The Seattle Pacific Art Gallery will present a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Colleen RJC Bratton, January 14ꟷMarch 8. There will be a reception with the artist on Thursday, January 17, 5ꟷ7 p.m. at the gallery.

Bratton lives and works in Seattle. She graduated with a degree in visual arts and philosophy from Seattle University, and is a member of SOIL Gallery, a collective and nonprofit gallery established, supported, and managed by Seattle artists. Her sculptural paintings are influenced by the emotions and energies found in revelatory moments the artist has experienced or witnessed. They act as personal therapy and social commentary in a topsy-turvy world.

About her site-specific work, Bratton says, "To bask in those first rays of sun after a long winter and feel the presence of a new season­­ — has this lingering hope come to fruition? Empirical sun transports glimpses of a bright future into the present gray with texture, temperature, color, and light. Underlying comedic elements point to the possible absurdity of such an intense optimism and offer an alternative: the first rays don’t signal hope but instead signal fire."

To help with the upcoming closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Lyft and Uber are reducing their fare by $2.75. They will take riders to and from various transportation hubs. You can use Lyft in combination with a bus route and your bus fare ($2.75) is covered. The Lyft discount code is REALIGN99, and Uber’s discount code is COMMUTESMART. Learn more in a recent Seattle Times article.

The “Seattle Squeeze” begins when the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) permanently closes the Alaskan Way Viaduct on January 11, 2019; the new SR 99 tunnel opens three weeks later in early February. This closure will be the longest highway closure in the history of the Puget Sound region. If you are interested in looking into alternative modes of transportation such as one of the SPU vanpools or vanshares, contact Transportation Manager Heather Eide at eideh@spu.edu.

In order to plan ahead and prepare for extra road congestion and commute times, SDOT has provided some suggestions on how to help manage the impact:

1. Come in earlier or later. Most people commute in the morning between 7–9 a.m., and in the afternoon between 3–6 p.m. Talk to your supervisor about changing the hours you work.
2. Leave your car at home. Try biking, walking, carpool, vanpool, or public transit.
3. Give yourself extra travel time. Traffic will be slower and will last longer throughout the day.
4. Visit seattletraffic.org for the tools and information you need to get around during the #Seattle Squeeze.
5. For live camera images: web6.seattle.gov/travelers
6. Or visit these websites:

• 99tunnel.com
• AlaskanWayViaduct.org
• kingcounty.gov/getready

A message from Residence Life: The resident advisor selection process begins Winter Quarter, and we need your help to recruit qualified candidates. Our campus is blessed with students who have academic, spiritual, and servant-leadership gifts. However, many students do not apply without the encouragement of faculty, staff, and peers. We are seeking an applicant pool that reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of our community, with increased numbers of male students who engage in the selection process. We hope you will partner with us by emailing student recommendations to BeAnRa@spu.edu by January 7. Thank you in advance for your support!

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 you wish to make to your 403(b) account contributions must be made by the 10th of the month. 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 Mardeth Hughes in HR at 206-281-2816.

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, January 8, to have stationery orders delivered Tuesday, January 22. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on January 8 will be delivered in February. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every week 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, January 3. The next Bulletin will be published on Monday, January 7.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to welcome Julia Zimny, communications officer/dispatcher in the Office of Safety and Security.

A memorial service for Professor Emeritus Karl Krienke will be Thursday, December 20, 1 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church. There will be a livestream of the service for those unable to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that those wishing to make a memorial gift send their contribution to Seattle Pacific University and designate it to the O. Karl Krienke Undergraduate Research Endowment. Karl was an emeritus professor of physics and mathematics and taught at SPU for 44 years.

Winter is the season in which the leatherleaf mahonia might catch your eye as you pass by the eastside of Alexander Hall. It's not necessarily a show-stopping shrub, but like other plants, it has a lot of great qualities. Blooming in mid-winter with bright yellow blossoms, its tiny bell-shaped flowers grow in spires that come together in clusters resembling little golden crowns. This makes a bold statement when nothing else is blooming in the garden. Anna's hummingbirds, who stay in the Pacific Northwest during the winter, will be on the lookout for mahonia.

​Mahonia plants thrive in the shade and are drought tolerant once established. Both their yellow flowers in winter and bluish-purple berries in the spring can add some unusual interest in your garden. We have several mahonias which are native to our area. The more common mahonia is the Oregon state flower — the Oregon grape — which flowers in the spring. The leatherleaf mahonia blooming near Alexander Hall now is Mahonia bealei, also known as Beale's barberry. Originally, this plant is from China, but it has been available to western gardeners for generations. Its leaves might remind you of holly. As an evergreen shrub, the plant pretty much looks the same year-round, and its leaves don't fall off in autumn. Also, the flowers have a nice light fragrance, but you may need to get in close to appreciate it. ​Do our resident Anna's hummingbirds a wintertime favor and try planting a couple mahonia bealei shrubs in your garden this year. Select the link for more photos of the mahonia around Alexander Hall.