Portland State University

Disclaimer: While place descriptions and news events may coincide with the real world, all characters and the plot are fictional.
The Newsroom PDX series of books is set in and around Portland State University, Oregon.
According to the Provost, Portland State University declared itself a sanctuary campus in 2018. ICE are not allowed on campus without a court order. However, many PSU students don't live on campus, and PSU can't protect students who are off-campus. 
== Administration ==
=== Board of Trustees ===
==== Book 3: Don't Go ====
Will Bristol reports on a Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 where the student member of the Board pressed the administration about the timeline for eliminating weapons from the campus police department.
=== Alumni Association ===
==== President ====
The President's office is located in the Richard & Maurine Neuberger Center on 4th Ave and Mill St.
* Kenton Byrd (? - December 2020)
* Andrew McShane (Acting President as of 3pm December 1, 2020, interim president as of December 7, 2020)
==== Provost ====
The Provost office is located on the 6th floor of the Richard & Maurine Neuberger Center on 4th Ave and Mill St.
* May 2020 - Andrew McShane
==== Divisions ====
===== Student Affairs =====
* Vice President Benjamin Davis (May 2020)
* Assistant VP Steve Planck (June 2020)
Student Affairs is a powerful division at PSU, with a lot of departments ranging from academic advising, to student government, to athletics. The Student Fee Committee is under the control of the Student Vice President, and is personally advised by the Assistant Vice President and the Student Government Advisor (Callie).
Student Affairs is known for its demand for loyalty and conformity to the party line. One of the ways they do that is through all-day retreats held each term. To Student Affairs, everything is about university politics, and they believe that they understand students better than academics do. VP Davis has harnessed that to his own political ambitions, and to be PSU president may not be his final goal.
====== Campus Health Services ======
In Fall term 2020, the Campus Health Service reports to the Student Affairs division. It is funded by a dedicated student fee. If the campus clinic has to refer students elsewhere, the clinic has to pay for the care. And most of the fee is used for administrative salaries, with little allocated for supplies or medical staff. Twenty percent of the fee goes to administrative overhead that pays for part of the VP's office and salary. 
During the COVID surge in early December 2020, the Health Services clinic is short of COVID test kits. The only people being tested are those with symptoms. No contact tracing is underway; people wait in an enclosed space for hours to be tested. The clinic is not telling young students they can go use their parent's health insurance to be seen at other services off-campus. They are not doing contact tracing. 
On December 3, 2020, Kirsty Gomez is appointed interim director, when it became clear that a medical person was needed as head of the clinic. The former director was reassigned to Student Affairs.
====== Athletics ======
In Fall term 2020, Athletics reports to the Student Affairs division. 
====== Campus Security ======
The Campus Security office is located off Mill St, on SW Broadway.
In Fall term 2020, Campus Security reports to the Student Affairs division. At the start of Winter term 2021, the PSU campus security officers give up their weapons, following a fatal shooting the previous year. Security officers carry batons and mace, but no guns.
Officers include: 
* Chief Dan Wilson
* D. White (suspended January 2021)
* G. Gordon
* Officer Randy Davis (February 2020 - December 2020)
In January 2021, interim president McShane approves an emergency allocation to hire two officers, provided they are women or people of color, and they have demonstrated expertise in working in multicultural environments. McShane is also requiring diversity training for all campus security officers.
===== Academic Affairs =====
====== Departments ======
* Media Studies
* Sociology
===== Media Board =====
The Media Board has been chaired by Dr Michelle Stewart from Media Studies since 2014. It contains student members appointed by student government. The Media Board reports to the Board of Trustees through the Provost's office. They meet normally meet 6 times a year. 
The Media Board is made up of faculty, students, and EWN editors. Student appointees are for the academic year, but faculty appointments are for two years. The Board is designed so no single authority can appoint a majority. The Faculty Senate nominates one member, another is nominated by the Vice President for Student Affairs. Student members are appointed by student government. EWN editors are non-voting members. The appointing authority is the PSU President. 
====== Book 1: Stories We Tell ======
In February 2020, the Media Board of PSU approved a second year for Ryan Matthews as editor-in-chief.
====== Book 3: Don't Go ======
On October 27, 2020, the Media Board convenes a special session and approves Emily Andersen and Cage Washington as joint acting Editors-in-Chief. They thank Ryan Matthews for his service.
In January 2021, Ryan Matthews asks Dr Maria Lopez from Sociology to nominate for the Media Board.
====== EWN Faculty Advisor ======
Professor John Cooper has been the non-tenured part-time EWN Faculty Advisor for more than 10 years. He does not have an advanced degree.
===== Alumni Affairs =====
This department(?) is headed by Tommy Thompson.
===== Facilities =====
The director is Bob Costa. 
====== Book 1: Stories We Tell ======
EWN has a feature on the Facilities department keeping their staff busy by doing all the repairs everyone has wanted for years. On Tuesday May 26, 2020 Bob Costa walks Jason Brown around campus and shows him some of the projects, including refinishing the floors in the bowling alley in the basement of the student union building
===== Finance & Administration =====
=== Academic Calendar ===
(https://www.pdx.edu/registration/sites/registration.web.wdt.pdx.edu/files/2020-09/Four-Year_Academic_Calendar_2019-2023.pdf)
==== 2019/2020 ====
* Fall Term (2019): Sept 30 - Dec 14
* Winter Term (2020): Jan 6 - Mar 15
* Spring Term (2020): Mar 30 - Jun 13 [Online classes only]
* Summer Term (2020): Jun 22 - Sep 5
==== 2020/2021 ====
* Fall Term (2020): Sep 28 - Dec 12
* Winter Term (2021): Jan 4 - Mar 20
* Spring Term (2021): Mar 29 - Jun 12 
* Summer Term (2021): Jun 21 - Sep 4
==== 2021/2022 ====
* Fall Term (2021): Sept 27 - Dec 11
* Winter Term (2022): Jan 3 - Mar 19
Category:PSU