The Daily Bruin

It’s down to the final weeks before finals, and we’re here to help you finish strong! The Virtual Learning Center is ready to be your ultimate study partner, turning those challenges into triumphs.

• Sharpen your papers with focused virtual writing sessions
• Discover effective study strategies that make learning engaging

We’re offering personalized support with both virtual and asynchronous appointments, all designed to help you succeed from wherever you are.

Don’t let finals catch you unprepared! To schedule an appointment, go to the TracCloud icon on your Canvas page. If you have any questions, please email us at vlc@georgefox.edu.

Is your financial aid in place for next school year?

We want to ensure everything is ready to go for 2025-26 before you leave campus for the summer. Make sure you complete the following tasks by May 1, and you’ll be home free for summer break!

Next steps:

• File your 2025-26 FAFSA or ORSAA as soon as possible if you want to access federal or state aid!
• Accept/decline your loans in MyGeorgeFox by following these instructions (we can always adjust them for you later if you change your mind).
• Plan ahead if you’ll be using a Parent PLUS Loan or a private loan—applications open on May 1!
• Complete all To Do items in your MyGeorgeFox account (under the Tasks tile) to authorize your federal aid.
• Submit a Professional Judgment request if your family’s financial situation has changed since 2023.

Be sure to contact us if you have any questions! The Office of Financial Aid is open Monday through Friday. You’re welcome to call, email, stop by, or schedule an appointment with your counselor.

The countdown to finals has begun! Are you prepared to showcase your hard work? Our Academic Resource Center is here to provide the support you need to excel.

• Writing consultations: Get personalized feedback on your final papers, ensuring clarity, coherence, and strong arguments.
• Academic coaching: Learn time management techniques, effective study methods, and strategies for tackling challenging concepts.
• Procrastination prevention: We can help you break down large tasks into manageable steps.

With only four weeks remaining, appointments are limited. Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your grades and reduce stress. Book your appointment at traccloud.georgefox.edu. Let’s make these final weeks the most productive yet!

Interested in getting a better understanding of your mental and physical wellness? Take this survey for tips and tricks on how to improve your health through exercise and meditation. We are looking for college students of any fitness level to describe their current state of wellness and report on their experience trying the provided exercises and activities.

If you have questions, contact Kaylee Holstad at kholstad22@georgefox.edu. Thank you for your participation!

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.

George Fox University uses FlashAlert Messenger to promptly inform students and employees of remote learning and work transitions due to severe weather. To ensure you receive these critical notifications, please upgrade to the new FlashAlert app. Delete the existing FlashAlert app from your mobile device before you download one of the following updated versions:

• FlashAlert iOS app on the Apple App Store
• FlashAlert Android app on the Google Play Store
• If you are not signed up to receive notifications from FlashAlert Messenger, you can visit the George Fox flashalert.net page and enter your email address to create an account, then download the new app.

When a storm makes travel to or from campus unsafe, the provost will announce a shift to remote operations. In nearly all cases, classes will be offered online and employees will work remotely. For detailed information, please consult our winter weather policy page.

The George Fox Chess Club will hold its weekly meeting on Friday, April 4, a half hour later than usual, from 2 to 4 p.m. Four-player chess or Fischer Random Chess will be hosted next week. If you desire tutoring in chess, it is available during normal Chess Club hours.

If you have any questions, contact Kiernen McTaggart at kmctaggart22@georgefox.edu.

Fusion is celebrating AAPI (Asian American/Pacific Islander) week April 7-10! Join us during the following times for care packages, trivia night with Korean corn dogs, boba, and a make-your-own kimbap activity!

• Monday, April 7: Noon to 3 p.m. (in the IRC)
• Tuesday, April 8: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (in the IRC)
• Wednesday, April 9: 11 a.m. to noon (in Canyon Commons)
• Thursday, April 10: To be determined

Reach out to Diana Bui at dbui23@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

Join the excitement of spring commencement as a volunteer! We are still looking for several volunteers to serve as ushers at the undergraduate commencement on Saturday, May 3. There will be two separate ceremonies again this year. Here is the schedule:

• 11 a.m. – Division of Humanities, Honors and Education, Division of Health and Behavioral Sciences, George Fox Digital
• 3 p.m. – Division of Engineering, Science, Art and Business

This format allows a more personalized and celebratory atmosphere for our graduates and their families, and like last year, we are calling for “all-community” participation. Volunteers are vital to the smooth execution of the day’s events and to help make the day memorable for our graduates and their guests. This event couldn’t happen without you!

Please sign up for a time to serve in one of the two ceremonies. All who volunteer to participate as ushers will receive a $50 gift card for each ceremony they assist with! If you sign up for both ceremonies, lunch will be provided too!

Thank you in advance for your willingness to serve! Questions? Contact Laurie Fair at lfair@georgefox.edu.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will be hosting Bruin Preview on campus this Friday, April 4. With over 650 visitors expected on campus, we are asking George Fox students and employees to help extend the Be Known promise throughout the day. Here’s what you can keep in mind.

• Guests will be arriving on campus between 7:45 and 8:30 a.m. and will fill all the main campus parking lots. Students and employees are encouraged to take advantage of street parking and Morse lot (near the softball fields). Additional temporary overflow parking will be available at the Highway 99 lot, which is right next to Steve’s Automotive. Do not park in spaces marked off for Steve’s Automotive.
• Be mindful of guests in your housing area. We will have housing tours circulating through Edwards, Gulley, Pennington, HMS and Newlin from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tour groups will be viewing dorm lobbies and a room in each dorm.
• Plan for a busier-than-usual Canyon Commons. Guests will be going through the main servery line. If you see a family looking for a spot to sit, invite them to join you and help direct them to their next activity.
• Offer directions to students and their families.
• 90 prospective students have opted to stay overnight on Thursday night before the main event! Be mindful and welcoming of prospective students in your on-campus living areas starting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

If you have questions, email visit@georgefox.edu or call Lauren Hill at 503-554-2245.

The Bruin Community Pantry is seeking volunteers for the summer semester. Besides volunteering at the food bank welcoming clients, we also need a few people to help unload our food delivery on Tuesdays from 10 to 10:30 a.m.

Our schedule ranges from Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., depending upon the availability of the volunteers. We will be closed for the following holidays: May 26 (Memorial Day), June 19 (Juneteenth), July 4 and Aug. 22 (Welcome Weekend).

If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about this opportunity, please email Jere Witherspoon at jwithers@georgefox.edu.

The Wood Ministry of Newberg would greatly appreciate your service this Saturday, April 5, from 9 to 11 a.m. The service project group from MGMT 300 is recruiting volunteers to serve alongside them.

Volunteers will be splitting, stacking and delivering wood. Coffee and donuts will be provided, as well as elective chapel credit. If you are interested in volunteering, you can register on the Helper Helper app or at this link.

Email Mallory Foamier at mfosmire22@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

For the next three days the George Fox community will come together to support the things we care about most. We’re inviting people to give to their passion and fund your departments, programs, and teams.

Share the link and spread the word! Every gift gets your department one step closer to the $5,000 prize.

Don’t forget to join us on the quad this Thursday, April 3, at 11:30 a.m. for food, fun and fuzzy friends at the Give Day Festival!

For the next three days, the George Fox community will come together to support the things we care about most. We’re inviting people to give to their passion and fund your departments, programs, and teams.

The group that brings in the most donors will get an additional $5,000 prize. It’s like Bruin Brawl, but with more generosity and fewer scraped knees. Share this link to spread the word and bring your department one step closer to that prize. You can also check the link for real-time updates on who’s in the lead.

Can you save a life within an hour? Come try our Medical Madness Escape Room on Saturday, April 12, in the College of Nursing simulation center in Roberts 202. This is a fundraiser for nursing and kinesiology students traveling to Costa Rica or Kenya this summer on service trips.

This event is open to students, staff and community members who are at least 8 years old (parents or guardians must accompany any minors). Up to five people can be in a group, and one person from the group should reserve a time slot here.

The cost is $25 per person at the door, using the donation portal (here for Costa Rica and here for Kenya) or cash.

Feel free to reach out to Stephanie Matthew at smatthew@georgefox.edu with any questions.

The university community is invited to a special faculty concert featuring Aaron Barnhart at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, April 3, in Wood-Mar Auditorium. The event is free for students and employees!

Aaron will perform “The Prodigal Returns,” a concept work based on the parable of the Prodigal Son. Mixed in surround sound and featuring faculty guest artists and engaging visual and lighting elements, the show promises to be a journey in electronic rock that will touch the heart, mind and senses.

The Nursing Club invites you to participate in a meaningful opportunity to give back to the community. Our spring blood drive is this Friday, April 4, and we encourage you to consider donating. Sign up with this link.

The drive will be at Northwest Christian Church (2315 Villa Road) and take place between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Catering order reminder: Please submit your orders for the remainder of the school year as soon as possible. This will help us ensure that we can fulfill all requests on time.

If you have any questions, please email catering@georgefox.edu.

Join in the Civility Project’s next “Community Conversation” at 7 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) in Canyon Commons. Our own Jere Witherspoon will join local conservative civility advocate Paul Blattner in a brief conversation modeling respectful speech and reflective listening.

Then, everyone will have a chance to pick a topic about which people at their table disagree, and have a potentially eye-opening conversation about it. All are invited to practice the skills we will need to be healing agents in our fractured political culture!

For more information, contact George Fox Civility Project Director Ron Mock at civility@georgefox.edu, or check out the Civility Project website.

Women of George Fox: You are invited to an inspiring afternoon of conversation and connection! Join us at 4 p.m. this Sunday, April 6, in Stevens 207 for a special event with Ruth Easterling, an executive coach, leadership development consultant and former pastor.

With over 15 years in ministry and a passion for empowering women to lead, Ruth brings wisdom, insight and real-world experience to the conversation. She also hosts a powerful podcast that shares the stories of women from all walks of life who have embraced leadership in their own unique ways.

Together, we will explore how Jesus empowers women to lead in our communities, careers and callings. Don’t miss this opportunity to reflect, grow and be encouraged! Bring a friend and join the conversation!

Reach out to Tamara Wytsma at twytsma@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

Have you tried NotebookLM yet? NotebookLM is a popular AI-powered tool that summarizes complex information and generates an interactive AI assistant that can answer your questions about the source material.

With it, you can upload websites, videos, documents, and even audio files. The result is like an interactive podcast complete with AI narrators and the ability to interrupt and ask questions. NotebookLM is available to all employees and accessible at notebooklm.google.com.

Check out our artificial intelligence website for more information and resources to help you explore AI and use it in your work and research. Many of you have already shared your experiences using NotebookLM, so we have included two “featured” Notebooks on the site.

We are looking forward to hearing about the creative ways you use Gemini! Please share your stories with us at servicedesk@georgefox.edu.