The Daily Bruin

To manage existing maintenance needs and project requests, Plant Services is implementing a formal project review and approval process beginning Thursday, Feb. 1.

The Plant Services Operating Budget is for maintaining facilities and equipment to their designed state. Any additions or improvements that alter existing space or asset are considered projects and are not funded by the maintenance department.

A Project Review Committee (PRC) has been formed that will review submitted projects to establish adherence to the university’s mission, priority and funding. All projects must be approved by the appropriate dean or department head before being considered by the PRC.

The PRC will meet monthly between September and March, or more frequently as needed. Anything submitted after March 1 will not be considered until the following school year to be budgeted during the capital planning process.

A project request is to be submitted to the dean or department head using the “Project Request Form,” located on the Plant Services webpage under “Quick Links.” This form must be fully completed and include the signatures of the appropriate academic dean or department head, and building monitor. Once the signatures are collected, the Project Request Form is then routed to Plant Services and the PRC.

If the PRC approves the project and funds are available, the requestor will be informed, and the request will be submitted to the Plant Services director for management and scheduling.

The full policy and a summary of maintenance versus project requests is available here.

Please contact Dan vanderWater (dvanderwater@georgefox.edu) with any questions about the project approval process.

Can we find common ground in our polarized world? Join us for an interfaith panel discussion highlighting practical ways in which the Abrahamic faiths are moving toward finding peace and unity across our political, cultural, and religious divides.

The seventh annual Circle of Peace Seminar is set from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 5, in Canyon Commons 101. Sharing the stage will be our brilliant speakers Rabbi David Kosak of Neveh Shalom in Portland, Arif Humayun, president and cofounder of Circle of Peace, and Paul Anderson, professor of biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox.

Contact Kaleb Puckett (puckettk16@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

All-employee lunch is just around the corner! Join your colleagues for lunch tomorrow (Tuesday) in Canyon Commons anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Cost is $3 per plate.

Hope to see you there!

Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts will be represented at Art Talk tonight (Monday) at the Chehalem Cultural Center (415 E. Sheridan St.). Join us for this free presentation from 6 to 7 p.m.

Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts (CSIA) provides a creative educational, social and economical conduit for Native Americans through artistic development. They will be speaking about who they are and their practice. All are welcome, and food and drink will be available.

Hope to see you there! Contact Elizabeth Herrera (herrerae16@georgefox.edu) for more information.

Interested in learning more about technology and how it applies to the educational experience? You are invited to a free conference hosted by the Oregon Technology in Education Network (OTEN) on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Pacific University’s Forest Grove campus. George Fox is a founding member of the OTEN consortium.

The gathering will feature peer-reviewed presentations from university faculty and other educators from across Oregon and the Northwest. We would like to encourage faculty and staff who have been innovating with their teaching to register for the free half-day conference (8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.).

For more information, please take a look at the conference website here.

Join us for the final performances of George Fox theatre department’s production of Ellen McLaughlin’s Tongue of a Bird this week (note: the production does have mature themes).

Student tickets are free on Thursday, Feb. 1. Bring your student ID to the door, and please note that the name on the ticket needs to match the ID of the person attending the show. Employees are provided with one complimentary ticket for any of the shows.

The show runs in Wood-Mar Auditorium Feb. 1-3 at 7:30 p.m., and will also include a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb. 4. Reserve your seat online and bring your George Fox ID with you to show at the door. You may also purchase additional tickets online. Tickets are also available for pick-up at the box office in the Bruin Store (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).

For more information, visit this page. See you at the show!

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) will be hosting two workshops about APA writing style this semester. The first one is this Wednesday, Jan. 31, so please share these opportunities with your students ASAP.

Primary APA Workshop
Jan. 31, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Lemmons 8
Professor Sue O’Donnell will be giving a thorough workshop about APA style, including formatting, citations and references, writing style, and more.

Follow-Up APA Workshop
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Lemmons 8
Students can join the ARC Coordinator, Maddie Lowen, for hands-on practice with APA citations and references, including immediate feedback and question/answer time. All students are welcome, even if they were not able to attend the first APA workshop.

Have questions? Contact Maddie Lowen (mlowen@georgefox.edu).

Know of students looking for a job this summer? We have almost 20 camps coming to campus on Wednesday, Jan. 31, to talk to students about hundreds of summer job opportunities.

There will be Christian camps from near and far in Canyon Commons from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Encourage students to stop by anytime during that time frame to talk to camps like Tadmor, Twin Rocks, Tilikum, Base Sports, Cascades, Camp Lutherwood and many more!

If a student has a question about the event, have them email Grace Packer at gpacker@georgefox.edu.

If you consented to receive your 1098T Tax Benefits for Education Tax forms online, the 2017 tax form is available now for those who qualify. If you still wish to consent, you may do so and your form will be immediately available, again, assuming you qualify. If you do not want this service, your tax form will be printed and mailed on or before Jan. 31.

For 2017, George Fox University is again reporting “CHARGES” in Box 2, not payments, Box 1. Next January, for 2018, we will change to report payments.

Contact Jenny Getsinger (jgetsing@georgefox.edu) if you have any questions.

Night to Shine is just around the corner (Friday, Feb. 9)! Night to Shine is a prom for those with special needs. The night is complete with a red carpet entrance, limo rides, karaoke, dinner, hair and makeup, shoe shinning, and lots of dancing!

We are still in need of buddies to help our special guests have the ultimate prom experience. If you would like to sign up or have questions, visit this link or email Katlyn Kronschnabl at katlyn@newbergcc.org.

Medical and Dental Changes
Your team has been preparing for open enrollment for health insurance. Our primary focus has been reviewing our options for a cost-effective solution with the best coverage for our employees for medical and dental.

George Fox will continue to offer both Kaiser and the Regence health plans. There will be some changes, including both deductibles and premiums. We are continuing to fine tune the details with our vendors as we prepare for open enrollment in February for the plan year beginning April 1, 2018. We appreciate those of you who participated in the benefit survey, as this information has been very helpful as we look at our options.

We will be making final decisions in late January and including a Benefit Fair during this year’s open enrollment. Mark your calendar to join us Wednesday, Feb. 21, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Canyon Commons.

Elective Employee Deferral Limits for 2018
Effective April 1, 2018, the Allegiance Flexible Spending Accounts limits will be:

• Health Flexible Spending Account: $2,650
• Dependent Care FSA: $5,000 (no change)

Effective Jan. 1, 2018, you can increase your TIAA Supplemental Annuity Account contribution at any time by completing the TIAA election form, up to the maximum annual limit:

• Annual contribution limit: $18,500
• Annual catch-up contribution: $6,000 (no change)
• Annual additional amount for 15-plus years at George Fox: $3,000 (no change)

Tax Withholding Table Updates
The IRS has issued new 2018 federal income tax withholding tables. Notice 1036 provides information about the changes and can be found at this link. If you’d like to change your tax withholding, visit the George Fox payroll website for the W-4 form.

Please contact Darby Thiessen at dthiessen@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2188 for assistance with these or any of your George Fox University benefits.

The George Fox physical therapy program is doing a 50/50 raffle during the women’s basketball game at 4 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday)! We are raising money for a serve trip to Africa in June where we will be giving free physical therapy to those in need.

Please consider participating or donating to our cause. We appreciate it. Thank you!

Contact Justine Benner (jbenner12@georgefox.edu) for more information.

All-employee lunch is just around the corner! Join your colleagues for lunch on Tuesday, Jan. 30, in Canyon Commons anytime between 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Cost is $3 per plate.

Hope to see you there!

Employee mothers-to-be and mothers of young children are invited to an informal time of connection and conversation. Bring your own lunch and come and go as you please.

We’ll be gathered in Canyon Commons 101 from noon to 1:30 p.m. today (Friday). Contact Jamie Noling-Auth (jnolingauth@georgefox.edu) or Danielle Warner (dwarner@georgefox.edu) for more details.

Hello all Spanish speakers! Erick Torres will be hosting a Spanish table this semester in Canyon Commons on Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. Look for a table with the Aztec calendar on the napkin holder.

Come over, eat food and practice speaking Spanish. Practice makes perfect!

Contact Viki Defferding (vdefferding@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

Join the Staff Development Committee for the Wellness Challenge (through Feb. 16)! Submit this form with your activities for points by Saturday each week! Check the Wellness Challenge each Monday for new activities to enhance your wellness. Monthly winners will receive a free staff lunch!

Questions? Contact Adina McConaughey (amcconaughey@georgefox.edu).

All are invited to attend the opening reception for an art show featuring recent works by Kathleen Jones (MLRC) and Mark Terry (Department of Art & Design) at the Art Elements Gallery, 604 E. 1st St., in Newberg. The title of the show is “Of Sticks and Stones.”

A reception is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday), with an artist’s talk around 5 p.m. Work will be on display through March 3.

Contact Mark Terry (mterry@georgefox.edu) for more information.

Nursing’s Kenya serve trip team will be selling Krispy Kreme donuts and raffle tickets at the basketball games against Willamette tonight (Friday) at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Cost is only $1 for a donut!

Come support your Bruins and enjoy some delicious donuts while supporting our team. One winner will be announced for the raffle, but you do not have to be present to win!

Contact Hannah Thom (hthom16@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

Come support men’s and women’s basketball and reconnect with alumni at Bruin FanFest tomorrow (Saturday). The event begins at 3:30 p.m., just prior to the 4 p.m. tip-off of the women’s basketball game against Linfield. The men will tip off at 6 p.m.

The festivities will include:

• Free Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwiches for the first 100 George Fox alumni through the doors
• A Polaroid photo booth (3:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
• A bounce house and fun blow-up games for children of all ages (3:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
• A caricature artist to capture hand-drawn memories from the evening (3:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
• Face painting and poster making to show your Bruin pride (3:30 to 7:30 p.m.)
• Exclusive Bruin FanFest T-shirt for sale
• And more!

Questions? Contact the sports marketing department (sportsmarketing@georgefox.edu).

Looking for a free dinner? Interested in other cultures? Need more chapel credits? Want to make connections and worship Jesus? Then Spanish Chapel is the place for you!

Tonight (Friday) at 6 p.m. in the FoxHole we will be worshiping Jesus, hearing a message in Spanish, and eating food together. Everyone is welcome whether or not you have Spanish experience. Chapel credit is also available for anyone who comes and fills out the George Fox elective credit form.

We hope to see you there!

Email Jenay Wolthausen (jwolthausen15@georgefox.edu) with any questions!