Dear colleagues, 

It’s been a tough 50 weeks. And while much of the talk about the front-line pandemic ‘heroes’ has been lamentably divorced from any meaningful action to improve their well-being, there remains something undeniably heroic in the determination to press on. That’s what we’ve all done in Arts, tirelessly running in service of students, despite the hurdles, frustrations, and isolation of the pandemic. Today’s Update honours this spirit: our heroes of the day-to-day.  

“SuperHero” by ‘J’ Jose Maria Perez Nuñez is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

TIME-SENSITIVE ITEMS 

Courageous conversations: Please alert your students to the forthcoming free workshop for KPU Students, Treating Stories with Care: Appropriation, Ethics, and Telling Your Own Stories. This 90-minute workshop and discussion, facilitated by Shane Sable and presented by KPU’s Task Force on Anti-Racism, will focus on how participants can engage Indigenous narratives with ethical care and draw on their own personal stories to act in solidarity, address systems of oppression, and foster social change. No registration is required; students can simply join the conversation on Teams via this link – Click here to join the meeting – on Thursday, March 11 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Heroes of Service: If you know of an Arts colleague whose service contributions have been more powerful than a locomotive, please nominate them for The Dean of Arts Service Award.  This award is presented annually to recognize outstanding service by faculty members in the Faculty of Arts, and all faculty who teach primarily or exclusively in the Faculty of Arts are eligible. Nominations are open until March 15. 

 “WHAM #comics” by Q9F is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Heroes of Scholarship: As per Anne Lin’s message on Wednesday, the deadline for applications for the Summer iteration of Arts research courses is Monday, March 29. If you have a research idea or a scholarly endeavor underway, please consider engaging students in your work through the Research Course option. This could be a great learning opportunity for them. Please review Anne’s email, or contact wade.deisman@kpu.ca for more info. Excelsior! 

CONTINUING ADVENTURES 

Heroes of Governance: Congratulations are due to Fiona Whittington-Walsh (SOCI), and Lilach Marom (EDST), who have been acclaimed Arts’s new representatives on Senate. Gratulor tibi de hac gloria, senators! And a hearty gratias to David Burns and Robert Dearle, their predecessors, who served with such distinction, and never forgot that ancient Roman maxim: with great power, comes great responsibility.

“superhero practise [60/366]” by worldoflard is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Pawsitively Heroic: Our very own Associate Dean Dr. Wade Deisman was catapulted to national attention this week for his sensational rescue of a trapped puppy! Everyone from Global TV to CBC’s As It Happens breathlessly covered Wade’s exploit. Watch him recreate his adventure for Global TV here. 

Heroes of Reflection: Days of Future Past. Gavin Paul (ENGL) has written a beautiful, almost Proust-like blog post on memory and physicality which is too lovely not to share. When you find a free moment, please have a look.

Heroes of Scholarship, II: Revenge of the Brown Bag Lunch. Scholars assemble! Do you have a preliminary idea for a project and would welcome the chance to bat it around with colleagues in a friendly, low-key, interdisciplinary milieu? Then the Arts Brown Bag Lunch Series is for you. Unlike the Arts Speaker Series and other venues in which we typically share mature research projects, the Brown Bag Lunch series provides a space wherein KPU faculty can discuss provisional ideas for projects, arguments in developments, or research at its earliest stages.If you have a project concept, or a project in development, and are interested in participating as a ‘Brown Bag Lunch’ presenter, please e-mail greg.millard@kpu.ca. 

“The Boston Superheroes Project” by WBUR is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Heroes against Bullying: Gordon Cobb (MUSI) delighted us with the attached screenshot of his MUSI 1130 class on Pink Shirt Wednesday, when many of our friends, colleagues, and students wore pink to symbolize a stand against bullying. Such a joyful spirit is on display here! Thanks to Gordon and his students for sharing. 

As the first anniversary of ‘The Pivot’ draws nigh, so does the rollout of the vaccination program. Let’s hope that we’ll soon be able to holler at COVID – as The Thing from The Fantastic Four might exclaim – ‘IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!’  

Have a great weekend, everyone. 

Up, up, and away… 

Diane, Shelley, Wade, and Greg