Welcome to our October edition of the Moreau Center for Service and Justice Newsletter! Keep reading to learn about our upcoming immersion programs, events, and other engagement opportunities. If you have any questions, please contact us at moreaucenter@up.edu.
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IMMERSION APPLICATIONS DUE 10/31
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The Urban Immersion allows students to explore issues related to the housing crisis, poverty, drug use, mental health, racial justice, and more, right here in Portland. This immersion is taking place over Winter Break from January 6th - 11th. Engage with direct hospitality at places such as St. Andre Bessette Church and meet with organizations and community leaders who are working to address these issues.
Email urbanpolicy.immersion@up.edu with questions.
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Indigenous Justice Immersion
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Participants on the Indigenous Justice Immersion will learn about the history of the Indigenous tribes who have lived in the Portland area for over 11,000 years. This immersion is over Spring Break, from March 2nd - 6th. Students will meet with community organizations and explore the intersection of Indigenous justice and environmental justice issues. Students will also learn about the history of the land UP sits on, including the history of the Willamette River and the environmental impacts of colonization and industry not only on the land, but on its inhabitants.
Email indigenous.immersion@up.edu with questions.
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Students will travel to the U.S./Mexico border for one week to learn about immigration, the global economy, and environmental and human rights issues. The immersion provides the opportunity to hear first-hand from those directly affected by immigration policy, and may include visits to human rights organizations, federal court, community organizing events, the border wall, and stretches of the desert where migrants cross. This immersion is over Spring Break, from March 1st - 8th.
Email border.immersion@up.edu with questions.
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Carceral Justice Immersion
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Students will learn about criminal justice systems, with a focus on incarceration, in context. Students will be given opportunities to examine the laws and policies around policing and incarceration. Students will also be invited to consider community perspectives, restorative justice practices, and alternatives to prisons. The group will meet with and learn from a range of organizations involved in both the carceral justice system and advocacy for incarcerated individuals. This immersion is taking place May 6th - 15th.
Email carceraljustice.immersion@up.edu with questions.
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Taylor Stewart '18 OPB Documentary Watch Party + Q&A - 10/28
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Join us for a watch party of OPB's special on Taylor Stewart '18 on Monday, October 28th at 6:30 PM in the Brian Doyle Auditorium. Taylor's transformation (moving from desiring to be a tough-on-crime prosecutor to establishing a nonprofit working to end the death penalty in Oregon) is an amazing story, and owes much to both his UP CSC education and (perhaps especially) his participation in the Moreau Center's Civil Rights Immersion in Summer 2018. Taylor will be on campus to speak and answer questions during the watch party! Made possible in partnership with Portland Magazine, Diversity and Inclusion Programs, the Office of International Education, Diversity and Inclusion, and Moreau Center for Service and Justice. Unable to join us in person? A livestream will be available at the link below.
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L'Arche Halloween Party - 10/29
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BOO! You’re invited to the L'Arche Halloween Party on Tuesday, October 29th! You can attend from 6 PM - 8 PM or volunteer from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM. It will be a night filled with food, friends, fun, and karaoke at Gabriel House, a L’Arche home in Beaverton! You are welcome to come in costume or not. Transportation is provided. L’Arche Portland is a community of people with and without disabilities who share life together intentionally. Come ready to make some friends!
Email CVC.larchepdx@up.edu with questions.
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Immersion Info Session - 10/30
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Please join us in the Diversity Center on Wednesday, October 30th from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM for a drop-in Immersion Info Session. Erin Savoia, Program Manager for Immersions, will be available to answer questions along with student leaders from the upcoming immersions. It's a great chance to learn more if you're on the fence about applying, and we'll even have paper applications available right then and there so you can apply before the October 31st deadline!
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L'Arche Coffee & Prayer - 11/9
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Join us on Saturday, November 9th from
11 AM - 12:30 PM in the St. Mary's Lounge for L’Arche Coffee & Prayer! We will gather with L’Arche community members to explore interactive ways to pray and reflect, enjoy hot beverages and treats, and build community together. In November, we’ll be leaning into the theme of Gratitude. This event provides interactive programming that is inclusive of different spiritual backgrounds and access needs. All are welcome!
Email CVC.larchepdx@up.edu with questions.
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Elementary SUN volunteers build relationships with elementary school students through playing games, tutoring, and doing activities together after school! You can volunteer at César Chávez or James John Elementary. Programming occurs Mondays - Thursdays from 2:30 PM - 6:00 PM, and you can pick any day and whole/partial time range that fits your schedule.
Email CVC.SUN@up.edu with questions.
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University Park Neighborhood Association
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University Park is a 110 year old neighborhood squeezed between the bluff above the Willamette River and busy Lombard Street. It is rich in green spaces and is home to the University of Portland and the Lombard business strip (a pleasant mix of old and new).
We love our little piece of Portland, so whether you’re new or lived here your whole life, we invite you to learn more about what’s happening in your neighborhood and get involved!
Stop by one of our monthly Board meetings (which are always open to the public) or introduce yourself to other neighbors at our quarterly General Meetings!
Interested in becoming a board member or volunteering? Please contact Letty Alvarez, Communications Chair, at communications@upnapdx.org
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St. Johns Swapnplay Burgerville Fundraiser
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Mark your calendar— St. Johns Swapnplay’s fundraiser at St. Johns Burgerville is on Halloween evening for a simple, stress-free dinner... or seasonal dessert! Order in person, drive-through, or to-go on 10/31 between 4 PM - 8 PM, and mention their fundraiser to support your neighborhood nonprofit! Burgerville is donating 20% of sales from participating patrons to Swapnplay. Swapnplay is a cherished partner of the Moreau Center, hosting our students during Plunge Into Your Neighborhood and providing our Community Service Work Study students with meaningful work experience. Thank you for supporting their mission of building a community where families connect, share, and play in order to thrive!
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"You can meet people from any and every walk of life...It's helped me connect more with patients when I am out and about doing clinicals and talking to people" - Kevin Liu '25 |
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| For our first Student Spotlight, we are highlighting Kevin Liu, our amazing Student Worker in the Moreau Center!
Kevin is a Senior Nursing Major from San Ramon, CA and has been involved in the Moreau Center since his Sophomore year. Kevin began as a Service and Justice Coordinator, coordinating monthly service events with off campus partners and hosting social justice educational events once a semester. In his next role as Hospitality Coordinator for Plunge Into Your Neighborhood, Kevin monitored our food supply, car needs, other supply needs, and made sure everything and everyone got to where they needed to go. In his current role as a Student Worker, he does work behind the scenes to support student leaders, coordinate with various on and off campus groups, and prepare for events.
Kevin’s favorite thing about the Moreau Center is the fun people he gets to meet and all of the communities he gets to interact with. Kevin’s ‘why’ for being involved in the MCSJ is “it is nice to help people and a great way to build connections. You can meet people from any and every walk of life, which makes life more interesting than just talking to the same people that you know. It's helped me connect more with patients when I am out and about doing clinicals and talking to people”. Kevin is looking forward to the L’Arche Halloween Party. He is excited to celebrate spoopy season with such a fun group!
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¡Hola! My name is Lupita Zamora-Resendiz and I am the Assistant Hall Director for Mehling Hall. I graduated from the University of Portland in 2018 and joyfully returned to The Bluff three years ago! This year I will be supporting the Moreau Center with social media and various engagement opportunities throughout the year.
In undergrad, I had little knowledge about what the Moreau Center offered, but I began to gain more insight in Fall 2022 while being a staff accompanier for the Rural Immersion. Now, as I am supporting the MCSJ, I am slowly but surely becoming more familiar with what the Moreau Center has to offer to students and staff here at UP. And let me just say, the opportunities are incredibly meaningful.
I love being able to connect students to what UP has to offer outside of the classroom, and I am passionate about supporting students in some of the most formative years of their lives specifically here at UP, a community that I love deeply. In my free time you can find me spending time with my family and our dog Beast, listening to music, yapping, eating, running, thrifting, and being artistic (singing/playing guitar, making rosaries, etc)!
If you have any questions about anything I mentioned, I encourage you to contact me at zamorare@up.edu.
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Rural Immersion
Over fall break, we took eight students to the Yakima Valley in Washington for our first social justice immersion of the school year! We had an amazing time staying on a farm and community center on the Yakama Reservation. Over the course of the week, we connected with over ten incredible local organizations and cultural centers! It’s tough to capture all the learning and friendships we made in one post, but here are some highlights: We toured Heritage University, a fantastic school dedicated to supporting Latinx and Indigenous students; visited JustLiving Farms, a family-owned ranch focused on nurturing the land; and explored Radio KDNA, a Spanish-language station that keeps farmworkers connected to their community. We also learned about important maternal health issues at the Ttawaxt Birth Justice Center, where we met inspiring women doing vital work for Native families. Plus, we volunteered with Nuestra Casa, helping out in ESL classes for local farmworker families! To top it off, we toured historical sites on the Yakama Nation Reservation with Native leader Corey Greaves, gaining even more insight. Throughout it all, we entered into deep community and reflection with one another and had an amazing time!
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Pilots After Dark x Moreau Center Night
On September 28th, we partnered with Pilots After Dark to host a lively night on campus, welcoming over 200 students. Participants made friendship bracelets and zines, learned about Moreau Center programs, and assembled 80 basic needs care kits for Safe Place shelter while enjoying delicious treats and great company throughout the evening. Safe Place Shelter is a 24/7 drop-in program for youth to access essential services while longer-term housing is found. It is run through Boys & Girls Aid, which works to ensure foster teenagers and children find secure and long-term families. Thank you to everyone who came!
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Do you have ideas for the Moreau Center? Whether you have ideas for content to feature in our newsletter or engagement opportunities you'd like us to explore, we want to hear from YOU! Your feedback is very important to us, as we want the Moreau Center's engagement opportunities and communications to reflect our community.
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