first article of the year in the Barometer: University Day

2010 University Day congratulates OSU for community achievements

University Day speakers celebrate accomplishments of the prior academic year, inform OSU staff of methods to promote student engagement.

Joce DeWitt

Issue date: 9/27/10 Section: News

• Print
• Email
• Article Tools

• Page 1 of 1

Media Credit: Billy Newman President Ed Ray spoke of the achievements OSU has been making in regards to research funding, fundraising and obtaining top notch new students.

University Day speakers celebrate accomplishments of the prior academic year and inform OSU staff of methods to promote student engagement.

The LaSells Stewart Center was packed with faculty members Thursday to observe University Day, an annual celebration of people and achievements of the past year.

Professors, advisors and students conversed casually in the lobby before speakers took the stage. The general ambiance of the event was optimistic and anxious for the upcoming term, while attendees displayed their pride by sporting black and orange t-shirts and foam fingers.

Leslie Burns, president of OSU Faculty Senate, introduced the keynote speaker Jillian Kinzie, from Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and the National Survey of Student Engagement Institute.

With an enviable position as an observer of what American universities do to improve undergraduate education, Kinzie had ideas for the development of OSU's supportive environment.

According to Kinzie, the answer lies entirely in student engagement, thus the title of her talk: "Engaged Learning: fostering success for all students."

Kinzie claimed there is more that American universities can do to help students reap the benefits of higher education.

"We don't always use the research and experience we have to make a difference," she said.

Over the last few years, demands of higher education have heightened. "There is more pressure in the U.S. to examine gaps in graduation rates;" a result of increased employee expectations by employers.

"There are more students going to college now than ever," said Kinzie, a statement proven by the highest enrollment of students in OSU history this fall. Consequently, student needs are more diverse and specific actions must be taken to meet those needs.

The most important action, said Kinzie, is to "increase opportunities for engaged learning through high expectations and deep approaches."

Kinzie related her ideas for deeper approaches to the Baccalaureate Core requirements of undergraduate degrees. Her simple question, "How much do students really understand their importance?" was followed by chuckles among the audience who know the answer all too well: many don't.

In conclusion to her keynote speech, Kinzie congratulated OSU for its "significant improvement in its score of a supportive campus environment" over the last 10 years.

Kinzie's conclusion made way for President Ed Ray to take the podium for words of inspiration and enthusiasm.

"Our state faces serious budget shortfalls for the next few years... Despite these challenges, I believe OSU enters this year in a financially sound position," encouraged Ray.

He continued to promote the achievements of the University community through the Campaign for OSU, an operation of the OSU foundation that raised over $615 million toward its goal of $625 million by spring 2011.

Other success stories of the past year include OSU taking its place on the map of America's top research universities. According to Ray, "research grants are at a record amount."

Ray urged faculty members to "do a better job of looking out for each other," but concluded his speech by persuading them to "join the celebration!"

After his closing statements, it came time to celebrate the recipients of this year's University Day awards, which were distributed the evening before at an award banquet.

Every recipient was applauded while a detailed description of their accomplishments was announced on a screen.

The most entertaining part of the morning followed the awards ceremony: raffle drawings. Tickets were pulled from a container as a powerpoint displayed the prizes won by lucky winners.

Joce DeWitt, staff writer
737-2231, news@dailybarometer.com

Fortaleza

A south-of-the-border sweet treat

Written by Joce DeWittCommunitySep 22, 2010

A sampling of treats made at Fortaleza Bakery. (KEIZERTIMES/Joce DeWitt)

By JOCE DeWITT
For the Keizertimes

“Paso a paso.”

Step by step.

It’s how Treso Olmos, owner of Fortaleza Bakery, counters the difficulties of running a business in a place far from his roots. His motto little by little keeps the bakery running and has steadily increased the flow of loyal customers. (Fortaleza translates to “fortress.”)

Located at 3852 North River Road [MAP: 5], the bakery is not one of Keizer’s pioneering businesses. It was not built along with the town decades ago, and it is not the quaint mom and pop restaurant that Keizer families have been eating at for generations.

It is, however, a fairly new bakery that has brought Keizer a little bit of culture in the form of sweet desserts, built on the dream of a man and his family.

Olmos is the man with that dream. Originally from Juacan, Mexico, Olmos and his family moved to Keizer three years ago in hopes of beginning the business.

Opening the bakery eight months ago in Keizer, where businesses are predominantly white, was certainly a large leap of faith for Olmos and his wife, Rosa Lopez as neither are able to communicate in English.

“We feel welcome here and the people are good,” says Olmos about the town. He has nothing bad to say about how his family and dream were received by the community.

It is no wonder why the bakery is doing well, with its convenient hours, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and location on River Road.

First impressions from walking into the bakery would have one assume there is nothing particularly extraordinary about the place.

However, all it takes is a one-minute chat with Olmos or wife, Rosa to discover the efforts they contribute for a comfortable atmosphere and delightful menu.

In the shop, cookies and pastries line shelves behind glass and beautifully-decorated cakes cool in refrigerators.

“The pastries,” says Olmos, are the best part of running this business. The menu also includes empanadas, which are popular Mexican pastries that contain anything from meat to fruit.

“Our plans are to open more bakeries,” says Olmos.

When asked what the Keizer community can expect from this blossoming business, Olmos speaks of his hopes for more locations, the possibility of building a chain, and perhaps even opening shops further out in the country where he says they would do very well.

Simonka Community Garden

Simonka community garden grows where weeds once flourished

Written by Joce DeWittCommunityAug 30, 2010

Darren Kinnird, 10 and cousin Haley Lenhart, 9 admire the large tomato growing in the garden they helped build during a weekend in June for the Simonka Place. (Keizertimes/JOCE DEWITT)

By JOCE DEWITT
For the Keizertimes

For several Salem area organizations, blessings have arrived in all shapes and sizes in the last couple months.

The Simonka Place in Keizer became the target of abundant community outreach efforts during the month of June as several Salem and West Valley nurses groups decided to apply their annual gift funds to a good cause.

The Simonka Place, located at 5119 River Road, is an arm of the Union Gospel Mission for women and children in need of shelter and outreach due to abuse and homelessness.

The nurses groups, including Salem SHAPES, Salem inpatient and West Valley SHAPES of Dallas, gathered their gift funds and gained contributions from local businesses to convert a weedy area of the Simonka Place’s backyard into a healthy garden full of vegetables, herbs and berries.

“Literally, the weeds were enormous,” says Michelle Slattum, Assistant Nurse Manager of Salem and West Valley SHAPES. “We came on a Sunday and pulled the big weeds. A week later we came back out with the youth group and started planting.”

Bridgeport Community Chapel of Dallas played a big part in the success of the event as members of the youth group volunteered to help build the garden.

“At one point we had 50 kids out here working like you wouldn’t believe,” says Kathy Smith, volunteer coordinator and case manager at Simonka Place.

“Thank goodness for the youth group. It was nice to have younger people involved,” says Slattum. “It’s important at that age to give back.”

People expected the economy to have a negative effect on how much the community was willing to contribute because “not everybody has what they’ve had in the past,” According to Brandy Lenhart, a CNA for Salem SHAPES who brought her kids to help.

That reality seemed irrelevant during the project, however, as various local businesses generously donated plants, bark chips and other supplies.

“The volunteers were given a budget of $500 from Salem Health for the entire project,” said Slattum, “Instead of keeping the gifts we are given every year for ourselves, they challenged us to do a project.”

So why choose to plant a garden?

Finished June 26, the plot of land portrays a space of complete restoration. Two months later it still provides Simonka residents with lush, nutritious valuable foods.

The evolution of the garden can be compared to those of the patients of the Simonka House, in which desperate women and children are taken in, transformed and upheld by caregivers of the community.

“The goal is for this to be a place for women to come and enjoy the outside. They all come out and work in the garden and are assigned a certain section,” says Smith. “It provides normalcy; it’s therapeutic.”

Among all the other benefits, the garden project also unified the city remarkably.

“Everything we do is dependent on volunteers, so maintenance can be difficult,” says Smith. “This got the whole community involved.”

“We’re caregivers, and most of us are women, so this project really hit home,” says Slattum. “Once we got involved it was so rewarding.”