Visit the Wildwood Follow the Crows art trail raven located in the Park Blocks outside of Smith before it flies away in late October.

Fall Building Hours at Smith

Welcome back for fall term! We hope you had a great summer and are looking forward to a productive academic year.

After a summer of crane picks and construction, Smith is entering into the final stages of our critical maintenance project.

This fall, the building’s operational hours will be:

Student PSU ID access – 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily
Staff and faculty with standard PSU ID access – 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. Those PSU staff members with extended building access will continue to have that access to Smith.
The Broadway entrance is open to the general public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
The student union will be accessible for scheduled events evenings and weekends. Event attendees can enter at the SW Broadway entrance for most events.
University Market on the ground floor will be open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. M-Th; til 5 p.m. on Fridays.
Viking Gameroom in the basement will have open bowling lanes and pool tables from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. M-F, unless a special event is scheduled. You can check availability on the event calendar on their website. Parties, retreats and other special bowling/billiards events can be booked during the day, evenings or weekends using the Gameroom reservation form on the website.
Bowery Bagels on the ground floor is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. M-Th; til 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Smith’s Place coffee shop will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-Th; til 2 p.m. Fridays.
The Smith’s Kitchen food court will feature new options this fall. Look for PDX Burgers & Wings and Isla Bella Cuban food to join Kunniq’s Grill and ACE Sushi. Daily hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-Th; til 2 p.m. Fridays. The food court is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for snacks, drinks and grab-and-go options as well.

In Viking Pavilion, the Versa Cafe will feature Bashas Mediterranean, smoothies, breakfast wraps and sandwiches again this fall. Their hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-Th; til 3 p.m. Fridays.

Several Student Union Resources Are On The Move

This fall, several organizations that support students and staff are in new Smith locations

Student Legal Services is moving into the Conflict Resolution suite on Mezzanine 3, M310. You can find them at the north end of the floor (the Cramer side).
The Office of the Dean of Student Life returns to the fourth floor of Smith. You can find their offices at SMSU 433, on the FMH side of the floor.
Student Media will be leaving the sub-basement of Smith later this year and moving to Mezzanine 2. Besides gaining such novelties as windows and restrooms, the expanded space will allow students greater collaboration with SALP (still found on Mezzanine 1).
The Office of Academic Innovation has relocated to Suite 560 on the fifth floor of the Vanport building, leaving Mezzanine 2 after many years in the student union. Good luck in the new digs!

Campus Events staff members Beth Grover and Mykenzie Mack pose in the second floor lounge.

New event planning staff Beth Grover (left) and Mykenzie Mack assist Portland State departments and organizations as well as welcoming outside conferences and activities to campus.

Meet Our New Staff in the Campus Events Office

The Campus Events & Student Union office, which helps schedule events in Smith and throughout the campus (as well as manages Smith), welcomes two new staff members.

Beth Grover, a PSU School of Business graduate who has worked event planning for the American Red Cross and at her own Portland eatery, will lead the event scheduling team as the External & University Events Manager. Her role will focus on bringing non-PSU “external” events to campus.

Mykenzie Mack, formerly an event coordinator with the Foundation for California Community Colleges, joined CESU this summer as the Scheduling & Event Coordinator. She’ll work with student groups, organizations and Portland State departments to help plan internal events at campus locations. Mack received her Masters degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education this summer from Arizona State.

Welcome to both of you! New person fills the candy dish!

Technicians look over the upgrades on top of the Elevator No. 6 car.

Technicians work on the Elevator No. 6 car as they prepare to put it back in operation along the central corridor of Smith.

Elevator No. 7 Will Be Offline For Some Time: Critical Maintenance Updates

The critical maintenance project to upgrade certain infrastructure systems in Smith is still going strong.

With most of the work is accomplished, the biggest impact this term will come with the closure of Elevator No. 7 in the central corridor across from the food court. This system is getting a much needed update, but the project is several months behind schedule. Check the posted information outside the elevators for more about accessing the sub-basement and loading dock during this time.

And, if you are able, please use the stairs to reduce trips on Elevator No. 6, which is now upgraded. It can benefit others.

At this writing, No. 7 is still operating but going offline any day.

We are happy to report that the heating, air conditioning and ventilation upgrades are completed and the University is finalizing its interaction with the new control systems. All areas of the building have moving air again, temperature control is promised soon.

The new roof of Smith is past 90 percent complete and work should be finished in the next couple of weeks. At that time, the chute and dumpster on the south side of the building will be removed from the breezeway. The new roof will reduce leaks in the upper floors and help insulate the entire building.

Some of the unexpected silver linings from the critical maintenance work include:

The corridor in the northeast portion of the basement and the Quiet Prayer and Mediation Lounge now has LED lights.
A great deal of hazardous material located in the mechanical work areas of the student union was removed.
The new elevators have voice announcements for those who need assistance — and the rest of us who don’t look up from our phones before getting off.

This long overdue upgrade of some of our heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems (HVAC); five elevators and roof is primarily supported by an $8.1 million bond and $2.8 million in additional funding approved by the Student Fee Committee. We thank ASPSU and the SFC for their continuing support. The Smith building reserve and PSU funding sources contributed the remainder.

We appreciate everyone’s extended patience with this work.

Follow the Smith Scoop throughout the year for updates and information about Portland State's student union. Sign up online and then remember to approve the confirmation email to receive the Scoop.

Colorful new cushioned furniture dots the second floor lounge in Smith.

This fall on the second floor of Smith students will find new furnishings in the study lounge facing the Park Blocks. It’s the latest update in the lounge, which has had its carpet and paint updated in recent years. On a sad note (for us), the Mel Katz sculpture on the north wall of the lounge has moved to the new Arts Building. On the up side, it looks great in the Arts Building — check it out from the sidewalk on Broadway.

Members of the Retirement Association and guests crowd the second floor corridor to look at the ceiling-to-floor P S U history display.

The Retirement Association of Portland State and PSU Foundation installed a “sampler” of the University’s culture, achievements and history on the second floor, just off the lounge. RAPS and the Foundation held a reception earlier this month inviting former students from the History Department to talk about their work in gathering project content under the direction of Dr. Patricia Schechter. Smith contributed to the production of the corridor and provided the space. It’s a great chance to look at 80 years of PSU students, staff and faculty serving the region.

Student Union Seeks Advisory Board Students

The student union is looking for current students to join our Smith Advisory Board. The Board helps guide the operations of the student union and provides important feedback for our work as a Fee-Funded Area. To learn more, ask students to check out our Advisory Board application online.

Thanks for taking the time to read the Smith Scoop.

To let us know about an upcoming event of general interest or changes in your department or Smith-based group, drop us a line via our Scoop Content Submission Form.

Smith Memorial Student Union at Portland State University is managed by the Campus Events & Student Union office, located in Smith 119 (off the Broadway lobby). You can reach us at conferences@pdx.edu, 503-725-2663.

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