The Daily Bruin

All are welcome to attend Quaere Verum tonight (Monday), as senior Cameron DeWhitt performs and leads a discussion of his suite of biblically inspired music, Salvation Songs. These songs explore the themes of salvation from the many different perspectives presented in Scripture.

QV will begin at 7:30 p.m. The club gathers in the basement of 605 N. Meridian St., just across Meridian from the Media Center. The stairs to the basement can be accessed on the right side of the house.

Questions? Contact Jay Miller at millerj06@georgefox.edu.

If you know of someone whose recent contributions make him or her worthy of being named April Employee of the Month, please take a few minutes to send an e-mail to Peggy Kilburg that includes a specific summary of the person’s contributions (past 30 days or so) and any other relevant information about the person.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 22. The President’s Executive Leadership Team will select the recipient, and the winner will receive a certificate and a $100 Allison gift card at our community meeting at the end of April.

Despite the ramped-up pace that seems to come with the last month of the undergraduate academic year, please take a few minutes to honor a colleague with your nomination if someone comes to mind as deserving of this honor.

The university community is invited to the final Faculty Research Forum of the year during which Jim Smart will speak on the topic of “Genetically Engineering Mice to Understand Biology and Disease.” The forum is scheduled for Friday, April 8, from 10:40 to 11:30 a.m. in Hoover 105.

A George Fox sociology class invites you to join a Facebook group, “Breaking the Cycle of Divorce,” dedicated to bringing awareness to the issue of divorce and offering support to those who wish to break this cycle in their lives.

Learn more by contacting Debra Woodin at dwoodin09@georgefox.edu.

On Monday, April 11, the 200 seniors in the Liberal Arts and Critical Issues: Future of the American Dream class will be showcasing their projects in Hoover and EHS. We need 23 judges to help us assess their work. Judges will be given judging slips to fill out and will assess five projects. This should take about one hour.

Judges are welcome to drop by anytime between noon and 4 p.m. We are looking for staff, administrators and faculty; no experience is needed. We provide a small thank you gift.

If you are willing to help, please contact Caitlin Corning at ext. 2673 or ccorning@georgefox.edu.

Please note the following:

• The new medical and dental premiums went into effect on the March 31 payroll. If you made changes to your medical or dental plans, those changes should be reflected in the amounts of your deductions on your March 31 pay statement.
• The flexible spending account deduction on March 31 was the last of the old plan year, so if you made changes or stopped participation, you won’t see new (or no) amounts until the April 30 pay statement.
• Starting April 1, your flex debit card, if you have one, was reloaded with new plan year money if you renewed. Keep your card unless it expired, in which case your new card will arrive in a week or so in a plain white envelope.
• If you still have flexible spending account funds left over from the 2010-11 plan year, those are no longer accessible by debit card – only by reimbursement.
• The deadline for spending old plan year flex funds is June 15, 2011.
• And finally, if you enrolled for the voluntary life insurance, those deductions will start on April 30.

If you have questions, contact Lisa Burton (HR) at lburton@georgefox.edu.

The spoof issue of The Crescent is out! Look for stories about Justin Bieber’s upcoming film and GFU’s union with LikeALittle.

Join the Center for Peace and Justice this Tuesday night, April 5, for a documentary screening of the film Hiding, produced by LINK, an organization working with North Korean refugees. It will be shown at 7:30 p.m. in Hoover 105.

The director of LINK was one of the founders of Invisible Children, an organization many in the GFU community might be more familiar with. LINK aims to spread the word about the rarely reported North Korean crisis, working with governments and NGOs worldwide to advocate for the North Korean people. They also work directly with the refugees who have fled to China and South East Asia, educating and empowering them to eventually live a free and renewed life.

Hiding tells the story of a group of North Korean refugees hiding in China today and their attempt to escape. To learn more, visit linkglobal.org. The trailer can be viewed at this link.

Questions? Contact Melanie Newell (Center for Peace and Justice) at mnewell@georgefox.edu.

Attention students: Career Services Grad Assistant Chloe Lee-Zorn, MA, is teaching a GRE (Graduate Record Examination) prep class for those students interested in improving their performance on this challenging test. It will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at a location to be determined on May 5, 12 and 19.

The class will be offered at the discounted price of $85. It will cover new and old material, and will include a book, a snack and a full-length practice test. If you are interested, please e-mail Chloe at leec07@georgefox.edu by April 7.

Faculty, please let your students know about this opportunity.

George Fox will host a Spring Chamber concert featuring several of the university’s ensembles, including the Clarinet Quartet, French Horn Ensemble, Keyboard Ensemble, Low Brass Ensemble and Handbell Ringers (with special guest Todd Johnson playing the didgeridoo). Come show your support for our students at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in Bauman Auditorium. Admission is free.

Among the selections to be performed are Dvorak’s Bagatelle Op. 47, No. 1, Debussy’s Menuet and Rachmaninoff’s Valse (Keyboard Ensemble); Rougeron’s Petit Quatuor (Clarinet Quartet); Haydn’s Achieved is the Glorious Work (Low Brass Ensemble); and original compositions by Johnson (Handbell Ringers).

Tickets are not required for admittance. Contact Debbie Hawblitzel at ext. 2620 for more information.

All are invited to see the theatre department’s spring play, Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, April 7-9, and Thursday through Saturday, April 14-16, at 7:30 p.m. Two 2 p.m. Sunday matinee performances, on April 10 and 17, also are scheduled. All performances take place in Wood-Mar Auditorium.

All George Fox employees receive one complimentary ticket. Students will be admitted free on both Thursdays. Your complimentary ticket is only available at the Box Office in the Bruin Bookstore. Additional tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for alumni and seniors, and $6 for students and children under 12. To purchase tickets or read a synopsis of the play, visit theatre.georgefox.edu.

The U.S. Postal Service is increasing rates on April 17, 2011. First Class letters weighing one ounce or less will remain at 44 cents each. The additional ounce will increase by 3 cents, bringing it to 20 cents for each additional ounce. Postcards increase to 29 cents each.

For additional increases, visit the U.S.P.S. website. Click on the “New Rates” in the lower right corner. You can view the different categories: Priority, Media, Parcel Post, etc.

Questions? Contact Linda Sartwell at ext. 2560 or Sherrie Frost at ext. 2556.

All female employees and female spouses of employees are invited to enjoy dinner and a movie together on Tuesday, April 5, at 5:30 p.m., in EHS 102. We will watch Under the Same Moon, with discussion to follow. The dinner and movie are free, but feel free to bring a dessert to share.

Come and connect with other women in the GFU community. Contact Lori Allen if you have any questions: allen.redpants@gmail.com or 503-487-6648.

The university’s engineering department will present our annual Engineering Expo, featuring project displays from our Senior Design and Servant Engineering teams, as well as FTC robot scrimmages from local high school robotics teams. Refreshments are provided and all are welcome!

Join us in the EHS Atrium anytime between 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. Contact Kristin Bontrager at kbontrager@georgefox.edu for more information.

In order for us to be in compliance with federal regulations and reporting requirements, some recent changes in definitions and procedures have been made which impact students planning to withdraw from the university or take a leave of absence. This applies to all student populations (traditional undergraduate, graduate and adult degree programs). Please review the following:

Who is a student? Someone who is registered for any credit hours in a given term and who has completed their “Enrollment Confirmation” checklist item for that term in their MyGFU portal. (If the “Enrollment Confirmation” checklist item has not been completed by the student by the 10th day of classes, they are not officially considered a student for that term and their schedule will be dropped.)

How does a student withdraw? To officially cease enrollment at George Fox University either during or at the end of a semester/enrollment period, the student must notify the registrar’s office of their departure via the online Withdrawal/Leave of Absence form. Any other means of communication to the university is not considered official notification. The official withdrawal date is the date on which the student submits the Withdrawal/Leave of Absence form.

If a student tells a professor or administrative assistant that they aren’t returning, can that be considered notification of their withdrawal? No. If a student discusses their intent to withdraw from the university with you, please refer them to the online Withdrawal/Leave of Absence form.

Do students use this form to drop a class? No. If a student is dropping a class or two, they would complete that through their MyGFU self-service portal. They would only use the online Withdrawal/Leave of Absence form if they are vacating all coursework for the term.

We will no longer accept the old paper withdrawal forms, so please recycle any copies you may have on file (including pdf copies on your computer).

More information about the Withdrawal/Leave of Absence policy is available in the Catalog and Student Handbook or by contacting an enrollment counselor in the registrar’s office.

The university community is invited to Karon Bell’s retirement party, scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in the Stevens Center lobby.

Karon has been with the university since May of 1985. Drop by to wish her well. There will be a basket for those who wish to give her a card.

Wednesday is George Fox Day at the Newberg Grocery Outlet! Come by the Newberg store between 6 and 10 p.m. with your current George Fox University student/employee ID card and receive 10 percent off all of your purchases (offer excludes all alcohol products).

This will be a regular event on the last Wednesday of every month between 6 and 10 p.m. For more great deals and events, become a fan of Newberg Grocery Outlet on Facebook.

Questions? Contact Vangie Pattison at epattison@georgefox.edu.

Come join us for chapel Wednesday morning (March 30) and hear from Sarah Jobson, area coordinator of HMS, as she ties up our series on Wise/Wounded, speaking out of the Psalms. We look forward to worshiping with you!

On Thursday, April 7, in the SUB, a table for organ donation registration, supported by Donate Life, will be set up from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please join us in giving the gift of life by registering to be an organ donor, and you could save up to eight lives!

Contact Angelyn Haughey at ahaughey09@georgefox.edu for more information.

Student Supervisors:

There were some problems that cropped up during the March 15 payroll, so I thought I would send out this note with a few reminders. Please use this reminder checklist now as you prepare to send your March time sheets to HR:

• 3 p.m. on third business day of the month is the deadline for time sheets (looking ahead: April 5 at 3 p.m.)
• Late time sheets: Please include a note explaining why it’s late
• Time sheets must be:

1. Totaled by you
2. Checked for a.m./p.m. errors (correct them)
3. Signed by you
4. Checked for dates: Are the dates listed for the correct month?
5. Legible with student name and ID number
6. Checked for six-hour shifts — note meal period in start-stop times or initial and OK by you (this should be an exception, not the rule)

To ensure that we get the time sheets on time, please hand-deliver them to HR. You can ask a student employee to deliver the time sheets to us as long as you first put them in a sealed envelope (keeps us in legal compliance). The only exception to this rule is the Portland Center – please scan or fax your time sheets first, then drop the originals in the mail.

Thank you for working with me to ensure a timely and accurate payroll for our students.

– Melodee Powers, HR