The Daily Bruin

IT will be staffed and available over the Christmas break. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29 and 30, computer hardware repair services will be limited so our staff can enjoy the holidays with their families and be ready to serve you in the new year.

Newberg hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the days the university is open for business during the break. We will close for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. until Monday, Jan. 4.

Questions? Contact Josh Nauman at jnauman@georgefox.edu.

With the return of his daughter from a study abroad trip to Lithuania, President Robin Baker took time to reflect on the deep desire all parents have for the safety of their children.

You can read his reflections on his blog post here.

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 7 p.m. – Men’s basketball vs. Augustana (Ill.), Wheeler Sports Center

For more information, contact the sports information office at ext. 2926 or visit the George Fox sports website at gfubruins.com.

With the holidays quickly approaching, the finance department would like to bring to your attention the schedule for processing check requests and expense reimbursements to accommodate the short holiday weeks.

Please click this link to view the holiday check run schedule posted on the “Forms” page of the finance department’s website. Please check this webpage periodically for any changes to the current schedule. If you have questions, contact Jen Klapp at jklapp@georgefox.edu.

Please note that the finance department will be closed from Thursday, Dec. 24, through Friday, Jan. 1, so no checks will be available from accounts payable during this time.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

– The Finance Department

IT will be staffed and available over the Christmas break. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29 and 30, computer hardware repair services will be limited so our staff can enjoy the holidays with their families and be ready to serve you in the new year.

Newberg hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the days the university is open for business during the break. We will close for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. until Monday, Jan. 4.

Questions? Contact Josh Nauman at jnauman@georgefox.edu.

Please take note of the courier schedule during the Christmas break:

• Monday, Dec. 21: Courier delivery
• Thursday, Dec. 24: No courier

There will be no courier service between Dec. 28 and Jan. 1. The courier service will resume on Jan. 4.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Richard Silver at rsilver@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2551.

Merry Christmas,
Mail services

A few things to take note of as you mail packages …

No duct tape
As you tape up your outgoing packages being shipped by UPS, U.S. Mail or any other shipping carrier, do not use duct tape of any color. The drivers will refuse to take the package. This was originally a result of security following Sept. 11, 2001. Some carriers are again refusing to take packages with duct tape. Please just use clear packing tape for your outgoing packages.

Fragile packages
If you want “Special Handling for your Fragile package,” the package must be identified with a “Special Handling – Fragile” sticker that we have at mail services. These stickers are provided by the post office, and each sticker costs $10.35, in addition to the shipping costs of the package. For U.S. Mail packages, writing “Fragile” on the package does no good. The carriers do not handle these packages separately.

Shipping original art
If you want special handling of your ‘Original Art Work” you must purchase a $10.35 Fragile sticker at mail services for shipping by U.S. Mail. You still need your package packed securely to prevent damage. The only insurance that would be paid for “original art” would be based on an official appraised value of the piece of art by someone who is licensed to do this.

If you have questions, please email Linda Sartwell at lsartwel@georgefox.edu.

Still need a Christmas tree? The music department is making available some trees from last week’s Christmas concert. Feel free to drop by the front of Bauman Auditorium and pick one up for only $10.

Payment can be made with Debbie Hawblitzel (dhawblit@georgefox.edu) in the Ross Center.

Following are Christmas break hours for University Mail Services, located in the North Street Annex:

• Open: Dec. 21-23 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); Dec. 29-30 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.); Jan. 4-8 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Closed: Dec. 24-28; Dec. 29-30 (1 to 4:30 p.m.); Dec. 31 and Jan. 1

Christmas break hours for University Print Services:

• Open: Dec. 21-23 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); Jan. 4-8 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Closed: Dec. 24 – Jan. 1

Questions? Contact Linda Sartwell at lsartwel@georgefox.edu.

More than 250 students will receive undergraduate and graduate diplomas at the university’s midyear commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 19, in the Wheeler Sports Center. Seating begins at 10 a.m., and the ceremony will start at 11 a.m.

Tickets are not required; however, seating is limited to 10 guests per graduate. At 10:45 a.m., a live broadcast of the ceremony will be available to watch at this link.

George Fox alumnus Jeff Greene, a vice president and portfolio manager at First Republic Private Wealth Management with more than 10 years of experience in the wealth management business, will be the commencement speaker. The title of his presentation is “A Passion to Serve.”

The library’s intra-campus faculty courier service will be suspended during Christmas break. The service will resume on Jan. 11, 2016.

Questions? Contact Patty Vanier at pvanier@georgefox.edu.

Faculty, please submit requests for spring semester course reserves as soon as possible. Materials are processed in the order received and can take up to five days to complete.

Please fill out and submit the form located at this link. If you have any questions, please contact Patty Vanier at pvanier@georgefox.edu or ext. 2425.

Still need a Christmas tree? The music department is making available some trees from last week’s Christmas concert. Feel free to drop by the front of Bauman Auditorium and pick one up for only $10.

Payment can be made with Debbie Hawblitzel (dhawblit@georgefox.edu) in the Ross Center.

At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, George Fox will host the Oregon Symphony for its 29th appearance in Bauman Auditorium. The concert is free to George Fox employees – a gift from George Fox honorary board member Ken Austin, who cofounded A-dec with his late wife Joan.

The university has been provided with a limited number of tickets for its employees. These tickets are separate from those to be issued by the Newberg Area Chamber of Commerce to the general public.

George Fox employees (halftime and over) may pick up their tickets – limit two per employee – on a first-come, first-served basis starting today (Thursday) at 9 a.m. in the advancement office, located at 215 N. Meridian St. (across the street from the SpiL House). Phone reservations (503-554-2134) will not be taken except for employees at the Portland Center.

On Monday, Jan. 4, beginning at 9 a.m., any remaining tickets (again, a limit of two per person) will be available – also on a first-come, first-served basis – to those who sign up on a waiting list. If you find you will not be able to attend the concert, please return your tickets for another employee to use.

Questions? Contact Mary Monahan at mmonahan@georgefox.edu.

This time of year especially, gift certificates and gift cards may be purchased from university funds for employees and student employees. Because the IRS considers these cash equivalents, they are subject to tax if the recipient is an employee.

All you need to do is specify the full name of the recipient and the dollar amount of each certificate or card purchased when filling out your expense reimbursement request.

Finance will provide human resources with a copy of the form so the amount of the gift can be added for tax purposes on the next payroll. This applies to all employee types, including regular, adjunct, temporary and student employees.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Katie Sol at 503-554-2181.

IT will be staffed and available over the Christmas break. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29 and 30, computer hardware repair services will be limited so our staff can enjoy the holidays with their families and be ready to serve you in the new year.

Newberg hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the days the university is open for business during the break. We will close for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. until Monday, Jan. 4.

Questions? Contact Josh Nauman at jnauman@georgefox.edu.

At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, George Fox will host the Oregon Symphony for its 29th appearance in Bauman Auditorium. The concert is free to George Fox employees – a gift from George Fox honorary board member Ken Austin, who cofounded A-dec with his late wife Joan.

The university has been provided with a limited number of tickets for its employees. These tickets are separate from those to be issued by the Newberg Area Chamber of Commerce to the general public.

George Fox employees (halftime and over) may pick up their tickets – limit two per employee – on a first-come, first-served basis starting Thursday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. in the advancement office, located at 215 N. Meridian St. (across the street from the SpiL House). Phone reservations (503-554-2134) will not be taken except for employees at the Portland Center.

On Monday, Jan. 4, beginning at 9 a.m., any remaining tickets (again, a limit of two per person) will be available – also on a first-come, first-served basis – to those who sign up on a waiting list. If you find you will not be able to attend the concert, please return your tickets for another employee to use.

Questions? Contact Mary Monahan at mmonahan@georgefox.edu.

Following are Christmas break hours for University Mail Services, located in the North Street Annex:

• Open: Dec. 21-23 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); Dec. 29-30 (8 a.m. to 1 p.m.); Jan. 4-8 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Closed: Dec. 24-28; Dec. 29-30 (1 to 4:30 p.m.); Dec. 31 and Jan. 1

Christmas break hours for University Print Services:

• Open: Dec. 21-23 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); Jan. 4-8 (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
• Closed: Dec. 24 – Jan. 1

Questions? Contact Linda Sartwell at lsartwel@georgefox.edu.

We will serve our annual Christmas buffet to all of our meal-plan students today (Wednesday) from 5 to 7:30 p.m., and we’d like to invite employees and commuter students to join in our celebration.

We will have a carving station, a variety of salads and side dishes, and some holiday desserts and beverages, all for just $10 per person ($8 children).

– Bon Appetit

If you used the FoxTALE grade book for any of your FoxTALE course sites, back up your 2015 fall grade book to a spreadsheet that is saved outside of FoxTALE. Here are instructions for backing up grades. You will want to keep an archive of your course grades that cover the last five years.

Use your new, empty 2016 spring sites as the sites in which you will teach. You may import content from another course site. See the quick guide here: FoxTALE Import Course Content.

The 2016 spring sites are currently hidden from student view. When you are ready, you can share the sites with your students. Here is a quick guide on how to make the courses available: FoxTALE Making Courses Visible to Students.

If your course site is set to “Weekly” format, your course might show incorrect dates. To adjust the dates, go to Administration>Edit settings on the course home page. Scroll down to the course start date and change it to the first day of your 2016 spring course. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save changes.”

Visit the Schedule of Events page to see webinars and open labs offered for December and spring semester starting the week of Jan. 4.

Your Educational Technology Team
servicedesk@georgefox.edu