UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

10-21-2019

ReadUP 2019-2020: Order Books Now

All students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in UP’s sixth annual ReadUP program. This year’s selection is The Leavers by Lisa Ko, who will speak on February 10, 2020 as part of this year’s annual Schoenfeldt Writers Series.

The Leavers, Ko’s 2017 debut novel, was a National Book Award finalist, winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Fiction, and was named a Best Book of 2017 by NPR, Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, Bustle, Electric Literature, and others. According to a review in The Atlantic, “For topicality, Lisa Ko’s novel The Leavers, about an undocumented mother who suddenly disappears and the young American-born son she leaves behind, could hardly be better timed.”

ReadUP is the University’s annual celebration of literature in which the entire local campus community — students, faculty, and staff — are invited to read “one book together.” Free copies of each year’s selection are distributed by the Clark Library and in residence halls, and book discussion groups are formed in the residence halls and at faculty/staff brown bag lunches. The campaign culminates with a public lecture and discussion by the book’s author, as part of the Schoenfeldt Distinguished Visiting Writers Series. The author’s visit to the UP campus — and the efforts to get each year’s riveting selection into the hands, heads and hearts of UP students, faculty and staff — is sponsored by the Schoenfeldt Distinguished Writers Series, the Office of the Provost, Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life & American Culture, Clark Library, Office of Residence Life, the Office of University Relations, and the Office of Marketing and Communications.

To order your free copy, please click here. Orders will be taken starting Monday, October 21 through Friday, November 1. Starting Monday, November 11, students living in residence halls will pick up their books from their hall directors and for everyone else, books can be picked up from the Clark Library, any time between 7:30 a.m. and 10 p.m., at the main circulation desk.

 

Day of the Dead Celebration, Nov. 1: All Welcome!

All are welcome to join student activities in celebrating their annual Día de Muertos event, a night full of cultural celebration with authentic cuisine, educational performances, sugar skull decorating, music, and so much more, on Friday, November 1, at 6 p.m., in Bauccio Commons. Family members and the public are free to attend. To showcase a photo of a loved one for display the altar please email Stephen at laphen21@up.edu. Don’t forget to RSVP on Engage and please encourage participation from your students!

Attention, Boys & Ghouls: HALLoween Fun, Oct. 31

Faculty, staff, and neighborhood families are invited to participate in the annual HALLoween trick-or-treating night in selected UP dorms on Thursday October 31, from 5-7 p.m. Open to all children through sixth grade. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. There will be one check-in location at the Pilot House patio. Everyone must check in at this location to gain admittance to the residence halls. This is a great way to celebrate Halloween in a safe and controlled environment, and the students look forward to it all year.

HALLoween is sponsored by the Campus Program Board and the Office of Residence Life. For more information contact Samantha Trunkett at trunkett@up.edu.

UP Best in Oregon for Value: MONEY Magazine

The University of Portland has been named the best college in Oregon for value in an annual ranking released by MONEY Magazine, a Time Inc. publication. MONEY’s 2019-2020 Best Colleges rankings and search tools are designed to help families find a great college at a great price.

The University of Portland is ranked #219 overall nationally by MONEY for value, and is the top ranked university in the state of Oregon. Other Oregon schools featured in the rankings include Oregon State University ranked at #304; Linfield College, #242; University of Oregon, #361, Lewis & Clark College, #595; Willamette University, #523, Reed College, #665; and George Fox, #514. You can read the full rankings here.

The University of Portland received high marks for its health sciences and engineering programs, as well as the nationally recognized Entrepreneur Scholars program, which gives students the opportunity to meet with experts, check out apprenticeships, and test real-world ventures. The University’s “Vision 2020” goals include infusing the campus community with internationalization and diversity.  

The University was also featured for its four-year completion rates. While many students enter higher education expecting to graduate in four years, in reality most students find themselves taking an extra semester or year. Nationally, it takes students 4.8 years enrolled at a private college to graduate, and 5.2 years at a public college, with each additional semester bringing more expense for families. The University of Portland has an average of 4.1 years to graduation, and boasts an 82 percent graduation rate.

 

 

Music at Midweek: Carl Dupont and Gregory Thompson

The next Music at Midweek performance will feature bass-baritone Carl Dupont and pianist Gregory Thompson (pictured) on Wednesday, Oct0ber 23, at 12:30 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center Recital Hall. Dupont and Gregory will present a recital of songs by African-American composers. They will also perform a concert that night in Mago Hunt at 7 p.m. Both are free and open to all.

 

 

 

TLC Tip of the Week: Creating Inclusive, Engaging Class Spaces

In this brief IGNITE-funded video, Jeff Kerssen-Griep, communication studies, offers portable suggestions for creating a classroom where all feel welcome and valued. As a special bonus, embedded within this video is a link to another one in which he explores the notion of “facework” in interpersonal communication with students and colleagues.

Covert Gallery: “Down Around the Corner” Opening Reception, Oct. 25 

The Clark Library is hosting a reception for “Down Around the Corner: An Exhibit of Paintings by Mark Ghyselinck, C.S.C.” on Friday, October 25, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Please join us for refreshments while viewing his impressionistic depictions of the beauty around us from as far away as Salzburg to as close as here on campus. Fr. Ghyselinck is the pastoral resident in Shipstad Hall and faculty in the performing and fine arts department. The exhibit will be on display into January.

For more information, contact the Clark Library at x7111 or library@up.edu.

Annual Security and Fire Report Available Now

In compliance with the Campus Crime Reporting Act and the amended Higher Education Opportunity Act, the University of Portland’s Annual Security and Fire Report was published and made available to all members of the University community, and to prospective students and employees.

According to public safety director Sara Westbrook, the report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on-campus, in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University of Portland, and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus.  You will also find statistics for fires that occur in residence halls and polices relating to fire safety and preparedness.  The report also contains institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies regarding sexual assault, emergency response, and other matters.

You can obtain a copy of the Annual Security and Fire Report by contacting public safety x7161 or by accessing this link. Please note: Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view this file. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it here.

For more information or questions contact public safety at x7161 or publicsafety@up.edu.

Communion Blessings: Did You Know?

Did you know about receiving a blessing at the time of Communion at Mass? Members of the UP community are welcome to attend and participate in the Mass whenever it is offered on campus.  For those who are not Catholic or for any reason do not receive Communion at Mass, there is an option for coming forward to receive a blessing.

One would approach the minister in the line with everyone else and upon arriving at the front of the line can place a hand on your chest or cross arms over your chest.  At this point the minister will offer the greeting, “May Christ be with you.” You may respond with an, “Amen” or simply follow the line back to the pew.

The reception of Communion at a Catholic Mass indicates a faith in the true presence of Christ Jesus in the Eucharist as well as a commitment to communion with the Catholic Church. While it can be difficult to be at Mass and unable to receive Communion, it is also important to allow the act of reception to reflect that commitment to Communion. It is also important to note that there are significant levels of participation that happen whether or not one receives Communion. It is good to have everyone present participating to the full level that they are able.

Did You Know? is a mostly weekly feature in upbeat that pokes around among the many interesting features of UP as a Catholic and Holy Cross university. If you have a question or topic of interest that you would like covered in this feature, please send it to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C., Campus Ministry, or Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center.