Best Of On-Campus stories

Marketplace West won Best Dining Hall.

the Baro Staff

3rd Place Residence Hall

International Living-Learning Center provides unique living experience

By Jaya Black-Lazo

The International Living-Learning Community is located on the south side on Oregon State University campus. About 350 students live at the ILLC, including domestic students but also international, according to Student Services Assistant Alisha Saduova. The ILLC houses Into OSU, an academic preparation system that also prepares people with English language training and helps with admissions, according to the Oregon State University campus website.

The Director of Student Engagement, Rylan Wall, said that the ILLC fosters a multicultural and diverse community through its many events.

“I think one of the biggest events is the global cultures fair as part of Into OSU, which is where all the cultural student associations come and we have every group get its own room to set up however they want. They almost always bring food and displays. I think it builds a lot of community,” Wall said. 

According to Hakim Ishak, an Office Specialist, the events are constant for student to take advantage of.

“There are a lot of events happening all time,” Ishak said.

It is a very diverse community at the ILLC, according to Wall. There are weekly events for the different groups on campus representing various international groups.

“We also have culture corner, that happens every week on Friday. It let the international students interact with domestic students during these events. At the last event we talked about meeting and greeting people in the United States because often those greetings are different then their cultures greetings,” Wall said.

Students who live at the ILLC are about half international half domestic, according to Wall.

“The ILLC is a good center for different cultures to collaborate, we try to keep our dorms 50/50,” Wall said.

Finally, according to Wall the ILLC is a great way for students form all over the world to have a good integration into the U.S. as well as having domestic students learn about other countries and cultures because it also allows them all to make meaningful relationships.

“Into OSU helps the transition process for international students but also cultural aspects of moving and meeting new people is hard even for domestic students,” Wall said.

1st Place Dining Hall

Marketplace West offers diverse foods in new ways

By Delaney Shea, News Contributor

With Asian cuisine, Latin offerings, a deli, comfort food, a burger joint and more, Marketplace West stands out not only as a popular place to eat, but also an example of diverse foods coming together in new ways.

Chef J Perry, who has been a chef d’cuisine at West for almost seven years, offered his perspective on the setup of the dining center.

“It’s more individual concept driven—you can get multiple different varieties in here,” Perry said.

These varieties include restaurants like Ring of Fire, serving Asian cuisine, and Serrano, which serves Latin cuisine such as burritos, tacos and more.

Besides his mission to continue creating recipes that incorporate multiple cultures and trends, Perry also pays attention to West’s atmosphere.

“What I think makes our building stand out is the people who work in our building, the type and the quality of people who make Marketplace West what it is,” Perry said.

Serving up healthy and sustainable foods are also main goals of the chefs at West. According to Perry, they used to try “stealth health,” a plan where unhealthy recipes were switched out with healthier alternatives suddenly and without warning, like changing to whole grain pizza dough overnight. But students noticed and did not like the changes, so now Perry starts from scratch, making dishes that are fresh and flavorful, and making small, healthy substitutions like vegannaise (vegan mayonnaise) for the standard variety. Perry is also working on multiple new ideas to make Marketplace West more sustainable, like making meringue out of leftover aquafaba (the brine that garbanzo beans sit in).

To continue on the path of offering healthy, sustainable, popular and well-liked food, Perry aims to connect with more patrons face-to-face and find out what they would like to see in the dining hall.

“All I’m trying to do now is be out there and let (the students) know who I am so that there’s a face to our culinary, and that’s what we’re doing as chefs, so that they can come directly to us when they have something,” Perry said. “They feel that, ‘Wow, we know our chef, he cooks our food, and I can have a say in my experience here and in what I see.’”

1st Place Restaurant

Five Four One places focus on local ingredients

By Brittnee Barry, News Contributor

Five Four One is an on-campus restaurant located in Oregon State University’s McNary Dining Center.

It is frequently visited by students living both on and off campus who are simply looking to grab a bite in between classes or settle down for dinner after a long school day. Five Four One’s name came from the Corvallis telephone area code, according to Jennifer Rouse, the marketing communications manager at OSU university housing and dining services.

“They worked really hard to come up with a name that would communicate one of the core values surrounding the restaurant,” Rouse said. “So that’s why the name five four one, because five four one is the telephone area code for the corvallis area and all the staff at five four one works very hard to source local ingredients and use local food.”

Their food is not only almost always local, with seasonal exceptions, but all their food is also always completely organic. They have even been known to use the campus vegetable garden outside of Callahan Hall for their ingredients. According to Rouse the local source was essential to the mission of Five Four One.

“Sometimes you might occasionally see a sign on the counter saying we are out of avocados today and that’s because, if they are not able to get organic avocados (and) don’t have any available, then they don’t use (them) to make sure they are really honoring that commitment of using organic produce,” Rouse said.

As far as food choices go, Five Four One has a variety of options produced by chefs and student workers. Students have input in the customization of their meals topping choices as well, according to Rouse.

“Some of their really popular items are grain bowls which are a base of quinoa or rice that are topped with different legumes and vegetables”  Rouse said. “Those particular dishes are vegan at the core.”

Customers can have the choice to add in meat or cheese options if they’d like, but it was designed this way so people do not have to specifically request for items to be vegan.

In addition to that, they also have hand crafted pizzas and pastas made from in-house made dough. In fact, they even utilize their own pasta making machine.

“They actually source the flour from a little farm down in junction city that grinds their own flour and

that is used with a blend of semolina flour to make the pasta here,” Rouse said.

According to Rouse, Five Four One is unique because it allows chefs the opportunity to pick the vegetables they want to use.

“I think it’s not what people would expect when they think of college food service. They kind of think more institutional and one size fits all.”

1st Place Advisor

Adviser Dan Schwab motivates students without judgement

By Delaney Shea, News Contributor

College of Business adviser Dan Schwab is an example of someone who truly loves their job. From serving in the U.S. Army, to working at Oregon State University as the Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards, to advising college students who are interested in business, he has always been passionate about helping people challenge themselves and continually work toward their highest potential. At OSU, his ability to encourage and guide students may be what makes him the most popular adviser.

Schwab has only been an adviser since summer 2013, but says advising is his favorite job so far, and the one he wants to do for the rest of his career. According to Schwab, he’s here to help students achieve their highest potential, surpassing even their own expectations.

“I’m their cheerleader,” Schwab said.

One thing that he believes helps him stand out as an adviser is that he always assumes the best in his students, according to Schwab.

“I always assume the best in people. Basically you start at 100 percent, because I don’t know you, so you’re at the highest standard,” Schwab said. “I don’t wanna pre-judge, and that’s something I really don’t do: I don’t like to judge at all. I just want to help students kind of discover who they are and go after their dreams.”

According to Schwab, as an adviser, he loves hearing from students who have gone out and challenged themselves and achieved success.

“Students give me that feedback of just a thank you, and that’s all I need. A thank you—that’s worth hundreds of dollars to me,” Schwab said.

T1st Place Bacc Core Class

Native American Flute class offers students a chance for self-expression

By Kaleb Reyes, News Contributor

As many are already aware, Native American Flute is a class available at Oregon State University. The professor who teaches this class is Jan Michael Looking Wolf Reibach, a very active Kalapuya Tribal Member with a rich family history, dating back to his great-great-grandfather who signed the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855. He is also a recorded artist, a published author and teaches Native American flute at OSU.

Reibach makes the class a deeper, more expression-centered experience than the average Bacc Core class. For him, this class is not just about learning the basic use of the instrument, it is about giving his students a way to leave class happy and to have a way to make their own music. His purpose for teaching Native American Flute is to give the students a flute and teach them so that they can express themselves.

“It’s all about the students and their individual, musical expression,” Reibach said. “And that expression is everyone’s inherent right regardless of cultural backgrounds or ethnicity. Musical expression and other forms of the arts speaks a universal language that paves the way for a better understanding of ourselves and each other.”

Content-wise, Native American Flute teaches a very indigenous and authentic approach to the instrument. Students learn to play different tunes and songs, as well as how to create their own with your imagination and learned techniques.

1st Place Female Student Athlete

Female Basketball player Sydney Wiese holds legacy at OSU

By Brian Rathbone, News/Sports Chief

Sydney Wiese cemented quite the legacy in her time at Oregon State University.

She’s an all-American, a school-record holder, a Final Four participant. And now, she has been voted as OSU’s top female athlete.

As much as the OSU community loved Weise–who became the first OSU women’s basketball taken in the first round of the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks this past April–the love goes both ways.

“The passion and the love that I brought for this university and for this game is the main thing that I would love to be remembered for. I’ve been so blessed with the people I’ve been surrounded by on the court and off the court. I know throughout this I’ve given absolutely everything that I’ve had to this university,” Wiese said to the Barometer last March. “The university has provided me with such a great foundation going forward into the rest of my life, after I’m done playing, after I graduate. I want everyone to know that I did everything with passion and with a positive spirit and I wanted to bring that love for the game, that love for this university to everyone that I was surrounded by.”

“Legend. Flat out legend,” head coach Scott Rueck said in an interview with the Barometer in March.  “I think she’ll be remembered as well any person to ever graduate from here.”

T1st Place Male Student Athlete

Ryan Nall makes an impact on OSU football

By Brian Rathbone, News/Sports Chief

It’s time for a quick quiz.

Question one: Led the OSU football team with 15 touchdowns scored?

Question two: Who threw the first touchdown pass in this year’s spring game? 

Question three: Who resembles a young Jon Hamm?

Question three: whose name has been turned into an awful pun of a song by Miley Cyrus?

And finally, Who was voted as Oregon State’s top Male Athlete?

There was one correct answer for each question in that quiz.

Ryan Nall.

That’s all that needs to be said in reality, but could there have been another choice to be voted as Top Male Athlete?

In no way of proving this to be true or not. It’s safe to say that Nall clinched this title when he ran four touchdowns. Then cemented it with his Duck Hunt celebration on the sidelines as OSU snapped an eight-game losing streak to Oregon with a 34-24 victory in the Civil War.

In his sophomore season, the Sandy native ran for 951 yards and found the endzone 15 times–in nine games. He also had some important performances at Reser Stadium, outside the Civil War.

Against Cal, Nall ran for 221 yards on 14 carries (15 yards per carry) and scored three times to give OSU their first conference win in the Gary Andersen era.  

Nall will be back for his junior year, where he has a chance to move up the Oregon State career rushing leader list. And just maybe, return to glory as being voted as OSU’s top male athlete once again.

1st Place Intramural Team

A well greased machine of consistent success

By Andrew Trapalis, News Contributor

The I.M. world is one of mystery and adventure at Oregon State University, and very few come out victorious; one of these few are the diverse athletes on The Salty Spitoon Intramural Team, who are in contention for Best Intramural Team of 2017.

The Salty Spitoon is a well greased machine of consistent success. When opponents see they have to play against the hard rust buckets of authentic diversity, they know they’re in for a long game.

“We play a range of different sports and leagues: Basketball Co-Rec A, Men’s B, Soccer Men’s B, Co- Rec B, Team Tennis A, and Sand Volleyball,” team captain Tarek Wirfs said.

The Salty Spitoon, like all consistent intramural teams, have good chemistry and teamwork. The group have been together for over two years, starting early in their college careers. Ranging from ages 20 to 22, this group of friends knows how to have fun in the best ways.

“I think playing Intramural Sports with friends is a more positive outlet for college students than more popular forms of extra curricular activities,” Wirfs said. “We play to be competitive, but ultimately have fun and enjoy time spent with friends.”

The team enjoys competition with all sports, on all levels, but the sport they are most deadly in, is basketball.

“Our favorite sport to play together is basketball. We have the most fun and most competition when we are on the court,” Wirfs said.

With spring approaching, and volleyball nets rising, expect The Salty Spitoon in a sand volleyball league near you.

1st Place Best Major

Digital Communication Arts

 

T1st Place Most Entertaining Professor

James Cassidy entertains student with experiential learning

By Sarah Berge, News Editor

James Cassidy has been a senior instructor in the Department of Crop and Soil Science at Oregon State University for 11 years. He specializes in soil science and sustainable agriculture while also working as the faculty advisor for the OSU Organic Growers Club.

According to Cassidy, he tries to pass on his own wonder for the physical reality through his teaching by having students work hands-on in class.

“My whole thing is about getting students doing things. For me it’s always been about engaging real physical learning, and the only way you really learn is through experience anyway,” Cassidy said. “It doesn’t matter if you get an A on a test. You really haven’t learned it until the synapses in your brain have changed, and that only happens through experience.”

Another aspect of his teaching philosophy is focusing on each student, according to Cassidy.

“Even though I teach classes of 200 students, I still make every effort possible when I can to try to reach them on an individual level and teach them as individuals,” Cassidy said.

According to Cassidy, these teaching philosophies and his love for the job stem from the understanding that all of his students have a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds informing their lives.

“It’s the most fun, most terrific job I’ve ever had. I’m just humbled by these students and their courage every day. And many of them have advantages that I didn’t have, but many of them have much greater struggles than I ever had, too,” Cassidy said. “And you just never know what a person is going through, to treat them all the same with the level of respect that you give them regardless of whether they’re going to be an A student or an F student, they’re still just people.”

1st Place Student Performer

Gabe Fleck aims to inspire others with his work

By Zbigniew Sikora, Photo Chief

Gabe Fleck is a local artist from Forest Grove, Oregon. First inspired by a Jimi Hendrix album that his grandmother bought him, Fleck went on to pursue music to alleviate the boredom of playing video games and watching movies all day.

Since then, Fleck has published a number of projects, including a number of singles, covers, and two completed projects. His newest album titled “The Life Through Emojis Project” sports a wide range of musical styles, focusing on his friends, family, memories, and looking toward the future. With a mixture of rapping and singing, Fleck is able to create a unique sound from a familiar theme.

While Fleck is still developing his style and expanding his repertoire, he has long known why he makes music.

“I make music for people who may lack confidence in their abilities. I’m writing my music to inspire people to go out and chase their dreams,” Fleck said. “ I want the person who has been sitting on their ‘work in progress’ for years to go through my projects and feel like they are going to be okay if they choose to publish their creations and expose themselves to the greater world.”

Rather than catering to a particular musical genre, Fleck focuses on aligning his style with the topic he is writing about. “If I’m writing about a sensitive subject the music has to reflect that and the same goes for when I feel like writing about being young and rambunctious; everything in the song must be linear and cohesive.”

Fleck’s music can be found on Spotify, SoundCloud and Apple Music.

T1st Place Student Band/DJ

The Shifts

1st Place Study Spot Off-Campus

Interzone

1st Place Teaching Assistant

Tom Rowe

Coffee

1. Bing’s at Weatherford

2. Java

3. Java II

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