On Wednesday night, Active Minds hosted an event during EspressoUP to provide support for the University of Portland community following the death of freshman Owen Klinger.
Students wrote letters to Owen’s family and put down words of encouragement on strips of paper to create a chain of supportive messages. They also placed their handprints on a banner using green paint, showing their solidarity with the UP community.
“We are hoping to create some visual displays that allow us to show that we are a community that stands together during times of struggle,” Rachel Mehlman, president of Active Minds said. “We have our poster where you add a hand and it's kind of like a pledge to show that you are a part of this community and you pledge to support others and to be there and to really participate in this community space.”
Owen’s body was found in the Willamette River on Oct. 20, two weeks after he went missing from campus.
Students at the Left Bank Annex entered a pastel dreamworld Friday night at Candy Land. From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., people danced the night away to crowd hits by DJ Clint and took advantage of the candies, desserts and other snacks. Students rose to the occasion with colored wigs and candy jewelry, making sure to document their outfits at the photo booth. Although the night had to end, the memories of Candy Land will live on.
If you are one of the 1,200 students in possession of a ticket to Candy Land, the annual fall dance, there's likely one thought on your mind: "What do I wear?"
Fortunately, The Beacon was way ahead of you. With two short trips to the glamorous Fred Meyer and Dollar Tree, the editorial board has proudly crafted a lookbook suited only for a board game — or perhaps the main quad. Take some inspiration from your local journalists and prepare yourself for a very sweet night.
On Friday morning, members of the UP community marched in downtown Portland during the Global Climate Strike alongside an estimated 6,000 people calling for the end of the burning of fossil fuels. Many UP students attended the strike to have their voices heard, to put an end to the destruction of the environment and to create a better future for themselves.
On Wednesday night, members of Active Minds gathered in Dundon-Berchtold Hall to make 1,100 paper flowers to represent the 1,100 college students that die by suicide each year. They cut and folded white tissue paper and were encouraged to write on the flowers the name or initials of someone they know who has died by suicide. All 1,100 flowers were made on Wednesday night in about two hours.
The flowers were placed in the academic quad in front of Franz Hall Thursday morning. This is a tradition Active Minds follows each September in honor of National Suicide Prevention Week.
Next time you sink into your seat in Dundon-Berchtold after wandering through the maze of hallways, take a peek at the cross on the wall of your classroom. Like all other academic buildings on campus, each classroom in DB is stocked with a crucifix - but unlike the other buildings, these crosses all come with their own unique stories. Acquired from across the globe, every individual crucifix has its own cultural background and history that it will now lend to UP.
From May 7-30, the Moreau Center led an immersion in Northern Tanzania for the first time through its sister school, the Mwenge Catholic University. The immersion brought UP students to a retreat center at the Mwenge Catholic University, as well as brief stays with host families to orient them with cultural events and traditions. Experiences included learning basic Swahili, bartering in traditional markets, attending weddings and confirmations and bonding with the students of Mwenge.
Students kicked off the start of the school year with CPB's annual Riverboat. Although there was a brief power outage, it did not stop students from dancing, riding a mechanical bull and eating lots of free food, all while rocking yee-haw outfits to go along with this year's western theme.
UP's class of 2023 moved in to the residence halls on Thursday. Move in included a happy corgi, parents helping students loft beds and hall directors hugging llamas.
The Holi Festival went down with flying colors on Sunday as students threw a rainbow of colored powders into the air while wearing white T-shirts and learning Bollywood dances. Holi, also known as The Festival of Colors, is a Hindu tradition in India that signifies the arrival of spring. To celebrate, students gathered in East Quad to dance, throw colors, eat snacks and have some fun in the rain.
Hall council members across campus organized the first ever ‘Battle of the Quads’ on Saturday, where dorms from North, East and West Quads battled it out in tug-of-war, an Easter egg hunt, cornhole and more. After a hard fought battle, East quad, who had a big group from Shipstad, came out out on top at the first ever ‘Battle of the Quads’ champions. After the games, students went to the Mehling Ballroom for free burgers and hotdogs.
"Spring has officially sprung on The Bluff. Despite some occasional showers, students are soaking up the sunshine, admiring the lovely cherry blossoms, and participating in a variety of outdoor activities like softball and pick up basketball games. Check out what students have been up to in the last few weeks:
On Saturday night, The Chiles Center echoed with excitement as students and even visiting parents from Villa's Dads' Weekend danced and sang along to bops from Quinn XCII and Whethan at Rock the Bluff. Whethan, a DJ known for hits like "Good Nights" and "Savage," started off the night with electronic bass music and remixes. The headliner, Quinn XCII, who is currently on his "From Tour With Love" tour, pumped up the crowd with well-known songs like "Straightjacket" and "Always Been You." The Beacon got up close to capture some of the night's best moments.
Diversity and Inclusion programs celebrated Women's History Month at their monthly Pilots Paint event on Thursday evening. Nearly 30 students gathered in St. Mary's lounge to create artwork in honor of women.
On Wednesday afternoon, Active Minds hosted their annual Fresh Check Day, a carnival-like mental health fair, in the Quiet Side of The Commons. Several clubs and organizations like Students Against Sexual Assault, ROTC and the Health and Counseling Center set up booths featuring fun activities like bracelet-making and provided information on various aspects of mental health.
On Friday night, UP celebrated their annual International Night in The Commons where students represented different cultures and countries including China, Cambodia, Mexico, Italy, England and many more. The night featured performances from various students who did a Bollywood fusion dance, a Tibetan cultural dance and more. The crowd was also entertained by music from Mariachi Viva Mexico.
On Friday night, the Filipino American Students Association (FASA) held their fifth annual Pilipino Cultural Night, an event celebrating Filipino culture. This year's theme was "Hanggang Ngayon," which means "Until Now" in Tagalog. The event featured Filipino food, spoken word poetry, musical performances and traditional and modern Filipino dances including Tinikling. Members of FASA had been preparing for PCN for months, choreographing dances and making their own decorations.
On March 14, also known as Pi Day, students gathered in front of the library to smash cream pies in the faces of some of their favorite math professors.
