The Daily Bruin

If severe winter weather makes travel to or from campus 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.

If road conditions are unsafe, employees will be expected to work remotely if they have work that can be accomplished from home. If remote work is not possible, employees should contact their supervisor.

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 or Office of the CFO
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.

Next Wednesday, Feb. 17, marks the beginning of the season of Lent, the season in the Christian church when we remember the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and praying, prior to the beginning of his ministry.

Many Christians choose to observe Lent by participating in an intentional spiritual practice, such as fasting, Scripture reading, prayer, generosity, or service. It is a season set aside for repentance and acknowledgment of human weakness, toward greater trust in the Savior. 

The season of Lent begins on Wednesday, Feb. 17, and ends on Easter Sunday, April 4. The university pastors invite you to observe this time with us in one of the following ways:

• Ash Wednesday
  • The university pastors will be available at two stations on campus for COVID-safe distribution of ashes. We will be at a table on the quad and outside of the SpiL House from noon to 1:30 p.m.
• Ash Wednesday Worship Service
  • Worship will be held from 4:30 to 5 p.m. in Bauman Auditorium. Due to limited seating, please reserve your spot on the iAttended app (undergrads only).
• Lenten Scripture Reading Guide
  • This daily Scripture reading guide will be available on the SpiL webpage from Feb. 16 to April 4.
• Life Groups
  • These seven-week Life Groups are available for undergraduates and begin the week after Ash Wednesday and conclude the week after Easter. We are offering digital groups and hybrid groups. Click here to learn more.
• Holy Week opportunities

Questions or want to meet with a university pastor? Contact the Office of Spiritual Life (spirituallife@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2320). May the Lord bless you!

Want to learn how to promote equitable hiring practices in the workplace, and to further encourage the Be Known promise?

The next search advocate training is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24, and Friday, Feb. 26, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. both days. Rebecca Hernandez will teach the two-day session online via Zoom.

We are also offering a refresher course for those who have attended training in the past, but would like to update their skills and find out what’s new! Current search advocates are welcome to attend the Feb. 26 session!

If you are interested in becoming a search advocate, or would like a refresher course, please sign up here.

If you have questions, please contact Rebecca at rhernandez@georgefox.edu or Laurie Fair at lfair@georgefox.edu.

FoxTALE will be unavailable Tuesday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 8 a.m. (Pacific Time) for scheduled maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

Questions? Email servicedesk@georgefox.edu or call 503-554-2569.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Here are five things that you can do to help improve your mental health:

• Open up to someone you trust and keep in touch with others! Having a social support system is key
• Eat healthy foods
• Journal or take time each day to check in with your feelings
• Participate in physical activity each day
• Ask for help when needed

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34).

Questions? Contact Mary Imboden (mimboden@georgefox.edu).

Join your colleagues in the College of Business at a farewell Zoom “open house” for Kelly Borror, who, after 16 years in the COB, has accepted a new position at Western Seminary in Portland.

Drop by our Zoom gathering to wish Kelly well this Thursday, Feb. 11, between 3 and 4 p.m. Kelly’s last day is Friday, Feb. 12.

Please plan to attend the panel discussions for Antipas Harris’ book, Is Christianity the White Man’s Religion?: How the Bible is Good News for People of Color.

This is a continuation of our fall book reading and discussion groups. We are pleased to have a panel of our own seminary faculty, along with the founder of the Civility Project, to engage key questions that you’ve raised either in this survey or would like to ask during the event.

The discussions are set for Tuesday, Feb. 16, and will take place in both Bauman Auditorium (limited capacity) and online via Zoom.

• Discussion 1: Support office personnel
  • Held from 1 to 2 p.m.
  • Human Resources, Plant Services, Registrar, Admissions, etc.
• Discussion 2: Student-facing personnel
  • Held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
  • Those working directly with students; faculty, area coordinators, etc.

Questions? Contact Rebecca Hernandez (rhernandez@georgefox.edu).

The Intercultural Resource Center is excited to announce the Reconciliation and Education Program!

Following this month’s SCORR conference, the IRC will host three two-week programs discussing racial reconciliation, anti-racist action steps, and dismantling oppressive systems.

These programs are a great opportunity to commit to learning more about anti-racism while earning two chapel credits! Apply here by Monday, Feb. 22.

Questions? Contact Hannah Lee (hlee17@georgefox.edu).

We are continuing to track COVID-19 related expenses. Please remember to include “COVID-19” in the “chartfield one” field in the chart of accounts when coding transactions in PeopleSoft.

Only one “chartfield one” can be used per transaction, and the COVID-19 code must take priority over another department designation.

Questions? Call Kathi Becker in Finance at ext. 2166.

The Wineskin is accepting submissions! The theme for this semester is “FORMATION,” so send us your best poems, stories, essays, and artwork in that stream of thought; we welcome thematic interpretation.

The editors are open to a wide range of styles and subject matter, but we are particularly looking for work that pushes boundaries and surprises us with its artistic approach and perspective of the world.

All are welcome to submit, including employees and those who are not members of the George Fox community!

Submission Guidelines:

• Poetry and prose manuscripts must be submitted as a Word document, in Times New Roman, 12-point font. Please title your pieces and remove your name from the document.
• Limit all prose to 1,000 words and send no more than five poems per submission.
• For artwork: Files should be named as the title of your piece followed by your name. Please remove all watermarks from your work.

All work should be submitted through our website. Submissions close on Monday, March 1, at 5 p.m.

Questions? Contact Libby Kerns (lkerns17@georgefox.edu).

Are you a primary care nurse or in nursing leadership (or know someone who is)? Please join us for a two-day event via Zoom starting Friday, Feb. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to Saturday, Feb. 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It is free to George Fox students and employees.

The event, titled “Essentials for Interprofessional Primary Care: Nursing & Care Management,” will focus on:

• Enhancing person-centered communication and interprofessional knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
• Exploring strategies to ensure nurses are practicing at the top of their scope in primary care practice
• Learning about commonly used screening tools, motivational interviewing concepts/techniques, and transitioning people in care within interprofessional teams and across the healthcare neighborhood
• Exploring procedure codes that match nursing services to increase fiscal sustainability

Visit our event webpage for more information or contact Tammy O’Doherty (todohert@georgefox.edu).

Join us for a creative adult learning experience Thursday, Feb. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. over Zoom. This event will be facilitated by healthcare professionals who personally represent Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. 

Learn how to apply diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts, such as decenter whiteness/decolonize interprofessional primary care.  Listen and process the experiences and perspectives of professionals from BIPOC communities.  Explore what success looks like to facilitate better primary care for BIPOC communities.

This event is for healthcare professionals and learners. Register here.

Questions? Contact Tammy O’Doherty (todohert@georgefox.edu).

Please join the College of Physical Therapy on Zoom for our seventh annual research symposium on Thursday, Feb. 18, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Physical therapy doctoral faculty and third-year students will showcase various rehabilitation research topics. 

Questions? Please contact Linda Dallof at ldallof@georgefox.edu or 503-554-2451.

In his most recent blog piece, President Robin Baker reflects on the legacy of Joseph H. Rainey, the first Black U.S. Representative, and the impact of the first Civil Rights Bill, in recognition of Black History Month.

You can read the piece here.

Please plan to attend the panel discussions for Antipas Harris’ book, Is Christianity the White Man’s Religion?: How the Bible is Good News for People of Color.

This is a continuation of our fall book reading and discussion groups. We are pleased to have a panel of our own seminary faculty, along with the founder of the Civility Project, to engage key questions that you’ve raised either in this survey or would like to ask during the event.

The discussions are set for Tuesday, Feb. 16, and will take place in both Bauman Auditorium (limited capacity) and online via Zoom.

• Discussion 1: Support office personnel
  • Held from 1 to 2 p.m.
  • Human Resources, Plant Services, Registrar, Admissions, etc.

• Discussion 2: Student-facing personnel
  • Held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
  • Those working directly with students; faculty, area coordinators, etc.

Questions? Contact Rebecca Hernandez (rhernandez@georgefox.edu).

Do you know any high school educators who would like help in their online classroom?

We are GFU EPIC (Engineering Project Innovation Commission), a Servant Engineering project team tasked with aiding high school teachers with frustrations regarding online learning.

We desire to come alongside high school educators, listen to their ideas, and brainstorm how we might be able to help them in an online learning environment.

If you know an educator looking for help in the classroom, have them visit our website, where they can get more information and have the opportunity to fill out a brainstorming form.

Questions? Contact Natascha Lambing (nlambing18@georgefox.edu).

Do you have a disability or diagnosis that impacted you in your educational journey or in your employment? Disability and Accessibility Services (DAS) is working on a series of videos highlighting George Fox staff members and the intersection of their disability/diagnoses and their educational/professional experience.

Would you be willing to participate in a recorded interview for our gfu.accessibility Instagram page and the DAS website? A student employee would email you to set up a date and time and would facilitate and record the interview.

We would love for students to hear that asking for help or accommodations can be a part of a successful professional life, and that it’s OK to ask for help when you need it.

We would greatly appreciate the experience/insight you have to give the George Fox community. Contact das@georgefox.edu if you are interested in participating.

The George Fox Civility Project invites you to hear from a Palestinian Christian who’s working on a significant civility project.

The two-part series with Jonathan Kuttab begins tomorrow (Thursday) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. He will be speaking on the topic “Civility, Justice, and a Bill of Rights: A Vision of Israel/Palestine as One State.” Please register for the event here. SpiL credit is available for students.
 
Kuttab has an ambitious vision. For the first part of the series, he will discuss what politics in Israel and Palestine must look like in the long term for two traumatized groups to live safely, justly, and peaceably side by side in a small country.

On Wednesday, March 31, he will focus on civility-boosting transformations needed now for Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate a one-state solution.
 
According to George Fox Civility Project director Ron Mock, “Kuttab’s transformative project could teach us critically needed lessons about civility, justice, and political peacemaking. George Fox needs to be right in the middle of all that learning.”
  
If you would like to be connected to the Civility Project, please email Ron (civility@georgefox.edu) or visit the Civility Project website.

Are you a primary care nurse or in nursing leadership (or know someone who is)? Please join us for a two-day event via Zoom starting Friday, Feb. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to Saturday, Feb. 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The event, titled “Essentials for Interprofessional Primary Care: Nursing & Care Management,” will focus on:

• Enhancing person-centered communication and interprofessional knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
• Exploring strategies to ensure nurses are practicing at the top of their scope in primary care practice
• Learning about commonly used screening tools, motivational interviewing concepts/techniques, and transitioning people in care within interprofessional teams and across the healthcare neighborhood
• Exploring procedure codes that match nursing services to increase fiscal sustainability

Visit our event webpage for more information or contact Tammy O’Doherty (todohert@georgefox.edu).

The Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation (SCORR) will be open to all students and staff at George Fox this year! From Wednesday, Feb. 17, to Saturday, Feb. 20, we will be attending sessions on racial reconciliation, anti-racism in the church, and more.

After the day’s conference, we will be holding debrief sessions for George Fox students and staff. Please fill out our RSVP/Interest form ASAP. 

Questions? Contact Hannah Lee (hlee17@georgefox.edu).