OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
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Life as an RA Former resident assistants
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share experiences, advice for those considering work as RAs
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See RA | page 2
Alan B. Berg Park homicide victim identified
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SafeRide’s external coordinator leads program, works to keep students safe at night By Jasmin Vogel
THE DAILY BAROMETER
Nicki Silva| THE DAILY BAROMETER
MacKenzie Zathan, the external coordinator of ASOSU SafeRide, balances her responsibilities as a student and a SafeRide employee.
In the past few weeks, work has been MacKenzie Zathan’s primary concern. She drafts budgets, attends meetings and makes speeches about the importance of SafeRide for the student population. Zathan has to work late nights to support her staff and is motivated to do the best she can as external coordinator of SafeRide for the Associated Students of Oregon State University. As a student simply looking for employment, Zathan stumbled upon SafeRide when she heard they were hiring at the beginning of fall term 2014. “I wasn’t specifically looking to be part of SafeRide,” Zathan said. “I also wasn’t looking for a big position. I just wanted to be employed.” Working as a supervisor and then advancing to the external coordinator position was a huge shift for Zathan. See ZATHAN | page 2
Students, employers merge at Winter Career Fairs Students explore employment opportunities at Winter Career Fair
at the first day of the Winter Career Fairs sought opportunities from the companies that crowded the CH2M HILL Alumni Center Wednesday. The second day of the fair, the Engineering Fair, By Hanna Brewer takes place Thursday at the CH2M HILL Alumni THE DAILY BAROMETER Center. Interviews scheduled Wednesday will be Running around dressed to impress with folders held in the Memorial Union Thursday as well. of resumes, applications, cards and maps, students There were 128 employers and graduate schools n
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As of Tuesday, Feb. 17, Corvallis Police have positively identified the victim discovered in Alan B. Berg Park. The victim was 42-year-old Kimberly Hakes of Corvallis. According to Lt. Cord Wood of the Corvallis Police Department, Hakes was killed sometime before 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15 in the park where she had been camping. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy and found evidence that Hakes’ death was due to serious head trauma. According to Wood, the investigation is ongoing, and there are currently no suspects or persons of interest. Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen or had contact with Hakes Feb. 14 to call Corvallis Police at 541-766-6924.
VOL. CXVII, NO. 88
Dedicated to student safety
By Chris Correll The transition from the structure of high school to college away from home can be one of the most daunting challenges of a young person’s life. For freshman in residence halls, one of the most accessible sources of support comes from the resident assistants living just a few doors down. Like many students, Azia Smith, a freshman in food science, goes to her RAs for help with homework and other school-related issues. “They know what it’s like,” Smith said. “They talk about their lives at meetings and they really relate to ours.” RAs are expected to keep an eye on their assigned floor, maintaining order and offering help when it’s needed. It’s a job deeply rooted in interpersonal connection. According to University Housing and Dining Services’ official description of the position, RAs’ job effectiveness is tied to their “ability to establish and maintain credibility and good rapport with residents.” That’s the main reason Kesh Phillips, a grad student in digital communication arts, chose to volunteer with UHDS for three years and work as an RA for about a year and a half. Phillips recently left his RA position at Bloss Hall, but in his time at Oregon State University, he’s established countless relationships with younger students and seen nearly everything the job can throw at him. Phillips said that the position has
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2015
Hanna Brewer
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Part one of the Winter Career Fairs welcomes students of all majors to explore the businesses that have set up booths in the CH2M HILL Alumni Center.
Tae Kwon Do club hosts bake sale in the quad News, page 4
set up in booths available for all OSU students and alumni to talk to. “Three hundred fifty-seven students have signed in before 1 p.m.,” said Rachel Finch, the employee relations and event planner for Career Services. “We expect to see between 700 and 1,000 students before the day is over.” The Career Development Center holds this event, as well as other meeting and events for the different colleges at OSU to connect with employers before and after the fair. Many of the people who work at the Career Development Center as well as many representatives of the participating companies are Oregon State University alumni. “(The employers) love OSU and its students,” Finch said. Many representatives agreed that they loved to come to the OSU fair in particular out of the other Oregon university fairs. Each company waited to receive resumes, applications and questions from their potential employees and talk about all of the available opportunities. Some of the employers like to keep in contact with the colleges and programs at OSU that they are focused on. “The students are well educated on how to approach employers and dress well to come and work,” said Megan Cole, the firm recruiter for Pacific Capital Resource Group Inc. “We are a Northwest-based firm and are looking for people who want to keep in the community. OSU definitely provides those candidates.” There were also national companies looking for job candidates: companies like Pepperidge Farm, Apple, Amazon, and Tillamook. Many branches of the military and several law enforcement representatives also attended. See FAIR | page 4
Editorial: RAs deserve more for what they do Editorial, page 7