Junior guard Dimetri Chambers of the Oglethorpe University men's basketball team has been named the OU Male Athlete of the Week (Jan. 6-12). A Business Administration major, Chambers is a graduate of Herschel Jenkins High School (Savannah, GA). Chambers helped lead the Stormy Petrels to a 1-1 record over the course of the weekend. He scored 29 points on 10-of-14 from the field, 5-of-8 from 3-point range, and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in Friday's 77-75 win at Sewanee: The University of the South. He then came back with 22 points on 5-of-6 from the line on Sunday's 81-63 defeat at Centre College. He's currently fourth in the country in total steals (40) and 21st in steals per game (2.67). He's second in the SAA in scoring (21.0 PPG) and first in steals per game. He and the Petrels will return home on Friday to take on Millsaps College at 8 p.m., then will host Birmingham-Southern College on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Thirteen Oglethorpe University students have received undergraduate research awards from Oglethorpe's Student Research Development Fund, distributed annually. The recipients are majoring in a range of disciplines, including biology, biopsychology, politics, psychology, sociology, and English. Funding applications were evaluated by a committee comprised of Oglethorpe faculty: Dr. Lea Alford, Eli Arnold, Dr. Nick Bujak, Dr. Beth Concepcion, Alyssa Kowis, Dr. Glenn Sharfman, Dr. Karen Schmeichel, and Dr. Justin Wise. Funding recipients are: Syeda Bano '20, Politics and Sociology major - Bano will present her research on identity development and identity salience of Southeast Asian college students in the southeastern United States at the Annual Southern Sociological Society Conference in Florida in April 2020. Yasmin Tehrani '20, International Studies and English major - Tehrani will present her paper "Mrs. Dalloway and the Membrane Between Selves" at the International Sigma Tau Delta Conference in Las Vegas. Ariana Jimenez '20, Biology major - Jimenez will attend the American Society of Cell Biology Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. to present their research on ciliary assembly using the genetic model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a unicellular green algae with two cilia. Alex Prots '20, Biology major - Prots has conducted surveys with visitors of three different bays on the West (Kona) Coast of Hawaii, and will take her findings to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Bozeman, Montana in March 2020. Lexi Covalsen '20, English and Comparative Literature major - In March 2020, Covalsen will return to the Sigma Tau Delta international conference in Las Vegas to present her essay "Defining Trauma in the Graphic Novel." Fernanda Rodrigues '20, English and Comparative Literature major - In March 2020, Rodrigues will attend the Sigma Tau Delta international conference in Las Vegas to present her critical essay "The Satirical Happiness in 'Mad Men,'" which focuses on her analysis of how the television series uses satirical view of 1960s America in similar literary techniques present in Samuel Clemens' texts. Jaime Croft '20, Biopsychology major Andrew Aycock '20, Biopsychology major Croft and Aycock will present research at the Southeastern Psychological Association Conference on the possible predictors that could influence attitudes in college students toward cheating. The project looked at how cognitive ability, academic self-efficacy, sense of belonging in school, and locus of control could influence attitudes towards academic dishonesty. Emily Schultz '20, English and Psychology major Mikayla Ries '21, Psychology major At the 2020 Southeastern Psychological Association conference, Ries and Schultz will present their study investigating how signature location might influence participants' honest self-reports of their own personality. Jalisa Kassam '20, Biopsychology major - Kassam tested factors in students influencing attitudes toward cheating and academic dishonesty. She will present her findings at the Southeastern Psychological Association Conference held in New Orleans in April 2020. Erin Raquel Battaglia '20, Psychology major - Battaglia will continue her research on the effect of severity and type of trauma on the social response to victims. The research suggests that participants responded more to the severity of the survivor's symptoms of distress post-trauma than to the severity of the trauma itself. Lane Sticher '20, Communication and Rhetoric Studies major - Sticher will present at the Sigma Tau Delta International Conference in Las Vegas in March 2020. There, she will present her research paper "Primetime and the Oppressed Mother," which looks at how primetime television represents women and how working moms are depicted on television.

Eighteen Oglethorpe University students were inducted into the national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa on December 6, 2019: Andrew James Aycock Erin Raquel Battaglia Fatima-Ezzahra Boumahdi Jasmine Darius Nyree S. Dowdy Samantha Joy Foster Daira J. Galindo Navarro Jalisa Kassam Olivia Grace Kelly Roi Levi Michael Dean Masi II Yesha Nayee Oyinlola Oyinloye Khushboo Patel Mikayla Ries Fernanda Stelzer Rodrigues Lane T. Sticher Talia J. Weinstein Omicron Delta Kappa is a highly selective national leadership honor society that encourages and rewards the highest standards of excellence for young leaders and innovators at universities nationwide. ODK's mission is to identify, honor and develop leaders in collegiate and community life; encourage collaboration among students, faculty, staff and alumni to advance leadership; and to promote and publicize its ideals. Oglethorpe University's ODK Circle was established in 1976 and remains a vital, thriving part of the campus today. Initiation into the circle is one of the highest honors an Oglethorpe student can achieve.

Oglethorpe University's Oyinlola (Lola) Oyinloye '21, a politics and economics major, was selected to receive a full scholarship to attend the recent 2019 Forbes Under 30 Scholar Summit held in Detroit, October 27-30, 2019. Oyinloye is a graduate of Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Ga. Touted as the "world's greatest event for entrepreneurs," the annual Summit welcomed 1000 diverse college students and future leaders, looking to grow their network and gain new life experiences in their fields. The immersive experience provides opportunities for learning and accelerated networking in the fields of technology, entertainment, finance, fashion, food, philanthropy and more. Scholars heard from special guests like Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, and Olivia Munn, participated in a service day, and enjoyed a music and food festival. Through the scholarship program, Forbes aims to ensure that a diverse set of high-achieving students from universities across the country are able to engage in the conference program. Scholars are evaluated and selected based on various criteria, including a written statement on how they embody the "Under 30" principles of leadership and innovation. While at Oglethorpe, Oyinloye has been proactive in pursuing experiential learning opportunities, including a recent summer internship on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. On campus, she has served on honor council and as a residence assistant, and is a member of Epsilon Iota Psi Sorority, International Justice Mission, Black Student Caucus, African Student Association, LEAD Campus Ministry, and Bethel Campus Fellowship. "The resources on campus, from the Career Development Center to the faculty, have been major contributors to my success," said Oyinloye. "It is very easy to find your niche and be a leader on campus because we have diverse clubs (and) organizations. Just the overall atmosphere of the community is inspiring, and it encourages me to do more. With every opportunity I am presented with, I aim to represent Oglethorpe University and its values well."

Oglethorpe University Chemistry major Annika (Alex) Foret '23 has won a $1,000 SAGE Scholars scholarship in a nationwide essay contest. Foret, a 2019 graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, was one of only 100 scholarship recipients in the country who wrote winning essays. Students could submit essays on various topics, including "why you selected an independent, private college over a state or public college." Foret elected to write about how small universities like Oglethorpe can "prioritize individual learning over routine memorization," and "how the Core program at Oglethorpe allows me to keep studying the humanities, even as a chemistry major." "Winning this scholarship really took some of the stress off of paying for the smaller things such as books, allowing me to enjoy the last bit of my summer," said Foret. "I had actually forgotten I had even applied, so I was shocked when I got the email saying I had won. I immediately called my mom and I'm pretty sure I just screamed into the phone for the first few seconds of the call." SAGE Scholars recently pledged $1 million in college scholarships over the next five years for students attending one of over 400 private colleges and universities in the network. These scholarships are named "gap scholarships" with the goal of helping families fill in the gap between what they have to pay for their children to go to college and what colleges and universities can offer in terms of financial aid. SAGE Scholars is the nation's oldest and largest private college preparation and funding organization and has been helping families secure the best possible private college education at a discounted price for nearly a quarter of a century.

Oglethorpe University congratulates the 365 students named to the Spring 2019 Dean's List, honoring those who achieved at least a 3.50 term grade-point average while earning 12 or more semester hours.

Oglethorpe University junior Claudine Niyonsenga has received the U.S. Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad during the 2019 spring semester. Niyonsenga, a Business Administration major, will attend the Council On International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Open Campus program, where she will earn credits in three cities and countries: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Santiago, Chile. The Gilman Scholarship Program broadens the student population that studies and interns abroad by supporting undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints. The program encourages students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries and world regions, with an emphasis on foreign language study, especially critical need languages deemed important to national security. By supporting undergraduate students who have high financial need, the program has been successful in supporting students who have been historically underrepresented in education abroad

Oglethorpe University students Caroline Chamberlain '19 and Victoria Lindbergh '18 worked side-by-side as interns at Oglethorpe's Pegasus Creative student communications agency last semester. This fall, through her internship at Hive Talent Acquisition Firm, Chamberlain recruited Lindbergh, a recent grad, helping her to land a job at Atlanta design firm Yellow Bungalow. A senior Human Resource Management major, Chamberlain has interned with Hive since summer 2018. She is able to work both in the firm's shared office environment, as well as on her own schedule from Oglethorpe's campus. As part of her position, Chamberlain helps with creative HR solutions and staffing. "At my internship, I actually have a curriculum... I'm learning the business development side and the recruiting side," Chamberlain explains. "My favorite part is the real-world experience I'm getting and that I feel like an employee." While helping her peers land jobs, Chamberlain has also managed to do the same for herself. She has been offered a full-time position with the company after graduation. Watch a video about Chamberlain's internship experience.

Graduating senior Gillian Rabin was awarded the Sally Hull Weltner Award for Scholarship at the university's commencement ceremony on May 18, 2019. The award honors the student in the graduating class who has attained the highest grade-point average with the greatest number of hours in course work completed at the university. This award is given annually in loving memory of Sally Hull Weltner, wife of Dr. Philip Weltner, president of Oglethorpe University from 1944-1953.

The Student Government Association recently held freshman class elections to fill president, senator, and programming board vacancies. These students will meet weekly as part of SGA to discuss campus issues, bring awareness to student concerns, and work to administer the student activities fee.

The Jazzy Petrels, Oglethorpe's jazz ensemble, recently performed at St. James Methodist Church in Brookhaven, offering a line-up of jazz standards from Coltrane, Ellington and Gershwin, plus several Lennon/McCartney songs. Directed by Dr. Brent Runnels, the group has seen a significant increase in instrumentalists this semester, and with that, instrumental variety. The ensemble's growth is due in part to the migration of some instrumentalists from Oglethorpe Winds. With the Winds on a hiatus during fall semester, the music department wanted to ensure those students still had the chance to participate in an ensemble. During the hiatus, the Winds program will be revamped, based in part on feedback from an upcoming student survey. "We'd like to relaunch the Winds program in a way that encourages and maximizes student participation," said Dr. Runnels, Oglethorpe's director of music. "Eventually we'd like to have multiple ensembles-both classical and jazz-that will give students the opportunity to explore different musical genres." The Jazzy Petrels include: Alexander Oakley, alto saxophone Rachel Bacchus, trumpet Miles Davidson, drum set Kinsey Degroat, vocals Sean Handy, bongos Ryan Holtzen, guitar Elizabeth Kontyko, violin Tadjudin Nathasya, alto saxophone Alan Payne, tuba Tre Rice, piano Tyrell Snagg, alto saxophone Justin Speer, soprano saxophone Max Wagner, electric bass

At the start of the academic year, the entire freshman class volunteers at locations across Atlanta for the annual Orientation Day of Service. This year, more than 300 students, plus transfer students, members of Alpha Phi Omega and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Achieve Atlanta Scholars, each volunteered at one of 17 local nonprofit organizations. The contributed work is valued at over $25,000 for the day. "We used our time and talents to impact communities in ways that cannot be quantified," said Jessica Winestock, associate director of A_LAB, Civic Engagement at Oglethorpe. "We befriended young children as we handed out food, we laughed with seniors over a game of bingo, and we learned lessons in mechanics as we helped to build wheelchairs." Experiences such as the Orientation Day of Service are not just "feel good" events. Service Learning curricula melds the classroom experience with the rigors of service, instilling sought-after qualities such as teamwork, leadership, empathy, and enthusiasm, as well as concrete foundations for creative and intellectual advancement. Nonprofits visited included: Trees Atlanta, International Rescue Committee, The Drake House, The Wylde Center/Oakhurst Garden, The Wylde Center/Hawk Hollow Garden, Frazer Center, Making A Way Housing, Inc., Hosea Feed the Hungry, AG Rhodes Health and Rehabilitation Center, Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, Books for Africa, Atlanta Community Food Bank, MedShare International, The Latin American Association, Charles R. Drew Charter School, UHOPE CDC, and the Latin American Association.

On July 20, Oglethorpe University welcomed incoming students to campus for MAP Day (Making a Petrel), an event for students who have committed to attend Oglethorpe starting in fall 2018. During MAP Days, first-year students meet with their advisors, enroll in fall semester classes, and receive their official Petrel Pass student IDs.

Engineering major Mateo Villa '20 is the recipient of a McKee "Men of Action" Scholarship, a $2,500 award for his commitment to outstanding service to the community, presented annually by Delta Sigma Phi.

Museum studies major Taylor Roberts '21 has been awarded the prestigious Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship -- the first Oglethorpe University student to achieve this honor.

Incoming first year student Caleb Smith '22 can now add the title of "world champion" to his resume. Smith earned a spot in the 2018 Optimist International Oratorical World Championship in St. Louis, Mo. over June 28-29, and emerged the winner after two days of competition.

Members of the 2018-2019 Honor Council have been announced. These are students selected by their peers to be entrusted with being a part of upholding the academic standards of Oglethorpe University.

Oglethorpe University congratulates the nearly 200 graduates who received their degrees on May 12.

More than 370 accepted students have indicated their commitment to attend Oglethorpe University by submitting their enrollment deposit. We're excited to welcome these new "Stormy Petrels" to campus this fall! The Class of 2021 will begin classes on August 21, 2017.

As many students were still finding their way around campus and getting into the groove of college life, first-year Moliha Zabbar '21 decided what better time to become an even bigger part of the Oglethorpe community.