The Daily Bruin

The Office of Spiritual and Intercultural Life is encouraging seniors to lead Life Groups this semester! If you are interested in leading a group, please fill out this form.

Life Groups provide a space for students to gather for weekly prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. Groups typically meet for an hour to 90 minutes. Groups will begin the week of Feb. 22 and end the week of April 9.

This spring, all of our groups will be meeting either by Zoom or hybrid.

• Hybrid groups will meet primarily via Zoom, but may occasionally meet outdoors as the weather, state and university regulations, and participants’ comfort permit.

Throughout the pandemic, Life Groups run through the Office of Spiritual and Intercultural Life will also be eligible for SpiL credit.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Lopez (slopez@georgefox.edu).

Learning Support Services is looking to host an open discussion on the intersection between PTSD/trauma experiences and academic life. We would like to measure students’ interest in having separate discussions for those with military and non-military related trauma, along with how those traumas affect academic success.

Please fill out this survey if you think this discussion would apply to your experiences in academics.

Questions? Please contact Learning Support Services (lss@georgefox.edu).

Join us for a creative adult learning experience Thursday, Feb. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. over Zoom. This event will be facilitated by healthcare professionals who personally represent Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. 

Learn how to apply diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts, such as decenter whiteness/decolonize interprofessional primary care. Listen and process the experiences and perspectives of professionals from BIPOC communities. Explore what success looks like to facilitate better primary care for BIPOC communities.

This event is for healthcare professionals and learners. Register here.

Questions? Contact Tammy O’Doherty (todohert@georgefox.edu).

Want to build friendships, study the Bible, and have tons of fun this semester? Come to Delight Ministries’ kickoff this Sunday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m.

We’ll have you pick up a “kickoff kit” (stickers and stationery and tea) in Hoover on Sunday afternoon, then hop on a Zoom call that evening. We will introduce our ministry, reveal our study for the semester, and make “galentines” together – how fun!

Click this link for more information about our kickoff. Questions? Contact Hannah Mason (hmason17@georgefox.edu).

The university is pleased to offer a confidential campus advocate in partnership with the Sexual Misconduct CARE team. Our confidential campus advocate is a George Fox MSW intern and is located in the Moore House/Intercultural Resource Center on the Newberg campus.

She is qualified to provide advocacy, accompaniment, and referral services to survivors of all forms of violence, including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, hate crimes, stalking, sexual harassment, and other crimes in order to facilitate and promote individual recovery and success.

Confidential campus advocates are required to keep all conversations fully confidential.

If you wish to seek any services, walk-ins are always welcome on Mondays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also make an appointment on Mondays and Thursdays.

Questions? Contact Jacklyn Gebhard (jgebhard20@georgefox.edu). If you have an emergency, please call 911 or Campus Public Safety at 503-554-2090 (please note updated phone number from yesterday’s post).

If severe winter weather makes travel to or from campus unsafe, George Fox will shift affected classes to online instruction. Classes will not be canceled for snow or ice in spring 2021. Because of COVID-19, faculty already have a reduced amount of class time to provide instruction, and losing additional days is not a feasible option. All classes this semester were created with the option to shift to remote learning for at least short periods of time.

If road conditions are unsafe, employees will be expected to work remotely if they have work that can be accomplished from home. If remote work is not possible, employees should contact their supervisor.

Following is our process for announcing when classes will shift to an online format. The provost will make the decision to shift classes online for the Newberg campus, Portland Center and Salem site for daytime classes by 6:30 a.m., or 2:15 p.m. for evening classes. This applies to all days of the week, including Saturday. Decisions at the Redmond site will be made by the professor.

Major considerations are road conditions, ice, utility service disruption, and how long the severe weather or emergency is likely to last. To find out if a decision has been made when severe weather occurs:

1. Check for an email to your George Fox email from Office of the Provost or Office of the CFO
2. Visit the George Fox flashalert.net page. This is the first site updated.
3. Sign up for FlashAlert Messenger. You can download their smartphone app for a mobile alert.
4. Listen to local radio and television stations. Each campus will be identified separately. (This info comes via Flashalert).
5. Call the George Fox University switchboard at 503-538-8383.

More information on campus closure policies can be found at georgefox.edu/closure.

If severe winter weather makes travel to or from classes unsafe, George Fox will shift affected classes to online instruction. Classes will not be canceled for snow or ice in spring 2021. Because of COVID-19, faculty already have a reduced amount of class time to provide instruction, and losing additional days is not a feasible option. All classes this semester were created with the option to shift to remote learning for at least short periods of time.

Following is our process for announcing when classes will shift to an online format. The provost will make the decision to shift classes online for the Newberg campus, Portland Center and Salem site for daytime classes by 6:30 a.m. or 2:15 p.m. for evening classes. This applies to all days of the week, including Saturday. Decisions at the Redmond site will be made by the professor.

Major considerations are road conditions, ice, utility service disruption, and how long the severe weather or emergency is likely to last. To find out if a decision has been made when severe weather occurs:

1. Check for an email to your George Fox email from Office of the Provost

2. Visit the George Fox flashalert.net page. This is the first site updated.

3. Sign up for FlashAlert Messenger. You can download their smartphone app for a mobile alert.

4. Listen to local radio and television stations. Each campus will be identified separately. (This info comes via Flashalert).

5. Call the George Fox University switchboard at 503-538-8383.

More information on campus closure policies can be found at georgefox.edu/closure.

The spring semester SpiL credit opportunities are on the iAttended app. Please make sure you are checking regularly to stay on top of your requirement. If you do not see a schedule, enter the code 7733 and it will appear.

Questions? Contact the Office for Spiritual Life (spirituallife@georgefox.edu).

IT is missing its yellow and red hand trucks. They are frequently used to move equipment and pick up boxes from the mailroom.

If you have a yellow or red hand truck in your department that’s labeled IT, Help Desk, or Service Desk, the IT department would appreciate it being returned. 

Please email servicedesk@georgefox.edu if they need to be picked up. Thank you.

The university is pleased to offer a confidential campus advocate in partnership with the Sexual Misconduct CARE team. Our confidential campus advocate is a George Fox MSW intern and is located in the Moore House/Intercultural Resource Center on the Newberg campus.

She is qualified to provide advocacy, accompaniment, and referral services to survivors of all forms of violence, including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, hate crimes, stalking, sexual harassment, and other crimes in order to facilitate and promote individual recovery and success.

Confidential campus advocates are required to keep all conversations fully confidential.

If you wish to seek any services, walk-ins are always welcome on Mondays and Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also make an appointment on Mondays and Thursdays.

Questions? Contact Jacklyn Gebhard (jgebhard20@georgefox.edu). If you have an emergency, please call 911 or Campus Public Safety at 503-554-2310.

Have a December or January birthday? We would like to wish you a very happy birthday!

Those in Newberg are invited to stop by the first floor of Stevens on Thursday, Jan. 28, to pick up your birthday treat. 

Portland employees may pick up their treat at the front desk on the first floor of the Portland Center. Please see Peg Hutton (phutton@georgefox.edu).

Questions? Contact Laurie Fair (lfair@georgefox.edu).

Please join us this Saturday, Jan. 30, from 6 to 10 p.m. over Zoom as we start up the semester with awesome adventures in Dungeons & Dragons!

Whether you are interested in joining a game, running your own D&D campaign as a Dungeon Master, or brand new to D&D, we would love for you to join.

Questions? Contact Alex Gonzalez (agonzalez18@georgefox.edu) for the Saturday Zoom link and more information.

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) and Disability and Accessibility Services (formerly DSO) have come together under one roof! The entire Learning Support Services (LSS) team is now located on the first floor of the Murdock Library. If you’ve been to the ARC, you know where we are.

To celebrate, we’re hosting a prize drawing for all employees as part of our rolling open house. The LSS open house will be held through Friday, Jan. 29. Stop by to enter to win a thermal mug, get acquainted with the space, and say hi! We look forward to seeing you.

Please contact any of the Learning Support Services team if we can be of service to you or your students:

• Rick Muthiah, Director of Learning Support Services – rmuthiah@georgefox.edu
• Andrea Byerley, Disability and Accessibility Services (DAS) Coordinator – abyerley@georgefox.edu
• Julia James, Academic Resource Center (ARC) Coordinator – jjames@georgefox.edu

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) and Disability and Accessibility Services (formerly DSO) have come together under one roof! The entire Learning Support Services (LSS) team is now located on the first floor of the Murdock Library. If you’ve been to the ARC, you know where we are.

To celebrate, we’re hosting a Hydro Flask prize drawing for all students as part of our rolling open house. The LSS open house is open through Friday, Jan. 29. Stop by to enter to win a 32-ounce Hydro Flask, get acquainted with the space, and say hi! We look forward to seeing you.

Please contact any of the Learning Support Services team if we can be of service to you:

• Rick Muthiah, Director of Learning Support Services – rmuthiah@georgefox.edu
• Andrea Byerley, Disability and Accessibility Services (DAS) Coordinator – abyerley@georgefox.edu
• Julia James, Academic Resource Center (ARC) Coordinator – jjames@georgefox.edu

The Friends Association for Higher Education’s Quaker Leadings in Higher Education series will present a Zoom conversation this afternoon (Tuesday) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on “Care in Times of Conflict: Cultivating Vulnerability and Resilience.”

Sign up here to register.

Questions? Contact Paul Anderson (panderso@georgefox.edu).

The position of grants and contract management assistant (GCM) at George Fox plays a significant role in advancing key documents that fund and implement university projects and programs. This position develops effective grant and contract practices and systems at George Fox to benefit current and future students and staff.

GCM assistants will be equipped for the role through a combination of intensive training and practical experiences in the areas of document management, project management, personal development, report generation, interpersonal skills, and administrative responsibilities. The position requires integrity, teachability, responsiveness, proficiency, and an active faith engagement. 

We particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented communities and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community. 

Apply here on Handshake.

Questions? Contact Sarah Tenney (stenney@georgefox.edu).

The Ping Pong Club is starting again! Everyone, employees included, regardless of skill level, is welcome to come and play or learn to play.

Please fill out this poll and sign up for the email list if you are interested in coming so that we can determine our weekly meeting time. Our first meeting will be a welcome event where we will explain prizes and other fun secret items.

Please email Nathan Redman-Brown at nredmanbrown20@georgefox.edu with any and all questions.

The admissions office welcomes Ronnda Zezula Griffith as an admissions communications manager this month. She worked most recently as administrator-COO for a large nonprofit serving seniors, where she managed staff, HR, and business operations. She began work life as a litigation paralegal and law office manager before moving into technology project management. She then worked as a business and technology consultant, primarily for nonprofits and tech startups. In July 2020, she completed a software developer boot camp focused on Python and is currently enrolled in George Fox’s social and behavioral studies program, with an expected graduation this December. Ronnda lives in a rural farmhouse in Washington County with her husband and two youngest kids, and she has seven grandchildren under the age of 7 between her two oldest daughters. She attends Clarkes United Methodist Church, where George Fox alumnus Marty Williams is pastor.

Taj Kachaamy joins the university this semester as a visiting assistant professor of art and design, moving from an adjunct role to a full-time position. A native of Lebanon, she brings more than 12 years of university teaching experience, working most recently as a full-time faculty member in the College of Design at the American University in the United Arab Emirates. Also, for the past seven years, she has taught in the art and science department at Lebanese International University and for the American Center-International House Institute (2008-18). Also, since 2016, she has taught at Arts, Sciences and Technology University’s Beirut, Chtoura, and Jadra campuses. She also brings seven years of industry experience, specializing in graphic design and visual communication for various companies in the early 2000s. Taj’s primary areas of interest are digital painting and digital sculpting. She is in the process of earning a PhD in art from Lebanese University.

Britny Scholz (Registar’s Office) is no longer with George Fox University.

Rebecca Williams has transitioned to the position of assistant registrar in the registrar’s office.

Bryan Boyd (Theatre) won Broadway World’s 2020 Portland Regional Award for “Set Design of the Decade” for his work on Mamma Mia with the Broadway Rose Theatre Company in 2018.

Matt Stump (Biology) published an article, “Regulation of Kv11.1 Isoform Expression by Polyadenylate Binding Protein Nuclear 1,” in the International Journal of Molecular Science in January. George Fox undergraduate students Rachel Nguyen (2019), Rachel Drgastin (2020) and Laney Search (2021) contributed to this study and are listed as coauthors on the article.

Douglas G. Campbell (Art and Design Professor Emeritus) in November published the book Parables Ironic and Grotesque (Oblique Voices Press), written in the years prior to his stroke in 2012. In it, he invites the reader to ponder the common follies of his fellow man, highlighting such weaknesses as pride, selfishness, fear and greed, and pointing out the further foolishness of ignoring such shortcomings. Allegorical in nature, the book challenges readers to take a closer look into their own frailties and deficiencies and invites them to a healthy dose of quiet introspection.

The play Ghosting Hamlet by Mark Allen Eaton (Theatre, Humanities, Communication) has been published and is now available as part of the “Connecting 2021” series from Radius, the Religious Drama Society of Great Britain. The 15-minute play imagines a castle-bound Hamlet struggling to maintain his studies at Wittenberg University through video conferencing, and explores the need to be present with one another through whatever channel is available.