Q: What happens to the leftovers from the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Celebration?
A: The food not eaten at the celebration is donated to St James for the free meals they serve to the homeless and hungry. Among other factoids related to the event--this is the first year the university is offering items from the Campus Store to service awardees who are celebrating milestone anniversaries of 10 years and up. Favors for the event are being provided by a local company, B-Bam, and made in Washington. This year's celebration features 180 service awardees, 11 faculty emeriti and seven staff retirees/honored retirees. The event was planned by Isa Chong and Tish Tolentino of Human Resources, Kaelen Burton of the College of Education and Kelly Alvarado of Student Development.
Edibles on campus
Q: How do I know which plants on campus are edible?
A: Did you know there are fruits, vegetables and herbs planted all over campus that you are welcome to pick and eat? Everything is grown using organic methods. Our Grounds Department stopped using pesticides and herbicides 15 years ago.
This spring, a group of students have been locating and mapping the edibles on campus. Thanks to senior Madelyn Hamilton, we now have a beautiful hand-drawn map of the location of the edibles on campus. CLICK HERE or on the image to the left to download a PDF of the map.
Health screenings
Q: How can I get a free health screening?
A: SU faculty and staff are invited to sign up for a free screening on Wednesday, May 8. Screenings will take place between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the LeRoux Conference Center (STCN 160). Walk-ins are welcome, but it's recommended that you schedule an appointment if you would like to come at a specific time by CLICKING HERE.*
Key health indicators like cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and weight will be privately collected and analyzed by a licensed health professional. All results are provided to you immediately. The screening only takes 15 minutes. All results are confidential, and your individual results will not be shared with your employer.
Wellness points will be awarded if you participate in a health screening and update your online health risk assessment. When you achieve the Core Level (1,000 points) by December 20, 2013, you will be eligible for the best possible medical premium pricing in 2014. You can quickly get to 1,000 points by updating your Limeade well-being assessment, going for your annual doctor exam and having your basic health numbers rechecked - blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
Complete or update your Live Seattle U Health Risk Assessment on the LiVE Seattle U wellness website available at: Limeade.
Questions? Learn More.
*You must be enrolled in one of the University's medical benefits to make an appointment.
Parking Amnesty
Q: How many people took advantage of Public Safety's amnesty program for unpaid tickets?
A: A grand total of 161 faculty, staff and students paid off their outstanding parking tickets during the 12-day amnesty period Public Safety offered in early March. People with tickets were able to fulfill their obligations by paying just half of what they owed.
The most tickets resolved for one person was 40, and the oldest fine was from 2002. About half of the people who took advantage of the program were students and the half were faculty/staff.
"Most people were happy to resolve their obligation and relieved to have an opportunity to participate in amnesty," says Randy Carroll, interim executive director of public safety. "It was a really good deal for those individuals who had multiple obligations--especially those who owed a few thousand dollars."
Carroll estimates that about one-third of all outstanding fines were paid off through the amnesty program. "For those folks who did not take advantage of amnesty, all obligations are now due in full."
As Caroll adds, "University parking rates are some of the least expensive in this area. We always encourage our community to use alternative modes of transportation to reduce single occupant vehicle use, and our ORCA program is becoming more and more desirable."
To learn more about SU's parking regulations, visit Transportation.
Campus Store factoids
Q: What is the best-selling apparel item in the SU Campus Store?
A: That would be the black hoodie with SU seal.
While we're at it, here are some other interesting Campus Store stats...
- Number of book titles the store has in stock annually: 8,000+
- Total number of books sold annually: 100,000+
- Best-selling snack category: chips
- Best-selling electronics category: head phones
- Best-selling beverage: Diet Coke
Emergency text messaging
Q: How can I receive text messages about emergency situations affecting the SU campus?
A: Seattle University utilizes E2Campus to send time-sensitive emergency communication to students, faculty and staff who opt-in. Register now at Public Safety--it only takes a few minutes. All information you provide to the site is private and will not be shared. Seattle University will only use the system in the event of a critical emergency. Registration is free, however your cell phone carrier may charge standard text messaging fees.
Tournament play
Q: When was the last time the men's or women's basketball team competed in a conference tournament at the Division I level?
A: That's a trick question as the answer is never. SU last participated in a conference at the D-I level in the 1970s, namely the West Coast Athletic Conference. Back then, the conference (currently known as the West Coast Conference) did not have a tournament.
Which means that both basketball teams will make history next month when they compete for the first time in the Western Athletic Conference tournament. With this being SU's first season in the WAC, both the men and women get a shot at the 2013 conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament takes place in Las Vegas from Tuesday, March 12 through Saturday, March 16. For more information, visit WAC Tournament. Stay tuned for more information on where our men and women are seeded and their game days/times.
Performance evaluations
Q: It's staff performance evaluation time. How do I learn about the process and get started on my self-evaluation and the evaluations for the staff who report to me?
A: Human Resources has many opportunities to learn more about the performance evaluation process. There are training sessions on a variety of topics related to performance evaluations. To learn more, visit the upcoming events section of the HR website at http://www.seattleu.edu/hr. If you would rather learn about the process through an online recorded presentation, visit Performance Management, where you will also find other useful information on performance evaluations.
Key new acquisition for SU
Q: Where did the new piano in the Pigott Auditorium come from?
A: When world-class opera divas Indra Thomas and Melissa Parks took to the Pigott Auditorium stage on Jan. 26, they were accompanied by a wonderful new Steinway piano. The nine-foot concert grand piano was made possible by a generous gift from Susan Sommer, an alumna of the Albers School of Business and Economics and longtime member of the chamber music program. Sommer dedicated the piano to her mother, "(w)ho…taught me to dream and encouraged me to sing."
The acquisition is part of a wider effort to upgrade the pianos at SU, an effort being spearheaded by the Department of Fine Arts and University Advancement. "The piano is the universal instrument that impacts all of the music on campus, including the music majors, campus ministry, residential life, and the overall quality of the Seattle University experience," says Josef Venker, S.J., chair of Fine Arts. "Music as both a major, minor and co-curricular activity is an important factor for attracting and retaining higher quality students across the university."
Of Sommer's gift, David Chow, academic advancement officer for the College of Arts and Sciences, says, "I met Susan in the choir and shared with her the need. She really cares about the music program and wanted to make an impact. It was a team effort with Joy Sherman, Fr. Venker, Susan and me."