The Daily Bruin

One of the many perks for George Fox employees is access to the Hadlock Rental Center for use of outdoor recreation equipment. This comes at a very affordable cost that helps the rental center continue to thrive and grow for years to come.

We are seeking the input of current students, as well as faculty and staff, to help improve and develop the Hadlock Rental Center. Please complete this survey. 

Interested in how to use the rental center and what we offer? Click here. Questions? Contact AJ Heil (aheil@georgefox.edu).

Today (Friday), the IT Service Desk will be working from home and available during normal hours via phone and email. In-person service will be available from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Service Desk in the Stevens Center.

Click here for hours and information, or contact IT (servicedesk@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2569).

Still in need of a Valentine’s gift? We will be selling Valentine’s Day care boxes on campus today (Friday) between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. We will be located between the Bruin Den and the library, near the flag pole, come rain or shine!

Our care boxes are only $10, and we have three different options to choose from. We have limited boxes and will continue selling until supplies run out, so get there early!

If you are worried about not getting a box in time, you can also reserve a box for a $5 holding fee. Gift your friends, significant other, or professor a Valentine’s box and support Fox students!

Questions? Visit our Instagram or email Kylie Smith (smithk17@georgefox.edu).

Join Research and Instruction Librarian Andrea Abernathy online for a workshop covering the SCOPUS database. She’ll show you how to discover scholarship, track citations, and explore relevant journals with confidence.

The workshop will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 2:30 p.m. Click here to register and for more information regarding future library workshops. 

This semester, the library is offering a series of workshops to help the Fox community navigate our increasingly digital library environment. Each workshop will be taught by a different librarian, making them an excellent way to refresh your skills, learn something new, or hear an old concept in a new way.

Questions? Contact Kate Wimer (kwimer@georgefox.edu).

With the extended weekend and the potentially icy weather, please visit here for updated hours for the Bridge Cafe and Canyon Commons from today (Friday) through Tuesday, Feb. 16.  Follow us on Instagram for updates as well.

Questions? Contact Jason Rosvall (jrosvall@georgefox.edu).

If you visited the university homepage today, you probably noticed some changes!

Marketing Communications has updated the style and content of the homepage as well as some other top-level pages and pages in the About, Undergraduate Admissions, and Giving sections of the website.

This is part of an ongoing project to give similar treatment to all pages on the public university website.

Due to the large number of web pages on the university website (around 5,000) and the extent of these changes, web pages will be re-worked and published in sections rather than all at once. This means that for now there will be some inconsistencies between pages in the new design and pages that haven’t been updated yet.

In this section-by-section approach, MarCom will be in touch with the departments and offices affected by updates in advance of any changes.

As part of this update, links in the website footer (the section at the bottom of each web page) have been updated. Some resource links that were located in the footer have been moved onto resource pages for distinct George Fox groups. The links to these resource pages can be found under the heading “Information For” in the footer.

If you have any questions or feedback about any of this, please contact Rob Leslie at rleslie@georgefox.edu.

Yesterday morning we were notified that a group of thieves stole a catalytic converter from one of our George Fox vans parked in the Morse parking lot. We wanted to alert our community to be aware and to make sure that your vehicles were not also affected.

Catalytic converters are emission control devices that reduce toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas. Thieves like to steal them because they contain valuable metals. If your catalytic converter has been removed, your vehicle will make a loud roaring sound that will get louder as you push the gas pedal.

If you find that your catalytic converter has been stolen, please contact Campus Public Safety at 503-554-2090.

Join your colleagues in the College of Business at a farewell Zoom “open house” for Kelly Borror, who, after 16 years in the COB, has accepted a new position at Western Seminary in Portland.

Drop by our Zoom gathering to wish Kelly well today (Thursday) between 3 and 4 p.m. Kelly’s last day is tomorrow (Friday).

George Fox Digital is releasing a series of public lectures on YouTube addressing the pandemic and Christian faith. How are we to understand suffering in light of God’s goodness? What do our academic disciplines have to say about theology and the pandemic?

The first of these lectures is out now:

• Dr. William Jolliff: Robert Frost, A Diminished Thing, and the Book of Genesis.

We’ll be releasing a new lecture in this series on our YouTube playlist every Tuesday throughout February and early March.

Questions? Contact Brian Doak (bdoak@georgefox.edu).

What ensembles would you like to see on campus? We want to hear from you! Please take this short survey and be entered for a chance to win a $25 Chapters gift card.

Questions? Contact the music department (music@georgefox.edu).

If severe winter weather makes travel to or from campus unsafe, George Fox will shift affected classes to online instruction. Classes will not be canceled for snow or ice in spring 2021. Because of COVID-19, faculty already have a reduced amount of class time to provide instruction, and losing additional days is not a feasible option. All classes this semester were created with the option to shift to remote learning for at least short periods of time.

If road conditions are unsafe, employees will be expected to work remotely if they have work that can be accomplished from home. If remote work is not possible, employees should contact their supervisor.

Following is our process for announcing when classes will shift to an online format. The provost will make the decision to shift classes online for the Newberg campus, Portland Center and Salem site for daytime classes by 6:30 a.m., or 2:15 p.m. for evening classes. This applies to all days of the week, including Saturday. Decisions at the Redmond site will be made by the professor.

Major considerations are road conditions, ice, utility service disruption, and how long the severe weather or emergency is likely to last. To find out if a decision has been made when severe weather occurs:

1. Check for an email to your George Fox email from Office of the Provost or Office of the CFO
2. Visit the George Fox flashalert.net page. This is the first site updated.
3. Sign up for FlashAlert Messenger. You can download their smartphone app for a mobile alert.
4. Listen to local radio and television stations. Each campus will be identified separately. (This info comes via Flashalert).
5. Call the George Fox University switchboard at 503-538-8383.

More information on campus closure policies can be found at georgefox.edu/closure.

Next Wednesday, Feb. 17, marks the beginning of the season of Lent, the season in the Christian church when we remember the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and praying, prior to the beginning of his ministry.

Many Christians choose to observe Lent by participating in an intentional spiritual practice, such as fasting, Scripture reading, prayer, generosity, or service. It is a season set aside for repentance and acknowledgment of human weakness, toward greater trust in the Savior. 

The season of Lent begins on Wednesday, Feb. 17, and ends on Easter Sunday, April 4. The university pastors invite you to observe this time with us in one of the following ways:

• Ash Wednesday
  • The university pastors will be available at two stations on campus for COVID-safe distribution of ashes. We will be at a table on the quad and outside of the SpiL House from noon to 1:30 p.m.
• Ash Wednesday Worship Service
  • Worship will be held from 4:30 to 5 p.m. in Bauman Auditorium. Due to limited seating, please reserve your spot on the iAttended app (undergrads only).
• Lenten Scripture Reading Guide
  • This daily Scripture reading guide will be available on the SpiL webpage from Feb. 16 to April 4.
• Life Groups
  • These seven-week Life Groups are available for undergraduates and begin the week after Ash Wednesday and conclude the week after Easter. We are offering digital groups and hybrid groups. Click here to learn more.
• Holy Week opportunities

Questions or want to meet with a university pastor? Contact the Office of Spiritual Life (spirituallife@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2320). May the Lord bless you!

Want to learn how to promote equitable hiring practices in the workplace, and to further encourage the Be Known promise?

The next search advocate training is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24, and Friday, Feb. 26, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. both days. Rebecca Hernandez will teach the two-day session online via Zoom.

We are also offering a refresher course for those who have attended training in the past, but would like to update their skills and find out what’s new! Current search advocates are welcome to attend the Feb. 26 session!

If you are interested in becoming a search advocate, or would like a refresher course, please sign up here.

If you have questions, please contact Rebecca at rhernandez@georgefox.edu or Laurie Fair at lfair@georgefox.edu.

FoxTALE will be unavailable Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 8 a.m. (Pacific Time) for scheduled maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

Questions? Email servicedesk@georgefox.edu or call 503-554-2569.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Here are five things that you can do to help improve your mental health:

• Open up to someone you trust and keep in touch with others! Having a social support system is key
• Eat healthy foods
• Journal or take time each day to check in with your feelings
• Participate in physical activity each day
• Ask for help when needed

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34).

Questions? Contact Mary Imboden (mimboden@georgefox.edu).

Join your colleagues in the College of Business at a farewell Zoom “open house” for Kelly Borror, who, after 16 years in the COB, has accepted a new position at Western Seminary in Portland.

Drop by our Zoom gathering to wish Kelly well this Thursday, Feb. 11, between 3 and 4 p.m. Kelly’s last day is Friday, Feb. 12.

Please plan to attend the panel discussions for Antipas Harris’ book, Is Christianity the White Man’s Religion?: How the Bible is Good News for People of Color.

This is a continuation of our fall book reading and discussion groups. We are pleased to have a panel of our own seminary faculty, along with the founder of the Civility Project, to engage key questions that you’ve raised either in this survey or would like to ask during the event.

The discussions are set for Tuesday, Feb. 16, and will take place in both Bauman Auditorium (limited capacity) and online via Zoom.

• Discussion 1: Support office personnel
  • Held from 1 to 2 p.m.
  • Human Resources, Plant Services, Registrar, Admissions, etc.
• Discussion 2: Student-facing personnel
  • Held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
  • Those working directly with students; faculty, area coordinators, etc.

Questions? Contact Rebecca Hernandez (rhernandez@georgefox.edu).

Today (Tuesday), the Bruin Store will be closed due to a physical inventory count. We will resume our normal business hours tomorrow.

Please visit us online if you need to order something.

Questions? Contact Paige Jacobs (pjacobs@georgefox.edu).

What ensembles would you like to see on campus? We want to hear from you! Please take this short survey and be entered for a chance to win a $25 Chapters gift card.

Questions? Contact the music department (music@georgefox.edu).

The Intercultural Resource Center is excited to announce the Reconciliation and Education Program!

Following this month’s SCORR conference, the IRC will host three two-week programs discussing racial reconciliation, anti-racist action steps, and dismantling oppressive systems.

These programs are a great opportunity to commit to learning more about anti-racism while earning two chapel credits! Apply here by Monday, Feb. 22.

Questions? Contact Hannah Lee (hlee17@georgefox.edu).