The Beacon (University of Portland)

On March 26, laughter and conversations of strategic planning could be heard on the lower level of Franz Hall as community members banded together for a cause bigger than themselves. Hosted by the Operations Management Association (OMA), an annual “Helping Hands” event brought together students, staff, faculty and community members to build prosthetic hands for people around the world.

In the quiet, riverside town of Kalama, Washington, there’s a familiar face in leadership: theology and religious studies professor Jon Stanfill. Stanfill was sworn in as the mayor of Kalama on Jan. 1 after serving six years on the Kalama City Council.

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On Feb. 19, the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) demanded that Robert Pamplin Jr. pay $13.9 million for his neglect of the Willamette River. From 1926-2001, Ross Island Sand & Gravel, one of Pamplin’s companies, mined the island’s lagoon for sand and gravel. After mining ceased, Pamplin and the state reached an agreement that he would refill the excavation sites — a promise the DSL says Pamplin didn’t keep. This is just one of many recent legal issues that Pamplin has found himself in.

Social media platform Yik Yak started as a place for students to vent their university qualms and post experiences to anyone within a five-mile radius, without identifying themselves. The anonymous messaging app, however, has since received significant criticism for being a hub of online harassment and harmful behaviors. Now, cyberbullying on the platform is affecting the UP community.

1,500 light years away sits the Orion Nebula, the closest star-forming region to Earth. In order to get this photo, I drove 45 minutes to L.L. Stub Stewart State Park and set up my smart telescope to track and shoot continuous photos of the nebula for over an hour. The process of driving to a dark location, setting up my camera and enduring the cold night created an image-capturing experience that doesn’t compare to anything I’ve ever done.

StockUP, a donation-based food pantry for students located in the lower level of Orrico Hall, has changed their spring walk-in hours. As of Jan. 12, the pantry will be open Tuesdays from 2-4 p.m., Wednesdays from 10-12 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Associate Director of Student Care Ali Dunham says the switch in hours is to accommodate the availability of their three student workers.

The Chiles Center bustles with stomping feet and faint cheers. The buzzer sounds and the backboard glows red, signaling the end of the timeout. My eyes scan the crowd as I receive polite claps and nods of approval for our minute-long routine. I hear my favorite announcement over the stadium speakers: “Your Pilots Dance Team.” I wave to the audience as I run off the basketball court to find my spot under the hoop. Photo courtesy of Kalena O'Connell.

President Robert Kelly has appointed Kalena O’Connell as editor-in-chief (EIC) of The Beacon for the 2026-27 academic year. Kelly’s appointment was based on the recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Student Media, a panel of UP faculty and staff who interviewed O’Connell earlier this year. O’Connell, a junior communication major and writing minor, began as a news reporter for The Beacon at the start of her sophomore year.

This report covers incidents from March 23-27 as recorded in the Department of Campus Safety’s Crime and Fire Log. Learn more about The Beacon’s weekly Police Blotter here. Wednesday, March 25 At approximately 7:08 p.m., a student reported that the driver’s side mirror of their vehicle was damaged, which was parked on North Portsmouth Avenue facing Joe Etzel Field, according to an email from Associate Director of Patrol Operations Lorenzo Clara.