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Speech & Debate Union Earns Bronze Eagle Award

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SDUThe University of Portland Speech and Debate Union won a Bronze Eagle team trophy from the Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC) for the 2014-2015 academic year, according to Bohn Lattin, communication studies. The NFC is made up of speech and debate teams from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, and also includes some of the most prominent, award-winning, and well-funded teams in the nation.

Eagle team trophies are awarded based on a compilation of cumulative points earned during the year. Each individual debate and speech award won, each individual speaker award earned, and each individual platform trophy awarded is tabulated and goes toward a total team score. Team members are Karina Agbisit, communication studies; Lakshmi Biswas-Diener, communication studies; Arthur Hammer, business administration; Elizabeth Hartley, biology; Lisa Holm, communication studies; Patrick Johnson, education; Anna Murphy, political science; Alex Parini, political science; Edward Richter, political science; Chelsea Roberts, communication studies; and Katherine Wilson, political science. All are welcome to see the trophy located in a case outside the College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information contact Lattin at 7352 or lattin@up.edu.

–Story from UPBeat

UP Student Dominate At Sigma Xi Student Research Symposium

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Sigma XiNine UP students attended the Sigma Xi Columbia Willamette Chapter Student Research Symposium with three faculty sponsors (Elinor Sullivan, Tara Maginnis, and Christine Weilhoefer) on April 16th at Portland State University. The undergraduates competed under the categories of Biology, Biomedical Sciences and Earth and Environmental Sciences.  Below are the awards that University of Portland students won:

Biology
1st place – Taylor Rudow
2nd place – Clayton Steed and Ryan Kain
3rd place – Cassidy McCartney

Biomedical Sciences
1st place – Kellie Riper

Earth & Environmental Science
1st place – Jeff Fang
2nd place – Sarah Donohoe

Taylor Rudow, was also named one of the ten “Provost’s Initiative for Undergraduate Research” recipients for Spring, 2015.

–Story from Tara Maginnis

Kate Regan Film Festival celebrates beloved professor and student film talent

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Gabriella Riegos
Gabriella Riegos took home the award for ‘Best Narrative film’ as well as ‘Best in Show.’ Riegos film was a powerful piece about depression entitled ‘Reasoning with my depression.’ Photo by Kristen Garcia

On March 26, over 150 students, faculty and staff gathered in the Executive Boardroom of the Bauccio Commons, ate popcorn and candy, played games and celebrated film in honor of the late Spanish professor, Kate Regan.

The “Kate Regan Film Festival” gave members of the UP community an opportunity to submit their short films with the chance of winning a cash prize and watching their film be aired.

Honoring the late and great Kate Regan

Although the banners read “Second Annual Kate Regan Short Film Festival,” this was the first year that the festival donned the name “Kate Regan.”

In the previous year, the event was called CISGO DIGI-SHORTS Digital Storytelling Festival and it was coordinated by Regan herself.

The beloved professor had a vision of not only creating a stronger international awareness with short films but also informing faculty, staff and students of UP’s film resources.

When Regan passed away suddenly in July 2014, her close friends and colleagues worked to honor her legacy and to make the Digital Storytelling Festival bigger and better than the year before.

“Several organizations banded together to move her vision forward and make it really special,” Karen Eifler, co-director of the Garaventa Center and close friend of Regan, said. “We wanted to capture the excitement that Dr. Regan brought to the first one and really extend her vision of it as well.”

The Garaventa Center and several other participants succeeded in their goal to improve on Regan’s brainchild. Where as last year’s fest received five submissions of only international films, this year’s film fest received 33 submissions in all five categories. Those who submitted ranged from students, faculty and staff.

Eifler says that Regan would have been thrilled to see participation from staff as well as students.

“Kate and I had been collaborating on ways to use film not just for entertainment but for teaching, assessment and student learning.” Eifler said. “She brought so much energy to the first one. I really wanted to see that vision expanded.

Best in Show

Gabriela Riegos won both “Best Narrative” and “Best in Show” for her film “Reasoning with my Depression.”

Although Riegos was pleasantly surprised by the recognition for her work, she says that the purpose of her film, an internal conversation between her depression and herself spelled out in golden and foam letters, was to continue her art even in the emotionally difficult transition from high school to college.

“I noticed that when I would fall into a more depressive state of mind, I stopped making art, I’d lose that part of myself,” Riegos said. “So this was making me literally sit down and make a script. I want to make art. I forced myself to make art.”

Riegos walked around the UP campus with her Canon 70 D in one hand and a pile of letters in the other. She put together sentences of hope and positivity in golden letters, and countering ones sprouted from her depression in different colored foam letters.

She said the process was therapeutic. No one on campus questioned or bothered her. As she stacked the letters in different places on campus, she was able to peacefully give her inner struggles a voice.

Riegos stumbled upon the golden letters, that would later lead her to hope and a $1,000 cash prize, by accident.

While shopping for college supplies, she came across them in the teacher’s section and was inspired. Ever since, she knew she had to use them to make art in some way.

“Every time I opened my drawer where I keep my art stuff in my dorm I was like, ‘Ah, there are those letters again,’” Riegos said. “I knew I wanted to do something with them, something expressive with words. It was just the constant nagging of those letters.”

Expressing herself through film really did make a difference in Riegos’ mental state, so much so that she decided to make at least one film a semester.

“It got me restarted,” Riegos said. “I don’t how to describe it. It just turned me around for a little bit. Making art just makes me feel so much better.”

Although ultimately, Riegos makes her films for herself, she found that sharing them with others can be equally rewarding.

It was a slow process getting the word out about her film. She first showed it to her roommate, and then eventually shared it on the Facebook page of a Catholic retreat she had gone on previously.

All the feedback was positive, which gave Riegos confidence.

“I realized that people also feel this way and didn’t know that they felt this way. A lot of people reached out to me,” Riegos said. “I think that seeing people’s reactions is a part of the art too. Seeing that I can affect them.”

Once Riegos caught word of the “Kate Regan Film Festival,” her film felt like a perfect fit.

She submitted the film with no expectation to win “Best in Show” and $1,000 cash prize. In fact, her only current plan to spend the generous prize includes treating her roommates to Taco Bell.

“It was kind of an impulse thing,” Riegos said. “I was like why not, I have it. It’s exactly five minutes long. This is the universe telling me to do this and it worked out for me.”

The other winners

Eifler was astonished at the amount of quality and talent within the festival’s 33 submissions. She said what was most exciting was the variety of films.

Therefore, it came as no surprise that the overall winner, along with the winners in each category, were all beautifully-shot inspiring pieces of art.

Category winners include senior Cassie Sheridan in the documentary film category for “Life Aboard the ‘Sea Prince’,” freshman Hunter Crawford in the humor category for “Walk Through Video Games,” junior Jason Smith in the animation category for his 3D stop-motion film “Scorned by Fate,” and junior Thomas Dempsey, in the International category for his film “Nicaragua.”

Dempsey’s collection of photography from his travel abroad experience in Nicaragua last May struck a chord with the audience.

Dempsey says that ultimately story-telling was his driving force for making the film.

“We were in a small village, 50 people maybe. I just wanted to try and tell their story a little,” he said. “One thing I always tell people is I like photography so much because I’m not very good at storytelling. So having pictures always helps with that process.”

The reason Dempsey made the film initially was to find an interesting way to share his trip with friends and family, so when he heard about the film festival he was excited about the opportunity to share his work.

“I didn’t think any film festival would pop up where I could submit it,” Dempsey said. “To show it in a space like that with a bigger audience definitely was exciting for me.”

Kate Regan Film Fest: UP at its best

Category winners took home a cash prize of $250 each while the “Best in Show” winner took home an extra $750. Each winner was presented with a giant foam check.

These significant cash rewards are a result of a generous donor who loved Kate Regan and wanted to see the festival continue. Eifler says that this marks the overall theme of the festival: Generous community members working together to make something great.

“I think this is UP at its best,” Eifler said. “People taking an idea and making it truly awesome by bringing their gifts and talents to the table and being really generous with what they have.”

People from all over UP worked to make the festival happen. Campus Program Board donated popcorn and candy, and The Library’s Digital Lab offered workshops on how to edit films and lent out equipment.

Several Spanish professors also got involved. Lauren Gaskill, Spanish professor and Regan’s niece, put together a collection of Regan’s short films to display at the festival. Andrea Castanette emceed the program and there was also a Spanish professor on the board of judges.

“Anytime people from all over campus come together to make something happen, I think that’s worth celebrating,” Eifler said. “A lot of the time, we feel like we’re in our little silos, our little caves, but when we come out magical stuff happens.”

–Story from the Beacon by: Rachel Rippetoe

Dean’s Welcome: Spring 2015

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andrewsDear friends and colleagues of the College of Arts and Sciences,

As we enter more fully into what promises to be a spectacular spring 2015, I am reminded that much of what we do in the College helps our students learn how to learn.  With support from our alumni, faculty, and staff, we invite our undergraduate and graduate students to engage fully in the intellectual and social life of a Holy Cross education.  All of us are invited to raise perennial questions of faith and reason, of ethical concerns, and of meaning and practical wisdom about what the good life entails, that is, what the Greeks called “sophia.”  And we don’t stop with questions.  Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences teach many of the 39 credits that comprise the University’s Core Curriculum to every undergraduate student, regardless of one’s major or professional school discipline.  This ensures that every undergraduate student shares a common “U Portland experience” —  a unique and integrative multi-lens perspective through which students can critically experience the integration of faith, culture, science, humanities, and the arts.  Our commitment to the spiritual, ethical, and intellectual development of the whole person remains the heart or “core” of what we mean by a Catholic and Holy Cross liberal arts education in the College.

In the College of Arts and Sciences we strive to form men and women who will provide ethical leadership to the nation, who will offer hope to our world, and who will engage the joys and sufferings of our age through a faith that seeks justice.  For over a century the College of Arts and Sciences has remained a very special place in which to grow in body, mind, and heart.  We expect our graduates to respond effectively and compassionately to complex social, economic, and cultural issues and to have a capacity that envisions a more just world.

We will challenge you as never before to become an ethical leader in your family, local and regional community, professional field, and beyond.  We invite you to imagine how you might better promote the common good through the transformative power of human creativity, moral discernment, and love.

Whether studying here on the Bluff or at the University’s campus in Salzburg or in one of our other signature Study Abroad programs, you, too will come to experience what thousands of UP alumni already know: in the College of Arts and Sciences, the world is our classroom.

I am grateful that you are a part of our CAS community, and I invite you to explore our CAS News blog and let us know what you think.

Warm regards,

Michael F. Andrews, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
McNerney-Hanson University Endowed Chair in Ethics and
Professor of Philosophy

 

 

 

 

Newly Tenured & Promoted Faculty Members

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Congratulations to the following CAS faculty members who were recently notified of tenure and promotion to associate professor, effective July 1, 2015:

 

 Callendar Hannah Callender, Mathematics 
 DeLyser David De Lyser, Performing & Fine Arts 
 Fletcher Vail Fletcher, Communication Studies 
 Hill Alexandra Hill, International Languages & Cultures 
 Peterson Valerie Peterson, Mathematics 
 Rookey Bryan Rookey, Sociology & Social Work

 

CAS Welcomes New Faculty

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The College of Arts and Sciences is happy welcome six nine new CAS faculty members into the UP community.

aroraAarti B. Arora, Ph.D, Visiting Lecturer, Communication Studies   
Born and raised in India, Aarti B. Arora received her doctoral degree at the Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University, and earned her master’s degree in Communication Studies from Marshall University. She received her undergraduate degree in English Literature and Child Psychology from St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, and earned credits towards her undergraduate degree by attending Harvard Summer School at Harvard University. Her primary interest lies in uncovering what motivates people to choose complementary and alternative medicine and how culture and communication influence such choices.

 

Christina A. Astorga, Ph.D,Chair, Professor, Department of Theology
Christina A. Astorga previously taught at Gonzaga University. She was the first woman and layperson to serve as Chair of the Theology Department of the Ateneo de Manila-Loyola Schools, and completed her doctoral degree at the Loyola School of Theology in 1992. She did her post-doctoral study as a visiting scholar at Weston Jesuit School of Theology from 1996-1997, was a Fellow at the Jesuit Institute of Boston College in 2003, and at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in 2004. She was the Founding Director for the Center for the Study of Catholic Social Thought of Duquesne University from 2007-2011. Her second book, Catholic Moral Theology and Social Ethics: A New Method, received the 2014 College Theology Society Best Book Award. Astorga was the recipient of the National Outstanding Teacher Award in the Philippines in 2000.

GregoProfessor Mayry May, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, Psychological Sciences
After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Portland, Gregory May completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Pacific University’s School of Professional Psychology. May has been a professor since 2008, teaching undergraduate and graduate level psychology courses at both his alma maters. He has a clinical practice in Vancouver, Washington, specializing in traumatic stress response, relationships, psychoeducational and vocational assessment, and organizational consulting. His background in Montessori education provides the foundation for creating collaborative learning environments, fostering andragogical learning by placing an emphasis on experiential opportunities.

KullowatzMatthias Kullowatz, M.S., Visiting Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Matthias Kullowatz has taught mathematics and statistics at the University of Porltand, as well as at Portland State University, Washington State University, and the Portland Jewish academy. In the past five years, he has worked in various capacities with students ranging in age from three to 60 years old. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Lewis and Clark College and his master’s degree from Portland State University, where he taught as a graduate assistant. Matthias spends his free time playing sports and writing about statistical trends in sports. In 2013 he started a website dedicated to the analysis of Major League Soccer, and he thinks that Sporting Kansas City—not the Seattle Sounders—are the plurality favorites to repeat as MLS Cup Champions in 2014.

Professor McDaneldJen McDaneld, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, English
Jen McDaneld comes to the University of Portland from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. She holds a Ph.D. in American literature from UNC and a Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies from Duke University. Her research examines how narratives about the early U.S. women’s rights movement circulate in twentieth and twenty-first century American cultural discourse, with essays recently published and forthcoming in journals like Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Her current project explores first-wave feminist memoir as a way of theorizing the relationship between U.S. feminism and American literary history.

Professor MeiserJeffrey W. Meiser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Political Science
Before joining the Political Science Department at the University of Portland, Jeffrey W. Meiser was an Associate Professor at the College of International Security Affairs in the Regional and Analytical Studies Department and Director of the South and Central Asia Program. At CISA he has taught Methods of Analysis and Argumentation, Research Methods, American Way of War, Strategic Thought, and Frontline of Global War:  South Asia Since 1979. He previously taught courses on American foreign policy and energy and environmental security at the University of California, Santa Barbara, The Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Mannheim. Meiser’s book Power and Restraint:  The Rise of the United States, 1898-1941 will be published next year by Georgetown University Press. He grew up in Western Washington and is happy to be back in the Pacific Northwest after nine years of exile in Washington, DC.

Professor MurraySusan Murray, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biology
Susan Murray has been interested in the immune system since the summer following her junior year in college when she foreswore waitressing at Marc’s Big Boy Restaurant to take a job in an immunology laboratory at the University of Wisconsin. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, she obtained a Ph.D. from Oregon Health & Science University in 2002. Following a one-year hiatus as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Portland, Susan completed a post-doctoral fellowship at OHSU and went on to become a research assistant professor in the department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. During this time, she also taught immunology at the University of Portland as an adjunct faculty member. Susan is excited to be back at UP full-time as an assistant professor in the biology department. She maintains close contacts with her immunology colleagues at OHSU and is an affiliate member of the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology department there.

Proessor RothenfluchSruthi Rothenfluch, Ph.D, Visiting Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Sruthi Rothenfluch completed her doctoral degree at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln in 2011, and is a 2003 alumna. Before joining the Philosophy Department, she taught at Pacific University, Lewis and Clark College, and at the University of Portland as an adjunct professor. Her research interests lie primarily in epistemology and, more recently, neuroethics. Rothenfluch is a Portland native, living in the northwest with her husband and daughter, and is happy to have settled in Portland after stints in the mid-west and Washington state.

 

Prefessor WaltersValerie Walters, Ph.D., Instructor, Chemistry
A native of Michigan, Valerie Walters received her Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University. Since then she has taught chemistry at Lafayette College (where she was awarded tenure), Haverford College, Willamette University and, for the past two years, as an adjunct and visiting instructor at the University of Portland. She was the owner of a consulting business specializing in chemical education. After teaching for many years and fueled by an additional interest in chemical information, she earned an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Drexel University. She is a member of the American Chemical Society and the Special Library Association (Chemistry Division). She has lived on both coasts and in the Midwest, but loves the Pacific Northwest region most of all.

New Staff Members In CAS

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The Newest College of Arts and Sciences Staff! 

Kelly Brown

The College of Arts and Sciences welcomes Kelly Brown as the newest Office Manager for the departments of English and Performing & Fine Arts.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree right here on The Bluff in 2008, majoring in English and Drama.  Her interests outside of the office include reading, writing, and crafting.  Additionally, she sometimes moonlights as an actor and dialect coach for various theater companies around town.  As an alumna of both of the departments she currently serves, she finds incredible gratification in being able to give back to the programs that played such a huge part in shaping who she is, both professionally and personally.  Her former advisor, Dr. Genevieve Brassard is now the chair of the English department, so it’s especially rewarding for Kelly to be able to work so closely with her in a professional setting.  She is thrilled to be back on the bluff and would love for anyone to pop in and say hello—her office is located in BC 235 and she always has a jar of M&M’s well stocked!

Ryan H

Ryan Henley is the newest Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean for Students in the College of Arts and Sciences.  Ryan has come back to work for the University after earning his Undergraduate Degree on The Bluff.  Outside of work, Ryan’s interests include the outdoors, movies, and sports.  Ryan’s favorite part of his new position is the people that he has gotten the opportunity to work with since being back on campus.

Elizabeth O

Elizabeth Ostapeck is the College’s new Academic Internship Coordinator.  She majored in English at the University of Oregon and minored in French and Business.  While working in the Housing and Residence Life office at Portland State University, she earned her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy. Her final project focused on connecting experiences in a professional workplace with academic learning: what all internships aim to do!  Outside of coordinating academic internships here at the University of Portland, she plays volleyball in a women’s league with UP Assistant Volleyball Coach, Nellie Coleman.  She also plays on a kickball team.  When she is not on the court or field, she can be found reading, exploring the great outdoors of Oregon, or planning her upcoming wedding.  Her favorite part of being a part of the UP campus so far has been meeting individually with students to talk about their internship process.  Every student has different interests, amazing experiences, and various motivations for completing an internship, and she likes hearing each student’s story and being able to offer resources and support for their internship process. Her office is located on the 3rd floor in Buckley Center with the English and International Languages & Cultures faculty members.  On any given day, she can hear French spoken in the hallway and discussions on novels students are reading for class, which makes her feel right at home!

Andrea Z

Andrea Zajonc (pronounced science with a ‘z’) is the College of Arts & Sciences’ Budget Manager.  She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology and Political Science from the University of South Florida and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Arizona.  Her interests outside of work include photography, teaching yoga, hiking, traveling, and playing with her fluffy black border collie mix named Potter.  She is happy to be a part of the University and her favorite part of being here so far is the nice people she has met!

 

Meet The Student Advisory Members 2014-2015

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The Student Leadership & Advisory Council (SLAC) is composed of students representing each department in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Council meets approximately twice a semester to provide advice to the dean about the programs of the College and assist with projects.  SLAC welcomes the new 2014-2015 Advisory Council:

Bridget Sloat  Bridget Sloat: Biology
Haley Mukensnabl  Haley Mukensnabl: Performing & Fine Arts
Matthew Chavarria  Matthew Chavarria: Chemistry
Nathan Chatterton  Nathan Chatterton: Philosophy
Elizabeth Hjort  Elizabeth Hjort: Communication Studies
Martha Olson  Martha Olsen: Physics
Megan Leecher  Megan Lester: English
Elvia Gaona  Elvia Gaona: Political Science
Maggie Bruckner  Maggie Bruckner: Environmental Studies
Sierra Huitt  Sierra Huitt: History
Ryan Mealy  Ryan Mealy: Sociology & Social Work
Zack Hartman  Zach Hartman: International Languages & Cultures
Noah Banks  Noah Banks: Theology
Michelle Longtain  Michelle Longtain: Mathematics
Brett Bankson Brett Bankson: Psychological Sciences

Visit the SLAC website for more information

Inauguration of the 20th UP President, September 26

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Father Mark Poorman, 20th president of the UniversityRev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., will be inaugurated as University of Portland’s 20th president on September 26, 2014. The Inauguration Mass at 11:45 a.m. and the ceremony at 3 p.m. in the Chiles Center will cap two days of public celebration honoring the new president. All University of Portland community members are invited to celebrate this historic event.

Fr. Poorman was selected as the 20th president by the University of Portland Board of Regents in January 2014. He also served as executive vice president since 2011.

Inauguration events will include:

  • Faculty & Staff Reception, Wednesday, September 24, 2014, 3:30-5:30 p.m., The Bluff/Bauccio Commons.
  • Classes will be cancelled on Friday, September 26, after 11:15 a.m.
  • Inauguration Mass, 11:45 a.m., Chiles Center. All UP community members are welcome. Faculty members are expected to process in academic regalia’ please report to the Chiles Center as soon as possible after 11:15 a.m.
  • Inauguration Ceremony, 3 p.m., Chiles Center. All UP community members are welcome. Faculty will be expected to process in academic regalia; due to the large number of guests from UP and other institutions, faculty are to report to the Chiles Center by 2 p.m.
  • Inauguration Reception immediately following the Inauguration Ceremony, Chiles Center Plaza.

Please send RSVPs to Jamie Berger, university relations, by Monday, September 1.