June 11, 2019

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In this week’s issue:

Bright Spots

Oregon Extension colleagues receive national recognition

Congratulations to the OSU Extension Oregon Gamma Chapter colleagues being recognized at the national Epsilon Sigma Phi conference:

  • Patricia Dawson, National Distinguished Service Ruby Award (former 4-H Youth Development, Umatilla County)
  • Deb Warnock, Distinguished Service Award (4-H Youth Development, Wallowa County)
  • Joy Jones, Continued Excellence Award (retired 4-H Youth Development and Master Gardeners™, Tillamook County)
  • José Garcia, Early Career Service Award (Open Campus/Juntos, Yamhill County)
  • Kristopher Elliott, Visionary Leadership Award (Outdoor School)
  • Barbara Brody, Diversity Multicultural Team (4-H, Family & Community Health, and SNAP-Ed , Grant and Malheur Counties)

Awardees will be honored during the 2019 Epsilon Sigma Phi National Conference, October 14-17, 2019, in Colorado Springs. Click here for conference details and registration information.

4-H Float in Starlight Parade

For the third consecutive year, the Oregon 4-H Youth Development Program was represented with a Starlight paradefloat in the Rose Festival Starlight Parade on June 1. The float was designed and built by 4-H youth in Clackamas and Washington counties. See the amazing 4-H float here. The parade was broadcast live by Fox 12 and an estimated crowd of 300,000 attended the event in downtown Portland.

 

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 ConnEXTion weekly, and contribute!
  • O&E blog with First Monday videos (Engage via the comment section!)
  • Outreach & Engagement Quarterly Conversations (Next: August 16, 2019)

Extension Web Update

Check out this weeks blog on keeping constituent experience a top priority. Our goal is to retain and enhance people’s awareness of the unique expertise and perspective brought to their questions and their challenges by OSU Extension Service.

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

Oregon Inclusive Emergency Planning (ORIEP) Workshop: Help improve emergency planning across Oregon to include persons with disabilities. Together, we can work toward emergency planning done with and for all Oregonians. June 18 from 8:30am to 4:30pm in Salem. For more info, visit the event page.

Latino Health Equity Conference: Seeding Latino Food Equity: Science tells us that eating healthy foods can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases and cancer, yet many Latinos struggle to access those foods. This conference will explore topics that address food equity for Latinos, with specific emphasis on how colonization has and continues to have impact on food choice, availability, and cultural identity. June 21 from 8:30am to 4:30pm in Portland. For more information, visit the event page.

Here Comes the FUN: Dam Right Drag Night’s 2nd Annual Pride: Join the Dam Right Drag Night crew for a night full of gag-worthy performances from some of the Willamette Valley’s fiercest performers in celebration of Pride Month. This show is open to all folks ages 16 and up. June 21 from 9:30pm to 11:30pm in Corvallis. For more information, visit the event page.

Oregonians and the State’s Racist Past, Present, and Future: Join facilitator Tai Harden-Moore in a conversation that asks, What does Oregon’s racist past mean for Oregonians? How does the state’s history affect how bias shows up for individuals? This conversation will also looks at how you can identify our own racial biases and work toward concrete ways to move forward as individuals and community. June 22 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm in Portland. For more info visit the event page.

In the News

Madras High sees Native American graduation rate double

“Olney is one of 45 Native American students who graduated from Madras High on June 1 — that’s 19 more graduates than in the class of 2018. She had multiple theories as to why these students have become more successful at Madras, from the school’s welcoming vibe to a tribal dance program that began when she was in middle school.”

Top 10 milestones of Portland’s Pride celebration

This weekend, the 45th annual Portland Pride celebration, presented by the nonprofit Pride Northwest, will include a two-day Waterfront Festival, and a Sunday parade that will wind its way from Old Town to Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

OSU-Cascades students promote diversity in Bend

A group of OSU-Cascades students are looking to create opportunities for more diversity and inclusivity in Bend.

Entire school learns sign language to welcome deaf kindergartner

At Dayton Consolidated School in Maine, one student has inspired a big change to the curriculum. Morey Belanger, a 6-year-old kindergartener, is the school’s first deaf student. To make her feel welcome, the school embraced the opportunity to teach all the students some sign language.

Boot camp in Oregon aims to bring more women to wildland firefighting

A special boot camp in eastern Oregon aims to bring more women into wildland firefighting careers.

Nike introduces curvy mannequins

Nike’s flagship London store has introduced plus-size and para-sport mannequins to its redeveloped women’s floor, signaling a further step towards inclusivity for the sportswear brand.

Breaking the Silence on Violence Against Native American Men

Anyone can find themselves in an abusive relationship. Contrary to a common misperception, women are not the only ones who can experience domestic violence: American Indian and Alaska Native men report high rates of domestic violence, sexual violence and stalking, too.

Extension in the news

Crypto may be concern for calves
The Madras Pioneer
Scott Duggan suggests caution especially for children, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and the elderly.

OSU names interim vice president for outreach and engagement
The Register-Guard
Anita Azarenko, who has served more than 30 years in a variety of leadership roles at Oregon State University, has been named interim vice provost for the Division of University Outreach and Engagement and director of the OSU Extension Service.

OSU’s ‘dairy person’ answers popular questions
Capital Press
Among her many roles as an assistant professor at Oregon State University Extension, Jenifer Cruickshank serves as the “dairy person” on food-related tours organized by the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council.

Pasture management key to dairy profits
Capital Press
When feed costs rise, dairy producers take a renewed interest in growing high-quality feeds on their own land to keep overhead low. That was the case 10 years ago, “… when feed costs went crazy,” said Troy Downing, the Oregon State University Extension dairy specialist in Tillamook County. The county is one of the top three Oregon milk producers.

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