The Daily Bruin

If severe winter weather makes travel to or from classes unsafe, George Fox will shift affected classes to online instruction. Classes will not be canceled for snow or ice in spring 2021. Because of COVID-19, faculty already have a reduced amount of class time to provide instruction, and losing additional days is not a feasible option. All classes this semester were created with the option to shift to remote learning for at least short periods of time.

Following is our process for announcing when classes will shift to an online format. The provost will make the decision to shift classes online for the Newberg campus, Portland Center and Salem site for daytime classes by 6:30 a.m. or 2:15 p.m. for evening classes. This applies to all days of the week, including Saturday. Decisions at the Redmond site will be made by the professor.

Major considerations are road conditions, ice, utility service disruption, and how long the severe weather or emergency is likely to last. To find out if a decision has been made when severe weather occurs:

1. Check for an email to your George Fox email from Office of the Provost

2. Visit the George Fox flashalert.net page. This is the first site updated.

3. Sign up for FlashAlert Messenger. You can download their smartphone app for a mobile alert.

4. Listen to local radio and television stations. Each campus will be identified separately. (This info comes via Flashalert).

5. Call the George Fox University switchboard at 503-538-8383.

More information on campus closure policies can be found at georgefox.edu/closure.

The university is pleased to offer a confidential campus advocate in partnership with the Sexual Misconduct CARE team. Our confidential campus advocate is a George Fox MSW intern and is located in the Moore House/Intercultural Resource Center on the Newberg campus.

She is qualified to provide advocacy, accompaniment, and referral services to survivors of all forms of violence, including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, hate crimes, stalking, sexual harassment, and other crimes in order to facilitate and promote individual recovery and success.

Confidential campus advocates are required to keep all conversations fully confidential.

If you wish to seek any services, walk-ins are always welcome on Mondays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also make an appointment on Mondays and Thursdays.

Questions? Contact Jacklyn Gebhard (jgebhard20@georgefox.edu). If you have an emergency, please call 911 or Campus Public Safety at 503-554-2310.

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) and Disability and Accessibility Services (formerly DSO) have come together under one roof! The entire Learning Support Services (LSS) team is now located on the first floor of the Murdock Library. If you’ve been to the ARC, you know where we are.

To celebrate, we’re hosting a Hydro Flask prize drawing for all students as part of our rolling open house. The LSS open house is open through Friday, Jan. 29. Stop by to enter to win a 32-ounce Hydro Flask, get acquainted with the space, and say hi! We look forward to seeing you.

Please contact any of the Learning Support Services team if we can be of service to you:

• Rick Muthiah, Director of Learning Support Services – rmuthiah@georgefox.edu
• Andrea Byerley, Disability and Accessibility Services (DAS) Coordinator – abyerley@georgefox.edu
• Julia James, Academic Resource Center (ARC) Coordinator – jjames@georgefox.edu

The Friends Association for Higher Education’s Quaker Leadings in Higher Education series will present a Zoom conversation this afternoon (Tuesday) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on “Care in Times of Conflict: Cultivating Vulnerability and Resilience.”

Sign up here to register.

Questions? Contact Paul Anderson (panderso@georgefox.edu).

The Ping Pong Club is starting again! Everyone, employees included, regardless of skill level, is welcome to come and play or learn to play.

Please fill out this poll and sign up for the email list if you are interested in coming so that we can determine our weekly meeting time. Our first meeting will be a welcome event where we will explain prizes and other fun secret items.

Please email Nathan Redman-Brown at nredmanbrown20@georgefox.edu with any and all questions.

What is white supremacy? What are its roots in the church? How do we, as Christ followers, fight against it?

Join us on Zoom at 7 p.m. tonight (Monday) for a Mathetes session titled “White Supremacy in the White American Church.” We will hear from Dr. Randy Woodley, Andrea Emerson, Michael Simmons, Rory Brown, and Jeanette Barton on how to honor God by fighting white supremacy! Spiritual life credit is available for undergraduate students.

RSVP here  and email Hannah Lee at hlee17@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

Good news! Although the Hadlock Student Center is closed for fitness and recreation, the self-defense group fitness class is back!

This popular class is a fusion of fun workouts and valuable self-defense skills and will run from 4 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting Jan. 26.

We are offering this class for FREE to students and employees, and the class is provided virtually, via Zoom. Participation in each week is not required. Participants can pick and choose which weeks and sessions work for them.

Please register by going to this link.

Here are some more details on the class:

Toughen up and shape up with Krav Maga, the most effective “street-smart” self-defense possible. Learn to defend yourself by being trained by Mason Bertrand, a certified and experienced student instructor. Gain confidence knowing that you can protect yourself and your loved ones with the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces.

Learn realistic tactics and techniques to defend yourself from an attacker, regardless of their size, strength, and fighting strategy. As an added bonus, you’ll also develop superior physical fitness while having a blast!

To create the safest environment possible for our employees and local pedestrians, we are closing the equipment yard at the Thomas Center to pedestrian foot traffic.

This also applies to the Thomas Lane service road that connects to Fulton Street. Thomas Lane will be closed to foot traffic past the batting cages.

If you wish to walk to the Thomas Center, please use the walking path that extends between Fulton Street and the Thomas Center (by the Morse practice field), or use the Villa Road sidewalk.

Questions? Contact Dixie Downey (ddowney@georgefox.edu). Thank you.

The Ping Pong Club is starting again! Everyone, employees included, regardless of skill level, is welcome to come and play or learn to play.

Please fill out this poll and sign up for the email list if you are interested in coming so that we can determine our weekly meeting time. Our first meeting will be a welcome event where we will explain prizes and other fun secret items.

Please email Nathan Redman-Brown at nredmanbrown20@georgefox.edu with any and all questions.

What is white supremacy? What are its roots in the church? How do we, as Christ followers, fight against it?

Join us on Zoom at 7 p.m. this Monday, Jan. 25, for a Mathetes session titled “White Supremacy in the White American Church.” We will hear from Dr. Randy Woodley, Andrea Emerson, Michael Simmons, Rory Brown, and Jeanette Barton on how to honor God by fighting white supremacy! Spiritual life credit is available for undergraduate students.

RSVP here  and email Hannah Lee at hlee17@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

The Friends Association for Higher Education’s Quaker Leadings in Higher Education series will present a Zoom conversation Tuesday, Jan. 26, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on the topic “Care in Times of Conflict: Cultivating Vulnerability and Resilience.”

Sign up here to register.

Questions? Contact Paul Anderson (panderso@georgefox.edu).

George Fox has updated its face-covering policy to meet new state guidelines.

Students, faculty, staff, vendors and visitors must use face coverings when in the following locations:

• Enclosed public and common areas
• Outdoor areas where physical distancing is not easily maintained

“Face covering” means a cloth, polypropylene, paper or other face covering that covers the nose and the mouth and that rests snugly above the nose, below the mouth, and on the sides of the face. Appropriate face coverings include two-layered face masks or gaiters.

The following are not approved face coverings because they allow droplets to be released:

• Masks with valves or vents for exhalation
• Lace masks or other coverings with openings, holes, visible gaps in the design or material
• Masks with valves or vents for exhalation

“Face shield” means a clear plastic shield that covers the forehead, extends below the chin, and wraps around the sides of the face. Mini face shields that only cover the mouth are not permitted.

Face shields may be used:

• When presenting in front of a class or audience so long as you maintain six feet of distance at all times.  If you are closer or likely to be closer than six feet, you must wear a face mask.
• For employees who have work spaces that are cubicles or in common areas without a door, provided they maintain at least six feet of distance from others (they must put on a face mask when working with another individual in their workspace or if they leave their workspace).
• If you have a medical condition preventing masks
• If you are working with the hearing impaired so they can lip read

Employees and students should switch back to face masks when not in the above four circumstances.

To create the safest environment possible for our employees and local pedestrians, we are closing the equipment yard at the Thomas Center to pedestrian foot traffic.

This also applies to the Thomas Lane service road that connects to Fulton Street. Thomas Lane will be closed to foot traffic past the batting cages.

If you wish to walk to the Thomas Center, please use the walking path that extends between Fulton Street and the Thomas Center (by the Morse practice field), or use the Villa Road sidewalk.

Questions? Contact Dixie Downey (ddowney@georgefox.edu). Thank you.

Would you like to help other students learn through one-on-one tutoring? Consider becoming a tutor in the spring 2021 semester! As an independent tutor, you can help other George Fox students while earning a little extra money.

Learning Support Services is hosting four information sessions about Tutor Matching Service, a marketplace that facilitates connections between tutors and those seeking tutoring!

Join us for one of these Zoom information sessions:

• Friday, Jan. 22 at noon
• Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 6 p.m.
• Friday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m.
• Sunday, Jan. 31 at 3 p.m.

We’ll discuss how to sign up, participate in training to earn approval badges and much more.

Questions? Contact Julia James at jjames@georgefox.edu.

The Maker Hub is a makerspace located in the Klages Center at the Newberg campus. What exactly is a makerspace? Put simply, it’s a design and creative space that supports numerous disciplines such as woodworking, metalworking, 3D printing, electronics, textiles and art.

The Maker Hub is a resource that is available to all Fox students. One of the main reasons it exists is to add value to your educational experience here at Fox in both academic contexts and in the context of recreational or personal projects. So don’t miss out on the opportunity to build something and learn new skills. It’s a fantastic remedy for stress and stir-crazy feelings if you are looking for something to do here on campus.

The main “Hub” area is already open, and the technical shops (machine shop, wood shop, etc.) are scheduled to open next week. If you would like to get connected, email Nick Sullivan at nsullivan@georgefox.edu for more info.

Need help writing a paper, staying on top of your assignments, or preparing for tests? Come to the Academic Resource Center (ARC) where you will find students helping students. Through one-on-one and group consultations, trained peer consultants can help you become a better reader, writer, and learner. We are located on the first floor of the Murdock Library.

We will be open for appointments starting Monday, Jan. 25. This semester we are offering both physically distanced, in-person appointments and virtual appointments over Zoom.

All appointments scheduled with Gabriela or Hannah will be over Zoom. If you would like an in-person consultation, be sure to make an appointment with any other consultant. See our availabilities and schedule an appointment online here.

Check out our semester calendar that prints out to one page! This handy tool helps with keeping track of important deadlines and scheduled holidays.

ARC Questions? Contact Julia James (jjames@georgefox.edu).

The Bruin Community Pantry will be open during the following hours for the spring 2021 semester:

Monday: 8 a.m.-noon, 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m.-noon, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Thursday: 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.-noon,  1 p.m. to 3 p.m., 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Bruin Community Pantry is closed during all university holidays.

Find out more information, check out the website.

The Financial Aid Office is currently closed for in-person meetings. We are ready to serve students throughout the current COVID-19 situation and meet needs in a variety of ways:

• You may schedule a phone or video appointment
• Email or call our office or your financial aid counselor directly. If your counselor is unavailable, leave a message, and we will return your call.
• You may submit documents online or by email (finaid@georgefox.edu), fax, U.S. or campus mail.
• You can also find helpful information at fa.georgefox.edu

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions. We are here to help!

This position is for graduate level-students only. The George Fox Activities team is seeking two graduate-level coordinators to assist in planning and implementing events and helping lead a team of undergraduate students. Applications are due by Monday, Jan. 25.

Here is the link to the full job description, and the application can be found here.

If you have questions, please write chrisl@georgefox.edu.

When picking up your package(s) from Mail Services, please remember that you must have your student ID with you.

If you don’t have your student card with you, then a driver’s license is acceptable. Mail Services will not accept any form of digital photo.