All hail the long weekend! There is a pitch of anticipation and excitement in the air today as many among us are gearing up for some celebration and relaxation on the May long weekend. Everyone, it seems is aflutter with excitement and expectation! The weather Gods appear to be in an obliging mood; the skies are clear and bright, and everywhere our feathered friends are adorning their finest forms, sharing songs of expectation, romance, adulation, celebration, and/or reclamation. This edition pays homage to the joyful company and true delight of our finely attired feathered friends, and it includes a contest. If you can name every bird we have pictured in the two top panels, please email Arts@kpu.ca with your responses. The first five correct entries will win a prize – and will be known heretofore among their colleagues as ‘unflappable’! Winning submissions will be notified on Tuesday.
To Do: Priority Items
Course Syllabi: Please be sure to email your summer semester syllabi (one for each distinct course) to the Dean’s office via arts@kpu.ca. These are important for reference purposes and may come in handy in case we need to assist with finding coverage, especially in emergency situations.
Zero Textbook forms for this Fall: Amanda Grey, our new Open Education Strategist, is working diligently to generate an inventory of courses that qualify as ZTC. Faculty are hence being asked to complete the ZTC webform by June 3rd, 2022. The data collected through this process will help students search the course selection timetable by courses that do not require additional textbook costs. Courses with zero textbook costs have lower rates of attrition and often have higher class averages.
COVID-19 Considerations: Although the masking requirement has been lifted, we are not out of the proverbial woods yet. It is important to remain circumspect and vigilant where COVID considerations are concerned. Please continue to use the campus hand-sanitizing stations and the rapid testing kits where warranted. If you are having COVID-19 symptoms, stay home until you feel better, or until the appointed period of self-isolation has ended.
Opportunities for Faculty
Call for Research Study Participants at KPU: We would like to invite you to participate in a research project entitled EDIing Higher Education: Unpacking Multiple Tensions and Perspectives. The study aims to explore faculty and administrators’ perceptions and to unveil tensions surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) processes in higher education through a case study of EDI processes currently underway at KPU. This project might touch on complex and controversial issues but will surely enable having meaningful discussions with faculty members and administrators. The study involves one interview of a maximum of 90 minutes. The interview will take place online and will be scheduled according to your availability. Your confidentiality will be protected. Please contact Lilach Marom PhD, Instructor Department of Educational Studies for more information. Email: lilach.marom@kpu.ca
Service is the Gift that Just Keeps Giving: We are now accepting nominations for the Dean of Arts Service Award. The Award recognizes outstanding service by faculty members in the Faculty of Arts. Candidates for the Award will have demonstrated outstanding contributions in any or all of the following areas: 1) educational and/or governance activities or committees at the departmental, program, and/or institutional level 2) department and University affairs 3) fostering student life, teaching excellence, and effective education at KPU through service 4) organizations (including learned and professional associations) external to the University. Nominations have been extended until June 1, 2022. For more information or to submit a nomination, please visit: https://www.kpu.ca/arts/service-award .
Recognizing Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity: We are now accepting nominations for the Faculty of Arts Research and Scholarly Mentorship Award. This award is presented annually to recognize research and scholarly pursuits that enrich the quality of the educational experience for students in the Faculty of Arts by creating meaningful and rewarding opportunities for them to engage in and learn about research and scholarship through their involvement in a scholarly undertaking. The award emphasizes the quality of the students’ experience in the research and scholarly process. As such, it attaches emphasis to the model of research as a collaborative undertaking that involves continuous mentoring, active guidance, and a persistent pedagogical orientation. Criteria for selection of the recipient(s) may include any of the following: 1) Evidence of sustained orientation toward mentorship of students. 2) Collaborative orientation in terms of student involvement in conceptualizing the research or the scholarly undertaking. 3) Commitment to the growth and development of students’ research competencies. For more information, please visit: https://www.kpu.ca/arts/research-scholarly-mentorship-award
Peer Reviewers and Test-Pilots: We are still seeking one or two more volunteers to pilot the post-probationary review process. We are also looking to create a pool of seasoned peer reviewers who could aid faculty who are having trouble finding folks to provide peer review. 
Should you be interested in either of these opportunities, please reach out to arts.facultyreview@kpu.ca.
Lend me Your Ears: The next iteration of the Arts Speaker series is fast approaching. Each Arts Speaker Series talk showcases innovative and original creative endeavors, research and scholarship activities, is one hour-long (30 minutes for presentation and the rest of the time for discussion/questions) and will either take place online or in a blended version. Proposals for the 2022-2023 Arts Speaker Series should be 250 words long and sent to Nancy Norman at: nancy.norman@kpu.ca
Opportunities: for Students
Arts Academic Integrity Student Ambassadors. To create a culture of academic integrity we need to involve students at the bedrock level. We will be seeking to recruit several students who will play an educational and mentoring role on academic integrity matters and be available as resources for fellow students seeking to better understand academic integrity. Please inform your Associate Dean should you know of students who would be promising candidates for these positions. More information about the posting will be available soon.
Students in our Network – The Migrating Community Moodle page: The Arts Research Scholarship and Creativity Network online platform has now migrated to the new Community Moodle platform: https://community.moodle.kpu.ca/ This Network will promote, nourish, and encourage research culture at KPU. It now has over 70 members. Propelling it forward will involve building resources, organizing panels, helping to construct data sets, liaising and marketing, etc. The support received will allow for faculty level leadership and significant student involvement.
Upcoming Events
The Arts Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Network Workshop: The Networkwill be hosting a panel featuring past 0.6% PD recipients on May 25 from 4:00 – 5:00 PM. Learn about the various projects and additional education that faculty in Arts have pursued via this important fund and their tips and suggestions for writing successful applications. This workshop will be recorded for future viewing and housed on the Network’s Moodle site.
Marginalized Voices Speak: A Reading & Listening Series: You are invited to register and join Marginalized Voices Speak in reading, reflecting on, and conversing about critically acclaimed books that highlight how various forms of oppression operate and reproduce inequalities in various parts of the world and during different historical periods. If you would like to volunteer as a ‘Lead Reader” and/or for more information, please contact Dr. Amir Mirfakhraie at: amir.mirfakhraie@kpu.ca The first event in the series will focus on Vandana Shiva – Soil not oil: environmental justice in an age of climate crisis, Friday, June 24, 2022, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Sociology Pod, Third Floor, Surrey Main Building. The second event will focus on Lee Maracle: My Conversation with Canadians, Friday, July 29, 2022, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Sociology Pod, Third Floor, Surrey Main Building.
Resources for Faculty, Students, and Staff
Your New BFF: We cannot possibly heap enough praise on the friendly versatility and chummy utility of the Faculty and Instructional Staff Handbook for both new and returning faculty members. Do you have a question, are you struggling with a conundrum, perhaps you are wrestling with a challenge, or are in the throes of an enigma? The answer you are seeking likely lies within this sacred scripture of this majestic and mystical tome: https://kpuemp.sharepoint.com/sites/fh/SitePages/Home.aspx
Preferred and Chosen Names –New Class Lists: As of this term, the Online Self Service (OSS) Faculty menu is offering class lists and grade reporting forms in an updated format—one that draws on students’ preferred/chosen names, includes photos, and adds other functionality. While the previous versions, which include only legal names, will also be available until the end of summer term, and there is an understandable pull to use a familiar interface, we’ve been hearing from students that using their preferred/chosen names right from the first day of class makes a huge difference in making them feel seen, welcome, and supported. This is especially true for trans and gender non-conforming students, whose health and safety are often compromised by dead-naming (using a legal or assigned name that does not match their gender). To use the lists with students’ preferred/chosen names, click on the “Class List (New)” heading in the OSS Faculty Menu tab, and then tap on the course acronym/section number in the “Subject” column (or on any non-underlined area in the row) of the course you want to view. We highly encourage faculty to make this effort to support students’ well-being and set a positive example for everyone in the class to follow. Feel free to contact IT for assistance.
Wishing you a sunny weekend with much mirth, rest, and relaxation,
Greg, Shelley, Danny, Billeh and Wade
Comments by Wade Deisman