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UP Portal Walk-Thru

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The UP Portal is critical in navigating the academic side of your life here at UP, as well as other parts, too. Utilizing this portal is critical to your success in life on the bluff! Mackenzie, a student office assistant in CAS, will be giving a brief overview of all that the portal has to offer so that you incoming freshman are all set for your first semester.

 

When you log into your UP Portal, the first screen you will see should look similar to the one below:

We will be going over the functions of all of the programs listed under the “Quick Launch” section. This picture will be a useful reference to return to throughout reading this post, as many of the icons will be referred to. The first icon is the “Mail” icon in the upper left corner. This should bring you straight to the login page for your UP email account, and is an easy way to access that quickly. While we’re on the note of your UP email account, you can also download the Outlook app to make this accessible for yourself on your smartphone.

To the right of the Mail icon is the Moodle icon. Moodle is essential in success in your academics, as all students & faculty have access to it. Professors can upload the course syllabus or assignments to be completed, and students can upload completed assignments and view professor comments. Some professors will also use the grade book feature of Moodle, so that you can keep track of your progress in the course throughout the semester. You will become familiar with Moodle very quickly upon your arrival on the bluff!

To the right of Moodle is the Self Serve Banner. For a more detailed explanation of this, please visit https://sites.up.edu/cas/self-serve-the-basics/. Essentially, all of your personal information can be found through self serve, as well as your financial aid information, student records, employee time sheets, and more.

On the very far upper right, you’ll find a link to the UP Website, where you can find just about any general information you need to find about the University of Portland. Courses and majors offered, the academic calendar, and a directory are just a few of the things you can find on the website.

On the left in the middle row is the Bon Appétit link. Bon Appétit is the company that runs the dining halls, so this is extremely useful in that you can view what’s on the menu for the day, or even 3 days from then. You will also be able to find the nutritional information, as well as allergen lists for the menu here.

Degree Works is located second from the left on the middle row. Clicking on the link should bring you to a page where you enter your login information. You should then have access to seeing information such as your ID number, name, major, class, GPA, advisors, and more. Below that information, you’ll be able to see all of the courses that are required to take and pass for your major. This is extremely helpful in that Degree Works actually sorts what you’ve already taken, what you’re enrolled in, and what you still need to take by color. You can even set up a “What If” page where you can view what your course load would look like with a second major, a minor, changing your major, etc. This is helpful when trying to decide what you want your undergraduate path to look like — what are your focuses and what minors could potentially work well with your major?

Next to Degree Works is Engage. This is where you can find invitations to different events on campus, news, and organizations. This is necessary if you are part of a club or any type of group because invites are typically sent through this.

The Library icon on the far right of the second row will bring you to the Library page of the UP Website. This is where you’ll be able to find books on reserve, which is super helpful when writing a research paper or project of some sort. The Library page is also useful when booking study rooms and such.

On the bottom left, you’ll find the “manage passwords” link. This is pretty self explanatory — this is where you can reset a password, or change a known password.

To the right of this is the Office 365 link. Here is where you’ll have access to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and more. This all comes for free on your portal. I have found this as very convenient, as I have a MacBook, so using “Pages” and “Sheets” instead of the Microsoft options isn’t always the most efficient when the document ultimately needs to be saved as a Word doc. Definitely utilize this when writing a paper or working on a presentation — it’ll save you a lot of time when you finish!

Lastly, you will find the Student Jobs link on the bottom row. This will bring you to the Student Job Board, where you will be able to find all of the current student job openings. These are constantly changing, so be sure to continue checking this on a regular basis if you are looking for employment, or seeing if there is a position that you are interested in.

On the bottom row, you’ll see a box of three dots. Click on this and it will bring you to a whole page of links that will take you to various different useful places, such as web printing and the patient portal (where you can access your health and counseling info). However, the 11 that you see under “Quick Launch” will typically be the ones you use the most. The others will hopefully be pretty self-explanatory.

 

Thanks, Mackenzie! If you have any questions about the UP Portal or anything mentioned in this post, send us an email at cas@up.edu

Self-Serve: The Basics

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Self-serve is a system accessed through your UP portal that you will utilize often, and grow to love (hopefully, or maybe grow to strongly dislike…we’ll see ?). But in all seriousness, self-serve is a life saver! It has just about everything you need in order to navigate registration, financial aid, final grades, and so much more. This post will take you through how to use self-serve, what you can find on it, and tips and tricks for efficient navigation.

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Semester Highlights

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UP has so many fun activities and functions to attend and involve yourself in. Not only will they keep you busy, but they will always give you something to look forward to as well. Below are just a few of Mackenzie’s, one of our student office assistants, highlights of her favorite things that went on around campus last year.

 

1. Club Fair

The club fair takes place on the first Friday of the semester. You will definitely not want to miss this! It takes place in Beauchamp, where every club on campus has an info table set up. Even if you are just interested but not sure if you want to commit to becoming a member of the club, you can write down your email at the info tables if you just want some more information. There were clubs that I did not even know existed that we have at UP! Also, if you are interested in trying out for a club sport, all of the information for these are at the club fair, too. Bring a friend and attend! At least last year, they had an italian soda table set up as well as an assortment of free candy, stickers, and clothing at almost every table.

 

2. Riverboat

Riverboat is also held on the first Friday of the semester in the evening. This was probably one of my favorite activities put on by UP last year. Riverboat is a festival held on Franz River Campus which is about a 10 minute walk from the academic quad. The super cool part was that it starts after the home soccer game that takes place the same night, so the Villa Drum Squad leads everyone down to the festival. It was a neat way that the UP community came together and celebrated the beginning of the semester together.

I am confident when I say that everyone will be able to find something they enjoy at Riverboat! I spent most of my time dancing the night away with my friends on the dance floor with the DJ, but there is so much more to do than just dancing! Fair rides, henna tattoos, food trucks, and a photo booth are the other activities at last year’s Riverboat Festival. I would assume that these are pretty consistent every year. The first week back after a break can be an adjustment for everyone, not just freshmen, so this is a great way to take a break from your studies and get together with your friends to celebrate a new school year. Another perk of Riverboat – it’s FREE!

 

3. Hall Retreat

If you are living in the dorms this coming year, I 100% recommend signing up and attending your hall retreat. I think the only fee was for retreat shirts, which was only $15, and the hall staff are more than happy to accommodate you if you cannot pay this fee. Almost the entire retreat was reflective activities, as well as getting to know those who live in your dorm. Having no religious affiliation or background is not an excuse to not attend! I do identify as Roman Catholic, but my roommate, Livia, has no religious affiliation and still had a fantastic experience.

The retreat is two nights, but you’ll leave Friday evening and return Sunday morning, so don’t worry too much about not having homework time. It was honestly a great way to get away from the stresses of school. I remember I had my first two college exams that week in chemistry and statistics, so the retreat was a great way to end an overwhelming week. As a bonus, the retreat was held at such a beautiful location — it had a stunning view (as you can see in the pictures below).

Obviously every dorm’s retreat is going to vary in structure and they will probably change a little bit from year to year, but I’d love to give a brief overview of what I remember from my experience. We arrived on Friday evening and had dinner, and then heard a talk lead by a student ambassador in our dorm, with a small group session to follow. We then spent the rest of the evening hanging out with each other in the common area and just listening to music. On Saturday, we woke up early and went on a sunrise walk which was super beautiful and very calming. We heard more talks from student ambassadors and had more small group sessions throughout the day, as well as went on a reflective walk with the hall staff and hall priest. We had a short mass that evening as well. On Sunday, we pretty much did closing activities and then made our way back to UP. Going on this retreat honestly helped in my adjustment to UP as well. Leaving for the weekend made coming back feel more like “home.”

Mackenzie (right) pictured with her roommate Livia (left) and their two new friends made on the retreat, Madison and Emily (middle left & middle right).

The attendees of the Fields Hall 2018 retreat.

4. Hall Council/Hall Events

Hall Council is typically held once a week for your dorm, and is lead by older students who live in the dorm as well as some of your hall staff. My roommate and I decided to attend the first one of the year so that we could meet new people and try to get involved in our hall. We both ended up running for positions on Hall Council, where I was elected 1st Floor Representative and my roommate was elected Event Coordinator. We got to do some pretty fun things in these roles, such as help plan our Big Little Tea, Winter Formal, Mom’s Weekend and a few other larger events along with smaller events for the dorm. I highly recommend attending these meetings even if you don’t want to hold a role on Hall Council because it’s a great way to get involved in your dorm and get to share your ideas!

As far as hall events are concerned — attend them! They are a lot of fun and a lot of work is put into them through the members of Hall Council. Mom’s Weekend was probably my favorite hall event of last year. It was unique to the dorm I lived in, Fields, but my mom and I had so much fun and it was definitely a weekend to remember. It’s also really neat to attend the events that you help plan on Hall Council because you get to see how you and your fellow Hall Council members’ work pays off.

 

5. Hall Mass

Hall Mass is another dorm-related activity in which you can go and have no religious affiliation whatsoever. From my personal experience, everyone has their own and unique reasons for attending Hall Mass. It is a Catholic mass, but some people go for personal reflection, a calming activity, or other reasons. Fields’ mass was held every Monday at 9:15pm, and was just a great way to end a stressful Monday back in classes for me. It became routine for me and my roommate to go together. People will literally go in their pajamas and slippers and it’s just a great community experience! I became a Eucharistic Minister for hall masses which I thoroughly enjoyed as it provided me an opportunity to grow deeper in my faith and to have a better understanding of the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Following mass is the after-mass social! This is held usually in the lobby of the dorm and is also a great way to catch up with your friends and dorm neighbors and eat some yummy food. Even if you don’t attend mass, you are still more than welcome to attend the social! Last year, I remember they had nachos for us one night, and even ice cream sundaes another night. I met people through Hall Mass and the socials that I’m still friends with to this day. I highly recommend giving it a try!

 

6. Intramurals

Definitely get yourself involved in intramural sports! I’m sure they are all super fun, but I personally especially enjoy the sports offered during fall semester. All of the sports that I participated in were co-rec — beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, and basketball. It’s completely accessible in that you can get a group together and create a team, go in with a friend, or even by yourself. You can also pick what division you are in so you can either play competitively or just for fun. My beach volleyball team actually ended up making it to the finals in the playoffs!

I had completely different experiences with the three sports, and that is the beauty of intramurals! We took beach volleyball super seriously, but basketball we just messed around and had a lot of fun (and lost every game!). Indoor volleyball was somewhere in between. You can make of intramurals whatever you want to make of them. I recommend trying at least one during your freshman year!

Mackenzie (front right) with her intramural beach volleyball team before the final playoff game.

 

7. Fall & Spring Dances

UP puts on two dances throughout the school year that are held off campus. One is first semester, and is usually Halloween themed I believe. I could not attend this one because I had to go home that weekend, but I attended the second semester dance. This one rotates themes, but this year was “Dance of the Decades.” This is a super fun event to attend with friends! Dress up for the theme and go all out on the dance floor. Tickets are fairly inexpensive too — I want to say they were $10. UP even provides transportation through buses so you don’t even have to drive or pay for an uber there. Even if dances aren’t your thing, still attend — there are usually tables set up with some food, and a photo booth too!

 

8. Soccer Games

Soccer games are some of the most fun events to attend in the fall. When I decided to attend UP, I was disappointed that the school did not have a football team, but soccer is pretty much the heart of this school as far as sports are concerned. Led by the Villa Drum Squad, the student section is always packed and yelling out fun cheers. People will go all out in their purple and white pilot gear, and some people will even paint up their bodies. These are always a great time with friends, especially the Friday night home games! I wasn’t able to attend, but last year our men’s team made playoffs and played UCLA at home. The game was packed and looked like so much fun — I was disappointed I couldn’t go! Grab your friends, deck yourself out in purple and white, and go cheer on our men’s and women’s soccer teams this fall!

 

9. Pilots After Dark

Pilots After Dark is held every Friday and Saturday, from about 9pm-1am I believe. It is held in the Pilot House, and is just different activities that occur every weekend. There were bingo nights, karaoke nights, and I even think some nights with some live music. My favorite Pilots After Dark was the Shipstad (a dorm on campus) Talent Show. There were a lot of amazing acts as well as so many funny ones! This is your ideal weekend hangout if you’re looking for a chill evening, but don’t want to sit around in your dorm room. I think I showed up in sweats and a sweatshirt every time I went! Grab your friends and hit up Pilots After Dark.

 

10. Christmas Tree Lighting

I actually wasn’t able to attend this, but my friends said it was a lot of fun! It is held the Sunday at the end of Thanksgiving break, and one of the large trees on campus gets its lights turned on. I believe there was a photo booth there as well. I couldn’t attend because I returned so late from break that evening, but it’ll definitely be something I attend this year.

Also around this time, I want to say it was for a week or 2, someone was dressed up as Santa Claus outside of Franz! People could take pictures with him, and it was just kind of a fun, silly thing that they had going on on campus. Personally, Christmas time just reminds me of home because it’s such a family-oriented holiday, so having these fun little Christmas activities during the season made UP feel even more like home to me.

 

11. Christmas Festival

I don’t remember the exact name of this event, but it was held on the quiet side of the commons right before Christmas break. They had a walk-in snow globe, lots (and I mean lots!) of good Christmas desserts, and even had a build-a-bear type station! Outside, they had actual, living reindeer which was super neat, as well as a campfire going. And, as a bonus, this was all free. It was right before finals which was a pretty stressful time for me (as well as everyone else), so it was a much-needed study break where we got to relive our childhood years through making our own stuffed animals!

Mackenzie (middle right) along with her friends after the Christmas Festival.

Mackenzie (right) with her two friends in the walk-in snow globe.

 

12. Dorm Formal

I believe most, if not every dorm, has a Winter Formal in December. This is put on by Hall Council, and is usually with your neighboring dorm if your dorm is not co-ed. For example, Fields’ formal was combined with Schoenfeldt’s. It’s a great excuse to dress up for the occasion and hang out with your friends. I believe this requested a donation of meal points, but could be accommodated if you were running low. This was another event held prior to finals, and was a good way to take your mind off of your upcoming exams for a bit.

 

13. Rock the Bluff

This event takes place during second semester in either March or April. It is where they host a concert on campus at the Chiles Center! This year, the artist was Quinn XCII. I couldn’t go because that was mom’s weekend for my dorm, and my mom and I were already going to another concert. I heard it was a blast though, with festivities outside all day leading up to the concert. Plus, this is FREE for all students, as long as you can obtain a ticket! It is an awesome chance to get to see super popular artists at a smaller venue, and for free. Again – a fun spring event to attend with friends!

 

14. Baseball Games

Baseball games are my favorite sport to attend in the spring! Although I only went to a few, they were always a fun time in the sun. They even had some themed games, such as “bark in the park” where people actually brought their dogs. This game was right before finals so it was great puppy therapy to relieve some stress. Grab a blanket, some cracker jacks, and your friends and head out to support Pilot baseball!

 

15. Anchors Away

This is another event I wasn’t able to attend due to moving out, but this is held after the last day of finals during second semester. It is essentially “camp” (except it’s not overnight — only a few hours) outside by the quiet side of the Commons. They had a BBQ I believe, as well as a campfire and s’mores. It’s a great way to celebrate summer one last time with your friends before everyone goes their separate ways until the fall!

 

Thanks, Mackenzie! If you have any questions about any of these events or other events that take place on campus, send us an email at cas@up.edu

The College Essentials: Everything You’ll Find Beneficial here at UP!

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Of course, everyone has their own personal items that they’re going to bring to college with them because they can’t live without them. Mackenzie (’22) has put together her list of things that she can’t do without during the school year. Maybe this will inspire you to bring these things too, or to think about what your “college essentials” are!

1. Coffee

Coffee is obviously number one on my list! Wow, I can’t imagine what my days would be like without my morning java. Coffee is the ultimate college-kid beverage. Or, I guess, energy drinks, if that’s your thing. I’m more of a simple, black coffee kind of gal. There were even a few nights where I had coffee or an espresso drink with dinner because I knew I still had hours ahead of me in the library. My coffee addiction is not something I am super proud of, but the caffeine is essential in the life of a college student!

2. Hydroflask or Water bottle

This is an absolute necessity in college. Your days will be full of classes, studying, and many activities that will require you to be on your A game! Hydration is the best possible way to improve energy, mood and to encourage your body to perform at its best. Any water bottle will work, but I personally prefer Hydroflasks, as they will keep your water cold for a long time! And I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say that cold water is far better than room temp water ?

3. Headphones

Again, headphones are an absolute staple item in college. I wear my headphones constantly — when I’m getting ready in the mornings, when I walk to and from class, while I study, while I eat meals (if I’m alone). So get your playlists ready, because you’ll be constantly listening to your jams!

4. A good pair of walking shoes!

It doesn’t matter if you live in the closest or farthest dorm from the academic quad on campus — you’ll be doing a lot of walking in college. I learned the hard way by wearing my converse almost every day at the beginning of the year – big mistake! You’ll want to change up what shoes you wear so you avoid blisters and such. I did tend to wear my nikes a lot due to the comfort factor.

North Portland Things To Do

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If you aren’t that familiar with Portland as you start your freshman year at UP; that’s okay! There’s a lot of the city to explore during your years on campus. One area of the city that you’ll probably become most acquainted with is North Portland—this is where UP is located! Also known as NoPo, this area of Portland has a lot to offer. It’s bordered by the Willamette and Columbia rivers, and the St. Johns neighborhood. North Portland also contains other neighborhoods, each with their own flair. UP is in the University Park neighborhood, and is surrounded by the St. Johns, Cathedral Park, Overlook, Portsmouth, and Arbor Lodge neighborhoods.

Here are some of our (the student office assistants here at CAS) favorite things to do near campus…

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Packing list for college – everything you must have (and not have!)

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What you’ll need to be sure to bring:

 

1. Photos

Photos, although seemingly simple, are a great way to not only decorate your dorm room, but to bring a piece of home with you to school. My closet and walls on my side of the room were covered with photos that I had developed of me with friends and family. It’s a good reminder of all of your support systems (as well as good memories) as you enter the new and exciting, yet daunting phase of your life.

2. Rain Gear

Coming from the Seattle area, I was pretty prepared for the rain that awaited me in Portland. I was ready to go with my rain jackets and rain boots. However, if you aren’t from an area that typically gets a lot of rain, make sure to check that you pack those things! You will not survive the fall, spring…or the winter…….or even the summer, without your rain gear here in Portland.

3. Sweats – and lots of comfy clothes

Your favorite pair of sweats will be a staple item in your wardrobe in college. As soon as I was done with my obligations for the day, such as classes, work, and other activities, I would change into my pair of over-sized Nike sweatpants and be cozy! You won’t want to forget these — they will probably be your most worn clothing item while at college!

4. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks!

You will want to load up on snacks for your dorm room before you start school (especially if you’re someone who likes to constantly eat throughout the day, like me). Luckily, if you have a meal plan, you’ll have Mac’s Market to buy snacks from, but it’s always good to stock up on your favorite bulk snacks before school begins. I brought my favorite crackers from Costco, some trail mix, and some protein bars to start me off. It’s useful to have these snacks because you never know when you’re going to need a study snack, get the midnight munchies, or just be too lazy to walk over to the market.

5. Slippers! (And fuzzy socks)

Slippers — another staple of the college wardrobe! I don’t think I would’ve survived freshman year without my slippers. They would come on as soon as I stepped foot into my dorm room. You don’t need to go buy the newest, most expensive pair of slippers, but get yourself something cozy to be able to slip on when your hanging out in your room! These are also nice to walk around your dorm in — whether you need to go pick up a package at the front desk, walk up to your friends room on the 4th floor, or go switch out your laundry — slippers are the comfiest and easiest shoe to wear!

6. Blankets

If you can’t already tell, I am a fan of comfort and coziness ? I think at one point I had four blankets at school with me at once. There’s never enough blankets in my opinion! Not only do I use these for extra insulation when the cold, winter months arrive, but I also like to use them when watching Netflix, or even doing homework. I have this one blanket that I brought from home that now is my favorite blanket — I can’t imagine not having it at school with me now! It also is a little piece of home that I got to bring with me.

7. Any type of poster/messages from friends and family at home

This is obviously optional, as many of these items mentioned are, but I personally enjoyed having these pieces of home. Like the photos, these posters and messages reminded me of special experiences and people in my life. Right above my bed, I hung a poster that I had received after giving a talk on a retreat my senior year of high school. It had the name of the talk on it, as well as messages from peers and teachers who were also present on the retreat surrounding it. I also had little memos and notes from my friends and family hung up above my bed and my desk as well. These may seem simple, but these are the items that you can look at when you’re having a bad day, are sad, or just down in the dumps, and make you feel a lot better.

 

Things you could probably go without:

 

1. Your whole closet

I know I’m not the only one who literally brought almost every article of clothing with me to school. I’m going to tell you right now — that is not necessary! Definitely bring what you think you’ll wear, but you’ll have the opportunity during Christmas break (and fall and Thanksgiving break, if you go home for those) to switch out clothes for the different seasons. You don’t need to bring all of your summer and winter clothes at one time. Plus, it’ll save you some space in your closet.

2. Excess of anything, really

When I was packing for school, I was worried about potentially running out of certain things (such as toothpaste, shampoo, etc.). However, it is super easy to restock on this type of stuff. Fred Meyer’s is just slightly over a mile away, so you could walk there to pick up these essential items. You can also restock on these items during breaks (depending on how far away you live). It really isn’t necessary to bring 3 of everything right at the beginning of the year.

3. Any type of large storage 

Coming from the girl that brought her entire wardrobe with her to school, I can still say that I did not need any extra storage (other than a small bin for shoes). I had my bed lofted to the first level, so just a bit higher than what your bed at home is probably at. My rule of thumb was that if the storage container can’t fit under my bed, it shouldn’t be in my room. You are sharing a single room with at least one other person (maybe even 2 or 3), so you should try to conserve as much space as possible.

How to Read your Schedule

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Either you just received your first college schedule (YAY), or you are a college student with lingering questions on how to read your “student detail schedule” on SelfServe. Either way, we are here to help. Here are a few tips to help you read your schedule with ease and expertise:

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“Work, Life….Balance?”: Mackenzie ’22

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Mackenzie (‘22, Mill Creek, WA) is a rising sophomore at the University of Portland. She will be answering some frequently asked questions that incoming students may have in regards to having a job in college, as well as sharing a few words regarding her experience of working on-campus during her first year of college.

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