UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

12-08-2014

Feast Of The Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8

maryimmaculate copyCampus Ministry will offer Masses of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday, December 8, at 12:05 p.m. and 4:45 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. A holy day of obligation, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary on September 8. It is one of the most important Marian feasts celebrated in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church.

For more information contact Campus Ministry at 7131 or ministry@up.edu.

Faculty Development Day Proposals Due Jan. 30

FrederkingDec2Given the success of last year’s concentration around teaching ethics across the curriculum, the Committee on Teaching and Scholarship welcomes proposals to lead Faculty Development Day on May 5, 2015, around a particular theme. Interested faculty should submit a 1-2 page proposal identifying the keynote speaker and breakout panels for session one of Faculty Development Day. Sessions later in the day will remain open as opportunities for various and distinct panels proposed by faculty across campus.

If you are interested in putting forward a central theme for the keynote and session one, please send your proposal to tas@up.edu by Friday, January 30. Please contact Lauretta Frederking, Teaching and Scholarship Committee chair, for more information at tas@up.edu.

Join the UP Shamrock Run Team

shamrock2 copyAll University community members are welcome to help a great cause by joining UP’s Shamrock Run team. All team members get free UP gear to wear at the race on Sunday, March 15, at Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. To join the UP team, you must register online at http://www.shamrockrunportland.com/ (choose the “team” option; the UP code is 1070). Packet pick-up (race t-shirt, pins, bibs, and UP gear) will be available on campus closer to the race date. Online registration for teams closes Saturday, January 31, 2015.

As an added bonus, if there are at least 75 members on the UP team, Shamrock Run will donate $5 per person to the long-anticipated Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center, which opens to the University community in August 2015. Last year the UP race team consisted of roughly 160 runners and walkers and was the 7th largest team at the race, and raised nearly $800 for the Beauchamp Center.

For more information, contact Amy Shelly, Bridget Bimrose, or Roya Ghorbani-Elizeh, marketing and communications, or Sean Ducey, university events.

Nominate Students For Gerhardt Award

gerhardt copyThe Office of Alumni Relations is accepting nominations for the 2015 Thomas A. Gerhardt Award for Student Leadership, according to Ken Hallen­ius, alumni relations. Criteria for selection:

  • Student must be a graduating senior;
  • Student must have demonstrated leadership throughout his or her undergraduate career;
  • Student must demonstrate consistent dedication to the University and the community through service to God and neighbor.

Nominations are due to Hallenius by Monday, January 5. Please attach a letter of recommendation, detailing reasons for nomination. For more information, contact Hallenius at 8326 or halleniu@up.edu.

Improvements to Flex-Plan FSA Medical Plan

sherwoodWith changes in federal regulations, all savings under the Flexible Spending Account (FSA) medical plan must be used by December 31, 2014, with the exception of a $500 carryover to be used in the new calendar year. This replaces the prior practice of a 2.5 month grace period and allows for more flexibility in how employees redeem pre-tax income they have set aside. More information about the carry-over provision can be found here.

Employees do not have to reenroll in the new plan year to have unused Health Care FSA funds carry over to the new plan year.

For more information contact Andy Sherwood, human resources, at 8981 or sherwood@up.edu.

Help Needed: Community of Hope Shelter

hLooking for a way to share some Christmas spirit with those in need? Community of Hope, a shelter for women and children in St. Johns, is seeking volunteers over the Christmas break to cover for some of their regular volunteers who will be traveling for the holidays. The shelter is seeking individuals who will come on an evening and share a meal with the residents, play with the children, and just provide fellowship for the incredible young women who live there.

Volunteers are needed any evening from approximately 5:30 or 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Mechanical-minded individuals are also needed to help set up and take down a portable shower trailer on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Training and background checks are required.

For more information contact Ann Shultz, Moreau Center, at shultz@up.edu. To find out more or to volunteer contact Linda Jo Devlaeminck at 503-852-1070 or lindajo@communityofhopepdx.org.

Printing and Mailing Services Closure: Dec. 16-18

hPrinting services and mailing services will be moving to Tyson Hall during the week of December 15. Mailing services will be not processing mail on Tuesday, December 16 through Thursday, December 18. Please be aware of these dates when scheduling mail deliveries to be taken to the Post Office or UPS/Fedex. Mailing services will continue to deliver inter-campus mail during these days.

Any jobs submitted to the print shop after December 12 will not be available for pickup until January 5, 2015. Printing services will not be accepting any jobs for copying, bindery, or printing during the time of their move.

Please contact Mary Scroggins at 8334 or scroggin@up.edu for more information.

Visio Divina Contemplative Prayer Sessions For Advent

visio divinaThe Garaventa Center and Campus Ministry invite all members of the UP community to step away from the frenzy of the season for Visio Divina on Wednesdays during Advent, 12:45 and 7:15 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. Visio Divina, which means “sacred seeing,” is an ancient form of contemplative prayer centered on sacred images. It is rooted in monastic tradition.

Participants will experience the Divine in images from the University’s Saint John’s Bible, a different one each week. Visio Divina asks only for our silent presence; each session lasts about 30 minutes.

For more information please contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu or Beth Barsotti, Campus Ministry, at barsotti@up.edu.

Welcome Franklin Felizardo To The Human Resources Team

franklinFranklin Felizardo will be joining the human resources team on Monday, December 8, as the new employee relations manager. He will oversee all aspects of employee relations, as well as consulting on performance reviews, investigating workplace concerns, managing workers’ compensation, coordinating leaves of absence, and conducting exit interviews. He received his B.A. from Loyola Marymount University and his M.B.A. from Willamette University. Feel free to stop by the HR offices the morning of December 8 to welcome Franklin to the UP family.

For more information contact human resources at hr@up.edu or 8987.