Empty Nest Newsletter - Winter 2025

Housing and Residence Life Updates

Winter 2025 has truly lived up to its snowy reputation here in Klamath Falls! January had us fooled with its mild weather—only for February to come in strong with a flurry of snow. But even the frostiest days are no match for the energy our students bring to campus! During the big snow week (or Snowmageddon as we’re calling it in Housing), my student staff was sending videos and pictures capturing the winter magic—students skiing down campus hills, sledding like pros, digging out each other’s cars, and lending a hand wherever needed. It was a heartwarming reminder of what makes Housing at OIT so special—our incredible students who turn even the coldest days into community building and memories!

In January RHA (Residence Hall Association) led the planning and organizing of Housing’s Annual Tech Con Event. Students participated in events January 18 & 19 including gaming, crafts, silent disco dance, jousting, casino, carnival games and more. A little over 300 students participated in Tech Con.  This event is a great tradition on OIT’s campus!

During winter term, we accepted applications for the student Housing positions of Resident Assistant (RA), Programming Assistant (PA), and SSM (Student Success Mentors). Offers for those positions will be sent prior to Spring Break. But there will be other opportunities as well during Spring Term for students to apply for Service Desk and summer positions.

Applications for Fall 2025 Housing are OPEN!! The following is some important information and reminders concerning Housing Applications and Room Selection for returning residential students:

• If your student is undecided about Fall 2025 housing options, they have nothing to lose by signing up for housing right now. They have until August 15, 2025, to cancel their application and have their deposit refunded.
  • BONUS—current residents do not have to pay the $100 deposit or the $50 application fee as their housing deposit rolls over from this year.
  • It helps the student if they apply for housing as soon as possible. If they are placed on a waiting list for a single or a Village space, their application status is part of what determines their place on the waitlist.
• Students with housing applications on file by May 1, 2025, will be eligible to go through Choose My Room and are encouraged to pick a spot and continue to check for openings if they don’t get their first choice until this program closes on May 16th, 2025. During Choose My Room, Seniors get first choice, then juniors and so on.

Spring Break will be here before we know it. Students may stay on campus during Spring Break at no additional charge. Dining facilities will be closed during break. Housing will be running shuttles to and from the Klamath Falls bus and training station on the following days:

• March 17-20—Morning and Evening
• March 21—Morning train only
• March 29 & 30—Morning and Evening

Make sure your student checks their email concerning Spring Break housing and shuttle information. 

If you have any questions about on-campus housing, please contact us at 541-885-1094 or housing@oit.edu. We are thankful to partner with you in promoting your student’s success on campus. We know your support and care of them that you show through calls, texts, visits and care packages means the world to them! 

Winter Mocktail Party

This winter quarter, I continued to focus on food insecurity and efforts in reaching out to students across campus. At the beginning of the winter quarter, I served breakfast the first week back, providing a healthy and filling meal for students to be successful. I served pancakes and provided a variety of fruit options for students to grab. In this event I was able to serve fifteen students this day.

Another cooking event I was successful at was serving a chili crock pot meal to about twenty students in the middle of January. I create easy meals to serve to students in hopes they enjoy them, and I can provide the recipe for the students to try at home themselves. My hope when I create meal events is to demonstrate an easy, budget-friendly meal that also tastes good.

This quarter I wanted to host an open house for returning students and new students on campus. With the help of the schools Sodexo, I had beverages and cookies for students to take. I welcomed students into the Basic Needs Hub and answered any questions they had on how the food pantry, clothing closet, and book depot systems worked.

Because of my efforts in promoting this space, I have seen and heard an increase in students in the area stopping by for essential food items for the week, or a quick chewy bar before class. I also hired a student worker who has been amazing at keeping the space organized and inviting other students.

At the beginning of the first couple of weeks of the winter quarter, I had the opportunity to visit our Portland-Metro campus. The picture on the left is a tabling event for one of the days I was there, where I handed out meal bags I made to bring up, laundry soap for students, and leftover laundry bags I had on hand.

I had the opportunity to connect with students I see on a regular basis when I visit and meet new students, discuss the Basic Needs program, and discuss what I can do to help their time at Oregon Tech be as successful as possible. 

Six women attended the self-defense class hosted March 1 by Women's Gym Day and the SIB office.

The seminar was taught by Dr. Sonja Bickford who was assisted by Professor Don DaSaro and Xander Lee Bickford.

The event was a great opportunity to share key awareness and self-defense skills.

Dr. Bickford has a blackbelt in Taekwondo and American Open Karate. She is recognized as a Sensei by the American Karate Academies National Association (AKANA) and teaches the PHED 151 Karate class at Oregon Tech. Bickford is the Team XL coach competing on the North American Sport Karate Association World Tour circuit.

Winter Term 2025

Winter Term 2025

Spring Term 2025

June 7, 2025

Mark Your Calendar for a Night of Impact

Honoring Oregon Tech's motto, per cognitionem, lux or "through knowledge, light"

Parents and families, join us for an evening dedicated to transforming lives and empowering students at Oregon Tech. Your participation directly supports scholarships, hands-on learning experiences, and vital student resources that shape the future of our graduates.

Hosted by the Oregon Tech Foundation

Black tie or cocktail attire is encouraged.

For more information, visit www.oit.edu/gala or call 541.885.1130. Registration will open on April 26!

The library has been bustling this winter, and we’re excited to share some updates on how we are expanding our resources and improving services for Oregon Tech students.

Growing Our Collection
Since January, we have added over 150 new items and counting to our catalog, ranging from textbooks to pleasure reading and electronic resources. We now provide access to JSTOR, a database of over 12 million scholarly articles, primary sources, and images that students can access via the library’s website. We hope these efforts will provide access to a broader range of materials to support our students’ studies and interests. We will continue to add to our collection as the year rolls on and love receiving recommendations—if your student has a suggestion for something they’d like to see in the library, let them know they can request it using the feedback submission form on our website or via the QR code link to the form found on signs in the library.

Increased Usage
We’re also pleased to share that student engagement with the library is higher than in years previous. So far this academic year, we have welcomed 6,000 more visitors through our doors compared to the same time period last year. Usage of our three group study rooms has more than doubled, rising from 200 reservations through January of the 2023-24 academic year to 456 and counting this academic year. Additionally, usage of items from our Course Reserves collection— textbooks and other current course materials kept on reserve to ensure access and keep attendance costs down—have already exceeded last year’s total checkouts for the entire academic year by 20%. Seeing students using these resources at such a high rate is very encouraging, and we will continue developing this collection to increase student success rates.

Extended Hours for Finals
In response to student feedback from December, this term we will extend our hours during the weekend leading up to Finals Week. This will provide students with additional study time, workspace, and resources during a crucial week. Please tell your student to stay tuned; details on the updated schedule will be shared soon.

We are proud to see the library play an increasingly vital role in students’ academic success, and we remain committed to enhancing our services to meet their evolving needs. Feel free to drop us a line if you have any suggestions or questions and remember to stop in for a visit next time you’re on campus!
 

On February 26, Student Affairs hosted "Donuts with the Deans." During the event, Dr. Jennifer James, Interim Dean of Students, along with Dr. Denise Seabert, Dean of Health, Arts, and Sciences, and Dr. Nesli Alp, Dean of Engineering, Technology, and Management, traveled around campus with dozens of donuts to share with students. They engaged in casual conversations, answered questions, and made sure students were registered for the spring term and had everything they needed to succeed at Oregon Tech.

Source: Herald & News

Oregon Tech has achieved a new ranking: Research Colleges and Universities, a new designation from The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, recognizing institutions that spend more than $2.5 million on research annually.

Oregon Tech’s research activity focuses on projects that address real-world problems. Students don’t wait until after graduation to do their part. Faculty members and students partner with businesses and government to benefit industry productivity and, by extension, social mobility and society.

“Oregon Tech’s recognition as a Research University reflects our commitment to innovation and applied research that directly benefits industries and communities,” Oregon Tech President Nagi Naganathan said. “Our faculty and students collaborate on projects that solve real-world challenges, ensuring that innovation and hands-on project-based learning remain at the core of an Oregon Tech education and research.”

Oregon Tech’s Office of Sponsored Projects & Grants Administration works with students and faculty to find research opportunities and grants. Notable partners include the Air Force, NASA-Oregon Space Grant Consortium, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Oregon Department of Human Services, Sky Lakes Medical Center, and more.

In addition to partnership research projects, Oregon Tech’s research centers represent the university’s educational and civic missions. Distinct in specialty, they each fuse theoretical learning with practical experience to serve the community, locally and globally. These centers are collaborative endeavors with industry partners and serve as hands-on training grounds for university students.

The designation reinforces Oregon Tech’s real-world focus, which produces tangible results — a more than 95% placement rate for graduates and average starting salaries of $61,000 annually. Oregon Tech is also pleased to assure a very high return on investment for students and their families — the top 3% in the nation among more than 4,500 colleges and universities and regularly ranked No. 1 among the public universities in Oregon.

At the beginning of the winter term, Tech Opportunities Program (TOP) hosted a Winter Welcome to introduce TOP students to the new space in LRC 233. During this time, students enjoyed gathering with their peers through games and activities planned by Student Success Mentors (SSM’s) and Peer Mentors (PM’s). Over the term, students could participate in a Health and Science Externship Panel and an Engineering Internship Panel. These panels allowed students to learn more from fellow TOP students and alumni about what to expect when they are interns in their field. These panels provided students with networking and community-building opportunities. 

On February 28th, TOP celebrated their first annual Oregon TRIO Day. Governor Tina Kotek officially signed a proclamation declaring February 28th Oregon TRIO Day. On this day, we celebrated students through a campus-wide cupcake handout in the college union, allowed them to create a vision board, and ended the day with an ice-skating event. Through these activities, TOP and the work that is done within the program will be shared with students, staff, and faculty across campus. These opportunities will also help current students recognize familiar faces within their TRIO community. We desire to create a safe space for individuals to come together and celebrate part of their identity. The identity of being first-generation, low-income, and/or having a documented disability; an identity that comes with being resilient and strong. Empowering these identities will allow students to grow and flourish as they continue to persevere when concluding their winter term.
 

The Financial Aid Office will start awarding 2025-2026 financial aid in late March. Students should be looking for an email instructing them to log into Tech Student to view the award.  If your student has not filed a FAFSA, it is not too late. They can file this at www.studentaid.gov.

The Oregon Tech Foundation scholarship application just closed, with over $490,000 in new awards for next fall.  This summer, round two of Oregon Tech Foundation awards will be available through the application process. Students should monitor their Oregon Tech email for more information. 

Double Your Impact on April 9 & 10: Give A Hoot Day

Mark your calendars! This year, Give A Hoot Day will start on Wednesday, April 9 at midnight and run until Thursday, April 10 at noon. Give A Hoot Day is a 36-hour fundraising event in support of the people, programs, and projects at Oregon Tech.

Do you know an Oregon Tech student who is involved in a sport? What about a student club? Are they heavily involved in their academic program? On Give A Hoot Day, you can donate to their passion online at: www.oit.edu/give and have the opportunity for your donation to be matched!

Join us in making a difference! You can follow along with updates on our landing page, and on the Oregon Tech social media accounts.

Also be sure to check out the newly launched Give A Hoot Day video, and you may see some familiar faces…

Student Success: Lunch and Learns

• Student Services hosts Lunch and Learn events at which folks can learn about resources, strategies, and tools available to support student success.
• November 13, 2024: Richard Ellis presents Secrets to Capstone (& project) Success
  • Revealing (un)intended Secrets to Student Success
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZxQBEL7rZI
• February 25, 2025: Director of Housing, Bonita Bontrager presents about the Residential Experience in Klamath Falls
  • Pre-MIT/ MIT Applicants Lunch & Learn Event: We coordinated this event specifically for Pre-MIT students, but it was open to all students who may be interested in changing to the Klamath Falls campus in the fall.
  • A recording of the presentation will be posted at https://www.oit.edu/portland-metro/student-services.  

Portland-Metro Robotics Competition Club hosted a middle and high school VEX robotics tournament on-campus.

• See the story @oregontechportlandmetro
• https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCdC2YqyvfS/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

Engineers Week was a great success at Portland-Metro

• CSET-PM Band covered three songs and shared about their senior projects
  • Entire concert: https://youtu.be/wF4Z30RzX5E
  • Devil Went Down To Georgia: https://youtu.be/zQS70cAioB8
  • Country Road: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lsnAkAE8QXA
  • The band is also performing at a Faculty Speaker’s Series and our upcoming (mini) Music Garden Festival. This is the first time that this event will be jointly held on both campuses.

• Intercultural Communication – course being offered at Portland-Metro in Spring 2025

• Students at the Klamath Falls and Portland-Metro campuses are employed as student government officers. These student leaders advocate for student support and the student voice. They represent the student body as voting members of essential Oregon Tech governing committees. These include the President’s Council where all policies are reviewed and the Tuition Recommendation Committee.
• Elections and applications for positions on all campuses open in Spring term.
• Visit https://www.oit.edu/campus-life/asoit-student-government for more information.
• Meet the Klamath Falls Officers: https://www.oit.edu/campus-life/asoit-student-government/officers
• Meet the Portland-Metro Officers and read about their advocacy platform: https://www.oit.edu/campus-life/asoit-student-government/portland-metro

As part of the Winter 2025 Weeks of Welcome activities at the Portland-Metro campus, the Student Involvement and Belonging (SIB) Center had its ribbon cutting celebration on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. The new space on the 4^th floor was designed to foster community and collaboration among students and other members of the Portland-Metro campus. The Center includes:  gathering, event planning, and study area for up to 20 individuals, 86” 4K television with Screen Beam technology, tablet for notetaking and screen casting, comfortable, colorful seating to relax and feel inspired, integrated power in the furniture to keep devices charged, 16x10 ft photo mural celebrating student engagement and community building at Portland-Metro, and magnetic glass dry-erase boards to advertise campus activities and write messages. It reflects Student Involvement and Belonging’s mission to promote involvement, embrace diversity, and enhance a person’s sense of belonging at Oregon Tech. 

The Hustlin’ Owls closed the regular-season with a 22-6 record, finishing second in the Cascade Conference standings, earning their 31st-straight postseason berth. Led by seniors Kam Osborn (14.7 ppg), Keegan Shivers (14.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Jamison Guerra (12.0 ppg, 5.8 apg) and Blake Jensen (11.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg), the team is on the cusp of advancing to the NAIA National Tournament for the third time in four seasons.

The Lady Owls head into the postseason with a 22-6 record, placing second overall in the Cascade Conference standings. Despite season-ending injuries to their top-two scorers, the squad has gotten outstanding production from a pair of sophomores – post Jozie Ramos (13.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Tatum Schmerbach (13.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.3 apg) – with the club picking up two victories this season against Top-25 opponents. OIT ended the regular-season ranked No. 22 in the NAIA Top-25 poll and most likely will receive a bid to the NAIA National Championships.

The Hustlin’ Owls opened the 2025 season with a 7-2 record, including a 4-game road sweep at Simpson – their best start in program history. The team has not lost a beat under interim head coach Ricky Walker, was Julien Jones set a new school record by hitting three home runs in a game at Simpson, while Patrick Barry has surpassed Tech’s all-time hit-streak record of 23 (streak was at 28 games as of Feb. 22).

The Lady Owls opened 2025 ranked No. 5 in the NAIA and began the year with a 7-1 record – including wins over No. 2 ranked Science & Arts (Okla.), No. 15 Midland (Neb.) and No. 24 Baker (Kan.) during a tournament in Oklahoma. Kacie Schmidt was honored in late February as the NAIA National Pitcher of the Week for the second time in her career.

Oregon Tech freshman Tyas Selby represented the Hustlin’ Owls in the pole vault at the NAIA Indoor National Championships in Gainesville, Fla. (results not available at press time) 

FOLLOW OREGON TECH ATHLETICS - oregontechowls.com

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube