When Falcon track and field runner Vanessa Aniteye’s indoor track season started in December of 2022, she was a decorated 400-meter runner moving up to the 800 meters. At that point, she had raced the 800 just three times in her life. Three months later, in March of 2023, Vanessa became a national champion at that distance. Then a senior at Seattle Pacific, she brought home a first-place win, clocked the fastest time of the season, and also pocketed her ninth All-American honor. All this achievement would be difficult enough for any student, but Vanessa was also returning to the sport after giving birth to her son. Listen or read her story online at SPU Voices.

Several vanpools are looking for more full-time or part-time riders.

Northend: Do you commute from Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Bothell, or Shoreline? Tired of the commute strain mentally, physically and financially? Join SPU’s Northend vanpool! It’s a great way to save money and create community with other SPU employees. We are open to full-time or part-time riders. Our vanpool meets at 7:10 a.m. Monday–Friday at the Mountlake Terrace Park & Ride. We arrive at SPU by 7:50 a.m. We leave SPU at 5:10 p.m. Monday – Friday from the Emerson Parking Lot. Contact Cherylin Shdo at shdoc@spu.edu or Christina Traverso at traversoc@spu.edu for more information.

Eastside: Do you live on the Eastside and commute across the Highway 520 bridge (or choosing to drive around to avoid the toll)? If so, you could be saving as much as $300 a month by joining a vanpool. The vanpool is completely free to SPU employees which means the 520 toll, gas, campus parking, and car maintenance are all covered through the Trip Reduction Program. Part-time riders are also welcomed. The vanpool meets at the South Kirkland Park and Ride, Monday–Friday at 7:05 a.m. for a 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. work schedule. If you’d like to know more, email Lynn Anselmi at lynnnanselmi@spu.edu. Benefits of vanpooling can be found at spu.edu/vanpools.

Southend: Do you travel to SPU from the Southend and are tired of traffic, or maybe you take the bus or Sounder and would like to join a vanshare from the King Street Station to SPU and back? If so, my vanshare is in need of new riders/drivers who can join ASAP. I travel in a couple days per week (usually Wed. and Thur.) and I'm currently the main and only driver. Below is our van information.

Leave King Street Station: 7:20 a.m.+
Arrive at SPU: 7:30-7:45 a.m.
Leave SPU: 4 p.m. from the WAC parking lot
Arrive King Street Station: 4:25 p.m.+ (depending on traffic)

If you currently drive and would like to save money on gas, or if you already take the bus or train and would like to join the vanshare, please contact me, Teresa Lewis, at tlewis7@spu.edu so I can get you signed up. You will need an ORCA card from Safety and Security to join a vanshare — information can be found here. If you are interested and have any questions, or would like more information, please feel free to contact me.

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 contact 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.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every other week during the summer. The next deadline is Thursday, Aug. 17, and the next issue will be published Monday, Aug. 21.

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.

From University Communications: A big "thank you" to all faculty who submitted selfies for our "what are SPU professors doing this summer" video. We edited together this fun video which we have shared in our social media channels. We're sorry we couldn't use all the videos submitted!

Wipf and Stock has recently published Professor Emeritus of New Testament Gene Lemcio's final installment of his informal "Gospel Quartet" titled The King Who Teaches: St. Matthew's Royal Curriculum. A Pedagogical Aid. Gene says, "Rather than being primarily read, this and the other volumes are to be used by teachers and students to determine what makes each Gospel that particular Gospel. Leading questions, provocative statements, and visual displays are intended to complement (not replace) standard tools for studying the Bible."

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming the following new staff members:

Alexandra Wong Appel, residence life coordinator, Residence Life

Max Briggs, technology support analyst I, Computer and Information Systems

Grace Fleming, residence life coordinator, Residence Life

Laura Shigeta, associate director, Center for Biblical and Theological Education, Theology

Hannah Wingard, residence life coordinator, Residence Life

An opinion piece by Professor of Sociology Karen Snedker titled "Expand treatment courts to address King County’s fentanyl crisis" was published in The Seattle Times on Aug. 2, 2023. Karen argues for expanding treatment courts designed to address substance abuse and mental illness.

Research by Professor of Biology Cara Wall-Scheffler and several students was featured in The New York Times on August 1, 2023. The article, titled "Move over men. Women were hunters, too," reports on their research giving global and historical evidence that women participated and continue to participate in subsistence hunting as much as men. “There is not a 'man the hunter' and 'woman the gatherer' dichotomy in most cultures,” Cara said in the article. Read the article online. (Paywall protected. Online subscription required.)