A message from Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment management and marketing: We are excited to welcome a group of admitted students to campus this Friday, March 11. This will be the first in-person Admitted Student Preview event since the beginning of the pandemic. So, we want to provide convenient and easy parking, which will remove any frustration in hunting for a spot.

This special event is a key strategy in our new student enrollment efforts. As the name implies, it is just for students admitted to begin in the Fall of 2022. Parents are also invited to learn more about life at SPU.

We want our guests to have a great experience and finding parking to start the event is an important part of setting the tone. So, we are asking for your help as we reserve a portion of the Ross Parking Lot. Here's how you can help.

Here’s how you can help:

• If you can take mass transit and leave your car at home, that would help save a parking spot.
• If you don’t already, consider carpooling to reduce the number of cars on campus this Friday.
• If you are driving and parking, please fill up the, Dravus, Emerson and McKenna parking lots  — lots further away from the Ross Parking Lot.
• Note: Please avoid parking in the First Free Methodist Church parking lot, as they need those spaces for the church.

Finally, if you see visiting students (wearing lanyards), please help us by greeting them and offering a “Welcome to SPU!” A smile, an offer to help with directions, and a warm welcome go a really long way!

Thank you in advance for helping us accommodate our guests for one of the biggest campus events this year.

On March 5, undergraduate students and their families received an email from Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment management and marketing, announcing the 2022–23 undergraduate tuition costs and room and board rates. A copy of this message was also sent to faculty and staff members. In the email, Nate explained, “Last year we rolled out a deep discount in our pricing with Tuition Reimagined and we kept our commitment to cap future price increases to no more than 4%, making SPU one of the most affordable private universities in the region. We know that many of our students and families experience financial pressures, so for the 2022–23 academic year, you will see a smaller tuition increase at 4%. You can view a complete breakdown of all fees on the Student Financial Services website.” View the 2022–23 undergraduate tuition rates, and/or view a peer-institution comparison of tuition and room and board costs.

After graduating from SPU with a degree in individual and family development, Carina Durkin Taylor ’12 experienced a series of tragedies, leaving her in a new city with a new trajectory but filled with hope for the future. When she and her husband were expecting their first child, they discovered they both carried the gene for sickle cell anemia, and starting their family would now be a game of Russian roulette. Listen to her story of the journey that followed — filled with faith and triumph.

To help increase awareness and understanding of SPU’s Anti-Bullying Policy and Anti-Bullying Complaint Procedure, all employees must complete a 10-minute online course through Percipio by March 31, 2022. In addition to the online training, during the 2022 Spring Quarter, all supervisors will be required to participate in a live training that provides interactive scenario-based learning and opportunities to engage SPU’s policy and procedure in a more in-depth manner. There will be several date options available, with details coming soon. Read the 1/31 campus memo for more information. You can sign in to Percipio here. If you haven't already completed the training, you should see it at the top of your dashboard.

Summer reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at SPU's Camp Casey on Whidbey Island. Full-time faculty and staff can make a reservation request for periods of stay between June 13–Sept. 12, 2022.  Reservation requests are due by March 28, 2022. (Note: Until further notice, due to the pandemic, the longest stays scheduled are Wednesday through Sunday.) 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. Request a reservation here. Curious about how the lottery works, or how to stay at Camp Casey with discounted faculty and staff rates? Check out the new HR wiki. Questions? Contact Camp Casey at campcasey@spu.edu.

Do you have a colleague who lives out their Christian faith and encourages a grace-filled community at SPU? Do they demonstrate competence, skill, and initiative in their role while modeling service and leadership? Nominations for the Oral V. Hemry Non-Exempt and Exempt Staff Members of the Year awards are open until Wednesday, March 16. Nominate your colleagues today!

The 10th of each month is the last day to make changes to your upcoming payroll check. Do you need to add or remove your spouse and/or children from your health care plans? If so, contact Human Resources (HR) to complete the appropriate form. Changes might include events that are expected to impact your benefits and deductions, such as your spouse or children gaining or losing coverage due to employment, birth, marriage, etc. Additionally, any changes to your 403b account may take up to seven days to be provided to SPU for processing, so please contract Transamerica by the first of the month prior to your requested change. For changes to your 403(b) account, contact Transamerica Retirement Solutions at 1-888-676-5512 (5 a.m.–6 p.m. PST), or 1-800-755-5801. If you have any other benefits-related changes, call Cherylin Shdo in HR at 206-281-2816.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, March 10, and the next issue will be published Monday, March 14. 

If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible with an image or graphic to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity.

Carlene Brown, professor of music and director of SPU’s Music Therapy program, was the moderator for a conversation on CLASSical Music & Black Artists, with Wil B. (Black violin) and Demarre McGill (principal flute, Seattle Symphony). As part of the Seattle Theatre Group series, “The People’s Theatre Talk,” the event explored the narratives as black classical musicians and steps needed to change the system to open doors to more black classical music artists. The event was livestreamed on YouTube on Feb. 24, and you can watch the recording here.