The Daily Bruin

Merry Christmas from the Office of Spiritual and Intercultural Life! As you know, we are in the midst of Advent, which marks the beginning of the church year. It starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. It’s a time of celebrating the birth of the Messiah and anticipating Christ’s second coming.

For this season, we offer you a series of Advent readings. They are separated into the five weeks of Advent and can be read aloud or in groups. We realize a couple of these dates have passed, but we encourage you to take the time to read these passages as we approach Christmas day.

• Sunday, Nov. 30 (Hope): Luke 3:1-18
• Sunday, Dec. 7 (Peace): Luke 1:5-25
• Sunday, Dec. 14 (Joy): Luke 1:26-56
• Sunday, Dec. 21 (Love): Luke 1:57-80
• Thursday, Dec. 25 (Christ): Luke 2:1-40

On Monday, Jan. 19, George Fox students, staff and faculty will, for the sixth straight year, join with more than 1,000 students from Portland-area colleges and universities to commemorate the life, ideals and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a “day on” of voluntary service and reflection.

The MLK Day of Service is a collaborative effort of Portland-area universities and colleges facilitated by the Oregon Campus Compact, and we are always proud of how well George Fox is represented each year at this event. Annually, it is the largest mobilization of college students in the country to serve on MLK Day!

Volunteers will gather at Concordia University and serve in the Cully neighborhood of northeast Portland. Transportation from George Fox will be provided.

This year’s theme is “Healthy Schools, Thriving Communities.” In order to receive a free T-shirt and participate in this day of serving activities you must register at this link before Jan. 9, 2015.

Questions? Contact Rusty St. Cyr at rstcyr@georgefox.edu.

This week is textbook buyback at the BlueZone Textbook Annex! We will be open for buyback from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily through Friday.

Do you want to skip the line for buyback? You can sell your books back online. Just go to gfubookstore.com and click on the “Score Extra $$$” link. Using the online buyback will get you an additional 10 percent for your books – and the shipping is free!

Faculty, please be sure your students are aware of textbook buyback week.

Contact John Stewart at jstewart@neebo.com if you have questions.

The RSVP deadline for Saturday’s Leadership Symposium with Mohan Nair has been extended through today (Friday). You may still RSVP here: Leadership Symposium.

Nair is VP and chief innovation officer for Cambia Health Solutions. He will speak from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Hoover 105 tomorrow morning. There is no charge to attend.

Nair is the keynote speaker for the College of Business’ semi-annual Transformational Leadership Symposium. The topic of the symposium is “Transform You, Transform Business.” Nair will share inspirational leadership strategies that bring about personal and professional growth and transformation.

Questions? Contact Colleen Huffman at chuffman@georgefox.edu.

It’s time for textbook buyback at the BlueZone Store Annex. We will be hosting buyback from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Dec. 8-12, at the Textbook Annex, 1109 E. Hancock Street in Newberg.

If you can’t make it in during these hours, or you just don’t want to stand in line, you can sell your books back on our website at gfubookstore.com. Use the “Score Extra $$$$” link. You’ll get an extra 10 percent back just for using our online buyback feature!

Faculty, please be sure your students are aware of this buyback program.

Questions? Contact John Stewart at jstewart@neebo.com.

You are reminded to come hear a free presentation by Mohan Nair, VP and chief innovation officer of Cambia Health Solutions, this Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Hoover 105.

Nair is the keynote speaker for the College of Business’ semi-annual Transformational Leadership Symposium. The topic of the symposium is “Transform You, Transform Business.” Nair will share inspirational leadership strategies that bring about personal and professional growth and transformation. You can read more about his presentation here.

Questions? Contact Colleen Huffman at chuffman@georgefox.edu.

If you have not signed up yet to receive the SFS News, please visit this link to read the archived edition sent out last week. At the bottom of the list you will see you can “Join Our Mailing List” to receive future editions as they are available.

The SFS News is the best way to stay informed about the financial aid and student accounts offices.

Questions? Contact Jenny Getsinger at jgetsing@georgefox.edu.

On Thursday, Dec. 18, George Fox University libraries will transition to a new library system. We are in the fourth and final group as the 37-member Orbis Cascade Alliance transitions from stand-alone library systems to one shared library system.

The new system will improve the research experience for our students and faculty and allow us to better manage our resources. More information can be found at this link.

You are invited to stand in support of our black students at George Fox and the black community across our nation. Concerned students and the Office of Intercultural Life are organizing a demonstration on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in light of the shooting deaths of an unarmed black teen, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Mo., and numerous other black men and boys around the country. Meet on the Centennial Tower lawn in front of the Student Union Building from 1 to 2 p.m. Students, faculty and staff are invited to wear black on Tuesday in solidarity.

Those who wish to better understand why the situation in Ferguson is so hurtful to the black community and how we can pursue racial reconciliation are encouraged to contact Donna Barber, director of intercultural life, or Rebecca Hernandez, associate vice president of intercultural engagement. There are also several student clubs and organizations that have much to offer in this important area.

The College of Business invites the university community to a presentation by Mohan Nair, VP and chief innovation officer of Cambia Health Solutions, on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Hoover 105.

Nair is the keynote speaker for the College of Business’ semi-annual Transformational Leadership Symposium. The topic of the symposium is “Transform You, Transform Business.” Nair will share inspirational leadership strategies that bring about personal and professional growth and transformation. You can read more about his presentation here.

Mark your calendar! Have questions? Contact Colleen Huffman at chuffman@georgefox.edu.

On Thursday, Dec. 18, George Fox University libraries will transition to a new library system. We are in the fourth and final group as the 37-member Orbis Cascade Alliance transitions from stand-alone library systems to one shared library system.

The new system will improve the research experience for our students and faculty and allow us to better manage our resources. More information can be found at this link.

All university offices on the Newberg campus and at the Portland Center will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27-28, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

All students and employees are invited to attend a special session, “Illuminating the Word – the Making of the Saint John’s Bible,” from 9 to 9:50 a.m. tomorrow (Friday) in Lemmons 8. Brad Neary, director of the Saint John’s Bible Heritage Program, will make a PowerPoint presentation on the making and significance of the Saint John’s Bible.

As part of George Fox University’s “A Year with the Saint John’s Bible” celebration, Volume 6 (The Gospels and Acts) will be available for viewing.

Questions? Contact Paul Anderson at panderso@georgefox.edu.

Every year, around Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, hundreds of thousands of people around the world send a message to someone they’ve never met. Letter writing has always been at the core of Amnesty International’s work, and 53 years of human rights activism show that letters really do have the power to change lives.

You can be a part of this, too. The George Fox chapter of Amnesty International is hosting a Write for Rights event at the Coffee Cottage in Newberg on Monday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Come for the whole time, or just a few minutes and write a letter to change a life.

Click here for more information on the event. Contact Jennifer Newman at newmanj11@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

We hope to see you there!

In support of our Creation Care values, Human Resources will issue 2014 year-end W-2 forms online in “Self Service” for all employees. In order for the university to save the expense of purchasing, printing, stuffing into envelopes and delivering your form by campus mail, the law requires that you give your consent to receiving this form online. If you consented in the past, you do NOT need to do so again.

You can verify your consent status or give consent for the first time by following the steps below. It only takes about 30 seconds, so I encourage you to take care of it as soon as possible – perhaps right now? Here’s how:

1. Log in to http://mygfu.georgefox.edu
2. From the menu at left, select “Self Service”
3. Select “Payroll and Compensation”
4. Select “W-2/W-2c Consent”
5. Check your current status. Does it say “Consent received?” If so, thank you! You’re done. If not …
6. Read the statement and check the box to give consent. Click “Submit.”
7. Enter your GFU password as a confirmation of your identity and click “Continue.”
8. Click “OK”

You’ll receive a confirmation email of your decision shortly after completing this process. And just to be clear, you will only have to do this once – not every year.

Thanks very much. Let me know if you have any questions.

Katie Sol, Human Resources (ksol@georgefox.edu)

Do you enjoy helping people? Have you considered a career as a clinical mental health counselor, couple and family systems counselor, school counselor or school psychologist? If so, join an upcoming Graduate School of Counseling information meeting to learn about masters-level counseling programs offered at George Fox. Prerequisite classes are not required and your bachelor’s degree does not need to be in psychology to apply.

An info meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the Portland Center. Register online or learn more about our programs at counseling.georgefox.edu.

Contact Joel Moore at jmoore@georgefox.edu or 503-554-6166 if you have questions or to schedule a one-on-one appointment.

The Science Outreach Program aims to serve the greater community and promote an interest in science from a Christ-centered perspective. Our purpose is to help advance science education, raise the scientific consciousness of the community, and share resources of the George Fox University Science Department.

We have scientific equipment many elementary, middle and high schools do not own. Equipment loans are also available to the homeschooling community. If you need microscopes, dissecting tools, physics models or a variety of other teaching items, we can loan them to you and help enrich scientific learning among your students and family. Equipment is loaned out on a first come, first served basis for up to one week (seven days).

To borrow equipment, send your requests to scienceoutreach@georgefox.edu. Questions? Contact Elizabeth Licon at elicon@georgefox.edu.

Sherri Moore, the veterans coordinator for George Fox, will be on campus at the Portland Center Friday, Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule an appointment to meet with her, please email smoore@georgefox.edu or simply drop by the Student Accounts Office.