The Daily Bruin

Due to the forecasted freezing temperatures this week, we want to remind everyone to take extra precautions when out and about.

Parking Lots: Parking lots and walkways may become slippery as freezing temperatures cause surfaces to ice over. Please drive cautiously and reduce your speed in parking areas to prevent accidents.

Shaded Areas: Be especially cautious in shaded areas, as they will freeze first and stay icy longer. These spots can be particularly dangerous, so stay alert for any hidden patches of ice.

Stairs and Walkways: Stairs, handrails and walkways are more likely to accumulate ice. Please use handrails when available, take small, careful steps, and wear shoes with good traction to avoid slips and falls.

Your safety is our priority. Please stay vigilant and take your time when moving around in these conditions. Stay warm and safe!

Need support with your academic journey? Our Virtual Learning Center (VLC) includes personalized writing consultations and academic coaching to help you succeed from anywhere. Whether it is over Zoom or asynchronously, our consultants are here for you.

To make an appointment, go to the TracCloud icon on your Canvas dashboard, choose the Virtual Learning Center, and find a time that works best for you. We are open starting this week.

If you have any questions, please email Heather Harney at hharney@georgefox.edu

Are you interested in doing research? The Richter Scholars program at George Fox distributes funds to support student research activities that are devised, initiated and carried out by individual student researchers, with mentorship, guidance and expertise provided by a faculty mentor.

Students: If you are interested in doing research next summer, connect with a faculty mentor now so they can help you with your proposal. Before preparing a proposal, please read through the full proposal guidelines, eligibility requirements and review criteria at this link.

All submissions will be electronic through Smartsheet, due Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. The Smartsheet link can be found on the website and will be activated when the spring semester begins.

For more information, contact Vetta Berokoff at vberokof@georgefox.edu.

We would like to invite you to a rare opportunity to hear from one of the most influential and respected theologians and biblical scholars of the modern era – Dr. N. T. Wright. We are pleased to partner with TogetherPDX to bring Dr. Wright to Portland for an in-person lecture at Rolling Hills Church in Tualatin on Friday, Feb. 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Dr. Wright is an English New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian and Anglican bishop. He has held a variety of both academic and chaplaincy posts at Oxford, Cambridge, and McGill University in Montreal. He is currently research professor emeritus of New Testament and early Christianity at St. Mary’s College in the University of St. Andrews and senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford.

George Fox University is able to offer half-priced tickets to students who want to attend. Register here and use the discount code “HALF” to redeem a half-price discount while tickets last.

Feel free to reach out to Gwyn Curtis at gcurtis@georgefox.edu with any questions.

On the MLK Day holiday (Monday, Jan. 20), the Office for Spiritual Life invites students and employees to join us for a day of community service and learning with SOLVE and other community partners in Portland. Space is limited, so be the first to sign up! Please complete this form to register.

Here is a tentative schedule of the MLK Day plan:

• 9 a.m.: Meet up, continental breakfast and departure from SpiL (Barclay) House; on the drive to Portland, we’ll listen, reflect and discuss a sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• 9:45 a.m.: Meet at Irving Park in Portland for orientation
• 10 a.m.: Join with SOLVE for MLK Day service project (beautification/litter clean-up
  project)
• Noon: Lunch and discussion on service as an opportunity for spiritual connection and growth
• 1 p.m.: Visit community partner organization serving Portland
• 2 p.m.: Debrief and drive back
• 2:45 p.m.: Arrive back at Newberg campus

Undergraduate students who participate will be eligible to receive chapel-elective credit for participation. RSVP on Helper-Helper.

Contact Rusty St. Cyr for more information at rstcyr@georgefox.edu.

After his father’s passing, President Robin Baker has been deeply moved by the outpouring of support from the George Fox community. This past Christmas was uniquely challenging as his mother, at age 87, underwent a risky procedure that required emergency surgery.

Her fragile state in the ICU left the Baker family unsure how to comfort her, but music became a source of healing and a reminder of Christ’s presence. You can read President Baker’s post on his Reflections blog here.

If severe winter weather makes travel to or from campus unsafe, the provost will make the decision to announce a shift to remote classes. In nearly all cases, classes will continue to be offered online. 

In the case of a delayed in-person start, university offices will not open until an announced time in the day, most often 10 a.m. or noon. Students are not required to report to campus prior to the announced start time but are expected to attend class online before the start time. If in-person classes will not be held, students are expected to attend class online. You should expect to receive information from your professors on how to access remote learning. 

The following is our process for announcing when there is a delayed in-person start or a shift to remote classes. The provost will make the decision by 6:30 a.m. for the Newberg campus and Portland Center for daytime classes or 2:15 p.m. for evening classes. Decisions on weekend classes and at the Redmond site will be made by the professor. 

Stay notified. Here’s how to find out if a decision has been made when severe weather occurs:

• Visit the George Fox Flashalert.net page. This is the first site updated. Enter your email address to create an account and receive notifications from FlashAlert Messenger.
• If you wish to receive a notification on your mobile device, download the FlashAlert smartphone app for iOS or Android. Either log in or create an account if you haven’t already. 
• Listen to local radio and television stations or visit their websites (this info comes via Flashalert).
• Call the George Fox University switchboard at (503) 538-8383.

More information on this change in procedure can be found on our winter weather policy page.

The hours for the Murdock Library through Jan. 12 are as follows:

• Dec. 17-20: Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 24-hour space open
• Dec. 21-22: Closed; 24-hour space open
• Dec. 23: Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 24-hour space open
• Dec. 24-Jan. 1: Closed, including 24-hour space
• Jan. 2-3: Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 24-hour space open
• Jan. 4-5: Closed; 24-hour space open
• Jan. 6-10: Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 24-hour space open
• Jan. 11-12: Closed; 24-hour space open

If you have any questions, contact Sarah Willhite at lwillhite@georgefox.edu.

Members of the campus community will have limited access to Hadlock Student Center on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

The courts and studios will be closed today due to a private event. However, the fitness center and climbing wall will remain open as usual from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kelsey Cantrall at kcantrall@georgefox.edu.

Spring 2025 textbooks are now live online at the Bruin Bookstore. Visit our website to get ahead of the spring rush. Select “in store pick-up” and we will have your books ready for your return to campus!

Have a great finals week and happy holidays! See you in 2025!

The Bruin Bookstore will have adjusted hours for winter break:

• Dec. 14 (winter commencement): 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Dec. 16-20: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Dec. 23: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Dec. 24: Jan. 1 – Closed
• Jan. 2-3: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Spring term hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday) begin on Monday, Jan. 6.

There is a new exhibition in the library’s display cases: “Happy 400th Birthday, George Fox!” Come learn more about George Fox the person and about how our institution became known as George Fox University. This project was led by senior students Lydia Engel (English) and Gabrielle Simantel (history), and it will be displayed through the spring semester.

If you have any questions, contact archives@georgefox.edu.

This is a reminder that the George Fox Mobile application will cease functioning at the end of this month. After this date, the mobile app will no longer be available or supported. Please note that you can find the same information that is available in the app on the George Fox website and MyGeorgeFox.

Join us tonight (Friday) for First Friday Art Walk in Newberg! This marks the last First Friday Art Walk of the semester. Current exhibitions “Heading Home: Glimpses of New Jerusalem” by Kieran Dodds in Lindgren Gallery and “other worlds” by Nicole Williford in Minthorne Gallery will close after this week.

Also, stop by Lemmons on your stroll between the galleries to check out and buy student artwork at the Holiday Art Market.

Contact Chandler Brutscher at cbrutscher@georgefox.edu for more information.

The Department of Art and Design invites you to shop student and alumni art during our Holiday Art Market! Come check out a variety of gifts like handmade ceramics, photographs, drawings, jewelry, stickers and more today (Friday) between noon and 7 p.m. or tomorrow (Saturday) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Shop handmade goods while enjoying complimentary hot chocolate, cider and cookies! It’s a festive event that supports our students and celebrates the season!

Contact Chandler Brutscher at cbrutscher@georgefox.edu if you have questions.

The campus community, including students, employees and their families, are invited to join the university’s annual campus-wide Christmas Extravaganza today (Thursday)! This is a wonderful time for everyone across the university to come together and celebrate the Christmas season.

The Extravaganza begins with a tree-lighting ceremony at 4:30 p.m., followed by activities and attractions that include carriage rides, baby goats, s’mores, fire pits, “Santa’s Workshop” in the Maker Hub, ornament and cookie decorating, music performances in the chapel, lots of delicious treats, and more! The event will go until 7 p.m.

Come join in on the festivities!

Drinkware is on sale for 20% off at the Bruin Bookstore today (Thursday) through Monday, Dec. 9.

We’re excited to announce that in May of 2025 students and faculty from our Doctor of Physical Therapy program will be heading to Uganda for a medical service trip! Our well-established partnerships with local leaders in Uganda seek to meet the physical and educational needs that exist in these communities.

We will work alongside doctors, teachers and community leaders who have been our friends and partners for over 10 years. As we prepare to return, we need your help! This trip is being funded by donations and fundraisers, with our next one being through MOD Pizza on Monday, Dec. 9.

Visit the MOD Pizza in Newberg that day and use the code MODGIVES20 to support us (valid for dine-in, takeout or delivery). 

In previous trips, we have seen kids and adults receive health care for the first time in their lives, having walked hours through rural Uganda to our large medical clinics. We have seen teenagers with cerebral palsy walk for the first time and even start playing soccer with friends. We have helped Ugandans with amputations return to the professional world in previously lost careers. We have even saved the lives of kids with hydrocephalus, or adults with progressive cancers by identifying them and ensuring they get the medical care they need.

Thank you for your support!

The campus community, including students, employees and their families, are invited to join the university’s annual campus-wide Christmas Extravaganza this Thursday, Dec. 5! This is a wonderful time for everyone across the university to come together and celebrate the Christmas season.

The Extravaganza begins with a tree-lighting ceremony at 4:30 p.m., followed by activities and attractions that include carriage rides, baby goats, s’mores, fire pits, “Santa’s Workshop” in the Maker Hub, ornament and cookie decorating, music performances in the chapel, lots of delicious treats, and more! The event will go until 7 p.m.

Come join in on the festivities!

Are you a certified fitness instructor or personal trainer looking for part-time teaching or training opportunities next semester? The UREC team at Hadlock Student Center is looking to hire students and staff to meet the high demand for fitness services. Interested in applying? Fill out this form.

If you have questions, please email us at fitness@georgefox.edu.