2 The RAPS Sheet November 2020 CO-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE RAPS–Membership with great benefits l Strictly social programs, such as ice cream socials, holiday gatherings (watch for news about this year’s holiday event), and summer picnics. OK, some of these may be on hold for now, but when they come back, check them out. l Keeping current on RAPS activities through the monthly RAPS Sheet. Don’t forget to read it! l The RAPS Directory, with listings and contact information for members, so we can all stay connected. (Of course, you need to be a member to be listed!) l RAPS interest groups, such as book, hiking, and bridge groups. l Participation on committees such as History Preservation and Scholarship. l Informal and more personal benefits and knowing that you are still involved with Portland State. You may already know about all of these rewards, but your friends and colleagues may not. So we’re urging you to spread the word and get more former PSU faculty and staff involved. Thanks, and see you at Bryce Henry’s presentation on November 19! —Pat Squire ONE OF THE BEST THINGS about belonging to RAPS is the real benefits we all get. Now we are introducing a new benefit: Vikings on the Vine, the Alumni Association’s new wine program. Many of us have been on the fascinating wine tours led by Scott Burns. This new wine program delivers wine directly to your home address, definitely a benefit during this time. The wine club brings you two shipments per year of four bottles each, and the wineries have a strong PSU connection. In the fall shipment, the wines are from Sokol Blosser (alumni Alex ’97, ‘03 and Alison ’00 Sokol-Blosser) and Chehalem (Bill Stoller ’79). Check it out here: https://www.pdx.edu/alumni/wine-club and see additional details on page 6. Other benefits that we should all take advantage of: l Monthly educational programs featuring PSU faculty and others, now on Zoom for the time being. Even on Zoom, these meetings are a time for us to get together, catch up, and learn something about a currently relevant topic. Be sure to catch PSU’s Bryce Henry, showing images of the campus over several decades, on November 19. It’s beginning to look a lot like Zoom is the new normal UNTIL THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic comes under control, it seems likely that most if not all of RAPS’s monthly member meetings will be offered using the popular video conferencing platform Zoom. The organization’s maiden voyage with Zoom occurred in September with an engaging talk by PSU president Steve Percy. It was followed in October by Kathryn and John Kirkland’s presentation featuring many of the clever covers of Portland State Magazine and the fascinating stories behind the featured articles. Not a Zoom user yet? The easiest way to be introduced to Zoom is through video tutorials. Simply search for “zoom tutorials for beginners” on your computer and watch a couple of short ones. If you would like some personal help navigating in Zoom, email a request to Samantha McKinlay, RAPS office manager, at rapsmail@pdx.edu. A Board member will make arrangements to walk you—virtually, of course—through the steps and do a brief practice session with you. One of the bonuses of using Zoom is that you can visit with your PSU friends and colleagues on your computer, tablet, or smartphone before or after the RAPS program. (Computers and tablets offer the most flexibility.) The next program meeting is coming up on Thursday, November 19, when Bryce Henry, PSU’s archivist for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Archives (AECA), takes RAPSters on a visual journey of Portland State’s presence on SW 6th Avenue over five decades. (See story on page 1.)
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