A message from University Ministries: During Winter Quarter, we will alter Chapel locations between Upper Gwinn (first and third Tuesdays) and residence halls (second and fourth Tuesdays). Chapels are held on Tuesdays at 11:10 a.m. Please refer to the online Chapel schedule for location information. Chapels held in residence halls will be hosted by the respective hall.

The next Chapel speaker on Tuesday, January 14, in Emerson Hall will be Michael Langford, associate professor of theology, discipleship, and ministry. 

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel will be held Tuesday, January 21, 11:10 a.m. in Upper Gwinn. This Chapel will be hosted by the African Student Association, Black Student Union, and the Black/African American Faculty & Staff Affinity Group.

A message from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: You are invited to the inaugural ODEI diversity lecture with author, historian, and speaker Jemar Tisby on Wednesday, January 22, 5–6:15 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. The purpose of the annual lecture is to provoke thought, extend conversations, and inform current practices related to our University-wide diversity efforts. Drawing on his highly acclaimed book The Color of Compromise (2019), Jemar will explore the connection between the church and racism throughout American history and offer practical steps for Christians to understand and fight against their own complicity. 

To learn more about Jemar’s work, watch his 15-minute video on the history of race and the church and 5-minute video on the race conversation today.

To request disability accommodation, contact the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in advance of the event at odei@spu.edu.

A message from Athletics: SPU Athletics invites you to the second Fac/Staff Appreciation Reception of the year! Join us on Friday, January 17, in the Falcon Club (in Royal Brougham Pavilion) for light refreshments and a time in mingle with coworkers and family. The reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by the gymnastics meet at 7 p.m. Meet first-year head coach, Sarah Marshall, and watch the team warmup. As always, faculty and staff and their families get free admission to the meet. 

We hope this will be a fun, relaxing event to enjoy time with your colleagues (and to meet new ones!) while watching our incredible gymnasts compete!

There are several ways faculty, staff, and students will be notified or can find out whether SPU will close or delay opening due to inclement weather. SPU announces weather closures and delays by sending texts and emails to contact information entered in SPU-Alert, posting a message on the Emergency Closure Hotline (206-281-2800), and posting a notice on SPU’s home page. To check and update your SPU-Alert contact information, see the SPU-Alert Emergency Notification System webpage. The changing weather in Seattle can make decisions to close or delay opening difficult, but we try to have notification on the Emergency Closure Hotline and issue texts and emails via SPU-Alert by 5:30 a.m. For additional information, visit the updated Inclement Weather webpage.

SPU’s Disability Support Services present their annual "No Limits, No Boundaries" event on Wednesday, February 5, 5:30–7 p.m. in Nickerson Studios. The evening will include films and discussion regarding diversity and inclusion of various types of abilities. Light refreshments will be served. The annual event focuses on increasing campus and community awareness of disability. Please contact dss@spu.edu for accommodations.

For information about upcoming professional development opportunities, the inaugural ODEI diversity lecture, Winter 2020 diversity seed grant recipients, and more, check out this month’s ODEI Connections.

A message from the Center for Career and Calling: Invite your students to meet and engage with employers here on campus on Wednesday, January 29, 4–6 p.m. in Emerson Hall. Speed networking is a fun way to interact with professionals interested in knowing more about them, and a chance for them to learn how to make a lasting first impression. Students will be teamed up with two other students, and will meet up to ten employers in about an hour. They’ll spend 5–7 minutes at each table before moving to the next table. They’ll quickly learn how to introduce themselves, ask questions, and answer questions about themselves. After speed networking, they can visit any of the employers they didn't get a chance to meet.

Students MUST preregister for this event as space is limited to 120 students.

The next exhibit at the Seattle Pacific Art Center Gallery (SPAC) is titled At the edge of both, a group exhibition curated by local artist Serrah Russell and Assistant Professor of Art Zack Bent. The exhibit presents four artists who expose the complexity of  perceptions of geography and place. Through the bending of their chosen mediums, these artists appear to turn landscape and space inside out, revealing hidden seams and edges. The exhibit runs January 13–March 6 at SPAC, located at 3 West Cremona Street. The hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Thursday or by appointment. 

There will be a reception for the artists on Thursday, January 16, 5–7 p.m. at SPAC Gallery. Follow SPAC on Instagram or subscribe to our mailing list for upcoming events.

A message from Student Academic Services: All department schedulers should have received notification for the planning process for the 2020–21 academic year time schedule open in CourseLeaf. All changes must be made by January 17, 2020, for summer courses, and February 21, 2020, for the remainder of the academic year. Department schedulers can learn about the process in the CourseLeaf wiki.

RSVP to join Computer and Information Systems for a brief training session on how to use the SPU wiki for effective documentation. They will provide an overview of the wiki’s basic features, show you how to create or edit wiki articles, and demonstrate some creative examples of how the wiki is used. Two trainnings will be held on Wednesday, January 29, at 8:30 a.m. or Thursday, January 30, at 11:15 a.m. Please contact Allison Pincus in CIS at pincusa@spu.edu with any questions. Light refreshments will be provided.

Microsoft Teams has replaced Skype for Business on all SPU-managed computers. RSVP to join Computer and Information Systems for a brief training session on Wednesday, January 15, at 11:15 a.m. or Thursday, January 16, at 1:15 p.m. and learn how to best utilize this new collaboration tool with your colleagues and students. Please contact Allison Pincus in CIS at pincusa@spu.edu with any questions. Light refreshments will be provided.

A message from SPU Dining Services: Faculty and staff will receive two bonus meals if they purchase a Faculty/Staff Block 10 Meal Plan by Friday, January 17. That’s 12 meals for $85 (or $7.08 per meal)! (Limit one per person.) You can use the plan in Gwinn any time during Gwinn’s service hours. Or you can use it to purchase Simply to Go meals at the Corner Place Market, Academic Perks (SUB), or Common Grounds (Weter Hall). Meals can be used for guests, too. Plans can be purchased through Banner. Meal balances roll from quarter to quarter as long as you are employed at the University. If you have questions, contact Housing and Meal Plan Services at 206-281-2188 or mealplan@spu.edu.

Bloodworks Northwest will host a blood drive on campus January 23–24, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. near the entrance of Tiffany Loop. Schedule an appointment online.

A message from Housing and Meal Plan Services: To encourage interaction between faculty and staff and students outside the classroom, SPU Dining Services provides five free meal passes each weekday that students can use to take a faculty or staff member to Gwinn Commons for a meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner). Tickets are available at the Office of University Services during business hours (9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.). Tickets must be picked up on the day they are to be used. (If a breakfast meeting is scheduled before the office opens, students may pick up a ticket the day before). The ticket is for the faculty or staff member; the student must use their own meal plan, Falcon Funds, or cash to enter the dining hall. Tickets are provided on a first come, first served basis.

The weight room and fitness center in Brougham Pavilion are available to faculty and staff. If you are interested in using these facilities and need locker room access in Brougham, contact Madi Velling in Athletics, at 206-281-2085 or vellingm@spu.edu. The cost for locker room access is $6 per month, paid through payroll deduction.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) during the academic year. Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the next Bulletin will be published Tuesday, January 21. The deadline is Thursday, January 16. If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity.

In recognition of his service to the SPU community, Stan McDonald, budget and equipment coordinator in Athletics, was nominated by his peers and selected by Staff Council as the January Staff Member of the Month. Congratulations and thank you, Stan! Learn more about Stan and nominate a colleague for recognition on the Staff Council website.

Randy Beavers, assistant professor of finance, has received a $7,000 grant from the Acton Institute For the Study of Religion and Liberty to promote the film Poverty, Inc. and create pedagogical resources around the film through his online summer course of “Principles of Macroeconomics.” From May 1, 2020, through April 30, 2022 (a three-year streaming license via Film Platform), interested students who would like to screen or faculty who would like to use portions of Poverty, Inc. in campus events or classes may contact Beavers (reb@spu.edu) for institutional use and public screenings.

Sharleen Kato, professor of Family and Consumer Sciences, was an invited speaker at the 2019 Global Universities of Education Alliance Seminar hosted by National Taipei University of Education in Taiwan on December 30–31. She was joined by professors from the University of Education Schwaebisch Gmuend (Germany) and Ewha Womans University (Korea.)

Mischa Willett, instructor of writing, has been awarded a grant from the Conference on Christianity and Literature for his work on The Edinburgh University Press critical edition of Philip James Bailey’s Festus.

A new work by adjunct music faculty member Lacey Brown titled "Love Came Down at Christmas" was recently released. Lacey is the songwriter and a performer for Poor Clare, an indie folk band from Seattle performing original music inspired by the mysteries of God and life. "Poor Clare’s music echoes the beauty of the Pacific Northwest: melodies that soar from the peaks of the mountains, lyrics exploring ocean depths, textures that rain from the clouds like a dream."

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming the following new staff members:

Devon Crouch, advancement coordinator, University Advancement
Emily Fitzmaurice, office and operations manager, Residence Life
Erica Largent, undergraduate admissions counselor, University Recruitment and Admissions
Colton Meo, transfer admissions counselor, University Recruitment and Admissions