Welcome to Spring Term!

Welcome back CoFers!  We hope that your spring break was relaxing enough for you to get energized for the home stretch.  There are a couple of things you should know about as this term starts.

CoF Student Worker Opportunity

The CoF Student Services Office has posted a job announcement for a Student Assistant position.  Training begins during this term and employment continues through the 2011-2012 academic year.  This job can provide you with up to 20 hours per week during the school year with full time work being possible over the summer.  The pay rate is $8.75/hour.  If you are interested in applying or seeing the job description, drop by Peavy 140.

Work Experience

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again.  The work experience requirement is the leading cause of graduation hold-up.  Don’t let senior slack (it’s real…I’ve experienced it) get in the way of receiving your diploma.  If you are an FE, FE/CE, FM, FOM, RRM, or RM major and you haven’t already submitted your work experience form, come to the Student Services Office to complete these forms.

Scholarships still available

  • The Douglas Small Woodlands Association/Don Ollivant Memorial Scholarship is open to students currently enrolled in college who graduated from a Douglas County.  Awards will be at least one scholarship not less than $500.  The application deadline is April 1!
  • The Dakotas Society of American Foresters Forest Resources Management scholarship is available to students majoring in the broad field of Forestry.  It is designed for current or past residents of North Dakota and South Dakota.  Also important in this application is membership or membership interest in the SAF (if you didn’t think club involvement could benefit you, think again!).  The award amount includes $1,000 and a one-year student membership in the SAF.  Application materials must be received by April 30 to receive consideration.

Phase II has opened

Phase II Registration for Spring-2011 has started today.  You can now log on to Online Services and register for classes that will put you in excess of the 16 credits allowed during Phase I.

Phase II Registration also allows you to get on wait lists.  If there is a class that you are in dire need of or are chomping at the bit to take, get on the wait list as soon as possible.

If Phase II Registration sounds unfamiliar to you, it may be that you missed Phase I.  If you missed Phase I, it’s likely that you haven’t spoken to your advisor yet!  Meet up with them ASAP so you don’t miss the boat with your forestry classes and extend your time at OSU!

The Fernhopper blog will be taking a break over Finals Week and Spring Break!  Good luck with your exams and have an awesome break!  See you next term!

News, news, news

Got scholarships?

My desk is currently PACKED with scholarship opportunities!  Help clean it off by coming into the Student Services Office and taking them!  New scholarship applications include:

The National Hoo Hoo-ette Club.  This opportunity is for women in forestry, lumber, and the wood products industry.  It is available for 3rd and 4th year female forestry students.

Douglas Timber Operators have scholarships available for students who are majoring in a natural resources related field.  The applicants must be residents of Coos, Douglas, or Lane County.  The applications are due by April 8, 2011.

The Intertribal Timber Council has announced the Truman D. Picard Scholarship Program.  This award is dedicated to the support of Native American students pursuing a degree in Natural Resources.  Awards in the amount of $2,000 are available for college students.

The National Center for Cooperative Education in Natural Resources also has scholarships available for continuing students pursuing degrees in a natural resources field.  These include Forestry, Range, Agriculture, Soils, GIS, Fisheries and Wildlife, Watershed and Hydrology, and Civil Engineering.  The award includes $5,000 annually of tuition assistance, summer employment, and employment opportunities for after graduation!

What is blocking your success?

The results for the 2010 National College Health Assessment were just released.  OSU students were given the opportunity to identify factors that negatively impacted their academic success.  Those factors, marked by the percentage of students feeling impacted, were:

10.  Alcohol use (8%)

9.  Concern for a troubled friend/family member (8.1%)

8.  Relationship difficulties (9.4%)

7.  Depression (9.7%)

6.  Internet Use/Computer Games (11%)

5.  Work (12.6%)

4.  Anxiety (17%)

3.  Sleep Difficulties (17.2%)

2.  Illness (20.9%)

1.  Stress (23%)

The key is that all of these factors are manageable given access to the right resources.  OSU has multiple resources available for students to help cope with these issues.  Your success as a student is the most important thing; take charge of your success!

Still No Job?

Still no job lined for the summer?  Didn’t make it to the Society of American Foresters job fair?  No problem!  Career Services is holding their Career Fairs this week!

The All Majors Career Fair is going to be Wednesday, February 23 from 11:00am-4:00pm at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center.  Wear professional clothing, bring your slick resume, and be prepared to answer AND ask questions to potential employers.

The Engineering Career Fair will follow that on Thursday, February 24 at the same time and at the same place.

In order to prepare for this high-traffic and fast-paced atmosphere, Career Services has also organized a Speed Mock Interviewing event.  It will take place from 2:00pm-4:00pm tomorrow, February 22, in Memorial Union 211.  You can’t be too prepared to land that next great job opportunity.  And don’t forget: unless you are  Natural Resources major, you have to complete six months of full-time work experience in order to graduate!

Scholarships are Still Available!

Did you miss the February 1 deadline?  While the College of Forestry scholarship application has closed, there are still other scholarships available!

The OSU Folk Club is offering scholarships for older-than-average, women students.  The award amount is $2400, working out to be $800 per term.  Applicants must be women students who are 26 years old or more.  You must be enrolled in at least 12 credits and preference will be given to students who have taken a break from their post-secondary education and have returned.  Applications must be turned in no later than5:00pm on Friday, March 18.

Gamma Sigma Delta, the Honor Society of Agriculture, is offering a $500 scholarship to an undergraduate junior or senior.  The award is available to a junior or senior majoring in an area related to Integrated Pest Management or Entomology.  The scholarship is available for students in the College of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Forestry, or the College of Science.  The application deadline is Tuesday, March 1.

The Oregon Logging Conference has opened up their scholarship application as well.  The OLC is awarding multiple scholarships in amounts ranging from $750 to $1500 to assist with tuition and books.  The scholarships are available to those studying forest management, forest engineering, forest operations management, heavy equipment maintenance & welding, resource management, diesel mechanics, and other forest & timber industry-related fields of study.  The applications are due to the OLC by Monday, April 11.

All of these scholarship applications can be found in the College of Forestry Student Services Office.

Things to know

Advising

Pre-registration advising is very close at hand.  Visit your advisor’s office to sign up for an appointment or contact your advisor to set one up, depending on how your department works their advising.  Remember, an advising appointment is REQUIRED before you can register for Spring Term classes.

Deadlines

February 18th is the Withdraw deadline.  Remember, Withdraws remain on your transcript and also count towards your completion rate for financial aid.  February 18 is also the last date you can change your grading basis from A-F to S/U.  In either case, consult your advisor before moving forward with withdrawing or changing the grading basis.  You can pick up orange Change of Grading Basis Forms at the Student Services Office.  If you are planning to withdraw, you should also contact your financial aid officer to make sure you can afford the withdraw financially.

Food Drive

The OSU Food Drive is in full swing and the College of Forestry is set up to help out.  Upcoming events include Soup Lunches, sales, and silent auctions.  Find the complete schedule here and help the College of Forestry reach its $10,000 goal!

Kudos

A BIG thank you and job well done to Brad Cooper and the Society of American Foresters Student Chapter for the SAF Job Fair last week.  It was a big success with many employers and students connecting.  Great work!

Job Fair!

The SAF Job Fair is Tuesday, February 1!  Come to the Richardson Hall Knuckles dressed to impress and armed with multiple copies of your resume.  Over a dozen employers will be coming to the College of Forestry to meet you, our awesome students.  This is a great chance to get set up your required work experience, network, or get your foot in the door to land that job after graduation.  The job fair starts at 10:00am and goes until the mid afternoon.  The following companies will be in attendance:

  • Bureau of Land Management from Klamath Falls, Salem, and Vale Districts
  • Longview Timber
  • Oregon Parks and Recreation – Salem
  • Flakeboard America Ltd.
  • Forest Capital Partners
  • Seneca Jones
  • Roseburg Resources Co.
  • Plum Creek
  • Weyerhaeuser
  • Murphy Hardwood Plywood
  • Starker Forests
  • Rayonier
  • Peace Corps
  • Pacific Wood
  • OSU Career Services

Don’t miss it!

Almost Midterms

We are very close to the middle of this fast-moving winter term and we aren’t slowing down one bit.

Employer Information Nights

The last of our Employer Information Nights are happening this week.  Longview Timber will be here on Wednesday at 5:00pm in Peavy 104.  Lone Rock Timber will hold their info night on Thursday at 5:00pm in Peavy 104.

In addition to their info night, Lone Rock Timber will be conducting interviews at the College of Forestry on January 28 for forest management and forest engineering positions.  Visit the student services office to pick up job descriptions and sign up for an interview time.

Job Fair

The Society of American Foresters Job Fair is coming up on February 1 in the Richardson Hall knuckles!  Make sure you come prepared to answer questions as well as ask some good ones.  Don’t forget to bring several copies of an updated resume to provide for employers.  If you need help with your resume, contact OSU Career Services ASAP!

Survey

Help us know how to serve you better!  The College of Forestry Student Services Office Survey is up and running.  Please take 15 minutes out of your web-surfing time to visit this site and complete the survey.

Student Services Office Survey is Live!

The College of Forestry Student Services Office Survey is open and ready for you to complete!  Among the programs and services that could use your evaluation are Annual Ring, the Fernhopper Newsletter and others.  It also asks your opinion on how to improve our services.  Everything is with an eye towards helping students succeed both in and out of the classroom.  You can find the survey here:

http://survey.forestry.oregonstate.edu/student-services

We look forward to reading your responses!

Job Interview Sign-ups Available

Job descriptions can be found in the Student Services Office along with sign-ups for interview times.

Weyerhaeuser has multiple internship openings in the fields of Forest Management, Forest Engineering, Public Resource Protection/Enhancement Management, and Nursery and Orchards.  They have interview space reserved on January 25, 2011.  Come to the Student Services Office to pick up a Weyerhaeuser application and sign up for an interview slot.  Complete the application and bring it to Weyerhaueser’s Employer Information Session on January 20, 2011 in Richardson 201Q from 10:00am-4:00pm.

Lone Rock Timber has four internships available in the fields of Forest Management and Forest Engineering.  Two are located in Roseburg, OR and the other two are located in Medford, OR.  Stop by the Student Services Office to pick up the job descriptions and sign up for an interview.  Lone Rock Timber has interview space reserved for January 28, 2011.  You can also gather more information from them during their Employer Information Night on January 27, 2011.