As we continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, we want to thank faculty and staff for their extraordinary care and dedication to making sure our students can finish Winter Quarter successfully. 

Faculty and staff will receive an email on Tuesday that was sent to students about campus housing, dining, building access, and travel during spring break. These campuswide emails are posted on the Office of Health Services website, which is where you can find the latest information. We are also updating the FAQ page. The cross-departmental team is meeting every other day to monitor the situation with federal, state, and local authorities, and is working closely with Public Health-Seattle & King County. Here is a brief update of the latest information.

• At this time, we are not aware of anyone with COVID-19 on our campus.
• The Faculty In-service Day will not be held in Upper Gwinn, and faculty will receive more information about alternate in-service requirements and sign-ups.
• Campus offices and departments are open.
• Mailing and Copying Services is open and will deliver mail and packages around campus as scheduled. If your office is closed or operating on a different schedule, contact them at 206-281-2077.
• Residence halls will be open during spring break to accommodate students who may not be able to travel or have plans that changed. More information will be provided to students in an email.
• Dining Services and the library have revised their hours for the rest of the quarter and spring break, so check their website for the latest information.
• Facilities continues to maintain a regular and thorough cleaning process around campus.
• Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions are postponing large events and tours until April 3, which is the first Admitted Student Preview event.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending travelers stay at home for a period of 14 days after returning from countries in the category of Warning Level 3, Avoid Nonessential Travel. We are asking anyone who travels to or through a Level 3 country to not return to campus until 14 days after returning to the United States (or possibly longer, if you become sick) and to contact Health Services at 206-281-2231.

The event with New York Times bestselling author Julie Otsuka scheduled for Monday, March 9, at 7 p.m. in Upper Gwinn has been postponed. 

Otsuka is the author of When the Emperor Was Divine, an historical fictional account of the Japanese American internment during World War II. Her book is featured in King County’s National Endowment for the Arts Big Read, a community literacy endeavor co-sponsored by SPU to provide opportunities to read and discuss a book that matters to Pacific Northwest history and culture.

Summer reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at the Camp Casey Conference Center for full-time faculty and staff. The dates of stay are June 15 through September 28, 2020. Online reservation requests are due by March 25, 2020.

Summer rewards 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.

Join Computer and Information Systems on Tuesday, March 24, in the Marston-Watson 5 classroom for a training mini conference! All previously covered technology tools, topics, and recommendations will be covered again in 45-minute lessons throughout the day. Light refreshments will be provided. See the complete schedule and RSVP online.

A message from the Eastside vanpool riders: Do you commute across the Highway 520 bridge? If so, you could be saving as much as $300 a month by joining our vanpool. We meet up at the South Kirkland Park and Ride, Monday–Friday at 7:05 a.m., and work a 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. schedule. The vanpool is completely free to SPU employees which means the Highway 520 toll, gas, parking, and car maintenance are all covered through the Trip Reduction Program. Can’t ride every day? Even if you can only ride part time, we’d love to talk to you. Please email Lynn Anselmi at lynnanselmi@spu.edu. For more benefits of riding in the van, visit spu.edu/vanpools.

The Faculty Life Office is hosting a Spring Poetry Reading on Tuesday, April 7, 3 p.m., in Demaray 150, featuring faculty and staff who have recently published new collections. Scott Cairns, director of the MFA in Creative Writing; Emily Holt, administrator in the Faculty Life Office; Jennifer Maier, professor of English; and Mischa Willett, instructor of education, English, and writing, will read from their work. A reception will follow the event.

The Family and Consumer Sciences rummage sale scheduled for April 3–4 has been postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date. The sale is organized by Sigma Rho, a philanthropic organization of FCS, and all proceeds benefit SPU student scholarships.

Over the past 23 years, SPU students have learned from investment bankers, dieticians, psychologists, video game artists, and even a manager at one of the biggest K-Pop labels in Korea. Read more about SPU’s standout mentor program in the latest issue of the Shareholders newsletter from the School of Business, Government, and Economics.

A message from Human Resources: The annual Retirement Ready Seminar scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, is postponed until early May. Due to the COVID-19 news in the Seattle area, two and possibly three of our scheduled speakers are under travel restrictions by their companies and cannot come to Seattle. We are working to reschedule this event for early in May, and will announce the new date and an opportunity to secure a reservation in the near future.

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 every Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) during the academic year. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, March 16. The deadline is Thursday, March 12. 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.

On March 5, Annie Gray, SPU’s Study Abroad program manager, served on the East & Southeast Asia Panel to select the 2020 Boren Awards scholarship recipients. The Boren Awards promote long-term linguistic and cultural immersion, and Boren Awards alumni are committed to public service, working in positions critical to U.S. national security post-graduation.