A message from Niki Amarantides and Paul Kim, co-chairs of the Tent City 3 Host Committee:

“It was such a boundary breaking experience. What a privilege we have to share a meal and meaningful conversations with our neighbors! Minds and hearts were definitely changed because of this experience. We are planning on continuing our new relationships and building more community!” That’s what one student wrote after she and her group cooked and ate with Tent City 3. If your office or church has been thinking about doing something for Tent City 3, cooking a meal would be much appreciated during Christmas break. Check the online calendar for open dates, and then contact Dani Richmond at TC3Meals@spu.edu for more information. Also if you have any ideas for activities, please fill out the online form for faculty or staff. When you propose an idea, we will ask TC3 if they want to participate, and then we will help you schedule and locate where it could happen: Music jam? Poetry slam? Popcorn and video watching? Crocheting and chatting? What would you enjoy doing with TC3?

Finally, we want to thank all those who helped Tent City 3 move onto campus on November 18. We are so grateful for all those who had a part in making that move possible:

President Dan Martin and the Senior Leadership Team
First Free Methodist Pastor Matt Poole
Dave Church, Russ Howard, and the amazing Facilities crew (thank you, Neil and Don!)
John Perkins Center staff Caenisha Warren and Latreia leadership team
300 students, staff, and faculty
Community members from Vashon to Queen Anne
Sodexo, for keeping us fortified with coffee
Tracy Norlen and University Communications
Our many photographers

Many thanks from the Tent City 3 Host Committee and the Tent City 3 Community!

A message from Campus Ministries: December 3 marked the beginning of Advent season. Over the next four weeks, Christians take up the discipline of waiting, cultivating a posture of prayer and expectancy as we look toward Christmas and a celebration of the incarnation. The vocabulary of Advent is made up of words like longing, preparation, darkness, waiting, and promise — rich theological themes that are fundamental to our understanding of what it means to live in the now and the not-yet of our faith. Perhaps even more poignantly, the language of Advent speaks a word of both lament and hope that might resonate amid the injustices experienced personally and globally every day.

In observance of Advent, Campus Ministries (CM) invites you to the discipline of daily Scripture readings and a short challenge for each day, written by the CM staff. Our hope and prayer are that these practices will invite a season of restoration for our souls as we prepare to receive the light of Christ. Follow along on our Instagram or Facebook pages (@spucampusministries), or check out the full text version, available on the CM website. If you have questions, email Kelsey Rorem, associate director of campus ministries, at krorem@spu.edu.

A message from Educational Technology and Media: Join us the week after finals for one or more of our events.

Thursday, December 7
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. ETM Workshop: Rubrics in Canvas (Ames Library Classroom). Do you have questions about using rubrics and how they can be set up in Canvas? Rubrics can help provide richer assignment guidelines, develop clarity of assessment, offer more detailed grading feedback, or support peer-review. Come
share how you use rubrics and explore any questions you have about how to use Rubrics in Canvas.

Tuesday, December 12
1–3 p.m. “Scholarly Blogs at SPU — In collaboration with the Institute for Academic Innovation.”(Ames Library Classroom). Do you want to set up a blog or simple website to share or talk about your research and teaching? Join us for this drop-in lab. We’ll run short overview presentations for ten minutes on the hour and be available the rest of the time.

Wednesday, December 13
9 a.m.–12 p.m. “Canvas 101 and Course Design Lab” (ETM Offices). Do you have questions about Canvas, or do you want to talk through an instructional design question? Drop in to our offices on the lower level of the Library.

Thursday, December 14
9 a.m.–4 p.m. “Winter Course Set-Up (ETM Offices). Come and see us if you have questions about getting your course set up for Winter Quarter.

From the Wellness Initiative: With Autumn Quarter winding down and winter break around the corner, students may experience a change in mood and behavior. Seattle’s late sunrises and early sunsets may be a contributing factor. To learn more about seasonal affective disorder and how it may affect students, visit the Wellness blog.

If you would like to receive information when Mass is going to be celebrated on campus, email Caleb Henry, associate professor of political science, at henryc@spu.edu.

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.

The Tent City 3 Host Committee has prepared a how-to guide for those preparing meals for residents of Tent City. For available dates, check out the Tent City 3 Meal Calendar. Also, kitchen access is available on most Wednesdays for faculty and staff to reheat food prepared at home. Email TC3Meals@spu.edu if you have any questions or to confirm your date selection.

Seattle Pacific is one of 32 schools to receive the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence. The award is earned for achieving a four-year academic success rate (ASR) of 90 percent or higher. SPU is one of three schools with a 97 percent ASR, tied for the second-highest in all of Division II.

For the latest information on Falcon sports, visit the Falcons online.

Saturday, December 9
Women's basketball vs Saint Martin's, Brougham Pavilion, 2. p.m.

You have until 9:59 a.m. on Tuesday, December 5, to have stationery orders delivered on December 15. Stationery orders are delivered once a month. Orders made after 10 a.m. on December 5 will be delivered in January. To see deadlines and delivery dates for the remainder of the fiscal year, visit the “Create an Order” stationery page in Banner. For more information, contact Hope McPherson in University Communications at hmcpherson@spu.edu.

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 leadership gifts. However, many students do not apply without the encouragement of faculty, staff, and peers. As we seek an applicant pool that reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of our community, and as we strive to increase the number of male students who engage in the selection process, we hope you will partner with us by emailing BeAnRa@spu.edu with student recommendations by January 8. Thank you in advance for your support!

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 7. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, December 11. The last Bulletin for December will be published December 18.

A retirement party for Daphne Romano, office assistant and contract coordinator in the School of Health Sciences, will be held Tuesday, December 5, in Marston Hall 337. Drop in anytime between 12-2 p.m. to wish her well in retirement.

An article by Assistant Professor of Philosophy Matthew Benton on the epistemology of knowing other persons titled "Epistemology Personalized" was published in The Philosophical Quarterly.

A paper by Professor of Education Arthur Ellis titled "Reflexiones un Acercamiento Terapeutico" has been published in the collection, Curriculum-Sociedad: Voces, Tensiones y Perpsectivas (2017), Mexico City, The Autonomous National University of Mexico.

Jaeil Lee, professor and director of apparel design and merchandising, co-presented a research paper titled “Addressing Gaps between Textiles and Apparel Curriculum and the Industry in Kenya” at the International Textile and Apparel Association annual meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, November 14–18. She also set up a special research session titled “International Research Collaborations In Textiles and Apparel: Reflections and Best Practices” with her colleagues, and presented her case study.

The Journal of African History published a book review by Assistant Professor of History Becky Hughes. She reviewed the book The Lost White Tribe: Explorers, Scientists, and the Theory that Changed a Continent by Michael F. Robinson. The review appeared in the journal’s November edition, Vol 38.3 (2017).

An article by Professor of Accounting Kimberly Sawers titled “Reflections on CEO Compensation Through the Lens of Shalom and Justice” was published in  Faith in Business Quarterly, November 2017, Volume 18, Issue 4.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to welcome the following new staff members. Contact information can be found in the online SPU White pages.

Jake Carlson, associate director, undergraduate programs, School of Business, Government, and Economics

Taylor Miller, housing and meal plan coordinator, Housing and Meal Plan Services

University Archivist Adrienne Meier (and loyal Sounders fan) has been putting together "book spine poetry" to support the Seattle Sounders soccer team this season. She posted pictures of the poetry on the Library's Twitter page, and her tweets got the attention of the Sounders. They recently profiled her and her poetry.

From University Archivist Adrienne Meier: Tradition, SPU’s all-campus Christmas celebration, is usually held on the last Friday of November or the first Friday of December, depending on the Thanksgiving holiday. The event takes place in Tiffany Loop and the Student Union Building. The first Tradition was held on December 6, 1985, and featured music from student ensembles, and a candle lighting ceremony.  In 1986, the Falcon referred to the event as “Tradition,” (the first time the name was used), and a Christmas tree set up in the middle of the Loop was the centerpiece. The 1987 Tradition featured a tree lighting ceremony, and added some new activities like a reading of the Christmas story, a hayride around the neighborhood, and refreshments in the SUB. In 1988, the Queen Anne community was first invited to Tradition via 500 hand-delivered invitations. 

By 1995, Tradition was a well-established event, incorporating a combination of decorations, music, and refreshments, as well as adding and removing different activities, such as the snow brought in from a local ice arena in 1991, a living nativity in 1994, and a reading of “The Gift of the Magi” by former Professor of Religion Les Steele in 1995. From the very first time it was held in 1985, Tradition was seen as an event that would occur each year, bringing the SPU community together to enjoy the beginning of the Christmas season.

For a more detailed history of Tradition, read the article on the SPU wiki. Select the link to see a short story about the 1986 Tradition that appeared in the Falcon.

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