Faculty Council and the Office of the Provost are jointly planning and sponsoring a campuswide conversation series called “SPU in One Room.” This series invites academic experts from various fields to help us explore answers to the community’s questions about human sexuality and gender identity. Each expert panel, using their discipline’s particular lens or “way of knowing,” will demonstrate how their field wrestles with the puzzles of sexuality and gender — where is there consensus, what is the spectrum of disagreement, what are the limits to the discipline’s knowledge, and what are the different positions Christian disciplinary experts might take on these questions?

Because the complex physical and chemical processes of our created bodies seem an excellent place to begin discussion of this topic, the first conversation in the series will be “Human Sexuality & Gender Identity Through the Lens of Biology" featuring biology faculty members. The event will be held in Upper Gwinn Commons on November 2, 6-8 p.m. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this event is for the internal SPU community only (current students, faculty, staff, and trustees). It is not open to the general public. You will need to present your SPU ID at the door of Upper Gwinn to gain entrance.

A message from Human Resources: Open enrollment ends this week on Friday, Nov. 5. It is your last chance to make benefit changes for the 2022 plan year that begins Jan. 1, 2022. To help you with your benefit decisions, Human Resources has hosted and will host upcoming Virtual Benefits webinars and meetings:

“Taking Full Advantage of Your HSA” Oct 26.(Previously recorded)

“SPU Retirement Plan Essentials” on Oct 28.(Previously recorded)

“Navigating Aetna’s Tools” on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 1 p.m.

“SPU’s New Wellness Program-Aetna” on Thursday, Nov. 4, 1 p.m. 

Transamerica 1 on 1 Meetings on Nov 16 and 17, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

These webinars and meetings will give you opportunities to ask questions and learn more about your SPU benefits.  If you are not able to attend, recorded sessions are available.

On October 25, the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIEX) launched an anonymous and confidential Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey. All students, regular faculty, staff, and administrators should have received a link from SeattlePacific@hedsconsoritum.org and are encouraged to complete the survey by November 15. For more information, visit the FAQs on the OIEX website.

The introduction of the Cybersecurity and Online Habits training is now available in the SPU wiki Cybersecurity Awareness Training section, and in the Human Resources’ compliance training library. Federal rules from both Congress and the Department of Education require this training of all institutions receiving federal funding.  

In order to comply, all faculty and staff are required to complete this Cybersecurity Awareness training by Jan. 1, 2022. Any employee unable to complete the training by this date will lose access to systems and information until they complete the training. This is the first time this training is required at SPU, and will be required annually in the future.

The Perkins Center started the year with the Perkins Fall Series: Subversive Witness, inviting Rev. Dominique Dubois Gilliard to be with us Sept. 20–21, On Sept. 20, we brought together local leaders Rev. Dr. Liz Mosbo VerHage and Rev. Derick Harris with Rev. Gilliard for a fishbowl leadership conversation. We were able to record this opportunity and it is now available to be viewed on the SPU John Perkins Center YouTube Channel.

You are invited to join and connect with others for warm drinks and snacks at the Catholic Community Group pop-up on Thursday, Nov. 4, 3–4 p.m., in the Eaton Hall lobby. We hope this will be a causal time to connect and catch up!

You are invited to the annual Walls Lecture, Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. This year’s lecture, “For It Seems Good to the Holy Spirit and to Us,” will be given by Rob Wall, professor emeritus of theology, who will reclaim one of Scripture’s most famous one-liners to cue the telling of the Bible’s story from the perspective of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, our hope is that Scripture’s faithful readers are made more alert to what Professor Wall calls a “participatory pneumatology — Bible readers’ partnership with God’s Spirit that actively forms and animates their life with God. Learn more about the lecture.

The Office of Global Engagement invites faculty to attend an information session on the SPU Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Fellows Program. COIL provides a way for faculty and students to have a global experience through partnerships with faculty and students from institutions around the world. The final information session about this research-based teaching practice will be offered:

• Thursday, Nov. 2, 11–11:50 a.m., Weter Hall, Room 202

Full-time faculty (of all ranks and from all schools) interested in developing a course collaboration with an international partner are encouraged to attend the information session and then to apply for the 2021–22 COIL Fellowship Program. Up to five faculty will be selected to participate in the COIL Fellows program.

SPU Theatre presents: Blood/Water/Paint — a true story of 17th century Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi, written by Joy McCollough. Join us Nov. 3–6, 7:30 p.m. at E.E. Bach Theatre. SPU faculty and staff members can redeem seats for two free tickets on the night of their choice by emailing the Box Office at boxoffice@spu.edu or calling 206-281-2959. Content warning: rape and sexual assault (not depicted onstage); mental and emotional abuse; brief instances of strong language. Recommended age: 16 years and older.

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.

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 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, Nov. 4, and the next issue will be published Monday, Nov. 8. 

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.

A peer-reviewed research paper featuring six SPU undergraduate student researchers (all now SPU alumni) by Associate Professor of Biology Janet Bester-Meredith was published in the journal Aggressive Behavior. The article is titled “Blocking olfactory input alters aggression in male and female California mice (Peromyscus californicus)." 

Benjamin Hartley, associate professor of mission and world Christianity in the School of Theology, has been invited to give a paper at the centenary celebration of the 1921 founding of the International Missionary Council in Lake Mohonk, New York. The IMC is now called the “Commission on World Mission and Evangelism” and is part of the World Council of Churches. The title of his paper is “The Meaning of Lake Mohonk for John R. Mott,”  and his presentation will be given as part of the North American group presentation online on Nov. 17 at a conference based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Joshua Tom, assistant professor of sociology, presented two papers at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion in Portland, Oregon. He presented, “Religion and Anti-Asian Racism Pre- and Post-COVID” with Jerry Z. Park, and “The Effects of Congregational Racial Composition on Perceptions of Discrimination” with Brandon C. Martinez.

Professor of Sociology Jennifer McKinney presented her paper, “Christian Authoritarianism: Patriarchal Authority, Charismatic Leadership, and the Rejection of Routinization” at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Assistant Professor of Political Science Mohammad Qadam Shah presented a paper titled "Measuring the performance of Afghanistan’s Islamic constitutions: A comparative historical analysis" at the American Society of Comparative Law's annual meeting (ASCL Young Comparativists Conference at University of Wisconsin Law School).

Alberto Ferreiro, professor of European history, gave the first of five lectures on Oct. 17 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish on “Believing in God” for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The talk highlighted the unique nature of the Christian concept of God, namely the trinity. It covered the Nicaean Creed and other historical background. Lastly, it address the “how” to encounter God through the liturgy (especially the Eucharist), private scripture reading (lectio divina), in service to others (Matthew 25, parable of the sheep and goats), and related topics.

An opinion piece by Mohammad Qadam Shah, assistant professor of political science, titled "What did billions in aid to Afghanistan accomplish? 5 questions answered," was published in The Conversation on Oct. 26. The Conversation, is an online publication curated by professional editors offering informed commentary and debate on the issues affecting our world.

For his monthly cartoon, Nate Hoover, associate director for the Center for Biblical and Theological Education, explains this month’s feature: Perhaps matching socks are not so happy to be reunited. To see more of my cartoons, you can find me on Instagram: @hoovernathaniel.

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