OLLI at SOU NEWSFLASH
April 12, 2021
Schedule too full?

Dropping a class that you don't plan to attend might make room for someone else to add it. Just email the OLLI office (olli@sou.edu) with DROP and the course name in the subject line, and please be sure include your first and last names. No text messages, please.
This Friday: Gals 'n' Wine & Men's Apero
Gals ‘n’ Wine

Ladies of OLLI, it’s that time again to grab a glass and meet up for an opportunity for a girls night out, virtually of course. 

Join us Friday night, April 16th from 5:00 – 6:00 PM PDT.

Click here to RSVP by Thursday at 3:30 pm and we'll send you the Zoom Link.
Men’s Apero
OLLI's Member Services Committee would like to invite all OLLI men to a “Men’s Apero” social hour (with your favorite beverage and a side of jazz) on Friday, April 16th from 5:00 – 6:00 PM PDT. Grab your drink and join us on Zoom. We’ll hear some music with an interesting jazz connection curated by Ed Hyde. This is a relaxed time to chat and get to know each other a little better. Take a quick minute to email me at robert@adamsworks.com to RSVP, and I'll send you a Zoom invitation.
 
Hope to see you on April 16!
Bob Adams
Still to come, OLLI Goes to the Kentucky Derby, Friday, April 30th at 6:00 PM PDT. Stay tuned for information on signing up.
Questions? Contact Member Services Committee Chair Andrea Gay at flironhorse@gmail.com
Conversation Connections (Con-Cons) are one-time meetings on a specific topic of discussion. No preparation or teacher is required, just someone to facilitate the conversation so everyone has a chance to talk.

Abbreviated descriptions of upcoming Conversations are below. Please click here for full descriptions, facilitator bios, etc. All times are PDT.
This week:

Talking About Race
If the current calls for social justice are to produce greater trust and cohesion between people of different races, a key factor will be overcoming awkwardness on the topic of race.
Date: Wednesday, April 14
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Click here to RSVP by 3:30 PM on Tuesday, April 13.

Addressing Violence Against Asian Americans
SOU Professor Yamaguchi will discuss the rise in violence against Asian Americans. How can we be better allies?
Date: Friday, April 16
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Click here to RSVP by 3:30 PM on Thursday, April 15.
Next week:

Emergency Disaster Preparation - Wildfires and Earthquakes
Date: Tuesday, April 20
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Click here to RSVP by 3:30 on Monday, April 19.

Independence Corrupted / How America’s Judges Really Make Their Decisions
Date: Thursday, April 22
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Click here to RSVP by 3:30 on Wednesday, April 21.

Melodies of St. Kilda, rediscovered music from remote Scottish Islands
Date: Friday, April 23
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Click here to RSVP by Noon on Thursday, April 22.
If these topics don't resonate with you or fit your schedule, stay tuned for other options, or host one yourself. It's easy to hold a Conversation Connection on a subject of your choice. To find out more, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Pauline Black at blackp@sou.edu
April Coffee Klatch
All OLLI members are invited to grab a cup of coffee/tea and join Rob Casserly, OLLI Assistant Director, and Larry Hunter, OLLI Council President, for an informal, free-form conversation about all things OLLI. There's no agenda, just friends and cohorts getting together to talk. The Zoom link will be emailed to registrants about an hour before the meeting starts. Click here to RSVP.
Monday, April 19
11:00 am – Noon
Spring is Volunteer Appreciation Season
Volunteer Appreciation
Heartfelt Thanks to Rob, the office staff, office volunteers, and the amazing instructors:

These have been (still are) challenging times, for sure. But, you all have managed to adjust in ways that benefit all of us students. So much energy, enthusiasm, stimulation and assistance; always at the ready. What a TEAM !!!
Take a moment to thank an OLLI Volunteer!
Everywhere you look, there's a volunteer in front of the screen or behind the scenes putting their skills, time, and enthusiasm into making our OLLI outstanding. Has a volunteer made your OLLI experience particularly delightful? Click here to tell us who you'd like to thank and why, and we'll share your comments in a future NewsFlash and on Facebook.
OLLI at SOU in the News
The Osher (the "O" in OLLI) Network's newsletter for April highlights the virtual "book tour" of OLLIs around the country undertaken by OLLI volunteer and author Irv Lubliner to share his mother's writing and her experiences in Polish ghettos and Nazi concentration camps with other programs. Click here to read the full article, and catch up on the news from other OLLIs.
Free Lifelong Learning Opportunities
Oregon State University's Provost Lecture Series welcomes the public to a lecture by Ibram X. Kendi, author of "Stamped from the Beginning" and "How to be an Anti-Racist" on Wednesday, April 14, 5:00 – 6:00 PM PDT. Free. Registration is required. Click here for more.

Reminder: Celebrate this year’s Oregon finalists for the Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry as they read from their work on Wednesday, April 14, 7:00 – 8:00 PM PDT via Zoom. All are welcome and registration is required. Click here to learn more or to register.

Reminder: Join the Friends of Hannon Library for the fourth event in their 2021 speaker series, Dangerous, Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump with Edwin Batistella, SOU Professor of English and author, on Thursday, April 15, at 7:00 PM PDT. Limited "seats" are available and advance registration is required. Click here for more information or to register.

American Association of Retired People (AARP) invites the public to attend the Oregon Scam Jam, every Friday in April, 10:00 – 11:30 AM PDT. Each week covers a different topic. Free, and registration is required. Click here for more information.

Our Place, Before and After: An Earth Day Story Circle: The SOU Student Sustainability Team invites the public to a free online story circle on Wednesday, April 21, 5:30 – 7:30 PM PDT to share experiences of Our Place, Before and After. This offering is part of Earth Month at SOU, a series of events, activities, and programming for the SOU community throughout the month of April. For a complete list of offerings, visit the Earth Month at SOU homepage at https://sustainability.sou.edu/sou-earth-month-2021/

Intersectional and Inclusive Environmentalism: Student sustainability leaders from several Oregon colleges and universities invite you to an Earth Day keynote panel and Q&A on Zoom on Thursday, April 22, at 4:00 – 5:30 PM PDT, featuring Summer Dean aka ClimateDiva & Madison Daisy aka ClimateDaisy. For a complete list of Earth Month offerings, click here.

Friends of the Klamath-Siskiyou Monument continue their Inspiring Connections with Nature Series with a presentation by Dr. Jad D'Allura, "Volcanic Rockin' 'n' Rollin' In The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument: 33 Million Years In The Making.
Friday, April 23, at 6:00 – 7:30 PM PDT. Free, registration required. Click here for details and registration. 

The Botanical Gardens at the University of California, Berkeley, is hosting a series of virtual programs on gardens, plants and pollinators in April. Many are free, some require purchase of a ticket. Click here for topics, dates, and registration.

The Aspen Institute invites the public to explore the topic of statehood for Washington, DC. Click here to learn more.