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Campus
News
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| Freshmen
Danny McLain, Holly Davis and Brandon Vanatta
(left to right) are part of a generation termed
"the millennials." |
Millennials
go to college
Gone
are the days when packing for college meant loading
clothing, bedding, mementos and a typewriter into
the family station wagon. Not only are today’s
undergraduates likely to have their own car, but
the technologically savvy students wouldn’t
even be able to find the return key on a typewriter.
Typical of this year’s entering class is freshman
Nicholas Manders of Eugene, who lugged a television,
computer, refrigerator, stereo, speakers, printer,
as well as assorted sports equipment, up to his
room at McNary Hall.
Sydney Rogers-Good of West Linn squeezed an old
carpet, refrigerator, stereo, television, box springs
and mattress, computer, printer, cases of juice
and pop, and even a pet gecko into her 12 feet by
15 feet room at Callahan. As a member of the equestrian
team, she also brought to Corvallis her horse, saddle,
tack, blanket and assorted equestrian supplies.
Manders and Rogers-Good are two of the nearly 3,000
new freshmen attending OSU this fall in Corvallis.
And aside from carloads of electronics, they brought
with them some distinctive attitudes and characteristics.
Another
year of record enrollment
OSU recorded another year of record-breaking enrollment,
with 18,979 students enrolled fall term at the Corvallis
campus and through the university’s e-campus.
There are 373 students enrolled at OSU-Cascades
Campus in Bend.
Gary Beach, director of institutional research,
said enrollment is up 1 percent. Both retention
and graduation rates have improved.
The University Honors College also is showing growth
and enrolled 146 students this year — an increase
of about 17 percent over last fall’s total
of 125 students.
| President
Ray forgoes formal investiture
President Ed Ray decided not to have a formal
investiture commemorating his recent appointment
as OSU’s 14th full-time president
and asked that the $30,000 earmarked for
the investiture ceremony be used for student
aid.
"It is an easy choice for me to do
something that could really benefit students
rather than spending money on my behalf,"
Ray said. "Students come first."
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Burden
of paying for college shifts from taxpayers to students
Fifth
year senior Ben Dickinson estimates he will have
borrowed about $50,000 by the time he is ready to
graduate in June. In addition to taking out loans,
the mechanical engineering student works part time
at a pizza restaurant to help make ends meet.
And Dickinson is not alone.
At a time when high unemployment and a burgeoning
crop of high school graduates are fueling surging
enrollments at Oregon’s universities and community
colleges, the burden of paying for college is shifting
further from taxpayers to students.
Undergraduate resident tuition and fees at Oregon
State have increased to $1,573 fall term for full-time
students, up more than 17 percent from the rate
published last fall. If books, supplies, room and
board, and other expenses are included, yearly cost
to an undergraduate who is a resident of Oregon
is estimated at more than $14,000.
For nonresidents, undergraduate tuition and fees
alone are $5,825 for fall term, also up more than
17 percent from last year’s published rate.
Pharmacy, business and engineering students also
are facing steep increases in resource fees.
For undergraduate engineering students, annual fees
have nearly tripled in 2003-2004 to as much as $1,290.
German
professor moonlights as producer for "Luther"
Christian Stehr, an OSU professor, served as United
States producer for the film, Luther, and was part
of an international cast and crew. For Stehr, who
teaches German language, literature and culture,
it was a "wonderful experience," working
with such actors as Joseph Fiennes, Alfred Molina
and Sir Peter Ustinov. He knew Ustinov from past
projects.
Forensics
team celebrates 110 years of intercollegiate competition
In 2003, the OSU forensics team celebrated an important
anniversary — marking 110 years of intercollegiate
forensic competition.
Although records indicate that the forensic team
began competing intercollegiately in 1893, debate
societies and forensics have been part of Oregon
State from the earliest years of its predecessor
Corvallis College. In fact, the only two remaining
extracurricular activities from the original Corvallis
College are forensics (or debate) and the OSU Alumni
Association.
In recognition of the 110th anniversary, the forensics
team hosted an Earl Wells Memorial Speakeasy, named
in honor of a former long-time director of forensics
at the university. Students were encouraged to dress
in period clothing. Debate topics for the speakeasy
were taken from debates held between 1900 and 1910.
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