With less than two weeks remaining in the term and the Easter weekend fast upon us, there is a palpable sense of ebullience and anticipation in the air.  Spring has sprung, the Cherry Blossom Festival is just around the corner, and new shoots, sprouts, and blooms are everywhere abundant.  Last year at this time, we were trying to decipher the AEG grade that had been extended to students following the emergency pivot to online teaching and learning. This spring, as we look forward to a restful weekend and the rejuvenating energy of spring (perhaps with a few indulgent nibbles of chocolate), the online world has become a much more familiar setting.

I’m All Ears:  The deadline for this round of the FAEAF awards is April 15, 2020. The maximum award for an individual faculty member is $3,000, and the maximum award for a collaborative/interdisciplinary project involving two or more Arts faculty members is $5,000. Completed applications must be received by midnight by emailing arts.funding@kpu.ca. Please use the email subject line: “April 2021 FAEAF Award Application.” Questions about the application process can be directed to Christy Jahn at arts.funding@kpu.ca. 

Get Cracking: The window for applications to the Summer 0.6% PD fund is approaching. This is an excellent opportunity to pursue your research aspirations or professional development goals through such initiatives as tuition requests for furthering your education or course release to pursue a new scholarly or creative project that advances your knowledge and will inform your teaching.  Applications should be completed on ROMEO and submitted before Tuesday, May 25, 202 (one week before the deadline).  

From Warrens to Burrows: If you are planning a trip to campus, please continue to fill out the Campus Visit Request Form. Upon arrival, you are asked to stop at the campus security stations to complete the mandatory health check. Finally, please keep abreast of the latest Coronavirus safety information on the KPU website.   

AN EGGSTRAVAGANZA OF FACULTY ENGAGEMENTS AND REFLECTIONS 

Following BC Health’s recent announcement concerning the increasing number of Covid cases, the launch of “Symbolizing Obasan,” a KPU Ceramics exhibit at Historic Joy Kogawa House, has been rescheduled to May 8th. Hopefully, the extended restrictions on public gatherings will be lifted by then. The event will be live-streamed between 12:00-1:30 pm. This English/Fine Arts collaborative exhibit – led by faculty members Greg Chan (ENGL) and Ying-Yueh Chuang (FINA) – is based on reimagined symbols from Joy Kogawa’s novel Obasan. 

Geography faculty member John Rose is becoming a stalwart source of enlightened reflection and interlocution in the ongoing dialogue around housing issues in the lower mainland. In this recent opinion piece, Rose contends that the land-shortage argument requires evidentiary demonstration and calls for “comprehensive information about Vancouver’s zoned capacity [to be made] available to all concerned parties, from the development industry to activists, councillors, and members of the public’’.

The Teaching and Learning Commons is offering a suite of professional development opportunities to support your planning for the Fall. For some of you, the Fall semester will mean a return to campus-based teaching and learning, equipped with all the experience and skills you have acquired this past year. For others, it will mean continuing to teach entirely online or through a blended model of teaching and learning. Registration for the Summer 2021 Workshops will open on Tuesday, April 6, at 12:00 PM. 

Today is the 40th anniversary of the birthday of Kwantlen as an institution of higher learning. An auspicious occasion to be sure – and something special to celebrate over the four-day holiday interval. We wish you a wonderful long weekend; we hope that you can hop out of your hutches to enjoy some fresh air and spring flowers and that you have every opportunity to revel and relax in the company of those who are within your warren (core bubble) ! 

Diane, Greg, Shelley, and Wade 

 Photo credits on KPU Arts Blog