Freshmen Brittany Mann, left, and Allison George, both of Portland, sample the healthy food available at the OSU CONNECT New Student Picnic on Sept. 20. Photo: Theresa Hogue)

As the sun slowly headed westward across the Memorial Union Quad last Thursday afternoon, the lawn turned into an impromptu dining hall as thousands of freshmen sat cross-legged in the grass, munching on teriyaki skewers as they chatted. The annual CONNECT New Student Picnic is an opportunity for students to unwind, socialize and visit a large group of resource booths scattered around the Quad, and this year’s event offered a way for OSU organizers to showcase some of the university’s healthier eating options.

CONNECT Week is organized by New Student Programs & Family Outreach, and helps get new students oriented to campus. The picnic is one of the many events that freshmen get to participate in during the week, which precedes the first week of classes.

Be Well, an OSU organization representing the Healthy Campus Initiative, focuses on helping members of the OSU community to be active, eat healthy, manage stress and stay smoke-free. Be Well sponsored this year’s picnic, and worked with OSU Catering to ensure that the meal they served up met the recommendations of MyPlate, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s campaign to promote a healthy diet. This year’s menu included grilled chicken or tofu teriyaki skewers, steamed brown rice, stir-fry vegetables and fresh pineapple.

Portland natives and freshmen Brittany Mann and Allison George stood together and held up paper plates brimming with rice and teriyaki skewers. They both agreed that the meal was better than the usual hot dog and burger affair.

Teriyaki skewers, brown rice and pineapple were available for new students during the picnic in the MU Quad. Photo: Theresa Hogue

“I want to try and eat healthier,” said Mann. The picnic got them off to a good start.

“As students transition to the university setting, we want to make sure they think about healthy eating as an important part of their success here at OSU,” said OSU Housing and Dining nutritionist Tara Sanders. “By teaching them about MyPlate, and how to create balanced, healthy meals when visiting the dining centers on campus, hopefully we’re providing the tools they need to make good food choices.”

At the central Be Well tent, students had a chance to play nutrition-related games, as well as take photographs with Benny Beaver. Near the food lines, representatives of Fresh from the Faucet handed out reusable steel water bottles and encouraged picnic-ers to fill them up at several water stations set up nearby.

A performance by OSU cheerleaders, the marching band and dance team kept the students entertained, and plenty of booths offered them the chance to play games, win prizes and learn about other ways to keep themselves healthy, including cultural and resource centers and clubs, which will help freshmen become involved in the campus community, a key step to making the university experience a positive one.

For more information on Be Well, go to: http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/bewell/

To learn more about MyPlate: http://www.choosemyplate.gov

~ Theresa Hogue

Students and staff cheer for new students participating in the OSU Convocation new student walk on Sept. 20. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

No matter how exciting it is to move to campus for your first year of college, the transition isn’t easy…which is why CONNECT Week at OSU has become such a popular tradition. From the time new students move in on Sept. 18 through Sept. 25, they will have the chance to participate in more than 150 activities that will help them get used to campus and the Corvallis community.

“Students enjoy it because it gives them some time to settle in, get used to their new living situation, meet new people, and take care of logistics, like buying textbooks and figuring out where their classes are,” says Kris Winter, the director of New Student Programs and Family Outreach, the department that coordinates CONNECT Week.
Among the open houses, discount nights at local stores, orientations, games and food are a few standout events Winter would love new students, current students, faculty and staff to know about:

New Student Walk, Convocation and Picnic

Walk: Tuesday, Sept. 20, MU Quad, 3:15
Convocation: Sept. 20, Gill Coliseum, 4 p.m.
New Student Picnic: Sept. 20, MU Quad, 5-8 p.m.

Each year, about 2,000 students gather in the MU Quad to walk to Gill Coliseum for Convocation, OSU’s official academic welcome to its new members. The walk to Gill is symbolic – it mimics the one they will take in four years, when they become the class of 2015. The walk has become a tradition, Winter says, with current students even taking part.

“We’ve seen current students organically show up and form a tunnel surrounding new students,” she says. “They stand and cheer for new students as they’re walking into Gill. Every year more and more students come and show up for that.”

New students’ families and faculty members are also welcome to cheer on loved ones.

At convocation this year incoming students will hear from President Ed Ray, Dr. Larry Roper and keynote speaker Dr. Joseph Orosco, Associate Professor of Philosophy. They will also be doing something they never have before – reciting the OSU creed. “It’s a great way for students to learn what it means to be a member of the community,” Winter says.

The New Student Picnic follows in the MU Quad. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at an OSU dining center.

Text Message Scavenger Hunt

Wednesday, Sept. 21, meet outside McNary Dining Hall, 1:30 p.m.

New students have the chance to get to know Corvallis a lot better. They’ll be working in teams, heading to different locations and answering questions about their new town. Some fantastic prizes are donated by local business for winning teams, Winter says.

“We want students to know about services and how close downtown Corvallis is to campus,” Winter says. “It’s really great for students to see the community outside of OSU.”

Day of Caring

Friday, Sept. 23, meet outside McAlexander Field House, 8 a.m.

This year marks the third that hundreds of OSU students will gather to perform a day of community service in Corvallis. Since the first Day of Caring, students have helped manage invasive plant species, painted food pantries, chipped it at the Humane Society, and even played Wii with senior citizens, to name just a few things.

Students also get a sense of how involved the Corvallis community really is – they will work alongside groups from Hewlett Packard, United Way, the City of Corvallis, OSU Federal Credit Union, and more…not to mention caring individuals from the community.

“It’s a great way for students to see the value of what it means to be a member of the Corvallis community, Winter says.”

~ Celene Carillo

Freshmen in 2009 participate in a College of Engineering CONNECT Week event. (contributed photo)

Students begin moving into the Oregon State residence halls on Sunday, Sept. 19 and will have a full week to settle into campus life before they begin classes on Monday, Sept. 27.

To help incoming students ease into their new surroundings, OSU created CONNECT Week, which has proven to be instrumental in helping them achieve academic success.

“One of the most important transition times for students is during their first week on campus,” said Kris Winter, director of New Student Programs and Family Outreach. “At this time students are exposed to Oregon State University’s values and expectations. CONNECT week is an intentional way for our students to create meaningful ties with other students, faculty and staff.”

CONNECT Week takes place the week before classes start during fall term, kicking off on Tuesday, Sept. 21, with one of CONNECT’s most popular events, New Student Convocation. New classmates and their families meet in the Memorial Union Quad and walk to Gill Coliseum, the same walk they will make when they graduate from the university. Once at Gill, they will be welcomed by OSU President Ed Ray. The keynote speaker will be speech communication professor emeritus Dick Weinman, and Larry Roper, vice provost for student affairs, will present the students to Ray.

“CONNECT events introduce new students to the OSU and Corvallis community,” Winter said. “The events will not only serve as the beginning of students feeling like a part the OSU family, but as a catalyst for them to become active, engaged and productive members of the OSU Community of Scholars.”

A new student picnic in the MU Quad follows convocation. University Housing and Dining Services, the Memorial Union, OSU Catering, Campus Recycling and the Residence Hall Association all pitch in to help. The event is popular, with about 2,800 students in attendance last year.

“The OSU marching band usually kicks it off and it just has a lot of positive energy,” said Leslee Mayers, assistant director of New Student Programs and Family Outreach.

Activities continue throughout CONNECT Week, and include a special shopping event at Fred Meyer on Wednesday, Sept. 22, that’s exclusively for OSU students, and a Camp Out in the Quad on Thursday, Sept. 23, that includes movies, a carnival, free food and prizes.

On Friday, Sept. 24, students have a unique opportunity to get to know other students and become invested in Corvallis at the same time. OSU and United Way are partnering on a day of community service called Day of Caring. Students receive a T-shirt and lunch, and get to work on a community project with other volunteers. Faculty and staff serve as service project team leaders during the event.

Other activities include open houses, mini-classes, and programs ranging from sexual violence awareness to a seminar on how to best use the library. A text message scavenger hunt and a Dixon Recreation Night are also included.

While some of the CONNECT Week activities are arranged by the Office of New Student Programs and Family Outreach, others are organized by departments, colleges and residence halls. All fall under the CONNECT umbrella.

For instance, the College of Engineering started partnering with Recreational Sports last year to provide two big engineering activities in the MU Quad for its more than 1,000 new students. Brett McFarlane, director of undergraduate programs for the college, said the activities provide students a chance to get better acquainted while they build problem-solving skills.

This year the engineering event will be held on the afternoon of Sept. 23, and will be followed by an ice cream social open to all CONNECT students.

For a full schedule of events and to learn more about CONNECT Week, see http://oregonstate.edu/newstudents/connect/