UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Diversity & Inclusion

DEI Assessment Survey

In response to the April 2021 Board of Regents Recommendations on DEI matters at UP, the University has engaged with Dr. Liz Ortiz, Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity at DePaul University. Dr. Ortiz met with several campus stakeholders (students, staff, faculty, and administration) last week (November 17-19). Following her visit, Dr. Ortiz’s assessment will be essential to enhancing and improving our DEI efforts as they align with our Mission. If you would like to add written responses anonymously to Dr. Ortiz, please complete this survey by December 1, 2021. Dr. Ortiz will anonymize the notes from her meetings and this survey before sharing the findings from her review with the University next year.

International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Office of International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion is excited to invite staff and faculty to a DEI Framing Event on Thursday, August 5, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. This event will be aimed at gaining familiarity with a DEI framework to apply in your work sphere, pairing colleagues for communication on personal progress, and inviting all to ongoing office hours and community check-in. If you plan to attend, the Zoom link can be found here. Email oiedi@up.edu for further information, with questions, or to request accommodation. Updates will be posted on our site here.

Join OIEDI for their Summer 2021 Community Conversation Series

Thank you to all who joined us for Part 1 of our Summer 21 Community Conversations. We are looking forward to Part 2: the Story Circle. No preparation or RSVP is necessary, simply email oiedi@up.edu or visit the this page in Pilots UP for the Zoom link to access the June 24 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. conversation where we will hear from each other about “a time someone unexpected influenced you”.

A little information about Story Circles:

  • Foundation of Story Circles: We are all interconnected through human rights. Each person has inherent dignity and worth.<RESPECT AND OPENNESS>
  • In addition to the two presuppositions, it is important to remember that: a) Every person has personal experience that can be shared . b) We all have something to learn from others . c) Listening for understanding is transformational
  • Goal: Community development – diverse community citizens (of different ages, gender, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, etc.) come together to share their stories so as to create bonds and build relationships across generations, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds.

We hope you will join us and invite others from our UP community to join. We are looking forward to this opportunity to learn from and about each other!

Please email questions, suggestions, or other feedback to oiedi@up.edu.

Celebrating QTBIPOC (LGBTQIA and/or BIPOC) Seniors, May 5: Sign Up Now!

Diversity and inclusion programs (DIP) would appreciate your support as we celebrate seniors who identify as QTBIPOC (LGBTQIA+ and/or BIPOC) on Wednesday, May 5, from 6:00 to 7 p.m.

Soon it will be possible to RSVP on Engage, and in the meantime please help us spread the word by sharing the form below with classes and student networks. We are using this form so we can feature seniors’ accomplishments and time at UP. We’re gathering graduating students, as well as staff and faculty to celebrate our accomplishments over our time at UP. The deadline to submit responses is Monday, April 19.

Here is the link to the form: QTBIPOC Graduation Celebration.

We recognize that there may be some concerns as to why DIP is not hosting individualized graduation ceremonies for different identities on our campus. We know that QTBIPOC experiences are not the same for everyone, and while we one day hope to host graduation celebrations for all affinity groups, we do want to highlight the intersectionality of identities on our campus. We also want to recognize the collective power many graduating seniors and other students and supporters used to fight for change amidst the Black Lives Matter movement over this past year. We also recognize that some communities have larger numbers than others, and some more individualized celebrations would be very small. The last issue is DIP’s capacity and numbers; we simply do not have the numbers in our staff to host multiple graduation ceremonies. However, we hope to one day celebrate everyone’s accomplishments with separate ceremonies.

For more information reach out to Rebecca Seibert at seibert@up.edu or Yuri at hernandy@up.edu.

Title IX Advisory Meeting, April 26, 11 a.m.

All members of the UP community are invited to join the Title IX Advisory Committee and attend our meetings on Mondays at 11 a.m. this spring. Title IX Advisory Committee Meetings for Spring will take place at the following times on Zoom (https://uportland.zoom.us/j/97562343235). Our remaining meeting takes place on Monday, April 26, at 11 a.m.

If you aren’t able to make the Monday morning meetings you can stay in the loop about meeting discussion topics by checking out the meeting minutes available on the Title IX website, https://www.up.edu/titleix/titleixupdates.html.

Regardless of your ability to attend the Monday morning meetings, you’re invited to join a subcommittee to work toward positive change. Subcommittees focus on a particular need identified for our community and work towards their goals and meet outside of the main Title IX Advisory Committee meeting.

  • Cultural Change and Education Committee
  • Student Advocacy Program Committee
  • Non-UP Confidential Resource Program Committee

Please email titleix@up.edu if you are interested in joining a subcommittee. Contact Sarah Meiser, human resources, at 8484 or meiser@up.edu for more information.

New UP Emotional Resilience Working Group: You’re Invited!

Rachel Wheeler, theology, invites all UP community members to join in forming an emotional resilience working group beginning June 2021 and running through May 2022. Forming such a group means willingness to grow and support the growth of others, a time commitment of 2 hours/month for meetings, and creating and sustaining together a confidential and safe space for meeting. For more information or to express desire to form such a group, email Wheeler at wheelerr@up.edu.

Supporting Holy Month of Ramadan

As the holy season of Ramadan approaches, please be mindful that members of our community will be observing this time of fasting and reflection. On UP’s inclusion site you can find resources to assist us each as we integrate support into our classes and services, as well as tips for students who are navigating exams during Ramadan. We are also excited to share this invitation to a free webinar hosted by Alliant International University and Oregon State University on Tuesday, April 13 at 4 pm entitled “Ramadan On-Campus, Higher Education Webinar on Best Practices to Support Muslim Students.” Observing students seeking accommodations should consult with their faculty members.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to oiedi@up.edu with further questions or suggestions as to how we might improve our support systems.

Asian American/Pacific Islander Email Listserve Now Available

All University employees who self-identify as Asian American/Pacific Islander (adjunct, faculty, staff, administration, etc.) are invited to contact Aimee Davidse (davidse@up.edu) and Elisa Majors at (majorse@up.edu). This group has an email list serve so all members can stay in contact, organize events, and share trainings and resources. Overall the mission is to remain committed to our community as well as to thrive and celebrate our diverse cultures. 

For any questions or ADA accommodations please contact Davidse and Majors.

¿Que Pasa Con DACA? Moving Forward and Ways to Advocate, March 24

Please join Diversity and Inclusion Programs (DIP) as they host non-profit Immigrants Rising as they facilitate a conversation and information workshop on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The conversation will take place on Wednesday, March 24 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. over Zoom.

In this session you will learn of the origins of DACA, the political attacks on the program, where the program is today, and how to advocate alongside the undocumented and DACAmented population. Great session for anyone staff, faculty, and students. All are levels of understanding are welcome.

For more information, please go to the Engage event page. For ADA accommodations, please contact Yuri Hernández Osorio, Diversity and Inclusion Programs, at hernandy@up.edu.