The Daily Bruin

Plan to join us for the all-employee meeting tomorrow (Thursday), from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Bauman Auditorium!

Our theme this month is “Christmas,” which will include the serving of festive snack platters of cherry tomatoes, sliced cheese and rosemary in the shape of a tree, with regular and gluten-free crackers on the side. We’ll also have “Holiday Rice” (and gluten-free Chex), “Krispy Squares” (green and red M&M’s mixed in), cranberry and lime punch, and ice water.

At the Portland Center, we will have a live video feed and also serve treats in Room 235 (please note room change from last month’s meeting).

Here is the agenda …

Welcome
Rob Westervelt

Employee of the Month

Devotional
Linda Samek

Achieving the Vision
Melissa Thomas, registrar
“Spring Forecast”

Patrick Kelley, director of graduate admissions
“Graduate Admissions Update”

John Smith, head coach, men’s and women’s track

Innovating to Improve Outcomes
Ted Allen, chief operations officer

Putting Students First
Jeremy Lloyd, creative content manager
“Undergraduate Major Pages”

Christ in Everything
Chuck Conniry, vice president and dean, George Fox Evangelical Seminary
“College of Christian Studies”

Closing Remarks
Robin Baker

‘Tis the season to ship packages, and we have some tips to help ensure that your package arrives safely.

1. Do not wrap the box in brown paper, grocery bags, wrapping paper, etc. (Too many times, the paper is ripped off in the handling and shipping process – and the address and postage are gone!)

• Just use a plain old box – a cereal box, a ShopVac box, an Office Depot box, etc.
• We have a wide variety of the free Priority boxes – regular and Flat Rate.
• Be sure any old address label on the box is covered with a blank adhesive label; we have free blank labels you can use – just ask a clerk.
• Put your new address label directly onto the box (or write the address on a clear side of the box).
• Another safety item: Put a copy of the address it is going to inside the box – just in case it gets torn open.

2. Use blue or black ink for the address. Do not use red ink. Red is hard to read by the U.S. Mail scanners.

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

Heartsaver, CPR/AED and first aid classes will be available to take during the Christmas break. The eight-hour class will be split between two days during the week, or all day on a Saturday. Each class needs a minimum of six people and has a maximum of eight. The cost is $45.

Dates/Times:

• Jan. 6 and 8 (Monday and Wednesday), 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• Jan. 7 and 9 (Tuesday and Thursday), 1-5:30 p.m.
• Jan. 11 (Saturday), 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Where: Hoover 209

Sign up on security’s website. Contact Mark Stone in security services at 503-554-2090 for more information.

Textbook Buyback is happening all this week at the Textbook Annex located at 1109 E. Hancock St., in Newberg. Remember to visit gfubookstore.com to get a price quote before you come in to get an additional 10 percent back for your books.

We are still in need of many willing servants to serve as ushers at the December commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 21, in Miller Gymnasium. Hand out programs, direct graduates’ families and friends to their seats, and help make graduation a special event for all involved. All university employees who participate as ushers will be paid $25 per ceremony through payroll. The hours of commitment would be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please let Jennifer Kepler (jkepler@georgefox.edu) know ASAP if this is something you would like to be a part of. It’s a great opportunity to see that special student graduate, volunteer in a much-needed area of service, and be a part of a special event.

Thank you for considering being involved!

The Jan. 14 visit by organic chemistry candidate Anton V. Dubrovskiy, announced in Tuesday’s Daily Bruin, has been canceled.

The service window at Mail Services (North Street Annex) will be closed on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 24. The window will be open on the following days over the break:

• Dec. 23
• Dec. 30-31
• Jan. 2-3
• Jan. 6-10

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on all open days listed above.

Mail Services will be closed:

• Dec. 24-27
• Jan. 1

Please join us for an organic chemistry candidate seminar by Anton V. Dubrovskiy, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate at California Institute of Technology. The title of the lecture is “Adventures in Aryne Chemistry and Total Synthesis of Ritterazine B.”

This lecture is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 4 p.m. in EHS 102 and is sponsored by the Department of Biology and Chemistry.

Please contact Jane Sweet (jsweet@georgefox.edu) if you have any questions.

Still looking for a Christmas tree? How about a Christmas poinsettia? Christmas trees and poinsettias are available for $5 each!

The music department is selling the trees and plants that were used as decorations for this year’s Christmas Concert. If you would like one, contact Debbie Hawblitzel at ext. 2620 or e-mail her at dhawblit@georgefox.edu.

If you are on the Newberg campus today (Tuesday), please join your colleagues for the all-employee Christmas lunch in the Cap and Gown Room. Lunch will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in order to accommodate various work schedules.

Merry Christmas!

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

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

The faculty courier service will be suspended over Christmas break and will resume on Monday, Jan. 16.

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

The service window at Mail Services (North Street Annex) will be open on the following dates over the Christmas break:

• Dec. 23-24
• Dec. 30-31
• Jan. 2-3
• Jan. 6-10

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on all open days listed above.

Mail Services will be closed:

• Dec. 25-27
• Jan. 1

Access to student mailboxes

• Undergrad students: You can access your mailbox on all of the open dates listed.
• VAC graduate students: The last day to check your mailbox is Dec. 20, 2013 (until Jan. 6).

Mail that arrives after Dec. 20 will be held at Mail Services’ North Street Annex from Dec. 21 through Jan. 3. You can stop and ask for it on the open dates. Packages can be picked up during the regular window hours on those open dates.

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

Still looking for a Christmas tree? Christmas trees are available for $5 each!

The music department is selling the trees that were on the outside, by the doors of Bauman Auditorium, for the Christmas Concert. If you would like one, contact Debbie Hawblitzel at ext. 2620 or e-mail her at dhawblit@georgefox.edu.

Drop by the library’s annual wassail party today (Monday) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please take a break and join us in the MLRC multi-purpose room for homemade cookies, wassail and coffee.

Our treat to you!

– Library staff

You already make a difference in the lives of George Fox students through your daily investment of time and talent. Would you also consider investing in students through your treasure?

The end of the year is quickly approaching. Gifts from George Fox employees make it possible for students to receive tremendous opportunities for spiritual formation, vocational development and character growth.

To see videos and students’ testimonies of how these types of opportunities at George Fox deepen their relationship with God and prepare them for exceptional life outcomes as world changers please go to giving.georgefox.edu.

For an easy way to give via payroll deduction, please follow this link.

If you want to receive 2013 tax credit, please make sure your donation meets the following deadlines:

• Checks must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31.
• Online donations must be processed no later than Dec. 31 at midnight (Pacific time).
• Credit card payments must be processed in our office no later than Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. (Pacific time). To reach us on Dec. 31, please call Kristi Hagen at 503-554-2111.

Many thanks to those who have already responded! You make such a difference in students’ lives.

If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Andrews, vice president for advancement strategy and donor relations, at landrews@georgefox.edu.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Use your new, empty 2014 Spring sites as the sites in which you will teach. You may import content from another course site. See the instructions here for importing.

2014 Spring sites are currently hidden from students. 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 Available (Visible) to Students. After our Dec. 31 FoxTALE upgrade, this path will change. Here are the new instructions: FoxTALE Making Courses Visible (Available) to Students.

If you used the FoxTALE grade book for any of your FoxTALE course sites, we recommend that you back up your 2013 Fall grade book to a spreadsheet that is saved outside of FoxTALE. See the instructions here for backing up grades. You will want to keep an archive of your course grades that cover the last five years.

If your course site is set to “Weekly” format, your course might show incorrect dates. To change the dates, go to Settings > Course administration > Edit settings on the course home page. Scroll down to the Course start date and change it to the first day of your summer course. Scroll to the bottom of the page and “Save changes.” After the Dec. 31 upgrade the path will be Administration > Edit Settings > Scroll down to Course start date.

Contact Kandie Comfort at kcomfort@georgefox.edu if you have questions.

Our next FoxTALE upgrade occurs Tuesday, Dec. 31, between 6 and 10 a.m. Pacific Time. FoxTALE will be unavailable during this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Several new features and procedures will be available after this upgrade, and a particular new procedure to take note of is how to make your course visible to students. Find out more at this link.

Full details of the upgrade are at this this FoxTALE for Faculty link.

W-2 consent needed from all (including student employees)
If you have not yet given consent to receive your W-2 online, please do so now before we order forms for printing. It takes just a minute to log into MyGFU and go to “Self Service,” “Payroll and Compensation,” “W-2 Consent” and check the box. Help us go green today!

Update your personal data in MyGFU
While you’re in MyGFU, please verify that your address, social security number, and any other personal information is up to date before we issue W-2s. From “Self Service,” open the “Campus Personal Information” screen and verify/update your information. If there is a change or misspelling in your primary name, please contact HR at hr@georgefox.edu.

As you are cleaning out your dorms and offices before Christmas break, it would be greatly appreciated if you would bring back to Bon Appetit any dishware you may have “accidentally” taken out of the building with you this past semester.

We have some bus tubs set up just outside the dish room for your convenience in returning dishes.

Thank you!