Due to scheduled maintenance in the Gwinn Commons Dining Hall, meal service will be served out of Falcon’s Landing until August 29. The hours will be on the Conference Services website. Contact conferenceservices@spu.edu if you have any questions.

University Services is pleased to announce that we have partnered with a new company, Canteen, to update and expand the campus snack vending program. Sixteen new snack and drink machines have been installed across campus, featuring traditional snacks, healthy snack/drink combos, milk, and fresh-brewed coffee. All machines are equipped with campus card readers that accept Debit Dollars. Please check the vending website for a complete list of vending locations. 

The Athletic Department is looking for volunteer ball boys and ball girls for the upcoming season. If you have a child entering 2nd through 8th grade, this is an excellent chance to get him or her on the field and in the action at a Falcon home game. The fall season starts in September, and they are looking for future Falcons interested in helping at men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and volleyball matches. Ball boys and girls will be supervised by the Athletics event staff, and will also receive a SPU Falcons T-shirt. Parents and family members will receive complimentary tickets to the selected game(s). If you have a son and/or daughter interested in this opportunity, email falcontix@spu.edu. A followup email will be sent with a full schedule of games to choose from for the fall season. Date selection will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have questions, contact Eric Melch, coordinator of event management in the Athletic Department, at melche@spu.edu.

Associate Professor of Biblical Studies Sara Koenig will introduce the Center for Biblical and Theological Education’s new Lectio series on 1 and 2 Samuel at a seminar on Friday, September 11, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. This event is free for faculty and staff, and includes lunch. External guests can also attend for $20. Email cbte@spu.edu for details.

A message from Response Managing Editor Hannah Notess: "Faculty members ― Have you been teaching, researching, or doing other scholarly work in an interesting location this summer? The next Response magazine will include mention of some faculty travels. Please send details to me at hnotess@spu.edu."

Departments reporting to the Office of Enrollment Management and Marketing (EMM) will have modified schedules and/or operate with limited staff on Wednesday, August 26, due to their annual summer event. The departments listed below will close at 11 a.m.

EMM Vice President’s Office
Graduate Admissions
Undergraduate Admissions (exception: 11 a.m.-12 p.m. student tours will be on schedule, but there will be no afternoon tours)
University Communications
Student Financial Services

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, to have stationery order(s) delivered on September 18. Stationery orders are now delivered once a month. Stationery orders made after 10 a.m. on September 8 will be delivered October 16. To see deadlines and delivery dates for the remainder of the fiscal year, visit the “Create an Order” stationery page in Banner. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

The summer hours for campus dining are posted online. The hours will be updated daily for the upcoming week. Remember that dining hall hours are based on Conference Services clients and internal groups and are subject to change. Hours for the other campus dining retailers can also be found online. Contact conferenceservices@spu.edu if you have any questions.

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The Office of Conference Services would like the SPU community to be aware of the many groups that visit campus during the summer for conferences, workshops, or annual meetings. The following groups will be on campus during the next several weeks. Please welcome these visitors when you see them. 

Brazil Science Mobility Program (A.C.E.)
Hoseo University/School of Business
Aichi Institute of Technology (A.C.E.)
Mercer Island High School Women’s Soccer

During the summer, the Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every other week. 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. The next deadline is Thursday, September 3. Due to the Labor Day holiday, the next Bulletin will be published Tuesday, September 8.

The SPU Staff Council named Michelle McFarland, executive assistant to the provost of and office manager for the Office of the Provost, as the July Staff Member of the Month. She specifically supports the provost and the Provost Leadership Team, facilitates faculty hiring, and coordinates all of the Commencement, high ceremony, and academic events involving faculty. Read more about Michelle on the Staff Council website. Congratulations!

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The Mailing and Copying Services department received a Certificate of Appreciation for “service and assistance” from American Legion Post 235. Staff in the department heard that the American Legion Post needed help in rewrapping 1,000 paper poppies for Memorial Day activities. Over a two-day period, students and staff in the department worked together to wrap the poppies in new labels. The poppies were returned to the American Legion so they could be distributed throughout the community to bring awareness of Memorial Day and to honor our fallen heroes. Congratulations to the staff and students in Mailing and Copy Services! 

Steve Perisho, theology/philosophy librarian, was elected secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Theological Library Association. He previously served as vice-chair and secretary of the Public Services Interest Group and was chair of the College and University Interest Group.

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“The Art of Mending Lives: Helping Trafficking Survivors Heal From Trauma,” an article by Response Managing Editor Hannah Notess and originally published in Response, was republished on the Evangelicals for Social Action website.

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Associate Professor of Art Scott Kolbo exhibited a series of artworks during the Anacortes Arts Festival in July at the Allen Family Focus Galleries. Scott’s exhibited artworks involve combining video footage, animation, and static drawings to create humorous narratives about the "domestic futility” most of us experience from time to time.

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Physics Department faculty members Rachel Scherr, Amy Robertson, Abigail Daane, and student Hannah Sabo gave a total of five talks, six posters, and one workshop at the recent American Association of Physics Teachers meeting and Physics Education Research Conference in Maryland. The group showcased work on video resources for university educators of physics teachers, conceptual metaphor in the context of energy, university student conceptual resources for understanding energy, responsive teaching, and research paradigms in physics education research.

Professor of Christian Scriptures Rob Wall’s article on “canon” was recently published in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Theology (Oxford University Press, 2015) I:111-121. Rob provides readers with an overview of the historical phenomena that formed Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) in antiquity, and also with a summary of the continuing theological importance of Scripture’s final literary form as a single canon of sacred texts.

The School of Psychology, Family, and Community is pleased to announce that Assistant Professor of Psychology Tom Carpenter recently gave a talk at the 2015 meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto. Tom’s talk was titled “Don’t Tempt Me: A Dual-Process Examination of Pleasure Associations and Consumer Preferences,” and it explored how subtle enjoyment associations can bias our thoughtful decisions. Tom would like to recognize his co-author, Dr. Chris Pullig of Baylor University.

Professor of Biology Tim Nelson was elected as an officer of the Phycological Society of America, which promotes algal research and education. The term includes service as vice president in 2015, president-elect in 2016, president in 2017, and past president in 2018.

A paper by Associate Professor of Sociology Karen Snedker titled “Unburdening Stigma: Identity Repair through Rituals in Mental Health Court” was published by the Society and Mental Health, a journal of the American Sociological Association.

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The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to join us in welcoming the following new staff members. Contact information is available in the online SPU White Pages.

Emilio Cabrera, visit and events coordinator, Undergraduate Admissions
Emily Kelly, director, nursing clinical learning lab, School of Health Sciences
Jennifer Kemp, annual giving manager, University Advancement
Christopher Van Drimmelen, residence life coordinator, Residence Life
Myra Veltkamp, visit and events coordinator, Undergraduate Admissions