The Daily Bruin

This May, unplug and experience the monastic life.

The Monastic Life Retreat offers George Fox students a rare chance to immerse themselves in contemplative Christian traditions through direct participation in the daily rhythm of Western monasticism at Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey.

Over two weeks in May, students will join monks in prayer, work and study, practicing lectio divina and contemplative prayer, attending conferences led by different monks, and observing periods of communal silence.

Participants will also experience singing chants in the choir, community meals, and service activities, all while disconnecting from personal technology to deepen their spiritual journey in a monastic environment.

Here are some more details:

• Info & Application
• Apply by Sunday, Jan. 18
• Retreat dates are May 11-24
• Credit: 0-3 credits of THEO 485 Special Topics: Monastic Life Retreat
• Cost: $1,375 covers tuition and two weeks’ room and board
• Enrollment is limited due to abbey capacity, so apply soon!

For more information, contact retreat facilitator Bryan Boyd at bboyd@georgefox.edu.

The Office of Spiritual Life would like to invite students and employees to join together for a day of service, learning and reflection. The event is set for MLK Day on Monday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Fill out this form to register. Undergraduate students who participate will be eligible for elective chapel credit.

Contact spirituallife@georgefox.edu with any follow-up questions.

Unwrapping a new phone this holiday season? Make sure you update your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings to avoid getting locked out of your George Fox accounts.

How to Prepare Multi-Factor Authentication for a New Phone

If you have any issues setting this up, you will need to call the Service Desk at 503-554-2569 for assistance.

Please plan accordingly, as the Service Desk will be closed for the break:

• Closed: Dec. 24 through Jan. 4
• Regular Hours Resume: Jan. 5, 2026

You are invited to an Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) Forum at George Fox on Friday, Feb. 13.

Join us as we explore the profound connection between attention, skilled craft, and genuine freedom, drawing from philosopher-mechanic Matthew Crawford’s seminal work The World Beyond Your Head. We will examine the practices of skilled craftsmen to uncover a philosophy of attention that pushes back against a disembodied culture.

A Day of Discussion & Doing
This forum will be a mixture of seminar-style discussion and practical activities on a working farm and vineyard. Please be sure to wear work clothes!

All participants receive:

• A free copy of Crawford’s book The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction
• A free dinner at Lady Hill Farm

Space is limited, so sign up today! To learn more and/or to reserve your spot, email Travis Pickell at tpickell@georgefox.edu.

Workspace Studio

Gemini as a collaborator is great, but when will it actually do things? This answer is…now! Get a taste of agentic AI as a co-worker that can act on your behalf.

• Let Gemini highlight the most important emails from your unread backlog and send you a chat message with the details.
• Let Gemini check your documents and send you notes to prepare you for that important conversation on today’s calendar.
• Not sure how to get started? Just tell Gemini what you’d like to automate and it will build a starter flow for you. Examples are also provided.

Workspace Studio is available to everyone in the George Fox community!

AI Studio

Have you heard of “Vibe Coding?” With just a prompt, you can create your own app and include advanced AI tools!

Unlike our other Google Workspace AI tools, use of AI Studio is not automatically covered under our data protection agreement with Google, so its availability is initially limited. If you’d like to make an AI Studio app, please reach out to IT to get started! Learn more here.

Contact the IT Service Desk at servicedesk@georgefox.edu with any questions, or check the IT: AI website.

Bon Appétit’s locations will have shorter hours today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) as the semester concludes.

Today 

• Canyon Commons
  • Breakfast: 7 to 10 a.m.
  • Lunch: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • Dinner: 5 to 6 p.m.
• Bridge Cafe
  • 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Maker’s Market
  • 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tomorrow 

• Brunch in Canyon Commons (final meal service of the semester): 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

All locations will be closed after tomorrow’s brunch and will reopen at the start of the spring semester. Canyon Commons will resume service on Friday, Jan. 9, with dinner from 5 to 6 p.m.

If you have questions, contact Katie Anderson at andersonk@georgefox.edu. For updated hours, please check the Bon Appétit website or their Instagram (@bonappetitgfu).

Spiritual Life welcomes you to swing by Barclay House before you head off for break to pick up a copy of the liturgy book we’ve been using in chapel this fall semester. They are free for students, faculty and staff. Feel free to pick up one for yourself and another for your family and friends!

While plates, cups and silverware should not be leaving Canyon Commons, we know that sometimes they make their way out. Before you head home for Christmas break, please return any items you’ve borrowed so we can keep the dining hall running smoothly. And don’t forget to bring back your green containers to swap for a carabiner!

Would you like to showcase your culture? In the spring semester, the Intercultural Resource Center and residence life will be hosting a campus-wide multicultural celebration, and we want you to be a part of it!

A portion of the event will include students expressing themselves through cultural song, dance and fashion in a performance-like setting. If this interests you, make sure you grab what you need from home over winter break (such as specific clothing or significant items).

More information will be coming in January about how to get involved, so stay tuned. Questions? Reach out to area coordinator Victoria Cole at vcole@georgefox.edu.

Please note Hadlock’s hours over the holiday break:

• Saturday, Dec. 13: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 14: Closed
• Monday through Friday, Dec. 15-19: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Weekends: Closed
• Dec. 23 through Jan. 2: Closed

Regular hours resume Jan. 10.

The Bruin Community Pantry will be closed from Monday, Dec. 15, until Monday, Jan. 12. However, we will be open for a short period of time on Tuesday, Jan. 6, from 2 to 5 p.m.

Friendly reminder: Bookstore rentals are due tomorrow (Friday). The Bruin Bookstore will be open Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for winter commencement.

Spring 2026 course materials are available, so shop ahead online and select “in-store pickup.” Your texts will be ready when you return in January!

Unwrapping a new phone this holiday season? Make sure you update your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings to avoid getting locked out of your George Fox accounts.

How to Prepare Multi-Factor Authentication for a New Phone

If you have any issues setting this up, you will need to call the Service Desk at 503-554-2569 for assistance.

Please plan accordingly, as the Service Desk will be closed for the break:

• Closed: Dec. 24 through Jan. 4
• Regular Hours Resume: Jan. 5, 2026

Thank you to all who participated in marketing communications’ annual Deck the Halls Christmas Decorating Contest. We were so moved by the Christmas spirit throughout campus! This year brought in 18 participating departments.

Congratulations to our winners! The top three placers were:

• First place: Advancement (The “Rootin’ Tootin’ Best in the West” Award)
• Second place: Finance (The “Internationally Acclaimed Christmas” Award)
• Third place: Financial Aid (The “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Financial Aid Secrets” Award)

There were several honorable mentions across campus, including the Department of Education (The “Jim Henson Would Be Proud” Award), the Department of Social Work (The “Cozy Christmas” Award), the Maker Hub (The “Santa’s Workshop” Award), and many more.

And a huge shoutout to plant services for keeping all of campus merry and bright!

Be sure to swing by the various departments to get a look at all the work that went into making their spaces so festive.

Thank you!

Amanda Howard, Marketing, and the Christmas Committee

Today (Tuesday) from 5 to 9 p.m., the Chipotle in Newberg will be hosting a fundraiser to support George Fox’s physical therapy service trip to Uganda!

There are a couple of ways you can support us. If you tell the person at the register you are there for the George Fox DPT trip to Uganda, your order will contribute. Another way is to order for pick-up online using the code EXC4LTL.

If you use one of these avenues, then Chipotle will donate 25% of your sale to our trip! Please tell people you know that every order helps!

Contact Evan Robinson at evanr24@georgefox.edu with any questions.

If severe weather makes travel to or from campus unsafe this winter, the provost will make the decision to announce a shift to remote classes. In nearly all cases, classes will continue to be offered online.

In the case of a delayed in-person start, university offices will not open until an announced time in the day, most often 10 a.m. or noon. Students are not required to report to campus prior to the announced start time, but are expected to attend class online before the start time. If in-person classes are not held that day, students are expected to attend class online. You should expect to receive information from your professors on how to access remote learning.

The following is our process for announcing when there is a delayed in-person start or a shift to remote classes and work. The provost will make the decision by 6:30 a.m. for the Newberg campus and Portland Center for daytime classes or 2:15 p.m. for evening classes. Decisions on weekend classes and at the Redmond site will be made by the professor.

Stay notified: Here’s how to find out if a decision has been made when severe weather occurs:

• Visit the George Fox flashalert.net page. This is the first site updated. Enter your email address to create an account and receive notifications from FlashAlert Messenger.
• If you wish to receive a notification on your mobile device, download the FlashAlert smartphone app for iOS or Android. Either log in or create an account if you haven’t already.
• Listen to local radio and television stations or visit their websites (this info comes via FlashAlert).
• Call the George Fox University switchboard at 503-538-8383.

More information on this change in procedure can be found on our winter weather policy page.

Want to get involved and feel connected this spring? Join a vital part of our campus community by volunteering with the Bruin Community Pantry!

We are welcoming new volunteers for the upcoming semester. There are a variety of meaningful opportunities that you can choose from to match your interests. If you are interested in lending a hand and becoming part of our supportive pantry family, we invite you to take a look at the available roles:

• Food bank: Volunteer for shifts at the food bank!
• Food bank substitute: Sign up to substitute at the food bank when the regular volunteer is unable to make their shift.
• Food drive organizer: Work with Jere Witherspoon to find ways to implement food drives across campus (flexible hours).
• Fundraising: Work with Jere to find ways to raise money for the pantry (flexible hours).
• Social media: Work with Jere to create informative messaging for the community on Instagram and Facebook (flexible hours).
• Leftovers pick up and distribution: As needed, work with Jere when leftover food is available from Bon Appetit or Friendsview (flexible hours).
• Weekly cleaning: Flexible hours
• Restocking and facing products on shelves: Flexible hours

If you’re interested in volunteering with the Bruin Community Pantry, please fill out this form. More information can be found on the website.

You are welcome to contact Jere at jwitherspoon@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

Christmas break is almost here! If you plan to leave your vehicle on campus over break, please do the following:

• Fill out the “Vehicles Left on Campus Policy” form
• Remove any personal belongings from your vehicle
• Park in a lot designated by Campus Public Safety personnel
• Leave a vehicle key at the CPS office located at 212 Carlton Way

The policy agreement form can also be filled out at the Campus Public Safety office.

Questions? Contact Karen Toohey at 503-554-2090 or email us at campussafety@georgefox.edu.

The holiday season represents one of the highest-risk periods of the year for cybersecurity, and new AI-generated attacks can be expected. With the increase in online shopping and package tracking, attackers are actively disguising malicious links as shipping notifications and invoices.

Your diligence remains our first and strongest line of defense. Taking a moment to verify a sender or an unusual request can prevent a major security incident for our community.

Email Safety Do’s: Verify and Protect

• Do hover your mouse over the sender’s name/address to see the full, actual email address. Watch for subtle misspellings (e.g. acme.co instead of acme.com).
• Do inspect links before clicking. Hover your mouse over the link to see the destination URL displayed, usually in the corner of your browser. If it looks suspicious, don’t click.
• Do verify any unexpected or urgent requests for confidential data, password changes or fund transfers by using a different method of communication (e.g., call the sender on a known phone number or message them on an internal chat system).
• Do treat any email requesting your password or sensitive personal/company information with maximum suspicion.
• Do report all suspicious emails immediately by using the “Report Phishing” button in the three-dot stack menu within the email, or contact servicedesk@georgefox.edu.
• Do check the time and tone of the email. Is it demanding, overly urgent or coming at a strange hour? This is a common tactic used by scammers.

Email Safety Don’ts: Avoid Risk and Reactivity

• Don’t click on links or download attachments from senders you do not recognize or from emails that seem “off,” even if they appear to come from a known colleague.
• Don’t reply to an email asking for sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers or internal account details.
• Don’t assume an email is legitimate just because it uses company logos or appears to come from an executive (CEO, CFO, etc.). This is known as “spoofing.”
• Don’t be pressured by threats or urgency (e.g. “Your account will be suspended in five minutes!”). Scammers use fear to make you act without thinking.
• Don’t forward suspicious emails without first checking with servicedesk@georgefox.edu. We need to be able to investigate and take action.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our community secure. Your vigilance makes all the difference.

The Office of Spiritual Life would like to invite students and employees to join together for a day of service, learning and reflection. The event is set for MLK Day on Monday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Fill out this form to register and view the tentative schedule! Undergraduate students who participate will be eligible for elective chapel credit.

Contact spirituallife@georgefox.edu with any follow-up questions.