The Daily Bruin

After 24 years of service at George Fox, John Heitz is retiring at the end of August. John has served the university in plant services’ building repair department, and more recently as planner/estimator for plant services projects.

Students will remember him best by his startling demonstration on why undamaged window screens are important. Some staff may remember him best by his willingness to chase out unwanted animal residents. Serving 24 years means that there are so many great stories!

In lieu of a campus event, we would like to bless John with cards and letters. If you could take a moment to write him a note (or recall a favorite memory), please send those to Box 6449. Thank you!

All Tuesday Morning Chapels will be viewable in three different formats this semester:

• Stream it live at 11 a.m.
• Watch it streaming live at Stoffer Family Stadium at 11 a.m. (first 100 students only)
• Stream it on-demand in the iAttended app if you are not able to watch it live

If you have downloaded the iAttended app, enter code SBAX to see the semester’s schedule of events, and then join us for Tuesday Morning Chapel this morning!

Questions? Email spirituallife@georgefox.edu.

As we all work and live together, it is especially crucial that everyone understands the processes for reporting concerns and cases related to COVID-19.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with these processes:

• #CampusClear Daily Screening
• COVID-19 Case Reporting
• COVID-19 Concern and Case Reporting Form

Questions? Email COT@georgefox.edu.

The library is pleased to deliver library material for participating faculty to their offices on the Newberg campus. All library material must be signed for by the faculty member or persons authorized to sign. Whether you have used this service in the past or are signing up for the first time, please fill out the request form.

Questions? Contact Patty Vanier at pvanier@georgefox.edu or ext. 2425.

Please join us on Thursday, Sept. 3, as we celebrate Ryan Dougherty for his 20 years of service to the university. He and his family will join us at the Alumni Plaza (between Bauman Auditorium and the football field) for socially distanced snacks and well wishes. We’ll have a basket available if you’d like to drop off a card. Face coverings required!

Suggested visit times:

• Admissions: 10-10:30 a.m.
• Registrar & Marketing: 10:30-11 a.m.
• George Fox community and friends: 11 a.m. – noon

Please contact Lindsay Knox or Sarah Reid with questions.

The Office for Spiritual Life is excited to announce the Monday Morning Devotional (MoMoDeVo), a short devotional from one of our pastoral staff shared every Monday morning at 9 a.m. this semester.

Please visit this link to join us every Monday morning as we study the book of James. Students, if you want SpiL credit for watching, please watch it in the iAttended app.

Questions? Contact us at spirituallife@georgefox.edu.

Class.georgefox.edu is a great resource for anyone needing to look up details on a class, including teaching modality, meeting times and location, enrollment limit and wait-list numbers, course description, instructor info and often textbook listings, too (click the book icon after clicking on a course to expand its info).

Have questions? Write registrar@georgefox.edu.

Following is info on employee dining on campus this semester …

• Due to the state’s restriction of no more than 100 people in restaurants at one time, you may have noticed that we’ve set up a variety of spaces around Canyon Commons for students to sit and eat. Until further notice, we ask that employees do not eat in Canyon Commons to be sure there is space for both residential and commuter students to eat at meal times.
• Employees may still order food to go through Bon Appetit using their app (more info on this soon). Lunch Club cards are not being sold to employees this year, but you may use any remaining punches you have to visit the servery. If you do, please take the food to go.
• The Bruin Den and Bruin Bites will both be closed, but Bridge Cafe remains open for grab-and-go food. 
• When in Canyon Commons, please follow all instructions posted and keep your face covering on.
• There is a dining area set up on the tennis courts that employees are welcome to use if desired.

Thank you for your understanding. Questions? Contact COT@georgefox.edu.

The Newberg-to-Portland campus courier service resumes its regular schedule today (Monday) and will be delivering daily. If you have items that need to go to the Portland Center, please make sure you have them to Mail Services by 10:30 a.m.

If you have any questions, please contact Richard Silver at rsilver@georgefox.edu.

After 24 years of service at George Fox, John Heitz is retiring at the end of August. John has served the university in plant services’ building repair department, and more recently as planner/estimator for plant services projects.

Students will remember him best by his startling demonstration on why undamaged window screens are important. Some staff may remember him best by his willingness to chase out unwanted animal residents. Serving 24 years means that there are so many great stories!

In lieu of a campus event, we would like to bless John with cards and letters. If you could take a moment to write him a note (or recall a favorite memory), please send those to Box 6449. Thank you!

Marketing communications has designed some custom George Fox playing cards for students to enjoy this year, and they turned out good enough that we’d like to share them with the whole community!

If you’d like to order any for yourself or your department, simply fill out this Google form. The price per deck will depend on order volume, but they should be $8 each at the most, possibly less.

Email questions to Jamison Loop (jloop@georgefox.edu).

Join us across campus at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) for Fall Academic Convocation Chapel. This first chapel of the year will be live-streamed across campus and available at this link.

President Robin Baker will introduce the new provost, Andrea Scott, welcome students to campus, and deliver the community charge with ASC president Meredith Green. Start the year off blessed as we worship and welcome students back to campus!

“Sing to the LORD a new song…” (Psalms 96:1). This admonition in Scripture will take on a unique twist this fall, as part of the wider COVID-19 campus policies.

Across the country, numerous cases of COVID transmission have been traced to choir rehearsals and church congregational singing. In order to prevent this, there are many different mitigation methods under study by multiple universities and research centers in the U.S. and Europe; however, they have not yet determined how to make group singing (and by an extension, group playing of wind instruments) safe. These scientifically rigorous studies expect to release results late in the fall.

In light of this, as a proactive measure toward the health of our community, the university is not permitting group singing or playing of wind instruments in any group context on campus, including in classes, chapel services, student life events, and informal gatherings.

Wind instruments are defined as any instrument you blow into. Students may only sing or play wind instruments when alone, such as in a dorm or outside; music department ensemble members may use the practice rooms in Ross.

Instruments that can be used while wearing masks, such as guitar, piano, or violin, are welcome on campus as long as group size does not exceed four instrumentalists, and social distancing and mask requirements are met. This policy will be revisited as the research becomes more clear.

While we understand that the church relies heavily on congregational singing, there are many other forms of Christian worship that do not. Poetry, Scripture reading, silent worship, art, dance, and instrumental music all can have significant spiritual value, as can private devotional singing.

While we know that this policy creates hardship for many students, we are choosing to err on the side of safety, and ask that all staff, faculty and students comply with this policy. So, sing to the LORD a new type of song this fall; explore new forms of worship and new ways to find joy through non-vocal music. 

More information about the policy (and the rationale behind it) is available on our COVID-19 Music Policy webpage

Here we go, Bruins! The Hadlock Student Center (HSC) will be open to employees and students on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 6 a.m.! We are excited to welcome you all into the HSC!

There are a few important details to note before you enter …

• All students and employees who enter the HSC must resign the waiver for the 2020-21 academic year. Please take a few moments to carefully read and complete the new waiver, which can be found in your MyGeorgeFox account.
• Once logged in, click on “Student Resources” (or “Employee Resources” if you’re an employee), then “University Forms” and finally “Hadlock Waiver 2020” to access the form. Carefully read and click “I agree” at the bottom.
• Please note that access to the HSC is only for current students and employees. Because of COVID-19, guests, spouses and dependents will be unable to access the facilities. We will reevaluate this decision throughout the fall semester and notify the community if there are any changes.
• In preparation for entering the HSC, please make sure you download the CampusClear app. The Hadlock staff will ask if you have received a “Good to Go” clearance through the app.
• All who enter will need to wear a mask covering their mouth and nose and maintain six feet of physical distance at all times while in the HSC.

We will post additional information and details early next week regarding other updated policies and guidelines. The website will also be updated soon.

Thank you for your flexibility and patience during these dynamic days. We look forward to seeing you back in Hadlock this fall and helping you “find your fit.” 

Questions? Contact the program supervisor, Kiana Rasubala, at krasubala@georgefox.edu.

The Bruin Community Pantry’s food bank is in need of volunteers for the fall semester. If you are interested in serving, please email Jere Witherspoon at bruincommunitypantry@georgefox.edu.

As we prepare for a new semester, the Office for Spiritual Life is looking forward to a great semester in chapel. Some highlights include:

• Monday Morning Devotions: On Monday mornings this fall, the university pastors will offer a devotional meditation on the book of James.
• Tuesday Morning Chapel: As always, chapel will take place on Tuesday mornings between 11 and 11:40 a.m. Chapel will be a live event with designated seating and an overflow location (with limited seating). A live stream will be offered to the community every Tuesday morning. (We invite all offices to tune in to the live stream so our community can grow together in faith.)
• Shalom chapel will be offered on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. in person (with designated seating by living-area groups).
• Vespers is on pause for now (Monday Morning Devotions are taking its place).
• Life Groups are eligible for SpiL credit and begin the third week of school. (If you would like to lead either a Zoom group or a hybrid group, sign up here.)
• Various other opportunities will be made available to students for SpiL credit, including academic department chapels, Scripture memory challenges, prayer walks, contemplative morning retreats, the university pastor’s podcast, and other exciting options. 

If you have questions or want to get involved, contact the Office for Spiritual Life at spirituallife@georgefox.edu.

Join us across campus at 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, for Fall Academic Convocation Chapel. This first chapel of the year will be live-streamed across campus and available at this link.

President Robin Baker will introduce the new provost, Andrea Scott, welcome students to campus, and deliver the community charge with ASC president Meredith Green. Start the year off blessed as we worship and welcome students back to campus!

It is time for another Wellness Wednesday!

We hope you like our George Fox masks. If you still have not received it, please stop by HR. Below is some helpful information on how to take good care of your reusable masks.

Masks should be washed after each use. It is important to always remove masks correctly and wash your hands after handling or touching a used mask.

Washing machine
You can include your mask with your regular laundry. Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the mask.

Washing by hand

• Prepare a bleach solution by mixing five tablespoons (one-third cup) household bleach per gallon of room-temperature water or four teaspoons household bleach per quart of room-temperature water
• Check the label to see if your bleach is intended for disinfection. Some bleach products, such as those designed for safe use on colored clothing, may not be suitable for disinfection.
• Ensure the bleach product is not past its expiration date.
• Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.
• Soak the mask in the bleach solution for five minutes.
• Rinse thoroughly with cool or room-temperature water. Make sure to completely dry mask after washing.

Dryer
Use the highest heat setting and leave in the dryer until completely dry.

Air dry
Lay flat and allow to completely dry. If possible, place the mask in direct sunlight.

Welcome Weekend is almost here! In order for our hundreds of new students to have a seamless move-in experience, we need extra cooperation from the staff, faculty and students already here on Thursday evening, Aug. 20, and Friday, Aug. 21.

Staff and faculty: Please plan to park along the street, in the front lot of Roberts, the Stevens lot or Hoover lot on Friday.

The Bauman and Le Shana parking lots will be barricaded on Thursday in preparation for COVID screenings, so please park nearest to Stoffer Stadium if you need to park in the Bauman lot. 

Questions? Please contact Campus Public Safety at 503-554-2090 and view the parking brochure on the CPS website for lot locations. Thank you in advance for your cooperation to help make move-in day the best day ever for our new students!

Marketing communications will be placing a business card order on Friday, Sept. 4. If you or someone in your department is in need of business cards, please place your order by that date.

Visit Marcom’s webpage for instructions on how to order. Email questions to Jamison Loop (jloop@georgefox.edu).