The physical plant’s custodial staff are continuing with cleaning and disinfecting inside all campus buildings. Custodial services is also taking the time to perform deep cleaning, and each employee has received training and is equipped with necessary tools and products to perform their job, including germicidal cleaner.
To prioritize the health and safety of everyone, custodial services will still discontinue cleaning private offices. This will allow custodians to prioritize disinfecting frequently touched surfaces. If you would like trash or recycling service, please place it outside your office by 9 p.m., Sunday – Thursday. Custodians will continue to service reception and shared areas. Office suites will be provided cleaning solution should you wish to clean your space. The service of cleaning private offices will be reassessed as the situation evolves.
Frequently touched surfaces will be disinfected multiple times a day. Custodial services has purchased additional disinfecting equipment, including electrostatic spraying systems to clean areas more efficiently and effectively. Hand sanitizer stations have been added throughout campus as well.
For more information contact Marissa Grice, physical plant, at grice@up.edu.
Throughout the campus closure, custodial services personnel have been performing cleaning and disinfecting in all campus buildings. Custodial services is also taking the time to perform deep cleaning in all residential spaces and academic buildings. Each worker has received training and is equipped with necessary tools and products to perform their job, including germicidal cleaner.
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 
A note to the UP community from interim physical plant director Joe Cates:
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.
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.
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.
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 
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.