The Daily Bruin

As a reminder, you still have time to explore your retirement options and financial goals through Nationwide’s FutureFit Virtual Financial Fair. This interactive 3D experience, which launched Jan. 23 and runs through Feb. 6, is a valuable opportunity to learn more about your finances and sharpen your investment strategy.

There are no accounts to create or passwords to remember, and joining the challenge gives you a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card and exclusive Nationwide gear.

How to participate:

1. Click here to enter the Virtual Financial Fair.
2. Click the “Join the Competition” button.
3. Add your name to the leaderboard.

Enjoy the experience! Questions? Contact Aga Kasprzyk at akasprzyk@georgefox.edu.

Join us again or for the first time as we gather every other Thursday in Armstrong House to share conversation and practice speaking German. All levels are welcome!

We will meet on the following Thursdays this term:

• Jan. 29
• Feb. 12
• Feb. 26
• March 12
• April 9

Contact Erin Macy at emacy@georgefox.edu for more information.

Do you know of students who are running into research roadblocks or information overload? Whether they are just starting a project and need a search strategy or have hit a wall trying to access a specific article, book, or resource, George Fox librarians are their ultimate academic partners.

We are here to help students navigate resources and troubleshoot access issues so they can focus on their best work. If you know someone who is struggling, we encourage you to point them in our direction!

We are available for drop-in help or by scheduling a personalized appointment. All of our contact details are here, or they can email us at researchhelp@georgefox.edu.

Thank you for helping us model the Be Known promise for our students!

We are currently seeking student voices to help shape the future of George Fox University through our Thriving Student Experience Committee.

As faculty and staff, you have a pulse on the student body and know which students are looking to make an impact. We would be incredibly grateful if you could share the following opportunity with your classes or student workers. We are looking for a diverse range of perspectives from all majors and grade levels.

The Opportunity for Students

We are hosting small, facilitated focus groups (six to eight students) to reflect on the George Fox experience. To make this a great experience for them, we are providing:

• A free meal: A tasty lunch or dinner during the session
• Exclusive swag: As a thank you for participating, we have some swag for Being Known.
• Direct impact: Insights go directly to the Thriving Student Experience Committee to influence campus-wide initiatives.

Thank you for sharing this link with your student populations!

If you have questions, please reach out to Kelly Schmidt at kschmidt@georgefox.edu, Amanda Howard at ahoward@georgefox.edu, or Megan Fisher at mfisher@georgefox.edu.

Come join us for open worship after the Manner of Friends this and every Wednesday from 11 to 11:30 a.m. in the chapel, as we seek to attend, discern and mind the present leadings of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Where two or three are gathered in his name, Christ is indeed present in the midst of his followers. SpiL credit will be available.

Contact Paul Anderson at panderso@georgefox.edu for more information. 

Right now the limited edition Bruin Family crewneck is $26, available in-store only, while supplies last.

Questions? Contact Kristin McGuirk at kmcguirk@georgefox.edu.

Sign-ups for Give Day 2026 are live! If your department, team or program wants to participate, please fill out the registration form by Thursday, Feb. 12.

If you have questions, reach out to Kelton Hedstrom, associate director of community engagement, at khedstrom@georgefox.edu.

Plant services invites you to join us as we celebrate the retirement of Alan Thurston today (Monday) from 3 to 4 p.m. in Canyon Commons. Alan has worked at George Fox for the past 32 years, most recently as our locksmith. Please swing by to wish him well!

We will be serving dessert and refreshments. We hope to see you there!

Join us for the second part of “How to Build Trust and Leadership with AI,” an educational interactive webinar that will take place via Zoom at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Click here to register.

Generative AI is changing more than how teams work. It’s changing how colleagues perceive and trust each other. New research from George Fox indicates that social influence is a key factor in strengthening trust where the use of AI is involved. We will focus on the critical role social influence has on employee trust in the workplace.

Join us to explore these findings and learn actionable techniques for building trusting employee relationships around AI adoption.

For more information, contact Sean Aker at saker@georgefox.edu.

The services for student Michael Hayes (June 1, 2006 – Jan. 10, 2026) will be held this Saturday, Jan. 24, at St. Henry’s Catholic Parish in Gresham (346 N.W. 1st St.). The morning will begin with a viewing at 10 a.m., followed by a Rosary at 10:30 a.m. and a Funeral Mass at 11 a.m.

Following the Mass, a catered reception will take place at the Persimmon Country Club in Gresham (500 S.W. Butler Road). The day will conclude with a burial service at 3 p.m. at the Logan Pleasant View Cemetery in Oregon City (15901 S. Springwater Road). Per Michael’s request, the family has noted that all are welcome to attend and celebrate his memory.

Michael was enrolled in our accelerated online degree program. He lived with Jeune syndrome – a rare genetic condition in which a baby is born with a rib cage that is much smaller and narrower than normal – since birth. His rigid rib cage prevented his lungs from developing properly and expanding enough to breathe effectively. You can hear more of his story in this George Fox Talks episode.

A livestream of the Funeral Mass will be available via YouTube. For more information, contact Carly Reumann at creumann@georgefox.edu.

Networking is the No. 1 way people land jobs. To give our students every advantage, we’ve recently launched FoxLink, the professional network platform for the George Fox community.

Over 700 alumni, students, and employees have already joined, and we need all of you there too! Your experience, connections and willingness to answer a question is valuable to our students both now and for years to come as they navigate their careers.

Sign up today at foxlink.georgefox.edu. Thanks for helping the George Fox network grow stronger!

Questions? Contact Britnee Ely at bely@georgefox.edu.

The Office of Spiritual Life is still looking for staff and faculty members to participate in the SpiL Mentoring Program this spring.

This program provides an opportunity for students to have meaningful conversations about faith and life while receiving encouragement and support from a George Fox staff or faculty member.

Students in the program will be matched with a dedicated mentor, with whom they will have weekly meetings lasting approximately one hour, spanning a duration of eight weeks within the semester.

The program begins the week of Jan. 26 and ends the week of March 16.

To support you in your mentoring role, we will provide a booklet with weekly suggested spiritual formation practices for you to engage in with your mentee. Additionally, there will be a training session prior to the start of the program to ensure you feel prepared and equipped.

We are looking for staff and faculty who would like to serve as mentors. If you are interested, please fill out this application by noon today (Friday, Jan. 23). Your involvement will make a meaningful impact on our students’ lives!

The Wineskin is the George Fox student-run literary journal, and we publish creative pieces written by Fox students.

For this year’s issue, we want every department on campus involved. Submit your creative pieces to The Wineskin by Feb. 1 for a chance to be your department winner and win a $10 gift card!

In your submission, we want to know what “oasis” means to you. Where in your own desert do you find fruitful land? We are encouraging students from all departments to submit to The Wineskin this year, so show us your passion for your field of study through poetry, flash fiction, short essays, photography, etc.

Everyone has an oasis. Tell us about yours!

Click here to submit your work. If you have any questions, contact Shae Olazaran at solazaran22@georgefox.edu.

Safety is no accident – it’s the result of a community looking out for one another. Reporting incidents and hazards is crucial for maintaining a secure workplace.

When you report a potential risk, you are actively preventing a future injury and helping us address hazards before they lead to serious accidents. Your proactive communication is the most effective tool we have to improve safety measures and protect our campus.

Check out this safety infographic to learn exactly how you can report hazards and keep our environment safe.

If you have any safety-related questions, please contact Kim Knoernschild at kknoernschild@georgefox.edu. Thank you for doing your part to keep George Fox safe!

Do you know of any great George Fox-related stories? Students making a difference in their communities? An inspiring account of someone who has overcome obstacles or has had an amazing faith journey? A professor who exemplifies the Be Known promise?

If so, we in marketing communications want to hear about it! Please complete this form with the name of the person you wish to highlight, their contact info (if possible), and a few details about what makes their story compelling. We’ll take it from there!

Some folks may be featured in our blog and/or on our website. Still others may be featured in a video or in our university magazine. In short, we’re looking for stories that communicate why George Fox is such a special place.

Thanks for taking the time to share these stories with us!

Your IT team has deployed this month’s essential system updates. To complete the installation process, a device restart is required. Please ensure all work is saved before restarting.

These updates are vital for:

• Network Safety: Addressing current security vulnerabilities
• System Stability: Preventing performance slowdowns through regular maintenance

As a general best practice for computer health, we suggest a full reboot at least once a week to prevent minor issues from escalating. PC restarts can be scheduled here.

Please note that FortiClient VPN had updates this week and will require a device restart.

Please direct any questions to servicedesk@georgefox.edu.

Please join us for a retirement celebration in honor of Alan Thurston on Monday, Jan. 26, from 3 to 4 p.m. in Canyon Commons. Alan has served as a locksmith for plant services since 1994. All are welcome to come help wish Alan well and celebrate the decades of dedication he gave to George Fox.

We will be serving dessert and refreshments. We hope to see you there! Contact Mindi Hynes (mhynes@georgefox.edu) for more information.

If you received a new phone recently, you could lose access to GFU email, Canvas, Zoom, and other essential apps due to the Multi-Factor Authentication requirements.

Important Reminders:

• App Transfers: While apps like Okta Verify or Google Authenticator will transfer to your new phone, your account information will not.
• Updating Settings: If you still have your old device or a second way to verify, you can update your authentication method at login.georgefox.edu > your name > settings > security methods.
• Setup Guide: You can find detailed steps on how to prepare your MFA for a new phone in this instructional guide (apologies for not including this link in yesterday’s announcement).

Need Help?

If you have already activated a new phone and are unable to log in, please contact the Service Desk at 503-554-2569 or via email at servicedesk@georgefox.edu.

C.S. Lewis is one of the most influential voices of the 20th century, yet vast areas of his thought and legacy remain unexplored.

Building on the extraordinary momentum of our inaugural gathering, George Fox is hosting the 2026 Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference Sept. 24-27. This event will convene the world’s leading scholars and the next generation of thinkers for four days of cutting-edge research and imaginative engagement.

Scholars are invited to submit anonymous proposals of 300 to 500 words by March 31, 2026. Proposals should be for 20-minute papers in one of the six categories of our general theme “the undiscovered C.S. Lewis”:

• Historical studies that set Lewis in his own time
• Reassessments that question, contest, reaffirm, or clarify interpretations of his work or biography
• Comparative studies on Lewis and other thinkers and writers
• [Re]assessments of Lewis’s work in light of contemporary situations
• Explorations of his lesser-known material, and
• Presentations of previously unpublished material by Lewis

Acceptable submissions include, but are not limited to, the following disciplines: history, biography, literature, philosophy, theology, apologetics, ethics, political science, natural sciences, cultural studies, and rhetoric.

Proposals not specifically focused on Lewis but advancing scholarship on other Inklings or related writers are also welcome.

As a public-facing academic conference, we invite papers that are scholarly but accessible to a wider public audience. Submissions are welcome from scholars at every career stage, and limited scholarships (free conference registrations) are available for students or independent scholars with accepted papers.

Email submissions for peer-review consideration to undiscoveredlewis@georgefox.edu by the March 31 deadline. Please anonymize your submission.

Questions or inquiries prior to submission regarding the suitability of proposals may be directed to professor Jason Lepojärvi at jlepojarvi@georgefox.edu.

We invite you to join us for a special presentation featuring the founders of Slumberkins, who will share the inspiration behind the brand. The presentation will take place in Hoover 105 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Tuesday, Feb. 3. 

Slumberkins is a beloved emotional learning brand on a mission to help children grow into caring, confident and resilient humans. Created by a special education teacher and a family therapist, Slumberkins blends heart, science and storytelling to support children’s emotional well-being at home and in the classroom.

Attend the presentation to discover the stories behind the characters, learn practical strategies for fostering emotional growth, and be inspired by tools that make a lasting impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear directly from the creators of Slumberkins and explore how these lovable creatures are empowering children and families everywhere.

Questions? Contact Nickie Snyder at nsnyder@georgefox.edu.