The Daily Bruin

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!

Bon Appetit will have some adjusted hours during finals week:

• On Monday, Dec. 9, the Bridge Cafe will be open 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• On Friday, Dec. 13, Canyon Commons will be closing lunch at 1:30 p.m., and dinner will be open from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• On Saturday, Dec. 14, brunch will be served from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Please see georgefox.cafebonappetit.com or our Instagram @bonappetitgfu for more information!

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

The beautiful liturgy books we’ve been using in chapel are available to anyone who would like to take one home for keeps, beginning today, right after chapel.

This offer is for students and employees. The books are a wonderful resource to help guide your own devotional time, and we would love for you to have one for free. If you would like one but cannot come get one, please email Debrianna DeBolt at ddebolt@georgefox.edu.

Thank you to the 541 undergraduate students who participated in the Basic Needs Survey. The randomly selected winners of the drawing for gift cards to Grocery Outlet are:

• Stuart Johnson
• Paige Hill
• Makayla Vander Stelt

Thank you again for providing this valuable information.

– Jere Witherspoon, Student Care Specialist

Moms of younger kids are invited to a holiday lunch at noon on Monday, Dec. 16, in Canyon Commons. If you are a mom or a mom-to-be, please join us for fellowship and conversation. This is a great opportunity to connect with the community, share resources, and support one another. Please RSVP to the event invite.

Email Megan Fisher (mfisher@georgefox.edu) or Amanda Howard (ahoward@georgefox.edu) with any questions and to receive the invite.

Volunteers are needed at the Bruin Community Pantry food bank starting Monday, Jan. 13! We welcome George Fox students and employees to volunteer. This opportunity allows great connections with students and others in our community, and the new space in the Lewis 1 apartment is warm and inviting.

Some faculty members set up office hours during their shifts. If you’re a student and need community service hours for a class, volunteering at the food bank is a great way to fill those hours.

Volunteer requirements:

• Must be able to serve at the time slot that they choose for the entire semester. We do have substitutes available when something unexpected arises.
• Must be able to attend an orientation that lasts about 30 minutes.
• Required to complete two training presentations (a total of 20 minutes).

If you are interested in volunteering at the food bank, please complete this form.

If you have any questions, please contact Jere Witherspoon at 503-554-2316.

During the Wednesday night chapel before Thanksgiving, we made Christmas cards for Friendsview residents, and today (Thursday) we are delivering them! If you want to help deliver the Christmas cards, meet in the Friendsview lobby at 3 p.m. You can also RSVP on the Helper Helper app.

The Bruin Community Pantry will be open during the following days and times over winter break:

• Dec. 17 – 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Dec. 19 – 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Jan. 7 – 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Jan. 9 – 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Email bruincommunitypantry@georgefox.edu for more information. Find us on Instagram and Facebook at Bruin Community Pantry.

If you need access to food during a time when we are closed, please email us to arrange an alternative time.

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

The Worship Ensemble is seeking talented singers and instrumentalists to join us in leading our campus in worship for the spring 2025 term. Auditions will be held this Monday, Dec. 9, from 1 to 3 p.m. in Ross 206. Sign up here.

Please email Aaron Barnhart at abarnhart@georgefox.edu with any questions.

There are still a few volunteer shifts available for tomorrow’s Christmas Extravaganza. Please email Liz Garland in the president’s office at lgarland@georgefox.edu if you would like to sign up for a one-hour volunteer shift (5 to 6 p.m. or 6 to 7 p.m.).

The annual campus-wide Christmas Extravaganza is a wonderful time for everyone across the university to come together and celebrate the Christmas season. We’re grateful to the volunteers who help make this event a success and a blessing to our campus community and their families.

President Robin and Ruth Baker cordially invite employees to their home for a Christmas Open House from 4 to 6 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 8. There will be a chili bar, hors d’oeuvres, and sweet treats for everyone to enjoy. The Bakers’ home is at 701 E. Franklin St. in Newberg.

The Christmas Open House follows the 2:30 p.m. matinee performance of our Christmas Concert, “The Sounding Joy,” in Bauman Auditorium that Sunday. Sunday’s matinee performance is sold out, but you can still reserve two complimentary tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance on either Friday, Dec. 6, or Saturday, Dec. 7.

Each employee should obtain their ticket using their George Fox email address. Once you select the seat you would like to reserve, you will then choose “employee comp” from a pricing option list. Employees and students can also attend a free family-friendly dress rehearsal at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, after our Christmas Extravaganza.

Questions? Contact Carly Reumann at creumann@georgefox.edu.

Struggling to stay on top of finals? Need feedback on a paper or help polishing your final draft? Need to create a game plan for studying and managing stress? The ARC can help you.

We have special hours during finals week. We are open Monday, Dec. 9 through Thursday, Dec. 12. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule an appointment.

To schedule an appointment go to traccloud.georgefox.edu. If you have any questions, please email Heather Harney at hharney@georgefox.edu.

Come join us for an information session about the Cuba missions trip spiritual life and the psychology department will be taking in May 2025, and ask any questions you have regarding the trip.

The session will take place in Canyon Commons 101 on Monday, Dec. 9, at noon. Students with a special interest in research could take lead in parts of the research and apply for a Richter Scholarship to fund summer work. Students with a special interest in using psychology, social work, and Spanish to serve the Lord are invited to apply.

Please also fill out the interest form for the trip, regardless of whether you can make it to the info session or not.

Email Kelly Chang at kchang@georgefox.edu if you have questions.

Talk with first-year engineering students from 5 to 6 p.m. as they display their oscillating air engine designs this Friday, Dec. 6, in the Maker Hub. Then, from 6 to 8 p.m., watch them compete with their air engines for maximum speed, coast, air efficiency, power and craftsmanship in our “Wobble-Off.” All are welcome!

Contact Jennifer McCollum at jmccollum@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

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!

Life can be stressful. Each day we attempt a balance of work, school, personal relationships, and environmental factors, all of which can feel overwhelming.

In this program we will discuss how we can perceive stress differently, but also how to balance and offset our stress for increased health and wellbeing. Reserve a seat for this Canopy EAP webinar on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 11 a.m.  

Stretching your budget is a necessary step to achieving your financial goals. Learn smart ways to save on the things that impact your finances most, like food, healthcare, insurance and more.

Learn more by watching this free Canopy EAP webinar on either Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. or Thursday, Dec. 19, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Identify the pros and cons of owning a home, an overview of the process, how to get prepared, various types of zero- and low-down loan programs, and more. Reserve a seat for this free Canopy EAP webinar on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 9:30 a.m.

Midyear graduates, we want to celebrate as many of you as possible on the George Fox social media pages! To participate, simply …

1. Get your picture taken at River Street House North (building 48 on this map) during one of the following times:

• Wednesday, Dec. 4, between 1 and 4 p.m.
• Thursday, Dec. 5, between 9 a.m. and noon
• Monday, Dec. 9, between 9 and 11 a.m. or 2 and 4 p.m.

If you can, bring your full grad regalia or just the cap, and ask for our photographer, Chris.

2. OR, send Jeremy Lloyd (jlloyd@georgefox.edu) an email with a nice photo of you (preferably in grad regalia)

That’s it! We’ll share photos during finals week and throughout the day during midyear commencement.

OPTIONAL: Want to share about your George Fox experience? Send Jeremy Lloyd (jlloyd@georgefox.edu) an email with a few sentences about your favorite college memory, how you’ve grown in your faith, how you’ve felt known, what’s next (a job, grad school, etc.) or anything else you want to share. Those who send both a photo and a quote may be featured individually on our social media pages, website, university magazine and beyond.

Thank you and congratulations on all you have accomplished!