This week’s Teaching & Learning Collaborative tip is an article by Jeffrey White, international languages and cultures, who serves as administrator of the Shepard Academic Resource Center’s Learning Commons. His article, “The Excitement of Academic Learning,” details how last year a total of 1,180 UP students worked together with peer assistants in the Learning Commons to support and improve their learning for a total of nearly 4,600 visits. “Wouldn’t it be great if even more students came early and often to the Learning Commons to support their thinking, learning, and the application of new concepts in the classes we teach?” he asks. “Imagine students engaging even more in our classes with more authentic questions, presenting course material with greater depth, and more actively working together in groups on projects after visiting one or more of the following programs in the Learning Commons in Buckley Center 163.” You can see the article in it entirety at this link.
Students’ return from Fall Break marks the beginning of the academic advising period that leads up to registration for spring courses. During these conversations, advisors might have the opportunity to remind advisees of resources that exist for discerning their post-graduation plans. With this in mind, the Office of Alumni Relations, the Shepard Academic Resource Center, and the Career Center are offering resources that are available to all members of the UP community.
Tuesday, November 1 is the Solemnity of All Saints Day, meant to honor all the saints, known and unknown, who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. Masses will be celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher at 12:05 p.m. and at 4:45 p.m. For more information contact Theresa McCreary, Campus Ministry, at x7131 or 
Hala Jadid al Kash, a professor with IES Abroad in Spain and longtime supporter of Syrian refugees, will present “Teaching Across Cultures and Borders” on Thursday, November 3, from 4 to 6 p.m., in the Terrace Room in Bauccio Commons. Her talk, which begins with refreshments and a brief social, is free and open to all.
Dr. James T. Covert, professor emeritus in history and founder and first director of the University of Portland Museum, passed away on October 13, 2016, at 84 years of age. The University Museum and Archives mourn his death and remember Dr. Covert for his dedication and commitment to teaching, generous service to the University, and preservation of UP history in his 36 years on The Bluff. He retired in 1997. Our memorial post about Dr. Covert’s work at the University and gallery of photos can be found at 
Waldschmidt Hall will play host to a gaggle of young ghosts, goblins, ghouls, superheroes, and archvillians when the University’s daycare house denizens come trick-or-treating through offices on Monday, October 31, at approximately 10 a.m. For more information contact Andrea Palacios, Vermont Hills Family Life Centers, at 503.283.9688 or 
Students from all academic disciplines will be presenting posters documenting the research they completed both at UP and at other institutions across the nation this summer. Students will be sharing their results from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2 in both the Franz Hall Lobby and in Shiley Hall’s 3rd Floor Atrium. Please come show your support of our students and their work. This summer research celebration is sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement. For more more information, please contact Michele Leasor at 
Make plans to come out to the Chiles Center this week as the men’s and women’s basketball teams host exhibition games at the Chiles Center. The basketball action starts on Tuesday night as the women’s team takes the court at 7 p.m., taking on the Willamette University Bearcats. Then on Friday night the men’s team takes the court against the Evergreen State College Geoducks at 7 p.m. The basketball action concludes on Saturday night at 5 p.m. as the women’s basketball team once again takes the court versus Warner Pacific.
This week’s Music at Midweek performance will feature the Arnica String Quartet in a free concert on Wednesday, November 2, at 12:30 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to all. The Arnica String Quartet is comprised of UP viola faculty and member of the Oregon Symphony, Charles Noble, violinist and Oregon Symphony member Shin-young Kwon, violinist and Oregon Symphony member Fumino Ando, and acclaimed cello soloist Heather Blackburn.
University parents are invited to take the opportunity to enjoy four hours of free time with their significant others while the UP onsite daycare watches their children on Parents Night Out, Friday, November 4, from 6-10 p.m. This service is provided by Vermont Hills Family Life Center daycare/preschool. The cost is $30 for one child or $40 for two kids or more, and includes dinner for the little ones.