NEWS BRIEFS

Smith Space Committee postpones allocation decision

The Smith Space Committee, which oversees the parceling of space in Smith Memorial Student Union to student groups, announced on Wednesday its decision to postpone the allocation process until fall term.

In an e-mail sent to student groups, Smith Space Committee Chair Pv Jantz cited three reasons for the delay: lack of uniformity of the committee, a high turnover rate of previous members and time constraints.

According to Jantz, next year’s Smith Space Committee will make the final decision. Until then, the allocation that was made two years ago will not change.

“This will allow the new committee to make a more in depth examination of the best options for all student groups impacted,” Jantz wrote in the e-mail.

Brandon Harris, ASPSU’s communications director and a member of the committee, sent out an e-mail on Wednesday announcing his decision to challenge the committee’s process.

“Throughout the process, the chair of the Space Committee has violated several bylaws and allowed biased committee members to advocate for a single group, instead of all student groups,” Harris wrote in the e-mail.

Harris is currently collecting appeals from student groups.

Vice Provost Gil Latz to leave PSU in December

Portland State Vice Provost Gil Latz recently accepted appointments as assistant vice chancellor for international affairs at Indiana State University/Purdue University and associate vice president for international affairs at Indiana University.

Latz, who has worked at PSU for 27 years, will leave PSU in December, according to a press release. Before becoming vice provost of the Office of International Affairs 2002, Latz taught geography and international affairs here at PSU.

Monica Rimai chosen as new FADM vice president

After months of searching for Vice President of Finance and Administration Lindsay Desrochers’ replacement, Portland State has chosen Monica Rimai to for the position.

Rimai is currently the senior vice chancellor and chief operating officer for the State University of New York, according to a press release.

Desrochers will retire at the end of June, after 10 years of working at PSU.

PSU celebrates student writers

Portland State’s English department hosted the 47th annual Nina Mae Kellogg Awards on Wednesday to recognize undergraduate and graduate students for their writing achievements.

Dr. Steven Mailloux, a professor of rhetoric at Loyola Marymount University, delivered the ceremony’s keynote speech, titled, “Witnessing with Words: Rhetoric, Religion and the Law.”

THE FIRST PLACE WINNERS ARE:

The Tom and Phyllis Burnam Undergraduate Poetry Award: Jamila Osman and Stacey Tran

The Tom and Phyllis Burnam Graduate Poetry Award: Rita Stacy

The Tom and Phyllis Burnam Undergraduate Fiction Award: Molly Katzman

The Tom and Phyllis Burnam Graduate  Fiction Award: Kjerstin Johnson and Sarah Marshall

The Tom and Phyllis Burnam Undergraduate Award in Nonfiction: Taylor Ellsworth

The John Redman Freshman Writing Award: Sophie Soprani

The Frank Andrew Clarke and Helen Clarke Memorial Award: Sarah Marshall

The Phillip Ford Graduate Award: Robert Carver

The Tom Doulis Graduate Fiction Writing Award: Michael Magnes

The Shelley Reece Poetry Award: Shaun McGillis

The Academic of American Poets Award: Lisa Nasshahn

The Giving Back Fellowship: Seth W. McBride

The Tom Bates Award in Memoir: Christina Cooke

The Tom Bates Award in Reporting: Candace Opper

The Tom Bates Award in Essay Writing: Emily Burns

The Wilma Morrison Awards in Journalism: Alison Barnwell (Best News Writing); Joshua Hunt (Best Feature Writing); Richard Oxley (Best Opinion Writing); Rosemary Hanson (Best Sports Writing); and Jake Stevens (Best Arts & Culture Writing)

The Marilyn Folkestad Scholarship Award: Cassia Gammill

The Nina Mae Kellogg Senior Award: Deborah Garrison