NOVEMBER 2023
GONZAGA FACULTY AND STAFF NEWSLETTER
VOL. 25 | #3
› Burnout to Wellness
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› Fastest Growing Majors
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› Clark Knows the Signs
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› Finetuning Handbook
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RECLAIMING AND RETAINING JOY Addy Wissel grew up 40 miles east of Mountain Home, Idaho, “in the middle of nowhere,” she told a gathering of colleagues at her Oct. 18 Provost Lecture on campus.
So, she traveled alone to Arizona on her first solo trip not work related, and after a day trying to be productive because that’s who she was, she took in the view of her surroundings; a cactus, rock structures, the beautiful blue sky. “I was in awe of how beautiful the scenery was. It was the first time I could remember looking up in a long time,” she said.
She recalled at age 8, “with all the experience that kindergarten, first and second grade could provide,” she figured she had three career choices. A farmer was far more physical work than she could imagine. She looked around her school and saw older women with grey hair and thought teaching was not her calling. But she grew up watching Matlock on TV and could see herself being a lawyer.
What she discovered that day is profound, she said. Now she is reminded to look up and take in the beauty found on our campus, and to find quiet time for herself. She creates quiet time driving from her South Hill home to the northside Target in silence.
She worked for the Idaho governor’s office for four years following college, but soon realized that was not for her. Then she discovered her passion for counseling. She was hired by Gonzaga in 2013 following her extensive education. It was her first job in higher education. She was the first in her family to get a college degree. When she told her parents Gonzaga had hired her, though supportive, they were unable to offer much insight about the experience. “I think Gonzaga just needed a warm body,” she shared with her GU colleagues at her recent talk, “Reclaiming and Retaining Joy.” A comment she received on a student evaluation, ‘I love when you wear that green dress’ seemed to affirm that in Wissel’s mind. “Our context, in part, shapes and informs the way in which we see the world and show up in spaces. My narrative and context (that I brought with me to GU) contributed to my own burnout. I had to get clarity and own what was mine and begin to really evaluate the narrative.” Nevertheless, she was determined to make her stake in higher ed. She did all the things she needed to do to gain promotion and attain tenure; “the hustle to move up.” It included research and service projects, serving on committees, being a good educator and all the things you need to do to advance. Wissel received promotion and tenure in 2019. The associate professor attended an event to celebrate those who had been promoted and a colleague said to her, “Congratulations, now the real work begins.” She had just gone through six years of trials and toil to earn this promotion, and “now the work is just starting?” she asked herself.
“It allows me to get quiet, go within and reflect on how I am contributing to or depleting my own joy. When we carve out time for quiet, the ideas and feelings are able to come and go. We consider new ways and evaluate how our current behaviors and habits aren’t serving us. This is one way I make time for quiet because it isn’t always possible to take a week away.” Counselor Education Associate Professor Addy Wissel has found more joy by simplifying her life. She was burned out and exhausted. She was finding herself emotionally and mentally distancing herself from others. Her husband and kids took a backseat, her health was suffering, she felt reduced capacity for personal relationships and she described herself as less kind, less patient and less creative.
More on Burnout, Wellness, page 2 “I could not identify things that gave me joy anymore,” she said. Then her sabbatical saved her. “I knew if I stayed in Spokane while my students returned to the classroom, I’d have a hard time not checking in on them and my colleagues. I think we feel an incredible sense of responsibility to and for each other,” she said.
She shared a list of strategies to protect and retain one’s joy: • Mind your language. Certain words don’t serve her well, like busy, as in “I’m too busy to get that done,” and disaster, as in something that is absolutely insurmountable. “Most things are figureoutable,” she said, coining a new word. • Choose your free-time activity wisely. Spend time with people who give you joy and reduce contact with those who do not add to, or deplete, your joy. • Thin out your social media and other unnecessary distractions in your life. “Those accounts and ‘friends’ we follow can actually take from our joy. I had to remove accounts of people in profession that I admire because I found myself comparing to what they were doing and achieving,” she said. • Make your workspace a place you want to be. Wissel hung a picture of a leopard in red high heels in her office. It makes her laugh and reminds her to be bold. • Decrease the number of decisions you make in a day. “Sometimes, by the time I’ve arrived at work I’ve made 462 decisions, and I’m tired starting my day,” Wissel said. Continued on Page 2 Page 1
Striving to Move from Burnout to Wellness This post-COVID era has illuminated mental health issues and burnout among workers worldwide, and Gonzaga is no exception. Wars, politics, inflation, gun violence all impact our daily lives. At Gonzaga, employee shortages, increased workloads, regular changes in leadership and unclear expectations are some of the causes leading to illness, depression, anxiety, exhaustion and other strains. The University is looking burnout straight in the eye and addressing ways to alleviate or minimize the stress.
Faculty Issues and Opportunities On the faculty side, Provost Sacha Kopp has made well-being a primary objective this academic year through his Provost Lecture Series. Nichole Barta in the Center for Teaching and Advising is running a series of workshops and seminars on countering burnout. “The rapid integration of technology into the educational space has been a significant challenge for many faculty members,” Barta says. Learning platforms like Zoom and Canvas require time to understand and effectively integrate into teaching methods. The ongoing advancements in AI and its implications in the education sector further intensify the need for faculty to stay updated, often feeling they are in a perpetual state of catching up. “Frequent changes in leadership positions such as provosts, deans and department chairs, can introduce new directives, expectations and priorities. Faculty may find themselves constantly adapting to these changes, leading to feelings of instability and unpredictability,” Barta says. “And the ambiguity surrounding RPT (Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure) processes is a significant source of anxiety for many faculty members.” CTA is providing spaces for faculty to openly discuss their experiences. Book studies and collaborative discussions in the CTA/ Provost-sponsored events are ways GU is providing outlets for faculty. “Many faculty have expressed relief in discovering that others share similar sentiment,” says Barta. This shared understanding fosters a sense of camaraderie, reinforcing the idea that individuals are not isolated in their struggles.
Supervisor training has put an emphasis on understanding signs of burnout and supporting employees in finding answers to their stresses. In talks with staff supervisors this fall, Management Associate Professor Rebecca Bull Schaefer listed ways supervisors can help improve work situations for colleagues: Develop ways to improve jobs, improve work environments, check in on colleagues more often to show interest in them as people, offer flexibility and make them aware of wellness programs offered at the University. “Don’t give them less to do but offer them more variety to better use their entire skill set and remind them how important they are to the mission of Gonzaga,” she says. Exercise, work-hour flexibility and providing needed resources can go a long way. Check out Gonzaga’s vast array of mental health resources at https://gonzaga.mysupportportal.com/.
Campus Wellness Jennifer Fountain is Student Affairs’ new dean of well-being and flourishing. While students are a primary focus, she has tasked her team with developing a campuswide strategy for wellness.
“We cannot teach someone what we know until we teach them that we care.” – Jennifer Fountain
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She advised everyone in this campus community to lead with well-being. “Yes, we have budget issues and enrollment worries, but we cannot teach someone what we know until we teach them that we care. So, start every interaction by looking someone in the eye and take stock in how that person shows up,” Fountain advises. “Start every meeting with a prayer or a mindful activity that involves everyone.” “Lead with care and others will share what they are struggling with. The time is right to show our care for one another,” Fountain says. Rudolf Fitness Center Director José Hernandez has seen an increase in anxiety among students, faculty and staff, visible in how people treat each other and the equipment at the center. “I am happy to create classes specific to departments or offices,” Hernandez says. “We have partnered with HR to create yoga classes and water aerobics for faculty and staff. We have also joined the Dance Department in classes to help people be more aware of balance and mindfulness to help them find more balance in their lives. “We are willing to meet people where they are and help them develop ideas to improve well-being within their work groups,” says Hernandez, who encourages supervisors to send him an email.
Wissel Shares Insights on Joy from Personal Experience Continued from Page 1 She suggests making your lunch, laying out your next day’s wardrobe and workout gear the night before, as one example. • Avoid creating or joining tornados in the office. Ask yourself, “Am I contributing to the problem or to the solution?”
Help for Staff Staff have shared concerns about limited opportunities for growth at Gonzaga. The new Career Framework that Human Resources will soon unveil provides clarity and vision on how staff can build their career at Gonzaga, reminds Associate Vice President for HR Jamie Tancrell.
“Research tells us that a large number of students expect faculty and staff to be concerned for them and have the resources available to care for their well-being,” Fountain says. “The missing piece is how we empower and embolden our faculty and staff to do just that. That is where I come in.”
“We have the ability to set the thermostat,” she said. “How are we influencing our space to create an environment that promotes joy, flourishing and the like.” Wissel was greeted by colleagues Cari Johnson and Emily Rogers following her Provost Lecture on reclaiming joy.
You can learn more about reclaiming your joy on Wissel’s podcast, “That Green Dress,” wherever you find your podcasts.
What are the fastest-growing majors at Gonzaga? While Gonzaga University boasts strong academic programs in the College of Arts & Sciences and six individual schools (business, education, engineering, health sciences, law and leadership), data shows increased interest from students in these specific majors since 2019: 1. Computer Science 2. Kinesiology (including former physical education) 3. Sport Management 4. Human Physiology Institutional Research, which houses all data for Gonzaga, reviewed student head counts in spring terms from 2019 to 2023, looking specifically at areas of study that have been available a minimum of five years and have had at least 50 students. These majors had the highest average number of students added each year and the highest percentage increase over the five-year period. With the advancement of technology across industries, and the proliferation of artificial intelligence, the growth of computer science programs is expected. “The field is growing and changing daily,” says Paul De Palma, chair of computer science within Gonzaga’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. “Our department is rising to the challenge with new specialties in security, data science and software development.” He adds, “Having an abundance of students is very good news. That GU graduates are thriving is even better!” Gonzaga is advancing its connections to the tech evolution, such as a developing an Institute for Informatics and Applied Science, and leading efforts to create a sophisticated new hub for aerospace manufacturing. (Learn more here.) Growth in the human physiology and kinesiology areas? “Basically, every sector of health or health care related services are in demand nationwide,” says Patrick Crosswhite, chair of Gonzaga’s Human Physiology department in the School of Health Sciences. That demand comes from a variety of factors, he says, including an increasingly
Computer Science is the fastest growing major at Gonzaga, and more attention is being given to technology-related fields here.
aging population and population growth in general.
How do Gonzaga’s numbers compare with national trends?
“Demand for health providers (doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc.) has outpaced the ability of the United States to train and develop new providers, which is managed at a state, not federal, level,” he explains. “For example, the state of Washington has only three medical schools and can only accept a limited number of students every year. Another example is the constraints around clinical placements in nursing schools.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in a review of bachelor’s degrees conferred by degreegranting postsecondary institutions across the U.S. from 2010-11 to 2020-21, these disciplines ranked highest:
Gonzaga’s own nursing program – like so many others – is limited in the number of students it can accept based on the number of clinical training placements available in local clinics and hospitals. Fortunately, the expansion of Gonzaga’s School of Nursing and Human Physiology to a broader School of Health Sciences, will help the University keep up with the demands in health care. Already, the program has added a department of public health, which is housed in the UW School of Medicine – Gonzaga Health Partnership. Such partnerships foster the kind of shared research and training that will provide students with the best possible preparation for their careers.
• Health professions (fastest change, surpassing social sciences and history and continuing upward) • Social sciences and history (slight downward trend) • Psychology, biological and biomedical sciences, and engineering, all closely ranked and growing toward the end of this period of study https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display. asp?id=37 Learn more. Gonzaga’s Strategic Plan priorities align with the trends and the needs of today’s communities. See how at gonzaga.edu/ strategicplan.
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ALL HANDS ON DECK
Clark Following Her Passion to Improve Student Experience
Gonzaga University’s history with the tribal communities of the Inland Northwest is long and complex. And with the launch of a new Native Alumni Community designed to cultivate meaningful and sustained connections across generations of Native alumni and students, a new opportunity will be created to inspire the Gonzaga family, alumni and future Zags.
Clark’s interest in sign language began at the age of 9 so she could communicate with a deaf neighbor girl her age. But it wasn’t until she was an adult that she realized that being an interpreter was an actual profession. She enrolled in the interpreter training program at Spokane Falls Community College in 1988. For 28 years the affable Clark has served as an interpreter, communicating life experiences through childbirths, legal proceedings, medical appointments and end-of-life situations. But the majority of her interpreting experience has been in higher education.
The Native Alumni Community is a joint effort of the GU Office of Alumni Relations. The launch was marked with a Sept. 15 celebration bringing together Native alumni and current students, representatives of the Office of Tribal Relations and Alumni Relations, GU administrators, community members and honored guests. The date was intentionally chosen to land near Gonzaga’s Historic First Day of Classes (Sept. 17, 1887), a day that commemorates the beginning of the university’s founding, but is also a day when Native students were refused entry to that first class.
“Many people have joked that I should have at least 15 degrees by now,” says Clark. “I was present for the milestones in many people’s lives. Although I’m only a medium of communication it sometimes gets very emotional,” she says. She has been equally enraptured to have a major hand in developing Gonzaga’s first ASL program.
The Office of Tribal Relations has hosted annual events around the anniversary of Historic First Day for several years, said GU Director of Tribal Relations Wendy Thompson, including the 2020 renaming of the Tribal Relations house to the sčintxʷ/Native American Cultural Center.
But first, let’s go back to 2016 when Clark earned her bachelor’s degree at Eastern Washington University in communication studies with a minor in disability studies. She enjoyed a long and satisfying career as an interpreter but had long aspired to find full-time employment at Gonzaga, where she had served as a sign language interpreter for commencements, campaign announcements and lectures as an independent contractor.
So, through a temporary placement service she got work at GU, and soon thereafter served as fulltime mail clerk, a job she worked for four years while earning her master’s in Communication and Leadership Studies with a college teaching concentration. Part of her studies involved an internship in a communications-related field. She sought and was selected to serve Instructional Design & Delivery here at GU under Director Justin Marquis, which gave her the experience for a permanent position with IDD, where she now serves as an instructional technologist. Chair and Professor of Organizational Leadership Kristine Hoover noticed Clark signing on campus with a student. Page 4
Nike-sponsored N7 Games Nov. 10, 12
By Dan Nailen
Rina Clark’s deaf neighbor spoke through sign language.
“I always wanted to be a bigger part of the university community, not just a peripheral player. I love the Gonzaga ethos – cura personalis, a place from which graduates go forth and set the world on fire,” she says.
NATIVE ALUMNI COMMUNITY LAUNCHED
IDD’s Rina Clark has blazed her own path here at Gonzaga, particularly in helping design the first American Sign Language class, now counting as foreign language credits. “It was after that I learned of the incredible impact she was making on campus in helping create an ASL program in Education that would meet a foreign language requirement,” Hoover says. It turns out Clark was instructing an undergraduate student in ASL who became the first student to graduate with ASL as a foreign language. Clark worked with Chair and Special Education Professor Kimberly Weber to develop the ASL 101 class at Gonzaga and is currently supporting another ASL instructor in developing ASL 102, which premieres this spring. Enrollment went from five to 11 and now two full sections of ASL, or 40 students. “Rina has led the way,” Weber says.
Clark still teaches one class of ASL and one in Communications Studies 100, while working fulltime in IDD, where her work is equally acknowledged. “Rina has been an exceptional partner in helping this campus transition from Blackboard to Canvas,” Hoover says. “She makes sure students and faculty alike are supported so that students have a positive experience. I can’t say enough about her care and commitment, doing the heavy lifting during this transition.” “It has been rewarding to have a hand in developing a new language program and in helping faculty better serve our students through IDD,” Clark says. “It’s nice having ‘both hands’ in the process.”
“I think it’s important for us to continue to acknowledge that day,” Thompson said. “Every year since [the renaming], we’ve had an open house at the House. So when we talked about launching the Alumni Community, this seemed the perfect time to do it. We’ve been remembering Gonzaga’s Historic First Day, and now we can also remember all the students who have come to Gonzaga. We’ve been talking about the students who were denied enrollment, but since that day we’ve had hundreds of students who’ve come through Gonzaga who are doing important work.” The Jesuits were working together with Inland Northwest Native communities at the time Gonzaga opened, GU President Thayne McCulloh explained during his remarks at the launch celebration. But the expectation of the Native community that they would “get to be a part of a college experience” was not made possible for them at the beginning. “Our hope, ever and always, is that we can find ways of building trust and rebuilding relationships based on trust so that we can fully live out the meaning and the spirit of our mission as a Jesuit university. We are a university that every day has to show up and recommit itself to the values that we talk about a lot, and that we’ve written about a lot, and that are enshrined in our mission statement and other documents — but don’t become real unless they’re lived out.”
Guests at the Native Alumni Community initiation Sept. 15 enjoyed sharing stories of some common experiences.
Martin Charlo, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council and the Bitterroot Salish tribe that originally invited the Jesuits to the area, recalled playing on campus as a child when his father attended Gonzaga. A guest at the launch event, Charlo recalled the history of the tribe’s relationship with the Jesuits before being forced from their land onto Montana’s Flathead Reservation, a move that caused his tribe to lose some
of their language and culture even as they persevered to remain a strong community to this day.
Gonzaga Men vs. Yale
Gonzaga Women vs. Toledo
Nov. 10, 6 p.m., Kennel
Nike N7 basketball games were created just after the turn of this century to recognize the accomplishments of our Native American communities. N7 is inspired by Native American wisdom of the Seven Generations: In every deliberation we must consider
“This is a really great opportunity for a lot of people,” Charlo said. “This is something that I think will ensure Native students’ success long-term. And I’m hopeful this is just a small drop of rain that will grow seeds of many great students to come.”
Nov. 12, 2 p.m., Kennel
the impact of our decisions on the seventh generation. Both Zag teams will wear turquoise jerseys for these games. That color in Native American culture represents strength, protection and vitality to those who carry it. Page 5
FACULTY HANDBOOK NEARLY READY FOR A VOTE
Some may ask how many faculty does it take to revise their handbook?
Faculty President Marianne Poxleitner has ushered faculty and administration through the final steps of updating the Faculty Handbook, with a faculty vote expected in January.
Faculty President Marianne Poxleitner, a biology professor, has spent a good share of her two terms helping move this process along. It has not been easy, understandably so.
2) A new provision allowing lecturers to be appointed for more than three years.
Trying to represent the wishes of 460 faculty members is an arduous task.
3) Many improvements to rank, promotion and tenure (RPT) sections:
Section 300 of the 2023 Faculty Handbook is the handbook faculty will be voting to approve in January, Poxleitner says. Sections 100 and 200 do not require approval to change, so when faculty talk about “the handbook” they mean section 300.
a. Clarified and improved criteria; for example, the term “excellence” is replaced with “teaching effectiveness”
The faculty handbook committee summarizes improvements to the new handbook: 1) New ranks offer new opportunities for promotion (professor of practice, three new clinical ranks, and distinguished professor).
b. Scholarly and creative work criteria offer tremendous flexibility, giving new opportunities for different disciplines and evolving scholarly interests. c. Clearer statement of RPT processes d. Department/school documents describing RPT criteria will more strongly protect faculty and disciplines.
4) Clarified Post-Tenure Review criteria and processes, where the criteria are “professional responsibilities” (section 300.05) rather than “excellence” via RPT criteria. 5) Strengthens and expands academic freedom 6) Termination process is better defined, providing stronger due-process protections to faculty 7) Section 315 and 316 commit to regular updating and improving of the handbook. “If the new handbook passes, we should never have to go through a complete revision again,” Poxleitner assesses.
John Named King of Work Values for October HVAC Technician John King was pronounced Work Values Champion for October, a recognition that the Work Values Project instituted as a way to honor those who fulfill the University mission in their daily work.
John King
October’s focus was on academic and professional excellence. Focus for November submissions is on shared responsibility for mission identity and leadership. Submissions may be registered here. This recognition program is a means to shine a light on the University’s Institutional Work Values and those who exemplify those values in their daily work. Biology and Environmental Studies Professor Betsy Bancroft nominated King, who “went way above and beyond this summer to facilitate successful undergraduate research,” Page 6
The chair and professor of public health is building something new at GU groups based on socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity. And now we’re starting to see new challenges emerge related to political framing of public health problems.
By Dan Nailen In many ways, Robin Pickering’s career evolution from an expert in personal fitness and corporate wellness into a big-picture thinker on public health with nearly two decades working and teaching in the field mirrors Gonzaga’s institutional evolution to expand student opportunities in its School of Health Sciences.
But despite the jest in that question, faculty know the process has been a long, demanding and sometimes tedious one. Members of the faculty have spent more than nine years revising, sharing, editing, sharing, reworking and reviewing again this 82-page document, which outlines such things as rank and tenure, evaluation measures and academic freedom. The Faculty Handbook is a contract between the Board of Trustees and the faculty.
Meet Robin Pickering
Bancroft describes. “The chiller on the roof of our lab was slowly dying, which meant that our temperature-controlled room that was vital to conducting our experiment was also on the edge of malfunction. John ordered the new unit, then nursed the equipment through the time we needed to complete our experiment, coming in outside of his normal work hours at times to make a small fix or ensure the room was stable. I can’t imagine a more caring or competent colleague than John. We are lucky to have him at GU.” Since spring 2021 the Work Values group has promoted the six work values established by the University coming out of the Mission Priority Examen. Presentations to offices, departments and divisions solicited input on how we share and show these values in our work. This employee recognition is the first step in marketing these work values to our more than 1,300 employees and getting buy-in
across campus, says committee co-chair Brian Steverson. Every month in FY 2023-24 a new champion will be recognized for modeling a different work value. “We hope this draws more attention to the work values, and our work community takes them to heart,” Steverson adds. The six work values are: • Promoting Excellence in Academic Endeavors and Professional Practice • Sharing Responsibility for Mission Identity and Leadership • Affirming a Commitment to Human Dignity • Advancing a Culture of Inclusiveness • Caring for the Earth while Stewarding our University Resources • Cultivating Individual and Community Accountability
Much as her passion for exploring how an individual human body responds to exercise led to her pursuit of learning how entire communities respond to public policy and socio-economic factors, Gonzaga’s focus on nursing and human physiology (now collectively known as the School of Health Sciences) is opening up to include a new bachelor’s degree in public health starting in fall 2024, and eventually a master’s degree in public health, as well. Pickering joined GU this summer as professor and chair of public health after 10 years at Whitworth University as a professor of community health, and nearly a decade at Eastern Washington University as its community health program director. She’s taking the lead building GU’s public health program from the ground up, and we talked to her about the opportunities and challenges ahead. Responses have been edited for length and clarity:
SPIRIT: What do we mean when we use the phrase “public health”? PICKERING: So many people continue to look at a person’s health status as a result of things like motivation and willpower. If they were just motivated, they’d be healthy. What we do is look at the bigger picture. We look upstream at factors that shape health outcomes that are in part outside a person’s direct control. We are interested in social and political determinants of health and equity – factors like transportation, employment, housing, income and public policy. All of those things that aren’t quick fixes.
Public health is really shaped by our changing natural environment – climate change has a big impact on asthma and chronic lung conditions, for example – and Gonzaga has a lot of climate expertise. We also have a robust nursing program here, and so many natural partnerships between nursing and the public health courses.
As you look at the Inland Northwest, what are some public health needs you find?
Robin Pickering sees ample opportunities to grow the public health discipline in this region. We look at it as a systems approach. Many traditional models of health care are really sick care, right? We invest a lot in treating the sick. My opinion is that if we invested more on the prevention side of things, if we invest in science-based policies to change social determinants of health and look more seriously at race and socio-economic status as they apply to health outcomes and equity, then we can change health in meaningful ways that doesn’t put so much of the onus on the individual.
Many regional institutions work in public health already. How will GU fit in to the landscape? There’s no shortage of health problems to be addressed. For the first time in a very long time, our life expectancy has decreased. Not only that, but we see it disproportionately impacting particular populations. We have significant health disparities between
Community members hiring folks in public health are saying, “We have a lot of folks who have left the workforce because of the pandemic.” That was a difficult time and some people decided to end their careers early. So, there are different leadership opportunities. There is also great demand for epidemiologists, biostatisticians, public health nurses and community health workers. When we look at climate change and its impact on public health – in this area wildfires are a health consideration. What are they doing to public health? We really have new and emerging challenges. What are the needs in terms of employment? How does that match with the mission of the University? Social justice and honoring equity are big pieces of public health. Understanding the cultural significance of practices that impact health is a big part of public health. I think all those things align with our mission here at Gonzaga. My first steps are really listening and learning, understanding the expertise of the folks on campus so we can create a curriculum that maximizes our resources here on campus, but also matches the needs of the community and the broader world. Public health is global. It’s national. It’s community.
Community, GU Leaders Share Vision to Support Students Sanya Ala (’79 M.B.A.) is a Zag, has raised three children in this community and has been in business for 50 years here in Spokane. He would really like to see a supportive connection between the BiPOC community and our campus students of Color here at GU. Provost Sacha Kopp heard the call and spoke with Sanya about gathering the members of AHANA which is a group of muliti-cultural business and community leaders, along with University leaders for a discussion about how this community can best support Gonzaga’s
students of Color. Creating this type of partnership would be a wonderful initiative. It is not for lack of interest, remarked Amos Atkinson of the Carl Maxey Center. So often leaders gather but the talk stops at the table. Not everyone has the time or energy to walk the talk. Chief of Staff Charlita Shelton said Ala has long been active in supporting students in business throughout Spokane. Now he would like to get more businesses involved in student support, mentoring young people and helping them get their footing.
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VIEW ONLINE:
www.gonzaga.edu/spirit Dale Goodwin, Editor
Story Ideas/Feedback: Spirit@gonzaga.edu
NOTEWORTHY NEW HIRES Ann Marie Halsell, communications officer, Security; Charmayne Adams, asst dean, Student Affairs; Cyndi Donahue, leadership training & development director, Leadership Studies; Kelsey Gregory, compensation analyst, Human Resources; Kokanee Ellingson, case manager, Cura Personalis; Madison Seiple, purchasing manager, Controller; Monica Kope, faculty asst, Law; Paris Sarquilla, custodian, Plant; Raoul Perez, major gifts officer, University Advancement; Ridge Bynum, Pedagogy of Hope coordinator, Education; Robin Pickering, public health professor, Health Sciences; Samantha Rich, communications & marketing coordinator, Community Engagement; Sean Flynn, clerk, Mail Services; Juanessa Walsh, major gifts officer, University Advancement; Mary Hunt, asst to the dean/office manager; Engineering
POSITION CHANGES/PROMOTIONS Alex Reed, program asst III, Arts & Science; Amanda Rhodes, budget & personnel asst provost, Provost; Ana Chavez, graduate clinical coordinator, Health Sciences; Cheryl Flaim, budget officer & special projects coordinator, Enrollment Mgt; Clement Lye, assoc director of emerging media/production, Instructional Design & Delivery; Ivette Godwin, budget & personnel officer, Education; Jeremy Rouse, Native student recruitment & initiatives asst director, Tribal Relations; Marybeth Kuester, clinical placement coordinator, Health Sciences; Michaela Johnson, asst director, Student Involvement; Trinity Spencer, program & project specialist, Leadership Studies
GOODBYES Chris Macabenta, custodial lead, Plant; Eli Jenkins, counselor, Admission; Ghulam Dastieb, custodian, Plant; Jenna Larson, admissions specialist II, Graduate Enrolment Mgt; Jerianne Foy, asst to the CDO, Inclusive Excellence; Kari Sandell, operations specialist, Admission Operations; Marit Jacobs, development director, University Advancement; Michael Sittner, custodian, Plant; Mohammad Alamyar, custodian, Plant; Paul Bracke, dean, Foley; Stephanie Whitson, elder paralegal, Law; Zinzile Kellen, asst director, Community Engagement
Around Campus » Communication Studies Assistant Professor Charles Athanasopoulos earned the National Communication Association Critical and Cultural Studies Division Outstanding Article Award for “Fanonian Slips: The Rhetorical Function & Field of the White Mask.” » Queer Classic Cinema: “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar,” Nov 13, 6 p.m., Hemmingson Auditorium. Sponsored by Lincoln LGBTQ+ Resource Center. » Northwest Passages presents author Jonathan Evison on his book “Again and Again,” about love lost, found and redeemed, Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. » Climate and anti-oppression activist, scientist and educator Deb Morrison presents “The Future of Climate Education in the United States,” Nov. 15, 5 p.m., Hemmingson Auditorium. » Spring Awakening: A Special Collaboration of Gonzaga Theatre, Dance and Music, Nov. 16-18, 7:30 p.m., Nov. 19, 2 p.m., Woldson Performing Arts Center, $18 public, $15 GU students, staff, faculty; based on a play by Frank Wedekind. Contains mature subject matter. » Annual Tree-Lighting Ceremony, Nov. 28, 5 p.m., Hemmingson Rotunda. » “Can We Solve the Climate Crisis and Protect Wild Spaces?” Nov. 29, 6 p.m., Hemmingson Auditorium, free. Panel discussion co-sponsored by Institute for Climate, Water and the Environment
and Gonzaga Law School’s Center for Law, Ethics, and Commerce. Register for this event » Best-selling author of “Maid” Stephanie Land will speak about her book, “Class,” on how motherhood often converges and conflicts with personal desire and professional ambition, Nov. 29, 7 p.m., Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, $5.50/$30.50 with book; tickets here. » Jazz Christmas Concert with Jazz Choir, Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m., Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. Free. » Snowflake Showcase, student-produced show by dance and select academic classes, Dec. 1, 6 and 8 p.m., Magnuson Theatre. $8-$10. » Gonzaga Wind Symphony and Wind Ensemble concert, The Blue Marble, Dec. 3, 2 p.m., Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. Free. » Gonzaga Symphony concert featuring Young Artists’ Competition Winners, Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m., Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. $15-$18 (free to GU students and employees) » Candlelight Christmas Choir Concert, “A Light Through the Darkness,” Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 10, 2 p.m., Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center. » Gonzaga Law is a partner in creating an initiative to train law students to represent and advocate for children and parents in dependency and other law proceedings. Washington has a significant lack of qualified attorneys well-versed in working within the child-welfare system.
ANNIVERSARIES:
35 Jolanta Weber, vice provost, Provost Poss, vice president, University 25 Joe Advancement Prince, sr marketing specialist/ 15 Bethany capacity manager, Marketing &
Communications; Jim Ryan, instructional technologist, Instructional Design & Delivery
Sharp, HVAC technician, Plant; Brian 10 Max Smith, plumber, Plant; Theresa Malarkey,
supervisor, Admission Operations; Nicola Mannetter, director, New Student & Family Programs
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Rina Clark, instructional technologist, Instructional Design and Delivery; Olivia Vaclavek, digital engagement asst, Alumni; Heather Schmitt, admission specialist II, Graduate Enrollment Mgt; Mikala Presho, residence director, Housing; Lealoni Davidson, custodian, Plant
Community, GU Leaders Share Vision to Support Students Continued from Page 7 “When we have gatherings like Hispanic, Hawaiian Pacific Islanders, Black Student Union, African American citywide graduation, an event our own Raymond Reyes had a hand in organizing, it should be a time we invite our BiPOC community and business leaders to join with us in celebration of these students’ accomplishments. It would provide excellent networking for business and students alike,” Shelton said. Following the meeting, Provost Kopp asked this group to determine what type of partnership could be developed between GU and the multicultural business community,
and the types of goals and objectives that the group could form, be they broadband, social work support, health disparities, business development support or improving cultural belonging in Spokane. Business Dean Ken Anderson, Inclusive Excellence Director Robin Kelley and Reyes joined Shelton, Kopp and McCulloh at the initial meeting, along with representatives from the Spokane Tribe, Carl Maxey Center, Spokane HBPA, Asian/Indian, Filipino/Indian, Spokane County Broadlinc and the Jewish Temple.