UP's health insurance
rates spike next year
News, page 3
The other University of
Portland track team
■ J
Sports; page 16
THE BEACON
Thursday
March 19,
2009
Vol. 110, Issue 20
University of Portland
www.upbeacon.net
Student missing since Monday
Police are searching for
a freshman student
that was last seen in
downtown Portland
Beacon Staff
beacon@up.edu
The Portland Police Bureau is
continuing its search for missing
UP freshman Juan Manuel
Garcia, and have verified witness
information saying he spent
time in the area of the Japanese
Gardens Monday afternoon.
Garcia, 18, was last seen on
campus on Monday morning at
around 10 or 11 o’clock.
The police found some of
Garcia’s possessions downtown,
confirming University staff’s
worries about his whereabouts.
The police don’t expect any
kind of foul play, but Garcia
might suffer from a medical
condition that could endanger
him without proper treatment.
Also, detectives said they have
determined Garcia may have
been in a depressed state of mind
when he went missing.
Garcia’s absence is felt
throughout Shipstad Hall, his
dorm.
“It’s just scary,” senior Aaron
Baum said. “He was a wing mate,
so we all automatically have a
bond.”
Hall Mass Tuesday took on a
somber note, with prayers going
out for Garcia and his family.
Shipstad Hall Director Tyler
Ochsner said he wants residents
to know that the hall staff is there
See Garcia, page 2
Courtesy of Mayra Garcia
Freshman Juan Garcia, pictured here with his sister Mayra Garcia,
has been missing since Monday morning. Police are actively search¬
ing for him and request that anyone with information call 91 1.
Globalization changing language focuses
Aaron O’Connell
Sports Editor
oconnellll @up. edu
Foreign language departments
have been cut back at universities
around the U.S. in an attempt to
shift linguistic focus to countries
which seem more politically
potent.
According to an article by the
Chronicle of Higher Education,
the shift away from western
languages, especially German, is
due to incomprehension of what
globalization really means.
Globalization literally means
‘to make worldwide’ but refers,
more specifically, to a process
by which economies become
dependent on foreign trade in
order to fulfill their needs as a
nation. Many universities then
understand that certain facets of
foreign language departments
must be abandoned in favor of
other, more applicable language
courses.
The Chronicle, however,
argues that an increase in total
cultural and linguistic awareness
is needed; universities should
not abandon one language for
another, but should expand
foreign language departments.
Kathleen Regan, head of the
foreign language department
and Spanish professor, agrees
with the argument, and believes
that a broad range of languages
is important for any university’s
foreign language variety.
“Foreign languages are
seen, well, like art,” Regan said
laughing, shaking her head to
indicate the misconception. “It’s
one of those, ‘you don’t really
need that.’ And it’s tragic.”
Regan is currently part of
an effort to expand the foreign
language department to include
Chinese, but without sacrificing
any other language program.
Regan said they are working
on writing a grant that would
enable the Chinese language
program to get off the ground.
Regan said that ideally, it would
be up and running in one to two
years.
Success in the program,
according to Regan, would
require several key factors:
the program would have to be
interdisciplinary, it would need
See Languages, page 4
Money set aside to renovate campus
Hannah Gray
Staff Writer
grayl2@up.edu
ASUP announced its capital
improvement project for this
spring semester last Monday.
ASUP will replace Espresso
UP’s espresso machine and
resurface the basketball court
behind Villa Maria for this spring
semester’s capital improvement
projects. Originally, ASUP had
recommended that a coffee cart
be placed in the Village, but that
turned out to be not feasible.
For the first part of the capital
improvements, ASUP will invest
$4,500 to a new espresso machine
for Espresso UP, according to
ASUP President Kyle Bunch.
The current espresso
machine’s steamers do not work
properly and quickly enough,
creating long lines and an
undesirable milk temperature
on Wednesday nights, according
to sophomore Rachel Kohl, the
director for Espresso UP. Also,
sometimes the streamers give out
See Fund, page 4
Erica EUingsen/ THE BEACON
The basketball court behind Villa Hall is going to be revamped using funds from ASUP’s capital
improvements. The organization plans to resurface it and, if funds remain, buy new hoops and seating.
New dept,
added to
University
repertoire
Jessie Hethcoat
Staff Writer
hethcoat 1 2@up.edu
With the new River Campus
that will beusedforenvironmental
studies and the Campus Climate
Commitment and the Presidential
Advisory Committee on
Sustainability, there is a great
deal of environmental awareness
happening on the University of
Portland campus.
The environmental science
program already teaches more
than half of the core science
classes that are offered at UP.
According to Steve Kolmes,
director of theTav-ironmental
science program, very few
students that go to UP graduate
without taking environmental
science courses, unless they are
not required for the core of their
major.
After granting over 40 types
of degrees for 12 years, the
environmental studies program
at University of Portland is
becoming its own department in
spring of 2009.
The environmental degree
programs are not going to
change. The same majors and
minors will still be offered. The
Environmental Ethics and Policy
B.A., the Environmental Science
B.S., and the Environmental
Engineering B.S. are the main
degrees that are available.
“UP’s decision to create
an environmental studies
department is a commitment
of the University to this type of
education,” Kolmes said.
While the environmental
studies professors used to hold
theirtenures in other departments,
including biology and physics,
this new department will create
its own tenure lines.
By creating tenures for
the environmental studies
department, this ensures that
the University will be able to
find replacements for the current
professors when they decide to
retire.
“No environmental studies
professor is going to respond to a
job ad that has the title ‘biology’
or ‘physics’ professor,” Kolmes
said. Because there is no major
without the professors who will
teach the required classes, “these
new tenures ensure that there is
a future for the environmental
studies major.”
In the short term, the creation
of the environmental studies
program will not make much
of a difference to students. The
department is a response to
growth and a commitment to the
subject’s future.
It is not only the the issue of
hiring professors for the future
that has made this change
See Department, page 4
