News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.
The physical plant would like to learn more about faculty and staff experiences with campus facilities and services. Your feedback is an important element of their efforts towards continuous improvement. Please help the process by clicking this link to a 13-question survey. Responses are anonymous and the survey will close on Friday, January 10.
Please direct any questions to Laurie Tull, physical plant, at tull@up.edu.
A note to the UP community from interim physical plant director Joe Cates:
“I am very sorry to inform everyone that Peng (Mona) Wang recently passed away while she was on leave. Mona was respected and appreciated by all who knew her. She held herself to the highest standard, and had a way of winning over even the most challenging of people.
“I reflect back to just over a year ago when Mona was walking across the stage at the Christmas luncheon to accept the Deiss/Dodson award. Her excitement and enthusiasm lit up the room as her friends in Physical Plant all cheered her on. I am grateful for this memory, and for the opportunity to know Mona, and share in her light.
“Mona was a wonderful member of our community, a beloved wife and mother, and we are fortunate to have had her in our lives. Please keep Mona and her loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”
After seven years at UP, physical plant director Andre Hutchinson is leaving for a new position as assistant vice president for facilities management at the University of San Diego. Andre’s colleagues will be gathering in the Pilot house on Friday, March 29, from 4 to 6 p.m., to thank him for his service on The Bluff and wish him well as he begins this new chapter. All are invited to attend.
For more information contact Jim Ravelli, University operations, at landtise@up.edu.
In 2018 the physical plant department continued its commitment to strategic energy management through a program of monitoring and improving energy efficiency throughout campus. In partnership with the Energy Trust of Oregon, the efforts made by physical plant staff resulted in a significant reduction of kilowatts of electricity, thermal units of natural gas, and over $25,000 of savings in combined utility costs.
Major efforts such as renovations to Buckley Center and Waldschmidt Hall, the decentralization of the campus boiler system, and systematic change to LED lighting across campus are prominent examples of sustainable energy management. Just as significant are the seemingly small but progressive changes such as adjustments of boiler set points, sealing of windows and doors to minimize air leakage, and systemized maintenance of HVAC equipment to increase efficiency.
The momentum of sustainable energy management continues into this year. Energy assessments of academic and administrative buildings, dormitories, athletic, and recreational buildings continue to provide a detailed perspective of the University’s energy usage and further action is currently under development to increase efficiency and savings.
For more information contact Todd Yuratich, physical plant, at x7308 or yuratich@up.edu.
This April, Fr. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C. and the Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability (PACOS) are challenging the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Portland to make a commitment to take at least one tangible step that is within your own control toward increasing sustainability on campus.
Turn off your office lights? Use a reusable container for your lunch? Recycle your bottles and plastics? Adjust your thermostat? Regardless of your academic major, or whether you work in a classroom, residence hall, the Commons, or in the field or in an office, you can make a difference.
All through the month, we’re asking you to make a commitment and share it with us. It might be something you choose to do individually or a challenge you take on as a team within your dorm or department. Inspire others! Share your commitments via sustainability@up.edu. Then we’ll share them with the rest of the UP community through The Beacon, upbeat, and on our website.
At the end of the month, the most impactful sustainability commitment will be recognized and the individual or team who made the commitment will be featured in various campus media. Have questions? E-mail us or look for the PACOS table in the Bauccio Commons on Earth Day, April 22.
The University of Portland has once again been recognized for its environmental impact commitment by virtue of participation in the Portland General Electric Clean Wind program, according to André Hutchinson, physical plant. A certificate was presented to UP representatives on Wednesday, February 28. Every year, UP self-directs the maximum percentage of public purpose charge toward renewable power in the form of clean wind, thus offsetting carbon production with clean wind production. The University’s 2017 participation included more than 1.6 million kWh of renewable power purchased, significantly reducing our carbon footprint by avoiding the emittance of more than 2.5 million pounds of CO2 into the environment. That amount is the equivalent of more than 2.8 million vehicle miles not driven, or planting more than 300 trees. The PGE Electric Clean Wind program is just one of many sustainability and strategic energy management initiatives undertaken within the physical plant throughout the course of any given year.
For more information contact Hutchinson at hutchina@up.edu.
The physical plant would like to remind faculty and staff that if they encounter maintenance issues in campus buildings, they should please submit a request via iService desk on the physical plant website. According to assistant director Joe Cates, only emergencies like active leaks or security issues merit a call to the main physical plant line.
For more information contact the physical plant at physicalplant@up.edu.
Please join the physical plant staff as we say goodbye to Mehling Hall housekeeper Virginia Asuncion. Virginia has been a University of Portland staff member for 44 years, and will be missed by colleagues and residents alike. She will be honored for her contributions to the University in a farewell reception to be held in the Terrace Room on Tuesday, May 2, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. All are invited to extend their good wishes to Virginia in her retirement.
For more information, contact Erin Zarafshan, physical plant, at zarafsha@up.edu or x7306.
The University of Portland will host the final Strategic Energy Management (SEM) workshop, “Report Out & Celebration,” on Wednesday, November 16. UP has been participating in a two-year SEM cohort sponsored by the Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO), according to physical plant director André Hutchinson. Other participants in the cohort, which focuses on organizations with large, complex campuses, such as the Hillsboro School District and Oregon Health & Science University, will be on campus for this closing event. The UP project has been spearheaded by the Energy Team of Hutchinson, Sandy Galati, and Dirk Theisen, physical plant; Eric Barger, controller; Michelle Sunderland, information services; and Beth Sorensen, marketing and communications.
The goal of the SEM cohort is to support the University as both a responsible steward of energy resources and of financial resources. An energy policy for the campus is currently being developed which will incorporate many of the energy conservation and performance improvement strategies that have come out of the SEM project.
For more information contact Hutchinson at x7306 0r hutchina@up.edu.
The University of Portland has been participating in a two-year Strategic Energy Management (SEM) cohort sponsored by the Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO), according to physical plant director André Hutchinson. The University will host the next SEM workshop, “Sustaining Strategic Energy Management,” on Wednesday, September 14.
The University’s commitment toward strategic energy management has been spearheaded by Sandy Galati and Dirk Theisen, physical plant. Other Energy Team members include Eric Barger, controller; Michelle Sunderland, information services; and Beth Sorensen, marketing and communications.
UP has earned two milestone incentives of $1,000 each, one for creating an energy team and the other for maintaining the Energy Trust’s performance tracking tool. UP is on target to achieve two additional $1,000 incentives for successfully completing identified goals on the SEM Action Plan and the implementation of an energy policy. Cohort participants are eligible to earn $.02/KwH and $.20/therm on reduced electricity and natural gas consumption. Stay tuned for news on upcoming SEM events in November and December to which other members of the UP community will be invited. The goal of the SEM cohort is to support the University as both a responsible steward of energy resources and of financial resources.
For more information contact Hutchinson at x7306 0r hutchina@up.edu.