The Daily Bruin

Effective Sep. 1, purchase orders will not be required for credit card purchases. All other spending guidelines remain in effect and will be closely monitored for compliance. Thank you all for your continued efforts to carefully evaluate all spending.

Purchasing and Finance are currently working on updated credit card policies and procedures that will result in fewer cards issued and cards identified for more specific uses. Once implemented, these changes are expected to continue to simplify the purchasing process.

Questions? Email Matt Hammar (Purchasing) at mhammar@georgefox.edu or Cris Banton (Finance) at cbanton@georgefox.edu.

Beginning Monday, Aug. 31, the Bruin Community Pantry food bank will be open:

• Monday: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.** and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 4:30 to 5:30 pm
• Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.**
• Thursday: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.** and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.** and 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

** Indicates when a social work intern will be available

In addition to the food bank, we have two interns from the social work department who will be available to help students access additional resources in our community, including signing up for food stamps (SNAP).

To make an appointment with a social work intern, please email bruincommunitypantry@georgefox.edu.

For more information, please call Jere Witherspoon at 503-554-2316.

The Student Life Department is looking for microwaves for coronavirus isolation rooms for students in case the rooms need to be used this year.

Please contact Jere Witherspoon at jwitherspoon@georgefox.edu if you have a microwave to donate or loan for this academic year.

Come celebrate Paul’s retirement after 43 years of service at George Fox University! This will be a time to thank Paul for all of his many accomplishments both in the chemistry department and the Center for Study Abroad.

The celebration will be held in the amphitheater from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sep. 18.

Questions? Email Lynn Scott at lscott@georgefox.edu.

Effective Sep. 1, purchase orders will not be required for credit card purchases. All other spending guidelines remain in effect and will be closely monitored for compliance. Thank you all for your continued efforts to carefully evaluate all spending.

Purchasing and Finance are currently working on updated credit card policies and procedures that will result in fewer cards issued and cards identified for more specific uses. Once implemented, these changes are expected to continue to simplify the purchasing process.

Questions? Email Matt Hammar (Purchasing) at mhammar@georgefox.edu or Cris Banton (Finance) at cbanton@georgefox.edu.

Many of us are beginning to look back on and process everything that has been happening since March. Our minds need to interpret it, digest it and make some sense of it.

We encourage you to read real-life stories of “hope, resilience and inspiration during the coronavirus pandemic” from around the world posted on the American Psychological Association website. It is refreshing and inspiring to see other perspectives and connect with others in that way.

What is your personal story? Write it out, wrestle with it, put it in words. Consider sharing it with your loved ones or peers. Let’s inspire and support each other. Let’s move our focus away from the daily feed of trauma and conflict and bring the positive, the difficult, the complex, the personal and the real to light.

As we all work and live together, it is especially crucial that everyone understands the processes for reporting concerns and cases related to COVID-19.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with these processes:

• #CampusClear Daily Screening
• COVID-19 Case Reporting
• COVID-19 Concern and Case Reporting Form

Questions? Email COT@georgefox.edu.

Please join us on Thursday, Sept. 3, as we celebrate Ryan Dougherty for his 20 years of service to the university. He and his family will join us at the Alumni Plaza (between Bauman Auditorium and the football field) for socially distanced snacks and well wishes. We’ll have a basket available if you’d like to drop off a card. Face coverings required!

Suggested visit times:

• Admissions: 10-10:30 a.m.
• Registrar & Marketing: 10:30-11 a.m.
• George Fox community and friends: 11 a.m. – noon

Please contact Lindsay Knox or Sarah Reid with questions.

Class.georgefox.edu is a great resource for anyone needing to look up details on a class, including teaching modality, meeting times and location, enrollment limit and wait-list numbers, course description, instructor info and often textbook listings, too (click the book icon after clicking on a course to expand its info).

Have questions? Write registrar@georgefox.edu.

The Newberg-to-Portland campus courier service resumes its regular schedule today (Monday) and will be delivering daily. If you have items that need to go to the Portland Center, please make sure you have them to Mail Services by 10:30 a.m.

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

Marketing communications has designed some custom George Fox playing cards for students to enjoy this year, and they turned out good enough that we’d like to share them with the whole community!

If you’d like to order any for yourself or your department, simply fill out this Google form. The price per deck will depend on order volume, but they should be $8 each at the most, possibly less.

Email questions to Jamison Loop (jloop@georgefox.edu).

Join us across campus at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) for Fall Academic Convocation Chapel. This first chapel of the year will be live-streamed across campus and available at this link.

President Robin Baker will introduce the new provost, Andrea Scott, welcome students to campus, and deliver the community charge with ASC president Meredith Green. Start the year off blessed as we worship and welcome students back to campus!

The Portland Writing Center is seeking a new writing consultant who is enthusiastic about helping fellow graduate and degree completion students understand the components of effective writing.

Portland Writing Center consultants are current adult degree-completion and graduate students who work four to eight hours per week meeting with students on Zoom or email sessions through the Portland Writing Center.

Writing consultant duties include helping students with the following:

• Thinking through ideas for a writing assignment
• Considering writing choices with regard to audience, focus, purpose, cohesion, and organization
• Developing ideas with specific evidence
• Improving research strategies
• Applying proper documentation and formatting, and
• Understanding basic grammar and mechanics

Click here for a Consultant Job Description, and click here for a Consultant Application. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

For more information, contact Jennie Harrop, Portland Writing Center director, at 503-554-6024 or jharrop@georgefox.edu.

“Sing to the LORD a new song…” (Psalms 96:1). This admonition in Scripture will take on a unique twist this fall, as part of the wider COVID-19 campus policies.

Across the country, numerous cases of COVID transmission have been traced to choir rehearsals and church congregational singing. In order to prevent this, there are many different mitigation methods under study by multiple universities and research centers in the U.S. and Europe; however, they have not yet determined how to make group singing (and by an extension, group playing of wind instruments) safe. These scientifically rigorous studies expect to release results late in the fall.

In light of this, as a proactive measure toward the health of our community, the university is not permitting group singing or playing of wind instruments in any group context on campus, including in classes, chapel services, student life events, and informal gatherings.

Wind instruments are defined as any instrument you blow into. Students may only sing or play wind instruments when alone, such as in a dorm or outside; music department ensemble members may use the practice rooms in Ross.

Instruments that can be used while wearing masks, such as guitar, piano, or violin, are welcome on campus as long as group size does not exceed four instrumentalists, and social distancing and mask requirements are met. This policy will be revisited as the research becomes more clear.

While we understand that the church relies heavily on congregational singing, there are many other forms of Christian worship that do not. Poetry, Scripture reading, silent worship, art, dance, and instrumental music all can have significant spiritual value, as can private devotional singing.

While we know that this policy creates hardship for many students, we are choosing to err on the side of safety, and ask that all staff, faculty and students comply with this policy. So, sing to the LORD a new type of song this fall; explore new forms of worship and new ways to find joy through non-vocal music. 

More information about the policy (and the rationale behind it) is available on our COVID-19 Music Policy webpage

Starting Monday, Aug. 24, the Portland Center will be open to all students enrolled in programs based out of the Portland Center, regardless of fall 2020 course format. However, as a COVID-19 precaution, the outside doors will only be accessible via your George Fox ID card.

This will allow students to access the resources of the Library Commons, including study rooms, WiFi, printing, public computers, and printing. The Portland Writing Center is open but fully online this fall.

Portland Student Hours:

• Monday: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Tuesday-Thursday: 9:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Friday-Saturday: Only access for students enrolled in in-person classes meeting on those specific days
• Sunday: Closed

Hours are based on Portland Center staff availability and are subject to change.

The Portland Writing Center is seeking a new writing consultant who is enthusiastic about helping fellow graduate and degree completion students understand the components of effective writing.

Portland Writing Center consultants are current adult degree-completion and graduate students who work four to eight hours per week meeting with students on Zoom or email sessions through the Portland Writing Center.

Writing consultant duties include helping students with the following:

• Thinking through ideas for a writing assignment
• Considering writing choices with regard to audience, focus, purpose, cohesion, and organization
• Developing ideas with specific evidence
• Improving research strategies
• Applying proper documentation and formatting, and
• Understanding basic grammar and mechanics

Click here for a Consultant Job Description, and click here for a Consultant Application. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

For more information, contact Jennie Harrop, Portland Writing Center director, at 503-554-6024 or jharrop@georgefox.edu.

As we prepare for a new semester, the Office for Spiritual Life is looking forward to a great semester in chapel. Some highlights include:

• Monday Morning Devotions: On Monday mornings this fall, the university pastors will offer a devotional meditation on the book of James.
• Tuesday Morning Chapel: As always, chapel will take place on Tuesday mornings between 11 and 11:40 a.m. Chapel will be a live event with designated seating and an overflow location (with limited seating). A live stream will be offered to the community every Tuesday morning. (We invite all offices to tune in to the live stream so our community can grow together in faith.)
• Shalom chapel will be offered on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. in person (with designated seating by living-area groups).
• Vespers is on pause for now (Monday Morning Devotions are taking its place).
• Life Groups are eligible for SpiL credit and begin the third week of school. (If you would like to lead either a Zoom group or a hybrid group, sign up here.)
• Various other opportunities will be made available to students for SpiL credit, including academic department chapels, Scripture memory challenges, prayer walks, contemplative morning retreats, the university pastor’s podcast, and other exciting options. 

If you have questions or want to get involved, contact the Office for Spiritual Life at spirituallife@georgefox.edu.

Join us across campus at 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, for Fall Academic Convocation Chapel. This first chapel of the year will be live-streamed across campus and available at this link.

President Robin Baker will introduce the new provost, Andrea Scott, welcome students to campus, and deliver the community charge with ASC president Meredith Green. Start the year off blessed as we worship and welcome students back to campus!

It is time for another Wellness Wednesday!

We hope you like our George Fox masks. If you still have not received it, please stop by HR. Below is some helpful information on how to take good care of your reusable masks.

Masks should be washed after each use. It is important to always remove masks correctly and wash your hands after handling or touching a used mask.

Washing machine
You can include your mask with your regular laundry. Use regular laundry detergent and the warmest appropriate water setting for the cloth used to make the mask.

Washing by hand

• Prepare a bleach solution by mixing five tablespoons (one-third cup) household bleach per gallon of room-temperature water or four teaspoons household bleach per quart of room-temperature water
• Check the label to see if your bleach is intended for disinfection. Some bleach products, such as those designed for safe use on colored clothing, may not be suitable for disinfection.
• Ensure the bleach product is not past its expiration date.
• Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.
• Soak the mask in the bleach solution for five minutes.
• Rinse thoroughly with cool or room-temperature water. Make sure to completely dry mask after washing.

Dryer
Use the highest heat setting and leave in the dryer until completely dry.

Air dry
Lay flat and allow to completely dry. If possible, place the mask in direct sunlight.

Marketing communications will be placing a business card order on Friday, Sept. 4. If you or someone in your department is in need of business cards, please place your order by that date.

Visit Marcom’s webpage for instructions on how to order. Email questions to Jamison Loop (jloop@georgefox.edu).