The Office of Inclusive Excellence, in partnership with the Biology Department, invites you to the Faith, Diversity, and Science Lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 6:30–8 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. The keynote speaker, Julia Wattacheril, MD, MPH, will address the questions “What is creation?” and “What does God think about creation?” Learn more here.

A message from Cheryl Michaels, associate director of Safety and Security and director of emergency management: Our yearly all-campus evacuation drill will occur at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20, and will recognize the annual 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.

From the Office of the Provost: This fall the Theological Integration Fellows Program welcomed its third cohort, comprised of Carlos Arias, assistant professor of computer science, Kristen Hoffman, psychology and scholarly communications librarian, Brittany Tausen, associate professor of psychology, and Joshua Tom, assistant professor of sociology. 

This year we look forward to receiving our fourth-year cohort applications. This program and certification provides seminary training to faculty members who wish to better integrate their faith with their disciplines and professionally enhance their teaching and scholarship. If you are interested in participating in the fourth cohort of this program, starting in fall 2022, please submit a one-page application to the Office of the Provost at provost@spu.edu no later than Monday, Dec. 13. Applications must be accompanied by a letter of approval from your dean.

The 2022–23 Academic Highlight Calendar is now available online. This calendar has everything faculty need for planning for the 2022–23 academic year. Student-related deadlines will be added in the future.

This is an opportunity to check in with each other and offer encouragement with colleagues of color from across campus. The luncheon will be on Thursday, Oct. 28, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Royal Brougham Pavilion, Hendricks Falcon Club. Please register here by Friday, Oct. 22.

From the Center for Career and Calling: Please join us by inviting your students to attend the Fall Virtual Career Fair on Thursday, Oct. 28, 1–5 p.m. Over 120 companies from all industries are currently registered and seeking to hire your students. Encourage your students to register for the fair through their Handshake accounts.

You are invited to the lecture, “Who Goes to Heaven? The Afterlife According to Saint Vincent Ferrer (1350–1419),” given by Alberto Ferreiro, professor of European history, on Thursday, Oct. 28, 11:10 a.m.–12:20 p.m., in Eaton Hall 112.

Don’t miss adjunct faculty member and guitarist Greg Fulton in concert on Saturday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., at Nickerson Studios. This is Greg’s SPU debut performance, as well as his first full return to performing after recovering from an injury. Greg will perform solo works by Bach, Brouwer and Villa Lobos, followed by Greg’s quartet featuring his own compositions with David Pascal, bass; Chris Monroe, drums; and Jose Gonzales, keyboard. This concert will also be livestreamed.

SPU Athletics invites you to a free Stress Scan Event sponsored by Shepherd Family Chiropractic on Friday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m.–12 p.m., in the Royal Brougham Pavilion, Falcon Club. A 10-minute scan will measure muscle tension and identify where you are holding your stress. These scans are non-invasive and painless. Dr. Edwin Shepherd will pinpoint areas of imbalance and provide the proper course of action.

Each spring, the Center for Applied Learning sponsors the Social Venture Plan Competition — a unique event designed to encourage SPU students from all majors to develop entrepreneurial projects that can make a difference in the world. At this kickoff meeting, students will learn how to get involved in the competition where teams of students from different majors plan sustainable businesses that meet real needs — and make a profit. It’s all about competition, innovation, and social benefit — not to mention thousands in prize money!

Date: Thursday, Oct. 21
Time: 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Location: McKenna Hall 111

The Office of Inclusive Excellence invites you to join us for two upcoming DEI workshops: Navigating Difficult Conversations (training for supervisors), Oct. 19, 12–1 p.m., and Diversity 103: “Becoming a Faith-Formed Inclusive Community,” Oct. 21, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Learn more and sign up online.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day, the Library is featuring a special display of some of SPU’s substantive work with the Duwamish Tribe, led by Professor Emeritus of Anthropology Ken Tollefson. This display is in the Library’s Reading Room (main level of the library) The display will be available through Monday, Oct. 25.

In addition, an online library resource guide curated by University Archivist Adrienne Meier includes a list of readings, films, and more information about and by the Duwamish, Swinomish, and Samish, the original inhabitants of SPU’s Queen Anne, Casey, and Blakely campuses.

The African Student Association and SPRINT (Seattle Pacific Reachout International) invite students, staff, and faculty to a special event, “Re-examining the Berlin Conference: How Africa Was Colonized and Its Lasting Impact," on Monday, Oct. 25, 5 p.m. in the Library Seminar Room. Professors Mathieu Gnouhossou, assistant professor of theology, and Rebecca Hughes, assistant professor of history, will share their insights as to how the continent was exploited and its historic and current effects for the land and its peoples. We look forward to sharing in this important conversation with our friends.

Sign up for In Context, a quarterly discussion series on racism and capitalism run through Catalyst, an Associated Students of Seattle Pacific (ASSP) program. The goal is to equip SPU community members to build imagination for a better world by thinking critically about systems of exploitation. All SPU students, staff, and faculty are welcome! This quarter, meetings will be held on Fridays, 4:30–6 p.m. in Bertona, beginning in week 5 and ending in week 9. The specific dates are Oct. 15, Oct. 22, Oct. 29, Nov. 5, and Nov 12. Register using this link.

The Office of Global Engagement invites students, staff, and faculty to submit photos from their journeys around the world in the 2021 International Photo Contest. 

• Photos must be the original work of the person submitting the photo and must have been taken in a country outside the United States. 
• Each photographer can submit one photo in each category, for a total of up to three photos. 
• Categories include People, Places, and Culture. 

Photos can be submitted through Oct. 29. Get more information and submit a photo.

Winter/spring reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at SPU's Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island. The dates of stay are January 3–June 13, 2022. Reservation requests are due by Oct. 31, 2021. These requests are selected by lottery and are not affected by summer stays at Casey.

Due to COVID-19 and our continued desire for guest safety, some reservations may be shorted due to vacancy requirements. If we have to cancel your stay due to COVID-19, we will refund your payment. Please request a reservation online. If you have questions, contact Camp Casey at 866-661-6604 or campcasey@spu.edu. We look forward to seeing you soon!

A message from Human Resources: Open enrollment starts this week Oct. 20–Nov. 5, for the benefit plan year that begins Jan. 1, 2022. To help you with your benefit decisions, Human Resources will host upcoming Virtual Benefits webinars and meetings:

• “Taking Full Advantage of Your HSA” — Oct. 26, 1 p.m. 
• “Retirement Plan Essentials” — Oct. 28, 1 p.m. 
• “Navigating Aetna’s Tools” — Nov. 2, 1 p.m.      
• “Aetna’s Wellness Program” — Nov. 4, 1 p.m. 
• Aetna 1-on-1 individual meetings — Oct. 26, 8–10 a.m.; Oct. 27, 1–3 p.m. 

These webinars and meetings will give you opportunities to ask questions and learn more about your SPU benefits. Watch for upcoming sign-up links.

The Office of Inclusive Excellence offers diversity seed grants up to $1,500 to support departmentwide initiatives that advance one or more of the University’s strategic diversity goals. The application window for the quarter closes on Friday, Nov. 12.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, Oct. 21, and the next issue will be published Monday, Oct. 25. 

If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible with an image or graphic to Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity.

Christine Chaney, Honors Program director and professor of English, contributed to the new volume titled Public Scholarship in Literary Studies, published by Amherst College Press, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Washington. In these times of crisis and challenge for the humanities, as well as for higher education in general, this book “demonstrates that literary criticism has the potential not only to explain, but to actively change our terms of engagement with current realities, 'intertwining' scholarship, teaching, and the public good.”

An excerpt of Associate Professor of English Peter Moe’s book, Touching This Leviathan, was published in Ekstasis Magazine, the art journal for Christianity Today.

Alissa Walter, assistant professor of history, presented a paper, “Gender Norms, Sex Work, and the Law in Sanctions-Era Iraq” at a conference hosted by The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII). Her presentation was on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming these new staff members:

• Jala Harper, campus program coordinator-student union and commuter services, Student Involvement and Leadership
• Vise Leiato, transfer admissions counselor, Undergraduate Admissions
• Marilynn Medina, communications officer/dispatcher, Safety and Security

Mohammad Qadam Shah, assistant professor of global development, and M. Bashir Mobasher, assistant professor of political science at American University of Afghanistan, co-wrote the recent op-ed, “The Leadership Factor: How Has a Fixable State Failed in Afghanistan,” for MIR for Strategic Analysis.