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OLLI at SOU NEWSFLASH April 5, 2021

Meet Up with OLLI Friends Online Mark your calendars now for April social events

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 to 6:00 pm PDT. Click here to RSVP and you'll be sent the Zoom link. OLLI Goes to the Kentucky Derby!   It’s “Kentucky Derby” time, so grab those Mint Julips and put on those fancy hats and join together for a little fun at the races. Have a favorite contender, share your pick. See the top 20 contenders here: https://www.kentuckyderby.com/horses      Friday, April 30th at 6:00 pm PDT. Sign up link coming soon.

Questions? Email Member Services Committee Chair Andrea Gay at [email protected]

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. Save the date(s)! There are Conversation Connections every week in April. All times are PDT. Tuesday, April 6, at 11:00 AM - Prepare for Care: A Team Approach Wednesday, April 14, at 3:00 PM - Talking about Race Friday, April 16, at 11:00 - Addressing Violence Against Asian Americans Tuesday, April 20, at 11:00 AM - Emergency Disaster Preparation - Wildfires and Earthquakes Thursday, April 22, at 11:00 AM - Independence Corrupted Friday, April 23, at 11:00 AM - Melodies of St. Kilda (back by popular demand) Monday, April 26, at 4:00 PM - "Talk to Me" - Representative Cliff Bentz Wednesday, April 28, at 1:00 PM - What It Was: Coming of Age When the Music Mattered Topic: Prepare for Care: A Team Approach Description: How can we prepare for our own future needs and strengthen our communities? Details about this Conversation and others at this link (PDF). Date: Tuesday, April 6, 11:00 AM-Noon Facilitators: Ellen Waldman, certified Aging Life Care Professional for 20+ years RSVP: Reservations are required, OLLI members only. Click here to RSVP by 3:30 PM on Monday, April 5. Other Questions? Contact Pauline Black at [email protected] Topic: Talking About Race Description: Does talking about race and racism make you nervous? Are you afraid you'll say the wrong thing? 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. The solution is an open, honest, candid and civil exchange. During this Conversation Connection, we'll worry less about unwittingly offending someone, and instead will focus on opening our hearts and minds to each other’s experiences and ideas.  Date: Wednesday, April 14 Time: 3:00-4:00 PM Facilitator: Marvin Woodard, Equity Coordinator for Racial Justice, will lead the discussion. RSVP: Reservations are required, and honored on a first response basis. The maximum number of participants for this talk is 15, OLLI members only. Click here to RSVP by 3:30 PM on Tuesday, April 13. Other Questions? Contact Pauline Black at [email protected] Topic: Addressing Violence Against Asian Americans Description: Please join us as SOU Professor Precious Yamaguchi discusses the rise in violence against Asian Americans. How can we be better allies? What should we do and what should we not do? How do we support Asian Americans in our own community? As an Asian American, Professor Yamaguchi offers personal insight into this growing problem. Racism and bigotry in any form is a highly sensitive matter, and we ask that we are all mindful when discussing these issues. This subject can cause emotional responses and can be triggering for others. Thank you for your kindness. Date: Friday, April 16 Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Facilitator: Dr. Yamaguchi is an Associate Professor of Communication. Her academic research is interdisciplinary, focusing broadly on issues of culture, identity, generation, technology, social media, and international textile markets. Her single-authored book, The Journeys and Strength of Japanese American Women: Stories and Life Experiences During and After World War II, was published in 2015. Host: OLLI Member Services Committee Chair Andrea Gay. RSVP: Reservations are required, and honored on a first response basis. The maximum number of participants for this talk is 25 so that we can have time for questions and comments. OLLI members only. Click here to RSVP by 3:30 PM on Thursday, April 15. Other Questions? Contact Andrea Gay at [email protected] Topic: Emergency Disaster Preparation - Wildfires and Earthquakes Goal: Increase awareness of current hazards and discussion of preparations Approach: Brief summary of our wildfire and earthquake setting. Engage participants in discussion of disaster experiences. Engage participants in discussion of improved disaster preparation Advance reading: Please click here to download a background paper on Rogue Valley earthquake setting to use as a working example of an expected disaster and ways to respond. Date: Tuesday, April 20 Time: 11:00 AM -12:30 PM Facilitator: Eric Dittmer, Professor Emeritus, SOU Environmental Studies RSVP: Reservations are required. The maximum number of participants for this talk is 30, OLLI members only. Click here to RSVP by 3:30 on Monday, April 19. Other Questions? Contact Eric Dittmer at [email protected] Topic: Independence Corrupted / How America’s Judges Really Make Their Decisions Description: Judge Schudson knows how judges really make their decisions. He brings us behind the bench to probe judicial minds analyzing actual trials and sentencings. Details about this Conversation and others at this link (PDF). Advance reading: Recommended but not required, click here to download a brief handout of advance materials. Also recommended is Judge Schudson's award-winning book, Independence Corrupted / How America's Judges Make Their Decisions (University of Wisconsin Press, 2018). Date: Thursday, April 22 Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Facilitator: Charles Benjamin Schudson, a Wisconsin Reserve Judge Emeritus, graduated from Dartmouth College and the University of Wisconsin Law School.  RSVP: Reservations are required. OLLI members only. Click here to RSVP by 3:30 on Wednesday, April 21. Other Questions? Contact Pauline Black at [email protected] Topic: Melodies of St. Kilda (offered again since many members requested) Description: Stuart McKenzie, volunteer at a senior living home in Edinburgh, tells of capturing traditional music remembered from childhood by resident Trevor Morrison, and how their amateur recording eventually morphed into a hugely popular CD. The haunting melodies are thought to be from the St. Kilda archipelago, former home to a rugged human population and equally hardy flock of primitive Soay sheep. Applegate Valley resident and musician Priscilla Weaver raises Soay sheep descended from the St. Kilda flock. Through delightful serendipity, she eventually transcribed and published the music. Join us to hear and see Stuart and Priscilla’s fascinating story of musical discovery. Date: Friday, April 23 Time: 11:00 AM -12:30 PM Facilitators: Priscilla Arnold and Priscilla Weaver (zoom host) RSVP: Reservations are required, and honored on a first response basis. The maximum number of participants for this talk is 50, OLLI members only. Click here to RSVP by Noon on Thursday, April 22. Other Questions? Contact Priscilla Arnold at [email protected], or call 417-861-1273.

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 [email protected]

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 approximately 15 minutes beforehand. Click here to RSVP. Monday, April 19 11:00 am – Noon

New Shared Interest Group

Talking About Art New OLLI SIG Is Looking for Members! This Shared Interest Group (SIG) is for OLLI members who want to enjoy and discuss the intersecting points of art, art history and art theory. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss current and upcoming exhibits at major museums as well as the Schneider Museum of Art at SOU. Discussions may also center around a movement like No Art or a genre such as "Portraiture" and how it fits into contemporary society. Members can take turns leading discussions and finding appropriate material to share. The SIG will meet via Zoom during spring term. When OLLI COVID guidelines allow, field trips to museums may be a possibility. For details about this SIG, contact SIG Facilitator Joye Otto, 503-473-6666, [email protected]

An OLLI Shared Interest Group (SIG) is a group of OLLI members who share a common interest. Each group is different depending on its focus, and all provide interesting lifelong learning opportunities as well as a fun social experience. For more information about OLLI SIGs and a list of all the active SIGs, see the SIG web page.

Lifelong Learning Series

Thanks to the efforts of OLLI's Communications and Community Outreach Committee, OLLI is in the news again, this time highlighting the benefits of taking and teaching courses at OLLI through the eyes of songwriter and volunteer instructor Denny Caraher. Good reading and good fun. Click here for a PDF of the article published in the Ashland Tidings, or here for a link to the online version. And while you're reading, you can listen to Denny's composition, "This Land is Ashland."

Spring is Volunteer Appreciation Season

Heartfelt Thanks to the Team OLLI Participants: Thank you to all who participated in Team OLLI 2021. Your willingness to learn more OLLI and to consider a leadership role in OLLI is greatly appreciated.

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.

Cultural Literacy: Stories of our Diverse Community

SOU's President and Administration join with Irene Kai, co-founder of Ashland's Culture of Peace Commission, to invite you to participate in a new cultural literacy initiative to collect and share stories from members of our region's Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, with the goal of raising awareness and encouraging self-reflection about human diversity in our region. Click here to read President Schott's full letter and learn how you can participate.

Free Lifelong Learning Opportunities

The Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship will hold its next symposium on April 10. Co-hosted by OLLI volunteer instructor Earl Showerman, the 4-hour Zoom webinar starts at 12 noon EDT/9:00 AM PDT, is free and open to all, and features an international cast of Oxfordian scholars. For more information or to register, click here. Registration is required. 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. A 2021 Oregon Book Award Finalist! 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. Did you know Ashland Parks & Recreation has a Gentle Yoga class designed specifically for ages 50 and up? The class is taught via Zoom and only costs $5 per class. For more information, visit ashland.or.us/register or call 541-488-5342. The Southern Oregon Land Conservancy is hosting a pub style nature talk, "Get No Respect," on essential but underappreciated species in the Rogue Valley. Wednesday, April 21, 6:00–7:30 PM PDT. Free and open to all, advance registration is required. Find out more here. Birders take note: The Harney County Migratory Bird Festival will take place online this year, April 22–25. The Festival is free and open to all, however, some events require advance registration and purchase of a ticket. Click here to learn more. SOU's Schneider Museum of Art has a new exhibit opening April 6 and running through July 1. Click here to find out how you can view it. Speaking of art, the Louvre has put all of its collections online. Click here to wander the halls virtually. Aspen Ideas: Health, April 27-29, 2021, is a (free) live-streamed event exploring how to prevent the next pandemic, solutions for dismantling structural racism in health care, ground-breaking discoveries in brain research and gene editing, and more. Click here for more information or to register. Click here to catch up on the doings of the Mars Mission Perseverance Rover. Citizen scientists are invited to participate.