The Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development will hold a public hearing this month on the recently passed tuition equity bill, which grants undocumented immigrant students in-state tuition in Oregon.
Campus safety: how PSU compares with the Urban 21
As the debate continues over whether Portland State should have armed officers on campus, many are looking to other universities’ safety models for comparison. PSU is included in a group of universities informally referred to as the Urban 21, a collection of four-year colleges that have self-identified as having similar demographics and settings.
PSU reaches out to Beaverton minorites
Portland State is working with the city of Beaverton to craft a minority outreach plan that would encourage civic engagement by the city’s ethnic minorities. This joint effort is the first iteration of a major new initiative being pursued by the center, and is tentatively being dubbed the Public Service Innovation Laboratory.
Class profile: ‘Science: Power-Knowledge’
Michael Flower, a professor of interdisciplinary science studies, has been teaching some form of the class “Science: Power-Knowledge” for much of his career. Before coming to Portland State, he taught a less-developed version of the class at Lewis & Clark College, which he has since fine-tuned at PSU.
Class profile: ‘Philosophy of Work and Leisure’
Alex Sager, an assistant professor in the philosophy department, is currently teaching a new course titled “Philosophy of Work and Leisure.” “We spend most of our lives either at work or engaged in leisurely pursuits, and it’s sort of a philosophical inquiry into what that means,” Sager said of the class.
The role of alcohol in suicide
A Portland State professor found new data on the presence of alcohol among suicide decedents, which points to a higher presence of alcohol among American Indians and Alaskan natives. “In general, the AI/AN group showed the highest prevalence of alcohol,” said Dr. Mark Kaplan, the study’s principal investigator.
‘Hands-on Philanthropy’ set for spring
If the pictures in his binder don’t convince you, the canvasser who’s stopped you between Smith Memorial Student Union and Cramer Hall will turn straight to the numbers. One payment a month. Twenty-five dollars. One child. You feel awful as you shake your head, mouth nothing in particular and walk away. If you had a spare $300 a year, you would be more than happy to donate. Your mind wanders: increasing tuition, books, rent, utilities.
Perkowski’s ‘Legos for adults’
Do robots have souls? Marek Perkowski (also known as “Dr. Roboto”), professor of electrical engineering, speculated on this potential, as well as on quantum robotics, during Wednesday night’s presentation on cyber theater and robotics.
TriMet and ATU butt heads over saftey
Last week it was reported that the electronic system used to monitor and control light rail activity has a “blackout area” where MAX trains and the Portland Streetcar intersect at Portland State’s Urban Plaza. The problem, said Bruce Hansen, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, is that the control monitors are unable to track the trains in the area where the two rail systems intersect.
PSU professor takes expert knowledge to Moscow
With the aid of Portland State professor Natan Meir, a new museum funded by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia recently opened in Moscow to international acclaim.
Testimony and treason: a tale of two sergeants
In the aftermath of World War II, two American army sergeants—both prisoners of war—faced harrowingly different futures. One, a Japanese-American intelligence agent, was deemed a war hero. The other, an Anglo-American, was charged with treason. And yet the similarities between Richard Sakakida and John Provoo were startling.