All faculty and staff are welcome to take part in the 6th Annual National Alumni Board Poker Tournament on Friday, January 17, at 7:30 p.m., in the Chiles Center Hall of Fame Room. Entry for the Texas Hold-em tournament is $50, benefitting the NAB Scholarship Fund. Prizes include a tablet, gift cards, Pilots season tickets, and more. A buffet dinner with beverages is included, starting at 6:45 p.m. with snacks througout the evening. Limited buy-back entry fees are available. Please RSVP to alumni relations at alumni@up.edu or 7328.
01-13-2014
A FIRST For Engineering
On Saturday, January 4, the Shiley School of Engineering hosted the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Kickoff regional event in the Chiles Center. More than 800 high school students and teachers from Oregon and Southern Washington came to UP for the nationwide NASA telecast of the kickoff for this year’s competition. Moderators and volunteers for the event came from throughout the local technology industry. Engineering professor Debbie Munro participated in the formal program (as did engineering student Natalie Janson) and described the benefits of a UP engineering education. Students and teachers were also given tours of Shiley Hall.
Engineering dean Sharon Jones extends her thanks to all who made the event a resounding success, including engineering technician supervisor Allen Hansen and his staff, Bill Reed and the events staff, Dan Sandaal with information services, and athletics director Scott Leykam, who coordinated events in such as way as to allow the use of the Chiles Center during basketball season.
For more information on FIRST go to this link. For information on Saturday’s event contact Kim Spir, engineering, at 7314 or spir@up.edu.
Portland Magazine, Publications Win CASE Gold
The University’s quarterly Portland Magazine earned the following recognition in the 2014 CASE District VIII Communication Awards competition:
- Gold Award: Portland Magazine: The Education Issue, in the category “Magazine Special Issues.”
- Gold Award: “The Best Professor in the State of Oregon,” in the category “Writing: Editorial Shorts (published-print or web-editorial pieces, 1,000 words or less)
- Silver Award:”The Best Soccer Player in the World,” in the category “Writing: Editorial Shorts (published-print or web-editorial pieces, 1,000 words or less)
In addition, the following awards were announced for other publications by the marketing and communications office:
- Gold Award: “Faculty Report: University of Portland,” in the category “Visual Design: Design Improvement (Print or Identity)”
- Silver Award: “University of Portland: Campus Experience,” in the category “Visual Design: Multi-Page Print Design”
- Bronze Award: “UP: Campus & Academic Experience,” in the category “Alumni and Student Communications: Viewbooks and Prospective Student Publications”
The awards will be presented at the CASE District VIII Conference in Vancouver, B.C., February 12-14. For more information contact editor Brian Doyle, marketing and communications, at 7202 or bdoyle@up.edu, or Rachel Barry-Arquit, marketing and communications, at 7202 or rbarry@up.edu.
Competitive Pilot Accountants Win First Place Nationally
Four University of Portland students, under the team name Competitive Pilot Accountants, placed first in the national AICPA (American Institute of CPAs) Accounting Competition out of 145 teams. The University of Portland team, which won $10,000 its their first place finish, was one of three teams nationwide to be invited to Washington, D.C. as finalists for the competition. The other two schools joining the University of Portland were Santa Clara University and Southern Indiana University. Senior accounting majors Martin McMahon (captain), Ingrid Nelson, Michelle Siegal, and Tyler Desmarais represented UP as the Competitive Pilot Accountants.
The final competition, which was held Dec. 19-20, gave the top three teams, along with each team’s advisor, a trip to Washington, D.C., to present their case to an executive panel of judges. The University of Portland team passed the semifinal round by creating a video and having its accompanying spreadsheets and memo critiqued by the competition’s judges. There was also a public vote, which consisted of 10% of the team’s score. The UP team received 718 votes from the public.
For the fourth annual competition, a total of 145 teams analyzed a specific problem and prepared a written solution. The scenario involved a fictional 24-year old who has come up with an idea for a mobile app focused on live music shows. The collegiate teams helped take control of his finances and plan to pay off his debt quickly. After analyzing different scenarios, the team presented its findings through a written recommendation. The UP team must now complete additional work and present a film based on its recommendation.
For more information, contact faculty advisor Ellen Lippman at 7268 or lippman@up.edu.
Expanded Sick Leave Availability
As of January 1, the University of Portland is extending sick leave to student employees and any faculty and staff members not previously covered, according to Eric Barger, controller. Student employees and hourly staff working less than half-time will now earn one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked (with a maximum bank of 80 hours). There is no change to the sick leave policy for staff employees working half-time or more. Similarly, there is no change to sick leave policy for regular faculty, except that they will now be able to record sick time and view leave balances in Banner Self-Serve. Adjunct faculty will be provided with sick leave each term based on the credit hours they teach and will also be able to record and view sick leave in Banner. More information and FAQs will be available through the controller’s office website soon. Questions should be directed to Barger at 7337 or barger@up.edu.
Bonnie Meltzer Exhibit, Jan. 13-Feb. 6
North Portland mixed media artist Bonnie Meltzer will show her work in the “Coal: Not in Any Back Yard” exhibit from January 13 to February 6 in the Buckley Center Gallery. Meltzer’s concern over proposed coal exports being routed through her North Portland neighborhood and Columbia River Gorge inspired her to create the works featured here. Additional artworks by painter Kelly Neidig and ceramist Thom Caccamo will be included as well. For more information contact Pat Bognar, performing and fine arts, at 7792 or bognar@up.edu.
2014 Flu Season In Full Swing
The H1N1 flu is circulating and hitting people hard this year in Oregon, striking many people, including healthy children and young adults. The season has started earlier than normal and is expected to continue for several months. By the end of December 2013 hospitals had admitted 81 patients with complications from the flu.
The illness typically lasts 5 to 7 days and it is recommended to limit contact with others to prevent spreading the infection. Symptoms start 1 to 4 days after the virus enters the body, which means you may be able to pass the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. This is a contagious respiratory virus and you will need to stay home from class, work, and activities while you recover. It is important to stay hydrated and rest long enough to allow your body to mount its own immune response, kill the virus, and prevent complications.
The good news is the H1N1 strain is included in the current flu vaccine. It is not too late to protect yourself and others by getting a flu shot. Please contact your health care provider or local pharmacy and receive your flu vaccine today to stay healthy. For more information go to http://tinyurl.com/pzxcokh.
Pilot Athletics Promotions
Faculty and staff can enter for the chance to win a scholarship of up to $1,000 for a child or grandchild courtesy of the Oregon College Savings Plan by visiting PortlandPilots.com/oregoncollegesavings. The winner will be chosen on Monday, January 20, so be sure to enter before then. The winner will be invited out to the men’s basketball game against BYU on Thursday, January 23, at 7 p.m.
Faculty and staff can also join the Pilots Texting Program for the chance to receive exclusive Pilots promotions and ticket specials. To join, text Pilots to 27299 and you will be subscribed to receive text message updates from the Pilots on promotions and other special events.
For more information contact athletics at 7117 or go to www.portlandpilots.com.
W-2 Time Once Again
It is W-2 time once again, and employees are asked to their addresses and social security numbers in the system and advise payroll of any changes that need to be made.
If you would like to receive your W-2 electronically, please log into self-serve. Go to Employee, Tax Forms, Electronic W-2 Consent. Click on the box that you consent to receive it electronically and click the submit button.
If you have already signed up for electronic W-2 delivery you do not need to do so again. You will receive an e-mail when they are available in the system, which will be sooner than the printed version. Paper W-2s will be mailed out by January 31.
For more information contact Debbie Schwartzkopf, payroll, at 8338 or schwartz@up.edu.
New Designated Smoking Areas
Beginning January 1, the University will have six designated smoking areas on campus. These six areas are located in easily accessible places on campus, and smoking will not be allowed outside of these six designated areas. See this campus map for the designated smoking area locations: http://tinyurl.com/mw85d22.
These new designated smoking areas were created in response to requests and concerns from the Presidential Advisory Committee on Health and Safety, the ASUP student government, and other members of the University community. Please respect others and use these areas as the sole smoking locations on campus.
For questions and comments, please contact Jeff Rook, public safety, at rook@up.edu.