UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Karen Eifler

Catholics and Crucifixes: Did You Know?

Every classroom at UP has a crucifix. Dundon-Berchtold Hall’s crucifixes have been donated by UP students, priests, faculty, and staff from their studies, service, and travels all over the world. Anywhere you have Catholics, you will have crucifixes, which differ from crosses in that there is a corpus (body) on a crucifix, versus the emptiness of a cross. In light of the Resurrection, many people wonder why anyone would want to gaze on this image of an agonizing death. One answer is that the crucifix helps the beholder remember that God took on flesh to suffer in solidarity with all those who are ill, tortured, or stricken in any way. Crucifixes in Catholic hospitals, for instance, help many patients experience a feeling of connection with God that is deeply compassionate, helping them feel a little less isolated. Where the empty cross celebrates a triumph over death, the crucifix helps many people confront suffering–a part of being human– with courage, resilience, and hope. The international crucifixes in Dundon-Berchtold are a visceral reminder that there is nowhere on this earth God is unmoved by those in pain.

Did You Know? is a mostly weekly feature in upbeat that pokes around among the many mysterious customs and beliefs professed by Catholics. If you have a question about why Catholics do or believe something, please send them to Fr. Jim Gallagher, Campus Ministry, or Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center.

TLC Teaching Tip of the Week: Helping Students Get More Out of Group Assignments

In this  6-minute IGNITE-funded video, Naveen Gudigantala of the Pamplin School of Business Administration offers portable ideas for helping students learn more from group work. He also offers tips on avoiding common pitfalls of student collaborations.

For more information, contact Karen Eifler at eifler@up.edu.

A Conversation on Why Pronouns Matter, Oct. 2

This Wednesday, October 2, bring a lunch and explore the background of why so many syllabi and email signatures include ‘his/him,’ ‘she/her,’ or ‘they/their.’ The Teaching & Learning Collaborative will host a brownbag lunch conversation around the question “Why do pronouns matter?” in the Murphy Room from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The conversation will be facilitated by Alice Gates, social work, who will provide a bit of input and then offer vignettes and dilemmas for further consideration by the group. No universal answers are promised, but a better understanding of why what people choose to call themselves matters may emerge from this session.

Email Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) if you have logistical questions about this very informal gathering.

TLC Tip of the Week: Are My Students Learning?

In the IGNITE-funded video found at this link, Terry Favero (biology) offers 7 minutes’ worth of ideas for figuring out whether and how well your students are learning, while there is still time for switching things up or remediation (if necessary). It’s also possible things are going great; Terry’s helpful tips on formative assessment can help you confirm that too.

For more information contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu.

A Conversation on Why Pronouns Matter, Oct. 2

On Wednesday, October 2, all are invited to bring a lunch and explore the background of why so many syllabi and email signatures include ‘his/him,’ ‘she/her,’ or ‘they/their.’ The Teaching & Learning Collaborative will host a brownbag lunch conversation around the question “Why do pronouns matter?” in the Murphy Room from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The conversation will be facilitated by Alice Gates, social work, who will provide a bit of input and then offer vignettes and dilemmas for further consideration by the group. No universal answers are promised, but a better understanding of why what people choose to call themselves matters may emerge from this session.

Email Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) if you have logistical questions about this very informal gathering.

Teaching Tip of the Week: TeachUP Video on Writing in ANY Discipline

Thanks to an IGNITE grant, the Teaching and Learning Collaborative created 10 short videos that will roll out over the next 10 weeks. Taught by accomplished teachers from all over campus, each is 7-10 minutes long and addresses a topic identified by colleagues as high-value in anyone’s teaching repertoire. This week we are pleased to debut Molly Hiro, English, who also serves as director of the Integrated Writing Center. She will discuss “How To Teaching Writing in ANY Discipline.”

Become a Docent for The Saint John’s Bible

One of UP’s great treasures is our Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, the first hand calligraphed and illuminated bible text crafted in over 500 years. It serves as a tremendous resource for courses and prayer experiences on campus. If you would like to receive training in the proper handling of the texts, an overview of the whole manuscript and digital access to the 100-plus illuminations, you are welcome to attend one of two training sessions: Tuesday, October 1, at 4 p.m., or Monday, October 7, at 9:30 a.m. Both will be held in the Clark Library classroom, and the material in both sessions will be the same.

If you have any questions, please contact Karen Eifler (eifler@up.edu) in the Garaventa Center.

Explore Other Realities at Thirst Friday, Sept. 20

Get a taste of the future at the first Thirst Friday of the year! All staff and faculty are warmly welcomed to the Garaventa Center, Franz 330, on September 20 from 4-6 p.m. to mingle with campus neighbors and enjoy great food, conversation and libations…and to try an Oculus virtual reality headset, courtesy of unapologetic technerd Eric Anctil, education. Extra credit for bringing along someone new to UP: first dibs on the headsets!

For more information, contact Karen Eifler at eifler@up.edu.

TLC Teaching Tip of the Week: A Treasure Trove!

UP has a stupendously talented and generous faculty, with lots to teach one another about effective, engaging teaching. Over the summer, the Teaching& Learning website (up.edu/tl)  was overhauled to be more user-friendly. This week’s TLC teaching tip is to point us all to the amazing treasure trove of Teaching Tips of the Week from the past four years of upbeat, gathered for the first time into one place, at this link. Enjoy a cup of your favorite beverage as you scroll through 64 titles covering everything from the upside of failure to making groupwork work. Each title is linked to a brief (1-2 pages, tops) practical article or video shared by faculty all over campus.

For more information contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu.

2020 Holy Cross Pilgrims Selected

The following faculty members have been selected to participate in the June 2020 pilgrimage to the birthplace of Holy Cross in northern France:

  • Debra Stephens, business
  • Nicole Hanig, PFA
  • Gregory Pulver, PFA
  • Casey Shillam, nursing
  • Eric Anctil, education
  • Herbert Medina, CAS
  • Stephanie Salomone, mathematics
  • Heidi Senior, Clark Library

They will join Garaventa Center co-directors Fr. Charlie Gordon, C.S.C., and Karen Eifler, along with a senior faculty member from Notre Dame to walk in the footsteps of Fr. Basile Moreau, C.S.C., and ponder their roles as co-disciples alongside the Congregation of Holy Cross.