News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.
Please join us for the annual HALLoween trick-or-treating night on Monday, October 31, from 5–7 p.m., sponsored by the Office of Residence Life. Children through sixth grade are invited to trick-or-treat through the University’s residence halls, a wonderful way for children and their families to enjoy Halloween in a safe and controlled environment. Resident students enjoy this fun opportunity to give and reach out to members of their neighboring community.
As we approach the midway point of the Fall term, it is time to think ahead to software needs for Spring. If you have any additional software you will need for your Spring courses that were not already made available for the Fall, please fill out our Software Request Form by the end of the day on Tuesday, November 22.
Questions? Please contact the Help Desk via email at help@up.edu.
Diversity and Inclusion Programs is issuing a call for submissions to its digital ofrenda for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The digital ofrenda will be displayed on November 1 and November 2 to celebrate the lives and legacies of loved ones who have passed away. The deadline to submit a photo and name of deceased loved ones is October 26. Submissions can be made through this link.
For ADA accommodations, questions, or concerns, please contact dip@up.edu.
University of Portland President Robert Kelly has been selected by the Aspen Institute as a Senior Impact Fellow. The Impact Fellowship brings together more than 90 community stakeholders in the U.S.—college presidents, senior leaders, educators and youth—“ in a movement to advance the future of youth leadership development.”
The Aspen Index Impact Fellowship aims to expose more than 50 percent of youth under the age of 25 to high-quality leadership programs over the next five years. As a Senior Impact Fellow, Kelly will offer expertise and strategies to accelerate access to, and quality of, youth leadership programs nationwide.
“My passion for a career in higher education was ignited by a wonderful array of college mentors who invested in my own leadership development along the way,” says Kelly, who made history with his appointment as UP’s first lay president. “I am honored to serve alongside a distinguished group of Impact Fellows to advance such a vital initiative. I believe if you’re a leader anywhere, you should devote yourself to developing young leaders everywhere.”
To learn more about the Aspen Index Impact Fellowship and The Aspen Institute—a global nonprofit committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society—visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
As we approach the halfway point of the semester it’s a great time for Zoom updates! Check out the October Techtalk Blog Post for more information and useful tools.
The Priests and Brothers of Holy Cross would like to invite all faculty and staff to have lunch in the Holy Cross Dining Room (HCDR). Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. daily and the cost is $10.00. This includes a full buffet of two entrees, a salad bar, dessert, and drinks. HCDR is located in the hallway through the double doors on the west side of the Commons. Please come and share a meal with the religious and your colleagues here at UP.
For more information you can contact Liz Cole colee@up.edu.
The UP Writing Center—a terrific peer-tutoring resource that can support student writers from any discipline—is open. Students can meet their Writing Assistant in person in the Learning Commons (BC 163) or online (via Zoom). We count on faculty to get the word out to students about this valuable resource, so please consider encouraging your students to seek us out. Our 22 Writing Assistants (WAs), representing 14 majors and all five UP colleges, can help writers from all disciplines, at all levels, and at any stage of the process, from brainstorming ideas, understanding assignments, outlining, to revising. Students can book appointments through our online scheduler and explore our website for writing-related resources.
Note that in addition to making appointments through the Writing Center, students can request a “Dedicated Writing Assistant” for regular meetings throughout the term and faculty may request a “Dedicated Class Assistant” to assist students from a particular class. Email (weiger@up.edu) for additional information.
One of the best means of getting students to bring their work-in-progress to the Writing Center is for faculty themselves to encourage them to do so (some professors require at least one visit; some give extra credit to students for using our services). When talking to your students about the UP Writing Center, you might keep in mind the following:
A highly effective way to familiarize your students with the Writing Center and to demonstrate your support for our services is to invite a Writing Assistant to drop into your classroom to give a 5–10-minute presentation during the first few weeks of the semester. Email our hotline writing@up.edu with the date, time, and place of the class you’d like a Writing Assistant to visit, and we’ll get back to you shortly.
UP no longer requires students in writing-embedded courses (English 112 and Philosophy 150) to purchase the Pocket Cengage Handbook, so if you’d like to refer your students to a reputable resource for issues of grammar, mechanics, and citation, we recommend the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL).
To foster student writing integrity at UP (i.e., find cases of plagiarism when they occur), consider using the Turnitin function through your class Moodle page. When creating the online assignment to which students will upload their papers, simply toggle on the “Turnitin” switch and papers will be automatically screened for plagiarized content.
Finally: My name is Sarah Weigler, and I am happy to be a point of contact on all writing-related matters this semester. Would you like a designated Writing Assistant to work with you and your students this term? Do you need insight on crafting better writing prompts? Help with strategies for evaluating student writing? I may not have all the answers, but feel free to try me: weiger@up.edu.
The UP Museum fills its narrow space of 30 by 60 feet with exhibits and displays double-stacked and packed. This month the Museum marks 30 years of preserving and displaying treasured pieces of University memorabilia. What began as a storage challenge has evolved from a one-room museum to a web-outreach that reaches a community of alumni & friends on campus and beyond. To learn about the Museum’s offerings, our post from Archives & Artifacts has it all: https://sites.up.edu/museum/up-museum-at-30/.
For more information, contact Carolyn Connolly, museum coordinator, museum@up.edu or 8038.
The Staff Senate Working Group is excited to announce the upcoming formation of the UP Staff Senate! We are seeking nominations for the inaugural seating of senators for the Staff Senate. The Staff Senate will work with University administration, advocating for staff in areas related to compensation, benefits, wellness, and workplace culture, and creating community building opportunities for staff through informal events and professional development.
The Staff Senate Working Group will be hosting information sessions for staff to learn about the Staff Senate and about serving as a senator. Learn how you can get involved by attending one of these sessions!
For those unable to attend one of these four sessions, the November 4 Zoom session will be recorded.
For context, we invite you to review the Representation and Bylaws documents. Please contact the Staff Senate Working Group at staffsenate@up.edu for more information or if you have any questions!
The Diversity Center will be open for our community after Fall Break! The Diversity Center will be open for communal use from 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on weekdays. For any meetings after 4:30 p.m., please place a reservation through EMS.
For questions or concerns, please contact oiedi@up.edu.