The Daily Bruin

George Fox University libraries now provide access to thousands of electronic books through Foxtrax, the library’s online catalog. Our most recent acquisition is a collection of 45,000 leased titles from e-brary, a company that has partnered with 350 publishers to provide access to published books in electronic format.

For additional information about ebrary and other available e-books, please go to the library’s ebook site.

THIS Thursday, Jan. 14 wear your BLUE ZONE shirt for the Portland Center’s support of the GFU basketball program. We will have shirts available for purchase ($5 for most folks & $4 for students) and wristbands for free.

Wear your BLUE ZONE t-shirt…and enter the drawing at the front desk for grand prizes.

Then bring your family on Saturday, Jan. 16 to the GFU basketball games at the Newberg campus. All Portland employees, students & families will be able to sit together in reserved seating and have pizza to eat between games. The boys’ game starts at 6 p.m and the girls’ game is at 8 p.m. Entrance is free with your GFU ID card.

GO BRUINS!

The Wireless access key has been changed for the Boise, Portland and Salem campuses.  The new key can be found on the front page of mygfu.georgefox.edu or by asking at the front desk at the affected campuses.

Those at the Portland Campus are strongly encouraged to connect to the “foxwifi” network rather than the “foxguest” network.  Foxwifi is more secure and will soon offer extra features (such as printing from your laptop computer).  For help connecting to foxwifi please visit the IT office in the Information Commons.

The School of Business is hosting Derek Ridenour, channel development manager for Mentor Graphics, as its winter speaker series guest from 7 to 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22, at The Grand Hotel at Bridgeport, located off I-5 at the Durham exit in Tualatin.

Ridenour will speak on “Analyzing complex data: Bridging the gap between data and good decisions.” Following is a synopsis: “Today’s business world is increasingly complex and competitive. Every decision matters; the interconnectedness of our lives and businesses support this claim. Learn critical methods for gathering data, ethically selecting data, and displaying complex data to contribute to good decision making.”

R.S.V.P. to georgefox.edu/business/events.html. The registration fee is $20.

Please be aware that the U.S. Census will be starting soon, so please remember that census representatives always have a badge, handheld device, and canvas bag stating “Census Bureau.” For more tips, please go to census.gov and check the information under phishing and scams.

– Security Services

The Tilikum Center for Retreats and Outdoor Ministries is looking for 34 amazing individuals to serve on this year’s summer staff (June 1 to Aug. 21). A summer at Tilikum offers you an incredible opportunity and experience that will push you to grow in community, Christian living and service.

For more information, go to camptilikum.org.

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.