A message from the SPU COVID-19 Decision Group: With the governor’s new restrictions released yesterday, those of us on the SPU COVID-19 Decision Group believe it is important to respond as we partner with the state in doing our part to try to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases, not contribute to the strain on the health care system, and help protect the lives of the most vulnerable to COVID-19 in our community.

While higher education is exempt from the recent set of restrictions, we continue to seek to follow applicable guidelines and act prudently.

• We plan to continue operations with the current level of on-site operational support in order to serve our students who remain on campus. Campus services and staffing should remain in place throughout the end of Autumn Quarter.
• If you are not doing so already, we encourage you to work closely with your supervisor to explore arranging a remote work schedule, as feasible and as your responsibilities permit, especially for the period after Autumn Quarter has concluded. 
• We are encouraging everyone to follow the governor’s travel advisory, which includes guidelines around recommended quarantines before and after travel. Please consult with your supervisor for the implications of travel as it intersects with your duties. 

We will continue to closely monitor and manage our response to COVID-19 and provide updates later regarding plans for Winter Quarter. Thank you for all your work – and we encourage you to take good care as we work together for the safety and well-being of the SPU community.

Dan Martin, President
Laura Hartley, Provost
Craig Kispert, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration
Jeff Jordan, Vice Provost for Student Formation and Community Engagement
Nick Glancy, Assistant Vice President for Risk Management and University Counsel

Important announcement from Human Resources: It’s time to transition our HSA or HRA accounts to a unified HSA Bank structured account for the 2021 plan year. What to expect:

Nov. 11: To make this go smoothly, HSA Bank has advised us not to use our existing HSA/HRA debit cards as of Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Nov. 24–30: We will experience a brief period with no access.

• Plan ahead for purchases or services that need to be paid during these dates of no access.
• After Monday, Nov. 30, your existing debit card will be reactivated for 10 more days — before it is then disabled permanently.

New HSA bank debit cards should arrive by Tuesday, Dec. 15.

More information at HSA/HRA Fund Transition to HSA Bank and New Debit Cards.

SPU is partnering with Sodexo in the Swipe Out Hunger program, which helps students experiencing food insecurity. Students can apply for the program, and faculty and staff can also submit the name of a student who needs support getting access to food. All requests are confidential. Students in the program will receive five meals in Gwinn, which will be added to their Falcon cards. Students can re-apply. To learn more about the program, visit the website or email swipeout@spu.edu.

A message from Athletics: Recently, over 100 student-athletes competed in a scavenger hunt in their practice pods of five. With the cancellation of all competitions this season, the Athletics Department wanted to give athletes an outlet to get their competitive juices flowing. What the Athletics Department didn’t expect was just how competitive student-athletes would get! Together with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the Athletics Department created an app with 43 challenges to be completed between Monday and Friday in early November. Pods raced around the city finding popular landmarks, carving pumpkins, baking fall treats, and singing the SPC fight song. Athletics also set a few challenges to encourage the community. Teams were asked to write notes to neighboring residents at Aegis Living and assemble boxes for Operation Christmas Child, which will go oversees to children in need during the holidays. Stephanie Kosco, fan engagement and corporate sponsorship manager, said, “We were so encouraged by the student-athletes desire to get involved in an activity outside of Zoom and were impressed by their willingness to spread some good around the city and world!”

Every Thursday during Autumn Quarter, students receive the Stay Smart newsletter highlighting the latest information for students from Student Life, Center for Learning, Student Academic Services, University Ministries, Health Services, Housing and Meal Plan Services, Dining Services, the library, and more. Review last week's newsletter and all the previous newsletters on the Stay Smart website under Newsletter Archive.

From Ruth Adams, associate vice president for student success: Thank you to all who wrote postcards to the 300 veterans at the Port Orchard Veterans Home. We met our goal, and your work blessed the veterans at a time of year when we traditionally honor their service with a ceremony. The VA was extremely grateful, too: “Our thanks goes to you and your students, faculty, and staff for taking the time to honor veterans at the Washington Veterans Home!” said Heidi Audette, communications director for the Washington state Veterans Administration. Added Jason Alves, program manager for Veterans Conservation Corps/Vet Corps, “What a neat way to build community and honor residents. Thank you all the organizing, logistics, and work that has gone into this.”

In this short video, opera singer and SPU alumna Katie Malik ’02 gives a taste of what to expect at SPU’s fully reimagined Christmas concert, coming to your home on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. Get more information and register to get the link and a free downloadable viewing packet at spu.edu/behold. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors!

Join CIS on Dec. 8 or 9 for a training session on Microsoft Forms, the simple solution available to all of SPU for digitizing paper forms, creating online surveys, quizzes, and polls. RSVP here to receive a Microsoft Teams meeting link. Contact Allison Pincus in CIS at pincusa@spu.edu with questions, and see here for more information on the CIS training program.

A message from Dining Services: Order a house-made take-home pie — pumpkin, apple streusel, or Oreo cream  — for Thanksgiving! These 10-inch holiday pies are on sale until Nov. 18, to be picked up Nov. 20–23. They can be purchased in Gwinn Commons, the Corner Place Market, and Academic Perks.

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. 23, and the deadline is Thursday, Nov. 19. 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.

Jeff Keuss, professor of Christian ministry, theology and culture, recently presented a paper titled “Paul Ricœur and The Liberal Arts as Hermeneutic Depth Training” at the North American Society for Philosophical Hermeneutics conference hosted at Florida Gulf Coast University. The paper looked at examples of redemptive hermeneutics that engage diverse texts in the classroom in light of Paul Ricoeur’s essay “Religion, Atheism, and Faith.”

The November edition of the online journal, International Dialogues on Education: Past and Present, is titled ‟Schools, Education, and the Pandemic of 2020." Professor Emeritus of Education Art Ellis and doctoral candidate Liz Ebersole served as editors. Several other School of Education faculty and students contributed as well:

• John Bond. professor of educational administration and supervision and chair of educational leadership, wrote the article, “Social-Emotional Learning in a Time of Chaos,” in this special issue. 
• Munyi Shea, associate professor of counselor education, and school counseling graduate student Alexis Awdziejczyk co-wrote the article “Make Healing, not Performance the Goal for K–12 Schools Amid This Global Pandemic,” in this special issue.  
• William Rowley, emeritus professor of education, wrote the article, “Higher Education in the Midst of a Pandemic: A Dean’s Perspective, ” in this special issue.

A book chapter by David Wicks, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, and Annie Tremonte, digital education leadership affiliate faculty and alumna, titled “Synchronous Learning: Good to See You Again,” was published in The Learner-Centered Instructional Designer Purposes, Processes, and Practicalities of Creating Online Courses in Higher Education. (Stylus Publishing.)

Mischa Willett, assistant professor of English and writing, read poems about autumn on "The Ride Home with John and Kathy" radio program on WORD-FM (101.5) in Pittsburgh.

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming Josh Swett, assistant men’s soccer coach, Athletics.

Ruth Adams, associate vice president for student success, was interviewed on KCMS FM (105.3) on Veterans Day about the recent campuswide postcard-writing campaign for veterans. Ruth spearheaded the effort which led to 300 postcards being sent to each veteran at the Washington Veterans Home in Port Orchard.