As I mentioned in my report on the State of the University, I asked Paul Yost, associate professor of industrial-organizational psychology, director of applied learning and development, and senior director of strategic initiatives, to serve in leading the next stage of our strategic planning efforts as we envision how best to address, through the lens of our mission as a comprehensive Christ-centered liberal arts university, the opportunities that are on the horizon.

Paul has provided his insights into the work that he will be undertaking in the months ahead.

Before the annual invitation-only Downtown Business Breakfast on Friday, April 3, you can hear the 2020 speaker, Peggy Noonan, Thursday, April 2, 7-8 p.m., in Upper Gwinn. The event is for students, faculty, and staff. Watch for more information in the coming months. Noonan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Wall Street Journal, bestselling author of nine books on American politics, history, and culture, and a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan.

Please invite your first-year and transfer students to Ames Library for a night of studying and food, Monday, October 14, 6–10 p.m. Study table tutors, faculty, and reference librarians will be available, as well as support from the Research, Reading, and Writing Studio.

The SPU Mail and Full Copying Services, along with FedEx Office, invites you to an open house at their building located at 323 W. Nickerson Street, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15. Come by and enjoy some light refreshments, bring questions you might have, or just drop by and say "hi" and visit. This is a great chance for you to meet some of the faces behind the online SPU/FedEx Office ordering system.

The October ODEI Connections is now available. Learn about the upcoming diversity seed grant application due date, strategies for fostering productive dialogue, and more in this edition. We extend our thanks to Alison Estep, assistant vice president of University Communications, for her contribution to our “Diversity Success Stories” feature.

A message from Mark Reid, director of the Office and Safety and Security: Our yearly all-campus evacuation drill will occur at 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 17, and will be part of the Great Washington Shakeout, a statewide opportunity to practice how to be safer during big earthquakes. We are asking students, faculty, and staff to practice “drop, cover, and hold on” at the start of the drill before they evacuate campus buildings.

In most situations, you will reduce your chance of injury if you:

  DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and also allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter if nearby. 

  COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand.

• If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter
• If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows)
• Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs

  HOLD ON until shaking stops.

• Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts
• No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands

In addition, everyone is encouraged to develop personal and family earthquake preparedness plans and maintain personal emergency supplies. For more information, see the Personal Preparedness webpage at emergency.spu.edu.

Join Director of Public Information Tracy Norlen and Social Media Specialist Esther Yun for this informative session on how to promote your event to faculty, staff, students, and the general public. We’ll cover social media, poster distribution, internal e-newsletters, websites, videos, local blogs, online event calendars, and much more. This session will be offered in the lower Weter Hall large conference room on Tuesday, October 15, 10-11 a.m. No need to RSVP. (SPU swag will also be available to all those who attend!) If you have questions, contact Tracy at tcnorlen@spu.edu.

Winter/Spring reservation requests are now being taken for Faculty/Staff House at the Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island. The dates of stay are January 6 through June 15, 2020. Reservation requests are due by October 31, 2019. These requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by summer stays at Casey. Visit this online reservation system to request a reservation. If you have questions, contact Camp Casey at 866-661-6604 or campcasey@spu.edu.

SPU Athletics, in partnership with Shepherd Family Chiropractic, is offering all faculty and staff members a FREE stress scan event on Tuesday, October 29, from 1–2:30 p.m. in Royal Brougham’s Falcon Club. No appointment needed; just drop in. Coffee and cookies will be provided. A 10-minute scan will measure muscle tension and identify where you are holding your stress. Scans are non-invasive, painless, and informative. Dr. Shepherd will pinpoint areas of imbalance and provide the proper course of action. Visit the Shepherd Family Chiropractic online for more information. Questions about the event can be directed to Stefanie at stefanie@spu.edu.

The Spanish Conversation Table will be available for the new academic year and is open to anyone who wants to speak with others in Spanish. Come and have some fun! Meet your classmates and colleagues, make new friends, and improve your Spanish. You don’t have to sign up ahead of time — just bring your lunch and join us. Spanish Conversation Table meets Fridays, 2–3 p.m., in Marston 252. If you have any questions, please contact Vilma Illanes at villanes@spu.edu.

A message from Campus Dining Services: Faculty and staff will receive two bonus meals if they purchase a Faculty/Staff Block 10 Meal Plan by Monday, October 14. That’s 12 meals for $85 (or $7.08 per meal)! (Limit one per person.) You can use the plan in Gwinn any time during Gwinn’s service hours. Or you can use it to purchase Simply to Go meals at the Corner Place Market, Academic Perks (SUB), or Common Grounds (Weter Hall). Meals can be used for guests, too. Plans can be purchased through Banner. Meal balances roll from quarter to quarter as long as you are employed at the University. If you have questions, contact Housing & Meal Plan Services at 206-281-2188 or mealplan@spu.edu.

Join Computer and Information Systems at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, November 13, or 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 14, to learn about accessing all your notes from any device, and the many other conveniences of note-taking in OneNote. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP here.

Featuring the best of sacred Advent music and Christmas carols from around the world, performed by the Music Department’s nationally recognized student and faculty musicians, the 20th annual Sacred Sounds of Christmas will be held in downtown Seattle’s majestic Benaroya Hall on Sunday, November 24, at 7 p.m. This concert always sells out, so purchase your tickets soon.

A message from Computer and Information Systems: Did you know that Skype for Business will soon be replaced with Microsoft Teams on all SPU-managed computers? On Wednesday, October 16 at 8:30 a.m. or Thursday, October 17 at 1 p.m., join CIS for a special training led by Microsoft on the benefits of using Teams to collaborate with your colleagues and students. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP here.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) during the academic year. 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, October 17. The Bulletin will be published on Monday, October 21.

A study by Amy Mezulis, professor of clinical psychology, and her students titled “Post-traumatic Outcomes Following a Campus Shooting,” was published by the American Psychological Association Journal.  The article examined the effect of physical and emotional proximity to the 2014 campus shooting among students, faculty, and staff. This was picked up by the American Psychological Association and highlighted as a spotlight article.

Stephen Newby, professor of music, director of composition, and director of the Center for Worship, will deliver the inaugural Posterski Lecture in Theology and the Arts at All Saints Kingsway in Toronto, Ontario. His lecture is titled, “Hosea: Love Triumphs Over the Sting of Death and Insignificant Representations of the Grave.” His oratorio, Hosea, debuted in Toronto at the Telus Center in February, and his lecture will be accompanied by a performance of the oratorio. Stephen has also been commissioned to compose a setting of the mass in celebration of All Saints Kingsway’s 75th anniversary. It will debut Sunday, November 3, 10 a.m.

Mischa Willett, instructor of writing, had two new poems — “Braceleted and Bare,” and “Echo Chamber” from his forthcoming book, The Elegy Beta — published in Relief Journal.

Professor of History Alberto Ferreiro presented the paper, “Columbus, Hernán Cortés, and the Dominicans: The Birth of Universal Human Rights and International Law,” at the western regional conference of Faith and History at Seattle Pacific on October 12. His book review: Diego Piay, Augusto. El priscilianismo Arqueologia y prosopografia: Estudio De Un Movimiento Aristocratico En La Gallaecia Tardorromana. (Studia Archaeologica). L'Erma Di Bretschneider, 2018, was published in the Journal of Early Christian Studies, 27 (2019) 510–511.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming the following new staff members. 

Rachel Johanson, academic publications coordinator, Student Academic Services
Michelle Rodriguez, CRM enrollment communications specialist, University Communications
Erica Watt, student financial services coordinator, Student Financial Services

The Office of Human Resources would like to congratulate the following staff on their new appointments:

Leah Johnson, service desk lead, Facility and Project Management
Katie Siverson, business manager, Facility and Project Management