The Daily Bruin

Plan to join us for the all-employee meeting tomorrow (Thursday), from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Bauman Auditorium!

Our theme this month is “Christmas,” which will include the serving of festive snack platters of cherry tomatoes, sliced cheese and rosemary in the shape of a tree, with regular and gluten-free crackers on the side. We’ll also have “Holiday Rice” (and gluten-free Chex), “Krispy Squares” (green and red M&M’s mixed in), cranberry and lime punch, and ice water.

At the Portland Center, we will have a live video feed and also serve treats in Room 235 (please note room change from last month’s meeting).

Here is the agenda …

Welcome
Rob Westervelt

Employee of the Month

Devotional
Linda Samek

Achieving the Vision
Melissa Thomas, registrar
“Spring Forecast”

Patrick Kelley, director of graduate admissions
“Graduate Admissions Update”

John Smith, head coach, men’s and women’s track

Innovating to Improve Outcomes
Ted Allen, chief operations officer

Putting Students First
Jeremy Lloyd, creative content manager
“Undergraduate Major Pages”

Christ in Everything
Chuck Conniry, vice president and dean, George Fox Evangelical Seminary
“College of Christian Studies”

Closing Remarks
Robin Baker

‘Tis the season to ship packages, and we have some tips to help ensure that your package arrives safely.

1. Do not wrap the box in brown paper, grocery bags, wrapping paper, etc. (Too many times, the paper is ripped off in the handling and shipping process – and the address and postage are gone!)

• Just use a plain old box – a cereal box, a ShopVac box, an Office Depot box, etc.
• We have a wide variety of the free Priority boxes – regular and Flat Rate.
• Be sure any old address label on the box is covered with a blank adhesive label; we have free blank labels you can use – just ask a clerk.
• Put your new address label directly onto the box (or write the address on a clear side of the box).
• Another safety item: Put a copy of the address it is going to inside the box – just in case it gets torn open.

2. Use blue or black ink for the address. Do not use red ink. Red is hard to read by the U.S. Mail scanners.

If you have questions, please email Linda Sartwell lsartwel@georgefox.edu.

Textbook Buyback is happening all this week at the Textbook Annex located at 1109 E. Hancock St., in Newberg. Remember to visit gfubookstore.com to get a price quote before you come in to get an additional 10 percent back for your books.

We are still in need of many willing servants to serve as ushers at the December commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 21, in Miller Gymnasium. Hand out programs, direct graduates’ families and friends to their seats, and help make graduation a special event for all involved. All university employees who participate as ushers will be paid $25 per ceremony through payroll. The hours of commitment would be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Please let Jennifer Kepler (jkepler@georgefox.edu) know ASAP if this is something you would like to be a part of. It’s a great opportunity to see that special student graduate, volunteer in a much-needed area of service, and be a part of a special event.

Thank you for considering being involved!

If you are on the Newberg campus today (Tuesday), please join your colleagues for the all-employee Christmas lunch in the Cap and Gown Room. Lunch will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in order to accommodate various work schedules.

Merry Christmas!

The city of Tigard has requested the input of George Fox University.

The Tigard Triangle Strategic Plan is an effort by the city of Tigard to transform the Triangle into an area with a mix of uses that could include housing, employment and shopping, along with outdoor spaces, safe and convenient places to walk and bike, and improved transit.

By taking this survey, you will help to set the priorities in the area and to refine the evaluation criteria that will be used to assess several alternative plans that are currently being developed.

You already make a difference in the lives of George Fox students through your daily investment of time and talent. Would you also consider investing in students through your treasure?

The end of the year is quickly approaching. Gifts from George Fox employees make it possible for students to receive tremendous opportunities for spiritual formation, vocational development and character growth.

To see videos and students’ testimonies of how these types of opportunities at George Fox deepen their relationship with God and prepare them for exceptional life outcomes as world changers please go to giving.georgefox.edu.

For an easy way to give via payroll deduction, please follow this link.

If you want to receive 2013 tax credit, please make sure your donation meets the following deadlines:

• Checks must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31.
• Online donations must be processed no later than Dec. 31 at midnight (Pacific time).
• Credit card payments must be processed in our office no later than Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. (Pacific time). To reach us on Dec. 31, please call Kristi Hagen at 503-554-2111.

Many thanks to those who have already responded! You make such a difference in students’ lives.

If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Andrews, vice president for advancement strategy and donor relations, at landrews@georgefox.edu.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Use your new, empty 2014 Spring sites as the sites in which you will teach. You may import content from another course site. See the instructions here for importing.

2014 Spring sites are currently hidden from students. When you are ready, you can share the sites with your students. Here is a quick guide on how to make the courses available: FoxTALE: Making Courses Available (Visible) to Students. After our Dec. 31 FoxTALE upgrade, this path will change. Here are the new instructions: FoxTALE Making Courses Visible (Available) to Students.

If you used the FoxTALE grade book for any of your FoxTALE course sites, we recommend that you back up your 2013 Fall grade book to a spreadsheet that is saved outside of FoxTALE. See the instructions here for backing up grades. You will want to keep an archive of your course grades that cover the last five years.

If your course site is set to “Weekly” format, your course might show incorrect dates. To change the dates, go to Settings > Course administration > Edit settings on the course home page. Scroll down to the Course start date and change it to the first day of your summer course. Scroll to the bottom of the page and “Save changes.” After the Dec. 31 upgrade the path will be Administration > Edit Settings > Scroll down to Course start date.

Contact Kandie Comfort at kcomfort@georgefox.edu if you have questions.

Our next FoxTALE upgrade occurs Tuesday, Dec. 31, between 6 and 10 a.m. Pacific Time. FoxTALE will be unavailable during this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Several new features and procedures will be available after this upgrade, and a particular new procedure to take note of is how to make your course visible to students. Find out more at this link.

Full details of the upgrade are at this this FoxTALE for Faculty link.

W-2 consent needed from all (including student employees)
If you have not yet given consent to receive your W-2 online, please do so now before we order forms for printing. It takes just a minute to log into MyGFU and go to “Self Service,” “Payroll and Compensation,” “W-2 Consent” and check the box. Help us go green today!

Update your personal data in MyGFU
While you’re in MyGFU, please verify that your address, social security number, and any other personal information is up to date before we issue W-2s. From “Self Service,” open the “Campus Personal Information” screen and verify/update your information. If there is a change or misspelling in your primary name, please contact HR at hr@georgefox.edu.

Remember that, due to the holidays this month, we must have all payroll documents in the HR office by the end of the day today (Friday, Dec. 13). That includes November time sheets for regular employees, November/December time sheets for temporary or part-time employees, check requests, and benefit changes.

Be sure all documents are complete and signed. You may fax to 503-554-2186 or e-mail to Katie Sol at ksol@georgefox.edu.

Thank you!

– HR

Want to be a part of midyear commencement in Miller Gymnasium? Come help out as an usher!

We are in need of 14 people for the Saturday, Dec. 21, ceremony from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Duties include passing out programs, guiding people to their seats, and assisting guests.

Please e-mail Jennifer Kepler (jkepler@georgefox.edu) with your interest.

Please be aware the financial affairs office will not have a check run during the week of Christmas. Please plan accordingly.

Check requests received by 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 16, will be paid Friday, Dec. 20. Check requests received after 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 16, will not be paid until Friday, Jan. 3.

Thank you, and Merry Christmas from everyone in the financial affairs office!

You already make a difference in the lives of George Fox students through your daily investment of time and talent. Would you also consider investing in students through your treasure?

The end of the year is quickly approaching. Gifts from George Fox employees make it possible for students to receive tremendous opportunities for spiritual formation, vocational development and character growth.

To see videos and students’ testimonies of how these types of opportunities at George Fox deepen their relationship with God and prepare them for exceptional life outcomes as world changers please go to giving.georgefox.edu.

For an easy way to give via payroll deduction, please follow this link.

If you want to receive 2013 tax credit, please make sure your donation meets the following deadlines:

• Checks must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31.
• Online donations must be processed no later than Dec. 31 at midnight (Pacific time).
• Credit card payments must be processed in our office no later than Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. (Pacific time). To reach us on Dec. 31, please call Kristi Hagen at 503-554-2111.

Many thanks to those who have already responded! You make such a difference in students’ lives.

If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Andrews, vice president for advancement strategy and donor relations, at landrews@georgefox.edu.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

IT has been working to update electronic storage used by faculty and staff. On Friday, Dec. 13, we will turn off what has been traditionally referred to as the H-drive (Mac users may know this better as *username*$). We have spent the last three months contacting active users of this service and have helped them transition to alternative storage and set them up on our new automated backup system called CrashPlan.

We have reached the time to turn this service off. Files will be retained, but users will not have direct access. This transition will not affect most users. If you are still actively using your H-drive, then please contact the IT Service Desk before Friday Dec. 13, to set up an appointment if you need help transitioning away from using your H-drive.

Questions? Contact the Service Desk at servicedesk@georgefox.edu.

If you have tickets for the Christmas Concert this weekend and will be unable to use them, please return them to the box office as soon as possible. Sunday’s show is sold out and has a wait list. Questions? Call the box office at 503-554-3844.

To nominate a colleague for this month’s award, please send an e-mail to Peggy Kilburg by Wednesday, Dec. 11, with a summary of this person’s contributions and/or outstanding performance in the past 30 days or so.

Due to the Christmas holiday, our community meeting will be held on Thursday, Dec. 19, so the time frame is shorter to submit nominations this month. The winner will be announced and presented with a $100 Visa gift card at the meeting.

This new .75FTE position (pay range 5) is open to both employees and external candidates. Please check the position announcement on the George Fox website at this link to learn more details about the duties and qualifications of this position.

To apply: Please submit a completed transfer request, cover letter, and resume to Human Resources by Friday, Dec. 13. Interviews may begin as early as the week of Dec. 16. The link to the transfer request form can be found here.

The university’s library staff wants to make it easier to access important information and resources using handheld mobile devices – and we need your help.

Please take a few minutes to complete this very short survey on mobile device usage and preferences. You should be able to complete it in less than five minutes. Your answers will help to improve the library’s mobile-optimized homepage.

Thank you!

Don’t forget to join Robin and Ruth Baker for the Bakers’ annual Christmas Open House from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Edwards House (402 S. College St.). All employees and their families are welcome.

Light appetizers and holiday sweets will be served as we celebrate together.