The Daily Bruin

In our busy lives it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but finding small, positive moments can significantly improve our well-being. According to researchers like Barbara Fredrickson, these fleeting bits of happiness act like “nutrients for psychological health,” helping us become more resilient over time.

To cultivate these moments, consider these simple strategies:

• Find “reverse pet peeves”: Author Bree Groff defines these as small things that bring you a disproportionate amount of joy. While a pet peeve might be a minor annoyance like finding a sock on the floor, a reverse pet peeve could be something as simple as the satisfaction of a perfectly organized drawer or the sound of rain hitting the window.
• Do something “slo-mo”: Dr. Sue Varma, a clinical professor of psychiatry, suggests intentionally slowing down a routine task to half-speed. This practice of mindfulness can improve your psychological health. For instance, instead of rushing through making coffee, you might slowly grind the beans, savoring the aroma, and carefully pour the water, focusing on the process.
• Find “the sliver”: If a big joy like a weekend getaway isn’t possible, author Bree Groff suggests finding a “sliver” of that experience. Instead of an elaborate dinner out, you could make a fancy sandwich at home and eat it on your nicest plates. If you love long hikes in the mountains, you could take a short walk in a local park and appreciate the sounds of nature.

These small, intentional actions can improve your well-being and help you find a little more joy in your day.

These suggestions are inspired by the article “Happiness Doesn’t Have to be a Heavy Lift” in The New York Times (June 26, 2025).

Professors will be entering midterm grades in MyGeorgeFox by today (Wednesday). These midterm grades provide important insight into a student’s academic progress in your courses.

If a student’s midterm grade is a D or an F, they are encouraged to immediately schedule a meeting with their professor to discuss their path to improvement. If, after that discussion, it seems unlikely they can raise their grade, encourage them to contact their CAP coach as soon as possible to explore the implications of withdrawing from the course.

A few points to consider:

• If a student withdraws from a class, their transcript will show a “W,” and their GPA will not be affected.
• If a student receives an F in the course, their GPA will suffer.
• The last day to withdraw from a class is Sunday, Dec. 7.

At this point in the semester, students who withdraw from some but not all of their classes will not have any changes made to their financial aid or student account charges.

If a student is currently on a financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Warning or SAP Academic Plan, they are to check with their financial aid counselor to confirm whether withdrawing from any courses will affect their financial aid. Any questions about SAP standing or academic plan can be directed to their financial aid counselor.

Academic resources for students are easily accessible on campus, so encourage students to use them:

• The ARC (Academic Resource Center)
• Tutoring labs and centers

Additional information regarding grades and withdrawing from classes:

• Please be advised that the university has extended the class withdrawal deadline for the benefit of our students. The new deadline is now the Sunday before the last week of class. For full-semester classes, this is the end of week 15 rather than week 10.
• For classes that meet in shorter sessions within the semester, specific withdrawal deadlines are listed in the class details on class.georgefox.edu.

If a student has any questions or needs assistance, please have them contact Jere Witherspoon at studentlife@georgefox.edu.

Jason Brummit and the Faculty Scholarship and Achievement Committee invite you to join them for the Fall Faculty Lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. in Hoover 105.

Abraham Kang, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and winner of the 2024-25 Faculty Achievement Award for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, is the featured faculty speaker.

Dr. Kang’s lecture, “Advancing Biomedical Engineering Through Student-Led Research and Innovation,” will showcase several student-led projects that span fundamental science, engineering, and medical devices.

Please join us as he illustrates how mentoring young investigators not only accelerates biomedical discovery but also prepares the next generation of engineers and scientists to solve challenges at the intersection of science, engineering, medicine, and human health.

The university and surrounding community are invited, and refreshments will be provided. We hope you are able to support Abraham by attending.

If you have questions, email Laurie Fair at lfair@georgefox.edu.

Join us for a webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 11 a.m. featuring Ruben Halperin, the medical director at Providence Health Plan. He’ll discuss cancer screenings, the pivotal role of preventive care, and the benefits of having a dedicated primary care provider to guide you through your health journey.

You can access the webinar here.

We live in an active seismic zone. During Emergency Preparedness Month, we practice the proper response to ensure that when a real earthquake strikes, our immediate instinct is to protect ourselves and effectively prevent injury. So this year, during the Great Shakeout, get ready to drop, cover, and hold on!

How do I participate? At 10:16 a.m. this Thursday, Oct. 16, stop what you are doing and get under a table or desk. Cover your head with your arms or hands.

If you are in the quad, move away from buildings toward the center of the quad. If you are in a lab, turn off the gas and get down. Think and practice what you would need to do if we were to experience an earthquake for one minute.

These steps increase your chances of surviving if a real earthquake strikes.

If you have questions on how to participate in the Great Shakeout, reach out to Kim Knoernschild at kknoernschild@georgefox.edu.

The “Work Safe, Be Well” initiative is focused on the vital connection between workplace safety and overall well-being. We’re asking, “What’s health got to do with workplace safety?” The answer is: everything.

Your personal health—how you manage stress, what you eat, and how much you sleep—directly impacts your focus, your energy, and ultimately, your safety and productivity on the job.

To help you understand this important connection, we encourage you to explore the valuable resources provided by SAIF on their dedicated webpage. Take a moment to browse the topics, learn the simple steps you can take to make a positive change in your own life, and share this essential information with your colleagues.

Let’s work together to make this a safe and healthy semester for everyone!

Questions? Contact us at bewell@georgefox.edu.

– The Wellness and Safety Committees

The first Providence Medicare 101 webinar took place yesterday. This free educational session covered the different parts of Medicare (the A, B, C and Ds), the key differences between Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Supplement, and when you should enroll for Original Medicare.

If you missed this valuable, no-pressure overview, you are invited to attend the next session on Monday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m. You can register for the next webinar here.

We also want to remind you that open enrollment for Medicare begins tomorrow (Wednesday). This is your critical window to compare health and drug plans for the upcoming year. To prepare, log in or create your Medicare account at medicare.gov/plan-compare before tomorrow. This will make comparing plans based on your specific prescriptions much easier.

Have question about Providence Medicare options? Contact Providence Medicare expert Jasmyn Sprague at 360-909-6699 or jasmyn.sprague2@providence.org.

The George Fox theatre department invites you to see its fall 2025 production, Havurah, presented through the Big Bridge Theatre Consortium.

Written by Margot Connolly and directed by Ben Tissell, the play tells the story of life at Crosby College, a small liberal arts university, where two student clubs strive for connection and comfort in difficult times.

When a tragedy occurs in the local Jewish community, members of the Havurah club are left reeling. The Christian social justice club wants to help, but struggles to know how. Deeply relevant and strikingly realistic, Havurah depicts the complexities and possibilities of connecting with others in times of grief.

The show opens on Thursday, Oct. 23, and closes on Nov. 2. Evening shows start at 7:30 p.m., and weekend matinees start at 2 p.m. Employees are entitled to one complimentary ticket, and students may attend free on either Thursday. You may reserve tickets here.

Dr. Ron Clark, a theology professor at George Fox and founder of Agape Community Ministries, will join us this Thursday, Oct. 16, at 4:30 p.m. in Canyon Commons for a conversation about healthy masculinity.

This conversation is for both men and women and will unpack how to have healthy partnerships with members of the opposite sex. Chapel credit is available.

The Maker Hub is planning its fifth annual Santa’s Workshop event! For the uninitiated, the Maker Hub and the university special events crew partner up each December to host a joint Santa’s Workshop making event during the campus-wide Christmas Extravaganza.

The Maker Hub’s portion of this event involves hosting hundreds of students, employees, families, and community members who come and make various Christmas gifts using Maker Hub equipment. It’s a blast!

As this event continues to grow in popularity, we are searching for a team of people to help plan the activities and execute the event. If you enjoy making things, teaching others how to make things, and you are overflowing with Christmas-themed ideas and visions that are begging for a creative outlet, this is the opportunity for you!

Please contact Nick at nsullivan@georgefox.edu if you are interested in joining the Santa’s Workshop team. Looking forward to an exciting time of making and fellowship this December!

The Department of Biological and Molecular Sciences invites you to the 14th annual Dalton Lecture this Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Bauman Auditorium.

This year’s lecture features Dr. Thomas Rizzo speaking on “Molecular Asymmetry and the Enigma of Life’s Origins.” Dr. Rizzo will also give a science lecture that day at 3:30 p.m. in Bauman Auditorium.

Both lectures are open to the public and free of charge. Chapel credit will be given at the evening event. More details are available here.

Newberg campus offices will be closed tomorrow (Friday) for the mid-semester holiday. The Murdock Library will be closed, but the 24-hour space will remain open.

The Bruin Store will also be closed on Friday.

What an incredible first week of Miles for Meals! We have 105 participants, and collectively we’ve logged a staggering 2,870.3 miles!

And, thanks to your generosity and fundraising efforts, we have already raised $965 for the Bruin Community Pantry! This strong start demonstrates our community’s dedication to both personal wellness and supporting those in need. Every step is counting, and we’re just getting started!

Weekly winner and top performers

Congratulations to our randomly selected weekly winner, Carilyn Ellis, who has won a $25 Fred Meyer gift card! She is the first of many to be rewarded, as the gift card values will increase for future drawings.

The competition is already fierce at the top of the leaderboard. Here are the top teams:

• Leading the pack are Too Blessed to Rest (347.7 total miles)
• Followed closely by Robin Shake n’ Baker (246.1 total miles)
• And then the Red Hot Chili Steppers (220.2 total miles)

And the top individuals, setting an incredible pace:

• David Martinez (135.6 miles)
• Benjamin Wing (125.9 miles)
• Mark Pothoff (86.2 miles)

Crucial reminder: sync your activity! To ensure all your efforts count toward the team totals and grand prizes, please take a moment today to log any manual activities and sync your fitness devices. We know many of you are moving even more than the tracker shows, so don’t miss out on credit for your hard work!

Boost our giving and fundraising goal! We hit $990 yesterday, but we can do more! Encourage people to donate and fundraise. Our goal is to make a massive impact for the Bruin Community Pantry, and involving your friends and family is a powerful way to help.

If you would like to link your fundraising efforts to this challenge:

1. Visit the Bruin Community Pantry fundraising page
2. Scroll down past the leaderboard to the tabs section, then click the “Fundraisers” tab.
3. Find your page, then click it! If you don’t have a page set up, sign up here.
4. Copy the URL, or use the text-to-give code found at the top of your page and share it with others! Any donations given through your link will be attributed to your page.

Stay active, keep logging those miles for your chance to win, and let’s turn our movement into meals for the Bruin Community Pantry!

The Hadlock Student Center will have modified hours for the mid-semester break:

• Friday: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Navigating Medicare can be complex. To help you and your loved ones understand your options, Providence is hosting free “Medicare 101” educational webinars on Oct. 13 and Nov. 10.

These one-hour online sessions are a great opportunity to learn the basics of Medicare – including the different parts (A, B, C, and D) and the differences between plan types – in a no-pressure, sales-free environment. Feel free to invite your spouse, parents, or any family members who could benefit.

Choose the session that works best for you: Monday, Oct. 13, at 5 p.m (register here) or Monday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m. (register here).

Do you long for time and space to be still and experience Christ’s presence with others? All are welcome to join Quaker worship in the chapel from 11 to 11:30 a.m. today (Wednesday). Elective chapel credit is available for students.

Contact Jay Miller at jaym@georgefox.edu with any questions.

We are excited to welcome George Fox families to campus Friday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Oct. 26, for Family Weekend!

Thank you for putting on your best George Fox welcome and helping families navigate campus as needed. We want to provide the most hospitable and fun experience possible for visiting families.

Also, take great care in encouraging those students who may not have a family member who can attend. Anyone is welcome to register for Family Weekend and join students for the weekend’s activities.

To register and view the schedule, follow this link. Questions? Email parents@georgefox.edu.

In an era defined by perpetual connectivity, our digital devices have become near-permanent extensions of ourselves, fostering a pervasive and often unhealthy attachment. With a staggering 84% of users admitting they couldn’t last a day without their phone, it’s clear we’ve become tethered to screens.

This constant digital engagement means that life’s most authentic, unfiltered moments – the spontaneous conversations and fleeting experiences that will never be repeated – are often missed. As we stare down at our glowing rectangles, our attention perpetually divided, we risk becoming passive spectators to the very lives we are meant to be actively living.

The antidote to this digital deluge lies in the intentional act of unplugging. By powering down, we create space for solitude, a grounding stillness that allows us to reflect on our lives away from the constant noise of external notifications and opinions.

This deliberate disconnect shifts our focus from passive consumption – the endless scrolling, streaming, and browsing – toward active creation, unlocking our unique passions and solutions.

Choosing a specific period each day to put devices away isn’t about rejecting technology, but about resetting our focus, combatting the dissatisfaction often bred by social media, and rediscovering our gratitude for the world and the people right in front of us.

Bon Appetit will have adjusted hours for the mid-semester break on Friday, Oct. 10.

• The Maker’s Market will be closed.
• The Bridge Cafe will be open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• In Canyon Commons, we will be opening breakfast at 8 a.m.

All other hours for the weekend will remain the same.

Please visit georgefox.cafebonappetit.com for the most up-to-date hours.

In case you missed our recent IT security announcement, we’re answering the most important questions about the upcoming changes to your George Fox account login.

Q: What is happening to my login? A: We are retiring SMS (text message) and phone call verification methods. Soon, you will no longer be able to use a text message code to log in.

Q: Why is this change being made? A: Text message-based authentication is vulnerable to modern cyberattacks. This change is essential to better protect your account and university data.

Q: What do I need to do? A: You must set up the Okta Verify mobile app as your primary method for multi-factor authentication (MFA). This will allow you to approve logins securely from your smartphone or tablet.

Q: What if I don’t switch in time? A: You will experience an interruption to your login, and you will need to contact the Service Desk by phone for assistance. Please act now to avoid this!

Q: I already use Okta Verify or Google Authenticator. Do I need to do anything? A: Nope! You are all set, and no action is required.

Need help getting started? The IT Service Desk is here for you! Contact them at 503-554-2569 or servicedesk@georgefox.edu.