Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch

Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, who at the time of her retirement was the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army will speak at Western Oregon University on Thursday, March 8, 2012. The keynote is free and open to the public. It will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Pacific Room of Werner University Center. Her book, “Journey to the Future: A Roadmap to Success for Youth” will be available for purchase in the WOU Bookstore.

Castillo Kickbusch’s talk is titled “Living a Legacy.” Through an interactive and introspective presentation, she will guide participants through their vision of the future and the goals that they want to accomplish for themselves and for their community. She inspires and challenges participants to become living legends in their professional and personal lives. Her unique emotional style of delivery that has the audiences rolling with laughter, attempting to hold back tears and inevitably on their feet in a standing ovation. Through humor and hard-hitting facts she encourages participants to be servant leaders at work and in their community. Participants learn to live their legacy by leading with their soul.

Castillo Kickbusch, retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army, and president and founder of Educational Achievement Services, Inc., was born and raised along the U.S.-Mexico Border in a small barrio in Laredo, Texas. She overcame poverty, discrimination and illiteracy to become a successful community leader. She entered the U.S. Army, where she served for two decades. In 1996, she was selected out of 26,000 candidates to assume a command post, which would have put her on track for the rank of general officer. She respectfully declined and retired as a 22-year veteran, then founding Educational Achievement Services, Inc.

She has been profiled on HBO, CNN’s Latino in America, Univision’s Don Francisco Presenta, the Lifetime Network, National Public Radio, Hispanic Today, and American Latino Television’s Latination program. She has also been featured in Hispanic Business magazine’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America, O Magazine, LatinaStyle, Vanidades, and Glamour Magazine.

Castillo Kickbusch is also the keynote speaker at this year’s 22^nd annual Cesar E. Chavez Leadership Conference on March 9, which will be held at WOU for the fifth consecutive year. The conference, which is the largest event for Latino high school students in Oregon, will host approximately 1,500 students in grades nine through 12. The theme for this year’s conference is “Learning from the Past and Leading for the Future.” For more information about the conference, visit www.ceclc.org.

About WOU
Western Oregon University, founded in 1856, is the oldest public university in the western United States. The university has received national recognition for excellence for its focus on student learning and success by the Education Trust, US. News and World Report, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, National Association of Academic Advisors, and Parade Magazine. In 2010 WOU was recognized by the Education Trust as being the top university in America at eliminating the Latino graduation gap. WOU is a member of the seven campus Oregon University System and is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

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Contacts for media:
Kent Neely, Provost
503-838-8271 or neelyk@wou.edu

MONMOUTH, –

“Thoroughly Modern Millie” is a high-spirited musical romp that has all of New York dancing the Charleston. It’s the zany new 1920’s musical that has taken Broadway by storm, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical.  Taking place in New York City in 1922, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” tells the story of young Millie Dillmount, who has just moved to the city in search of a new life for herself. It’s a New York full of intrigue and jazz – a time when women were entering the workforce and the rules of love and social behavior were changing forever. Based on the popular movie, the stage version of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” includes a full score of new songs and bright dance numbers.

Filled with frisky flappers, dashing leading men and a dragon-lady of a villainess audiences will love to hate, “Thoroughly Modern Millie” is a perfectly constructed evening of madcap merriment.  Show dates are March 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10 at 7:30 p.m., and March 4 at 2 p.m. American Sign Language interpreting will be available at the Friday, March 2 performance. Tickets are $7 for students; $10 seniors; $12 general admission. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 503-838-8462. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., at 6 p.m. on performance nights and 1 p.m. on day of the matinee.

About WOU
Western Oregon University, founded in 1856, is the oldest public university in the western United States. The university has received national recognition for excellence for its focus on student learning and success by the Education Trust, US. News and World Report, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, National Association of Academic Advisors, and Parade Magazine. In 2010 WOU was recognized by the Education Trust as being the top university in America at eliminating the Latino graduation gap. WOU is a member of the seven campus Oregon University System and is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

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 Contacts for media:
Sharon Oberst
Professor of dance
503-838-8243 or obersts@wou.edu

Burke’s drawings and Seemel’s paintings are stylistically very different, but both explore similar ideas about popular American culture and its influence on individual identity.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Jessica Burke was raised on a steady diet of Saturday morning cartoons and sugary cereals. She left the University of North Carolina in 2005 armed with a Master of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting. Jessica is an assistant professor in the Betty Foy Sanders Art Department at Georgia Southern University.

Burke will be exhibiting ten pieces from her new series, “Popped Culture.” In each piece Burke asked the sitter (model) to dress as a fictional character from popular culture that was particularly influential in his or her formative years. Burke describes the series as “a meditation on identity as seen through the influence of iconic figures of popular culture.” She says, “The way we articulate ourselves, specifically our ideal selves, is built out of a framework given to us by popular culture. These drawings can reveal a shared sense of our inner desire to be more than we see in the mirror and closer to what is reflected to us from our television, computer, and movie screens.” The portraits of Burke’s friends include Wonder Woman, Spock, Marty McFly, Princess Leia, and Mary Poppins.

Gwenn Seemel, a Portland-based portrait artist and a child of immigrant parents, was raised part-time in California and part-time in a small village in France. Her unique perspective is evident in her allegorical portrait series, “Apple Pie,” which will be on view in the Cannon Gallery.

Seemel created “Apple Pie” as a way of learning more about what it means to be an American, specifically choosing to be an American. She says, “I had to see if other first- and second-generation Americans were willing to give our country’s icons a facelift—to assimilate the United States as it was assimilating them.”

Seemel painted her models as characters such as Superman, Elvis, Richard Nixon, and Rosie the Riveter. She asked each of her “Apple Pie” participants to answer a question: what does it mean to be American? Their answers complement the paintings and are included with them in the exhibit.

More information can be found on each artist’s website: jessicaburkeartist.com and gwennseemel.com.

About the gallery
The Cannon Gallery of Art is located in the heart of Western Oregon University’s campus in the beautifully renovated Campbell Hall. Campbell Hall was built in 1871 and is the oldest building still in use the Oregon University System. The gallery has approximately 700 square feet of exhibition space and holds six exhibitions during each academic year. Thematic and media-specific exhibits by regional and nationally acclaimed artists are included in each annual schedule.

About WOU
Western Oregon University, founded in 1856, is the oldest public university in the western United States. The university has received national recognition for excellence for its focus on student learning and success by the Education Trust, US. News and World Report, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, National Association of Academic Advisors, and Parade Magazine. In 2010 WOU was recognized by the Education Trust as being the top university in America at eliminating the Latino graduation gap. WOU is a member of the seven campus Oregon University System and is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

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Contacts for media:
Paula Booth
Curator, Dan & Gail Cannon Gallery of Art
503-838-8607 or boothp@wou.edu

A high alumni participation rate for WOU carries weight in “U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges” ranking. According to the report, there is a strong correlation between the most highly regarded liberal arts colleges in the country and their alumni participation rate for the school’s annual giving campaign. Increasing our alumni participation rate is one way Western can move up in this important industry ranking.

“As alumni, we are important players in Western’s continued success. Mission 1856 is a chance for alumni to get involved and provide opportunities for our both our current and future students. Giving to deserving students has never been easier. You can designate your gift within a program of your choice as well as give back at a level that you are comfortable with,” said Melissa Carlin, director of annual giving. “No matter the size of your gift, please consider participating in Mission 1856 with us this year. Your personal involvement in the campaign will send a strong signal to your classmates, fellow alumni, and other donors.”

By giving back to WOU, donors are supporting many hardworking students such as senior Sara McIntyre, who will graduate in June with double majors in dance and psychology. McIntyre, of Deer Island, Ore., will take off for Cambridge, Mass. in August to earn her master’s in expressive therapies with a focus on dance therapy from Lesley College. McIntyre has worked tirelessly the past four years to put herself through school. She has received WOU General Scholarships for leadership and diversity, as well as a Dance Department Scholarship.

She has held up to four jobs at once to pay the costs associated with earning her undergraduate degree. She works as a WOU Ambassador as the student coordinator, which is a group on campus who gives tours to campus visitors. She works for 17 to 20 hours a week at a group home for teenagers with developmental disabilities, helping them with day-to-day support. She has shifts very early in the morning several days a week and long shifts on the weekends. On Saturday mornings, she teaches dance classes to young children at a community center. For two years, she also worked as a caller with the Annual Fund’s Phonathon. All in all she works an average of 30 to 40 hours per week during the school year.

In addition to her heavy academic load as a double major, she is the president of the WOU Dance and Theatre club. She is also choreographing and dancing in this year’s Spring Dance Concert. Last term she held an internship as part of a class practicum. She wanted to spend more time with it, but she had to limit her time so she could focus on schoolwork and her paying jobs. “If I didn’t have to work as much, I would have done more internships all throughout my schooling in order to help me toward my ultimate goal,” she said.

McIntyre hopes that alumni would consider giving back to WOU, as she plans to after she graduates. “I had to work to support myself through school. Getting more scholarships would have been very helpful. If I had more scholarship support, I could have put more time and energy in to internships or campus activities like the Associated Students of Western Oregon University,” she said.

To make a gift for Mission 1856, visit wou.edu/giving or contact Melissa Carlin at 503-838-8814.

About WOU
Western Oregon University, founded in 1856, is the oldest public university in the western United States. The university has received national recognition for excellence for its focus on student learning and success by the Education Trust, US. News and World Report, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, National Association of Academic Advisors, and Parade Magazine. In 2010 WOU was recognized by the Education Trust as being the top university in America at eliminating the Latino graduation gap. WOU is a member of the seven campus Oregon University System and is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

About the Annual Fund
The Annual Fund is the recurring, unrestricted financial support given each fiscal year (July 1-June 30) and is the cornerstone of all fundraising programs at WOU. The Annual Fund remains Western Oregon University Foundation’s first giving priority, helping to cover the difference between tuition and the actual cost of a WOU education. Hundreds of faculty, staff, alumni, family members, friends, and trustees contribute to the Annual Fund every year, directly impacting the school’s operating budget. Gifts to the Annual Fund help provide scholarships, necessary classroom and curriculum enhancements, professional development opportunities for students and faculty, and upgrades in technology and associated equipment.

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Contacts for media:
Melissa Carlin
Director of Annual Giving
503-838-8814 or carlinm@wou.edu

Preview Day includes campus tours, meetings with WOU faculty and staff, a lunch, and workshops on financial aid and admissions. There will also be a performance by the Rainbow Dance Theatre. Sessions in Spanish will be offered. Click here to register.

With the cancellation of the Jan. 21 Winter Preview Day due to flooding conditions that impacted mail service, the scholarship deadline for all incoming freshman and transfer students has been extended until Feb. 13. Students attending Preview Day are invited to submit a complete admission file during check-in. Click here to learn more about WOU’s scholarship opportunities.

About WOU
Western Oregon University, founded in 1856, is the oldest public university in the western United States. The university has received national recognition for excellence for its focus on student learning and success by the Education Trust, US. News and World Report, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, National Association of Academic Advisors, and Parade Magazine. In 2010 WOU was recognized by the Education Trust as being the top university in America at eliminating the Latino graduation gap. WOU is a member of the seven campus Oregon University System and is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

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Contact for media:
Rob Findtner
Director of Admissions
503-838-8601 or findtnr@wou.edu

“We are deeply appreciative of this generous gift and how it will support our campus community. Bringing this type of technology infrastructure into our classrooms, such as the new DeVolder Family Science Center, will enhance the educational experience for our students and is critical to our continued growth.,” said Tommy Love, director of University Advancement and executive director of the WOU Foundation.

Each year, demand for storage increases from students, faculty and staff. Students today demand instant access to their files, class projects and media. As WOU continues to grow, the university has begun a new academic program focused on 3D graphic design. This is only one example of an area where abundant high-performance storage is needed.

“NetApp and Western Oregon University have developed an excellent working relationship over the years we’ve partnered together. We have found the integration of the NetApp systems into our existing infrastructure to be smooth and painless; and we’ve seen a performance increase of 50 percent in our virtual infrastructure,” said Bill Kernan, director of University Computing Services.

Video capability remains to be a priority and important campus initiative as the use of high definition (HD) is now standard and requires a much larger amount of storage. The access rate of HD video across the network (sometimes to multiple places) requires high-performance controllers to satisfy this ever-growing demand. The snapshot feature of NetApp storage systems is highlighted in this video produced by WOU:  http://www2.wou.edu/pls/wou2/woutv.home?pid=108

WOU has been an early adopter of the VDI (VMWare) technology and continues to roll it out to various groups throughout campus. NetApp’s secure multi-tenancy and FlexPod interoperability will allow us to segment out storage easily to groups both in and out of IT while maintaining a premium level of support.

Regina Kunkle, vice president of state and local government and higher education (SLED) at NetApp, said, “NetApp has established itself as the leading storage vendor to the education community and is committed to enabling the education market to address today’s IT challenges. We are thrilled to be able to extend this donation program to higher-education and K–12 institutions around the country and we look forward to helping them get the most out of their IT infrastructures.”

About WOU
Western Oregon University, founded in 1856, is the oldest public university in the western United States. The university has received national recognition for excellence for its focus on student learning and success by the Education Trust, US. News and World Report, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, National Association of Academic Advisors, and Parade Magazine. In 2010 WOU was recognized by the Education Trust as being the top university in America at eliminating the Latino graduation gap. WOU is a member of the seven campus Oregon University System and is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that deliver outstanding cost efficiency and accelerate business breakthroughs. Our commitment to living our core values and consistently being recognized as a great place to work around the world are fundamental to our long-term growth and success, as well as the success of our pathway partners and customers. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.

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Contacts for media:
Bill Kernan
Director, University Computer Services
503-838-8154 or kernanb@wou.edu

Tommy Love
Director, University Advancement, and, executive director, WOU Foundation
503-838-8134 or lovet@wou.edu

The university must receive a completed application file which includes the application form, official transcripts, ACT or SAT test scores, and the application fee by 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13 in order for a student to be considered for a scholarship. Students attending the February 11 Preview Day can submit a complete application packet and receive an admission decision the by the end of the event.

For more information on WOU scholarships, students should go to the WOU Financial Aid Office website at http://www.wou.edu/student/finaid/index.php. Registration for the free Preview Day can be completed online at http://www.wou.edu/student/admissions/previewday/winter.php.

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Contact for media:
David McDonald
Associate Provost
503-838-8919 or mcdonald@wou.edu

The votes for women movement, also called the suffrage movement, was a 42-year struggle in Oregon from 1870 to 1912. Various groups of women, including working women, professional women, women of color, and Oregon men worked to support this campaign, particularly in 1912. This was eight years before the ratification of the federal suffrage amendment in 1920. The Oregon votes for women movement is a part of the historic and ongoing struggle for social justice and human rights in our state, region, and around the globe.

WOU is working with community partner Century of Action (COA): Oregon Women Vote 1912-2012. The COA website contains a documents project with information on the 1912 campaign completed last year by students in Dr. Kimberly Jensen’s, professor of history at WOU, junior honors seminar and a wealth of primary and secondary sources about the history of this centennial and other information and event announcements. COA is also available on Facebook and Twitter. This spring a series of exhibit panels ideal for classrooms, libraries, museums and other spaces will be available for free download (see information on the downloadable exhibit below).

Scheduled events
Votes for Women! The Oregon Story
An Exhibit at the Collins Gallery, Multnomah County Central Library
January 25 through March 6, 2012 (exhibit opening event on Feb. 1, 2012, 6 to 7:30 p.m.)

This exhibit features wall panels on the Oregon woman suffrage movement and five exhibit cases on suffrage and beyond featuring women’s leadership and activism. The cases are arranged thematically and include Mexicanas and Latinas, African American women, Native American women, Asian American women, lesbians, and women’s public health activism. Please visit for the opening or any time during the exhibit.

Two WOU alumnae, Karen Ramirez and Cristal Sandoval will be featured in this exhibit for their campus work with MEChA and beyond. Information on WOU’s Safe Zone will also be included in the exhibit. WOU alumna and history major Sarah Goldsworthy Berry also worked as a research intern for the exhibit project before her graduation last December.

Votes for Women! The Oregon Story Downloadable Exhibit
With support from a grant from the Oregon Heritage Commission and other donors the main panels of the Votes for Women! The Oregon Story exhibit will be available as free, downloadable .pdf files suitable for mounting and display at centuryofaction.org later during winter term.

Willamette Women: Our History is Our Strength
Willamette Heritage Center, Salem,
Jan. 20 to March 10, 2012

This exhibit includes materials from the Western Oregon University Archives.
On Saturday, Feb. 18 from 3 to 4 p.m., five students from last year’s Junior Honors Seminar will join Dr. Jensen to present information from their Documents Project on the Century of Action website featuring materials on the history of the 1912 campaign. This is part of the speakers series for this exhibit at the Willamette Heritage Center.

Finding Common Courage Exhibit and Deeds Not Words Lecture Series
Benton County Historical Society Museum, Philomath
January through December 2012

The Deeds Not Words Lecture Series features presentations by local women historians and archivists in February and March. Dr. Jensen will present “How Oregon Women Won the Vote in 1912” on March 19.

WOU Women’s History Month Presentation
March 7, 2012, noon to 1 p.m.
Hamersly Library 107, Western Oregon University

Dr. Jensen will present “How Women Won the Vote in Oregon in 1912.”  This presentation on the vital history of the 1912 victory by a coalition of diverse activist groups will be followed by a rollout of new COA website materials being prepared by students in her History 405 Gender Issues in History course. They will include posting a full-text transcript, with an introduction, of the 1912 Voters’ Pamphlet with the for and against arguments for the woman suffrage ballot measure for the election on November 5, 1912. The class decided to interview women who have been candidates for office and office holders in Oregon. They will post selections from student interviews of these women candidates and office holders on the COA website. Students are interviewing Secretary of State Kate Brown, Representative Vicki Berger, Senator Jackie Winters, and former candidates Connie Garcia and Jeanne Deane.

Votes for Women Sash Project March 8
WOU student Tayleranne Gillespie is coordinating a Votes for Women Sash Project across university campuses in Oregon. Votes for Women sashes will travel the state and campuses and will be the center of other centennial events. An information table will be available to help people learn more about the project at WOU on International Women’s Day, which is March 8.

Museum Studies Students Prepare Museum Education Units on the Oregon Suffrage Centennial
Students in anthropology instructor Kylie Pine’s museum studies class this winter term are working to prepare educational materials for museum and other educators on the history of the Oregon woman suffrage movement. These will be available for statewide use.

About WOU
Western Oregon University, founded in 1856, is the oldest public university in the western United States. The university has received national recognition for excellence for its focus on student learning and success by the Education Trust, US. News and World Report, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, National Association of Academic Advisors, and Parade Magazine. In 2010 WOU was recognized by the Education Trust as being the top university in America at eliminating the Latino graduation gap. WOU is a member of the seven campus Oregon University System and is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

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Contact for media:
Dr. Kimberly Jensen
History professor
503-838-8318 or jenseki@wou.edu

aj granda, of Seattle, Wash. and originally from California, will present on Feb. 15. She is a Deaf-Blind actor, poet, textiles artist, budding anthropologist, and a mom. Her business, BlindBlueWorld makes one of a kind, made-to-order “monster” shoulder bags and cloth wallets. granda attended the California School for the Deaf and works with Seattle’s Deaf-Blind Service Center, working with Deaf-Blind youth and training individuals who work with Deaf-Blind people.

Ryan Bondroff, of Baltimore, Md., will present on Feb. 22. He attended private oral school for the deaf in Northamptton, Mass. before attending the Model Secondary School for the Deaf at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., earning a bachelor’s in psychology in 1993. Ryan then pursued a Master’s of Social Work in 2003, also from Gallaudet University. Now living in Seattle, Ryan is a member of the Board of Washington State Deaf-Blind Citizens, a very active advocacy organization for Deaf-Blind Washingtonians.

About WOU
Western Oregon University, founded in 1856, is the oldest public university in the western United States. The university has received national recognition for excellence for its focus on student learning and success by the Education Trust, US. News and World Report, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, National Association of Academic Advisors, and Parade Magazine. In 2010 WOU was recognized by the Education Trust as being the top university in America at eliminating the Latino graduation gap. WOU is a member of the seven campus Oregon University System and is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

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Contact for media:
CM Hall
Project coordinator for Western Region Interpreter Education Center; adjunct faculty for American Sign Language/English interpreting
503-838-8731 or hallcm@wou.edu

The Lebanon Express received a call from Kaye Rhodes, who reported 11 cats were dumped in her son’s horse pasture.

This isn’t the first time this has happened to the family.

Kaye and her son Ted have taken on the role of caretakers of this cat colony, but they fear it will become too expensive, and are unsure if the cats have been neutered and spayed.

One misconception is that stray cats are feral, and can fend for themselves.

According to Karen Bledsoe, biologist and Western Oregon University instructor, not all cats have the recessive feral gene, and, when left to their own resources, most domestic cats will die within two to three weeks.

The issue of free-roaming cats is a problem nationwide.

Many municipalities and communities across the nation have adopted trap-neuter-return programs, which have been largely successful.

No municipalities can be found in Oregon with such ordinances or programs, but trap-neuter-return nonprofit organizations do exist in Oregon.

Once such agency is the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon.

The coalition will spay or neuter stray or feral cats and return them, so long as a caretaker of the colony can trap them, and agrees to feed the cats.

The program is not for domesticated house cats (pets), but for those like Kaye and Ted who find themselves suddenly responsible for a colony of stray cats.

According to the coalition’s website, cats will not go away if they are not fed.

Even though cats may be feral, all cats are still domesticated creatures who rely on humans for food.

“A cat can go without food for several weeks and continue to reproduce,” the website states. “Trying to starve out cats results only in hungry, unhealthy animals vulnerable to disease and severe parasitic infestations, such as fleas.”

An ordinance to stop feeding free-roaming cats is ineffective because humans will feed starving animals, the website states.

A spay and neuter program helps control cat colonies.

It helps stop breeding, which is better for the cats and the caretaker.

Neutered males are less likely to fight.

Less fighting and breeding means less bodily fluid exchange, which means less chance of feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus.

No cat asks to be homeless.

For those that find themselves caretakers of stray or feral cats, consider calling a trap-neuter-return program.

It’s the best solution second to a loving, permanent home.