Tent City 3 (TC3) will move to the SPU campus on Saturday, December 13. Faculty and staff are needed to help the residents move in and get settled. The move begins around 8 a.m. and volunteer help will be welcomed throughout the day. If you'd like to help, dress warmly and bring work gloves and lunch. Baked goods are also welcomed – bring a disposable pan if you’d like to share. For more information on the TC3 move-in, contact Owen Sallee in the John Perkins Center at owen@spu.edu. Learn more about SPU’s hosting of TC3.

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The Undergraduate Admissions Office invites faculty to join them on a weekly campus tour. It’s a great opportunity to engage with current and prospective students while taking an hour to reflect upon and share the beauty of our campus. If you are interested, feel free to join us on any weekday tour. As a reminder, tours depart Demaray Hall at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day except for Tuesday, when tours depart at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. If you have questions, contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 206-281-2563.

The next issue of SPU’s Response magazine will address “the promise and perils of power,” following this year’s Day of Common Learning. Do you have story ideas about faculty, staff, students, or alumni that relate to this theme? Please send them to response@spu.edu.

If you are planning an event in Martin Square, Tiffany Loop, Fifth Avenue streetscape, SUB lawn, or other outdoor space on campus, make sure to reserve it through SPU Room Finder. Submitting an event through Room Finder allows you to book space and send the information to the SPU Master Calendar (if appropriate) at the same time. All events held on-campus can now be entered through Room Finder, and all SPU-sponsored events not on campus can be posted directly through the SPU Master Calendar by selecting “Submit an Event.”

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A message from Undergraduate Admissions: “At the SPU Scholars Competition on February 9 and 20 in Upper Gwinn, we invite about 100 of the top applicants to campus to compete for five full-tuition scholarships. Faculty interviews are an integral part of the competition process, and we hope to have faculty participation from each discipline. This will be a chance for faculty to interact with our strongest applicants, as well be a time for the prospective student to learn more about his or her major of interest. It is an exciting opportunity, as many students fly in from around the world for this prestigious event. We are in need of faculty who are willing to commit up to three, half-hour interviews with the students between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on one or both of the competition dates. Faculty interviewers will be given questions to follow and a score sheet to rate the applicant. If you are interested, please email your availability to Visit and Events Coordinator Amanda McGovern at mcgoverna@spu.edu.”

The Gwinn Commons building will be closed December 11-January 3 to install a new kitchen floor. View the complete Campus Dining Services Holiday schedule online.

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A message from Robbin Riedy, assistant director of educational technology and media. “TechSmith Fuse is a free app that you can use to record video on your mobile device. You can upload your video to your own personal media library in TechSmith Relay. From there you can share your video with colleagues or students.

Faculty and staff have used Fuse to record student presentations and to demonstrate how to complete complex hands-on projects. You could record tutorials or go on virtual tours and nature walks using Fuse. Students have used Fuse to demonstrate foreign language proficiency, and to show the trajectory of objects in motion. The possibilities are almost endless! Have you used Fuse in a creative way? Email onlinelearning@spu.edu to let me know, and you could win a $25 gift card. You can download the Fuse app on iOS, Android and Windows devices. Email onlinelearning@spu.edu if you would like help downloading or using the app.”

The Resident Advisor (RA) selection process for 2015-16 is coming up fast and we need your help in obtaining nominations for qualified candidates. Our campus is blessed with many students who have exceptional academic, spiritual, and leadership gifts. If you know students who rise above — leaders among leaders — we would greatly appreciate your participation in nominating them for the selection process. If you would like to nominate a student, email Lynn Ernsting in the Office of Residence Life at russel@spu.edu no later than January 9, 2015. Thank you in advance for your support!

Every year, SPU is required to provide a summary annual report of the Emeriti Retirement Health Solutions plan. The report includes basic financial information for the Emeriti plan. You are invited to view the report online for the year January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2013 by selecting “Important Plan Documents” on this website.

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The 10th of each month is the last day to make changes to your upcoming payroll check. Do you need to remove your spouse and/or children from your health care plans? If so, contact Human Resources (HR) to complete the appropriate form. It must be submitted to HR by the 10th of the month, prior to your dependent's access to new coverage. Otherwise, the change can only occur the subsequent month, and any premiums paid will not be refunded. Changes might also 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 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 Human Resources at 206-281-2816.

Faculty and staff are invited to a special evening seminar on the Gospel of Mathew by Associate Professor of New Testament Studies David Nienhuis on Tuesday, January 6, 6-9 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. The evening includes dinner. Matthew’s gospel is the next series in SPU’s Lectio, beginning January 5, 2015. This event is free to SPU faculty and staff by registering with Kelsey Rorem in the Center for Biblical and Theological Education at cbte@spu.edu or 206-378-5415. External guests are invited to register through the website ($20).

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Do you have a colleague who has gone above and beyond this month? Nominate her or him for the Staff Member of the Month Award, sponsored by SPU’s Staff Council. Learn more about the award at the Staff Council website.

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For all the latest in Falcon sports, visit the Falcons website. 

Friday, December 12
Men's basketball vs George Fox, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m.

Saturday, December 13
Women's basketball vs Northwest University, Brougham Pavilion, 2 p.m.

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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, December 11. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, December 15, which will be the last issue for the month. The Bulletin will resume publication on Monday, January 5, 2015. 

An article by Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Dale Cannavan titled “Range of Motion, Neuromechanical, and Architectural Adaptations to Plantar Flexor Stretch Training in Humans” has been published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, 117: 452-462. Read more online.

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Professor and Chair of Counselor Education Cher Edwards and doctoral student Christy Bauman co-authored a special population book chapter in the text titled Embracing Diversity: Treatment and Care in Addictions Counseling (2015) published by Cognella Academic Publishing. The chapter is titled “Persons Who Identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning.” 

Professor of Apparel Design and Merchandising Jaeil Lee and co-authors presented three papers at the International Textiles and Apparel Association conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. The first paper written with M. Choi was titled “Cross-Cultural Study of Obesity Regarding Socio-cultural Attitudes on Appearance Involvement and Appearance Management Behaviors Through Clothing: 20s-30s Female Plus-size Consumers.” The second paper written with H. Shin was titled “Plus-size Consumers’ Perceptions on Obesity and Their Bodies for Developing Apparel Products.” The third paper written with M. Nam Yoon was titled “Developing a Correct Scaled Body Figure for Global Apparel Product Development.”

The Seattle Repertory Theater is currently staging two shows about Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. For the production of “All the Way,” Professor of History Bill Woodward was invited to join several local activists on a post-play panel discussion on November 29, 2014. The hour-long discussion ranged from personal memories of the era to historians’ reconstruction of the events to the legacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on its 50th anniversary. With the current tensions over the Ferguson grand jury decision, it was an especially poignant exchange. Bill highly recommends the play. “It’s a gripping and unflinching portrayal of key historical characters, including Martin Luther King Jr. and J. Edgar Hoover as well as LBJ, in all their powerful but flawed humanity.”

Thomas Alsbury, professor of educational leadership, recently delivered the keynote address to 300 school board members at the Idaho Association of School Boards annual conference. The title of the address was “Stabilizing Boards Through Individual Evaluation and Reflection.”

Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro recently spoke at two local parishes. At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Bothell, he spoke on “Scripture and Tradition” to a group of adults in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program. Among the topics discussed were formation of the canon, relationship between Scripture and tradition, and what constitutes the “Deposit of Faith.” At Blessed Sacrament in Seattle, he spoke to youth preparing for confirmation on the Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople. After a brief historical introduction, there was discussion as to why this creed is longer, what was it responding to, and why it is an essential part of the life of the church. Participants were also given an opportunity to identify which parts of the creed they found difficult to understand. He is scheduled to give six more talks.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to join us in welcoming the following new employees.

Nicole Custer, associate director of human resources for benefits, Human Resources
Stacey O’Farrell, administrative assistant, Office of the Provost
Amber Williams, office coordinator, Graduate Admissions

From SPU Master Gardener Jeff Daley. "Wintertime has a way of turning even the most beautiful garden into a lifeless, disheveled mess. Rain, snow, and cold weather have a way of pounding the life out of most plants. Fortunately, there are some varieties of plants and trees that hold up well under these conditions in the Pacific Northwest and bring a special wintry flair to the garden and add beauty when it's needed most. For the Christmas season, I would like to focus on berry producing plants, which are fun for several different reasons. Not only do these plants offer structure and color in the garden, they provide food for birds when berries reach their ripening stage. They can also give us opportunity for creativity, as clusters of assorted berries and foliage can be tucked into Christmas wreaths, garlands, and decorations on fireplace mantels ― all helping to brighten up the holidays. Callicarpa bodinieri, Cotoneaster, Ilex, nandina, and viburnum are just a few great berry plants we have growing on campus."

"Now for the fun part. Get a plain, everyday Christmas wreath that you can purchase from any Christmas tree lot or perhaps from a fundraiser at your child's school. Take a few of the berries from the plants listed above and attach the berry clusters and foliage to your wreath with florist wire. Have fun and be creative! (You can see the wreaths I made on the front doors of Peterson Hall.) What a difference the berries can make, not only for brightening up Christmas wreaths and decorations, but along the garden path as well.” Select the link to see photos of the berries and foliage as well as before and after photos of an evergreen Christmas wreath. 

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