A message from Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment management and marketing: With the announcement of Tuition Reimagined we want to remind our community to encourage friends and family to apply before the early application deadline of November 1. As we have reduced a tuition barrier for many students, we are also making the application process as clear and barrier-free as possible. For example, we are “test optional” as many students have not had the chance to take college exams, and we have waived the application fee for early applicants. Once a student applies we want to show them all of the ways they can experience SPU. So help us spread the word to apply soon!

Celebrate Veterans Day by writing postcards of thanks and appreciation to the 300 veterans at the Port Orchard Veterans Home and Transitional Housing Facility. Our goal is for each veteran to receive a hand-written note from an SPU student, faculty, or staff member thanking them for their service. Cards will be available for delivery to campus offices starting on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Instructions will be included. Contact Ruth Adams at radams@spu.edu if you have questions. If you are working remotely and would like to participate, contact Ruth for options. Look for the Zoom Postcard Writing Event on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

The History Department's next "News & Nachos" event is Thursday, Oct. 29, 10:10–11:20 a.m.

"Can Democracy Survive?" Systemic racial inequality. Allegations of voter fraud and foreign interference. Social media echo chambers. Distrust of institutions. Partisan rancor. Can the democratic ideals and processes that we cherish as a country be healed, restored, and flourish in the future? What lessons can we learn from the past? 

• Panelists Dr. Becky Hughes (History), Dr. Owen Ewald (Classics), Dr. Peg Achterman (Journalism), Dr. Caleb Henry (Political Science)
• Opening and closing remarks by Chaplain Lisa Ishihara
• Moderated Q&A by Dr. Alissa Walter (History)

All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to attend. You must use your SPU credential to log into the panel via this Zoom link. https://spu.zoom.us/j/94457889215. We will open the Zoom room at 10 a.m.; Dr. Christopher Hanson (Music) will provide opening music as we gather together. We will record this panel and make it available on the History Department website.

The History Department launched News & Nachos in 2018 to lead the campus in conversations about the pressing issues of today. By placing current events in their historical contexts, we can better understand how our world came to be the way it is today.

CIS is rolling out Teams Calling, and migrations are taking place around campus. CIS is hosting a number of Teams Calling Orientations between now and the end of the calendar year to help prepare faculty, staff, and student employees. Sign up for a session, learn how to prepare for Teams Calling, and get other updates on this project at the CIS Technology Blog.

MNOW is a collective worship service, where various groups come together for one night to celebrate and reflect upon the vast diversity of God’s Kingdom. Come join a night of worship on Wednesday, October 28, at 8 p.m. as we talk about compassion and what building a community around God looks like. The event will be live on zoom, check out @spu.mnow on Instagram for more information.

Camp Casey is temporarily allowing the general public to rent small buildings for household groups of fewer than 11 people. Please support Camp Casey by referring your friends and family during this fall and winter! Rates vary from $160 to $400 night, with a discount of 15% during November–February. Available lodgings are currently possible to book online anytime.

Open Enrollment is now available in Banner through Friday, Oct. 30. This is your opportunity to make changes to your benefit elections for the 2021 benefit plan year — including medical, dental, vision, and flexible-spending accounts. Please review the HR Wiki page: 2021 Open Enrollment Information.

Watch previously recorded Virtual Benefits webinars:  

• Wednesday, Oct. 14: Health care for the Whole You – Aetna webinar.
• Thursday, Oct. 15: HSAs, HRAs, and FSAs – HSA Bank webinar.
• Friday, Oct. 16: HSA Contribution Planning Workshop – (SPU Human Resources)

These webinars will give you opportunities to learn more about our new benefits providers.

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 Jan. 4–June 14, 2021. Reservation requests are due by Nov. 5, 2020. 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 the Office of Human Resources: Transamerica representative Ronee Dakin will be available for one-on-one phone consultations to discuss your retirement strategy on Monday, Oct. 26, Tuesday Oct. 27, and Thursday, Oct. 29.  Please have access to the internet during your phone consultation. Make an appointment here.

Save the date for SPU’s completely reimagined Christmas special. This multimedia event is coming to your home at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12. Behold! features genres from classical to hip-hop in settings as diverse as a Northwest forest, Seattle streets, and our own campus. Get to know the compelling and uncommon life stories and talent of some of our nationally renowned and musically gifted alumni. Watch this short promotional video with Amanda Stubbert, director of alumni, parent, and family relations. More information at spu.edu/behold.

The School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean’s Speaker Series welcomes Julie Wise, director of King County Elections, on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, at 12:30 p.m. Held via Zoom, space is limited. RSVP to cal@spu.edu.

The Office of Global Engagement invites students, staff, and faculty to submit photos from their journeys around the world in the 2020 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 until Friday, Oct. 29. Get more information and submit a photo.

The Office of Inclusive Excellence invites you to join us 12–1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29, for “Diversity 103: Becoming a Faith-Formed Inclusive Community.” Learn more and sign up here.

Join CIS on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 1–1:45 p.m. or Thursday, Oct. 29, 10–10:45 a.m. for a training session on best cybersecurity practices at work and at home. RSVP here to receive a Microsoft Teams meeting link. Contact Allison Pincus in CIS at pincusa@spu.edu with questions, and find more information on the CIS training program. Please give your feedback on their training program by taking this 1- to 3-minute long survey.

The “Best Paper” winners from the 2019 Bill Pollard Faith & Business Research Fellowship are Dr. Helen Chung, assistant professor of industrial-organizational psychology at SPU, and Dr. Marcus Brauer, professor at Estacio de Sa University and Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro. They will introduce their papers and have a dialogue about their findings on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 1–2:30 p.m. via Zoom. More information and registration can be found online.

The Bill Pollard Faith & Business Research Fellowship was developed to help bridge the gap between the work of academic business scholars and business practice. Learn more about Bill and the C. William Pollard Papers in the online Digital Commons @ SPU.

The 10th of each month is the last day to make changes to your upcoming payroll check. Do you need to add or remove your spouse and/or children from your health care plans? If so, contact Human Resources (HR) to complete the appropriate form. Changes might include events that are expected to impact your benefits and deductions, such as your spouse or children gaining or losing coverage due to employment, birth, marriage, etc. Additionally, any changes to your 403b account may take up to seven days to be provided to SPU for processing, so please contract Transamerica by the first of the month prior to your requested change. For changes to your 403(b) account, contact Transamerica Retirement Solutions at 1-888-676-5512 (5 a.m.–6 p.m. PST), or 1-800-755-5801. If you have any other benefits-related changes, call Cherylin Shdo in HR at 206-281-2816.

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 Nov. 1. If you have any questions, please email vpoie@spu.edu.

Human Resources maintains a webpage for all open positions on campus and at Camp Casey and Blakey Island. Visit this webpage for the latest openings.

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 (login into Banner and select Personal Menu) to report a daily COVID-19 self-attestation for faculty and staff working on campus (including Camp Casey or Blakely Island). A link to the self-attestation form is also available on the Stay Smart website, which is now highlighted in the top banner on the SPU homepage.

A message from Health Services: Students and employees should contact SPU Health Services at 206-281-2231 right away if:

• They are feeling sick and experiencing any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 (e.g., fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle aches, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea). For this purpose, fever is a temperature of 100.4°F or higher.
• You have been in close contact with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 within the preceding 14 days. If you are unsure whether your exposure constitutes “close contact,” contact SPU Health Services to discuss. 
• If you test positive for SARS CoV2, with or without symptoms.

If you have questions, contact Health Services.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published weekly during the academic year. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, Nov. 2, and the deadline is Thursday, Oct. 29. 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.

David Denton, associate professor of education, and Art Ellis, professor of education, recently had their article, "The effects of reflection on seventh grade social studies student learning and perception," published in the journal, Educational Studies.

Kirsten Koetje, assistant director of graduate teacher education, was a guest speaker at the GoReact October national webinar. Using research stemming from her dissertation, she presented empirical findings about the power of using video analysis to prepare teacher candidates for certification. 

Karen Snedker, professor of sociology, was included in the The Academic Minute, on Oct. 22, 2020, regarding her work on mental health and the criminal justice system. The Academic Minute features researchers from colleges and universities about the world.

Joshua Tom, assistant professor of sociology, co-authored the article, “Political Trajectories of Asian Americans: Bringing Religion In,” with Jerry Park of Baylor University. The article appeared in the latest issue of the AAPI Nexus Journal (Volume 17 Issue 1, Fall 2020). 

A book review by Mischa Willett, assistant professor of English and writing, was published in Romantic Textualities: Literature and Print Culture 1780-1840 about a monograph on Percy Shelley that he found wanting sophistication.

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

• Kevin McKinney, enrollment budget manager, Enrollment Management and Marketing
• Ashley Skinner, assistant director, Leitouria Project, Worship and Arts, Theology

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: The Crawford Music Building, named for the family that contributed most of the funds for its construction, was completed in 1960 and dedicated 60 years ago on Oct. 21, 1960. At the time of its completion, Crawford contained faculty office studios, practice rooms, a band/orchestra rehearsal room, a music library, classrooms, a committee room, a listening room, and the Music Department’s office. It was the first structure in Seattle Pacific’s history to be designed with adequate sound control for music education. Select the link to see a photo postcard advertising SPC’s Music Department.