March 12, 2019

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In this week’s issue:

Communication and connection opportunities

Is there anything about which you are interested, curious, or concerned? Here are some ways to share and ask:

  • Online form to submit questions (Think of this like a virtual comment box.)
  • OSU Extension Slack workspace or informal communication and collaboration
  • Read ConnEXTions weekly, and contribute!
  • O&E blog with First Monday videos (Engage via the comment section!)
  • Outreach & Engagement Quarterly Conversations (Next: May 17, 2019)

ESC Conference seeks proposals

The Engagement Scholarship Consortium seeks proposals for its 2019 conference, Deepening Our Roots: Advancing Community Engagement in Higher Education. The conference will be held October 8 and 9, 2019 (Pre-Conference: October 6-7, 2019) in Denver, Colorado.

Proposals for presentations are due Friday, March 15, 2019. For detailed submission guidelines, visit the conference website.

OSU updates cannabis policy, research guidance

The 2018 Farm Bill, which became law in December, decriminalized industrial hemp. As a result, Oregon State University recently updated its policies and guidance regarding cannabis – the plant from which hemp is derived.

Please familiarize yourself with these new guiding documents. For questions, contact Sam Angima. All media questions about cannabis or industrial hemp should be continue to be directed to Jay Noller.

The new “University Policies Regarding Cannabis” includes this paragraph:

Oregon State University will hold OSU Extension Service and 4-H volunteers accountable to federal laws and University policies while performing duties on behalf of the university. OSU Extension Services will not provide instruction regarding how to grow, manufacture, distribute or dispense marijuana. Guidance on extension policy for providing instruction on industrial hemp can be found at: https://research.oregonstate.edu/cannabis-research

The new “Oregon State University Guidance on Cannabis Research and Outreach Activities” includes a section on outreach and Extension related to cannabis:

Until both federal and state laws concur on the cultivation of cannabis within Oregon, OSU cannot provide instruction on how to grow, manufacture or dispense, which includes the provision of diagnostic services, recommendations and/or other information regarding the production, management and/or processing of marijuana. At this time, OSU personnel, including student interns, will not engage in any outreach or Extension activity that supports marijuana production, should refrain from being in possession of marijuana for diagnostic purposes, and should not visit sites for the purpose of providing any information or assistance regarding the cultivation of cannabis plants for marijuana production.

Under the Farm Bill of 2018, Extension service will be permitted to provide information to farmers cultivating hemp who are registered with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). Extension Service will provide its policies and procedures related to industrial hemp.

Questions from non-OSU marijuana or hemp growers may be referred to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) which regulate other aspects of the marijuana industry and links may be provided to their websites. We can also refer them to the ODA website on ‘cannabis and pesticides’. https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/Pesticides/Pages/CannabisPesticides.aspx.” For testing or registration of pesticides, refer them to ODA.

 A large percentage of Extension Service questions relate to pesticide use recommendations and safety.  Although Federal law prohibits talking about marijuana specifically, OSU personnel can answer general crop questions that are also relevant to non-marijuana crops, such as what types of pesticides are safe to use on plants grown for human consumption, what types of insecticides are effective on a variety of crops for controlling a specific pest, or what type of protective personal gear should be worn when handling pesticides.

OSU’s Cannabis Working Group advises that regulations related to hemp continue to change and the OSU policy and guidance documents will be updated as regulations evolve.

Extension Web Update

In this week’s blog post “Keeping an Eye on Content” we share ways to leverage current efforts to also create content for the Extension website. Keeping content fresh on the site, however, can also mean taking another look at what is already there to expand how we are engaging all audiences.

Diversity Highlights

Please contact analu.fonseca@oregonstate.edu with any questions or comments or if you have suggestions for events or news stories to include in Diversity Highlights.

Events & Resources

Diversity & Leadership: Respect in the Workplace: Attendees will understand and recognize the need to remember most employees have good intentions but there is a lack of awareness when your group is in dominance. March 26 from 1:30 to 4:30 in Bend. For info, visit the event page.

India Night 2019: There’s an amazing line-up of performances this year that will be highlighting the beautiful diversity of Indian culture here at OSU. April 13 starting at 5:00 in Corvallis. For more info, visit the event page.

Chuck Collins: “Reversing Wealth Inequality”: Is there a path to reversing inequality without undermining economic health and prosperity?  What is the role of taxation in reducing concentrated wealth and expanding opportunity?  How do we build an economy that works for everyone? Find out April 17 from 7:30 to 9:30 in Eugene. For more information, visit the event page.

26th Annual Pow Wow: Western Oregon University will host a Pow-Wow that includes a dance competition as well as a dinner. The dance competition is open to tiny tots, teens, men and women. The categories include fancy dancing, traditional dancing, grass dancing and jingle dancing. April 27 starting at 12:00 pm in Monmouth, for more information visit the event page.

In the News

Woman To Woman  Paying it forward with the Source’s Woman of the Year

Erika McCalpine, a business instructor at OSU-Cascades, moved to this community in early 2018 from Alabama. Not long after, McCalpine experienced at least one racial incident that left her feeling vulnerable. McCalpine’s ability to transform a personally frightening racial incident into an opportunity to have community conversations around diversity is just one reason I reached out to her for the Women’s Issue.

Why We Need to Talk About—and Recognize—Representation Burnout

I remember the first time I felt like the only one. I was galavanting on a playset, probably at the age of six, when another kid came up to me and asked me why my skin was the color of poop. I don’t remember my response, but I do remember feeling flush with shame and not understanding why. I also remember immediately walking away, as if I knew then what I know now: being the only black person in the room is pretty exhausting.

Another Obstacle for Women in Science: Men Get More Federal Grant Money

For ambitious young scientists trying to start their own research labs, winning a prestigious grant from the National Institutes of Health can be career making.

But when it comes to the size of those awards, men are often rewarded with bigger grants than women, according to a study published Tuesday in JAMA, which found that men who were the principal investigators on research projects received $41,000 more than women.

A Reason to Hope in Alzheimer’s fight fundraiser held

Hundreds of people had a reason to hope Tuesday morning at the annual Alzheimer’s Association fundraising breakfast.

People heard inspiring stories from those battling the disease.

Hey, did you see this?

Any fun ideas for spring break? Send us your tips…..

Extension in the news

OSU Extension training cuts school pesticide use
KTVZ
An OSU Extension Service survey was conducted in 2016 at school integrated pest management training sessions hosted by the OSU Extension across the state. An analysis of the results was published recently in the Journal of Extension.

Surviving the storm: Tips to help your plants recover from snow damage
The Register-Guard
OSU Horticulturist Extension Agents Heather Stoven and Neil Bell have some tips for gardeners and homeowners about how to mitigate the damage, what it means for the plants and how snow even can be a positive thing.

New building expected to improve agriculture education at fairgrounds
The Redmond Spokesman
Ground was recently broken on a $1.6 million building for the Oregon State University Extension’s Deschutes office. The 5,188-square-foot building will go alongside the existing building, which was opened in 2003.

Makeover planned for Benton fairgrounds
Albany Democrat-Herald
Other major facilities proposals include creating a new building to house OSU Extension Service offices.

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