The Daily Bruin

All Newberg, Portland, Salem and Redmond offices are closed today (Friday) for the spring break holiday.

The Office for Spiritual Life invites students to “Pray 4 Today,” a prayer initiative that begins next week, on March 30.

The idea is simple: We are looking for four people to sign up to pray per day for the remainder of the spring semester. How you pray, where you pray, and for what or whom you pray are up to you – but will you consider joining us?

If you are interested, please sign up here. Questions? Contact our office at spirituallife@georgefox.edu. Thanks!

There is a shortage of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for health care workers who are caring for the most vulnerable during this COVID-19 pandemic. Many medical facilities and organizations simply have little to no supplies.

At Friendsview, it is reported that by the end of this week the staff will not have disposable PPE and will need to move to contingent plans of using reusable options.

They are in need of the following items:

• Safety goggles
• Sunglasses with side coverage
• Face shields
• Bandanas
• Cloth gowns
• Lab coats
• Scrub jackets
• Scrubs
• Disposable rain gear (ponchos)
• Sleeve covers
• Coveralls
• Oversized long-sleeved shirts that can be laundered and re-used
• Aprons
• Gloves and masks

If you are able to help in any way, all donations can be dropped off in the front lobby at Friendsview, marked “Attention: Deb Sabin.”

Thanks for your consideration.

In light of recent events, George Fox will not hold commencement ceremonies on campus on Saturday, May 2 (traditional undergraduates) or the following week (ADP/grad programs).

The university is working on plans to allow graduates to celebrate their achievements, but any decisions will be dictated by how the COVID-19 pandemic evolves in the coming weeks.

For more details, visit the university’s coronavirus response page.

As of today (Wednesday), Mail Services will be open three days a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon. The service window will be open to hand packages to customers between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon.

The adjacent room for sending packages out will be open as needed. Have all outgoing packages brought to Mail Services by no later than 11 a.m. These changes take effect immediately and will resume until we revert to our regular schedule on a date to be determined.

Please contact Richard Silver (rsilver@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

Our financial aid office is here to serve students throughout the current COVID-19 situation. While we are not available in person, we are ready to meet needs in a variety of ways:

• Schedule a phone appointment here (or video by request)
• 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.
• Submit documents online, by email (finaid@georgefox.edu), fax or mail
• We are available to answer questions related to family financial changes and the 2020-21 academic year
• The Department of Education also has a helpful FAQ for students, parents and borrowers.

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

What are your worries? Where is your hope? Professor Nijay Gupta reflects on Matthew 6 in the Portland Seminary’s newest “Hope in the Midst of Crisis” devotional series episode. You can watch it here.

Be encouraged and be well.

Campus Public Safety will be rounding up any bicycles left behind on Monday, March 30, as we want to give students the chance to take them home first.

Because of the unprecedented circumstances, bicycles will not be donated this summer. Instead, we will store them until your return in the fall. If you would like us to store it beforehand, please call and give us a description and location of your bike.

Also, if it has a combination we will unlock it if you give us the combination. If it has a key the lock will be cut so we may store the bike. 

Questions? please call 503-554-2090. 

Oregon’s governor yesterday issued a statewide order for citizens to stay home except when traveling for essential work, buying food and similar critical supplies, or returning to their own homes. 

As part of the “Stay Home, Save Lives” campaign, the governor issued the following guidelines …

Do:

• Stay home as much as possible (kids, too)
• Stay at least six feet away from others
• Go out only for essentials (groceries, medical care)
• Exercise outside (hiking, biking) only if you can be six feet apart from others
• Have video and phone chats
• Drop food off to neighbors who can’t go out

Don’t:

• Gather in groups
• Get together with friends (no drinks or dinners)
• Have play dates for kids
• Make unnecessary trips

Good news: APA is offering free access to the 7th edition manual and other resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access it here.

If you need online writing assistance, the Portland Writing Center is open for all graduate and degree completion students: wc.georgefox.edu. Contact Jennie Harrop (jharrop@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

Take a two-minute break each day this week to listen to the contributions of five of our faculty during George Fox University’s takeover week of the Academic Minute podcast (available at academicminute.org). Each will discuss an aspect of their teaching or scholarship.

Sharing will be (in the order they will appear, Monday through Friday) Tricia Hornback (College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences), Nate Peach (College of Business), Debby Thomas (College of Business), Lorretta Krautscheid (College of Behavioral and Health Sciences) and Nathan Slegers (College of Engineering).

Questions? Contact Laura Hartley at lhartley@georgefox.edu.

The School of Physical Therapy’s banquet and auction fundraiser, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 11, has been postponed amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus. We will be sure to let you know when it’s been rescheduled.

Contact Linda Dallof (ldallof@georgefox.edu) with questions.

The Bruin Store will be closed this week (March 23-27). Please contact Paige Jacobs at pjacobs@georgefox.edu with any questions.

Amidst the tumult of the coronavirus, the Portland Seminary faculty has created a video devotional series, “Hope in the Midst of Crisis,” we hope will comfort you.

First up is the seminary dean, Roger Nam, who reflects on the comforting role of God’s sovereignty in the Exodus plague narratives. You can listen here.

Unfortunately, in light of recent events, the School of Physical Therapy regretfully reports we have canceled the skin screening volunteer session originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 8. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to offering this event at a future date.

Questions? Contact Linda Dallof at ldallof@georgefox.edu.

During these uncertain times, we have found that more students are using the food bank in the Roberts Center. Many of our students work in food service and their hours are getting cut.

Please consider purchasing one or more of the following items when you go to the store:

• Boxed meals like Tuna Helper and Hamburger Helper (we have a lot of both hamburger and tuna)
• Spaghetti sauce in cans (students often put their food in a backpack, and glass jars are not easy to transport in this fashion)
• Cereal
• Oatmeal
• Canned fruit
• Peanut butter
• Jelly
• Gluten-free items
• Non-dairy beverages for cereal and coffee

Please bring your donations to the student life office. Thank you for helping our students during this difficult time. For more information, contact bruincommunitypantry@georgefox.edu.

Throughout the year, the Office of Spiritual Life has been studying the Gospel of John in Vespers. To continue our study, our office is offering daily readings from John on our social media platforms @gfuspil on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Lopez at slopez@georgefox.edu.

Students remaining in Newberg will be able to access the food bank in the Roberts Center. Volunteers will let one person at a time into the pantry area. Please wash your hands before coming into the lounge area and signing in.

Until further notice, the leftovers program and the hospitality tables are closed. However, if you need assistance, contact Jere Witherspoon at bruincommunitypantry@georgefox.edu.

Please remember that you are not alone; we are all in this together. Please let us know how we can help you. Updated information will be on our website.

A website designed for George Fox veterans has gone live on the student life site. It provides the latest information for veterans’ education benefits, community events, and links to local, state and federal organizations.

If you have any questions, please contact the faculty advisor for the Veterans United Association, Wendy Flint, at wflint@georgefox.edu.

The Title IX panel event scheduled for Monday, March 30, has been canceled.

Questions? Contact Victoria Coscarelli at vcoscarelli17@georgefox.edu.