The next Chapel is Tuesday, Oct. 14, 11:10 a.m. in First Free Methodist Church with President Porterfield and Campus Pastor Fred TenEyck. The complete Chapel schdedule is available online. All faculty and staff are invited to join a community lunch each week after Chapel in the SUB Fireside Room. Bring your lunch and share fellowship with others across campus.

Associate Professor of History Alissa Walter will give a presentation on the current ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 4:45 p.m. in Demaray Hall 150. She will provide historical context on the conflict, an overview of the war, and a discussion of what possible future scenarios could be ahead. The presentation is part of an ongoing service to the campus by SPU's history faculty to give quarterly talks providing historical context for current events.

A message from Cheryl Michaels, assistant vice president of Safety and Security. Our yearly all-campus evacuation drill will occur on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. Evacuation procedures and assembly information can be found online at SPU's Emergency Preparedness website. (If you are working remotely at home or in an off-campus location, please take a few minutes to review your evacuation procedures.)

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

Faculty and staf are invited to practice Spanish-speaking skills with SPU students on Wednesday, 12–1 p.m. in Marston Hall 216. Join for Informal conversation, community, and student guest speakers. All levels of proficiency are welcome! Come and meet your classmates and colleagues, make new friends and improve your Spanish. You do not have to sign-up ahead of time, bring your lunch and join us!

Currently on view at SPAC Gallery in the SPU Art Center is "Into the Wilderness," an exploration in conceptual narrative imagery by adjunct art professor Abigail Platter. The wilderness is full of dangers and surprises, which, of course, are what make amazing stories. Abigail states that her thesis project, "Into the Wilderness," is an exploration of narrative creation as an illustrator. This body of work is a “variety show” of concepts and narratives gathered during the last two years of her creative exploration. Each painting in this thesis is an idea that could be expanded into an illustrated story, show, or intellectual property, with meanderings on womanhood, environmental issues, biblical metaphors, and much more.

Abigail graduated with an MFA from the University of Hartford in July 2025. She will give an artist talk in the Art Center on Thursday, Oct. 23, 10–11 a.m. All are welcome.

SPAC Gallery is located at 3 West Cremona Street and is open Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. or by appointment. The work will be on display through November 21, 2025.

The Seattle Pacific University Orchestra is inviting musicians from campus and the wider community to join its ensemble this year. Unlike a traditional university class, participation in the orchestra is not limited to students and does not require course registration or academic credit. Faculty, staff, and community members are warmly welcomed to take part. Rehearsals are held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4–6 p.m. in Beegle 1. The orchestra is open to all orchestral instrumentalists, with flexible attendance options to accommodate busy schedules.

Now in his second year as orchestra director, adjunct music instructor Dr. Hsuan (Tony) Lee hopes the ensemble can serve as a bridge between SPU and the surrounding community, providing opportunities for shared music-making and meaningful collaboration. Those interested in joining are encouraged to contact Dr. Lee at leeh58@spu.edu.

The Center for Career and Calling and the College of Business and Technology are hosting the Business and Technology Networking and Career Fair on Thursday, Oct. 23, 11 a.m.– 1 p.m. in the OMH Lobby. Encourage your students to come and connect with employers. The event is open to ALL majors.

The Office of Study Abroad will outline the program development process and answer questions about leading a faculty-led program on Tuesday, Oct. 28, on Teams (new date). All faculty interested in proposing or leading a study abroad opportunity are encouraged to attend. Flyer: Faculty-Led Study Abroad Program.

A message from Information Technology: To ensure the best performance and security of our academic podiums, we ask that you please do not turn off the podium PCs after using them for your classes. These computers need to remain powered on so they can receive important system and security updates while not in use. Keeping them on helps maintain optimal performance and reliability for future classes. This practice is also an example of good cybersecurity etiquette, as it ensures devices stay protected with the latest updates and patches.

In recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a new cybersecurity topic will be shared each Monday throughout October. If you missed the initial kickoff post, you can visit the Information Technology Blog to catch up and learn more.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping SPU’s technology secure and up to date.

A message from Human Resources: This year’s Open Enrollment is Thursday, Oct. 30, through Monday, Nov 10, 2025. This is the one time each year to make changes to your SPU benefits. This year we will have a Health & Benefits Fair held over two days; Tuesday, Oct. 28, and Wednesday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. Hear from your benefits providers, schedule a chair massage, sample a healthy smoothie, and enter to win multiple prize give-a-ways!

The Office of Student Counseling, Health, and Wellness has slightly updated hours for this year. SCHW student-facing hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Health Services is closed to student appointments on Fridays. Thank you for your partnership in supporting the wellness of our students!

A message from Human Resources: Transamerica representative Scott Jozefowski will be available for one-on-one consultations Thursday, Oct. 30, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. in the Human Resources Conference Room. Scott will be available to discuss your retirement strategy, improving your financial wellness, and transitioning to retirement. Please make an appointment online.

A message from Health Services: Our local Safeway pharmacy team will be coming to campus to provide a wide variety of vaccines to faculty, staff, and students. The dates are Tuesday, Oct. 21, and Wednesday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in the Health Services lobby (Watson Hall). You must sign up for an appointment using the specific date links below and bring your insurance cards, as most vaccines are covered by insurance. This is a great time to update your flu vaccine, COVID-19 booster, tetanus booster, shingles, or any other routine vaccine you may need. Sign up today!

Tuesday, Oct. 21: Sign up here.

Wednesday, Oct. 22: Sign up here.

Please join the Seattle Pacific Seminary for the Alfred S. Palmer Lectureship on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m., in the First Free Methodist Church sanctuary. Dr. Stephen Newby, former SPU professor of music, and Prof. Robert Darden will discuss their new book, Soon & Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch. The book highligts how the groundbreaking gospel artist reshaped American music through his innovative compositions, performances, and multiracial vision with examples drawn from his career.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, Oct. 16, and the next issue will be published Monday, Oct. 20.

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 and will be published for two consecutive issues; they can be resubmitted for an additional two weeks.

A manuscript by Stephanie Armes, associate professor of Marriage and Family Therapy, and colleagues from several institutions was published in Traumatology. The manuscript, “Measuring Secondary Traumatic Stress in a sample of Marriage and Family Therapists," is the first to support measuring secondary traumatic stress in a way that is congruent with updated criteria for PTSD diagnosis in the American Psychological Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). The paper can also be accessed through the SPU library. 

Episode 2 of a three-part documentary of Seattle history, directed by John Forsen, has dropped. Among the writers of its magazine-style segments was Professor Emeritus of History Bill Woodward who created the script on the city’s role in World War I. The episodes have aired on KBTC and reportedly will be shown this fall on KCTS. Bill’s summer also included presenting a two-part seminar at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center Family Camp (“Speaking Truth, Living Love”), three historical talks at Bellevue Gardens Senior Living, another walking tour of Fort Casey, and a dozen round-trip rides as an interpretive guide on Amtrak trains as part of a National Park Service volunteer team (that included Theology Professor Doug Strong). Oh, plus 12 Mariner games (with more to come?).

Apparel Design and Merchandising graduates Jennifer Erendira-Gallardo and James Faull were featured in the Bellevue Collection fashion week on September 27. This year marks the Bellevue Collection’s 20th anniversary, and as part of the celebration, they collaborated with four Washington colleges and universities with fashion programs. SPU's Apparel Design and Merchandising program was one of them, with each institution represented by two students selected through competition.

The students' designs, conceptualized, sewn, and finished entirely by them, were showcased in the New + Next Student Designer Showcase, which is part of The Collective Runway Show.