University Services would like to invite you to an open forum about the Falcon Advantage program. This event is open to faculty and staff. If you are connected to course materials or student learning in anyway or are generally interested we invite you to attend. We will share an overview of the program and services, hear directly from our partners at Akademos with updates on the work they are doing to address our ongoing feedback, see a demo of the adoptions process, and have time for Q&A.

The presentation will also be shared live via Zoom. Look for an email from Lynn Ernsting with a calendar invite to join via Zoom.

SPU’s annual Giving Day is just over a week away, and we hope you’ll join us online for a day to raise support for the programs and areas our campus community relies on. Visit givingday.spu.edu today.

A message from Health Services: New guidelines have been released as of March 2024 by the CDC and Washington State Department of Health which no longer require 5-day isolation for those who test positive for COVID-19. Those who test positive for COVID-19 should remain at home until symptoms improve and there is no fever (without medication) for the prior 24 hours. Faculty and staff should still notify their supervisor and Human Resources when testing positive for COVID-19. Here is some helpful information. 

CDC: Respiratory Virus Guidance Update FAQs
Washington State DOH: What To Do When You Are Sick With COVID-19 or Another Respiratory Virus

Summer reservation requests are now being taken for the Faculty/Staff House at SPU's Camp Casey on Whidbey Island. Full-time faculty and staff can make a reservation request for periods of stay between June 10–Sept. 30, 2024.  Reservation requests are due by Apr. 8, 2024.

Summer requests are based on years of service to SPU and past summer stays at Casey. Employees are ranked by their years of service as verified by Human Resources. Once the ranking is developed, the past summer stay history is cross-checked. If you have stayed at Casey during the summer, your ranking is replaced with the years it has been since your stay at Casey. Request a reservation here. If you are curious about how the lottery works or how to stay at Camp Casey with discounted faculty and staff rates, check out the HR wiki. Questions? Contact Camp Casey at campcasey@spu.edu.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday. The next deadline is Thursday, Mar. 28. The next issue will be published Monday, April 1.

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.

An article by Owen Ewald, C. May Marston Associate Professor of Classical Languages and Civilizations, titled, “Asking and Answering: an Indian Genre in Greek?,” was published in the current issue of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies by Duke University. He also presented a paper, “Threat Assessment and Infinitives: Tacitus, Agricola 15,” on March 16 at the annual meeting of the Classical Association of the Pacific Northwest, hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene.

William "Bill" Alan Safstrom, School of Education director of field placements and school partnerships, died on February 25, 2024, of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). Bill received his bachelor of science degree in biology in 1973 and master’s degree in educational leadership in 1985 from SPU. Bill played soccer while at Seattle Pacific and continued to play on soccer teams for over 20 years in his community and appreciated the friendships he had with his teammates. Bill worked as a supervisor of teacher interns in the education department at the University of Washington for six years and then at SPU for 20 years until present. Consistent with his unwavering commitment to education, Bill volunteered his time with the Nicolas Fund for Education to create libraries and train teachers in the Ixil region of Guatemala for many years. Bill is survived by his wife of 41 years, Janet Hope; daughter, Julianna; sons Michael and Greg; and grandson Bridger.