OSU Headlines

Latest changes for intersections and crossings along University Ave.
The intersection in front of the OSU Fire Station, at Knoblock and University, will be closed, starting Monday, March 30, for about three weeks so workers can install a new waterline. Pedestrian crossings will be located at the intersection and will be adjusted to accommodate the construction work. The closing had been set for this week but was delayed due to weather. The intersection at Monroe and University will reopen on April 1, unless delayed by weather. The Hester Street pedestrian crossing will be realigned and repaired. The Jefferson Street pedestrian crossing is closed and individuals are being re-directed west to University and Monroe to get to and from campus.

2009 Cultural Night is Friday and Saturday—tickets on sale now
The OSU International Student Organization will present its biggest nights of the year with Cultural Night 2009 on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28. Culture Night showcases the talents and diversity of the various cultural clubs of international students. The clubs will perform for awards both nights. Friday is strictly area cultural clubs, both clubs and guests will perform on Saturday night. Tickets can be purchased at the booth near the Student Union Bookstore and are $5 in advance for Friday or $7 at the door. For Saturday, tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door.  For more information, phone (405) 744-6506 or click here.

Plant geneticist to speak on campus tonight
Globally-famous genetics researcher Wes Jackson will be on campus in Stillwater on Thursday, March 26 (tonight), to speak on the Rural-Urban Interface at 7 p.m. in the French Lounge, 2nd floor of the Student Union. Read about him at the following links. Smithsonian's 35 Who Made a Difference and the Land Institute Web site.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright coming to OSU-Tulsa
Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee is coming to OSU-Tulsa April 14 as a guest of the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers. Albee, who has won numerous awards for his dramatic plays, will speak about his life and career at 7 p.m. in the OSU-Tulsa Auditorium. He won Pulitzers for “A Delicate Balance,” “Seascape,” and “Three Tall Women,” and a Tony Award for Best Play for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” Tickets for the event are $10 each and must be purchased in advance at (918) 594-8215 or teresa.miller@okstate.edu.

OSU Team wins national fishing tourney
The OSU team of William Powell of Oklahoma City and Jeremy Bersche of Stillwater won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Texas Division tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir last Saturday with six bass weighing 18 pounds, 9 ounces. The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split evenly between the school and the school’s bass-fishing club. For full details, click here.

Eat for The Rise School
Eat at your choice of the following restaurants on Tuesday, March 31, during the designated times and tell your waiter you are with The Rise School. This will allow a portion of the profits from each meal to be donated to the school. Sponsored by OSU Greek life. Next Tuesday, go to Chili’s from 4 p.m. to close; El Vaquero or El Tapatio from 5:30 p.m. to close or Chick-fil-a from  6-8 p.m.

Q Symposium set for tomorrow

McGuire to present Imus research
Dr. John McGuire will discuss his research about radio talk show host Don Imus at 1 p.m. Friday, March 27, in 208 Paul Miller Building as part of the Brown Bag Series in Mass Communication Research. McGuire will discuss "Imus in the Dog House" and explore why Imus was fired for his remarks about the women's basketball team at Rutgers University and later hired by another station. Questions? Contact Stan Ketterer at (405) 744-8270 or e-mail stan.ketterer@okstate.edu.  

Tickets on sale for inaugural Wine Forum at OSU
Tickets are on sale now for The Wine Forum of Oklahoma, which will be hosted by OSU’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration  and College of Human Environmental Sciences on April 3 and 4. This inaugural event will feature two full days of educational wine seminars, wine tastings and gourmet dining. The Educational Seminars are $15 each or $50 for all. Click here for complete details on events and tickets.

Mommy Market 2009

Zeta Week 2009 -  Ice Breaker Program
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. is hosting an Ice Breaker program “Breakin’ Into the ’00s,” in the French Lounge this Friday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m. as part of “Zeta Week 2009 - Through the Decades.” There will be free brownie sundaes available along with ice breaker games, Cranium, Twister and more. Come mix with people you may have never met before. For an up-to-date schedule on programs, RSVP to the Facebook event "Zeta Week 2009 - Through the Decades" or contact Alicia Hill at alicia.hill@okstate.edu.  

Greek Discovery Day mixer set
The National Panhellenic Council and the Multicultural Greek Council are hosting a mixer in the Centennial lounge from 12 - 2 p.m. this Saturday, March 28, as part of Greek Discovery Day. There will be food, games (HINT: Chubby Bunny) and mingling with the multicultural Greeks. For more information, contact Alicia Hill at alicia.hill@okstate.edu.

Join in African Week at OSU

Ag Week starts Monday
Students, faculty and staff at OSU are invited to join in Ag Week activities on the Stillwater campus starting with a cookout on Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the north side of Ag Hall. Ag economics alumnus and former OSU Alumni Association President Sean Couplen will speak on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Ag Hall room 101. Come and see the Ag Olympics starting at 5 p.m. Thursday on the south library lawn. For more information, contact Cody Cramer at (405) 613-2838 or e-mail ccramer@okstate.edu.  

Middle East Peace Week activities—you’re invited
The public is invited to participate in Middle East Peace Week on the OSU campus in Stillwater, starting with a free Middle Eastern lunch served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the library lawn area on Monday, March 30. The documentary “Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land” will be shown Monday at 5:30 p.m. in 212 CLB. The documentary “Occupation 101” will be shown at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday night in 212 CLB. Dr. Norman G. Finkelstein will lecture on “The Israel-Palestine Conflict: “What We can Learn from Ghandhi” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in NRC 106. Finkelstein will also present “Civility and Academic Freedom” at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 2, in Student Union Case Study 1.

Be an OSU star

Staff Appreciation Annual Picnic next week
Don’t forget your free lunch on Staff Appreciation Day, Thursday, April 2, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on the Willard lawn and terrace (SU 265 Ballroom if rain). One hundred veggie meals will be provided on a first-come basis, compliments of the OSU Administration. You should have received your lunch ticket in the campus mail. Festivities will include prizes, information booths, two raffle drawings, and time to gather and relax. Health screenings will be available on the OSU Telemedicine Bus from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and employees can use sick leave—it doesn’t need to be on your lunch hour.

Get your personalized wellness assessment at Staff Appreciation Day, April 2
Employees are invited to stop by the OSU Telemedicine bus just outside of Willard Hall on Thursday, April 2, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to get your numbers for the BCBS Online Health Risk Assessment. OSU Seretean Wellness Center staff will be available to administer blood tests (fasting or non-fasting), blood pressure measurement, and height/weight measurement. Individualized and immediate counseling will be available. There will be no out-of-pocket expenses, but you must bring your BlueCross insurance card. Participants can enter a prize drawing. For more information, phone (405) 744-WELL (9355).

Spring Family Weekend coming
The OSU Office of Parent and Family Relations will host Spring Family Weekend, including the 2nd Annual Mom’s Day Craft Fair, on April 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Union Atrium on the OSU Stillwater campus. Spring Family Weekend at OSU offers students the opportunity to welcome their families to campus for springtime events such as an evening street party in downtown Stillwater, campus tours, Cowboy baseball, concerts, Africa Night, Spring Sing and the Annual Mom's Day Craft Fair. For more details, click here.

OSU Theatre presents “Some Girls”
The OSU Department of Theatre shows what it might be like to re-visit past loves in the production of “Some Girls” from March 31 to April 5 at the Jerry L. Davis Studio Theatre in Stillwater. On the brink of marriage, Guy decides to visit all his old girlfriends since high school. The play shows how people are changed by the people they invite into their lives. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door one hour prior to each performance. The Jerry L. Davis Studio Theatre is located on the second floor of Gundersen Hall on the OSU-Stillwater Campus. For more information, phone 744-6094.  

Safe Zone: GLBT allies training ahead
A workshop for those interested in becoming an ally for GLBT students will be held Wednesday, April 8, from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. in Willard Hall, room 326. The workshop will focus on ways to be a resource for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and to show support for a community that has a need for allies. For questions or to RSVP for the Safe Zone workshop, please call Tamara Richardson, Ph.D., at (405) 744-5472 or e-mail tamara.richardson@okstate.edu.

Consider being an SLVC ambassador

MySite now available
The OSU Information Technology Department is making sure everyone knows they can now access Microsoft’s MySite from virtually anywhere. MySite is a personal site that allows you to have a central location to store documents, content, links and contacts. Please visit the IT Announcements page for more information about MySite.  

Planning to receive an income tax refund?
Find out about some wise options for using that money, click here.

Your Student Union Activities Board invites you to ….

Dealing with an urban myth about fluorescent lights
Despite what you may have heard, you should turn off your fluorescent lamps if the space they’re lighting is not going to be occupied for more than a few minutes (3-5 minutes is a good rule of thumb). The modern electronic ballast and T8/T5 lamp combination do draw a higher level of current during the start up, but it only lasts for a fraction of a second. Leaving fluorescent lights on when you leave an area is one of those myths from the '70s that has somehow survived. In fact, occupancy sensors are routinely used with fluorescent fixtures to turn the lights off when no one is in a room. For more, go to http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/fluorescent_lights.html  

Wellness tip: Spruce up your oatmeal
Try adding tasty and nutritious toppings to give that bowl of oatmeal a bit more flavor. Try sliced strawberries and plain nonfat yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon; dried apricots and honey; apple butter and raisins; mix dried fruit; or sliced bananas, raisins and chopped walnuts. One cup of cooked oatmeal, before toppings, contains 4.0 grams of fiber and is a good source of many nutrients. Wellness tips are brought to you by the OSU Seretean Wellness Center, dedicated to making OSU the Healthiest Campus in America. For more information about services for students, faculty and staff, call 744-WELL (9355).