Archive for June, 2020

Please note academic schedule change

Tuesday, June 30th, 2020

Based upon current public health guidance, George Fox is adjusting its academic calendar to reduce class time during the influenza season and to minimize student travel to and from campus. 

  • Monday, Aug. 24: First day of undergraduate and graduate classes
  • Friday, Oct. 9: Mid-semester holiday (Newberg campus)
  • Wednesday, Nov. 25: Last day of face-to-face instruction
  • Thursday-Friday, Nov. 26-27: Thanksgiving break
  • Monday-Friday: Nov. 30-Dec. 4: Final exams/presentations (most completed remotely)

Students in on-campus housing are welcome to stay on campus through the Thanksgiving holiday. Those who return home for the holiday will be asked to complete finals off campus. 

At this point, the university plans to start the spring semester in person on Jan. 11, 2021.

Be aware of new state guidance on face coverings

Tuesday, June 30th, 2020

We are working hard to ensure our classrooms and facilities will be safe, and we will need your help. We will need to be vigilant about hygiene, physical distancing, face coverings and self-monitoring.

If you have in-person classes, we may ask you to forgo your own convenience and comfort for the sake of your neighbors. Following a statewide mandate that goes into effect July 1, faculty, staff, students and visitors will be asked to use face coverings (e.g., face masks, cloth face coverings, face shields) when in enclosed public and common areas (including classrooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges) and outdoor areas where physical distancing is not easily maintained.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

University closes Friday for Independence Day holiday

Tuesday, June 30th, 2020

The university’s offices on the Newberg and Portland campuses will be closed on Friday, July 3, in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

Important Return-to-Work Info

Tuesday, June 30th, 2020

As you may be beginning to transition back to campus, the COVID Operations Team wanted to welcome you back and to share a few important pieces of information.  

Please review the face coverings policy that will be in place in all academic and administrative buildings on campus. If you need a face covering, there is a stock available in the Campus Public Safety office.  

Work-surface cleaning supplies and paper towels are being deployed in buildings this week; check with your building monitor for locations. Copier and shared workstation cleaning supplies are coming in the near future.

Consider ways you may be able to complete tasks without physically touching a shared piece of equipment, such as using a pencil eraser to press the buttons on a copy/fax machine.  

Barriers will be arriving in the next few days and will be installed early next week. Please observe physical distancing and face-covering guidelines as the policy reads until barriers are installed.

Please look to the Reopening Campus|Fall 2020 page for the most up-to-date information from the COT. Contact us at cot@georgefox.edu with any questions or concerns.

Please avoid construction areas on campus

Tuesday, June 30th, 2020

Summer is an incredibly busy time for Plant Services. For your safety, please avoid marked-off construction zones. In July, the following is occurring on campus:

  • Roofing: Bauman lobby, Fulton Street House, Kelsey House and Pennington Hall
  • Exterior Painting: Bauman, Beebe, Carey, Willcuts and Wheeler
  • Excavation: Bauman parking lot (addition near Fulton Street)
  • Demolition: Costume Shop on Hancock Street

In addition, we are doing parking lot and curb striping, along with curb repair, in various locations. Please avoid the areas listed above, and be observant of all marked-off areas. Do not pass through a construction zone.

Thank you!

Bruin Community Pantry closed for holiday this week

Tuesday, June 30th, 2020

The Bruin Community Pantry food bank will be closed for the Fourth of July holiday, on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4.

Check out the website for hours of operation.

Save the Date: Day of Prayer scheduled for Wednesday, July 8

Sunday, June 28th, 2020

On Wednesday, July 8, the employee community will be observing a Day of Prayer. The two-fold purpose for this day is:  

  • To begin the new fiscal year and academic year prayerfully attentive to God’s direction
  • To encourage the spiritual well-being of the employee community

Details: 

  • Employees are encouraged to spend their usual work hours on Wednesday, July 8, in prayer and spiritual retreat. 
  • Employees are welcome to enjoy their prayer retreat on-campus, off-campus, in their homes, or at an alternate site.  
  • The university pastors will provide an optional video which can be used at the beginning of an employee’s prayer retreat as well as a devotional to guide employees through the day of prayer.

During the Day of Prayer, employees are encouraged to: 

  • Have conversation with God about their work
  • Pray for their colleagues, students and the university
  • Attend to their personal soul care, talking with God about their own lives of faith, and experiencing the ministry of the Spirit

During the Day of Prayer, employees are discouraged from: 

  • Using this prayer retreat day for team meetings/in-services
  • Doing other work (responding to emails, working on projects, meeting with people, etc.)
  • Keeping their cell phones on/active
  • Using the day as a vacation day.  This is a soul care day, which may look a lot like a vacation day (a walk in the woods, journaling, reading, etc.) but should have an intentional spiritual formation focus and be directed by God.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office for Spiritual Life at spirituallife@georgefox.edu.

Join Steve Grant’s farewell party via Zoom today

Sunday, June 28th, 2020

You are cordially invited to join the celebration of Steve Grant’s 38 years of service to George Fox today (Monday). The festivities will begin at 3 p.m. via this Zoom link.

Contact Carol Jaquith at cjaquith@georgefox.edu if you have questions. We hope to see you there!

Please turn in all deposits today

Sunday, June 28th, 2020

If you have any deposits for FY20, please bring your money over to the Finance office today (June 29). Checks dated prior to June 30, 2020, must be deposited in the current fiscal year. Please look around your desks and file cabinets to see if there are any lingering items that need to go to the bank.

If you are taking vacation during the July 4 holiday, please send your deposits over before you leave.

Also, money that needs accounting for in FY20 must be brought to the Finance office no later than 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30. If it arrives later, it will go into the FY21 budget.

If you have any questions about deposits, please contact Heather Groenlund at 503-554-2173. Thank you and have a great summer!

Virtual session on HICP is free to students and employees

Sunday, June 28th, 2020

The university’s employees and students are invited to attend a free virtual event that will discuss the topic of High-Impact Chronic Pain (HICP) on Saturday, July 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

HICP affects 11 to 20 million U.S. adults and interferes with work or other daily activities most days or every day. People with HICP often suffer from iatrogenic harms, including (but not limited to) prescription-induced opiate use disorders.

In this session, we will hear from experts representing a variety of professions to discuss the healthcare experiences of people with HICP and the evidence on what works to reduce iatrogenic harms and promote health. You don’t want to miss this interactive virtual event intended to strengthen the primary care workforce. 

Students and employees can attend for free, but you must register ASAP at this link. Please contact Tammy O’Doherty (todohert@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

Register for July tennis camps

Sunday, June 28th, 2020

Looking to improve your tennis game? Join the George Fox coaching staff this summer for our junior tennis camps for all ages and skill levels. This camp will be serious fun and will improve your game while cultivating a love for the sport!

Camps will include the following:

  • Five to six hours of on-court training per day
  • Drills, instruction, match play and mental fitness
  • USPTA professional coaching and development practices
  • Video analysis and comparison
  • George Fox shirts for all camp registrants
  • Prizes for winners of camp competitions
  • Low coach-to-camper ratio of 6:1 for personalized work

See full details and RSVP for your spot at this website.

Join Zoom meeting Monday to wish Steve Grant well

Thursday, June 25th, 2020

You are cordially invited to join the celebration of Steve Grant’s 38 years of service to George Fox this Monday, June 29. The festivities will begin at 3 p.m. via this Zoom link.

Contact Carol Jaquith at cjaquith@georgefox.edu if you have questions. We hope to see you there!

View all-employee meeting today after 9 a.m.

Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

President Robin Baker will host a virtual all-employee meeting this morning (Thursday). The meeting will be available at this link beginning at 9 a.m. As was the case last month, the password to join is provided on the meeting site.

Join Zoom meeting to wish Steve Grant well Monday

Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

You are cordially invited to join the celebration of Steve Grant’s 38 years of service to George Fox this Monday, June 29. The festivities will begin at 3 p.m. via this Zoom link.

Contact Carol Jaquith at cjaquith@georgefox.edu if you have questions. We hope to see you there!

Bruin Community Pantry closed for July 4 holiday

Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

The Bruin Community Pantry food bank will be closed for the Fourth of July holiday, on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4.

Check out the website for hours of operation.

Register now for summer tennis camps

Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

Looking to improve your tennis game? Join the George Fox coaching staff this summer for our junior tennis camps for all ages and skill levels. This camp will be serious fun and will improve your game while cultivating a love for the sport!

Camps will include the following:

  • Five to six hours of on-court training per day
  • Drills, instruction, match play and mental fitness
  • USPTA professional coaching and development practices
  • Video analysis and comparison
  • George Fox shirts for all camp registrants
  • Prizes for winners of camp competitions
  • Low coach-to-camper ratio of 6:1 for personalized work

See full details and RSVP for your spot at this website.

Be sure to turn in your deposits before June 30

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2020

If you have any deposits for FY20, please bring your money over to the Finance office before Tuesday, June 30. Checks dated prior to June 30, 2020, must be deposited in the current fiscal year. Please look around your desks and file cabinets to see if there are any lingering items that need to go to the bank.

If you are taking vacation during the July 4 holiday, please send your deposits over before you leave.

Also, money that needs accounting for in FY20 must be brought to the Finance office no later than 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 30. If it arrives later, it will go into the FY21 budget.

If you have any questions about deposits, please contact Heather Groenlund at 503-554-2173. Thank you and have a great summer!

View virtual all-employee meeting Thursday

Monday, June 22nd, 2020

President Robin Baker will host a virtual all-employee meeting this Thursday, June 25. The meeting will be available at this link beginning at 9 a.m. that morning. As was the case last month, the password to join is provided on the meeting site.

Change for Honors Program

Monday, June 22nd, 2020

The honors program at George Fox will no longer carry the William Penn name. Penn’s name was originally chosen for the program because of his influence as a Quaker statesman in early America, and his charitable relationship with Native Americans. In recent months, it came to the attention of program leaders that William Penn was also a slave owner. After a series of conversations with administrators, faculty and students, the decision was made to no longer use the name. 

The core values of our program remain humility, charity, and truth-seeking. We remain committed to offering a “generous canon” in our program reading list, a reading list that includes a range of perspectives, some of which align with our Christian commitments and some of which do not.

A text or figure does not have to represent our values in order to be read and discussed within the program; however, the name of our program should reflect our core values, including the most important value of love, which requires seeing every human being as made in the image of God. Slavery and racism are egregious sins against Christian love and violations of human dignity.

As Christians, we stand with those who cry out for racial justice in our world and are committed to promoting love and justice in our program. 

The exact details and timeline for this official change have not been finalized, but for now the program will be called the George Fox Honors Program. 

Free virtual event discusses High-Impact Chronic Pain

Monday, June 22nd, 2020

The university’s employees and students are invited to attend a free virtual event that will discuss the topic of High-Impact Chronic Pain (HICP) on Saturday, July 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

HICP affects 11 to 20 million U.S. adults and interferes with work or other daily activities most days or every day. People with HICP often suffer from iatrogenic harms, including (but not limited to) prescription-induced opiate use disorders.

In this session, we will hear from experts representing a variety of professions to discuss the healthcare experiences of people with HICP and the evidence on what works to reduce iatrogenic harms and promote health. You don’t want to miss this interactive virtual event intended to strengthen the primary care workforce. 

Students and employees can attend for free, but you must register ASAP at this link. Please contact Tammy O’Doherty (todohert@georgefox.edu) with any questions.