Portland Scholars

You may change the FRINQ course and mentor session you were pre-registered for, log in to myPSU and review the CRNs.

One of the requirements for graduation at PSU is First Year Inquiry. As a Portland Scholar, you will participate in a First Year Inquiry cohort with your fellow scholars. Below are the descriptions of the themes of the First Year Inquiry courses you can choose from.

• Creativity In Action: Designed for creative fields like art practices, graphic design, music, architecture, and theater. Students will explore creativity through project-based learning, research, and community partnerships. They will learn how to practice creativity in a variety of interdisciplinary contexts. This Creativity in Action FRINQ is aligned with PSU’s Design, Creativity and Performance pathway, and will cultivate community for students across creative disciplines at PSU.
• Health, Happiness, & Human Rights: Examine the nature and state of healthy individuals and populations in their various environments. A dynamic approach is used to study the places where people live and interact, such as the community, the workplace, and the natural environment. Specific emphasis will be given to the intersections between health, communities (both local and global), and human rights and the impact on happiness.
• Immigration, Migration & Belonging: The movement of people across borders is a central political and cultural issue throughout the world. Although many are aware of the mobility of goods and capital in a global economy, we tend to be less aware of the movement of people in the global economic system and we also tend to forget that the movement of people, both as workers and as refugees, is not a new phenomenon.
• Metamorphosis:Metamorphosis is the ancient Greek name for “shape-changing”. This course investigates the process of change in human culture: how do we envision and experience transformation in ourselves, our communities, and our world? How do we shape and interact with each other and with our environments? Through an interdisciplinary perspective, examining stories and narratives, history, art, poetry, popular culture and science, we will approach a better understanding of how the process of change is fundamental to our life experience and to our sense of being.
• On Democracy: Explore how democracy functions, and evaluates its relevance in our time of political, economic and environmental crisis. We will examine how the rise of digital media, polarization and extremism, and political paralysis in response to existential issues like climate change, pose critical challenges to democratic norms and ideals. We will consider how individual and societal interventions such as media literacy, community building, and community engagement and advocacy can address these fundamental challenges to democracy. Students will design and participate in community-based learning activities that increase civic engagement and address large-scale social and ecological issues.
• Portland: How do our surroundings shape our lives? How do we shape our surroundings? In this course, the complex relationship between people and the places in which we live, recreate, and work is explored. We specifically focus on Portland: its place as a context for human development and cultural expression; its place as an urban area of diverse communities; and its place within the natural, material, and social environment of the Pacific Northwest.
• Race & Social Justice: This course will study biology that undermines the concept of race itself; sociology that defines the concept as socially constructed; a history that is not acknowledged in standard K-12 texts; and literature that opens a diversity of windows onto the experience of race. Through both increased knowledge and personal reflection, students can develop capabilities useful to the work of moving U.S. society past its racial dilemma.
• Sustainability: Although we often think of the natural world as separate from our largely urban lives, our most basic needs such as nutritious food to eat, clean air to breathe, and clean water to drink depend on the health of the natural systems of which we are a part. This course explores the interconnectedness of global systems (including physical, ecological, cultural, social, and economic) and their impact on the world.
• The Work of Art: Approaching art from a variety of disciplines, this course examines how the work of art shapes, reflects, disguises, and complicates our personal and cultural identities. We explore the various roles that art plays in our imaginary, political, and social lives.
• What are Great Books?: Focus on some of the great literary works, watershed scientific discoveries, and seminal insights and creative acts that characterized the last two millennia of human thought and culture. To do so we will cross disciplines at every stage, working to understand how history, literature, art, philosophy, math, and science are not discrete disciplines but have always influenced and contributed profoundly to one another.

Submit the Emergency Contact Information Form to provide emergency contact information for the Portland Scholars Summer Program.

Submit the Portland Scholars Transportation Form, you can request a Parking Pass or Transit Pass (if necessary).

Before You Come Campus

• Get your PSU ID card. Get your PSU ID card prior to your move-in check-in time, if possible. You will have time at New Student Orientation to get your PSU ID card. If you aren’t able to get it then, visit ID services during another time that they are open. You will use your PSU Student ID card to enter your residence hall, activate the elevator if your building has one, and utilize your meal plan if you have one. If you are not able to pick up your PSU ID card prior to move-in, you may check in using a valid government issued photo ID instead. You will be expected to go to ID Card Services as soon as possible to pick up your ID card.
• Get your parking permit. If you have decided to bring your car to campus, you may purchase a parking permit from Transportation and Parking Services. Be sure to select a resident permit. Most residents will not keep a car on campus since public transit is so accessible and convenient.
• Contact your roommate. You will receive room and roommate information the week of August 19th. Once you get contact details for your roommate, introduce yourself! You can avoid duplicate items by coordinating who will bring what (fan, microwave, etc). Be sure to check your PSU email regularly for important updates and information about your community.

Move-In Day

Arrive on Campus

Park in a parking structure and pay at the pay station or download the Parking Kitty mobile app to make paying for parking easier. Parking Structure 1 will be most convenient for Broadway and Ondine residents. Parking Structure 3 is ideal for all other residents. Leave your belongings in the car until after you receive your keys.

Check In and Pick Up Keys

Go to your designated check-in location during your check-in time. Bring your PSU ID card or a government issued photo ID. After 1pm, late check-ins will be at the Broadway Service Desk.

Check In Times

Last name starts with:

• A – F 10:00am
• G – L 10:30am
• M – Q 11:00am
• R – U 11:30am
• V – Z 12:00pm

All Other Residents: Ondine Lobby, 1912 SW 6th Ave

Move In

After picking up your keys, you may start moving into your room. We make every effort to ensure your room is prepared for you. In the case of any damages, email housing@pdx.edu within 48 hours so we can address the issue and add a record to your file so you are not billed for damages when moving out. We recommend you bring a wagon or handtruck to help with the move-in process. We will have a very limited number of carts available. We also encourage taking the stairs whenever possible. At times, there may be long waits for elevators. Elevators are available in all residence halls except St. Helens.

What to Bring

You should bring the same items you would bring for Fall Move-In, including bedding, towels, toiletries, clothing, school supplies, personal items, and more. There may be a few warmer weeks, and you may want some summer clothes and a fan. Residents do not have to move out during the break period between the end of Portland Scholars program and the start of Fall term.

Linens & Accessories

• Standard or XL Twin Sheets
• Pillow & Pillowcases
• Bedspread & Blankets
• Mattress Pad

Bath Items

• Towels & Washcloths
• Toilet Paper
• Hand Soap & Sanitizer
• Toiletries (soap, shampoo, etc.)
• Bathroom Cleaning Supplies

School Supplies

• Computer or Laptop
• Pens/Pencils/Highlighters
• Notebooks
• Backpack
• Calculator

Laundry Items

• Laundry Bag/Hamper
• Laundry Detergent
• Hangers

Kitchen Goods

• Cookware & Glassware
• Dishes & Cutlery
• Cooking Utensils
• Dish Towels
• Dish Drying Rack
• Paper Towels

Other Recommended Items

• Electric Fans or Portable Air Conditioner (Air conditioners are permitted through 9/15. See Air Conditioner Policy for details.)
• Floor or Desk Lamps
• Microwave Oven (≤ 900 watts)
• Stackable and/or Under Bed Storage
• Mini fridge (≤ 4 cubic ft) for Ondine residents

What Not to Bring

• Hot Plates/Electric Skillets
• Toaster Ovens
• Halogen Lamps/Sunlamps
• Open Heating Elements
• Candles & Incense
• Firearms & Fireworks
• Martial Arts Weapons
• Nails or Cinder Blocks
• High Wattage Sound or
• Stereo Systems

See Housing Handbook for specific information.

Additional Information

Room Information

• Most students will move into their assigned Fall unit at the start of the Summer Scholars program.
• Students not assigned to their Fall unit will be able to transfer directly from their Summer Scholars room to their Fall room.
• All units have a bed, dresser, desk, and chair for each resident.
• Twin XL Mattress: Broadway, Montgomery, Ondine, St. Helens
• Standard Twin Mattress: Blumel, Epler
• Barstools provided in Blumel and St. Helens
• Units with kitchens or kitchenettes include fridges or mini fridges
• Sleeper units include a mini fridge and microwave
• Units may have more sets of furniture than residents occupying the space; extra furniture cannot be removed.

Packages: We have limited space in our package room. Do not mail packages prior to arrival. Students who want to mail many large boxes to campus should utilize a pick-up service at USPS or UPS. Information about your mailing address is included on your assignment details sent in August. Include your room number on all mail and packages.

All Utilities are Included: Electricity, gas, water, sewer, garbage, and internet are all included. Wireless internet is available in all buildings. Ethernet ports are available in Blumel, Broadway, Ondine, and Stephen Epler.

Download the Portland Summer Scholars Orientation Packet. This contains detailed information about the summer program including the schedule of events, FRINQ course numbers, schedules, descriptions, and how to register. There are also details about optional courses that would be beneficial for you to enroll in.

You may change the FRINQ course and mentor session you were pre-registered for, log in to myPSU and review the CRNs.

One of the requirements for graduation at PSU is First Year Inquiry. As a Portland Scholar, you will participate in a First Year Inquiry cohort with your fellow scholars. Below are the descriptions of the themes of the First Year Inquiry courses you can choose from.

• Creativity In Action: Designed for creative fields like art practices, graphic design, music, architecture, and theater. Students will explore creativity through project-based learning, research, and community partnerships. They will learn how to practice creativity in a variety of interdisciplinary contexts. This Creativity in Action FRINQ is aligned with PSU’s Design, Creativity and Performance pathway, and will cultivate community for students across creative disciplines at PSU.
• Health, Happiness, & Human Rights: Examine the nature and state of healthy individuals and populations in their various environments. A dynamic approach is used to study the places where people live and interact, such as the community, the workplace, and the natural environment. Specific emphasis will be given to the intersections between health, communities (both local and global), and human rights and the impact on happiness.
• Immigration, Migration & Belonging: The movement of people across borders is a central political and cultural issue throughout the world. Although many are aware of the mobility of goods and capital in a global economy, we tend to be less aware of the movement of people in the global economic system and we also tend to forget that the movement of people, both as workers and as refugees, is not a new phenomenon.
• Metamorphosis:Metamorphosis is the ancient Greek name for “shape-changing”. This course investigates the process of change in human culture: how do we envision and experience transformation in ourselves, our communities, and our world? How do we shape and interact with each other and with our environments? Through an interdisciplinary perspective, examining stories and narratives, history, art, poetry, popular culture and science, we will approach a better understanding of how the process of change is fundamental to our life experience and to our sense of being.
• On Democracy: Explore how democracy functions, and evaluates its relevance in our time of political, economic and environmental crisis. We will examine how the rise of digital media, polarization and extremism, and political paralysis in response to existential issues like climate change, pose critical challenges to democratic norms and ideals. We will consider how individual and societal interventions such as media literacy, community building, and community engagement and advocacy can address these fundamental challenges to democracy. Students will design and participate in community-based learning activities that increase civic engagement and address large-scale social and ecological issues.
• Portland: How do our surroundings shape our lives? How do we shape our surroundings? In this course, the complex relationship between people and the places in which we live, recreate, and work is explored. We specifically focus on Portland: its place as a context for human development and cultural expression; its place as an urban area of diverse communities; and its place within the natural, material, and social environment of the Pacific Northwest.
• Race & Social Justice: This course will study biology that undermines the concept of race itself; sociology that defines the concept as socially constructed; a history that is not acknowledged in standard K-12 texts; and literature that opens a diversity of windows onto the experience of race. Through both increased knowledge and personal reflection, students can develop capabilities useful to the work of moving U.S. society past its racial dilemma.
• Sustainability: Although we often think of the natural world as separate from our largely urban lives, our most basic needs such as nutritious food to eat, clean air to breathe, and clean water to drink depend on the health of the natural systems of which we are a part. This course explores the interconnectedness of global systems (including physical, ecological, cultural, social, and economic) and their impact on the world.
• The Work of Art: Approaching art from a variety of disciplines, this course examines how the work of art shapes, reflects, disguises, and complicates our personal and cultural identities. We explore the various roles that art plays in our imaginary, political, and social lives.
• What are Great Books?: Focus on some of the great literary works, watershed scientific discoveries, and seminal insights and creative acts that characterized the last two millennia of human thought and culture. To do so we will cross disciplines at every stage, working to understand how history, literature, art, philosophy, math, and science are not discrete disciplines but have always influenced and contributed profoundly to one another.

You will have the opportunity to do this with your academic advisor during New Student Orientation. Log in to myPSU to view your schedule and contact your academic advisor.

Submit the Emergency Contact Information Form to provide emergency contact information for the Portland Scholars Summer Program.

Submit the Portland Scholars Transportation Form, you can request a Parking Pass or Transit Pass (if necessary).

Download the Portland Scholars College Success Course Orientation Packet. This contains detailed information about course numbers, schedules, descriptions, and how to register. There are also details about optional courses that would be beneficial for you to enroll in.