UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Student Affairs

Student Leadership Awards For 2019-2020

The third annual Leadership Awards were celebrated online and announced via the Student Activities Instagram account between April 20 and 24 as well as the University of Portland website. Fifteen student leaders and 2 staff members who  exemplified leadership and significantly contributed towards the University’s mission during the 2019 -2020 academic year received awards.

Division of Student Affairs Award Recipients include:

  • The Rev. John Van Wolvlear C.S.C. Award For Outstanding Involvement in Student Affairs- Diana Salgado Huicochea
  • The Outstanding Ambassador Award– Taylor Rayray
  • The Residence Life Award for Meritorious Service– Darsh Patel
  • The Pilot Award – Isa Siamundo
  • The Holy Cross Award – Rev. Fr. Charlie McCoy, C.S.C.
  • The Brian Doyle Student Media Award– Dora Totoian
  • The Kate Johnson Outstanding Service Award– Leah Carr
  • Shiley School of Engineering Intern of the Year Award – Dan Moldovan
  • Pamplin School of Business Intern of the Year Award – Natalie Nygren
  • College of Arts & Sciences Intern of the Year Award – Georgia Paulk
  • The Rev. Fred Barr C.S.C. Campus Ministry Leadership Award– Ryan Helbling
  • The Community Care Award– Elizabeth Tripp
  • The Rev. John B. Delaunay, C.S.C. Peer Health Advocacy Award– Aubrey Labonte-Clark) and Ellie Jacobs
  • The Student Affairs Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity and Inclusion– Carolina Cortes            
  • The Newcomer in Student Affairs Award– Tshombé Brown
  • The Outstanding Contributor to Core Themes Award– Michael Kranyak

For more information, please contact Christina Laird at lairdc@up.edu.

 

New Student Affairs Hire: Christina Laird

Please welcome Christina Laird, the new administrative assistant to the vice president for student affairs.  Laird is relatively new to the Portland area, having moved here four years ago from Auckland, New Zealand.  Prior to joining the University of Portland team she worked at Marylhurst University as the Director of Events.  Christina’s background is in event management, general administration and project management. She’s worked in both the education and economic development sector.

For more information contact the student affairs office at x8532 or studentaffairs@up.edu.

Kat North Farewell Party: June 14, Pilot House

Kat North, administrative assistant to the vice president for student affairs, will leave her post at UP to accept a position as project coordinator for an engineering firm named Glumac. Her last day will be Monday, June 17. VP for student affairs Rev. John Donato, C.S.C., invites the campus community to come to the Pilot House Happy Hour on Friday, June 14 and offer thanks and best wishes to our dear colleague. Happy hour begins at 3 and Kat’s acknowledgements will take place at 4 p.m.

For more information contact Donato at donato@up.edu.

 

New Residence Life Director

The student affairs division has announced the appointment of Andrew Weingarten as director of residence life. Weingarten most recently served as director of residence life at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York. He has eight years of experience at Manhattan College, a Lasallian institution, serving in a number of roles from assistant residence hall director, housing operations coordinator, area coordinator, assistant director of residence life for judicial affairs, and assistant director for housing & operations to director of residence life. Andrew has served on the Title IX coordinator’s advisory committee and has investigated and adjudicated Title IX cases, he has supported students of concern through the college’s CARE team, he has experience with Green Dot Bystander Intervention programs, and he has implemented assessment programs to support and improve student retention. He will begin his new duties on Monday, September 3. 

New Assistant Director: Eliot Altschul

Eliot Altschul has been hired as the new assistant director for counseling and training at the Health and Counseling Center. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and has been in practice for over 25 years. He has most recently served as director of counseling at Clark College in Vancouver and prior to that position, he served as director of training at Humboldt State University in Northern California. He will begin on August 2.

For more information contact student affairs at x8532 or donato@up.edu.

Farewell Gathering for Will Meek, March 3

The Division of Student Affairs invites all faculty and staff to come to the Pilot House and wish Will Meek a warm farewell on Friday, March 3, from 4–6 p.m.  Meek will be leaving his position as assistant director of counseling in the Health and Counseling Center at spring break.  He will become the director of counseling and psychological services at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Let’s thank Will for his tireless efforts to care for our students, his work with Active Minds, a student club dedicated to mental health on campus, and for innovations in maximizing mental health resources for students, including oversight of the expansion of psychological services through a new counselor-interns program.

For more information contact Kristin Nielsen, student affairs, at x8532 or nielsenk@up.edu.

Juniors Set to Host Parents, Families Feb. 19-21

junior parents copyThe Office of Student Activities and the student planning committee are gearing up for the 19th Annual Junior Parents and Families Weekend, taking place on campus from February 19 to 21, according to Jeromy Koffler, student activities. Between 225 and 250 families are expected to participate, with approximately 750 overall attendees this year. Please join the junior class and student activities in welcoming our guests when they arrive.

Information about various events can be found at up.edu/activities or by calling 7470.

New Diversity & Inclusion Website

diversity copyAfter a year of research of peer and aspirant schools and feedback from students, faculty, and staff, the Division of Student Affairs is pleased to launch its new Diversity & Inclusion website at this link. All are encouraged to visit the site to find opportunities for student involvement, important University and educational resources, ways to speak up regarding diversity and inclusion, and more. Content is expected to grow, evolve, and improve in months and years to come.

For questions, input, or ideas for the future, contact Bethany Sills, diversity and inclusion coordinator, at sills@up.edu.

New Health Center Director: Margaret Trout ’97

trout.jpgThe University has announced the appointment of 1997 alumna Margaret Trout as director of the Health Center, according to Rev. Gerard Olinger, C.S.C., vice president for student affairs.

Trout comes to The Bluff from Willamette University, where she served as director of the Bishop Wellness Center for the past 10 years. She was peer-nominated and awarded Willamette University’s Administrator of the Year in 2013.

Prior to her time at Willamette, Trout worked as a nurse manager and assistant director at the Center for Student Health and Counseling at Portland State University for five years. Trout graduated from the University of Portland with a nursing degree and holds an MBA from Willamette University. She has been active with Oregon College Health Association for the last 15 years and is a past co-chair of the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force, Campus Committee. An avid cyclist, Trout is a member of Women on Wheels, a local group that seeks to empower women to travel by bicycle and other alternative modes of transportation.

For more information, contact Fr. Olinger’s office at 8532 or nielsenk@up.edu.

Riverboat event wins Innovation Program Award

awardsRiverboat, an event organized by Student Affairs, was awarded the 2014 May Dunn Ward Innovative Program Award from the NorthWest Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NWASAP). Riverboat took place following the August 30 UP-Stanford women’s soccer game and was the first-ever event held on the University of Portland’s River Campus. Nearly 1,600 students attended this event, which included live music, food carts, carnival games, and roasting marshmallows around fire pits. Attendees had the opportunity to sign “the riverboat,” a rowboat painted purple and white and set up in the center of the event. The organizers of this event intend for Riverboat to be an annual event at the beginning of each school year.

Riverboat was planned by staff members from Student Activities, Residence Life, Public Safety, University Events, University Operations, and the Office of Student Affairs, in collaboration with Bon Appétit.

The May Dunn Ward Innovative Program Award recognizes “programmatic innovation to address emerging needs of students in a new and creative manner.” The award was created in 1987 to honor the achievements of May Dunn Ward, a longtime faculty and staff member at the University of Washington.