INSIDE STUDENT AFFAIRS

A weekly insider’s guide for those helping students reach their goals toward optimal health and well-being, engagement with learning, and sense of belonging at PSU

Week of April 13, 2021

AROUND THE UNIVERSITY

Two children posed for a photo with the Viking mascot

National Bring Your Child To Work Day

April 22 is Take Your Child to Work Day. (Hasn’t that been this whole year?) Faculty, staff and students with children are invited to take a short cellphone video (with kids or by yourself) answering a few questions and submit entries here. You’ve been juggling it all and making it work so this is a time to honor the challenges you have overcome this year.

Wellness and Health Action Team Is Hiring

The Wellness and Health Action Team (WHAT) is hiring for the 2021-2022 school year! They are looking for student leaders who are passionate about health and wellness, willing to work in a collaborative environment, and interested in using their talents and strengths to help cultivate a healthy campus environment. More information can be found on the Handshake job posting. Applications are due by 5 PM on Friday, April 23.

April Is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

In celebration of Sexual Assault Awareness & Action Month (SAAM), the Women’s Resource Center is hosting a series of events in April centering their 2021 theme: “We Are Each Other’s Future: Resilience, Resistance, and Interdependence.” Join the WRC in bringing awareness to end sexual and gender based violence in all of its forms while imagining a world free of violence. This year’s events will highlight campus artists and cultural workers with a focus on creativity and survival, including activist, artist, archivist, and filmmaker Tourmaline, the keynote speaker for Take Back the Night. To learn more about this year’s schedule, visit the SAAM event page.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

“Toward More Inclusive Hiring” Workshops

Global Diversity & Inclusion provides hiring workshops for faculty and staff seeking to explore strategies and best practices for creating an inclusive search and selection process. Folks are encouraged to attend a workshop at the outset of the hiring process (prior to position posting). Interested individuals can register for one of the "Toward More Inclusive Hiring" workshops using this form.

Students wearing masks, sitting outside around tables

Emergency Funding for Students in Spring Term

Portland State received $8.3 million in federal Higher Education Relief Funds for students from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The U.S. Department of Education is directing that the bulk of those funds be distributed via direct grants of $500 each to Pell-eligible students, but other students with COVID-related financial need will also be able to apply for aid through the Financial Wellness Center. Students must be enrolled on April 12 to be eligible. You can direct students with questions to the Student Finance website to learn more.

CISFS Meal Voucher flyer on photo of blood oranges

Meal Vouchers for Students

Thanks to a generous donation from PSU Eats, the Committee for Improving Student Food Security (CISFS) is offering free meal vouchers to currently enrolled students in need of a meal. Students will have a meal loaded onto their student ID card, good for use at Victor’s Dining Hall in the Ondine Residence Hall. The meal will be available at the next available meal time, and students have one week to use the meal. Students who are interested should visit the CISFS website to get additional details on the program and contact a committee member.

SELF-CARE CORNER

Exercise To Move Better

“According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), corrective exercise is all about addressing the blueprint of the body and the mechanics of how it moves to fix imbalances to improve the overall quality of movement during workouts and in everyday life. This method of training teaches the body how to move correctly in all directions to prepare it for the demands that come with daily living, exercise, and performance. This might just be what you need to reach the fitness goals you have been working on and to allow your body to move more efficiently.

To learn more about corrective exercise and how to incorporate it into your daily life, visit the PDX CampusWell.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

As part of PSU’s 75th anniversary year celebration, current and former Viks shared a favorite memory of their time at PSU. You can take a look at the many wonderful stories shared by Viks both past and present on the "My PSU Memory" page.

FROM THE VICE PROVOST

Leaders of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, knew from past experiences that burnout at hospitals was a great risk given the magnitude of the Covid-19 crisis. In a recent research project, they implemented a few strategies that led to greater employee job satisfaction. Some have relevance for our work at PSU, including:

Rewarding Work: Strive to make sure folks know their work is meaningful and appreciated.

Autonomy: COVID restrictions have impeded many people's sense of control over their own lives, but this can improve when employees are included in decision-making and solving challenges together with leadership.

Fairness and Transparency: Communicate with transparency around decision-making and listen with care to ensure equitable treatment of different groups.

Reasonable Workload: Recognize and work to ameliorate the ways the pandemic has made jobs more complex and stressful.

OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

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