The Social Justice and Cultural Studies program is sponsoring "Churches for Middle East Peace: A discussion on the conflict between Palestine and Israel" on Thursday, April 28, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in Demaray Hall 356. The guest speakers are Dr. Mae Elise Cannon and Tala AlRaheb. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.

If you commute across the 520 bridge, we’d love to have you join our vanpool! The vanpool is completely free to SPU employees, which means the 520 toll, gas, parking, and car maintenance are all covered. 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. Even if you can only ride a day or two per week, we’d love to talk to you. Please email Brad Hall at hallb6@spu.edu.

Nearly 5,500 SPU parents and family members recently received the April 2022 In the Loop e-newsletter, which included a link to the always-popular Dean’s List, a brief article featuring Commencement trivia, the Easter message from Interim President Pete Menjares, and more.

Interested in learning how poetry can inspire healing among youth who have experienced trauma? Join Pongo Poetry Project’s presentation at SPU, Tuesday, April 19, 11 a.m.–12 p.m., Demaray Hall 150. Please invite your classes to this event, which focuses on options for vocational training for students who want to work with kids in Seattle. This Pongo program and its training focuses especially on kids in our mass incarceration system. If you have any questions or would like more information, email Rachel Johnson, administrative assistant for humanities, at johnsonr10@spu.edu, or Kimberly Segall, professor of English, at segalk@spu.edu.

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to a gathering on Thursday, April 21,11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. in Demaray 150, to hear from a family who has recently come to Seattle from Afghanistan. This event is sponsored by the Social Justice and Cultural Studies, History, and Journalism programs. If you have any questions or would like more information, email Rachel Johnson, administrative assistant for humanities, at johnsonr10@spu.edu, or Kimberly Segall, professor of English, at segalk@spu.edu.

Sign up for In Context, a discussion series on racism and capitalism run through Catalyst, a leadership team working with the Associated Students of Seattle Pacific (ASSP) vice president for intercultural affairs to address the issues of race, ethnicity, and justice through discussions, collaborative programming, and support of campus events. Their goal is to equip SPU community members to work toward a better world by thinking critically about systems of exploitation. All SPU students, staff, and faculty are welcome! This quarter we will be meeting consecutively from weeks 4 to 9 on Mondays from 4:30–6 p.m. The specific dates are April 18, April 25, May 2, May 9, and May 16. Register here and contact Patti Fong with Catalyst at fongp@spu.edu if you have questions.

The Center for Learning needs your help inviting promising candidates to apply for the peer academic coach (PAC) program supporting first-year students in the residence halls and across campus. PACs will help create positive, inclusive academic communities and promote time management and study-skill strategies, as well as highlight campus resources. We hope to interview a diverse group of rising sophomores to seniors with outstanding academic and interpersonal skills. Send recommendations to cfl@spu.edu, and we will let the student(s) know they have been recommended and encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 22, 2022.

The 16th annual John Perkins Lecture Series welcomes the CCDA Pacific Northwest Regional Conference, “Imagine CCDA,” to campus on Tuesday, April 26. At 11 a.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons, the keynote speaker will be Dr. Joyce del Rosario, a Filipina American scholar, practitioner, and assistant professor at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. The evening plenary at 6:30 p.m. in Upper Gwinn welcomes Lenore Three Stars (Oglala Lakota), a retired Seattle civil rights leader who will reflect on a theology of place from an indigenous worldview.

The CCDA, a national organization co-founded by Dr. John Perkins, is a network of Christians committed to seeing people and communities holistically restored. The morning plenary and evening plenary sessions are free and open to the campus community. The full conference is also open to the public at a cost of $49 per person, which includes workshops and lunch. You can find more information and register for the full conference online.

We are excited to gather again for the 2022 Celebration of Service on Thursday, April 28, to honor Seattle Pacific University faculty and staff members with milestone years (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40) of dedicated employment. The event will be held in Brougham Pavilion at 11:10 a.m. for an in-person celebration. Come support your colleagues and express your appreciation for their committed service. We will announce Staff Members of the Year, as well as Undergraduate and Graduate Faculty of the Year. Following the event, light snacks will be available. All offices will be closed so faculty and staff members can attend.

Upcoming lunch and dinner specials in Gwinn Commons.

• Friday, April 22: Earth Day — Weigh the waste at lunch so we can promote how much we are wasting.
• Tuesday, April 26: Pretzel Day — Hot pretzels and cheese at lunch.
• Wednesday, April 27: Baked potato bar — Baked potato bar at lunch.
• \Thursday, April 28: Pay It Forward — PB&J Drive at lunch with a sandwich station for students to make sandwiches to donate to charity.
• Friday, April 29: Pasta Bar at dinner

Upcoming specials in SPU’s retail locations.

• Monday, April 25–Friday, April 29: Common Grounds and Academic Perks offer half-off pastries during their last hour.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, April 21, and the next issue will be published Monday, April 25. 

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.

Chakrita Saulina, assistant professor of New Testament, presented a paper titled “Re-envisioning the Church through the ‘Eyes’ of the Woman Clothed with the Sun and the Bride in John’s Apocalypse.” She presented this paper at the SAAT Symposium: (Re)Imagining the Future Church: Scripture, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology in Conversation hosted by a leading Indonesian Seminary. She also presented this paper in Indonesian.

A chapter by Matt Sigler, associate professor of worship and historical theology, tiled “Methodist and Wesleyan Practices of Worship” was published in Historical Foundations of Worship: Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Perspectives, edited by Melanie C. Ross and Mark A. Lamport (Baker Academic, 2022).

Katie Douglass, associate professor of educational ministry and practical theology, was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment to study faith formation focused on Christian parenting and caregiving. Congratulations!

Alissa Walter, assistant professor of history, gave a lecture for the European Union Advisory Mission in Iraq on April 12. The lecture was titled "The Modern History of Iraq and Connections to Present-Day Issues."

Katie Douglass, associate professor of educational ministry and practical theology, and Brittany Tausen, associate professor of psychology, gave a presentation at the recent Association of Practical Theology biennial conference. The title of the paper was “Dehumanization and Neighbor Love: The Collaborative Challenges of Interdisciplinary Work Between Practical Theology and Social Cognitive Psychology." 

For Image journal, Mischa Willett, assistant professor of English and writing, interviewed author and SPU 2003 grad Joel Heng Hartse about his book, Dancing About Architecture Is a Reasonable Thing to Do: Writing About Music, Meaning, and the Ineffable. The interview features musical guest John Van Deusen. Watch the video here.

An article by Alberto Ferreiro, professor of European history, titled “Braga (city and bishopric)” was published in the Brill Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. The essays for the encyclopedia reflect the most up-to-date research on the topics. Braga, known as Bracara Augusta in the Roman and Medieval eras, is now located in northern Portugal. In Roman-Medieval times, it was the cultural, political, and religious capital of the province of Gallaecia. Alberto has published extensively on the early Christian origins of city and region. Any visit to Portugal today demands a visit to this lovely city in the mountains.

The SPU Music Production program was highlighted in the March 3, 2022, Audio Engineering Society newsletter, the primary publication for the international audio organization sent to over 14,000 members around the world. Micah Hayes, assistant professor of music technology and director of music production, gave a special thank you to his students and assistants, as well as to Craig Miller in CIS who helped him give the presentation, and SPU instructor Lacey Brown, who helped mix the hybrid event. Said Micah, “This is fantastic exposure and great for recruiting students to the university.” Read the newsletter’s full write-up.

For his monthly cartoon, Nate Hoover, associate director for the Center for Biblical and Theological Education, explains this month’s feature: Turns out Jesus had a habit of getting airborne. To see more of my cartoons, find me on Instagram: @hoovernathaniel.

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