Welcome to Southern Oregon University

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Welcome - Raider Way

Tour stop audio transcript

Welcome to Southern Oregon University – Oregon's university for the future. We prepare our students for a rapidly-changing world by focusing on the human skills that employers seek in their leaders-to-be – skills such as creativity, communication and ethical decision-making. We encourage our students to ask questions, solve problems and be bold. We challenge them to be audacious! Our campus is 175 acres of beauty, woven into the fabric of Ashland in southern Oregon's recreational and cultural sweet spot. We boast low student-to-faculty ratios, high achievement and more than 75 outstanding degree programs. And our facilities are second to none. Give us a look!

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Hannon Library

Tour stop audio transcript

Hannon Library is the heart of campus. This beautiful facility offers many resources to students. Group study rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows with views that inspire, whiteboards on which to jot your thoughts, and large tables where you can spread out your materials. Check out the nooks and crannies to find your favorite reading spot. The staff at Circulation, Reference, Tech Help, and the tutoring center can always answer questions and offer support. Computers and printers are available to get your homework done and printed in a comfortable environment. And don't forget to visit Swampy, the library's mascot, on the 2nd floor. She will bring you good luck!

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Science Building

Tour stop audio transcript

Our recently-renovated, LEED-certified Science Building is where SOU goes for STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. It holds the Biotechnology Center, computational chemistry and geospatial computer labs. There are instrumental labs, a cadaver lab, the Vertebrate and Insect Natural History Museums, an herbarium and a greenhouse. Science students use an array of state-of-the-art instrumentation, on par with the country's top undergraduate institutions. They enjoy small classes and real opportunities for undergraduate research. Numerous research and computer labs, and common learning spaces, provide a collaborative environment for biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science and mathematics majors and faculty. This is where creative problem-solvers of the future are developed!

Theatre Arts Building

Tour stop audio transcript

The bustling Theatre Program at the Oregon Center for the Arts at SOU serves over 200 students annually. Courses in acting, directing, design, technology and management are taught in a newly renovated theatre building, which includes four new studio spaces – three focused on performance training and a state-of-the-art design and tech studio. Check out our fully equipped costume shop, lighting lab and scene shop – complete with welding studio. Students work and relax in our greenroom, lobby, great hall and a sunny, outdoor patio. The Theatre Program produces six shows each year, along with student showcases and directing projects. All SOU students are eligible to audition for Theatre productions.

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Jefferson Public Radio

Tour stop audio transcript

Jefferson Public Radio is the university's NPR-affiliated public radio network. It broadcasts in-depth, contextual news from NPR, BBC and CBC, along with classical music and a unique blend of indie-rock/pop/Americana music to the southern Oregon and northern California region, and online at www.ijpr.org JPR's new Steve Nelson Performance Space is a fully-functioning recording studio. It hosts nationally-acclaimed musicians each week to perform live on-the-air. One entire wall of the space opens up into the outside courtyard for live audience concerts. JPR's on-air control rooms, production studios and student intern workspaces are located on the upper floor.

Music Building

Tour stop audio transcript

Music at the Oregon Center for the Arts at SOU is rigorous and inspiring. It drives musicians to achieve technical excellence and emotional depth. Members of the music faculty are artists, performers and composers that teach music students in a serious, career-oriented environment. Our students are encouraged to develop as artists, with emphasis on individual exploration, creative collaboration and exploration throughout the arts. Courses in music theory, history, conducting, digital music and performance are taught in the Music Building, which is home to a digital music lab, piano studios, rehearsal spaces and a 436-seat recital hall - one of the preeminent concert halls in southern Oregon.

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Stevenson Union

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SOU's Stevenson Union is where students go for a cup of coffee, a bite to eat, a quiet corner for studying or the offices of dozens of student organizations. The student union, named for former SOU President Elmo Stevenson, was built in 1972 and has been the center of SOU students' cultural, social and service programs and activities ever since. The Stevenson Union has SOU's diverse student community covered. The amenities here encourage engagement and a sense of pride in the university – for students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors. At SOU – and especially at the Stevenson Union – students are home.

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Third Eye Theater

Tour stop audio transcript

The Third Eye Theater is the centerpiece sculpture of the main Southern Oregon University quad. The theater displays two arcs of stepping stones that enclose four flat stones as a center stage, allowing spectators to sit – or play – on the stones that surround. Students pass by the sculpture every day as they walk or bike along Raider Way between the Stevenson Union and the Hannon Library, and from various classroom buildings surrounding the quad. The Third Eye Theater is a popular campus gathering space – and is often used for outdoor classroom space and musical performances. Many SOU students consider this the best spot to study outside during warm, sunny days.

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Churchill Hall

Tour stop audio transcript

If Hannon Library is the heart of campus, Churchill Hall is SOU's nerve center. This is where plans are laid and paths are chosen as Southern Oregon takes its place as Oregon's University for the Future – an institution where students can learn about science and technology, and also acquire the human skills such as creativity that employers crave. Churchill Hall, in its classic academic setting, has one foot in SOU's historic past and the other poised to lead the university boldly into its next opportunities.

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Center for Visual Arts

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The Center for Visual Arts complex includes the Schneider Museum of Art and three studio -and -classroom buildings with spaces for painting, drawing, virtual reality, photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture and 3D printing. There are also computer labs and a creative writing and reading room. A cluster of individual, student studio spaces is located in the lower level of the Marion Ady building. It's an area of campus that's perfect for those who want to collaborate and push boundaries in the Creative Arts Department's three majors: Art and Art History, Emerging Media and Digital Arts, and Creative Writing.

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Digital Media Center

Tour stop audio transcript

The Digital Media Center is a popular site for students studying Digital Cinema, Emerging Media & Digital Arts, Social Media & Public Engagement, and Digital Journalism. The DMC is one of the top employers of students on campus, placing them behind the camera to produce content for real-world clients. It boasts a 1,000-square-foot live television studio with green screen, an immersive virtual reality lab, a sound recording booth, a 20-station Mac lab with Adobe Creative Cloud, and an equipment room with free equipment check-outs to students – including professional-grade production packages. The DMC is home to Rogue Valley Community Television, which operates public access cable channels for community and student-produced content.

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Raider Village

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Raider Village, which opened in 2013, was built for the comfort of students and with a commitment to the future. The Shasta and McLoughlin residence halls, and The Hawk dining commons, received LEED Gold certification for sustainable building features. It recognizes the project's far-sighted focus and attention to details that matter. Ninety percent of construction waste was recycled or reused. Residence hall water is heated through solar panels. Existing landscaping was preserved, including a giant oak in the quad. The residence halls also feature in-room bike racks to promote alternative transportation. Shasta and McLoughlin are Native American names that acknowledge the indigenous populations of the Rogue Valley and nearby areas.

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The Hawk Dining

Tour stop audio transcript

Forget about dorm food. The Hawk Dining Commons at Southern Oregon University offers students a culinary and social dining experience. The Hawk’s talented food preparation staff serve up a never-ending variety of foods for students who live both on-campus and off! The dining commons are part of the new Raider Village, and the commitments to sustainability and diversity are evident. The Hawk’s kitchens offer dishes for vegans, vegetarians and meat lovers alike. There are home-style comfort foods, ethnic cuisine and healthy entrees. The Hawk will help our students power through those long study sessions.

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Student Recreation Center

Tour stop audio transcript

The Student Recreation Center is SOU's new hub for wellness, sport and fun! The sparkling new, state-of-the-art Rec Center – home of SOU Campus Recreation – includes the tallest climbing wall in southern Oregon at 44 feet, along with two gymnasium courts and an indoor running track. Students love our top-of-the-line fitness equipment that allows app streaming, two fitness studios, giant video wall, all-gender locker room, lounge spaces, a bike shop and more! Campus Recreation offers fitness classes, open climb and intramural sports free of charge for students. For a small fee, you can join a sports club, go on an excursion or rent camping equipment or a bike. READY TO PLAY?

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Lithia Motors Pavillion

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The 60-year-old old McNeal Hall was demolished in January 2016, making way for SOU's sparkling new Lithia Motors Pavilion and adjacent Student Recreation Center. The athletic pavilion, completed in March 2018, is home court for Raiders men's and women's basketball and wrestling teams and women's volleyball team, which all compete at high levels in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The pavilion features a 1,400-seat competition gym, locker rooms, classrooms, offices and conference rooms for both academics and athletics, an athletic training and sports medicine room and wrestling practice room. The local DeBoer family and its company, Lithia Motors, pledged $1 million toward the pavilion's $23 million cost.

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Raider Stadium

Tour stop audio transcript

Raider Stadium, considered one of the premier small-college stadiums in the West, is the longtime home of SOU's football and track teams. It became the home of Raider soccer in 2014, when a new track and artificial turf field were installed. The 4,000-seat complex has more than 2,000 seatbacks in its covered grandstand, excellent media facilities and a large concession stand. Raider Stadium offers an excellent view of two prominent mountain ranges. Northeast from the main grandstand are the foothills of the Cascade Range, including 5,100-foot Grizzly Peak. To the south is the Siskiyou Mountain Range, which forms a geographic boundary between Oregon and California.

SOU Outdoor Program

Tour stop audio transcript

SOU's Outdoor Program rocks. It also paddles, bikes, surfs and much more. The program, located in the Student Recreation Center, fosters personal growth, professional development, and the spirit of adventure for all SOU students. We get outside year-around through our student-led adventure trips, mentorship program and gear rentals. About those rocks – you can climb as high as 44 feet in our new climbing center, which offers open climbing hours, free gear and belay assistance. Another awesome resource is our repair shop. It provides a free, well-equipped community workspace for students to repair bikes, skateboards, skis and almost anything else. We can't wait for you to join our next adventure!

Ashland - Lithia Park

Tour stop audio transcript

Lithia Park is quintessentially Ashland – brimming with charm and beauty, along with ducks, deer and other wildlife! Designed by the architect of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, it has green spaces, a bandshell, playground, tennis courts and wintertime ice rink. It also offers a network of trails that connect to many more miles of hiking and biking trails that zig-zag through the watershed all the way to Mt. Ashland. Lithia Park is the interface between Ashland's cultural amenities, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival on its northeast edge, and the recreational paradise that surrounds town. SOU's Outdoor Program and its Outdoor Adventure Leadership degree programs thrive in this remarkable region.

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