All faculty and staff who come to campus must complete an online self-screening to attest that they meet certain criteria for being on campus (e.g., not exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms). SPU has developed a campuswide tool through Banner and Formstack to report a daily COVID-19 self-attestation for all faculty and staff working on campus (including Camp Casey or Blakely Island). Each faculty and staff member should perform the online self-attestation any day they plan to come to campus before they arrive on campus. Also, deans and supervisors will be responsible for monitoring that employees in their areas are completing the self-attestation form. Learn more on the Resuming Campus Operations website.

Computer and Information Systems will roll out a new voice communications platform in the next few months to replace the 30-year old legacy phone system on campus. The Microsoft Teams "Calls" function will be deployed to handle voice-over IP (VoIP) calling, video calling, voicemail, and more. Over the next few months, CIS will be in contact with each department and school to ensure that calling scenarios are accounted for in the migration. Learn more and watch a three-minute video about making calls in Microsoft Teams by visiting the CIS blog.

A message from the Office of Global Engagement: President Martin sent an email to the SPU community on July 9 in response to the recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ruling that revoked online course exemptions for international students. As a follow up to the memo, a new FAQ is now available on the International Student Services website to provide some answers as this situation develops. Please share with your international students when they reach out to you with questions.

Faculty and staff members must complete COVID-19 training prior to returning to campus after working remotely. To take the COVID-19 training, log into Skillsoft and select “Learning Plan” in the top menu, and then select “Safety Short: Coronaviruses and COVID-19.” The training takes about 30 minutes. Once you complete the training, a report will be sent to Human Resources. You can also print a completion report. If you have any questions or issues about this training, contact Gary Womelsduff, director of Human Resources, at womelg@spu.edu.

Be sure to visit the Resuming Campus Operations website, which includes current information and plans for Autumn Quarter. This website provides instructions related to health and safety expectations while on campus, as well as separate webpages for employees and students. More information will be added, so check the website often. If you have information to add or questions, contact Tracy Norlen in UC at tcnorlen@spu.edu.

Staff Council is excited to share “One Bright Thing,” featuring SPU staff members from the library, University Ministries, Study Abroad, and elsewhere who shared videos of hope in their days of quarantine.

More than 6,700 SPU families recently received the summer 2020 In the Loop parents newsletter, which included updates for Autumn Quarter, the Concert Choir’s remote performance, the Dean’s List, and more.

Want to organize tasks and keep them visible, find important details without rummaging through your inbox, and look up what was done last time so that you can use it this time? Want to delegate tasks and monitor their progress without micromanaging? Jira can help! RSVP for a Teams link to Computer and Information System’s online training for task management via Jira, offered Tuesday, July 21, 10–10:45 a.m., or Wednesday, July 22, 2–2:45 p.m. Contact Allison Pincus in CIS at pincusa@spu.edu with questions, and find more information on the CIS training program.

A message from the library: While our building remains closed, the SPU Library is piloting Contactless Pickup of library materials to the SPU community. Go to Primo to place requests for SPU owned print materials. Requests entered by 10 a.m. on Monday and Thursday will be placed on the hold shelf. Patrons will receive an “On Hold Shelf” email notification when the item is ready for pickup.

Contactless Pickup is currently available Mondays and Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Please follow the guidelines below to ensure a secure and healthy pickup experience for staff and patrons alike:

• Wear your mask.
• Go to the front entrance of the Ames Library Building.
• Tap your SPU ID to enter.
• Locate the items you requested on the cart.
• Your items are already checked out to you — you’re ready to go!

If you have questions, or if you would like to arrange curbside pickup in the Dravus lot, please email circ@spu.edu or call 206-281-2228 (phones are answered during pickup hours).

We apologize that we cannot accommodate on the spot requests or welcome you into the building at this time.

To faculty and staff: Thank you for your Class of 2020 student recommendations. Many of these students are featured on the Meet the Class of 2020 website, which also includes videos from the Commencement celebrations, online galleries of final senior art projects, information on University Scholars final projects, and profiles of our retiring faculty.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin, published weekly during the academic year, will be published every other week during the summer until September 7. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, July 27, and the deadline is Thursday, July 23. 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.

In recognition of her service to the SPU community, Sally Thunselle, director of Health Services, was nominated by her peers and selected by Staff Council as the July Staff Member of the Month. Congratulations, and thank you, Sally! Learn more about Sally and nominate a colleague for recognition on the Staff Council website.

Doug Strong, professor of the history of Christianity and dean of the School of Theology, has been appointed the next Paul T. Walls Professor of Wesleyan Studies at SPU. His appointment will begin September 2021, when current Walls chair Rob Wall retires. At that time, Doug will step out of the dean’s role in the School of Theology. The endowment for the Walls Professorship was established in 1985 by Vera E. Walls in memory of her husband Paul T. Walls, who served as an SPU trustee for 31 years.

Randy Beavers, assistant professor of finance, has co-authored “Director Overconfidence” in the peer-reviewed journal Financial Management. The paper discusses how overconfident chief executive officer directors use their perceived power to influence major board decisions, including selecting new executives.

A textbook titled Christian Ethics and Nursing Practice by Rick Steele, professor of moral and historical theology, and Heidi Monroe, assistant professor of nursing, was recently published. The book features a foreword by Lorie Wild, professor emerita of nursing and former dean of the School of Health Sciences, as well as a number of short reflections by SPU doctor of nursing practice students from the course that Heidi and Rick co-teach annually, NUR 6301 “Values, Faith, and Ethics.”

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Debi Bearden, instructional designer, Educational Technology and Media.

International student Felix Amenyo and Director of Global Engagement Caroline Maurer were interviewed July 7 by local news Q13 FOX about the change in policy that will require international students to leave the U.S. if their colleges provide only remote learning in the fall.

Sandy Mayo, vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and Jeff Jordan, vice president for student life, were interviewed by the Queen Anne & Magnolia News for an article titled, “Formulating a plan to reopen: SPU laying out framework for fall quarter.” The story was published in the July 1 issue.

Jeff Keuss, professor of Christian ministry, theology, and culture, was quoted in a Seattle Times story  on July 5 titled "Seattle-area evangelicals wrestle with racism and their own silence: ‘We repent.'"