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First Year Programs News |
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The Presidential TreatmentEngaging classroom opportunities offered to freshmen Spring 2008 The newest edition of newsCAST, a newsletter for parents published by the College of Arts and Sciences, highlights "Theories of Leadership", a Freshman Seminar taught by University of Oregon's President Dave Frohnmayer. Click here to read the article. Talk of the NationUniversity of Oregon professor David Frank February 20, 2008 In this week's edition of The Political Junkie, NPR's political editor Ken Rudin talks about Barack Obama's increased momentum, John McCain's winning streak and the importance of Texas and Ohio for Hillary Clinton. Plus, just how powerful are words? David Frank, a professor of rhetoric at Honors College at the University of Oregon, discusses the importance of discourse. Note: Professor Frank will teach a Freshman Seminar called "You be the Judge: Presidential Debates 2008" in Fall 2008. February 18, 2008 Inside Oregon University of Oregon physicist Parthasarathy receives NSF career award
Note: Dr. Parthasarathy will teach a Freshman Seminar called "The Stuff of Life" in Spring 2009
Seminar participants take a closer look at the art and culture of the dinner table By: Mike O'Brien | News Reporter Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News Oregon Daily Emerald
ON a dinner table in the University's Millrace Studios Wednesday, the actual soup bowls were much wider at the bottom than at the top. To keep from see-sawing, the serving platter had to be supported by Wheat Thins crackers. The cups were cone-shaped and the salt and pepper shakers were stuck together, though their holes didn't align properly. To keep from getting sushi, cottage cheese, sweet plum tomatoes or caramel popcorn on themselves, the three dining companions - wearing a Hawaiian shirt, sweatpants tucked into riding boots and a bright, mismatched outfit, respectively - had paper napkins tucked into their shirts like bibs.
The Awkward Table, where everything was designed not to work, was one of six final group projects in Krusoe's three-credit Eating and Art course. A freshman seminar, Krusoe's class focused on examining the intersections of social practices, literature, film, art and food, and then designing their own table settings. Other themes included the Zen, Great American, Kiddo, Sexual Tension and Dare Tables.
"Food is turning up in art in a lot of different ways," Krusoe said. "Contemporary ceramics practice is right now, really doing a lot of work with vessels and kind of a relational aspect."
The 18 freshmen read and watched food-centric material - such as the movies "Like Water for Chocolate" and "Super Size Me" - and then teamed up to create dinnerware from clay to correspond with their themes. The Sexual Tension Table featured plates shaped like broken-heart halves, which were covered with chocolate and strawberries. Dates could feed one other across the table using the extra-long silverware. The centerpiece - a long vase filled with a condom bouquet, and round salt and pepper shakers - was shaped like a penis. A painting of a rose and some 1990s R&B music rounded out their setting. At the Great American Table to the right, students in flannel shirts sipped Coca-Cola from cups shaped like Abraham Lincoln's signature top hat. They used red, white and blue utensils to eat steak and vegetables from their plates, which were painted to look like flags. "I definitely think about place settings a lot more now, how the table set-up actually affects your conversation," said Cassie Russell, who was part of the Dare Table.
In Russell's group, they made plates with caution signs and cow faces, a large monkey head and yellow test tubes. Anyone who sat down at their table was dared to eat monkey brains (noodles on pomegranate halves), cow tongues (rolled-up bologna), eyeballs (gummy eyes covered in vanilla pudding), or drink toxic waste (bright green Jones Soda). There was a disposable camera stationed nearby to document the dares. Russell said Krusoe made Eating and Art a fun class. Sasha Simpson, who liked Krusoe's vivid teaching style said: "She's really inspirational, to say the least. She's definitely an interesting character." Simpson was part of the Kiddo Table, where the mini juice cups had handles and the food - all of which was candy, cookies and chips - was served from colorful trucks. The Kiddo team also had a laptop playing cartoons and olives to stick on their fingers. "We had grape juice all over the tablecloth and Cheeto cheese all over the tablecloth," Nicole Potts said. "It was a real 'play with your food' type of theme." Finally, the Zen Table had makeshift toga-clad students eating miso soup and sushi. They employed Feng Shui motif with simple designs on their plates and ceramic statues of the Buddha.
Krusoe, who often teaches freshman seminars, said Eating and Art "went beyond (her) wildest expectations."
Before the final Eating and Art class came to a close, Krusoe reminded her students that she needed them to fill out course evaluations.
Teresa Stanonik Oregon Quarterly, Winter 2007 Volume 87, number 2
By SUSAN PARDINGTON September 23, 2007 THE OREGONIAN
EUGENE -- As many as 2,200 of the 10,400 freshmen who start classes this week in Oregon's seven public universities will probably quit before their sophomore year. For those students, the excitement of going to college will quickly turn into academic frustration, social isolation and financial stress -- some of the chief reasons freshmen drop out. After getting $142 million in new money from the Legislature, campus leaders are responding with initiatives to try to stem the steady drain of new students from state universities. "We want to not only get them in, we want to get them through," said Susan Weeks, vice chancellor for strategic programs and planning in the university system. "It doesn't do our goal of having a highly educated population any good if you can't get them through." The universities are boosting student support services such as tutoring and advising, giving students more opportunities to interact with faculty and intervening earlier when students are in trouble. The percentage of freshmen who quit between fall 2005 and fall 2006 ranged from 31 percent at Eastern Oregon University to 15 percent at the University of Oregon. Nationally, about 25 percent of first-time students at four-year public colleges quit before their sophomore year, according to federal and state educators. At UO, the focus is on connecting students with the academic life of the college as quickly as possible, said Karen Sprague, vice provost for undergraduate studies. One way the university does that is through "freshman interest groups" of 25 students who take two classes together, meet in small groups with a professor and student adviser and sometimes live in the same dorm. "People leave for all sorts of reasons, but a big factor is a sense of isolation," Sprague said. "Anything we can do to help people find their niche is going to help." Betsy Selander, an 18-year-old freshman from San Francisco, signed up for a residential interest group so she wouldn't be lost in the crowds at UO. "I like it when a school kind of holds your hands and guides you a little bit," she said Thursday, while trying to put away a mountain of clothes on her bed before her roommate arrived. "I thought if I could find a small school within the big school I'd like it more." Her interest group, called Living Autobiography, is taking U.S. history and folklore classes, reading a UO freshman diary from 1914 and writing accounts of their freshman year that will be submitted to the campus archives. "I thought that was really cool, the idea that even as a freshman you can impact the school," Selander said. Nicole Wentz, who also is 18 and from the San Francisco area, was putting up photo collages, posters and a UO football banner on her walls Thursday. She said she wanted to live and study with a small group of students to help her stay motivated and on top of her work. "Everyone's in the same boat," she said. "Everyone wants to do well." Freshmen in interest groups are more likely than other freshmen to return for their sophomore year, Sprague said. Over the past five years, the retention rate for the interest groups has been 86 percent to 89 percent, compared with 81 percent to 83 percent for those students not in the programs. Online support Another program that seems to work is the Students First Mentoring Program at Portland State University, created by Peter Collier, an associate professor of sociology. The program, based on Collier's research, supports freshmen who are eligible for financial aid and whose parents do not have a college degree by providing online help, tips and videos, as well as discussion groups. Some students also meet with a mentor. "I'm trying to show these students that they are legitimate college students by giving them ways to act like college students," Collier said. "These are things that aren't in the catalog," such as how to read a course syllabus and how to talk to a professor. Students in the program earn higher grades and more credits their freshman year, and retention rates are slightly higher, Collier said. Stephanie Haas, a 20-year-old sophomore at PSU, said she might have quit during her freshman year without help from the program. Her mentor and others helped her through financial aid, roommate and academic issues, she said. College was "so new and scary," she said. "I remember calling my mom that first night and crying, 'I want to go home.' " Small-school feeling Western Oregon University is expecting its freshman retention rate to improve by about 10 percent this year as a result of a campuswide focus on the issue, said Dave McDonald, associate provost. The university is trying to create the feeling of a school that's smaller than its 5,100 students. For instance, faculty have lunch with students regularly in their residence halls. "It's one more chance to connect with a faculty member, one more chance to add a face and personality to the people they'll be taking classes from," McDonald said. Other state universities are taking a similar approach by creating more communities within the larger campus based on academic or other interests. "You're seeing that blurring between the classroom and the learning environment," said Jackie Balzer, dean of student life at Oregon State University. "Our goal is to really get them webbed in and connected so their learning experience is powerful and they have the support they need throughout their journey."
University of Oregon grad receives prestigious scholarshipCooke Foundation awards up to $50,000 a year for six yearsCarissa Sharp, a 2006 graduate of the University of Oregon honors college, has received one of the most prestigious and generous scholarships in the country. Three days before she turned 23 and a month after finishing bachelor’s degrees in religious studies and psychology, Sharp received word that she was among 77 students to be named a scholar in the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Program. The Cooke Foundation will provide Sharp, who will begin graduate work in theological studies at Harvard University this fall, with tuition, room, board, fees and books – up to $50,000 annually – for up to six years. Sharp, of Portland, is the first Cooke scholar ever to be selected from the University of Oregon. Sharp’s award is something in which the entire university community can take pride, said Linda Brady, senior vice president and provost. “The Cooke Foundation’s award not only is a tribute to Carissa’s talents, but it also highlights the superior academic value of the University of Oregon,” Brady said. “Students such as Carissa demonstrate that the university is a place where the nation’s top scholars flourish while achieving academic goals.” Colleges and universities can only nominate two students for the award each year. The university’s nomination committee selected Sharp in recognition of her outstanding qualities and achievements. “Whether it be taking over class for a professor in her job as a teaching assistant, conducting research to fund a project supporting victims of domestic violence, or traveling in Italy and Egypt observing religious practices of the people, (Carissa) Sharp is able to take what she learns and apply it,” the committee wrote in a nomination letter sent to the Cooke Foundation with Sharp’s application. This is the fifth year the Cooke Foundation has offered the graduate program, one of the nation’s most generous scholarships. Awards are based on academic performance, financial need, leadership, community involvement and ambition. The Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon was the perfect place for Sharp to focus and polish her abilities. After graduating from St. Mary’s Academy, a private, Catholic high school in Portland, Sharp arrived in Eugene unsure of what she wanted to study. She spent her first year of college sampling the wide variety of academic fare offered at the university. “I was considering everything from the hard sciences to music performance in cello,” she said. She was thinking about everything except for religious studies. Then one of her friends mentioned that she was getting a minor in the subject. “I was so jealous. World religions had been my favorite class” in high school, Sharp said. “All of a sudden, I realized that I could actually major in religious studies in college – it had never entered my mind before. I would definitely say that it was an ‘aha’ moment.” Sharp ended up double majoring in religious studies and psychology, another subject that had always fascinated her. She merged the two disciplines for her honors thesis, which focused on the study of religion from a scientific perspective. At Harvard, Sharp will pursue a master's in theological studies, the equivalent of a master’s of art in religious studies. Eventually she plans to be a professor. “Religious studies is such an important field, particularly with the state of our world today,” Sharp said. “I feel like I can really make an important contribution through the study of modern religion. I have always been an academic at heart, and as a professor I can stay in school forever.” Early humans followed the coast - BBC News(Jon Erlandson, professor of anthropology at the University of Oregon)From BBC News at bbcnews.com http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5398850.stm
Students to choose recipients of $10,000In one University seminar, freshmen pick which nonprofits get donations from two companiesBy Philip Ossie Bladine Wells Fargo bank and Weyerhaeuser Company have $10,000 in grants ready for one or more Lane County nonprofit organizations. But who receives the money is up to the 22 University students in the Freshman Seminar in American Philanthropy class. The once-a-year course, now in its fourth year, is designed to teach students about philanthropy in the United States and to get them out of the classroom to establish ties in the community at the beginning of their studies. Ultimately, the class will decide what nonprofit organization will receive the grant, and whether the $10,000 will be split between more than one local organization. “It’s pretty cool because personally I don’t have that much money, but now I’m in charge of giving out $10,000,” Nick Luallin said. This is the first year Weyerhaeuser has contributed to the project. “When I saw the media coverage of the project last year, I called the professor and said, ‘We’d like to be a part of this,’” Weyerhaeuser spokesman Mike Moskovitz said. “This is a great learning experience for the students.” A number of students in the class agreed that they want to limit the number of organizations to two because splitting the money more than two ways won’t make a profound impact on any organization. Applications for the grant are due on Jan. 30. “It won’t just be those that apply that will be considered,” University Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations and class instructor Paul Elstone said. “Students will choose certain local groups that they want to be considered,” Elstone added. “Then they will go through a narrowing process where the students will get into groups, research different organizations and then persuade each other how certain organizations are unique and impact the community.” Students are expecting many different opinions to surface during upcoming conversations. “Of course, everyone is going to want their organization to be picked,” University student Rebecca McKinley said. “I think it will be better that way because kids will do more research to make better presentations,” Luallin said. When the class agrees on four finalists each organization will be assigned to a team of students. Each team will then visit the organization headquarters, meet the staff and see firsthand how it impacts the community. Group members will present their research to the class as a Powerpoint presentation. The final decision will be announced at the end of the term. Moskovitz and a senior officer from Wells Fargo will give a short presentation to the class about the giving criteria and philosophy of the two companies. “It’s more than us just giving them the money. We will take an active role in the entire process,” Moskovitz said. To be eligible for a grant, an organization must be registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, have a program in operation in Lane County that a team can visit and fit within at least one of the donor companies’ charitable giving guidelines in Oregon. Copyright 2006 Oregon Daily Emerald. Reprinted with permission. UO research on the brainWhat's New Forgetting trivial information can boost the brain's ability to remember the things that really matter, U.S. researchers report. A University of Oregon team found that awareness -- visual working memory -- doesn't depend on extra storage space in the brain, but rather on the brain's ability to ignore what is irrelevant. The researchers likened this ability to a nightclub bouncer who manages crowds. "Until now, it's been assumed that people with high-capacity visual working memory had greater storage but actually, it's about the bouncer -- a neural mechanism that controls what information gets into awareness," study author Edward Vogel, an assistant professor of cognitive neuroscience, explained in a prepared statement. The study has a number of implications, the researchers added. It could lead to the development of more effective methods of optimizing memory, as well as improved diagnosis and treatment of cognitive problems in people with attention-deficit disorder and schizophrenia. The findings were published in Thursday's issue of Nature. Campus project to clock sun timeBy Greg Bolt
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