January 2021 | University of Portland

News - January 2021

campus aerial view

Flow Charts to Better Understand Employee Designations, Testing and Campus Access

Pilots Prevent

Human Resources

January 26, 2021

The COVID-19 Committee has developed flow charts to help faculty and staff understand the testing process for the high contact, low contact, no contact, and exclusively remote groups.

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Roommate Communication in Times of COVID: Some Workable Solutions

Pilots Prevent

Residence Life

January 26, 2021

Navigating roommate relationships can be challenging in the best of time. During the pandemic, additional questions related to setting boundaries and personal space, accommodating homework needs, dealing with demanding schedules, loneliness, isolation, or plain old homesickness can occur. Carol Dell'Oliver and Andrew Weingarten offer tips to help students have a successful and positive experience.

campus aerial view

Students Return to Campus for Spring Semester

Pilots Prevent

January 26, 2021

Spring Semester has kicked-off this week, and campus is vibrant with students again. Last week, students and their families arrived for their designated move-in appointments and were welcomed by University of Portland staff, who have been hard at work preparing to make the move-in process as smooth and safe as possible. Also awaiting students were baseline COVID-19 tests by UP healthcare partner Carbon Health, which required a negative result before move-in was allowed.

Anderson Johnson III

Pilot's Pilot

Portland Magazine

Alumni

January 21, 2021

Airline captain Anderson Johnson III ’90 has seen it all from the cockpit of his 747. From meteor showers and space shuttle launches, to watching the sun chase down the horizon near the North Pole. These days, Johnson is now focused on what he is carrying in the cargo of his UPS plane—the COVID-19 vaccine.

Kara Breuer

On Curiosity and Chemistry

Portland Magazine

Alumni

January 21, 2021

On a crab processor boat, in 1988, in the middle of a storm off the coast of Alaska, Kara Breuer ’95, MAT ’06 made a promise that if she survived, she’d go to college. It took the crew about 17 hours to make it home.

UP women's basketball team

No Game for Granted

Portland Magazine

Athletics

January 21, 2021

For weeks, University of Portland’s men’s and women’s basketball teams navigated online classes and roamed a lifeless campus, as they fought off fears their season would never happen. On Oct. 14, the NCAA permitted its Division I basketball programs to begin preseason practices with regular coronavirus testing and other safeguards, and gyms across the United States opened doors for full-contact, five-on-five workouts and scrimmages. But of the 350 Division I programs, two—UP and crosstown rival Portland State—were forced to keep their doors closed, thanks to a perplexing decision by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to deny exemption requests by the schools to play through the Oregon Health Authority’s sports guidance.

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How to Access Campus Services This Spring

Recreational Services

Pilots Prevent

Health Center

January 19, 2021

The Career Center, Health and Counseling Center, and recreation services have altered access but still have a plethora of services available to students this spring.

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Spring Semester Begins January 25, Limited In-Person Classes Resume

Pilots Prevent

January 19, 2021

A small number of in-person classes--mostly core curriculum courses for first-year students--will be offered when Spring 2021 commences.

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Making the Most of the Library This Spring

Pilots Prevent

Library

January 19, 2021

Although the library has (and will continue to) offer a wide range of online services—including ebooks, scanned and emailed book chapters, physical books mailed right to your door, and even live chat with a librarian—this spring it will be open for studying again.  

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UP Can Communicate COVID-Positive Status to Parents with Student Consent

Health Center

Pilots Prevent

January 19, 2021

Due to HIPAA and FERPA regulations, UP can communicate medical information to parents when they have the consent of students.

University of Portland campus from above

University of Portland Opens Spring Semester with Mix of Online, In-Person classes; 800-Plus Undergraduates Returning to Residence Halls

Pilots Prevent

January 19, 2021

With a national healthcare provider delivering innovative COVID-19 symptom screening and testing, the University of Portland (UP) is laying the groundwork for a measured return to campus for students, faculty and staff. More than 800 undergraduates began prescheduled move-ins this week to occupy UP residence halls following baseline testing by new partner Carbon Health.

campus aerial view

"UK Variant" of COVID-19 Infects University of Portland Staff Member; Individual is Isolated and Contact Tracing is Complete

Pilots Prevent

Health Center

January 16, 2021

The University of Portland (UP) was notified last night that a previously-diagnosed case of COVID-19 infecting one (1) on-campus staff member is the recently-discovered “UK variant” or “B.1.1.7” strain of the virus. It is the first known case of this variant in Oregon. The infected staff member has been in isolation since the initial diagnosis and will remain so until cleared by their healthcare provider in the coming days.

University of Portland campus from above

Safe Spaces to Gather at University of Portland

Pilots Prevent

January 12, 2021

For everyone anticipating a safe return to campus for Spring 2021, University of Portland staff are hard at work planning ways to provide spaces to gather for eating, studying, socializing, and events. By now we’re all used to expecting things to look and feel different, and that remains true as we adapt to changing guidelines—and Portland weather.

campus aerial view

UP Welcomes Carbon Health as COVID-19 Testing Partner

Health Center

Pilots Prevent

January 12, 2021

UP is partnering with leading national healthcare provider Carbon Health for screening, diagnostic testing, and the delivery of rapid results for COVID-19 testing of students, faculty, and staff.

Taylor Stewart

University of Portland to host “MLK Day On” Virtual Keynote Address, January 18

January 11, 2021

University of Portland’s Office of International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion invites all UP community members to take part in “MLK Day On,” a celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 18 from 6 - 7:30 p.m., with a virtual keynote address by Taylor Stewart ’18.

Monitor Symptoms Daily to Ensure Safe Return to Campus

Pilots Prevent

January 11, 2021

Daily symptom monitoring is a key part of the Pilots Prevent COVID-19 safety protocols--designed to keep UP community member safe and healthy during the pandemic.