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.  The most current and complete information will be provided on the Emergency Closure Hotline at 206-281-2800. SPU will also send emails and text messages announcing the closure or delay to email addresses and cell phone numbers posted in SPU-Alert, which is SPU's mass-notification system for sending emergency messages. 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 prior to 6 a.m.

To confirm or update your SPU-Alert cell phone numbers or email addresses, access the Banner Information System and select Personal Menu and then Emergency Alert System. For additional information, visit the Inclement Weather webpage on the Emergency Preparedness website.

Disability Support Services presents the annual No Limits, No Boundaries event on Tuesday, February 5, 6:30–8 p.m. in Nickerson Studios. This evening is focused on increasing campus and community awareness of disability and honoring an individual whose life, spirit, and work reflect their commitment to access, inclusion, and reconciliation.

This year’s speaker and recipient of the No Limits, No Boundaries Award is local architect Karen Braitmayer FAIA. Since 1989, Karen has been at the forefront of the disability civil rights movement  and has been a pioneer in inclusive and universal architectural design. As a policymaker, advocate, and wheelchair user herself, Karen has made a unique contribution to the built environment. Her leadership as an accessibility consultant is recognized both regionally and nationally, as is her vision to find creative ways through design to give people of all abilities access to their full potential, their communities, and the greater world at large.

Admission to the event is free. Seattle Pacific University is committed to providing equal access and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation, please contact Disability Services in advance of the event at 206-281-2272, TTY 206-281-2224, or dss@spu.edu.

ETM is hosting a Video & Community Talk in the lower level of the Library on Tuesday, February 12, 12–1 p.m. Join ETM for lunch and hear from professors Munyi Shea, Max Hunter, and Catalina Vlad Ortiz about how they have used FlipGrid in their classes to introduce new ways of engagement and create community in their online spaces. FlipGrid is a simple video tool that can be integrated directly into Canvas. There will be time afterward to ask questions about the tool and see it in action.

Please sign up by emailing Cari Lui in the Library at luic@spu.edu. Lunch will be provided for those who sign up by noon on Monday, February 11. If you have additional questions or concerns, contact ETM at etmhelp@spu.edu or ETM Associate Director Karen Park at kpark@spu.edu.

A message from International Student Services: SPU’s international student leaders will display information about their home countries, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, China, and Hong Kong, in the SUB Gazebo Room on Lunar New Year's Day, Tuesday, February 5, 12–1:30 p.m. Some tables will have food samples as well.

The History Department is hosting a new brownbag series, News & Nachos. Move past sound bites and headlines for substantive conversations about current events in historical perspective. Join us Thursday, February 14, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. in the Eaton Hall Lobby for a discussion on Brexit led by Rebecca Hughes, assistant professor of history. Chips and salsa will be served. The series is for students, faculty, and staff, and all are welcome.

From the Wellness Initiative: College students are exposed to a wide range of traumatic events and can experience a spectrum of unique trauma symptoms and distress. To learn more, check out the Wellness blog.

A message from the Office of Safety and Security: Live on the Eastside and tired of driving alone — and paying the SR520 toll? We are looking for new riders for our Kirkland vanpool. We meet at the South Kirkland Park and Ride, located at 10610 NE 38th Place, at 7:05 a.m. Monday–Friday, and work a 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. schedule. We leave campus at 4:35 p.m. for the return trip. Van pools are paid for by the SPU Commute Trip Reduction Program so there are no expenses to riders. If you are interested, email van pool rider Lynn Anselmi at lynnnanselmi@spu.edu or Office and Transportation Manager Heather Eide at eideh@spu.edu. 

Check out the new microwaveable Simply-to-Go items. Enjoy new warm Simply to Go items such as gluten-free and vegan pasta in the C-Store, Academic Perks, and Common Grounds.

The Office of Safety and Security asks faculty and staff members to please avoid feeding crows on or near campus, and to please ask any other people they see feeding crows not to do so. There have been incidents on campus in the past where crows have behaved aggressively towards SPU community members, and feeding crows could attract unwanted attention.

Tim Wise, nationally acclaimed speaker and author of the best-selling memoir, White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son, will give a lecture on campus, Friday, March 1, 7–9 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. His talk about politics in America today will be followed by a panel discussion with SPU faculty and a book signing. The event is free and open to the public.

Pivot Northwest, in partnership with Office of University Ministries and School of Theology, is hosting a training in personal storytelling in ministry with Mark Yaconelli on Thursday, February 7, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. Through presentation, contemplative exercises, theological reflection, and a variety of narrative practices, participants will encounter the power of personal storytelling for spiritual formation, outreach, social justice, and other ministries. SPU faculty, staff, and students can sign up for free using code "spu." Coffee and breakfast pastries will be available. RSVP and find more information online. Additional information can be found at Pivotnw.org.

A message from the Center for Career and Calling: Do you have students looking for jobs or internships in places that allow them to use their gifts of compassion? The Peace, Justice, and Human Services Mega Meet-up on Wednesday, February 6, 2:30–5 p.m. in Weter Lounge, hosted by the Center for Career and Calling, is the place for students to connect with organizations looking to hire people with those exact skills. Encourage your students to attend, and drop by to say "hello" to some of our alumni hosting employer tables.

The Theatre Department will present Before the Eclipse, February 7–9, in McKinley Hall Theatre on campus. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Under the direction of Professor of Theatre Andrew Ryder, a small group of actors revels and rails at the comedy of life as they portray characters from some of Anton Chekhov's funniest short plays. From proposals to town meetings, from family squabbles to ceremonies and celebrations, these "jokes," as Chekhov called them, capture the foibles and frustrations of the modern world.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors (age 60 and over) and students (age 25 and under) with a valid I.D. Tickets are available for purchase at the door, online at the Theatre Box Office or by calling 206-281-2959.

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, February 5, to have stationery orders delivered Tuesday, February 19. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on February 5 will be delivered in March. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every week during the academic year. 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. The next deadline is Thursday, February 7. The next Bulletin will be published on Monday, February 11.

Miriam Adeney, associate professor of World Christian studies, was awarded the first Lifetime Trainer Award at the triennial Media Associates International conference in Singapore, where writers and publishers from 52 countries met. The award’s plaque reads, in part, “Across five decades and in all the world's regions, you have championed the creation of excellent, locally authored Christian content that nurtures the Church and influences society. A prolific author yourself, you have equipped Christian leaders to think and write from a biblical worldview, enabling them to speak to minds as well as hearts. Scores of published writers worldwide have been sharpened.” Congratulations, Miriam!

Bo Lim, associate professor of Old Testament, presented a workshop titled, “Worshipping Following the Trauma of a School Shooting,” and served as a panelist on several seminars on Worship in Educational Institutions and Worship in Times of Crisis and Trauma at the Symposium on Worship at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, January 24–26, 2019.

The Office of Human Resources would like to welcome Shawnda Antonucci, payroll supervisor, Controller’s Office.

The Office of Human Resources would like to congratulate Ronda Reid, accounting assistant, Controller’s Office.

Scott Beers, professor of curriculum and instruction and assistant dean of the School of Education, was quoted in Big Think in the article "Is cursive writing important to child development?"

Brad Murg, assistant professor of political science and director of Global Development Studies, was interviewed on KIRO radio (97.3 FM) on January 29 on the topic of the U.S. government’s indictment of Chinese tech giant, Huawei, and its implications for forthcoming U.S.-China trade talks.