The next Chapel is Tuesday, Oct. 21, 11:10 a.m. in First Free Methodist Church with Rev. Ryan Kim of Banner Church. 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.

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. Watch for more information in the coming days.

A message from Human Resources. To help with your Open Enrollment benefit decisions, Human Resources will host a Health & Benefits Fair over two days, Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Wednesday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. in Upper Gwinn. This will be an opportunity to talk with benefit providers from Aetna, HSA Bank, Delta Dental, VSP, Transamerica, and more. This year we’ve added fun activities that focus on your health along with raffle gifts at each table, including two opportunities each day to win Kraken tickets!

Health & Benefits Seminars & Activities

• Shake it Up! Super Food Smoothies: Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. (Wellness Concepts)
• Chair massage appointments: Tuesday and Wednesday, sign up online (JoyLife Therapeutics)
• Stretch & Strength Building from Your Desk:* Tuesday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m. (Fitness Trainer Lo Shdo)
• Aetna Wellness Program Benefits:** Tuesday and Wednesday, 12 p.m. (Aetna Wellness)
• Retirement Plan Essentials:** Tuesday and Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.  (Transamerica)
• Take Advantage of Your Health Accounts:** Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 p.m. (HSA Bank)
• Medicare Individual Appointments: Tuesday and Wednesday, sign up online. (Medicare Health Plan Broker Dan McCarley)

*Earn a $50 Gift Card by participating in Stretch & Strength Building from Your Desk
**Enter another chance to win Kraken Tickets by attending a Benefits Seminar!

The Washington state general election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. There is a ballot box on campus at 3rd Avenue West and West Nickerson Street in front of the SPU campus store. Ballots can be depositied in any official drop box by 8 p.m. on Nov. 4.

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. She will give an artist talk in the Art Center on Thursday, Oct. 23, 10–11 a.m.

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. 

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 Otto Miller Hall lobby. Encourage your students to come and connect with employers. The event is open to ALL majors.

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!

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.

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.

The Faculty/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year. The next deadline is Thursday, Oct. 23, and the next issue will be published Monday, Oct. 27.

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 poem by Professor of English Jennifer Maier titled "In Reality" was published online at Scientific American.

Professor Emeritus of European History Alberto Ferreiro was the invited keynote speaker at the International Patristic Congress, October 7-9, 2025, John Paul II University, Lublin, Poland. His presentation was titled, “Select Antiochene Canons (341) in Suevic Gallaecia in the Capitula Martini of St. Martin of Braga." Alberto provides the abstract: 

 The arrival of Martin of Braga (c. 520–c. 579) at Gallaecia in the sixth century coincided with the attempted reconquest scheme of Justinian the Great to reclaim the Western provinces lost to the Germanic tribes. The Capitula Martini is made up of 84 canons of which the majority are taken from Nicaea and other Eastern fourth century synods from Ancyra, Gangra, Neocaesarea, Antioch, and Laodicea. There are also nine from the First Council of Toledo I (400) and another 11 whose conciliar provenance cannot be identified. Their introduction into Gallaecia by Martin of Braga reflects the movement of people back and forth from east to west that was frequent in the late antiquity. Hispania was one of the busiest regions of the Mediterranean. Martin of Braga’s itinerary and eventual arrival at Gallaecia — known as the finis terrae — was hardly abnormal. Martin introduced 17 canons from the Council of Antioch (341) into the church of Gallaecia. Of the 25 canons of Antioch, why he chose these specific ones is a question that this essay explores. After a peer review it will be published in the series, Studia Patristica, (Oxford/Peeters).

Please join the Office of Human Resources in welcoming the following new employees.

Jack Head, office manager in Athletics
Ryan McClelland, visits and events coordinator, Undergraduate Admission
D. Jamal Washington, machinist in residence, Division of Technology, Engineering
Emma Waters, assistant rowing coach, Athletics

Alumnus Adam McGuire (MS ’14, PDH ’17) is an associate professor of psychology at The University of Texas at Tyler. He received a $1.2 million merit award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help improve the lives of veterans across Texas. He obtained the research funds through his dual appointment as a research investigator and clinical psychologist with the VA’s Veterans Integrated Service Network 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans in Waco.