All UP faculty, staff and students are invited to discuss this year’s ReadUP selection, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, in a final discussion group facilitated by Fr. Charlie Gordon, C.S.C., on Thursday, February 22, from noon to 1 p.m., in the Library Conference Room. Philosophy professor Thompson Faller, beloved retired member of our UP community, will join the conversation to add his knowledge of medical ethics. Light refreshments will be served; participants are encouraged to bring their lunch if desired. For a complete schedule of events related to ReadUP and author Rebecca Skloot’s visit to campus, please visit up.edu/readup. Questions about the book discussion can be directed to Fr. Charlie (gordon@up.edu) or Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) in the Garaventa Center.
Need a little cheer from the winter gloom? Join the Garaventa Center for the next Thirst Friday celebration on Friday, February 9, from 4-6 p.m., in Franz Hall room 330 for generous snacks and libations and great conversation. And don’t miss our themed tasting menu: “Kicks from Route 66: Great Gas Station Food.” An oxymoron? Come find out! Open to all UP faculty and staff, and extra treats for bringing along someone who’s never been before.
One dimension of religious practice that Catholics share with our Jewish brothers and sisters is an emphasis on the importance of the community in the daily living of faith. In many strands of Judaism, it’s important to have a minyan gathered to offer daily prayers. A minyan is a quorum of ten men (or in many communities, women and men) gathered to share the prayers of the day. Some Jewish members of the UP community have expressed interest in being part of a minyan to pray together with during the work day, but weren’t sure where to start. If you would like to be part of an inclusive minyan (i.e. no gender barriers), please contact Jericho Knight (
As Commencement weekend nears, the Provost’s Office has provided important information for faculty and staff as the UP community prepares for this important academic event. All are invited to visit the 
UP theology students Ally Liedtke and Niko Strom with Professor David Turnbloom offer the latest installment in the “Why Theology Needs…” series from the Beckman Humor Project on Tuesday, February 6 at 7:15 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons Dining Room. In their talk, Liedtke and Strom present a humorous look at what The Lord of the Rings fantasy phenomenon has to offer the field of theology. For ADA accommodations or more information: 
The Garaventa Center invites you to a free talk by acclaimed theater critic Graydon Royce, “Writing About the Arts: Going Beyond ‘Great!’ or ‘Lousy!’” on Wednesday, January 31, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. In his talk, Royce will explore how we can restore arts criticism from passing snarky judgement to its own true insightful form of art. For ADA accommodations or more information, visit the 
With the start of a new year, human resources reminds all benefited employees to remember to keep beneficiaries up to date on their employer/employee plans. For those who are contributing or receiving employer contributions to a TIAA retirement plan, log in to your account profile at 
All employees who participated in a 2017 Flexible Spending Account plan with Discovery Benefits have until March 30, 2018 to submit claims for expenses incurred in 2017. Please see the 
In this week’s Teaching and Learning Collaborative “TLC from the TLC” story, psychology professor Andrew Guest posits: “Anyone paying attention to higher education in recent years is well aware of two pressing issues on regular repeat: changing perceptions of student mental health needs, and the need to better attend to diversity and inclusion. But how might those two issues intersect? How might an equity lens inform the way academics, and academic institutions, think about student mental health?” For thoughts on these questions drawing on a recent national framework for “Equity in Mental Health” see the latest installment in the mental health series for the