Dear Faculty of Arts,
As Valentine’s Day approaches on Monday, we are sending you all a big heart of thanks at this midpoint in the spring semester. We are grateful for the Faculty of Arts and appreciate everyone’s diligence and commitment to KPU students and to caring for each other as friends and colleagues. Let’s hope the coming months bring renewal (and a bit of luck) by moving the pandemic into its final phases.
Upcoming Events
Creative Writing will be hosting author Madhur Anand for a public reading on Friday, Feb. 18 from 1-2PM on Zoom. Please contact Cathy Stonehouse (cathy.stonehouse@kpu.ca) for more information and the zoom link.
Town Hall Meeting with President Alan Davis: President Davis looks forward to the next event in his series of Town Hall Meetings, which kicked off in 2021 in a lively dialogue with current KPU students in February, and a fruitful discussion with KPU staff in November. Dr. Davis will host the KPU Faculty Town Hall Meeting via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, February 16 from 3:00-4:00 pm. Faculty members who would like to ask Dr. Davis a question at the Town Hall Meeting may register at kpu.ca/townhall. Submissions will be numbered as they come in, and a random number generator will be used to determine the order of questions. Dr. Davis will address as many questions as possible within this 1-hour event. We hope to see you there!
Calls for Proposals
Arts Undergraduate Research Courses: If you have an idea for research or have a scholarly endeavor underway, we invite you to engage students in your work! Involving students in these projects is a great way to deepen the quality of the educational experience of our students! Contact Wade.Deisman@kpu.ca or Anne Lin@kpu.ca for more information. The deadline is March 29, 2021.
Future Arts Speaker Series: 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 be sent to Nancy Norman at: nancy.norman@kpu.ca and before March 31st, 2022.
Kudos and Congratulations
Criminology instructor Galib Bhayani has received the Meritorious Service Decoration (Civil Division). The Meritorious Service Decorations were established to recognize remarkable contributions by Canadians in many different fields of endeavor, from advocacy initiatives and health care services, to research and humanitarian efforts. “This award is for the civil division and that was really important for me, that it speaks to community service,” Bhayani explains. “Being an immigrant to Canada, this has been quite a journey for me and my family. One of the things my family always wanted from us coming to Canada was education and serving the community.” In 2020, Bhayani received the Outstanding Service Award for his work as the first senior Canadian police advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office in Baghdad from 2016 to 2017.
English instructor Jennifer Hardwick recently shared the journal publication Literary Cultures, with the special issues on “The Land of Hope and Toil” (accessed via this link ), https://journals.ntu.ac.uk/index.php/litc/issue/archive which her English students participated in through a COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) collaboration with an English course at Nottingham Trent University in the U.K. Several KPU students have had their work published in this volume. Congratulations Jennifer and to the KPU English students on this innovative learning experience through COIL!
Political Science instructor Valérie Vézina was interviewed on Feb. 8th by Radio-Canada on the BC Throne Speech. Well done, Valérie! You can listen to the interview here: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/panorama/episodes/604336/rattrapage-du-mardi-8-fevrier-2022/14?fbclid=IwAR1pj6uf1RAGOANs8t9BranzKNfEAJiava1k-ft1BxO9-bdHgKgLCQ-aRb0
Covid-Related Opportunities & Information
Student Opportunity: The Effects of COVID. The Psychology and Political Science departments are conducting research on how KPU students feel their relationship with the university has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will explore changes in students’ goals and motivations regarding their university education and future careers, and in their wider perceptions of their roles both as students within KPU and as student-citizens in their communities. Focus groups will take two hours and will be held online with dates convenient for students’ schedules. Registration is open to all current KPU students, participation is voluntary, and a $20 Amazon gift card will be sent to focus group participants. For more information, please contact Dr. Valérie Vézina (valerie.vezina@kpu.ca) or Hammond.Tarry@kpu.ca
Student Disclosures about Covid and Requests for Extensions: If a student discloses to you that they have Covid, please remember to consult the Faculty Handbook for the steps to take You can find the step-by-step instructions on page two of this document: Confirmed COVID-19 Case Protcol.pdf (kpu.ca) These steps help to ensure that the student is made aware of various KPU supports available to them. Also, we encourage everyone to be flexible and understanding if students are requesting extensions due to illness.
Resources for Faculty, Students, and Staff
February is Arts Declaration Month! Please remind students to consider booking an appointment with an academic advisor. They can also check out the site below for more specifics on how to declare various degrees and associate options: https://www.kpu.ca/arts/declare
Moving The Needle on Indigenization and Decolonization. There are a rich variety of resources related to cultural safety and reconciliation training. Jennifer Anaquod has been kind enough to compile and furnish us with the list below, which are offered by a variety of institutions and organizations in BC and across the country:
Join The Network: The Arts Research, Scholarship and Creativity Network is growing, and is open for enrollment for faculty and for requested enrollment for students! Currently, there are already 60 Network members! This inclusive Network aims to support faculty, students, and staff who are engaged in, or wish to become engaged in, research, scholarship, and creativity. The Network aims to provide a clearinghouse of resources; to facilitate mentorship connections; to promote collaborations and encourage synergies; to stimulate innovative thinking; to foster collegiality; and to raise awareness about the ways that research, scholarship, and creativity contribute to educational excellence. Email ArtsNetwork@kpu.ca for instructions on how to join.
Last Call!
Faculty of Arts EDI Awards: The nomination period for the Faculty of Arts EDI Awards has been extended to February 14th! So, there is still time to get those nominations in! The Faculty of Arts, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) awards recognize faculty, students, staff, and alumni who have demonstrated excellence in supporting and promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion from an intersectional social justice lens within the Faculty of Arts and/or the broader community. These awards honour individuals or groups/teams within the Faculty of Arts whose actions serve to advance KPU’s commitment to EDI. For more information on nominating an individual or self-nominating your group/team, follow this link.
Have a heart-filled weekend,
Greg, Billeh, Wade, and Shelley
Photo Credit : Top: Cathal Mac an Bheatha
Middle and Bottom: Annie Spratt
Comments by Wade Deisman