The Office of Residence Life invites all faculty, staff, and students to attend their office blessing and open house on Thursday, March 19, 2:30-4 p.m., in their new location, Tyson Hall 123. Light refreshments will be provided. Contact Jessica Wode at wodej@up.edu or 7205 with any questions.
Residence Life
Residence Life Moving To Tyson Hall, Feb. 19-20
The Office of Residence Life is moving to Tyson Hall room 123 and will be closed on Thursday, February 19, and Friday, February 20. Residence life will reopen at its new location on Monday, February 23. The entrance to the new location in Tyson Hall 123 is on N. Warren Street, facing Schoenfeldt Hall, near the center stairwell of Tyson Hall. Please contact residence life at 7205 or reslife@up.edu with any questions.
Time To Apply For R.A. Positions
Applications for next year’s resident assistants are now available, according to Jessica Wode, residence life. Students must be upcoming juniors or seniors with a GPA of at least 3.0 and must have lived in a UP residence hall for at least one semester. Information and the online application form can be found on the residence life page at http://tinyurl.com/mpnuv2l. Applications and recommendation forms are due on January 16, 2015.
For more information, contact residence life at applyra@up.edu or 7205.
Fields Hall Trivia Night, Nov. 4
Fields Hall staff will present Trivia Night (starring Ken Hallenius and Brenda Greiner), their annual fundraiser for Holy Cross Missions, on Tuesday, November 4, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., in the Terrace Room. It’s great fun and open to all members of the UP community for a mere $2 donation. Prizes include Holy Cross packages such as dessert at the president’s house with Fr. Mark Poorman, a tour and history of the Bell Tower with Fr. Gerry Olinger, and dessert at Papa Haydn with Fr. John Donato and Fr. Ed Obermiller. For more information contact Sr. Sue Bruno at bruno@up.edu.
Faith and Formation Ambassador Program
A new program was launched this fall to bring intentional student leadership around faith and community to the University’s residence halls. The Faith and Formation Ambassador Program is a redesign of the Faith & Leadership House that had existed on campus since 2006. Rather than placing student leaders in a single community home, this new program seeks to integrate them into the residence hall communities to foster the Christian community of the University of Portland within the context of each hall.
In the program’s inaugural year, there are 14 students serving as faith and formation ambassadors across campus, within at least one in each residence hall. Through the collaboration of the theology department, residence life, the Moreau Center, and campus ministry, faith and formation ambassadors are supported in their charge to “actively and critically grow in faith, build community within a particular residence hall and throughout the University, and serve others.” Faith and formation ambassadors also participate in a required one-credit course, Theology 347, which provides them the opportunity to reflect critically and theologically on the service they are providing in the halls.
For more information contact Beth Barsotti, campus ministry, at 7463 or barsotti@up.edu.
Residence Life Responding to Student Feedback
Based on feedback from a November 2013 student survey and other feedback received from students throughout the past year, residence hall staff worked over the summer to make improvements to their processes and to their physical spaces to improve the residential experience. The residence life office provided funds to each hall to make improvements based on their unique needs, including:
- In Christie Hall, the small, outdated television in the TV lounge was replaced with a 60-inch television and a sound system.
- In Corrado Hall, chalkboards in the study rooms were replaced with whiteboards.
- The front lobby of Fields and Schoenfeldt Halls was revamped with decorations, an electric fireplace, and a library collection.
- New wrought-iron furniture was added to the breezeways in Haggerty & Tyson Halls, including chairs, benches, and side tables.
- A new island for kitchen prep was added to the Kenna Hall basement kitchen.
- In Mehling Hall, new cooking and baking supplies were purchased for every kitchen space and an additional refrigerator was added to the first-floor kitchen.
- Windows were replaced throughout Shipstad Hall to help with temperature regulation.
- The staff of Villa Maria purchased a patio table and chairs and repaired their horseshoe pits.
- Washers and dryers were replaced throughout campus with brand new, high-efficiency machines.
- At move-in this year, all residents received a new T-shirt designated with their hall name, color, and logo. Every hall also brought in a team of upperclassmen to assist with new student move-in, which helped this year’s process go more smoothly and quickly than ever before.
The Office of Residence Life will be seeking student feedback again this November using an online survey. For more information contact Jessica Wode, residence life, at 7205 or wodej@up.edu.
Christie Alumni Open House, April 5
All faculty or staff members who lived in Christie Hall as a student, or worked as a member of the hall staff are invited to join the current Christie Gentlemen for an afternoon of stories, food, and fellowship on Saturday, April 5, starting with a Mass in Christie Hall Chapel at 3 p.m. The schedule follows:
- 3 p.m. Mass in the Christie Chapel
- 4 p.m. Social Hour with Appetizers
- 4:30 p.m. Light Dinner
- 5 p.m. Holy Cross Mission Fundraiser Poker Tourney hosted by Fr. Pat Hannon, C.S.C. ’82 ($5 buy-in).
Please RSVP to Christie Hall director Joe Burke by e-mail to burke@up.edu, or call 503-572-8063. The Mass, social, and dinner are free, and spouses and significant others are welcome.
Kenna Zombie 5K: Fun, Funds, Brains, April 5
The staff in Kenna Hall is throwing a zombie-themed 5k run on Saturday, April 5, at 5 p.m., to benefit Holy Cross Charities. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to take part in this fundraising effort. Participants can register either as a runner or a zombie; zombies will act as obstacles along the course and will chase after (but not touch or eat) racers. Both roles cost $15, which includes an event t-shirt.
Zombies and runners can sign up at this Perfect Forms link: http://tinyurl.com/qek8apl. For more information contact assistant hall director Kathleen Doyle at doylek@up.edu.
Students Staying Late?
Any department which is requiring students to stay on campus for any of the nights of May 2-4 must complete a Departmental Extended Housing Request, according to Jessica Wode, residence life. Forms were sent to departments on March 3; please contact the Office of Residence Life at reslife@up.edu or 7205 if you have not received a form. Requests are due by Friday, March 28 to Kathi Gobel at gobel@up.edu.
Departments will be charged $39 per person per night unless it is specified that the students’ accounts should be charged. You do not need to include graduating students, as they may stay through noon on May 5 free of charge. Students who are not working for departments but wish to request a late stay for themselves should come directly to the Office of Residence Life in Buckley 101 to complete a request form.
For more information contact residence life at 7205 or reslife@up.edu.
Campus Leaders Wanted
Students who are interested in applying for campus leadership positions are encouraged to visit www.up.edu/leadership for this year’s common leadership application. A number of positions offered by student activities, the Moreau Center, campus ministry, and information services are listed on the site, and students can apply for up to three positions using one application. Applications and recommendation forms are due by Wednesday, February 12. For more information about a particular student leadership position, please direct questions to the office offering the position. For questions about the online application or recommendation form, please contact residence life at reslife@up.edu or 7205.