The Daily Bruin

As the seasons shift and the daylight hours shorten, you may notice changes in how you feel. You might find yourself fatigued, struggling with insomnia, or not enjoying activities that usually bring happiness.

For some, these changes may be signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression that is brought on from a change in seasons. The important thing to remember is that you’re not alone, and there are steps you can take to help you cope.

• Acknowledge Your Feelings: Recognize how you feel and reach out to family and friends for support. Don’t be afraid to speak to them – it’s important to be open and honest.
• Volunteer: Giving back can be very rewarding. Local organizations have many volunteer opportunities, and you may meet others with the same interests.
• Lean on Others: There are support groups in many communities that can help provide a sense of companionship all year long.
• Talk with a Licensed Therapist or Professional: If you think you’re experiencing symptoms of SAD, you have access to a variety of behavioral health options and providers who can support you.

As a Providence Health Plan member, you can choose the type of care that works best for you. Whether you’re looking for ways to relax or want to connect with a provider by text, voice, video or in-person, we have you covered. Check out your behavioral health suite of services flier in English and Spanish.

Don’t forget that you can call your Employee Assistance Program Canopy, 24/7, at 800-433-2320 to get help.

Before you enjoy your holiday break, give yourself the gift of financial clarity and peace of mind by scheduling a personal one-on-one consultation with our dedicated retirement specialist this coming spring semester.

Phillip Carbajal can help you find the best strategy to keep you on track, no matter where you are on your retirement journey. Review his spring 2026 consultations schedule and secure your slot today. His first availability is on Monday, Jan 13, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Klages Room 231.

Unwrapping a new phone this holiday season? Make sure you update your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings to avoid getting locked out of your George Fox accounts.

How to Prepare Multi-Factor Authentication for a New Phone

If you have any issues setting this up, you will need to call the Service Desk at 503-554-2569 for assistance.

Please plan accordingly, as the Service Desk will be closed for the break:

• Closed: Dec. 24 through Jan. 4
• Regular Hours Resume: Jan. 5, 2026

Please be advised that the last Accounts Payable payment run before Christmas break is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19. To ensure your supplier invoices are included in this run, please submit them by the end of today (Monday).

Payment criteria: All invoices submitted by the deadline, accompanied by a completed Purchase Order (PO), will be processed for payment if their standard payment terms fall on or before Dec. 31.

If you have any questions, please contact Accounts Payable or Patrick Culligan at pculligan@georgefox.edu.

The finance office will be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 5 for Christmas break. Deposits that need to have a December 2025 date must be brought to the finance office no later than 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19. If it arrives later, it will go into a deposit for January 2026.

Please note: The finance office is now located at 1515 Portland Road (a.k.a. “Sleep Center”).

Please look around your desks and file cabinets to see if there are any lingering items that need to go to the bank. If you are taking extra time off during the Christmas/New Year holiday, please send your deposits over before you leave.

If you have any questions about deposits, please use our new email (deposits@georgefox.edu) or contact Heather Groenlund at 503-554-2173.

Thank you, and have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Your IT team has just sent out this month’s critical updates to your computer. To get them fully installed and working, save your work and restart your device as soon as possible.

Why restart?

• Security: These updates address the latest security vulnerabilities, ensuring the safety of your data and our network.
• Performance: Regular updates and restarts keep your computer running smoothly and prevent slowdowns.

IT Pro-Tip: While we send major updates in the third week of the month, the best thing you can do for your computer’s health is to restart it at least once a week. A weekly reboot keeps things running smoothly and prevents small issues from escalating into major problems. 

For optimal computer performance, don’t wait for our update push. Manually check for your own updates once a month.

Questions? Write servicedesk@georgefox.edu.

Plant Services and IT are excited to announce that cardlock access requests can now be submitted using the standard Electronic Key Request Form.

To submit a request:

1. Open the Key Request Form (my.GeorgeFox.edu – eForms)
2. Select “Physical Key” or “Card Access” from the key type drop-down menu
3. Select the building
4. Enter the room number of the location
5. For card access requests, add in the date range and time range for access (note: This field ONLY appears if you’ve selected “Card Access” in step 2)
6. Select the appropriate building monitor for the chosen location
7. Acknowledge the policy
8. Click “Submit”

Cardlock access requests will follow the same approval workflow as requesting physical keys. Once your request is approved and the permissions have been set up in the system, confirmation emails will be sent indicating that the access is active.

Please route all future card access requests through the updated electronic Key Request Form. This will ensure that your access request is properly tracked and processed. Thank you!

Employees, as we prepare for the upcoming tax season, complete these steps to ensure you get your W-2 form quickly.

1. Verify Your Address: Check that your mailing address is current in MyGeorgeFox for accurate year-end reporting.
   Where to Go: From the MyGeorgeFox homepage, go to the “Profile” tile and then “Addresses”
2. Go Paperless (Recommended!): Sign up for electronic W-2 delivery to get your form faster and more securely.
   Where to Go: From the MyGeorgeFox homepage, go to the “Payroll” tile and then “W-2/W-2c Consent” (check the box to consent)

Need help? Contact the payroll team at payroll@georgefox.edu.

The IT department is selling used Macs, PCs and Chromebooks at the Service Desk (third floor of Stevens Center) on a first-come, first-served basis. The sale starts on Monday, Dec. 15.

Condition: Devices are factory reset to the highest compatible OS and sold “as is,” with no IT support or warranty. Best for basic web browsing and streaming.

• Accessories: Power supply included. Desktops and all-in-ones also include a keyboard and mouse.
• Payment: Debit/credit card only at time of purchase. No holds.

For more details, visit this website or contact servicedesk@georgefox.edu.

Workspace Studio

Gemini as a collaborator is great, but when will it actually do things? This answer is…now! Get a taste of agentic AI as a co-worker that can act on your behalf.

• Let Gemini highlight the most important emails from your unread backlog and send you a chat message with the details.
• Let Gemini check your documents and send you notes to prepare you for that important conversation on today’s calendar.
• Not sure how to get started? Just tell Gemini what you’d like to automate and it will build a starter flow for you. Examples are also provided.

Workspace Studio is available to everyone in the George Fox community!

AI Studio

Have you heard of “Vibe Coding?” With just a prompt, you can create your own app and include advanced AI tools!

Unlike our other Google Workspace AI tools, use of AI Studio is not automatically covered under our data protection agreement with Google, so its availability is initially limited. If you’d like to make an AI Studio app, please reach out to IT to get started! Learn more here.

Contact the IT Service Desk at servicedesk@georgefox.edu with any questions, or check the IT: AI website.

Spiritual Life welcomes you to swing by Barclay House before you head off for break to pick up a copy of the liturgy book we’ve been using in chapel this fall semester. They are free for students, faculty and staff. Feel free to pick up one for yourself and another for your family and friends!

Please be advised that the last Accounts Payable payment run before Christmas break is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19. To ensure your supplier invoices are included in this run, please note the deadline of Monday, Dec. 15.

Payment criteria: All invoices submitted by the deadline, accompanied by a completed Purchase Order (PO), will be processed for payment if their standard payment terms fall on or before Dec. 31.

If you have any questions, please contact Accounts Payable or Patrick Culligan at pculligan@georgefox.edu.

Have questions, concerns or suggestions about BruinBuy? Please join us in the Millage Building for our BruinBuy roundtable today (Thursday) from 8:30 to 10 a.m. We are here to help, listen and collaborate with you on all of your procurement and accounts payable needs. This will be an open-dialogue format. Please come take advantage of this learning opportunity.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Patrick Culligan at pculligan@georgefox.edu or Frank Charles at fcharles@georgefox.edu.

Our last BruinBuy roundtable will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 17, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Keep an eye out for more BruinBuy roundtables in the new year!

Please note Hadlock’s hours over the holiday break:

• Saturday, Dec. 13: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 14: Closed
• Monday through Friday, Dec. 15-19: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Weekends: Closed
• Dec. 23 through Jan. 2: Closed

Regular hours resume Jan. 10.

The finance office will be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 5 for Christmas break. Deposits that need to have a December 2025 date must be brought to the finance office no later than 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19. If it arrives later, it will go into a deposit for January 2026.

Please note: The finance office is now located at 1515 Portland Road (a.k.a. “Sleep Center”).

Please look around your desks and file cabinets to see if there are any lingering items that need to go to the bank. If you are taking extra time off during the Christmas/New Year holiday, please send your deposits over before you leave.

If you have any questions about deposits, please use our new email (deposits@georgefox.edu) or contact Heather Groenlund at 503-554-2173.

Thank you, and have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Friendly reminder: Bookstore rentals are due tomorrow (Friday). The Bruin Bookstore will be open Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for winter commencement.

Spring 2026 course materials are available, so shop ahead online and select “in-store pickup.” Your texts will be ready when you return in January!

Boost your financial knowledge with Nationwide’s live and on-demand webinars, designed to offer guidance on your retirement plan and financial goals.

Live Events: Register for interactive sessions on topics like approaching retirement and Social Security.

On-Demand: Watch recordings anytime for topics like personal finance and navigating market volatility.

View the full schedule and start learning today!

Providence Health Plan members: Check out “Providence Health Coaching: A Nine-Month Journey Toward Sustainable Wellness.”

What is health coaching? It’s a collaborative partnership to help you develop personalized, sustainable lifestyle habits that align with your wellness goals and vision. And with Providence, you get the opportunity to work with National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coaches (NBC-HWC).

The program launches Jan 5 with a pre-launch Interest Form, available now for earliest access to the program.

This comprehensive program includes:

• An initial lifestyle assessment
• Weekly communications and habit check-ins
• Biweekly coaching sessions for the first three months
• Monthly coaching sessions for the remaining six months

In total, you’ll complete 12 live sessions with a certified health coach, experimenting with small, achievable goals that support your larger wellness vision.

Unwrapping a new phone this holiday season? Make sure you update your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings to avoid getting locked out of your George Fox accounts.

How to Prepare Multi-Factor Authentication for a New Phone

If you have any issues setting this up, you will need to call the Service Desk at 503-554-2569 for assistance.

Please plan accordingly, as the Service Desk will be closed for the break:

• Closed: Dec. 24 through Jan. 4
• Regular Hours Resume: Jan. 5, 2026

Thank you to all who participated in marketing communications’ annual Deck the Halls Christmas Decorating Contest. We were so moved by the Christmas spirit throughout campus! This year brought in 18 participating departments.

Congratulations to our winners! The top three placers were:

• First place: Advancement (The “Rootin’ Tootin’ Best in the West” Award)
• Second place: Finance (The “Internationally Acclaimed Christmas” Award)
• Third place: Financial Aid (The “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Financial Aid Secrets” Award)

There were several honorable mentions across campus, including the Department of Education (The “Jim Henson Would Be Proud” Award), the Department of Social Work (The “Cozy Christmas” Award), the Maker Hub (The “Santa’s Workshop” Award), and many more.

And a huge shoutout to plant services for keeping all of campus merry and bright!

Be sure to swing by the various departments to get a look at all the work that went into making their spaces so festive.

Thank you!

Amanda Howard, Marketing, and the Christmas Committee