UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

11-20-2023

Pre-Thanksgiving Feature Movie (Nov. 21)

Join us this Tuesday, November 21 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for a viewing of the movie, Babette’s Feast. This moving film addresses the power of food and sharing meals with others and offers an opportunity to see our American tradition of Thanksgiving Day in a new light!

The movie will be shown at the Pastoral Resident apartment of Sister Maura, Mehling 517.

If you do not have access to Mehling, please email Sister Maura (behrenfe@up.edu). She will be happy to meet you at Mehring’s front door to let you in for the event!  

Homemade snack provided!

Thanksgiving Turkey Trot (Nov. 23)

The new UP Holistic Health and Fitness Club (UPH2F) has been diligently working on hosting a Turkey Trot here on the UP campus on Thanksgiving. This run is all about giving students staying on campus during Thanksgiving break an opportunity to take part in fun physical fitness and to hang out with other students on campus (and to burn off some calories in preparation for a Thanksgiving feast). 

The Turkey Trot is a 5k walk/run around the UP campus and will take place on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23) at 9:00 a.m. and will start/end at Pru-Pitch.

Check-in will begin at 8:45 a.m. If you are driving to campus for the event, please park in the P House parking lot before check-in. This race is FREE to join, and there will be food prizes for the top 3 finishers. There will also be a turkey chase (not an actual turkey, but someone dressed as a turkey), and the first person to catch the turkey will win a pumpkin pie! 

This event is for all students, staff/faculty and your friends and family, so help spread the word and invite others to join. 

Should you have any questions or require further details, please feel free to contact hafner26@up.edu or yauney26@up.edu. We hope you can join us in making this Thanksgiving Day event a memorable and enjoyable experience for our campus community.

Thanksgiving Day Mass (Nov. 23)

Join the Holy Cross community and the University in celebrating Mass on Thanksgiving Day!  All are welcome to join in this special celebration at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. 

Mass will be celebrated to give thanks to God for the many blessings and graces that we have received throughout the year.

Space of Solace in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher (Nov. 22-Dec. 6)

Our concern for the dignity of every human being as God’s cherished child directs our care to victims of every injury: prejudice, famine, warfare, ignorance, infidelity, abuse, natural calamity….Our mission sends us across borders of every sort. Often we must make ourselves at home among more than one people or culture, reminding us again that the farther we go in giving the more we stand to receive. Our broader experience allows both the appreciation and the critique of every culture and the disclosure that no culture of this world can be our abiding home.  

“Constitution on Mission.” Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross

On October 27, in response to Pope Francis’s call for a day of prayer and fasting for peace, Campus Ministry offered Mass for the Preservation of Peace and Justice followed by a time of Adoration and silent prayer. As the war in Israel and Gaza continues unabated, bringing horrendous loss of life and devastation, our UP community continues to need opportunities for prayer and reflection. In our Catholic tradition, prayer is efficacious not only in converting hearts  but in promoting solidarity and compassion with those most vulnerable to the evils of war.

Beginning November 22 and continuing each Wednesday until December 6, the Chapel of Christ the Teacher will be arranged between the hours of 1-3 p.m. to provide this space of prayer and solace to all members of our UP community. Meditative music, lighting, a visual focus, and reflection guides for personal prayer will be provided. On December 6, this time of prayer will conclude with a prayer service in the University Peace Garden at 3 p.m.  The University’s Committee on Catholic Mission & Identity conceived of this initiative with the support of the Offices of the President and Provost. 

In addition to this opportunity for prayer, the University commits, through our Holy Cross mission, to dialogue and study on issues of peace, justice, and human dignity as expressed in our Common Core and Academic Programs. Faculty and students have the classroom as an important resource for respectful discussion, mutual support, and probing exploration of the critical issues of our day.   Help is available for all community members who may be struggling. Students may contact the Counseling Center, Campus Ministry, or Division of Student Affairs. Employees may contact Human Resources and/or their supervisor to learn more about University-provided resources.

Spring Software Requests (Nov. 30)

Student typing on laptop

As we move through Spring registration and get a sense for the Spring term to come, it is time to make sure that you will have the software that you need to teach your students in the classroom. If any of your courses will require software that was not used during the Fall term, please visit our Spring Software Request form and provide the details of what needs to be added. Reminder, all software used during the Fall term will remain available through the Spring term. Requests are due by the end of day on Thursday, November 30.

Liberated Archives Workshop with Don’t Shoot PDX (Nov. 30)

We invite you to join UP students and faculty of the Social Justice Minor and Public Research Fellows (PRF) program for a free workshop about preserving family and community history with Taishona Carpenter and Teressa Raiford from Don’t Shoot PDX. This workshop will be an opportunity to learn how archival research can be a tool for personal and collective liberation and is open to all who may be interested in the ways the materials of research and work of storytelling can play a role in social change.

This workshop is in service to Don’t Shoot Portland’s Liberated Archives and Memory Work for Black Lives series, which highlights themes of systemic oppression, displacement, and collective resistance to racial and economic injustice in Portland and the state of Oregon. You can see some of Don’t Shoot PDX’s previous community archival work by visiting the Liberated Archives Exhibition with the University of Oregon. Stay tuned for more Liberated Archives events on campus, including an upcoming exhibit in the Clark Library’s Covert Gallery after the New Year.

Please join us on November 30, from 5-7 p.m. in Franz 120 for the workshop and to learn more. Open to all!

Please contact Prof. Lizz Schallert at schaller@up.edu for any accommodation needs. 

Advent Vespers Concert (Dec. 2)

Join the University of Portland choirs, chamber orchestra, brass and percussion students, and student soloists, in the beautiful confines of St. Mary’s Cathedral for the University’s signature choral event of the year, with music to celebrate the Advent and Christmas seasons. 

When: Saturday, December 2, 2023 @ 7:30 p.m.

Where: St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1716 NW Davis St., Portland

FREE Admission–RSVP Required. 

Please visit giving.up.edu/adventconcert to reserve your tickets.

Join the SONHI Healing Circle (Dec. 15)

Open Invite: The Professional Development Committee in the SONHI is offering a Healing Circle on Friday, December 15, from 2-3 p.m. via Zoom for all interested faculty and staff on campus.

When: Dec 15, 2023 (Friday of final exam week)

Host: Janet M. Banks, DNP, RN, NC-BC

No need to sign up, if you would like to attend you can join on Friday afternoon through this Zoom link: https://uportland.zoom.us/j/96696750397

Questions? Contact Dr. Kala Mayer, mayerk@up.edu, SONHI Professional Development Chair

Columbia Sportswear Employee Store Pass (Nov. 24-December 17)

All UP faculty and staff have exclusive access to the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store from November 24-December 17.

Information on hours and how to access the store can be found HERE

The invite is valid for you and four guests (you must be present) and grants in-store access only (offer not valid online). Please bring your valid UP ID to gain entry to the store.

Undergraduate Research Awards: Nominate Now

The Provost’s Office and the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement are requesting nominations for two awards to be given on Founders’ Day: The Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor Award and Outstanding Graduating Senior in Undergraduate Research Award. Faculty members can be nominated by other faculty members, administrators, students, or by self-nomination. Students can be nominated by faculty members or by self-nomination.

See the links below for more information about the nomination criteria and process for the awards:

· Outstanding Graduating Senior in Undergraduate Research Award Nomination Process

· Outstanding Undergraduate Research Faculty Mentor Award Nomination Process

Nominations for both awards are due by December 15. Please submit nominations to ur@up.edu