They’ve had annual maintenance but haven’t been fully renovated in at least the 14 years that Dan Larson has worked for the university as the associate director of UHDS, he said.

Renovations typically cost between $250 to $350 a square foot, depending on the condition of the building.

Scheuermann said they will first look at how the co-op program would look in the future, and then find facilities to accommodate them.

A workgroup will be formed this summer to go over the program. Five to six UHDS staff members are likely to be part of the group, as well as co-op residents and alumni.

….

Read the full article by McKinley Smith and see photos at www.gazettetimes.com.

Below is information that was shared with current and future cooperative house residents via email and a public meeting at the end of Spring Term 2013:

Oregon State University leaders, including administrators within Housing & Dining Services (UHDS), recognize that the university’s cooperative houses provide a unique and valuable living option.

Based on a recent comprehensive review of the cooperative living program and facilities, which included OSU staff and student cooperative members, UHDS has determined that Avery, Azalea, Dixon and Oxford houses will continue as co-ops for the 2013-14 academic year, but will not be used in support of the existing cooperative living program after June 2014.

The cooperative houses have reached a point of requiring significant program revision to ensure the cooperative living program is in alignment with the values, initiatives, and operations of OSU’s on-campus residence program. We also anticipate that the current co-op houses will require significant renovation to maintain the current living standards beyond this next academic year. Throughout the next academic year, UHDS is committed to sustaining the current houses and delivering a high-quality of service to residents.

UHDS is in the process of organizing a workgroup that will begin to meet this summer and fall to explore how cooperative-style living options may be a viable program beyond June 2014. However, these options may not be located in the existing facilities. This workgroup will be led by senior UHDS staff members, and will include opportunities for student and alumni participation. The workgroup process will feature a variety of ways for ideas and input to be provided.

• For questions or comments regarding the future of the cooperatives, please contact me at 541-737-5622 or tom.schuermann@oregonstate.edu.
• For questions regarding the creation of the UHDS workgroup on co-op programming, please contact UHDS Associate Director of Residential Education Ann Marie Klotz at 541-737-3612 or annmarie.klotz@oregonstate.edu.

Tom Scheuermann, director
University Housing & Dining Services

Still deciding where to live next year? Given the growing need for more affordable on-campus housing, UHDS has increased the popular triple room options for the 2013-14 academic year.
More triple rooms will be available in Buxton, Cauthorn, Hawley, Poling, Sackett, Wilson (4th floor) and Weatherford halls, as well as triples and quadruple rooms in McNary hall.
 
Specific rate information on this low-cost option is available on the UHDS rates page: http://oregonstate.edu/UHDS/rates

Apply for housing at myuhds.oregonstate.edu.
If you have any questions during the process, please contact University Housing & Dining Services by calling 541-737-4771 or emailing uhds@oregonstate.edu.