The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion invites you to join us 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. this Wednesday, April 29, for "Diversity 102: Understanding Our Social Identities in the Context of Christian Community." Learn more and sign up here.

Join CIS on Wednesday, May 13, at 10 a.m. or Thursday, May 14, at 1 p.m. to learn their recommendations on moving your personal and departmental files from your desktop to SPU’s easily accessible solutions online. RSVP here to receive a link to a virtual Microsoft Teams meeting. Contact Allison Pincus in CIS at pincusa@spu.edu with questions, and find more information on the CIS training program.

Beginning Monday, April 27, Einstein’s Bagels will not be open for dinner, but will open earlier for breakfast (including espresso and coffee) and continue to be open for lunch. The C-Store will also have new hours.

• Einstein’s Bagels: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
• C-store: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.

A message from Staff Council: The Faculty Senate session on April 16 with University leadership was recorded and is available on the Staff Council wiki. We hope this recording will supplement President Martin’s April 17 email and provide added context. Please share any additional questions you may have for Staff Council.

Faculty and staff members, do you know a junior or senior who may be interested in a University Ministries small group to connect with other students wondering how to prepare for life ahead? This small group is open to SPU juniors and seniors.

• Facilitator: May Tag Yang 
• Wednesdays, 1–2 p.m. 

Students should complete this small-group signup form to join. After UM receives a request to join, the student will receive a Zoom link for your group. Questions? Email um@spu.edu.

Inspired by The New York Times article “One bright thing,” Staff Council invites you to submit a one- to two-minute video by April 30 answering the question: What’s one bright thing? We will compile the videos and share them in early May. If you’d like to participate (and we hope you do!), here are a couple ideas:

• Simply answer the question (i.e., spending more time with a pet, connecting with long distance friends, mastering a new yoga pose, family game night, etc.)
• Show us what your new normal looks like. Are you doing puzzles, homeschooling, experimenting with new recipes, taking naps with your cat?

Recording options

Record yourself on your mobile device, and email your video to Annie Gray at graya4@spu.edu.

On your laptop, tap the Windows key (bottom left) to open the Start menu, search for “Camera,” and launch it. The camera app allows you to take photos and record videos. It also provides a timer feature and other options, although it’s still a very simple application. Once created, hit the send button and email your video to Annie Gray at graya4@spu.edu.

More than 6,800 SPU parents and families members received the April In the Loop e-newsletter last week, which included news about the Winter Quarter Dean’s List, information about campus support for students during this remote-learning quarter, an invitation to join the SPU parents and families Facebook group, and more.

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers diversity seed grants up to $1,500 to support department-wide initiatives that advance one or more of the University’s strategic diversity goals. Seed grants are awarded quarterly, with the spring application cycle closing Friday, May 1. Apply for a seed grant here, and contact us with any questions!

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, May 4. The deadline is Thursday, April 30. 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.

Although the Celebration of Service honoring faculty and staff scheduled for April 30 was postponed due to the Stay Home, Stay Healthy directive from the governor, the 2020 winners were announced in an email from President Martin on April 23. Those who are reaching special milestones for years of service (five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45!) will receive their gifts this month. A future event is being planned to recognize and celebrate faculty and staff at a time when we are able to do so.

The 2020 winners

• Cara Wall-Scheffler, professor of biology, was named Undergraduate Professor of the Year by the Associated Students of Seattle Pacific.
• Emily Huff, School of Education director of field placements in the School of Education, was named Graduate Faculty Member of the Year by graduate students. 
• Ron Haight, director of music technology, was named Exempt Staff Person of the Year by Staff Council.
• Brenda Baker, office manager and assistant to the dean in the School of Psychology, Family, and Community, was named the Oral V. Hemry Non-Exempt Staff Person of the Year by Staff Council.

An article co-authored by Matthew Benton, assistant professor of philosophy, titled “Hedged Assertion,” was published in The Oxford Handbook of Assertion (Oxford University Press, March 2020). It explores issues at the interface of philosophy of language and linguistics on the speech act of assertion, on the conversational pragmatics of how and why we opt to hedge our assertive claims.

Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans (Lexham Press, 2020) is a new volume of previously unpublished prayers — collected, edited, and updated by Bob Elmer, University Communications specialist. Read a recent blog on the book, along with a recorded interview by Crawford Gribben, professor of history at Queen’s University Belfast.

Brad Murg, assistant professor of political science and director of global development studies, participated in an online panel discussion on April 20 organized by U.S. embassies in Phnom Penh and Bangkok on the future development of the Greater Mekong subregion as part of the launch of the second edition of the Journal of Greater Mekong Studies. Earlier this month, Brad was invited to testify before the U.S.-China Security Review Commission, which advises the U.S. Congress, on the topic of China’s approach to international institutions and global governance. Find to his testimony here.

An article by Mischa Willett, instructor of writing and English, titled "5 Contemporary Poets Christians Should Read” was published in The Gospel Coalition. In the article, Mischa recommends works by SPU faculty, among others.

The Office of Human Resources would like to congratulate Tammy Lee in her new appointment as interim director of the Office of Institutional Research.

Bradley Hawkins, instructor of cello and music technology, was recently featured in The Seattle Times on April 20 in the article, “SPU professor keeps young cellists sharp during coronavirus isolation with video lessons.”

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: I recently came across an article from the October 1979 Response magazine about three SPU faculty members using desktop computers at home. Select the link to read the article.

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