The Daily Bruin

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.

Student paychecks will be available to pick up at Mail Services tomorrow (Thursday, March 26). Mail Services will be open between 8 a.m. and noon.

If you have any questions, please contact Richard Silver at rsilver@georgefox.edu.

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.

The Office for Spiritual Life will be offering a five-week Life Group series, beginning the week of March 30 and ending the week of May 1. All Life Groups will take place over an electronic platform, will have no more than six students, and will include Bible reading and discussion with a Spil/Student Life group leader.

To sign up, drop us an email at spirituallife@georgefox.edu. We look forward to growing deeper in faith together!

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

Amidst the ever-changing response to our current health crisis, the IDEA Center is now serving George Fox students remotely and will continue conducting operations as normally as possible. 

• CAP Coaches and Career Coaches will continue conducting appointments with students by phone call or virtually on Zoom.
• Our phone lines will continue to be managed by our team.
• Students are still able to request career and academic-related appointments through Handshake or contact us for assistance.
• Faculty: If you would like an online presentation done for one of your courses, please contact the IDEA Center staff member of your choice.

Please be patient with us during this time, as our responses may be slower than usual. We will answer all emails, phone calls, and other online requests, in the order they were received, as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at 503-554-2331 or idea@georgefox.edu.

Wishing you the best of health during this time.
– The IDEA Center Team

Hey Bruins! If you love sports and want to get paid to watch them, join the Bruin work-study team today!

We have a wide variety of positions to fill, from photography and graphic design to game management and staff writers. Head to this page to see job postings for each position, or look for our jobs on Handshake.

Questions? Contact Seth Preuss (spreuss@georgefox.edu).

The Office for Spiritual Life invites you to watch this video to learn about changes to your chapel requirement. Please let us know if you have any questions at spirituallife@georgefox.edu.

Thanks!

The student newspaper has moved online! The Crescent’s latest articles will be made available at gfucrescent.com on Wednesday, March 25, at noon. Stay safe and stay informed! 

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.

Most campus offices will be physically closed starting Monday to reduce potential exposure to the coronavirus. Please contact your supervisor to determine if there are any changes in your work schedule.

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.