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Outside: SOU is Oregon's best By AMBER FOSSEN Ashland Daily Tidings Southern Oregon University ranked 20th in Outside magazine's 40 Best College Towns. SOU beat University of Oregon, which came in at number 28, to place as the highest ranked Oregon university on the list. Outside magazine took a close look at where students can hit the books and the backcountry, noting SOU has a lot to offer. Rafters during an SOU Outdoor Program event. Submitted photos According to SOU student and former The Siskiyou Editor Jennifer Squires, magazine representatives contacted the university in May requesting information about SOU. "They sent me a list of approximately 40 questions about the town, the community, the campus itself and all the outdoor areas," Squires said. Squires said she researched local outdoor hot spots and polled fellow students on what there is to do when tests are over and assignments are in. "When I asked students what they do, it ranged from everything from fly fishing to hiking to river rafting to kayaking," she said, noting the responses varied and that students seemed to be interested in a little of everything. SOU fell behind University of Hawaii and just ahead of Prescott College in Arizona. Outside magazine ranked University of California Santa Cruz number one followed by the University of Colorado at Boulder and Middlebury College in Vermont. Representatives from Outside magazine could not be reached for comment by press time. Dustin Buckphal, manager of SOU's Outdoor Program, said he's not surprised SOU placed well. "Living in Ashland for five years and knowing what we have around here, it's not too much of a shock," Buckphal said. Buckphal, a senior math and biochemistry major, said at least 1,500 SOU students participate in the Outdoor Program. And he said the program will have even more to offer this up-coming year. "This next year, we're kicking it up a notch," he said noting there will be more climbing classes, weekly raft trips, hikes, an avalanche class, skydiving and even a hike to Mt. McLoughlin. Making the list could give SOU a boost in enrollment, according to university officials. "We will probably see more of an impact from this on our applications for next year," SOU Director of Admissions Mara Affre said. Affre said that students repeatedly mention the university's location in addition to academic programs as reasons why they select to attend school in Ashland. She also said that applications are still being accepted and that enrollment appears to be on the rise. "The numbers that we're seeing so far show that we're ahead of where we were last year at this time," Affre said. Outside magazine's 40 Best College Towns is currently featured in the September edition. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -