The library has created a basic subject guide with resources related to issues of diversity, race, and reconciliation. The guide was created from suggestions by SPU faculty and staff following the recent Faculty/Staff Forum. If you have suggestions for additional resources, contact Liaison Librarian Cindy Strong at clstrong@spu.edu.

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The first-ever "Night Against Procrastination" (NAP) will be Wednesday, February 24, 6 p.m.-12 a.m. in the library. NAP events have been happening across Europe and the U.S. The goal is to get as many students as possible in the Ames Library working on end-of-the-quarter papers, projects, and exam prep — and to avoid procrastination and have fun getting their work done. There will be hourly drawings for gift cards; pizza and snacks; and yoga and Zumba study breaks. Tutoring and study tables will be available, as well as faculty and reference librarians. If faculty or staff are interested in getting involved — perhaps sitting at a study table for an hour, helping with advertising and promotions, or working at the check-in desk — contact Assistant Professor of English Peter Moe at moep@spu.edu.

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Responsive teaching stems from several foundational assumptions: that students come to classrooms with a wealth of productive knowledge and experience; that this wealth is too rich and diverse for teachers and curricula to know in advance; and that students should learn to be agents of their own learning. At the next Library Creative Conversations event on Thursday, February 18, Physics Professor Amy Robertson and Senior Research Scientist Rachel Scherr will share examples of responsive teaching from their recently edited book, Responsive Teaching in Science and Mathematics. The event will be held in the Ames Library Reading Room, 12-12:50 p.m,

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Summer reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at SPU’s Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island. The dates of stay are June 13-September 26, 2016. Summer requests are based on years of service to SPU and past summer stays at Casey. Employees are ranked by their years of service as verified by Human Resources. Once the ranking is developed, the past summer stay history is cross checked. If you have stayed at Casey during the summer, your ranking is replaced with the years it has been since your stay at Casey. If you have questions, contact Camp Casey at 866-661-6604 or campcasey@spu.edu. Online reservation requests are due by March 15, 2016.

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Join us for the next Sitecore/Contribute brownbag on Thursday, February 18, noon to 1 p.m. in the Lower Weter large conference room. Sitecore/Contribute Brownbags occur the third Thursday of most months. If you would like help with any changes you need to make to your website, including Undergraduate and Graduate catalog updates, bring them with you and we’ll walk you through them. If you plan to come, email Kathy Henning in University Communications at kathy@spu.edu.

Sitecore Tip of the Month
An easy way to navigate to the page you want to edit is by pasting the URL of the page into the search box above the Sitecore content tree in the left bar. You should see “Direct Hit” and the page you need. Click on the page to go to it, then click the “x” to the right of “Search Results,” and then scroll down the tree to where the page is highlighted. You’ll be able to edit whatever section of the page you need to edit.

On Friday, February 26, the School of Health Sciences (SHS) will host a special day for Western Washington nurse recruiters and nursing students. From 11:15 a.m.-2 p.m. in Upper Gwinn, recruiters will host a traditional career fair. Although the focus will be on nursing-related jobs, all undergraduate and graduate students (nutrition, exercise science, psychology, business, etc.) interested in health care employment are invited and welcome. Please encourage your interested students to attend. For more information, contact Julie Ann Harrington in SHS at harrij8@spu.edu

A message from the SPU Wellness Initiative: The SPU Wellness Initiative is a group of faculty and staff working to improve the mental, physical, and emotional health of undergraduates. During Winter and Spring quarters, we will provide you with information about common mental health problems that students deal with on a daily basis. We hope this will help faculty and staff identify students that may need extra support. We will also provide you with campus and community resources that are available for students. This month, we are focusing on stress and how stress affects the mind and body. Faculty and staff may be interested in a new book titled Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body, examining how the mind can overcome the physical and psychological effects of stress. NPR recently aired a story about the book. Faculty and staff are also encouraged to check out the new SPU Wellness website, which has lots of information on student stress, campus wellness activities, and resources.

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The Jazz Ensemble will perform on Wednesday, February 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Nickerson Studios. The ensemble is directed by Dan Kramlich, instructor of jazz history and jazz piano. Check out all the upcoming concerts on the Music Department website.

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The winter census information is now available on the Office of Information and Data Management (IDM) website. Several pages on the IDM site are open to the public; others are available only to SPU staff and faculty. If you have comments or questions about the information appearing on the website, contact Tim Gatlin, senior systems and data manager, at tgatlin@spu.edu or 206-281-2545.

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On Friday February 19, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will host 50 of SPU’s top admitted students for a campus competition for five full-ride scholarships. This is the first day of the Distinguished Scholar Award — formerly the SPU Scholar Award — competition, and students will interview with faculty and admissions staff; participate in group discussions and presentations; and visit classes throughout the day. Thank you to the faculty who have volunteered to help with interviews for this event. There is still time to volunteer. Contact Myra Veltkamp, visits and events coordinator, at veltkm@spu.edu if you would like to participate.

Thursday, February 18
Women's basketball vs Alaska Fairbanks, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m. (Alumni and Parent Relations is celebrating Falcons Day at the game. Try the SPU Ice Cream Sundae designed exclusively by locally owned Molly Moons. The first 50 people at the basketball game get a free “I Love SPU” T-shirt.)

Saturday, February 20
Women's basketball vs Alaska Anchorage, Brougham Pavilion, 6 p.m.
Men's basketball vs Montana State Billings, Brougham Pavilion, 9 p.m. (ROOT Sports live regional telecast).

For the latest in Falcon sports, visit the website. 

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The SPU Bookstore will be closed Saturday, February 27, for inventory.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly 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 18. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, February 22, 2016.

Danny Helseth, Symphonic Wind Ensemble director and adjunct music faculty instructor, gave a presentation at the recent Washington Music Educators Conference in Yakima. His session was titled “It's a Wind Band,” and explored full breathing with various exercises designed for musicians that can be implemented in the classroom.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to welcome Amy Elliot, registration and budget coordinator in Student Academic Services.

Charles Burris, professor emeritus of computer science, passed away on February 12 in Indio, California. Chuck became the second full-time faculty member in the Computer Science Department in 1982, and served as interim director of the Information Systems Management Program. He was instrumental in organizing the first student computer club, and he helped organize the first programming competitions held in the Computer Lab in the Miller Science Learning Center (now known as Otto Miller Hall). In 1996, he organized and coached the first-ever SPU student team to compete in the West Coast regional programming competition. He retired from SPU in 2006. Plans for a memorial service are pending. Please pray for the Burris family, including his wife, Pat, and daughter, Krista. 

Ken Proctor, who held numerous position during his 10 years at SPU, passed away on February 4 at the age of 91 in Gig Harbor. Ken was hired as director of College Relations in 1976, and two years later he became director of church relations. He retired in June 1985, but returned as special assistant to University Advancement from July 1985 to June 1986. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held Saturday, March 19, 11 a.m. at Northwest Church in Federal Way. Ken’s obituary recently appeared in The Seattle Times.

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