The Daily Bruin

The one constant in life is change and this is true in the college bookstore industry.  We have seen a shift in student buying behavior which brings with it both challenges and exciting opportunities for a new way of serving our students, faculty, and staff.

Effective January 30, 2010 the Portland Center Bookstore will close its physical presence and transition to a web based service center.  This will allow the bookstore to move from a small space with limited hours that only offers textbooks and a small selection of other items to a website that will allow students to purchase all their textbooks plus imprinted clothing and gifts and a selection of supplies, academically priced software, consumer electronics and computer supplies.  The website will be available 24/7/365 for your shopping convenience.

As a student you may have several questions regarding what this means to you so here are a few answers up front.

-How will I know what textbooks are needed for my classes?
All book information will be listed online approximately six weeks before the start of each semester.

-How will I purchase my textbooks?
You will be able to purchase all your textbooks online at www.store.georgefox.edu  You will be able to purchase using Visa, MasterCard or charging to your Student Account.

-Once I˙ve purchased my textbooks how will I receive them?
You will have two options to choose from when purchasing your textbooks online.
1. You may have your order delivered via UPS or USPS to an address of your choosing.
2. You may have your order sent to the Portland or Salem Center to be picked up at the front counter at your convenience.

-What happens if I forgot my pen or notepad for class?
A custom designed vending machine that stocks school supplies such as pens, pencils, highlighters, tape, index cards, batteries, paper and other items will be available in the atrium area right outside the library.

These are just a few questions that might come up.  If you have others please visit John Stewart at the bookstore or email him at jstewart@georgefox.edu

We are excited about the opportunity to serve you in a brand new way!  We welcome your questions and input!

The university will close Wednesday through Friday, Dec. 23-25, for the Christmas holiday. It will also be closed on Friday, Jan. 1, for New Year’s Day. All offices, bookstores and libraries will be closed on those days.

FoxTALE will be unavailable from 6 to 7 a.m. (Pacific Time) Monday, Dec. 21, for scheduled maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Midyear commencement is set to take place at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 19, in Miller Gymnasium on the Newberg campus. Please visit the university’s commencement site to get details, including hooding ceremonies and luncheon information.

Join the university in saying farewell to Ron and Carolyn Stansell at a retirement reception from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, in the Duke Atrium of the Stevens Center. Ron has served as professor of religion with a missions emphasis for the past 25 years. Carolyn worked in Student Financial Services for seven years and then, together with Ron, led students in our South American Studies Program for the past five years. They will retire this spring upon returning from Bolivia.

Celebrate with us their years of dedication and valuable contributions to George Fox.

With the winter season upon us, it is important for us to know when and how campus closure information will be made available. The Provost will make the decision whether or not to close the Portland (Salem, Boise, Redmond or Newberg) campus 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.

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 closure decision has been made when bad weather occurs:

1. Listen to local radio and television stations. Each campus will be identified separately.
2. Call Newsline, the university’s recorded announcements, at 503-554-3868
3. Call the George Fox University switchboard at 503-538-8383.
4. Check television and newspaper Web sites: kgw.com, koin.com, kptv.com, katu.com, columbian.com, oregonlive.com or flashalert.net.
5. Message on the Portland (503-554-6100) or Salem (971-239-4930) phone lines.
6. Main GFU website – there is a weather related closure link at the bottom of the main web page.

The Staff Development Committee would like to thank the university community for joining in our fall 2009 “HUGS for Kids” clothing drive for Love INC. Together, we collected dozens of hats, umbrellas, gloves and scarves as well as several boxes of personal hygiene items and lots and lots of toys! Thank you for making this winter a whole lot more fun and warm for many, many Newberg kids.

The music department has five MIDI digital pianos for sale — just in time for the holidays!

The Kawai PN60 pianos have 76 keys and are selling for $175 each. They are in excellent working condition and sound great. They can be played with earphones so as not to disturb the family. They feature MIDI connection, an onboard recorder (sequencer), metronome and demo songs. In addition, about 10-12 different sounds are built in to each keyboard.

If you have wanted to hook up your computer to a keyboard, now is the time. These will go fast at this price.

The keyboards are currently in Ross 218 and are available to look at anytime the lab is open. They will be removed on Dec. 18 and will be available for pick-up by appointment Dec 21-24. Any unsold pianos will be posted for sale on craigslist as of Dec 18.

For more information contact:
Debbie Hawblitzel
Administrative Assistant, Performing Arts Department
Telephone: 503-554-2620
E-mail: dhawblit@georgefox.edu

To read more about the piano, click on this link to the owner’s manual.

A retirement reception for Ron and Carolyn Stansell is scheduled from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, in the Duke Atrium of the Stevens Center. Ron has served as professor of religion with a missions emphasis for the past 25 years. Carolyn worked in Student Financial Services for seven years and then, together with Ron, led students in our South American Studies Program for the past five years. They will retire this spring upon returning from Bolivia.

Celebrate with us their years of dedication and valuable contributions to George Fox.

– Religious Studies Department

The Department of Performing Arts has greatly appreciated the support and attendance of the George Fox University community at our many events. If you have not already done so, we would encourage you to get your tickets for the upcoming Christmas concert soon. There are just a few main floor seats available and some seats available in the balcony for Friday and Saturday.

The performance at Village Baptist is open seating and there are more seats available for the Sunday matinee performance. We look forward to seeing you this weekend.

For concert times and ticket information, visit georgefox.edu/featured_stories/Christmas%202009.html.

Sincerely,
Loren Wenz (Performing Arts)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

SPRING TEXTBOOKS will be available online beginning Monday, December 14th.

**IMPORTANT** NEW THIS SEMESTER:

Cut-off dates for Student Account Charges:

Online Sales: Dec. 30, 2009    In-Store Sales: Dec. 31, 2009

Portland Center Bookstore Christmas Break Schedule:

Portland Hours 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Portland Center Bookstore will be open for sales:

Dec. 21, 22 (closed 23-25)
Dec. 28-31 (closed Jan. 1)
Jan. 4-8
(Closed Weekends)

Spring classes begin Monday, January 11, 2010

For complete Portland Center Bookstore information, please visit our university website at http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/store_pdx/

With winter upon us, there may be rare occasions when classes need to be canceled and offices closed due to adverse weather conditions or for other emergency reasons.

The provost decides if conditions warrant canceling classes or closing offices for the Newberg campus and the Portland and Salem centers. Major considerations are road conditions, ice, utility service disruption, and how long the severe weather or emergency is likely to last. Decisions on day classes are announced by 6:30 a.m., if possible. Most decisions on evening classes are posted by 2:15 p.m..

In no circumstances should employees or students put themselves in danger in an attempt to get to campus.

To find out if a closure decision has been made when bad weather occurs:

• Listen to local radio and television stations

• Call Newsline, the university’s recorded announcements, at 503-554-3868

• Call the George Fox switchboard at 503-538-8383

• Check television and newspaper Web sites: kgw.com, koin.com, kptv.com, katu.com, columbian.com, oregonlive.com or flashalert.net.
• Check the university’s website

To read the employee policy regarding school closures, visit blogs.georgefox.edu/CampusAlerts/?p=8.

Don’t forget: The university’s annual campus Christmas celebration is scheduled for this Saturday, Dec. 5. Christmas carols and a candlelight devotional service will begin at 6:15 p.m. at the Centennial Tower. Various other activities and live entertainment will be held in the Stevens Center (Duke Atrium), Hoover atrium and Ron Gregory Atrium from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

In addition, the event will include a live Nativity with a petting arena, plus horse-drawn wagons for scenic rides around campus. Students and employees (along with their families) are encouraged to join in the fun as we kick off the holiday season.

Questions? Contact Danya Ochsner (University Relations) at ext. 2121 or at dochsner@georgefox.edu.

Want to know what books have impacted the lives of faculty and staff?

Please enjoy the display of books in the newspaper and new book display area of the Portland Center Library! Some titles are old favorites and some titles will definitely need to be on your own reading list! The display will be available until January.

Tickets are now on sale for the university’s Christmas Concert, “All is Calm, All is Bright,” presented by the Department of Performing Arts Friday through Sunday, Dec. 11-13. This year’s concert features more than 150 musicians from five ensembles in the main-stage performance, and preconcert music featuring 10 of the university’s chamber ensembles.

Three presentations are scheduled:

• Two on-campus performances in Bauman Auditorium: Friday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. (preconcert music begins at 6:30 p.m.), and Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. (preconcert music begins at 6:30 p.m.)
• One off-campus performance at Village Baptist Church in Beaverton on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2:30 p.m. (preconcert music begins at 2 p.m.)

Additional information about the concert program or the performing arts department is available by contacting Debbie Hawblitzel (Performing Arts) at ext. 2620. Questions regarding tickets can be directed to the University Box Office at ext. 3844.

Tickets may be purchased online now at music.georgefox.edu, or (two weeks prior to the event) at the box office by calling ext. 3844. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and George Fox alumni; and $6 for students and children. All faculty, students and staff receive one free ticket (to the on-campus performances only), available for pick-up in the Bruin Bookstore. The concert on campus features reserved seating, so if you have a favorite seat, make sure you save it now! Seating will be open for Sunday’s matinee performance.

The university will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 26-27, for the Thanksgiving holiday. All offices, bookstores and libraries will be closed those two days.

The Portland Center Bookstore will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday from Wed., November 25 through Fri., November 27.  We will resume regular store hours on Monday, November 30.

Everyone is encouraged to come to the Bruin Basketball games this Friday, but if you are unable to attend in person, watching on the Internet should be a better experience this year. Stretch Internet is the host that will be delivering our video stream. We are excited because the quality should be better thanks to more bandwidth and better production software.

Check out the schedule by clicking this Stretch Internet link. The first games to be broadcast will be Friday’s (Nov. 20) home openers.

– IT

The Office of University Relations, along with ASC, will host the university’s annual campus Christmas celebration on Saturday, Dec. 5. Christmas carols and a candlelight devotional service will begin at 6:15 p.m. at the Centennial Tower. Various other activities and live entertainment will be held in Stevens Center atrium, Hoover atrium and Ron Gregory Atrium from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

In addition, the event will include a live Nativity with a petting arena, plus horse-drawn wagons for scenic rides around campus. Students and employees (along with their families) are encouraged to join in the fun as we kick off the holiday season.

Questions? Contact Danya Ochsner (University Relations) at ext. 2121 or at dochsner@georgefox.edu.

This is a reminder that on Friday, Nov. 13, the university’s Apple campus rep is hosting a clinic to show faculty, staff and students some of the new features of the new Mac OSX Snow Leopard. This will be a short clinic with a 20- to 30-minute Q & A following.

The session is scheduled at 10:40 a.m. in Stevens 208 on the Newberg campus.