• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

  • Home
  • Academics
  • Athletics
  • Campus Services
  • Events
  • Human Resources
  • University Relations

08-24-2020

Find COVID-19 Prevention Resources and Information on the Pilots Prevent Website

September 4, 2020

wellness icons including handwashing, physical distancing,face mask, thermometer, tissues, and cleaning solution

Pilots Prevent is the University’s health initiative that provides resources and information to keep our campus community healthy and safe. Visit the new Pilots Prevent website to learn more about COVID-19 related health and safety practices, find out tips for optimizing health, access downloadable resources, and discover how we can all do our part to care for the health of our communities. “Together, as Pilots, we share the responsibility to help cultivate safe and healthy environments on our campus and in our communities,” says Megan Cohara, health center.

For more information, contact the Office of Wellness & Prevention, wellness@up.edu.

Filed Under: 08-17-2020, 08-24-2020, 08-31-2020, 09-07-2020, Health Center Tagged With: Coronavirus Outbreak, Pilots Prevent

“Trust Black Women: The Importance of Black Women in U.S. Politics” by Brittney Cooper, Sept. 4

August 28, 2020

The College of Arts and Sciences’ Public Research Fellows program will present a talk by Brittney Cooper, “Trust Black Women: The Importance of Black Women in U.S. Politics,” on Friday, September 4, at 3:30 p.m, as part of the Public Research Fellows 2020-2021 Virtual Series. ​Cooper’s talk was postponed from its original March date, and in keeping with COVID-19 safety protocols, will take place via Zoom. To attend, use this link.

Cooper will explore the struggle for Black women’s suffrage and the historical role of Black women’s vote, making the case for why there is no progressive politics in America without Black women.

As an associate professor at Rutgers, Cooper studies and teaches Black Women’s Intellectual History, Black Feminist Thought, Hip Hop Feminisms, Hip Hop Studies, Race and Gender Representation in Popular Culture, Digital Feminisms, and New Media. ​She is co-editor of The Crunk Feminist Collection (The Feminist Press 2017). and author of Beyond Respectability: The Intellectual Thought of Race Women (May 2017) and Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower (February 2018).

Sponsors include the College of Arts & Sciences, Juliet Ashby Hillman Foundation, The Jackson Foundation, and Juan Young Trust. For ADA accommodations and further information, contact Cara Hersh at x7262 or hersh@up.edu.

Filed Under: 08-24-2020, 08-31-2020, Academics, College of Arts & Sciences Tagged With: Brittney Cooper, College of Arts and Sciences

Custodial Services Reminder

August 28, 2020

The physical plant’s custodial staff are continuing with cleaning and disinfecting inside all campus buildings. Custodial services is also taking the time to perform deep cleaning, and each employee has received training and is equipped with necessary tools and products to perform their job, including germicidal cleaner.

To prioritize the health and safety of everyone, custodial services will still discontinue cleaning private offices. This will allow custodians to prioritize disinfecting frequently touched surfaces. If you would like trash or recycling service, please place it outside your office by 9 p.m., Sunday – Thursday. Custodians will continue to service reception and shared areas. Office suites will be provided cleaning solution should you wish to clean your space. The service of cleaning private offices will be reassessed as the situation evolves.

Frequently touched surfaces will be disinfected multiple times a day. Custodial services has purchased additional disinfecting equipment, including electrostatic spraying systems to clean areas more efficiently and effectively. Hand sanitizer stations have been added throughout campus as well.

For more information contact Marissa Grice, physical plant, at grice@up.edu.

Filed Under: 08-24-2020, 08-31-2020, Campus Services, Physical Plant Tagged With: Custodial Services, physical plant

Writing Center Ready to Help Writers Online This Fall

August 28, 2020

Student typing on laptopAfter a successful test run in the spring, the Writing Center is gearing up for a fully remote fall, and the center is counting on UP faculty to get the word out that writing assistants (WAs) are ready and able to help UP writers throughout the term. WAs can help writers from all disciplines, at all levels, and at any stage of the process, including brainstorming ideas, understanding assignments, outlining, and revising.

Online appointments can be made through the appointment scheduler. When it’s time for the meeting, students simply click on “Meet online” and the 30- or 60-minute appointment will happen over Zoom. Students can also email writing@up.edu to request an appointment time outside of regularly scheduled available times.

New this year, the center is offering a limited number of “dedicated writing assistants” to work directly with writing-intensive courses. If you’re interested in having a writing assistant assigned to your course (to introduce the Writing Center to your students, meet with you to talk over assignments and expectations, and serve as the go-to writing assistant for any student from your class), please reach out to Writing Center Director Molly Hiro (hiro@up.edu) for more details.

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:

  • The center’s goal is not just to inspire better papers, but create better writers. This means writing assistants don’t “fix” papers; they 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, the focus is 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 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.
  • You may have found that your students weren’t able to find appointment times in past semesters, especially in early fall as we await the newly trained writing assistants to come on staff. That problem has been fixed this semester; the new writing assistants are prepared to begin working earlier in the term—so reassure students that if they want writing help, they should be able to get it!
  • 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).
  • An effective way to familiarize your students with the Writing Center and to demonstrate your support for the center’s 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 writing@up.edu with the day and time of the class you’d like a writing assistant to visit and the center will 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.”

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. Instructions for using this paper-authentication software can be found 0n the Learning Commons website.

All of your students should possess a common writing handbook—The Pocket Cengage Handbook—as it’s required in their two writing-embedded courses. The Cengage Handbook helps keep our campus on the same page when it comes to grammar, punctuation, citation styles, and basic expectations for essay writing across the university. If you need a desk copy of this reference, please contact the Writing Center director by the second week of the semester.

“As the director of the Writing Program and the Writing Center, I am happy to be a point of contact on all writing-related matters this semester,” says Molly Hiro, English. “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? I may not have all the answers, but feel free to try me!”

Contact Hiro at hiro@up.edu.

Filed Under: 08-17-2020, 08-24-2020, 08-31-2020, Writing Center Tagged With: Molly Hiro, Writing Center

Clark Library: Services in Fall 2020

August 28, 2020

The Clark Library is ready for fall! Please visit our Fall 2020 guide for all the details. Our online resources are available 24/7 from any location and we are expanding services to deliver book chapters and articles to those who cannot come to campus. Our librarians and library staff continue to offer support through chat, phone, email, and online meetings. Print books and media are now available as well – please place a hold on the items you want for pick up during our service desk hours. For those less familiar with the library, please see our online Library Orientation and, as always, contact us with any questions.

Filed Under: 08-24-2020, 08-31-2020, Campus Services, Uncategorized Tagged With: Clark Library

A Message From Fr. Mark Poorman, C.S.C.: Gratitude, Interdependence, Hope

August 21, 2020

Dear UP Community Members,
For many years, University of Portland faculty, staff, and students have marked the beginning of a new academic year with our annual Convocation. This year, out of concern for the health and safety of UP community members and because of important restrictions on large gatherings, we are unable to come together for this time-honored event.
I hope, though, that you will take a moment to watch the brief video message at this link. I offer a reflection on the “liminal space” in which we find ourselves and highlight three virtues – gratitude, interdependence, and hope – that will help us to weather the storm we are currently facing and envision better days ahead.
I also encourage you to read the column I submitted to The Beacon earlier today addressing UP’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic and our ongoing efforts to become a more just and equitable University community. This column is comprehensive in its scope and provides timely updates on these important matters.
As you begin this new semester under extraordinary circumstances, know that I am praying for you, your health, and your success. I ask that you join me in praying for all who continue to be impacted by this pandemic and all who call UP home. 

Filed Under: 08-24-2020, Academics, President's Office Tagged With: Rev. Mark L. Poorman C.S.C.

Can (COVID-era) Science Be Fun? Yes It Can!

August 21, 2020

As faculty prepare for online Fall 2020 classes, tales of ingenuity and perseverance abound. Biology professor Jacquie Van Hoomissen shares the following from her colleague, Ryan Kenton, biology:
“I hope you are all staying sane (and healthy) prepping like mad for the semester that no one has ever had before.
I am currently assembling take home kits for Micro Lab – something that I thought I would never do – but here we are. So, what is the best, most fun, ingenious, item in the kit?
  • Some may say the glitter/water mixture that can be streaked to obtain “isolated colonies” onto a homemade gelatin petri dish
  • Others will say the shipping box itself, which once punctured a few times will act as a “tube rack”
  • Most will agree it is the foldscopes (https://www.foldscope.com/), a paper microscope that once hooked to your phone can achieve 1000x magnification (I have attached my pictures of bakers yeast and sweater fuzz)
  • But no, the crown jewel was created last night by my genius wife. By using our kitchen microplane we shaved 40 different colors of crayons into a container. We then tixed in water and aliquoted into 1.5ml tubes. A circular piece of paper is then cut and placed inside of a petri dish. This mixture can then be poured over the plate by the student to create a diverse set of “colonies.” Students can then pick and patch these using the provided “sterile” toothpicks onto a 32 grid on another petri dish–something that is done in the lab to begin to find antibiotic producing bacteria.
For more information or to marvel over his genius wife, contact Kenton at 503.943.7694 or kenton@up.edu.

Filed Under: 08-24-2020, Academics, Biology Department Tagged With: Jacquie Van Hoomissen, Ryan Kenton

Save the Date: 2020 Zahm Lecture, Sept. 16

August 21, 2020

Gintaras Duda, Catholic cosmologist and chair of physics at Creighton University, will present the 2020 Zahm Lecture entitled, “From the Big Bang to The Saint John’s Bible: The Role of Astonishment in a Scientist’s Journey to Integrate Faith and Reason.” The event is free and open to the public. Here’s the link to join the webinar in progress on September 16 at 5 pm: https://uportland.zoom.us/j/92595796107.

In his talk, Duda will ask: “How can we reconcile science with belief in a personal Christian God?” Astonishment and wonder offer one route for this fundamental reconciliation. Duda will stress the fundamental need for theological and philosophical perspectives on some of the biggest questions in cosmology today. In addition to astro-particle physics/cosmology, Duda is also involved heavily in physics education research and is deeply interested in questions of science and religion. He was named the 2013 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Outstanding Master’s Universities and Colleges National Professor of the Year.

The annual Zahm Lecture was established in 1999 with a permanently endowed gift to the University’s Defining Moment Campaign by Ray and Milann Siegfried of Oklahoma. The Zahm Lecture, which launches the academic year, addresses important issues surrounding American Catholic education and honors Fr. John Zahm, C.S.C., an eminent Holy Cross priest and scientist of the late 19th and early 20th century.

For ADA accommodations or further information, please contact the Garaventa Center at garaventa@up.edu or 503-943-7702.

Filed Under: 08-24-2020, Campus Services, Garaventa Center Tagged With: Garaventa Center, Gintaras Duda, Zahm Lecture

Please Return Library Materials

August 21, 2020

stack of booksThe book drop is ready and waiting! As the beginning of fall semester nears, Clark Library asks that materials be returned so they can be used by others for their coursework. No fines were charged through spring and summer, but overdue books now need to be returned. If you still require a book, please renew online or contact Clark Library for assistance, library@up.edu or 503.943.7111.

If you are not returning to campus this fall, please contact library@up.edu for mailing instructions. If necessary, they can send you a prepaid mailing label; if you would like to request one, please include the address from which you will be shipping the materials and the weight of the package you will be sending.

Filed Under: 08-17-2020, 08-24-2020, Library

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • YouTube

News Categories

UpDate

Katie Danielson, education, had her piece, “Effectiveness of scaling up a vocabulary intervention for low-income children, pre-K through first grade” (with coauthors Susan B. Neuman and Preeti Samudra) published in The Elementary School Journal, 121(3), 385-409. https://doi.org/10.1086/712492

Claire McKinley-Yoder, nursing, contributed “Student-led fall prevention care management reduced fall risks at assisted living facilities” (with coauthors Kiyoshi-Teo, H., Lemon, E., & Ochoa, O.) in the December 2020 edition of Innovation in Aging,  4(Suppl 1), 238, https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa057.767

September Nelson, nursing, was awarded Outstanding Abstract at the Western Institute of Nursing – Gerontology Special Interest Group, April 2021. She also attended the Western Institute of Nursing Research Conference- Predictors of intent of leave among long-term care nurses, April 2021.

 

Update Archive

About

UPbeat is a newsletter for University of Portland faculty and staff published through the marketing & communications office; submit information to Marc Covert, upbeat editor, at 8132 or upbeat@up.edu. Submission deadline is noon the Thursday prior to publication. Submissions may be edited for clarity, consistency, brevity, or style.

Copyright © 2021 · University of Portland