Those interested in beginning their year with some new multimedia skills are encouraged to sign up for introductory workshops on Graphic Design, iMovie, Podcasting, Canva, and more. These online workshops run from February 9 through February 25 and are free and open to current students, faculty, and staff. Visit the Digital Lab’s site to see the detailed schedule and to register for a spot.
02-01-2021
Clark Library: Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, we invite you to visit our guide with resources about the history and accomplishments of African Americans in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields. Please use this guide to discover more about these pioneers through the Clark Library’s books, videos, and articles. Want us to add an item? Send suggestions to Heidi Senior.
Saint John’s Bible Moment of Beauty: The Last Judgment
Spend two minutes with this video of “The Last Judgment” illumination from The Saint John’s Bible, with original music composed by UP student Scott Kermode ’22.
A Better Kind of Politics: Towards Social and Political Charity, Feb. 2
Going online has made it possible for the Garaventa Center to partner with several similar centers across the US to share programming on the theme “A Better Kind of Politics: Towards Social and Political Charity.” The Cushwa Center at Notre Dame is kicking off this endeavor just days after the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden. All programs are free and open to all; most will require registration, including this one: A Catholic In the White House: The Biden Presidency in Historical Context will take place Tuesday, February 2 at 1 p.m.
For more details, please contact the Garaventa Center at garaventa@up.edu.
Mary Szybist and Jerry Harp: A Poetry Reading & Conversation, Feb. 10
Mary Szybist and Jerry Harp, two celebrated Portland writers and scholars who explore Catholic iconography and prayer traditions in their poetry will read from their work, answer questions, and pose a few questions of their own. Join the free Zoom webinar on Wednesday, February 10 at 5 p.m. using this link. This event is hosted by the Garaventa Center.
For more info, please go to Garaventa Center Events site or email garaventa@up.edu.
Faith & Intellectual Life Discussion Group, Feb. 19: All Welcome!
The Faith and Intellectual Life Discussion Group will have its only meeting of the spring semester on Friday February 19 3:30-5 p.m. on Zoom, according to Norah Martin, philosophy. The group will be discussing “Stewardship and the Roots of the Ecological Crisis” by Brian Henning, “Entering the Bardo” by Joanna Macy, and James Wright’s poem “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island Minnesota.” The readings and the Zoom link can be found on the Garaventa Center website. All faculty and staff are welcome to attend.
Ethics and Listening Webinar: Feb. 1
To kick-off Ethics Week 2021, please join the Dundon-Berchtold Institute on Monday, February 1 at 6 p.m. for a free Zoom webinar featuring a panel of professionals whose work involves the crucial, nuanced practice of listening. This conversation will feature Marjorie Attis-Josias, nursing; Fr. Pat Hannon, C.S.C. ’82, English & Pastoral Resident, Christie Hall; The Honorable Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain, United States Circuit Judge – Ninth Circuit; and UP regent Kay Toran ’64, President/CEO, Volunteers of America, Oregon. Details and registration information can be found at the Dundon-Berchtold Institute’s website for Ethics Week 2021 using this link.
Faculty: Please Promote the Writing Center in Your Classes!
The Writing Center is gearing up for another virtual semester of helping student writers at any stage of the writing process, at any level, and in any discipline, according to director Molly Hiro, English. The center’s 23 writing assistants (WAs) held hundreds of Zoom appointments last fall, and are ready to field that many more in Spring term. Students book appointments through the online scheduler (see our website at this link for more), and when their appointment time comes, meet face to face on Zoom with their writing assistants. Students can also email writing@up.edu to request an appointment time outside of our scheduled available times.
Faculty, please consider plugging the Writing Center in your classes and encouraging students to use our services. One of the best means of getting students to bring their work-in-progress to a Writing Center appointment 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:
- Our goal is not just to inspire better papers, but create better writers. This means we don’t “fix” papers; we work with students to improve their overall writing skills for this and future tasks.
- Writing assistance isn’t just for students with major grammar or mechanical problems. Instead, we focus on higher-order concepts such as argument, organization, development, and other areas. Even accomplished writers can make progress on their work in a half-hour session.
- While our Writing Assistants represent most majors as well as the professional schools, they are trained in a semester-long course to work with students from any discipline.
- When a student meets with a Writing Assistant to discuss a paper for your course, you’ll get a copy of the conference report—a brief summary of what the student and Writing Assistant worked on (This is an easy way of keeping track of who visited the WC for assigning extra credit, e.g.).
- An 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 in to your online classroom to give a 5-10 minute presentation during the first few weeks of the semester. Email our hotline at writing@up.edu with the day and time of the class you’d like a Writing Assistant to visit and we’ll get back to you shortly.
- Lastly, remember that all Moodle pages have a link to the Writing Center—see the top left corner, under “Learning Resources.”
The Writing Center website also includes other writing-related resources for faculty. Here you can find information about using the Turnitin function through your class Moodle page to help you detect cases of plagiarism and foster student writing integrity.
As the director of the Writing Program and the Writing Center, Hiro is happy to be a point of contact on all writing-related matters this semester. Need insight on crafting better writing prompts? Resources for integrating writing instruction into your class-time? Help with language to use when evaluating student writing? She may not have all the answers, but feel free to contact her any time at hiro@up.edu.
Summer Internship Opportunities for Students: Applications Due February 12
The Ethics and the Professions Internship program offers six UP students a dedicated 8-week summer internship experience, working and learning alongside professionals in public and private sectors across the greater Portland and Vancouver areas and beyond, according to Dundon-Berchtold Institute director Dan McGinty. As interns learn about the elements that make up the work of these organizations, this program grants access for interns to explore how ethics guide, frame, and challenge professionals in the work they do. Under the guidance of their internship supervisor, each intern meets regularly throughout the eight weeks with different members of their placement organization for 1:1 conversations about organizational mission, personal vocations, and the roles that ethics play in the pursuit of a coherent morality. Contact McGinty (mcgintyd@up.edu) with questions.
Nominate Students For 2021 Gerhardt Award
The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations is accepting nominations for the 2021 Thomas A. Gerhardt Award for Student Leadership. Criteria for selection include:
- Student must be a graduating senior;
- Student must have demonstrated leadership throughout his/her/their undergraduate career;
- Student must demonstrate consistent dedication to the University and the community through service to God and neighbor.
Nominations are due by Monday, February 25. Complete a nomination form here.
For more information contact Fr. Ed Obermiller, C.S.C., interim director of alumni & parent relations, at obermill@up.edu.