News
On April 20, students at Portland’s Lincoln High School, along with thousands of students across the country, placed tape over their mouths and stood in solidarity for those who have experienced sexual violence. The day marked the National Day of Silence.
Two Portland State students received high awards in Native American education at the Annual Oregon Indian Education Association conference on April 2 and 3. Art practices senior Shilo George received the award for Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, and Sky Hopinka received the award for Outstanding Student in Higher Education.
Many Portland State student-parents take advantage of campus child care services, including the Children’s Center, located on the first floor of Smith Memorial Student Union. Funded by the Associated Students of Portland State University’s Student Fee Committee, the frequently used center is a valuable resource for student-parents, enabling them to leave their children in safe hands during class hours. However the center’s plans for the summer are unclear. Though still up the air, it was rumored that the PSU Helen Gordon Child Development Center would be using the center’s space for a summer program. Despite these rumors, there has been recent and strong indication that the Children’s Center will have its own summer program.
There are numerous methods that people use to try and manage their weight, including exercise, dieting and measuring how many calories they eat in a day, among others. But Portland State dietitian Jordann Kearns teaches a different method. By definition, a dietitian is a food counselor and specializes in researching diets and counseling patients in developing their eating habits. Kearns focuses on intuitive eating, also known as mindful eating, which isn’t a diet but a food philosophy, where people are attuned with their hunger signals to help control their hunger.
Bulk bins: the cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to shop. A Portland State study now has the data to officially support this claim. In the first research of its kind in the United States, a team of four PSU Master of Business Administration students conducted a study on the cost and environmental benefits of shopping from the bulk bins. According to their study, students found that consumers can save an average of 89 percent by buying in bulk instead of food in pre-packaged counterparts.
Portland State is currently conducting final interviews for the position of university librarian. A new university librarian became a necessity in June 2010 after previous librarian Helen Spalding retired. Adriene Lim replaced Spalding on an interim basis for the 2010–11 school year, but left to take a job at another library. For 2011–12, Lynn Chmelir agreed to become the new interim librarian, but only for a year, which made finding a new, permanent librarian a top priority for PSU.
In panning out the Oregon state budget for 2011, legislators made significant cuts in funding to state universities. Whereas once state university expenditures were mostly covered by state subsidies, now the opposite is true, with most expenses covered by tuition and fees. With a dramatic 23 percent decrease in state funding and a continuing harsh economic climate, Portland State administrators set about devising a proposal for a new budget model by which to evaluate financial decisions in the coming years.
“That’s why I moved here—to get away from big coal,” said Carol Ross, a transplant to Oregon from West Virginia. “I watched as my home was destroyed by the coal industry.” Ross and her husband moved to Oregon after their retirement to escape the “constant heartache of witnessing the decimation of Appalachia.”
“Speak English. No Spanish.”
Those were the first words that young Esperanza De La Vega heard on her first day of kindergarten. She had been so excited to go to school with her five older sisters. They all spoke Spanish at home, and English was to be learned at school and outside. But the experience of her teacher raising her voice and yelling at her to speak English stunned her.
BaSiC Initiative is a nonprofit organization that provides communities with creative building solutions to meet locale-specific challenges. Co-founded by Portland State professor of architecture Sergio Palleroni, BaSiC Initiative—which stands for Building Sustainable Communities—provides students with the opportunity to do hands-on fieldwork while simultaneously providing assistance to populations in need.
Portland State Professor Evan Thomas spent part of his life designing life support systems for the harsh environments in space. Now, Thomas is using his expertise to improve the living conditions of people on Earth, with technology he is developing for use across the world.