Portland State Magazine Fall 2021

FALL 2021 // 7 The last 18 months tested the PSU community, but crisis can also spark creativity. Changes to how students attend class, access support and get experience in the field promise to make for a more flexible, and accessible, university experience. —SCHOLLE McFARLAND PATH TO LAW A new partnership guarantees qualified PSU undergraduates and alumni admission to Willa- mette University College of Law, as well as a $10,000 scholarship, renewable for three years. DINOSAUR DETECTIVES Cameron Pahl ’16 and biology professor Luis Ruedas upended 150 years of scientific thought about Allosaurus—a T. rex look- alike from the late Jurassic period—using biological modeling and fossil evidence to show it was a scavenger, not a predator. $10,000 150 → FALL 2021 // 7 Likewise, Campus Rec is keeping a selection of live virtual exercise classes introduced during the pandemic, as well as on-demand workouts and virtual group training. Student government, which plans for the majority of its meetings and events to be online this fall, is looking at whether a mix of virtual and in-person meetings and events may work best in the long term to engage more nontradi- tional and commuter students. → New approaches to fieldwork: How do students experi- ence fieldwork if they can’t be in the field? Faced with that conundrum, as well as the shift in how community-based social services were being provided, the School of Social Work’s Field Education Program jettisoned long-held assumptions to figure out new ways for students to learn and engage in the crises of the times. Many changes carry forward this term. Students can now structure their internships to include both in-person and remote opportunities with their agencies.That not only makes it possible for them to pop in via Zoom to meetings and committees they would have missed in the past, but also gives them the ability to truly go beyond direct service to engage in policy- and research-focused activities. Students already employed at social service agencies can use their positions as internships, if they meet criteria. Faculty fieldwork liasons will no longer drive to multiple agencies, instead sticking with virtual site visits that save time and keep extra cars off the road. Quarterly Zoom Supervision Roundtables started during the pandemic will also continue bringing together field instructors from all over the state to troubleshoot and share best practices. “Such an unprecedented experiment couldn’ t help but change the way we work and learn.” MATIS75, ADOBE STOCK KATE BINGAMAN-BURT