The Daily Bruin

The Jan. 15, 2008 issue of Christian Century featured an article by Ed Higgins (Writing/Literature) and Tom Johnson (Religious Studies) on the trilogy of novels by British atheist Philip Pullman. Pullman’s first novel in the series was recently made into a movie, The Golden Compass.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Hoover Lounge, Tom will provide an overview of the coauthored article and lead a discussion on Pullman’s work and the Christian community’s response to fiction that has religious/Christian overtones. The university community is invited to attend.

The Liberal Arts Critical Issues program (G.E. senior capstone) is pleased to announce that Dan Kimball, author of They Like Jesus, but Not the Church, will speak from 4:40 to 5:30 p.m. and from 7 to 7:50 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, in Hoover 105. The title of the presentation is “Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?” All are welcome to attend.

For more information on Dan, visit dankimball.com.

In addition, there are still a few copies of Shane Claiborne’s Irresistible Revolution available for those who would like to read along with our seniors.

The School of Professional Studies is sponsoring Spiritual Emphasis Week at the Portland Center Feb. 11-14. Each evening from 7:30 to 8 p.m. in the main lobby, there will be music and a brief devotional. Light refreshments will be provided.

This great time of community building and personal reflection is open to all students and employees of George Fox. Please plan on attending these very meaningful times.

For details or questions, contact Mark Ocker at the School of Professional Studies.

In an effort to get to know the community better, President Robin and Ruth Baker are hosting a series of small-group desserts at their home. The first staff/administrator dessert, open to the first 15 people who e-mail Missy Terry, will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22.

Please note: There will be other dessert opportunities for staff/administrators as well as faculty groups in the future.

The university is offering free tax preparation and e-filing assistance on campus Feb. 16, March 1, March 15, April 5, and April 12.

The Tax-Aide program is designed to help most taxpayers prepare their returns. The service is especially geared toward senior citizens, students, individuals with lower incomes, and those who have limited English proficiency. Anyone, however, is eligible for assistance, with the only exception being those whose return is deemed too complex.

Help will be available 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the computer lab on the second floor of the Hoover Academic Building. No appointments are necessary.

What to bring (if applicable):

• Photo identification
• Social Security cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers for you, your spouse, and dependents
• Birth dates for you, your spouse, and dependents
• Current year’s tax package, if you received one
• Form W-2 (wages and earnings) from each employer
• Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV (interest and dividends), SSA-1099 or RRB-1099 (social security and railroad retirement), 1099R (pension income)
• Advance Child Tax Credit information
• List of your medical, taxes, interest, contributions, and miscellaneous expenses (to itemize your deductions)
• Child and disabled dependent care information
• For ERA Form – landlord information and amount of rent, utilities, and fuel
• Copy of 2006 federal and state returns if available
• Bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit of refunds
• To e-file a joint return, both spouses must be present to sign required forms

The program works in conjunction with the IRS, the American Association of Retired Persons Foundation, and the Oregon Department of Revenue. All volunteers have received training from the IRS, AARP, and the Oregon Department of Revenue.

For more information, e-mail taxaide.gfu@gmail.com or visit aarp.org/money/taxaide.

Professor Liu Shengmin, from Wuhan University of Technology, is our guest this semester while teaching a course in Chinese language and culture and doing guest speaking in our classes. Dennis and Janet Hagen are hosting him during the stay.

The Hagens will be in China March 11-31 – three weeks that includes our spring break week. Is there someone who has a spare room in their home, and preferably, who lives within walking distance from campus, who could host Professor Shengmin while the Hagens are away?

One of the goals of this faculty exchange program is to give the visitor a chance to experience family life and to participate in activities with the family or couple. The professor has a meal ticket for lunches and dinners on campus, so the host home need not provide all his meals.

If interested, contact Lon Fendall (Center for Global Studies) at ext. 2685.

Stop by the University Store Monday through Thursday, Feb. 11-14, and save 10 to 50 percent on Valentine’s Day products.

The Portland Center is proud to welcome Sarah Marvin to our front office team. Sarah has come to us from the Newberg campus and is now the Enrollment Assistant for our School of Professional Studies Enrollment Team. She will directly supporting Jeremy Stephens, Admissions Recruiter, Kathy Grant & Jennifer Overstreet, Enrollment Counselors. Sarah’s phone extension is 6165.

Sarah’s counterpart in the front office is Sara Vulgan. Sara is the Graduate Admissions assistant for Carol Namburi,  Graduate Department of Counseling Admissions Counselor, Robin Halverson, School of Management Admissions Counselor, and Sheila Bartlett, Seminary Admissions Counselor. Sara’s phone extension is 6101.

Please help us in welcoming Sarah to the team and please note the change in their extensions.

Employees are invited to attend an all-campus meeting from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in Hoover 105. The meeting will provide employees an opportunity to receive campus updates, be involved in planning processes, and dialogue with President Robin Baker.

Community meetings also are scheduled on Tuesday, March 18, and Thursday, April 17, at the same time and location. The final campus meeting of the semester is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Wood-Mar Auditorium.

A staff lunch is scheduled for noon Monday, Feb. 11, in the Cap and Gown Room. All staff are welcome to this time of fun, fellowship and food. The cost is $3.

Tickets are still available for this Friday and Saturday’s presentation of Black Boy, a one-person play featuring Broadway actor Charles Holt. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. both nights in Wood-Mar Auditorium.

Holt plays Richard Wright and a host of additional characters in Wynn Handman’s adaption of Wright’s influential 1945 autobiography Black Boy. Holt has been performing Black Boy for the last seven years throughout the United States. More information on the production is available at charlesholtproductions.com.

Employees and students are entitled to one complimentary ticket, available for pick-up at the University Store. Additional tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for seniors and alumni, and $6 for students and children under 12. Tickets may be purchased at the box office by calling 503-554-3844 or online at theatre.georgefox.edu.

Everyone is invited to join international students in celebrating the lunar new year from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7. Come enjoy music, food, and a dragon dance in the Ron Gregory Atrium.

Questions? Contact Alex Pia at 503-554-2643, Dianna McIntyre at 503-554-2649, or NamKy Nguyen at nnguyen04@georgefox.edu. The event is sponsored by the International Club and International Student Services.

Faculty, staff, and students are invited to the February Peace and Justice Symposium session sponsored by the Center for Peace and Justice.

The event is scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Special Collections Room on the second floor of the library on the Newberg campus. Speaker John Gorlorwulu (School of Management), who grew up in Liberia, West Africa, will speak on “Peacebuilding Challenges and Opportunities in Liberia.”

The symposium will explore and celebrate the diversity of approaches for exemplifying Christ’s all-inclusive call to peace and justice in our lives.

A senior capstone project, Universi(tee) Design and Printing, is available to create T-shirts for a group, sports team, or dorm floor. The business custom designs and prints inexpensive T-shirts and other apparel for any situation. All proceeds go to the Patrick Kibler Memorial Fund.

To find out more, e-mail universitee@gmail.com or visit myspace.com/universitee.

Friday, Feb. 8, 6 p.m. – Women’s basketball vs. Willamette, Wheeler Sports Center/Miller Gym
8 p.m. – Men’s basketball vs. Willamette, Wheeler Sports Center/Miller Gym

Saturday, Feb. 9, 6 p.m. – Women’s basketball vs. Linfield, Wheeler Sports Center/Miller Gym
8 p.m. – Men’s basketball vs. Linfield, Wheeler Sports Center/Miller Gym

Contact the sports information office at ext. 2926 for more details.

Need a really cool, but “warm” gift? The university’s women’s golf team will be selling George Fox navy and white scarves prior to this Friday and Saturday’s home basketball games. You can support the team and get a perfect Valentine’s gift at the same time. Or, buy one for yourself. Only $20.

The scarves also may be purchased by e-mailing coach MaryJo McCloskey at mmccloskey@georgefox.edu.

The University Store is hosting a homecoming sale this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 8-9. Save 20 percent on George Fox University imprinted items (except diploma frames). Open Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A Cinema and Media Communication intermediate directing class was given the assignment of coming up with 30-second spots extolling the merits of the university, suitable for YouTube. The admissions department is offering a $50 prize for the team that produced the best one. Now it’s time to decide who walks away with the big money.

The five spots have been posted on YouTube for the George Fox community to vote on. To cast your vote, just give your favorite spot a five-star rating. The videos can be found by searching for “George Fox University Spot.” (Although we realize this process is fraught with opportunities for ballot-stuffing, we trust crew members will vote once, then get back to work on their midterms.)

– Matt Meyer (Cinema and Media Communication)

Safety is an important concern for the George Fox community. As a reminder, George Fox University does have an Emergency Response Plan that can be viewed at:

http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/security/responseplan.html

This plan provides general parameters regarding emergency response as well as guidelines for several potential emergency scenarios. The plan has been reviewed by Newberg emergency planning personnel and the local police and fire departments. Our campus Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) regularly reviews and updates our Emergency Response Plan and campus communications to ensure that it covers situations adequately.

In addition to the 60-plus page Emergency Response Plan, all building monitors and administrative units should have an abbreviated “Emergency Resource Booklet” that was provided by our campus security department. If you do not know where to access this booklet or have misplaced or lost your copy, you can obtain it by contacting Security Services at ext. 2090.

If you have questions or comments about our emergency preparedness in general, please feel free to contact Brad Lau, vice president for student life.

Quaere Verum, a group of students concerned about the ongoing violence and chaos currently happening in Kenya, invite you to join them in setting aside Ash Wednesday (Feb. 6) as a day of prayer and fasting for the situation there and the people affected by it.

You are invited to join with Quaere Verum members in the Foxhole at 8:30 a.m. and again at 5 p.m. to briefly pray together. If you choose not to fast, please be mindful and prayerful of Kenya throughout the day.