(Published Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007)

Helicopter taping OSU promo today

If you see a helicopter flying low over campus this afternoon, just be cool and casual.

Act normally, even if normal means screaming at the top of your lungs for the Oregon State University football team.

Resist the urge to wave at the camera, even if the team from UCLA, that film school from “La-La Land,” is on the gridiron; It’s Oregon State University that’s the star.

OSU’s marketing department is using a helicopter to videotape some of its scenic locales to update a recruiting DVD that is shown to prospective students and their families.

“We want the footage to seem as natural and unstaged as possible,” said Marisa Paine, marketing specialist for the department of University marketing.

The DVD was last updated two years ago, before Reser Stadium and Weatherford Hall were renovated, and prior to the new Kelley Engineering Center’s completion.

The helicopter is scheduled to fly over those spots and the Memorial Union during and after the game, which starts at 3:30 p.m.

OSU partners with humane society

A new partnership between Oregon State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the Oregon Humane Society started last week, with the first of 50 students undergoing a series of two-week rotations at the Portland facility.

For OSU veterinary students, the partnership means exposure to a wide variety of the kinds of clinical cases among dogs, cats and other pets that they will encounter if they enter private practice.

And with student help, the Oregon Humane Society will increase its capacity for animal care — and adoptions — by 20 percent.

“This is the ultimate win-win situation for the students and the animals,” said Sharon Harmon, executive director of the Oregon Humane Society. “We’ll keep the OSU students plenty busy with everything from diagnoses to surgery, and that additional capacity will allow us to reach out across the region and bring in animals from other shelters, increasing the number of pet adoptions in Oregon.”

The students participating in the partnership will stay in dorm rooms at the Oregon Humane Society during their two-week rotation.

Most of the 27 veterinary medicine schools in the United States have partnerships with veterinary practices and animal shelters. But few require every student to go through a rotation with a facility like the Oregon Humane Society, and have a full-time faculty member on location.

OSU professor, 4-H leader honored

Duane Johnson, a long-time Oregon 4-H youth development program leader and Oregon State University professor emeritus, recently was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame.

Johnson was recognized for his contributions to 4-H during more than 40 years of service to the Oregon 4-H program, and for volunteering to 4-H and the OSU Extension Service following retirement in 1999.

He was a 4-H youth educator in Multnomah County in the 1960s and went on to be a state 4-H youth specialist at OSU in Corvallis. In 1987, he became state leader of the 4-H program and continued in that role for 13 years.

Prior to his selection for the National 4-H Hall of Fame, Johnson was inducted into the Oregon 4-H Hall of Fame in 2004. The National 4-H Hall of Fame can be viewed online at http://www.nae4ha.org/hof/

Tech expo features 50 companies

The Software Association of Oregon’s high-tech expo will feature more than 50 leading technology companies Oct. 11.

“High Tech After Hours” is a business-to-business expo that is the largest gathering of the technology community in the mid-valley.

Speakers include Greg Merten, a former vice president and general manager for Hewlett-Packard; Christopher Klemm, the director of the Austin Entrepreneurship Program at Oregon State University; and Frank Hall and Robert Best, who are corporate strategy consultants.

The fifth annual event is scheduled for 2 to 8 p.m. Oct. 11 at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center at Oregon State University across from Reser Stadium.

Advance tickets cost $10 or $12 at the door. OSU students are admitted free with a student ID card.

See www.hightechafterhours.com/ or call 757-1505 for more details.

LBCC offers new notification system

Students and staff at Linn-Benton Community College as well as the public can now self-register their home or office e-mail and cell phone text message addresses to receive emergency information from the college just minutes after it is posted.

The service is offered free of charge. To subscribe, log on to www.flashalert.net; click on subscribe; under Organization select Willamette Valley (Albany/Corvallis/Eugene/Roseburg); select College and University; then Linn-Benton Community College; and follow screen directions to list your addresses.

LBCC will continue to notify the media of closures along with posting a notice to the college Web site and activating calling trees.

Witch Hollow opens for season

ALBANY — The grand opening for Witch Hollow will continue from dark until 9 p.m. today and Sunday at 1813 Daemon Place N.W.

To find Witch Hollow, go up North Albany Road and turn right on Broadway. Take an immediate left on 17th. Daemon Place is the second cul-de-sac on the right. There will be signs on Gibson Hill Road and North Albany Road.

The Hollow will be open every weekend until and on Halloween. There will be a bonfire, marshmallows and hot dogs available.

The cost is 50 cents.

For more information, call 990-4345 or 967-9461.

WOU faculty ratify union agreement

MONMOUTH — Faculty at Western Oregon University have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the university.

The Western Oregon University University Federation of Teachers Local 2278 voted 78-2 in favor of the agreement Wednesday.

Key elements of the new contract include:

• Across-the-board increases of 7.5 percent over the two-year period plus step increases for eligible faculty.

• A 20 percent increase in faculty professional development funding.

• Additional opportunities to pursue scholarship activities.

• Improved process and procedures for faculty evaluation, tenure, and promotion.

WOU President John Minahan praised the hard work of the participants in the negotiation process.

“The entire university has come together on this occasion,” he said. “Our ability to overcome challenging times is clearly demonstrated by this agreement. I am confident that we now have a firm foundation for future growth.”

Ed Dover, professor of political science, and chair of the WOUFT bargaining team, views the agreement as an important step forward.

“The two sides both worked hard to bring about an agreement that solved more problems, that took less negotiating time, and that was conducted in a far more conciliatory manner than any other agreement over the past 20 years,” he said.

Try Transit bus promo starts soon

The Corvallis Transit System will hold its 11th annual “Try Transit” week starting Monday, which means a ride on the bus is free until Friday. The Albany Transit System, Linn-Benton Loop and the Philomath Connection will also participate in offering free rides to encourage more people to ride the bus.

As part of the event, the Downtown Transit Center at Fifth Street and Monroe Avenue will give away juice, coffee and muffins from 7 to 9 a.m. Thursday.

All buses are equipped with bicycle racks, a wheelchair lift or ramp and a “kneeling” feature, which lowers the front entrance of the bus to enable loading of mobility devices.

Gazette-Times