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UO Considering Mandatory Residence Hall Living for Freshmen

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On Campus Living Could Improve Graduation Rates

By Rick Lindfors

Carissa Kim came to the University of Oregon from Hawaii because of the environment. “It’s very natural here. Especially in Eugene there’s lots of trees. There’s a lot of scenery. Back home all I saw was just mountains,” Kim says. California was too urban and Washington was too dreary. Even though she is an ocean away from home, she’s found a niche in the biology program, the UO marching band, and in her living quarters in the UO’s Global Scholar’s Hall.

Global Scholar’s Hall may become one of the dorms freshmen will be required to live in. According to Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Roger Thompson, the UO is giving “serious thought” into mandatory on-campus living for freshman. The idea comes as part of a plan to keep freshman from transferring or dropping out of the UO.

The University of Oregon’s four-year graduation rate is about 44 percent. The six-year graduation rate stands at 68 percent. Neither of the two rates are where the university wants them to be. According to Thompson, the economic recession in 2008 played a large factor in decreasing graduation rates with students leaving the University of Oregon for “lower cost alternatives.” Thompson hopes to bring the six-year graduation rate up to 75 percent in the next three years. According to Thompson, setting a goal too high for four-year graduation rates would be unrealistic because about one half of freshmen come to the University of Oregon undeclared. Students often take more than a year to settle on an academic path and this delays completion of their college studies.

Part of the plan for bringing up the four and six year graduation rates is raising retention rates in first and second year students. “We know that we lose most of our students at the end of the freshman year. So if we can increase our freshman retention rate, it will naturally translate to a four, five and six year graduation rate that would be higher,” Thompson says. According to Thompson, first time, full time freshman were retained at 87 percent – the highest in UO’s history. Thompson is confident this will lead to higher graduation rates.

There are several facets to the UO’s plan to improve freshman retention. One part is to admit a better freshman class. In 2013, the UO’s incoming freshman had a record high 3.60 high school GPA and average critical reading, math and writing SAT scores of 1677.

Another part of the plan is reach out to students who may be considering leaving UO. The UO uses research to determine if a student is likely to consider leaving UO. The university analyzes information such as high school performance, amount of financial aid received, distance from home, and other variables. The UO then uses this information to advise and interact with students on their decisions on whether to stay at the university or leave.

Thompson is also confident that requiring freshman to live on campus will keep students at UO. “The research tells us If you live in our residence halls, you retain at a higher rate as a freshman than if you’re off campus,” he says.

Kim has made new friends while living in the Global Scholar’s Hall. “You do get to meet a lot of people that you probably would have never talked to and notice that they’re in your class at the same time,” says Kim. While the closeness to classmates and friends can help a student fit in, Kim believes finding a place at UO is being willing to take even a small step outside of comfort zones. “I think that’s the first step you have to take to really start to get to know people.”

Kim has concerns about the cost of living in a residence hall instead of off campus. “It would be a little bit harder financially,” she says. Living in the dorms for the 2013-14 school year costs between $10,000 and 15,000 each year depending on the room.

Freshman music major Kathie Hsieh also believes the financial burden of living in the dorms could be too much for some students. But living in the dorms gives freshmen many opportunities to socialize, she says.

“You get to know more people a lot quicker and make more friends,” says Hsieh. The subject themed halls can also help students with their classwork. “There’s some music majors in my hall so we can work together on homework and that definitely helps a lot.”

Link’d Racks Up Another Force Award

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Link’d took its third Force Award this week and is looking in prime position to make the second ever season-long sweep in Duck TV history.

The show hit a dramatic high this week in a gut-wrenching episode that demonstrated the potentially ominous effects of Than’s invention. Vina, facing enormous pressure from her anti-technology girlfriend Naara to do something about her brother, finds herself faced with the eerie effect spurred by the Link’d pill. She drags an apparently-unconscious Ajax home only to find Naara has kidnapped Than—and her intentions seem anything but benign.

Link’d has been a runaway success from the start. Co-producer Anna Connelly said of the show’s success: “I don’t want to say that we anticipated it, but when we decided to do the show, we all agreed that we were going to give it our all. We believed in our message and knew we had the resources to bring something special…”

The dynamic of the crew is no small contributing factor to Link’d’s ability to connect with its audience every week. The members are close and cooperation results from a dedication to a quality production. “We are able to be brutally honest when need be and know that, in the end, we all still love each other. I think that attitude towards our product is why we have been so successful,” Connelly disclosed.

The last episode ran into some unexpected roadblocks; production of this episode went much smoother. While the “Episode from Hell,” as the crew affectionately calls it, was heavy with information about the characters and the story, the most recent episode focused more on the visual aspect of the show, by including less dialogue and more silent shots where imagery offers the greatest amount of content. The effect was no less impactful; the soaring soundtrack and striking shots were more than enough to leave a silent room at the screening. Filming was apparently a much quicker process as well: “We filmed in three days and got a weekend off!” Connelly reported.

Link’d will compete for its fourth Force Award during Week 10.

By Kaylee Tornay

Acrobatics & Tumbling Hoping For Fourth Straight NCATA Title

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http://youtu.be/AbdypiDcQVY
When asked the most dominant sports team at the University of Oregon, most wouldn’t say the acrobatics and tumbling team. The team is seeking its fourth NCATA championship in a row behind head coach Felecia Mulkey.

Travis Teich sat down with Mulkey and talked about her quest for a fourth straight title

Screenwriter of Link’d Wins Best Actress Week 8

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Sophomore Arianna Trames, the screenwriter for Link’d, won best actress for her performance in the latest episode of Link’d. Trames is from Portland, Oregon and majoring in Cinema Studies. She first became involved with Duck TV fall term. “I always knew I wanted to write for Duck TV,” Trames explained, “I just got my toes wet working as a PA for IN$TINCT.”

When she first wrote the script for Link’d, Trames had not planned on acting. “When our main actor who would play Vina’s boyfriend couldn’t commit I thought it was a perfect time to readjust the gender roles in the story that were changed when we made Than a boy,” Trames noted. Originally, Link’d was going to have a female dominant cast and crew. “Although we love Rob Klein and Conor Stott and our male editor and director, I adore the energy it [having a female dominant cast and crew] brings,” Trames expressed.

There are some drawbacks and advantages that come with the responsibility of being the writer, producer, and an actress for the show. Trames stated, “Being in front of the camera, I notice that I lose the attention span to lead my crew and act.” Luckily, her production team is always willing to help out and she always has someone to watch her back. As an actress, Trames has achieved a new insight into her show; “It has been easier to write dialogue because I understand the atmosphere and interactions that occur between the actors,” she explained.

Being a part of Link’d has been a positive experience for Trames. She expressed, “My favorite part of producing this show is seeing it come to fruition. As the writer, the story has been in my head for more than a year now and it is exciting, if not relieving, to see it physically turn into the show it is.” She is now open to the idea of acting in her future, but her main focus is on screenwriting and directing. “I do have much higher aspirations as a screenwriter and director than an actress. For me, if I can get passionate enough about a story I am working on than I will throw myself at it in all ways,” Trames explained.

By Erin Coates