A message from Cheryl Michaels, director of Safety and Security and director of emergency management: Our yearly all-campus evacuation drill will occur on Monday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m. Evacuation procedures and assembly information can be found online at SPU's Emergency Preparedness website. 

The start of the drill will include an earthquake preparedness message of "drop, cover, and hold on” before the evacuation drill message is sent. The earthquake preparedness exercise is part of the annual Great Washington Shakeout, a statewide opportunity to practice how to be safer during big earthquakes. Here are the instructions for drop, cover, and hold on. 

In most situations, you will reduce your chance of injury if you:

  DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and also allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter if nearby. 

  COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand.

• If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter
• If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows)
• Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs

  HOLD ON until shaking stops.

• Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts
• No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands

Come celebrate the new school year with the SPU Library on Thursday, Oct. 10, 4–6 p.m. Learn about their services, spaces, staff, and sources as you explore the building and engage with the people, places, and resources that make the SPU Library a special place for discovery, creating, and sharing. There will be games, learning, activities, challenges, and prizes as well as staff from other campus resources like the Center for Student Success and the Student Media groups. Plus, there will be refreshments! Contact Librarian Liz Gruchala-Gilbert at lgg@spu.edu for more information.

The History Department and the Puget Sound Civil War Round Table are hosting an event with author Cynthia A. Wilson on her new book, Black Civil War Veterans in Washington State, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m. in the Ames Library on campus, Seminar Room A. 

In the late 1800s, the new state of Washington promised peace and prosperity to new settlers. More than 30 African American men who had served during the Civil War answered the call. In her presentation, Wilson will tell the stories of these men and other courageous African American veterans who settled in Washington state after the Civil War, including Paul Barrows, a former legislator from Mississippi who established the Calvary Baptist Church of Spokane; Gideon H. Stump Bailey, who became the first African American justice of the peace in Franklin; and Allin Alfred Hawkins, who was born into slavery and became one of the wealthiest African American farmers in the Yakima Valley. 

Wilson is an independent researcher of African American military men of the mid-18th to early 19th centuries. Formerly a member of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State Inc. Board of Directors, she headed the Black Genealogy Research Group (BGRG) for four years. She has contributed several short stories of notable individuals to Quintard Taylor’s Blackpast.org website.

Tell your students about Résumé Rescue on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. in the Center for Career and Calling, located in the second floor of the Student Union Building. This is one day before the Fall Job Fair on Oct. 10. All students are welcome to drop by and have their resume reviewed.

The History Department and the student history club HIndsight are hosting an event with author and scholar Dr. Jennifer Frost to talk about her book, "Let Us Vote!:" Youth Voting Rights & the 26th Amendment, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 5–6 p.m. in Eaton Hall 112. She will talk about the multifaceted endeavor to achieve youth voting rights in the United States over a 30-year period starting in World War II. Please come and invite your students. 

The library has put together a 2024 Voter Guide which contains information about voter registration, candidates, and Washington state initiatives. It also lists online public events and recommended readings. The goal is to provide the SPU community with nonpartisan information they can use and share with students. As a reminder, there is a ballot drop box on the north side of the bookstore on West Nickerson Street.

The Communication and Journalism Department is hosting an event with four alumnae currently working in the fields of marketing, communications, and journalism. They will talk about what it's like to work in their field, the biggest challenges, and what helped the most in their college journey. The event is Monday, Oct. 14, 4–5:30 p.m. in Demaray Hall 150. Please share this information with your students.

The History Department is hosting a series of campus events to mark the one-year anniversary of the Gaza War on October 7. Faculty, staff, and students are invited.

Monday, Oct. 7: Alissa Walter (History), "The Gaza War: How did we get here, and what happens next?" Demaray 150, 4–5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 8: Bo Lim and Sara Koenig (School of Theology), "Biblical and Theological Reflections on the Gaza War," immediately after chapel in Cremona 102, 12:15–1:30 p.m. Pizza will be served.

Wednesday, Oct. 9: Sara Shaban (Journalism and Communications), "Media, Misinformation, and the Gaza War," Demaray 150, 3–4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 10: Ruth Ediger (Political Science), "International Law and the Gaza War: Help or Hindrance?" Demaray 150, 3–4 p.m.

A message from Human Resources: This year's Open Enrollment is Monday, Oct. 21, through Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. This is the one time each year to make changes to your SPU benefits. The Benefits Fair will be held over two days; Tuesday, Oct. 22, and Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. Hear from your benefits providers and enter to win multiple table prize give-a-ways and cash door prizes!

A message from SPU Dining Services: Pop in. Pop Out. Get on with your day. Falcon Express Market, a cashless store powered by Amazon's Just Walk Out (JWO) technology located on the first floor of Weter Hall, is opening in October! SPU will be one of the first universities to launch an automated C-Store concept. During the transition period beginning in September, the C-Store will continue to operate from its original location until the opening of Falcon Express Market. SPU Dining apologizes for any inconvenience caused due to the change.

Please join the Seattle Pacific Seminary for its first public lecture of the year on Tuesday Oct. 29, 7 p.m., in the First Free Methodist Church sanctuary. The speaker is Dr. Richard Middleton who will present the lecture, “You Can’t Put God in a Box: The Challenge of Ark Narrative for Our Times. (1 Samuel 4-6)." This lecture will explore how the holiness of God calls our polarizing ideologies into question. The respondent for this lecture will be Sara Koenig, SPU professor of biblical studies.

A message from Health Services: Our local Safeway pharmacy team will be coming to campus Oct. 22-23 from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. in lower Watson Hall (beneath Health Services) to provide a wide variety of vaccines to faculty, staff, and students. Please sign up for an appointment using the specific date links below. Bring your insurance card as most vaccines are covered by insurance. This is a great time to get updated on your flu vaccine, COVID-19 booster, tetanus booster, shingles, or any other routine vaccine you may need. Sign up today!

Tuesday, Oct. 22. Sign up online.

Wednesday, Oct. 23. Sign up online.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday. The next deadline is Thursday, Oct. 10. The next issue will be published Monday, Oct. 14. 

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.

A paper by Heidi Monroe, associate professor of nursing; Grace Seo, associate director of Educational Technology and Media; and R. John Robertson, dean of the Library and Academic Innovation, titled “Collaborative Leadership Education Through Community Partnerships,” was accepted for publication in the Journal of Nursing Education (in press). The paper aims to share insights via the Educational Innovations section of the Journal and hopes that others in nursing education will find their approach to be a practical and unique solution to address the myriad pressing requirements on educators, learners, and curricula.

A personal essay by Jason Thornberry titled, "Abandoned Pets and Empty Museums," was recently nominated for the 2025 Best of the Net award. He was also nominated in 2023 for his poem "Abraded Wings." Jason is the office coordinator and a writing professor in the School of Education.