Campus Living: eNewsletter from UHDS

Interested in being a CRF or RA for next year?

Fall is not even over yet, but you may already be thinking about your plans for next year. Does being a Community Relations Facilitator (CRF) or Resident Assistant (RA) fit into your plans? Are you interested in getting to know others, helping support students in their transition to college, or help create and promote an inclusive living-learning environment? If you answered "yes" to any of the previous descriptions then you should consider applying for the CRF or RA position. Both these positions will not only allow you the opportunity to help others, but will allow you to gain leadership experience, build your resume, and gain skills desirable to employers after college – including communication, leadership, teamwork, the understanding of differences and inclusion, and many more skills. To learn more about the process and to get your questions answered, attend the one of the following information sessions:

Monday, January 13, 2014: West side information session, 7 to 8 p.m., Marketplace West Large East Conference Room
Tuesday, January 14, 2014: South side information session, 7 to 8 p.m., ILLC 155
Wednesday, January 22, 2014: East side information session, 6 to 7 p.m., Azalea House; East side information session, 7 to 8 p.m., Callahan Main Lounge
Wednesday, January 27, 2014: MU information session, 7 to 8 p.m., Journey Room

RA position specific interview prep workshops by Career Services:

Thursday, February 6, 2014: 4 to 5:30 p.m., Location TBD
Wednesday, February 12, 2014: 4 to 5:30 p.m., Location TBD

ISS invites students to annual social justice retreats

Intercultural Student Services (ISS) is offering two social justice retreats in January, Racial Aikido and Examining White Identity in a Multicultural World. These retreats were created to promote a campus dialogue about race and racism at OSU and beyond. Both retreats engage in the active exploration of the concept of race and how race impacts our lived experiences and interactions. The retreats are co-funded and planned by various Student Affairs departments on campus and are provided free of charge to students.

The Racial Aikido retreat seeks to empower Students of Color at predominantly White institutions (PWI) using the principles of aikido. Racial Aikido acknowledges that People of Color may not automatically possess the necessary skills to deal with issues of race and racism.

The Examining White Identity retreat, developed at Oregon State University, was inspired by the Racial Aikido retreat, to provide an opportunity to understand inherent privileges in being White and the psycho-social costs of racism for all people. The retreat encourages recognition and dialogue regarding the socialization of White people into a system that oppresses others through individual, group and institutional contexts.

For more information about these two retreats and how to sign up for them, visit the social justice retreats page on the ISS website. The deadline for signing up is December 2, so signup now!

Plan on staying in your residence hall or cooperative house over break? Make sure to sign up!

All OSU residence halls and cooperative houses remain open during all breaks. It is included in all UHDS room and board rates.

There is no dining plan option for break periods. Students scheduled to stay over breaks are encouraged to add to their Orange Rewards account, if they would like to eat on campus during the break or continue to use their term meal plan if money is still on it. The next term’s meal plan dollars will not be available for use until the end of the break.

It is important for students to sign up for break so that the Residential Education and Public Safety staff are aware of who will be in the building and will be able to best serve students over the break with the appropriate custodial levels in the bathrooms. To sign up simply go to your MyUHDS and select “Break Housing”. Please sign up for winter break by Dec. 5, 2013.

All residents can leave their belongings in their rooms during break periods, as long as their UHDS Contract is current.

Moonlight Bite event coming up

Fuel up for finals and mix and mingle with fellow residents at the annual Moonlight Bite, starting at 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at McNary, Marketplace West and Southside Station @ Arnold Dining Centers.

The Moonlight Bite is the next event in the Inter-Hall Challenge (IHC) is part of the First Year Experience program and it involves some healthy competition among all the on-campus residence halls and cooperative houses! The winning hall or house will receive $1,000 prize money at the end of the year!

Participate by attending an IHC event, picking up an orange token, then return the token to your hall’s front desk to be counted. Some of the IHC events will not have tokens, but the event facilitator will count the number of attendees for points.

What's your dining plan balance?

Now is the time to be aware of your remaining dining plan balances. While dining plan balances will carry over to Winter & Spring terms, they will need to be used up by the end of Spring term or they will be lost. If you carry over too many dining dollars from Fall term into Winter term, you may find it difficult to spend it all in the time allowed.

If you have the Ultimate Plan (biggest) and your current balance is more than $500.00, OR if you are on the Premium Plan (middle-high) and your current balance is more than $470.00, OR if you are on the Preferred Plan (middle-low) and your current balance is more than $410.00, please consider changing to a lower dining plan now before your balance is too low to allow the change.

Minimum balances required to lower your dining plan:

From Ultimate to Premium: 218.00
From Ultimate to Preferred: 457.00
From Ultimate to Basic: 696.00

From Premium to Preferred: 239.00
From Premium to Basic: 478.00

From Preferred to Basic: 239.00

If you are running low on dining dollars but you don’t need the addition of the next higher dining plan, you can choose to add money to your Orange Rewards plan. Simply log in to https://mycard.oregonstate.edu/ and add whatever amount you need to get you through the rest of the term.

Migrate to OSU Google mail

ONID EMAIL IS MOVING TO GOOGLE STARTING DEC. 26. Student ONID mailboxes are moving to Google Apps for OSU from December 26-31. Beat the rush and opt in now at oregonstate.edu/google for early access!

When you opt in, we’ll move your ONID mailbox over to Google Mail for you, so you’ll still have your old email messages. Within Google Apps for OSU, you’ll still receive email sent to your @onid.orst.edu address, and your primary email address becomes @onid.oregonstate.edu (in other words, you’re not getting a “gmail” address). You’ll get all the benefits that Google Apps provide: a 30 GB mailbox, advanced tools and functionality, and anytime, anywhere access through Google's mobile apps and web interface.

The OSU Computer Helpdesk will continue to support ONID email and they also support all of Google Apps for OSU. Have questions? Contact them at http://oregonstate.edu/is/tss/och.

Learn about nutrition during lunch

Interested in learning about nutrition? Want to learn about smart snacking? The benefits of breakfast? Why fiber is good for you? Students from NUTR 439 will be doing three different "lunch and learns" over the next two weeks that are free for staff and students:

Pack a Snack: Do you have a weight loss goal? Workout goals? Are you trying to maintain your weight? Learn from nutrition students about smart snacking and new strategies for healthier snacks. (Tuesday, Nov. 26, 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., McNary Dining hall, Timberline Room)
Healthy Breakfast Equals Brain Power: Can breakfast work for you? Come hear Nutrition students present on the benefits of breakfast. Learn how it can help you stay focused and healthy. (Tuesday, Dec. 3, 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., McNary Dining hall, Timberline Room)
Fiber Keeps it Moving (aka "What Your Poo Says About You"): Fiber is good for you, but why? What kinds? Can it be healthy AND tasty? Nutrition students present the answers! (Thursday, Dec. 5, 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., McNary Dining hall, Timberline Room)

Bloss wins contest, hosts Benny

Congratulations to the residents of Bloss Hall, who won the "Show Benny Your Room" social media contest, held Nov. 13 to 20. Bloss Hall had the most new followers to its official UHDS social media networks during that time period.

Benny the Beaver visited Bloss Hall on Friday, Nov. 22, to visit with residents. "I AM BEAVER NATION" whiteboards and pens were passed out. Students who took photos with Benny are encouraged to share them with the #Bennyinmyhall hashtag.

Benny also made a brief stop at the International Living-Learning Center, which was the runner-up hall.

See the final scoreboard on the UHDS social media directory page.

A photo gallery featuring Benny's visit will be shared on the UHDS Facebook page later today.

Plan ahead now to make leaving for winter break easy

I know, I know—we’re still in the middle of midterms. Winter break still seems like a hazy dream on the horizon. But for better or for worse, we are only a few weeks away from the end of the term. In less than a month, you will be done with exams and enjoying a luxurious three-week hiatus from school. With many students headed home for Thanksgiving, you can use this opportunity to make leaving after finals hassle-free. Here are a few tips:

Put away your summer wardrobe. You’re probably not going to be wearing sundresses and muscle tees much in January. Or February. Or May. Take them home now to free up space in your closets for some much-needed rain jackets and boots. Your roommate will thank you.
Pack up your valuables. You won’t want to leave your diamond earrings or brand-new subwoofer on campus over winter break. Chances are, you won’t miss them during finals (and won’t be able to use the speakers during week 10 or finals week anyway). Pack ‘em up now to avoid a last-minute scramble on your way home in December.
Prepare for room safety checks. The residence hall and co-op staff will be conducting room safety checks at the end of finals week. They’ll have to confiscate any prohibited items they find—now is a good time to gather up the candles, halogen lamps, incense, or iguanas you’ve been meaning to take home.**
Plan for the good times ahead. Need a little extra motivation to get through the next month? Make a list of all the things you want to do over winter break. What friends do you want to see? What hometown restaurant do you want to visit? Put that list somewhere you’ll see when you’re studying. Visualize your goal and ace your finals!Remember to eat your vegetables, floss your teeth and wear your seat belts. We’re all in this together. GO BEAVS!

**See a complete list of items prohibited in the residence halls and co-ops.

Reese Havlatka, Buxton Hall resident director

Visit the OSUsed Store

Have you heard of the OSUsed Store? They sell used materials from OSU and other agencies like office and school supplies, bicycles, computers and computer accessories, electronics, books, lab equipment and more. Shopping here supports OSU and the environment, while saving you money!

The OSUsed Store has weekly sales:

1st Wednesdays of the month: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
All other Wednesdays: noon to 3:00 p.m.
1st Saturday of the month: 8:00 a.m. to noon.

The store is located in the Property Services Building on the OSU Campus at 644 SW 13th St. (on the corner of 13th St. and A Ave.). View a map and more details on their website. For a full schedule visit their calendar.

RecSports announcements

Thanksgiving Break Hours

Recreational Sports will have amended hours in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Wednesday, Nov. 27, Recreational Sports will be open until 8 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28, all Recreational Sports facilities and services will be closed.

We will reopen with normal hours on Saturday, Nov. 29. Visit our hours page here for more information. Stay health and well during the holiday season!

Outdoor Equipment Rental/Bike & Ski Shop

As the cold weather brings some fresh snow to the mountains, skiing season is about to hit its prime!
Rent skis, snowshoes and more to explore the wintery landscape! The Adventure Leadership Institute offers ice picks, ropes, ski equipment, snow shoes, camping and backpacking gear among other items so that you can enjoy the outdoors without having to purchase expensive equipment. Stop by and pick something up! For contact information, please visit the contact page here.

Our bike, ski and snowboard shop offers maintenance options and has several items for sale. Hours of operation are noon to p.m., Monday-Friday.

How the shape of your glass may affect your shape