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 December 7, 2020

"LOVE WINTER WHEN THE PLANT SAYS NOTHING."
- THOMAS MERTON

Portland State University campus after the trees have lost their leaves

AROUND THE UNIVERSITY

ASPSU’s Campus Safety Town Hall Forum

Students are encouraged to join ASPSU on Friday, December 11 at Noon-1:30 pm as they hold a town hall on campus safety. This forum will include discussion about ongoing events regarding disarming campus safety and other important updates. The forum will also allocate time for students to raise concerns and ask questions directly to the administration. You can RSVP here or send questions to askaspsu@pdx.edu.

Coming Soon: Coffee Talk (First Amendment)

You are invited to the second Coffee Talk of 2020-2021, which is scheduled for Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 10 am on Zoom. Come chat about the First Amendment and how it applies to the work we do. How have things changed in our remote environment, and how are they the same? What is different with protests that are spontaneous versus organized? Bring your favorite mug and warm beverage, along with any other related questions you have to this interactive coffee chat.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Meet Kiara Reed

Originally from Seattle, Kiara Reed is a junior at Portland State, majoring in English with a minor in writing. She currently works in the Broadway residence hall as a second-year resident assistant. When deciding what to major in, Kiara chose English because of her love for reading and wanting to write novels that "create worlds for other people to lose themselves in like [she] did."

To learn more about Kiara and why serving as an R.A. has been her most rewarding experience at PSU, watch her full interview on YouTube.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

December Free Food Market

The Oregon Food Bank and PSU's Committee for Improving Student Food Security are offering a Free Food Market for all PSU students, staff, and community members. It will be held at the St. Mary's Academy Parking Lot at 645 SW Market St on Monday, December 14, 2020 from 9-11 am (or until they run out). No identification or proof of income is required. All volunteers and patrons must wear a protective face covering. For questions, email foodhelp@pdx.edu.

Little Vikings Now Open

Little Vikings is thrilled to serve faculty, staff, and students with children at PSU and are now accepting reservations for winter term 2021. LV offers full-day care only (9 am - 4 pm) with a 3-day per week or a 2-day per week option. The center accepts children ages 6 weeks to 24 months old. For additional details and to review expanded health and safety practices for operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit the Little Vikings website.

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Women Talking

Written by Miriam Toews

"I am about half way through this book. I would be a bit further, but I can't always handle reading it before bed. (If you got hooked on The Handmaid's Tale, then you will know what I am talking about.) This book is a fictionalized account based on a true story of a group of Plautdietsch-speaking Mennonite women in Bolivia. The entire book takes place over a night or two during a secret meeting of the women as they argue and discuss what to do about a group of rapists in the colony. It is a narrative on deciding how exactly to come together to choose from a list of bad choices. I can't wait to find out what they chose."

-Aimee Shattuck, Executive Director of Student Engagement and Assessment

We'd love to know what YOU are reading! Fill out this form to let us know, and we might showcase your suggestion in an upcoming Inside Student Affairs.

SELF-CARE CORNER

Start Your Day with Guided Shower Meditation

“Setting aside a time and place to practice being present is like doing mental bicep curls. Once that muscle of being present is strong, we can apply it—even in the most stressful situations—where it will help us avoid distraction and get to work.”

Visit the PDX Campus Well to learn more about how to turn your shower into a “transformation station” where you can practice the art of mindfulness every day.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

PSU Foundation infograph after Giving Tuesday

An infograph showing the outcome of last week's Giving Tuesday, where the PSU Foundation received nearly $300,000 from 739 donors to #FilltheFunds and provide emergency funding support to students in need

FROM THE VICE PROVOST

For me, these weeks between Thanksgiving break and the end of fall term have always felt a little bit like a pressure cooker on campus. The stress is often palpable as students finish end-of-term projects and exams and finalize their plans for break and the coming term. As we work with our students during these final days of fall term, I encourage you all to take your vitamins, breathe deep and get outside (even if it's a little rainy)! Let's all link arms and help our students--and each other--find the energy to finish 2020 with hope and commitment, knowing that while we tromp through Portland's mud puddles, a new year is preparing to burst forth in January.

-Michele

OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

SUGGESTIONS FOR A FUTURE EDITION?

If you have something that you think should be included in an upcoming Inside Student Affairs, please email studentaffairs@pdx.edu.

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