Delta Upsilon Chapter Meeting

Every Monday the Oregon State Chapter of Delta Upsilon hosts a meeting conformed by members about the status of the chapter. During the meeting, different members on the executive council gave their reports, which included loss-prevention, house operations, public relations, social functions, and rush status (the status of incoming freshmen.)

The Delta Upsilon fraternity is the largest non-secret fraternity in the nation. Non-secret means that anyone from the public is allowed to sit in on a chapter meetings, there is no secret handshake among members or secret meeting rooms. Anyone is allowed to witness what they do, member or not.

Member attire is strictly formal. Button-up shirt, tie, slacks, belt, and dress shoes. Since the meeting is weekly, the main topics discussed are those that are directed toward that upcoming week. The Secretary, Trevor Carey, was first to give his report. Things he went over were the fraternity's parking lot situation, which rooms the members would be living in for next term, and the weekly brotherhood that takes place on Wednesdays. A brotherhood is when all the members of the chapter do something together, whether it be going to a movie or playing dodgeball at McAlexander Field House.

After the secretary went Brett Woods, who holds the executive position of house operations. Woods went over what the members would be doing pertaining to their house duties, a system where every member is presented to fulfill some sort of job around the house daily.

Eddie Murphy, the chapter president, gives his report last, where he goes over changes he would like to see in the house, and the direction the house needs to be going in. Murphy went over discussions he had with Bob Kerr, the Oregon State campus coordinator of Greek Life, about things the house can improve in. Among those things was alumni relations, which Delta Upsilon has been having trouble with.

Being only two years out of high school, it's nice to see a young group of guys run something as complicated as a fraternity house. As I've mentioned in other blogs, Greek Life isn't all parties all the time. There is a system involved, and a complicated one at that. It's easy for young people to stray off the path and lose control, but the men of Delta Upsilon have a different mind-set. For an entire house of young men to run a house together is inspiring to say the least.

Standing Out

In a world powered by consumers, Seth Godin may be the most passionate one. According to Godin, an idea is most potent when the entrepreneur does something out of the ordinary with it, which in turn attracts more attention and increases interest in the product.

Godin says at one point in his speech, "The thing that decides what gets talked about, what gets done, what gets changed, what gets purchases, what gets built, is is it remarkable?" This is very true in todays society. The more people talk about their new iPods and hybrid cars, the more the product spreads and the sales skyrocket.

The central idea is that if you market your idea to the innovators, then your idea has a better chance of liftoff because people will talk and hopefully spread your product. Godin argues that mass marketing, the idea of marketing average products to average people, is becoming obsolete because people tend to ignore innovation in an effort to stay in their comfort zone.

On your daily routine to wherever and whatever it is that you do, chances are that if there is change in your path you will notice it, and that is the focal point of the marketing industry today. Consumers are easily manipulated, and when word of mouth gets to them that a new product is "better," the people will express interest. As we are all consumers, we are all exposed to this ever-changing market industry, and whether we like it or not we will all keep on our toes about the latest innovation.

No Shave November

A lot of interesting things happen in the month of November: The weather gets brisk in preparation of winter, college football teams get a glance at the Bowl Championship Series while pro football teams begin establishing playoff spots, our veterans are celebrated, and our thanks is given. But something is happening to people. Companies like Gillette and Barbasol are losing money because a few brave men decided that November was going to introduce a whole new tradition.

No Shave November is exactly what it sounds like; during the month of November, you don't shave. But just like any other strange tradition, why do people do it? After doing some research, no one person has been credited with starting No Shave November. Instead it's an annual tradition that is growing each year. When you walk around a college campus around this time of year, you sense that something is a little different. Not only are people bundled up in their jackets, but their chins are bundled up under a more natural coat.

There are several reasons people participate: Some for charities, some to test their beard growing abilities, and most for shear bragging rights. I asked an avid No Shave November contender, James Templeton, the reason for his partaking in the ritual. "Well, first off I'm lazy," laughed Templeton. "It's nice not having to shave everyday. And one time this girl told me I looked sexy and manly with a beard, so that pretty much sold me."

Obviously something like not shaving for a month will attract more of a male demographic. It comes down to men wanting to test the capabilities of their ruggedness. But, with every experiment you need a control. Michayla Lynn, a member of the Oregon State dance team, told me, "I think that it would be funny if guys tried to keep their beards all month, but most of the time they'll get self-conscious and chicken out. But for the most part I really don't like when guys do it."

Those who are daring might explore something like No-Shave November, but let me tell you it's no easy task. I decided to participate this year, and it's agonizing to say the least. I can't find any other reason that people would do this besides bragging rights. But it's a tradition that many others and I will continue to associate ourselves with. But for now, the day I look forward to the most is December 1st, so that I'm able to rid myself of this curse I've bestowed upon myself.

Any Given Sunday

It's a long way to the top, and the Cincinatti Bengals can assure you that. For the first time since 2005, the Bengals are on top of the AFC North division. But even with that success, they found themselves defeated against the Oakland Raiders, a team with a record of 3-7.

The Bengals flew across the nation into Oakland, preparing for their bout against the Raiders, in what should have been an easy game for them. With 33 seconds left in the game, Oakland's quarterback Bruce Gradkowski threw a 29-yard game tying touchdown to wide receiver Louis Murphy. On the kickoff a few moments later, Oakland forced a fumble and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a game winning field goal. In what many thought would be an easy game for the recently successful Cincinnati Bengals, they found themselves on the other side, losing 17-20.

The Bengals are in charge of their conference, but not by much. They best the Pittsburgh Steelers by only 1 game. If they wish to continue their comeback season, they need to fix mistakes like losing to a team that's last in their division. Cincinnati plays conference rival Cleveland next week, who sits at a record of 1-9, tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the St. Louis Rams for the worst record in the NFL.

Last story

I've been thinking about a few different things for my last story. And since we're in the month of November, what could be more fitting than an article on No Shave November.

No Shave November is exactly what the title says it is; no shaving throughout the entire month. I live in Corvallis but I am also in Albany almost daily for my classes at Linn Benton, and people you would never see with facial hair are sporting it like it's the newest trend, myself being one of them. Many students roam the campus with their new found facial hair, hoping that the month will end as soon as possible so that they can retreat back to their clean-shaven lives. There are multiples of people that I can interview, since participants in No Shave November are easy to find. Some of the things I want to cover is why people participate, what's the reason? How did this tradition come to be? And would also like to get a survey of how many people do take part in it.

I grew up in Oregon City, and even though I never had run-ins with law enforcement, their police staff is very busy and from what I hear they have a lot going on. Jim Band got promoted to lieutenant a few months ago, and I think interviewing him and seeing what his life has been like up to this point would be very interesting. If I can't arrange an interview with Band, I will attempt to find an officer in the Corvallis area to interview.

Another person I'm interested in interviewing is James Templeton, who is involved with almost every intramural sport on the Oregon State campus.

Being interested in sports writing, I would also like to find a local writer that I could talk to about whats involved in their day to day life.

Toga! Toga! Toga!

My generation had Superbad. The 90's had American Pie. The 80's had Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And well, the 70's had Animal House, which changed the outlook on social functions for the next 4 generations. This past Friday I attended a toga party at the Chi Phi fraternity to get my taste of the action.

The toga party portrayed in Animal House has been reenacted year after year, all over the country. It just so happens that there is a fraternity at Oregon State University that holds one of these annual toga parties, and I was able to get myself on the guest list. I went out to a fabric store with a few friends last week to get my toga material, and let's just say that Caesar would be proud.

Right from the get-go, I had the grief of waiting in line with every other person on the guest list, (Fraternity parties should take a page out of Disney's book and invest in a fast-pass line.) You can imagine the toll that the brisk Autumn weather takes on a person wearing a bed sheet. Once inside though, things warmed up immensely. Hundreds of people packed into a basement-style room gives off quite a bit of body heat, (I'm sure the Fire Marshall would love to hear some juicy information like this.)

The 70's didn't quite have the creativity that todays generation has. A plain white toga was out of the question, as every color of the spectrum was displayed throughout the function. Outfits ranged from camouflage togas to blue mesh ones, from rainbow silk togas to pink plaid ones. I talked to one of the guests that attended the affair about the strategies people used while choosing toga material. "It's all about having fun," said Devin Hohensee, one of the guests at the party. "These things dont happen often, so you might as well go all out."

Hohensee was right, these things dont happen often. So when they do, who are the masterminds behind it all?

Chris Jordan was one of the social chairman involved with the production of the event. "We have around 700 people on the guest list. I spent hours a day trying to plan it all out and set it all up."

"When you put something like this together, you're obviously doing it for the guests," said Casey Clarke, another member of the social committee. "When you're expecting hundreds of people to show up, we want to make sure they enjoy it and have a good time."

Popping the Safety Bubble

As we all huddle around our own private bubble in class, the workplace, or even everyday errands, we never take the time to pop that bubble and actually talk to a stranger. But why would you? We feel comfortable keeping to ourselves. It's what feels right, it's natural.

Well I had the privilege of sitting down with a classmate who proved my previous paragraph wrong. Krista Goeke was born in southern California (I just happened to be wearing a USC Trojans shirt while writing this) but was raised in Albany. She is currently pursuing an Associates Degree in journalism and is transferring to Oregon State University to major in graphic design. Now I dont know what it is, but it seems like the more people I talk to about graphic design, the more intrigued I am about the subject.

Krista proceeded to tell me a very encouraging and inspirational story about her mother. "She went through brain surgery last year," said Krista. "It's an inspiration for me to keep fighting."

And keep fighting she has. Originally Krista wanted to get into nursing, but by the time she applied for school she had a different mindset. "I was in nursing for all the wrong reasons." Krista said. Maybe not literally "fighting," but I'm a big fan of people who decide to go for something that feels like the best option at that point in their lives.

"I want to design magazines and wrapping paper, I've always been obsessed with wrapping paper," she laughed. Well Krista, you have a good head on your shoulders and I look forward to checking out one of your magazines someday, as long as it isn't Cosmo or Home & Garden.

OSU - LBCC Degree Partnership Program

At a Glance:
Oregon State - Linn Benton Degree Partnership Program
Oregon State Admissions (541) 737-4411
Beneficial to Students

The Degree Partnership Program between Oregon State University and Linn Benton Community College is a popular system that often ventures through students' minds. The program allows students to be enrolled in both Oregon State and Linn Benton, so that the student is allowed to take credits at both campuses. It gives students the chance to network beyond just a single college hub. The program is something I firmly recommending looking into, as you can experience the benefits of attending both. I contacted Ellen Powers of Oregon State Admissions to see her take on the dual-enrollment program.

“Financially it’s a big advantage,” said Powers. “Student’s have to pay much less.” Powers also informed me that student’s can fill out a dual-enrollment application online at any time.

Students and their families could relax a little bit financially if they didn’t have to worry about all of the university funds. With the degree partnership program student’s can enjoy all of the Oregon State experience, but afford their classes for much cheaper.

“There’s more resources at the University, but the classes are cheaper at Linn Benton,” said Ryan Versoza, a student currently on the degree partnership program. “You get the best of both.”

Another student on the program, Chelsea Wooderson, told me “I think it’s beneficial to take credits with smaller classes, because you are able to get more attention from the teacher and do better in the class. I also like that I can save a lot more money taking classes there.”

The dual-enrollment program offers so much to students. It’s not often that we are given the choice of having the best of both worlds, but the program clearly extends that option towards us. If you haven’t explored the idea of pursuing a dual-enrollment, then I strongly encourage you to do so, you’ve read the verdict.