SPU University Ministries and First Free Methodist Church have partnered to care for our SPU students by providing those who have been impacted by COVID-19 with a grab-and-go lunch May 12 and May 26, and a $25 gift card to either Trader Joe's or Safeway. We want to provide for every student in need, but we cannot do it alone. We hope you would help us in this effort as we focus our Benevolent Fund towards this effort this year. You can partner with us by supporting students with a $25 dollar gift card in these ways:

• Give through SPU's Online Giving page, noting your donation amount and select Designation “Other” and type in “Benevolent Fund”.
• Drop off cash, gift cards and checks made payable to SPU with Benevolent Fund designated in the memo to SPU University Ministries office in the Upper SUB.

We understand that some may not be able to support this financially, so we hope you will continue to pray for our students, faculty, and staff during this time. If you have any questions or want to give in another way, please contact Ashlee' Thomas in the John Perkins Center at aethomas@spu.edu or 206-286-7242.

The NEA Big Read: King County event with New York Times bestselling author and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Julie Otsuka, originally scheduled on campus for March 9, will take place online Tuesday, May 19, 7–8:15 p.m. via Zoom. The event will be hosted by Tom Ikeda, executive director of Densho, a local nonprofit preserving and sharing the history of the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans.

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.

Register online to receive an Zoom invitation to the event, and please share this information with anyone interested in World War II history, local history, or reading and discussing great books.

The SPU community continues to gather for worship online every week. Please join us LIVE at this link on Tuesday, May 5, at 11:10 a.m., or feel free to view the service online at any time in the weeks to come. Visit the University Ministries YouTube channel to subscribe or watch past services.

From the Office of Human Resources: Transamerica representative Ronee Dakin will be available for one-on-one phone consultations on Wednesday, May 6, and Thursday, May 7. She will be available to discuss your retirement strategy over the phone. Please have access to the internet during your phone consultation. Make an appointment here.

The Office of Endowments and Gift Planning is hosting a complimentary estate planning webinar, “Estate Planning in Times of Uncertainty,” on Wednesday, May 6, at 11 a.m. The webinar will feature estate attorney and SPU alumnus Sherman Snow ’93. Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. Register online.

Juniors and seniors with unpaid internships at nonprofit organizations are eligible for the SERVE Internship Grant. The Center for Career and Calling will award three, $1,500 grants. Please inform your students of this opportunity. Details, application instructions, and stories of past SERVE Internship Grant recipients are on the CCC webpage.

Students are welcome to Virtual Drop-in Support meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12–1 p.m. through the rest of Spring Quarter. This is not a therapy group; the time will be facilitated by a counselor for students to discuss their experiences and support each other. Relevant resources, coping tools, and self-care strategies will be offered. Students can “drop-in” to one of these discussions or several of these; no need to commit to every week. Students will receive the Zoom link by emailing Nicole Lincoln in the Student Counseling Center at lincolnn@spu.edu.

Couples are invited to drop-in to the Virtual Couples Meet-Up, which will be available on Thursday afternoons, 3:30–4:30 p.m., through the rest of Spring Quarter. This is a chance for couples to connect with each other, learn ways to improve their relationship, and hear from marriage and family therapists about conflict resolution and skills for managing challenges as a team. All couples are welcome, and only one partner needs to be currently enrolled at SPU. For the Zoom link, the couple should email Tamura Turney in the Student Counseling Center at tamura@spu.edu.

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 individual and departmental work 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.

As you begin to hire students for summer employment, remember that on-campus summer housing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please advise your student employees to complete an application in the Housing Portal by Thursday, May 14, if they hope to live on campus during the summer. If you have any questions, contact Housing and Meal Plan Services at 206-281-2188 or housing@spu.edu.

Faculty and staff can review each issue of the new Office of Student Life weekly e-newsletter for undergraduate students called The Falcon Flyer. The newsletter highlights the many ways students can connect with the offices of Student Life, Athletics, and University Ministries for community, services, and inspiration. If you have an item of interest to undergraduate students, contact studentlife@spu.edu.

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 11. The deadline is Thursday, May 7. 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.

Mamta Ouyoumjian, continuing education coordinator in the School of Education, completed her master of public administration degree after successfully defending her thesis last month. Mamta says this was the first time the Washington State University graduate school used video conferencing for a defense. Congratulations, Mamta!

From the School of Psychology, Family, and Community: Faculty in the Marriage and Family Therapy program experienced an “act of kindness” coordinated by their students. The graduate students sent groups of note cards to each of their faculty members to encourage them and their families in these difficult times. The students divided into groups so each faculty member would get five to six notes.

For his monthly cartoon, Nate Hoover, office manager in the School of Theology, explains this month’s feature: This isn’t a pun cartoon, technically speaking, but it may reflect the sentiment some are feeling during the Stay-at-Home order.

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