CDSG's 05-06 End of Year Report

This document contains descriptiong of the 05-06 CDSG activities using the following framework:

• name of event
• what the event was
• why we did it
• positive results

This was our first event of the year. We had the event at HotLips Pizza on campus. The purpose was to bring faculty and students of the program together and introduce the CDSG to the campus community. The event was well attended with a big turnout of faculty and students eating great pizza, lots of fun, made connections with students.

CDSG members and other students attended the Annual 1000 Friends of Oregon Dinner and showed their support for 1000 Friends. CDSG members volunteered organizing the event and our contributions were mentioned in 1000 Friends’ event program.

We had several meetings on campus to introduce the available positions to students. These were followed up with elections the following week.

The beginning of the year planning retreat was held at the Hotel Vintage Plaza. We chose Hotel Vintage Plaza as a venue for the meeting because the hotel was a sustainable alternative to the on-campus options. Newly elected officers discussed values, worked out a collective vision for year, planned out upcoming events, and enjoyed good food. This event set the groundwork for the upcoming year and also helped to build group cohesion.

The SFC hearings were an important activity for the student group. The hearing gave us an opportunity to present and defend our budgetary requests. The group reached out to group supporters for attendance at the second hearing. This was attended by over 30 students who came to show their support for CDSG. After protracted negotiations, the group received most of our budget request.

CDSG hosted the Portland Development Commission. We brought PDC to campus to offer them a venue for their community involvement efforts. At the event, 5 PDC employees gave an overview of how PDC operates and asked students and community members for their input on PDC budget priorities. CDSG hosted the event with food and drink. 15 students and PSU’s Sustainability Coordinator attended.

Brought 23 local organizations to campus to meet students and answer questions. Organizations at the fair included local non-profits, city bureaus, state organizations, and community development corporations. This event began with a luncheon for the attending the organizations catered by Food For Thought Café. Many of the organizations were offering internship and volunteer opportunities. Several students found internships through the fair. Enterprise Foundation announced funding for these internships through an agreement with PSU. While this was the first time CDSG had this event, we are hoping it becomes an annual event. This half day event was attended by over 100 students.

CDSG hosted a film weekend. We funded the showing of a big screen film at 5th Ave Cinemas. The film, Milagro Beanfield War, was chosen for its community development and citizen organizing themes. CDSG funding allowed free admission for all.

The Urban Pioneer Awards is a yearly event where the College of Urban and Public Affairs honors several citizens with the Urban Pioneer award. Attending this event is yearly tradition for CDSG. This year’s admission was sponsored by community organizations. This event was a fun way for members to mingle with local and state decision makers, enjoy good food, and learn about leadership in Oregon.

The Jane Jacobs Memorial was an opportunity for CDSG to honor Jane Jacobs. Jane Jacobs is an important figure in community development and urban planning. This event was catered by Sodexho, Inc. Food and drinks were served while the film “Urban Wisdom,” including interview with Jane Jacobs