The Daily Bruin

The first presidential debate is history. Did it make you more or less worried about the effects of polarization in our country? 

If political polarization concerns you, you can do something about it by connecting with the 2020 George Fox Civility Project.

The opening session of the 2020 George Fox Civility Project is this Monday, Oct. 5, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., in Bauman Auditorium (and Zoom).

It will be starting with a talk by Professor of Politics Emeritus Ron Mock on what civility is, its grounding for Christians in basic elements of our faith, and its roots for political leaders in their fundamental duty to be stewards of our political culture.

Those who attend will have a chance to evaluate excerpts from political debates for their civility. Feedback collected from attenders will help in creating a political civility inventory that citizens can use to hold candidates and political leaders to account for whether their communications and actions strengthen or destroy our political culture.  

You can attend in person at Bauman Auditorium or via Zoom. Attendance in person will be limited. Those who arrive after the room reaches its 100-person COVID capacity will be asked to attend via Zoom. Zoom attendees can access the session at the above link.

Questions? Contact Ron Mock (rmock@georgefox.edu).

Do you wish there was something you could do to help overcome America’s increasing  polarization before it tears our country apart?

You can! Connect with the 2020 George Fox Civility Project. The 2020 GFCP has three elements: two events and a project.

• The first event will be an introductory session on Monday, Oct. 5, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in Bauman Auditorium (limit: 100 occupants) or Zoom. Participants will learn a new way of thinking about how political leadership should act, and help create a political civility inventory for assessing whether politicians and others strengthen our political culture or destroy it when they communicate about their different views.
• The second is a project: a field test of the political civility inventory while you watch the vice presidential debate on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and/or the presidential debate on Thursday, Oct. 15.
• The closing event on Monday, Oct. 19, will feature George Fox professors Mark Hall and Phil Smith in a (hopefully civil!) debate about who should get our vote for president.

You do not have to participate in all three elements. You can attend either event, or both. If you want to participate in the project, you should attend the first event.

Don’t miss this chance to get in on the ground floor of an important university initiative, and help your community and our nation deal with controversial issues more constructively!

If you want  to come in person, plan to be at Bauman a few minutes before 7:30 p.m. If you want to attend via Zoom, keep watching the Daily Bruin – we’ll post the link soon!

Contact Ron Mock (rmock@georgefox.edu) with any questions.

This Saturday, Oct. 3, will be George Fox Day at Fred Meyer (3300 Portland Road, in Newberg). Bring your George Fox ID and receive 10 percent off of your purchase. Some restrictions may apply.

In the grocery department, 10 percent will be taken off only the Kroger and Simple Truth products. Gas, alcohol, tobacco, and money orders will not be discounted. 

Questions? Contact Jennifer McCollum at jmccollum@georgefox.edu.

We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the clear air and sunshine. Today we would like to talk about the importance of getting a flu vaccination this year.

Flu shots reduce the risk of respiratory illnesses and severe complications. Please find out more about the importance and benefits of getting a flu shot in 2020 here.

Please stay tuned for where you can get the vaccine shots in the area. More to come!

Stay healthy and keep the campus safe!

Join us for Fox @ the Fireside: Navigating the Information Wilderness Part 1, an online panel from 4 to 5 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday) with Bryce Coefield (Director of Intercultural Life), Amber Nelson (Clinical Psychology), Brian R. Snider (Engineering & Computer Science) and John Spencer (Education).

We will discuss the challenges of our often overwhelming information environment and consider practical ways to sort through everything we read, see and hear.

We hope that attendees will leave encouraged and empowered to face the information wilderness with confidence and wisdom.

No registration is required. Click here to learn more.

Hello! As part of our Servant Engineering research, we are looking for responses from anyone who has two minutes to spare.

This survey is intended to improve our understanding of a broad range of demographics and will be used in reducing the waste that ends up in a landfill. Click here to complete the survey. 

Questions? Contact Malachi Tamminga mtamminga18@georgefox.edu. Thank you for your time!

Disclaimer: These surveys are student generated and are not to be associated with any official research conducted by faculty and staff at George Fox University. Any views or opinions presented in these surveys are solely those of the students and do not represent those of George Fox University. The distribution of these surveys is a service provided to George Fox University students as they prepare their research required by the curriculum. Students are required to have department approval. Any questions about these surveys should be directed to the students associated with the survey in question.

The Disability Services Office is recognizing Deaf awareness in the month of September. The Deaf community has made amazing contributions to our culture, such as American Sign Language (ASL), a language of its own, which has allowed for communicative doors to be opened.

Did you know there are at least 70 signed languages in the world? Click here to learn more about Deaf culture.

The CDC recently changed its guidelines requiring all individuals who: a) spent at least 15 minutes with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, and b) was closer than six feet apart to be quarantined for 14 days, regardless of if you had a face covering on.

Therefore, if you want to stay healthy and keep your freedom, stay six feet apart!

Contact cot@georgefox.edu with any questions.

If you could teach someone about COVID-19 and the quarantine 100 years from now, what would you share? What records and artifacts would you give them to learn from? In 100 years where would historians find these records?

The George Fox University Archives invites submissions from students and employees that share your COVID-19 story. Some questions to reflect on may include:

• How has this pandemic impacted your life?
• What has this experience been like for you?
• Do you have photos or videos that show what life has been like during this time?

Sharing your experiences now will help people in the future understand what life was like during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please visit our dedicated page to learn more about submitting your story.

Proper eating and drinking hygiene with a face covering permits removal or temporarily shifting the face covering while you eat or drink, but the face cover needs to be worn again as soon as feasible.

This is particularly important if you are drinking water or coffee in class. Please respect others around you by re-masking as soon as possible after eating or drinking.

Contact cot@georgefox.edu with any questions.

Professor Mark Hall will be giving a Zoom presentation, leading into a discussion, at the Reedwood Forum this evening (Wednesday) at 6:30 p.m. on the topic of his latest book, Did America Have a Christian Founding?

Hosted by Pastor Mark Condo, all are welcome to join in via Zoom or in-person at 2901 S.E. Steele, in Portland.

Questions? Please contact Paul Anderson at panderso@georgefox.edu.

This fall, the Office of Alumni Relations is creating an alumni-owned business directory to promote and support Bruin businesses in the area (West Coast).

The directory will be listed on the alumni website, included in all communications, and highlighted on social media. The purpose is to keep alumni-owned businesses in front of the broader alumni community so together we can support each other through this COVID-19 pandemic.

Please refer alumni-owned businesses by filling out this form, or share this link with business owners. Please share this opportunity with as many alumni as you can. Together we Stand Tall!

Thanks!

Contact Sara Reamy with any questions you may have (sreamy@georgefox.edu or ext. 2118).

You all are doing a great job and have helped us remain COVID-free for 21 days!

We do have a change in our face-covering policy: As of today (Monday), face shields may continue to be used so long as you maintain six feet of distance. If you are closer (or likely to be closer) than six feet, you must wear a face mask. This minor change will help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Questions? Write cot@georgefox.edu.

Join us online for a special Tuesday morning chapel tomorrow at 11 a.m.! We will hear from Todd Curtis, associate professor of physics and winner of the 2019-20 Faculty Achievement Award for Undergraduate Teaching.

Start your day off with worship and be blessed!

September is National Service Dog Month. Service dogs serve important roles in the lives of their handlers, and their roles may differ from person to person.

There are a number of service dogs on the George Fox campuses, as well as in the broader community. Remember that handlers are people first and should be the first ones to be approached. Service dogs are often working and should never be touched or distracted without asking the handler’s permission.

Depending on the emotional, physical, and therapeutic needs of the handler, service dogs fulfill many roles, from helping visually impaired individuals with navigation to assisting individuals during seizures. Learn more about the different ways in which service dogs assist their handlers.

As we continue week three of the academic year – the week when George Fox University typically holds our annual Serve Day – we invite you to participate in a campus-wide prayer effort on behalf of our surrounding community.

In lieu of our tangible expressions of service, this year we would love for you to pray specifically for one of the community organizations that we serve on Serve Day each year. This can include, but is not limited to, praying for their work, staff, and the populations they serve.

Please plan to offer prayers throughout the day tomorrow (Wednesday) as the Holy Spirit directs you.

If you would like us to match you with a partner site, please email us at spirituallife@georgefox.edu. Make sure to be on the lookout for more virtual service opportunities from the Office for Spiritual Life in the near future!

As we all work and live together, it is especially crucial that everyone understands the processes for reporting concerns and cases related to COVID-19.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with these processes:

• #CampusClear Daily Screening
• COVID-19 Case Reporting
• COVID-19 Concern and Case Reporting Form

Questions? Email COT@georgefox.edu.

Throughout the summer, the food bank received 97 visits from undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, and community members.  Since beginning the fall semester, we have had 75 visits! We are extremely grateful for the impact that the BCP has had on our community. 

However, our shelves are emptying and in need of being replenished in order to continue serving our neighbors.

The following items are needed:

• Brown rice
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Canned Tuna
• Soups (But NOT Cream of Mushroom)
• Gluten-Free items
• Dairy-Free items
• Pasta meals
• Rice meals
• Cereal – but not oatmeal
• Loaves of Bread
• Snacks
• Grab and Go meals
• Fresh produce.

Please bring your donations to the food bank during the hours of operation found on this website. You may also give financially by donating through Advancement.

If you have any questions, please contact Jere Witherspoon at bruincommunitypantry@georgefox.edu.

As we enter week three of the academic year – the week when George Fox University typically holds our annual Serve Day – we invite you to participate in a campus-wide prayer effort on behalf of our surrounding community. 

In lieu of our tangible expressions of service, this year we would love for you to pray specifically for one of the community organizations that we serve on Serve Day each year. This can include but is not limited to, praying for their work, staff, and the populations they serve. 

Please plan to offer prayers throughout the day on Wednesday, Sept. 9, as the Holy Spirit directs you. 

If you would like us to match you with a partner site, please email us at spirituallife@georgefox.edu. Make sure to be on the lookout for more virtual service opportunities from the Office for Spiritual Life in the near future!

The Office for Spiritual Life invites you to watch Tuesday’s chapel, featuring a message from Andrea Scott, our new provost.

Follow this this link to participate in the recorded service. Her message was a blessing to us, and we think it will be a blessing to you, too!

Also, the second episode of our Monday Morning Devotional (MoMoDeVo) was released this week. It features a message from University Pastor Jamie Noling-Auth, and can be found on the same page.

Thank you for joining us in worship this week!