Oregon State University

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Hallmarks and Quirks

Engineering. My rustic upbringing taught me to be handy and hardworking. Naturally I love to build things. My engineering majors are some of the best I have to offer.
Food Science. We invented the Marionberry & Maraschino Cherries. Take that, Willy Wonka.
Division I Sports. My baseball team has recently won multiple college series titles and my women's gymnastics team is considered one of the best in the nation. I've also got lots of diehard basketball and football fans that always have my teams' backs, win or lose.
Forestry. I'm one of the top schools in the nation for forestry, which is fitting seeing that I'm in Oregon, after all.
Brew Science. I bet you didn't know that you could major in beer and winemaking in college. My brew and fermentation science program is one of the best around, and will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about those little microorganisms that help make some of our favorite libations.

Nike Frees. Eugene may be Niketown, but as a proud Oregonian I'm obligated to rock my state's most famous brand.
A North Face rain jacket. My winters are long and wet, so come prepared.
A beard. Also known as the Oregonian moustache.
Tanks. It might only be sunny for three months out of the year in Corvallis, but you better have those tanks ready for when the sun comes out—vitamin D is a scarce resource in these parts.
Hunter rain boots. You're going to be doing a lot of walking around campus, and who likes damp feet?

Linus Pauling. He's the only person to win two Nobel Prizes in two separate categories: Chemistry and Peace. Talk about impressive. He attended me for undergrad and donated a lot of his wealth back to me in his later years.
NOAA. I'm a key player in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I take on a big chunk of NOAA's marine resources research and have long partnered and assisted with the organization's other research efforts. And I'm not even located on the beach.
The Oregon State TRIGA Reactor. I have my very own nuclear reactor that is used almost exclusively for instructional purposes—including certain undergrad physics, chemistry, and biology classes.
University of Oregon. A lot of non-Oregonians confuse us for U of O, but they are sorely mistaken. I'm a beaver, not a duck. Ah, the life of an underdog.

The Peacock Bar. This is the one place where you can see it all: from girls dressed like they're going out to a Vegas club to locals in belly shirts with missing teeth. Wednesday is huge there because everyone comes for Western Wednesday and does drunken line dancing and country swing dance. Like I said, I'm a proud country-kid at heart.
Impulse. This is the more fratty of Corvallis' bars. The DJ's can be hit or miss and the VIP stage is a big joke…but if you ask me, that's all part of the fun. Oh, and watch your footing. This bar is on the second floor of a building and people have been known to fall off the balcony on some of the crazier nights. Yikes.
Bomb's Away Café. With two-dollar Tuesday pint night & American Dream Pizza right next door, this is the place to be for bomb food, great beer, and good vibes all around.
Qdoba Mexican Grill. As one of the only late night options in Corvallis, this place attracts everyone, from the craziest drunk beast to the kid who was up late working on that o-chem p-set. It's a great place to people watch and stuff your face on the way home from a party.

Memorial Union Quad. Located at the heart of campus, there are always booths to sit in and people lounging in the grass on sunny afternoons.
Dixon Recreation Center. My awesome on-campus gym is always full and you can count on running into several familiar faces while working out. People will be your witness as you're working on your fitness.
Dutch Bros. Dutch Bros is a drive-thru coffee chain that was founded in Oregon. Its crazy sweet drinks are super popular with my students, and Corvallis boasts the chain's only indoor location. Make sure to load up that loyalty card for a free drink—your wallet will thank you later.
Sanchos Mexican Grill. This is the closest bar to campus, so it's almost always busy. It's also downstairs from Impulse, so be prepared for drunk people yelling at you from the upstairs balcony. Ah, college.

Shasta Weekend. Every Memorial Day weekend, thousands of students journey south to Northern California's Shasta Lake. Frats, sororities, and other groups of students rent houseboats and go out on the lake for an epic weekend rager that often makes local headlines.
The Oregon State Undie Run. Unlike some schools with long traditions of undie runs, Oregon State's only got started a few years ago. The tradition is picking up steam, and there's even group stretching after the run. Who doesn't love group stretching?
Gas. This one isn't unique to just me, but it's worth noting. Oregon is one of only two states in the county where it's illegal to pump your own gas. Seriously—you could get slapped with a $500 fine if you try at the wrong time and place. Oregon offers full-service only, which is old-fashioned, weird, and pretty darn convenient.

Linus Pauling. The only person to win the Nobel Prize in two categories: Chemistry and Peace
George Oppen. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and renowned political activist
Cecil D. Andrus. He used to be the governor of Idaho. Mmm…taters.
Stacy Allison. The first American woman to summit Mt. Everest