The Daily Bruin

Workspace Studio

Gemini as a collaborator is great, but when will it actually do things? This answer is…now! Get a taste of agentic AI as a co-worker that can act on your behalf.

• Let Gemini highlight the most important emails from your unread backlog and send you a chat message with the details.
• Let Gemini check your documents and send you notes to prepare you for that important conversation on today’s calendar.
• Not sure how to get started? Just tell Gemini what you’d like to automate and it will build a starter flow for you. Examples are also provided.

Workspace Studio is available to everyone in the George Fox community!

AI Studio

Have you heard of “Vibe Coding?” With just a prompt, you can create your own app and include advanced AI tools!

Unlike our other Google Workspace AI tools, use of AI Studio is not automatically covered under our data protection agreement with Google, so its availability is initially limited. If you’d like to make an AI Studio app, please reach out to IT to get started! Learn more here.

Contact the IT Service Desk at servicedesk@georgefox.edu with any questions, or check the IT: AI website.

Bon Appétit’s locations will have shorter hours today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) as the semester concludes.

Today 

• Canyon Commons
  • Breakfast: 7 to 10 a.m.
  • Lunch: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • Dinner: 5 to 6 p.m.
• Bridge Cafe
  • 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Maker’s Market
  • 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tomorrow 

• Brunch in Canyon Commons (final meal service of the semester): 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

All locations will be closed after tomorrow’s brunch and will reopen at the start of the spring semester. Canyon Commons will resume service on Friday, Jan. 9, with dinner from 5 to 6 p.m.

If you have questions, contact Katie Anderson at andersonk@georgefox.edu. For updated hours, please check the Bon Appétit website or their Instagram (@bonappetitgfu).

Spiritual Life welcomes you to swing by Barclay House before you head off for break to pick up a copy of the liturgy book we’ve been using in chapel this fall semester. They are free for students, faculty and staff. Feel free to pick up one for yourself and another for your family and friends!

While plates, cups and silverware should not be leaving Canyon Commons, we know that sometimes they make their way out. Before you head home for Christmas break, please return any items you’ve borrowed so we can keep the dining hall running smoothly. And don’t forget to bring back your green containers to swap for a carabiner!

Would you like to showcase your culture? In the spring semester, the Intercultural Resource Center and residence life will be hosting a campus-wide multicultural celebration, and we want you to be a part of it!

A portion of the event will include students expressing themselves through cultural song, dance and fashion in a performance-like setting. If this interests you, make sure you grab what you need from home over winter break (such as specific clothing or significant items).

More information will be coming in January about how to get involved, so stay tuned. Questions? Reach out to area coordinator Victoria Cole at vcole@georgefox.edu.

Please be advised that the last Accounts Payable payment run before Christmas break is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19. To ensure your supplier invoices are included in this run, please note the deadline of Monday, Dec. 15.

Payment criteria: All invoices submitted by the deadline, accompanied by a completed Purchase Order (PO), will be processed for payment if their standard payment terms fall on or before Dec. 31.

If you have any questions, please contact Accounts Payable or Patrick Culligan at pculligan@georgefox.edu.

Have questions, concerns or suggestions about BruinBuy? Please join us in the Millage Building for our BruinBuy roundtable today (Thursday) from 8:30 to 10 a.m. We are here to help, listen and collaborate with you on all of your procurement and accounts payable needs. This will be an open-dialogue format. Please come take advantage of this learning opportunity.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Patrick Culligan at pculligan@georgefox.edu or Frank Charles at fcharles@georgefox.edu.

Our last BruinBuy roundtable will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 17, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Keep an eye out for more BruinBuy roundtables in the new year!

Happy Holidays from the George Fox financial aid office! This year, all we want for Christmas is for you to get more financial aid in 2026-27.

Winter break will be a great opportunity to spend some time researching and applying for different types of aid. We’ve made a list (and checked it twice) to help you get started!

1. The 2026-27 FAFSA is open and should be submitted ASAP! Have questions? Check out our FAFSA Frequently Asked Questions page and our Tips and Tricks for the FAFSA article, or schedule a FAFSA Help Session with your financial aid counselor.
2. Oregon residents can now apply for OSAC Scholarships. One application grants access to more than 600 scholarships totaling more than $10 million! Need help? Check out our OSAC Scholarship Tips & Tricks blog and our OSAC Scholarship Guide!
3. All returning traditional undergraduate students can apply for George Fox Donor-Funded Scholarships. Submit by Feb. 17 for the chance to win a $500 Early Bird Scholarship. Getting the application done early is strongly encouraged, as some scholarships require additional materials which will not appear until after the main application is submitted.
4. Look through this Outside Scholarships page for links to regional and national scholarship search databases.
5. Check out our Scholarship Resource Folder for valuable templates, tips and timelines. We have more tools than Santa’s workshop to help you build a great application, cast a wide net and increase your chances of earning scholarships.

If you have any questions, contact or visit financial aid!

Please note Hadlock’s hours over the holiday break:

• Saturday, Dec. 13: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 14: Closed
• Monday through Friday, Dec. 15-19: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Weekends: Closed
• Dec. 23 through Jan. 2: Closed

Regular hours resume Jan. 10.

Are you interested in serving as a student leader for the 2026–27 school year? Now is the perfect time to apply!

The Office of Student Life offers a variety of leadership opportunities, including roles in Spiritual Life, Intercultural Life, Student Leadership Council, Parent and Family Programs, Student Activities, Commuter Life, FYE and Residence Life.

To learn more about these opportunities, visit the Student Life Leadership and Employment page. Applications are open now and are due by Tuesday, Jan. 13. Apply today at this link!

The Bruin Community Pantry will be closed from Monday, Dec. 15, until Monday, Jan. 12. However, we will be open for a short period of time on Tuesday, Jan. 6, from 2 to 5 p.m.

The finance office will be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 5 for Christmas break. Deposits that need to have a December 2025 date must be brought to the finance office no later than 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 19. If it arrives later, it will go into a deposit for January 2026.

Please note: The finance office is now located at 1515 Portland Road (a.k.a. “Sleep Center”).

Please look around your desks and file cabinets to see if there are any lingering items that need to go to the bank. If you are taking extra time off during the Christmas/New Year holiday, please send your deposits over before you leave.

If you have any questions about deposits, please use our new email (deposits@georgefox.edu) or contact Heather Groenlund at 503-554-2173.

Thank you, and have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Friendly reminder: Bookstore rentals are due tomorrow (Friday). The Bruin Bookstore will be open Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for winter commencement.

Spring 2026 course materials are available, so shop ahead online and select “in-store pickup.” Your texts will be ready when you return in January!

Boost your financial knowledge with Nationwide’s live and on-demand webinars, designed to offer guidance on your retirement plan and financial goals.

Live Events: Register for interactive sessions on topics like approaching retirement and Social Security.

On-Demand: Watch recordings anytime for topics like personal finance and navigating market volatility.

View the full schedule and start learning today!

Providence Health Plan members: Check out “Providence Health Coaching: A Nine-Month Journey Toward Sustainable Wellness.”

What is health coaching? It’s a collaborative partnership to help you develop personalized, sustainable lifestyle habits that align with your wellness goals and vision. And with Providence, you get the opportunity to work with National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coaches (NBC-HWC).

The program launches Jan 5 with a pre-launch Interest Form, available now for earliest access to the program.

This comprehensive program includes:

• An initial lifestyle assessment
• Weekly communications and habit check-ins
• Biweekly coaching sessions for the first three months
• Monthly coaching sessions for the remaining six months

In total, you’ll complete 12 live sessions with a certified health coach, experimenting with small, achievable goals that support your larger wellness vision.

Unwrapping a new phone this holiday season? Make sure you update your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings to avoid getting locked out of your George Fox accounts.

How to Prepare Multi-Factor Authentication for a New Phone

If you have any issues setting this up, you will need to call the Service Desk at 503-554-2569 for assistance.

Please plan accordingly, as the Service Desk will be closed for the break:

• Closed: Dec. 24 through Jan. 4
• Regular Hours Resume: Jan. 5, 2026

Thank you to all who participated in marketing communications’ annual Deck the Halls Christmas Decorating Contest. We were so moved by the Christmas spirit throughout campus! This year brought in 18 participating departments.

Congratulations to our winners! The top three placers were:

• First place: Advancement (The “Rootin’ Tootin’ Best in the West” Award)
• Second place: Finance (The “Internationally Acclaimed Christmas” Award)
• Third place: Financial Aid (The “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Financial Aid Secrets” Award)

There were several honorable mentions across campus, including the Department of Education (The “Jim Henson Would Be Proud” Award), the Department of Social Work (The “Cozy Christmas” Award), the Maker Hub (The “Santa’s Workshop” Award), and many more.

And a huge shoutout to plant services for keeping all of campus merry and bright!

Be sure to swing by the various departments to get a look at all the work that went into making their spaces so festive.

Thank you!

Amanda Howard, Marketing, and the Christmas Committee

Today (Tuesday) from 5 to 9 p.m., the Chipotle in Newberg will be hosting a fundraiser to support George Fox’s physical therapy service trip to Uganda!

There are a couple of ways you can support us. If you tell the person at the register you are there for the George Fox DPT trip to Uganda, your order will contribute. Another way is to order for pick-up online using the code EXC4LTL.

If you use one of these avenues, then Chipotle will donate 25% of your sale to our trip! Please tell people you know that every order helps!

Contact Evan Robinson at evanr24@georgefox.edu with any questions.

The Crescent’s fifth issue is here! Check out the latest news from your George Fox student-run newspaper at gfucrescent.com.

Sneak peek:

• Does Anybody (Timely)Care?
• Give Us a Break
• Barli the BrED Dog

Visit our site today!

The Office of Spiritual Life is looking for staff and faculty members to participate in the SpiL Mentoring Program this spring.

This program provides an opportunity for students to have meaningful conversations about faith and life while receiving encouragement and support from a George Fox staff or faculty member. Students in the program will be matched with a dedicated mentor, with whom they will have weekly meetings lasting approximately one hour, spanning a duration of eight weeks within the semester.

The program begins the week of Jan. 26 and ends the week of March 16.

To support you in your mentoring role, we will provide a booklet with weekly suggested spiritual formation practices for you to engage in with your mentee. Additionally, there will be a training session prior to the start of the program to ensure you feel prepared and equipped.

We are looking for staff and faculty who would like to serve as mentors. If you are interested, please fill out this application by Friday, Jan. 16. Your involvement will make a meaningful impact on our students’ lives!