The Daily Bruin

With only four months left in the fiscal year, it is a good idea to keep track of the vacation balance information in the “Excess Leave” box in the lower left section of your pay statement. Any amount in the “Excess” column must be used by June 30, or it will be forfeited.

If you have excess vacation, be sure to work with your supervisor to schedule vacation time this spring. Note: Your February pay statement does not include time off taken (if any) in Feburary, so take that into account when reviewing your information.

If you have not already done so, please submit your February time sheet (support staff) or time-off report (administrators) this week. Please be sure it is complete, accurate, and signed by both you and your supervisor before sending it to HR at Box 6108.

The link on the HR website for these documents is: georgefox.edu/offices/hr/forms.html. If your supervisor is not available to sign it this week, please send a copy to HR and keep the original until it has been signed.

Have you wandered around the track and wondered what was going on with the scaffolding on one end of the infield and the building construction on the other end? Here is your answer: Fred Smith (Plant Services) is leading the effort to get the height of the hammer and discus throw rings legal by welding 6-foot extensions onto the existing structure. Meanwhile, the old pole vault shed is being moved to the north end of the track to benefit the storage needs of the track team.

The University Store will close early (3:30 p.m.) on Thursday, March 6, so that all store employees can attend the George Fox presidential inauguration ceremony and dinner that follows.

Oregon voter registration cards are available on the table in the hallway of University Mail Services in the North Street Annex. The deadline for returning the registration cards, which allow you to vote in the Oregon May Primary, is April 29. These registration cards are to be used for registering to vote in Oregon and changing your name, address, and/or political party affiliation.

Yamhill County voters have received a “Training and Demonstration” ballot in the mail. After you vote, you can return the ballot to Mail Services at its drop site. No postage is necessary. The deadline at Mail Services is 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 11.

Lisa Schirch, professor of peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University and author of five books on peace, is the featured speaker at the university’s annual John Woolman Peacemaking Forum Monday and Tuesday, March 3-4. The theme for the forum is “Frontiers in Peacebuilding.”

Schirch’s keynote address will be given at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Hoover Academic Building’s Room 105. Her topic will be “Reframing Security with Conflict Prevention.”

She also will speak at a 10:40 a.m. Monday chapel service in Bauman Auditorium on the topic “Dancing in the Lion’s Jaws: A Pacifist Among the Security Policy Makers.” After the chapel service, a talkback session will be held in the Cap and Gown Room where attendees can engage in discussion with Schirch.

Schirch is the program director of 3D Security Initiative, an organization that aims to make links between community-level peacebuilding work with members of Congress, the State Department, the Department of Defense, USAID, and others that shape U.S. foreign policy.

The Woolman Peacemaking Forum, named for 18th-century American Quaker John Woolman, is sponsored by the the university’s Center for Peace and Justice. Established in 1986, the event is designed to bring leading peacemakers to George Fox University to encourage people to invest their lives and energies in the pursuit of peace.

Shane Roghaar, the university’s TIAA-CREF consultant, will be on the Newberg campus and at the Portland Center next week to meet with employees regarding their retirement investments. Most of the Newberg appointments have been filled, but there are still several appointments available at the Portland Center on Monday, March 3. Appointments will be between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Portland Center’s Room 296. Make your appointment by going to https://ais2.tiaa-cref.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects.exe/ARS.

Tuition remission requests for the 2008-09 academic year are due in HR by 5 p.m. on Monday, March 3.

If you have not already completed a form, please follow this link and scroll about halfway down the page to find complete instructions and the forms:
georgefox.edu/offices/hr/EmployeeBenefits.index/beneforms.html.

The Apple-only Computers Across the Curriculum transition is exciting considering the specs on the MacBook that will be given out (visit it.georgefox.edu/cac/2008.html). With this transition, many Apple changes are coming to the university.

Plans are formulating now for a big “Apple on campus” event in early April. But right now we want you to be aware of the iChat service available to anyone with a George Fox account and access to iChat on an Apple computer or a Jabber Client on a PC. Check out the following web page for more information: it.georgefox.edu/cec.html.

– Greg Smith, IT

With a 76-71 overtime victory over Lewis & Clark Wednesday night, the George Fox women’s basketball team earned a spot in the Northwest Conference’s championship final Friday against the University of Puget Sound.

The Bruins will play at UPS in Tacoma, Wash., at 7 p.m., with the winner getting an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. For fans who wish to attend, George Fox has reserved a bus that will leave the Wheeler Sports Center parking lot at 2:30 p.m. Friday, returning the same night. The cost is $15 for adults, $10 for students.

If interested in a ride, call or e-mail Patty Findley (Athletics) at ext. 2910 or pfindley@georgefox.edu. Space will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

A faculty business meeting is scheduled from 10:40 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (11:40 a.m. Mountain Time) on Friday, Feb. 29. Newberg faculty will meet in Wood-Mar Auditorium; Portland Center faculty will assemble in PDS 281; and Boise faculty will meet in the Boise Center conference room.

Newberg faculty, please note the change in venue.

Inside Promotions, a business capstone class, is offering a “Deal of the Week” with Honest Chocolates in Newberg. Just show your university ID and get 20 percent off the first pound of chocolate purchased. The business is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is located at 312 E. First St.

Proceeds from the “Deal of the Week” program support the business capstone project. Questions? Contact Tyler Lacoma at tlacoma04@georgefox.edu.

Friday, Feb. 29 – Women’s tennis vs. Willamette, campus courts, 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 1 – Baseball vs. Pacific (2), Morse Field, 11 a.m.
Softball vs. Pacific Lutheran (2), Morse Field, noon

Sunday, March 2 – Baseball vs. Pacific (2), Morse Field, 11 a.m.
Softball vs. Puget Sound (2), Morse Field, noon
Men’s tennis vs. Pacific, campus courts, 1 p.m.

For more information, contact the Bruin sports information office at ext. 2926.

The inauguration of Robin Baker as the 12th president of George Fox is just around the corner, and the planning team needs your help. Areas of particular need are: ushers for the installation ceremony (Thursday, March 6) and helpers for the celebration dinner (Thursday, March 6).

Regardless of your availability or specific skill, we would love to have your help in bringing this historic event together.

E-mail your interest in volunteering to Danya Ochsner (University Relations) at dochsner@georgefox.edu.

– University Relations

Last week, all employees received an e-mail from Missy Terry (President’s Office) with important information regarding the upcoming Presidential Inauguration, March 6-7. This e-mail contained a schedule of events, class cancellation specifics, office closure information, and procedures for the academic processional occurring at the installation ceremony.

As a reminder, we ask that all employees register for the events that they plan to attend by this Friday, Feb. 29. The registration form is available at georgefox.edu/inauguration/registration-form3.html.

We hope that you will choose to take part in this historic celebration. The entire series of events has been crafted to highlight the entire university and what makes this such a special place.

To clarify one item from the e-mail, faculty should register for the installation ceremony (even though their involvement is expected) so that the proper number of chairs can be reserved in Bauman Auditorium.

The full schedule of events is available at georgefox.edu/inauguration.

If you would like another copy of Missy’s e-mail sent to you, please e-mail Robby Larson, inauguration co-chair, at rlarson@georgefox.edu.

Do you know of a graduating senior or alum that is heading out or currently engaged in significant volunteer service?

Please consider nominating young adults heading out or currently engaged in long-term volunteer work for the $1,000 Krista Colleague Service and Leadership Development Grant.

Nominations are due March 20. The nomination criteria and nomination forms are available at: kristafoundation.org/top.php?page=program.

Each year, through a nomination process, a new class of “Krista Colleagues” receive a $1,000 Service and Leadership Development grant and mentoring support as they head out for an extended period of volunteer or vocational service with other organizations (PeaceCorp, Jesuit Volunteer Corp, Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteers, AmeriCorp, etc.).

Nomination forms also are available from Paul Otto (History) at ext. 2676.

The student group Quaere Verum will continue to sponsor a time of prayer for Kenya in the Foxhole every Wednesday at 5 p.m. The university community is invited.

As part of a nursing research project on campus, students are educating the university community about the automated external defibrillator (AED), a computerized medical device that checks a person’s heart rhythm and recognizes a rhythm that requires a shock. It also gives the rescuer the steps that need to be taken to save a life. The device should be used any time a person collapses and is not moving or breathing and has no heartbeat.

George Fox has one AED. It is located in the trainers’ room and can be accessed by any trainer.

TIAA-CREF consultants will visit the Newberg campus and the Portland Center in March to offer personal financial counseling sessions. Consultants will help you:

• Develop long-term strategies
• Find the right allocation mix for you
• Develop your own strategy
• Learn about TIAA-CREF retirement income flexibility

Employees may schedule an appointment during one of the following dates:

Monday, March 3: Portland Center, Room 296
Tuesday, March 4: Newberg campus, Hoover 104
Wednesday, March 5: Newberg campus, Hoover 104

Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Individual consultant: Shane Roghaar

To schedule an appointment, visit the TIAA-CREF website at tiaa-cref.org/moc.