The Daily Bruin

Get ready for Winter Welcome, which starts tomorrow (Friday)! For residential students, the residence halls will be reopening tomorrow at noon. We hope you’ll join us for a host of events over the weekend before the start of the spring semester.

Winter Welcome is a time for you to get re-acclimated to campus and reconnect before the start of classes on Monday, Jan. 8.

Check out the Winter Welcome schedule here. Rest up this Christmas break, and we’ll see you tomorrow to kick off a fun-filled weekend!

Starting this Monday, Jan. 8, the Bruin Community Pantry will be open during the following days and times:

• Mondays: Noon to 2 p.m., 4:30 to 6 p.m.
• Tuesdays: Noon to 2:30 p.m., 3 to 5:30 p.m.
• Wednesdays: 11 a.m. to noon, 2 to 6 p.m. (community members welcome)
• Thursdays: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (community members welcome)
• Fridays: 11 a.m. to noon, 1 to 6 p.m.

Note: The schedule is subject to change due to volunteer availability.

We will be closed for the following holidays:

• Monday, Jan. 15
• Friday, Feb. 16
• Monday through Friday, March 25 through 29 for spring break

Students and employees from George Fox will be required, if asked, to show their student or employee ID card before entering the food bank. George Fox community members are welcome Mondays through Fridays during our hours of operation. Community members will be welcome to visit the food bank during our open hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

We ask that you take no more than two regular-sized grocery bags per visit.

If you need access to food when we are closed, please email us to arrange an alternative time at bruincommunitypantry@georgefox.edu or call 503-554-2316. More information is available on the pantry’s website.

We are located toward the front of the Roberts Center (Room 109).

Come support your Bruins on the basketball court this Saturday, Jan. 6, in Miller Gymnasium! We will host local rival Pacific in a Northwest Conference doubleheader, with the women tipping off at 4 p.m. and the men at 6 p.m. See you there!

Tickets can be purchased at this link or at the door. Students are free with a George Fox ID.

Get ready to step into the new year with our “Step into 2024 Wellness Challenge!” From Jan. 8-31, we’re embarking on a collective journey toward better health. Register today!

Follow these steps to join us:

• Form teams: Collaborate with colleagues and form teams of two or more.
• Sign up: Sign up your team at this link by tomorrow (Friday). Choose a clever team name!
• Stay active: Use this challenge as an opportunity to boost activity during and after work hours!

In case you’re wondering, there will be prizes! They will be awarded based on the following three categories:

• Top Individual: Recognizing the highest individual total activity recorded
• Top Team: Rewarding the most active team
• Longest Streak: Celebrating individual consistency and commitment

Together, let’s kick off 2024 while fostering a culture of wellness and teamwork within our workplace!

If you have any questions about this challenge, contact Timbrel LaFrance at tlafrance@georgefox.edu.

In the market to purchase a home? Get an overview of the approval process, what lenders are looking for, and why those things are important to lenders in a free Canopy webinar, “Getting Approved for a Mortgage & Which Loan Program is Best?,” scheduled from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10.

The webinar will provide an overview of various loan programs and the different qualification requirements, as well as pointers on where to start if you don’t think you qualify and how your employee homeownership program can help.

The beginning of a new year is the best time to find like-minded and goal-oriented accountability partners. This year, increase your success and decrease your stress by sharing your self-improvement goals with your support network.

Learn the tactics and techniques for sticking to your resolutions, and the relief/reward of succeeding as a team. Resources for doing so are available here.

You got game? Then come show off your crossover dribble, jump shot, and post-up abilities at noon hoops, held each Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Hadlock Student Center.

We meet at noon, so swing by and join in! It’s free for George Fox employees with an ID card. There is a $7 Hadlock usage fee for off-campus visitors. The game is open to men and women players of all abilities.

See you there!

The Hadlock Student Center will have modified hours this week:

• Jan. 2-5: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• On Saturday, Jan. 6, normal hours will resume.

If you plan to use the rental center for outdoor equipment or other recreational supplies, please ensure your plans fall within these hours.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to AJ Heil at aheil@georgefox.edu.

The north offices and small gathering spaces of the Roberts Center (113, 115, 116, 118, 121, 131-177) will be out of heat this week. Also affected are classrooms 180 and 181.

All other classrooms in this numeric range (117, 130 and 170) are unaffected by this issue. Heat will be restored as soon as the parts arrive from the East Coast, early next week.

Thank you for your patience,
– Plant Services

The performing arts department is working on assessing and improving the accessibility of Bauman Auditorium, Wood-Mar Auditorium, and the amphitheater, as well as the overall viewing experience of performances.

To find the most beneficial adjustments, we have created this brief survey that asks about the current accessibility and possible things to add in the future.

If you would like to participate in our research or have any ideas or questions, please take a few minutes to take the survey and provide your feedback. Or, you may email our accessibility coordinator, Atalia Fisher, at afisher23@georgefox.edu.

The entire university community is invited to join the Office for Spiritual Life for a morning of community service and reflection on MLK Day 2024!

On the first day of our 2024 “Spring Faith Into Action” Week (Jan. 15-20), the spiritual life office would like to invite students and employees to join us for a day of community service with SOLVE in Portland.

The event is set for MLK Day on Monday, Jan. 15. Please complete this form to register.

The day plan will be as follows:

• 9 a.m.: Continental breakfast and departure from SpiL (Barclay) House
• 9-9:45 a.m.: Listening, reflecting and discussing sermon/speech by Dr. MLK Jr.
• 9:45 a.m.: Meeting at Irving Park in Portland for orientation
• 10 a.m.: Join SOLVE for MLK Day service project
• Noon: Lunch and discussion on service as an opportunity for spiritual connection and growth
• 1:30 p.m.: “Walkabout” (prayer walk, reflection and practicing presence) on MLK Blvd
• 1:30 p.m.: Debrief and drive back
• 2:30 p.m.: Arrive back at SpiL/Newberg campus

Undergraduate students who participate will be eligible to receive five chapel-elective credits.

Contact Rus St. Cyr at rstcyr@georgefox.edu for more information.

The Office for Spiritual Life is looking for staff and faculty members to participate in our new “SpiL Mentoring” program this spring.

This program will provide the 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 staff or faculty member, with whom they will have weekly meetings lasting approximately one hour over a span of eight weeks within the semester. The program will begin the week of Jan. 29 and end the week of March 18.

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.

If interested, please fill out this application by tomorrow (Wednesday). Your involvement will make a meaningful impact on our students’ lives.

Please email Cyndi at cmurillo@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

The Office for Spiritual Life is looking for Life Group leaders for the spring of 2024. The program will last from the week of Jan. 29 through the week of March 18. Life Groups are small groups of undergraduate students who meet together for prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. Groups meet weekly for 60 to 90 minutes.

This spring, our groups will be either in person or completely via Zoom (this provides access for our George Fox Digital students). Life Groups through the Office for Spiritual Life led by a George Fox staff or faculty member will be SPIL-credit eligible in order to encourage students to engage in spiritual formation experiences that are participatory and provide ongoing community.

To sign up, please fill out this form by tomorrow (Tuesday).

Please email Cyndi at cmurillo@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

Starting Monday, Jan. 8, 2024:

• Students and employees from George Fox will be required to show their student or employee ID card before entering the food bank.
• Community members will be welcome to come to the food bank one day a week, during our open hours on Wednesdays.

These changes are due to the lack of affordable food from YCAP and the Oregon Food Bank, plus the increase in clients using our food bank.

As always, if people need access to food outside of our normal hours, please email bruincommunitypantry@georgfox.edu to make arrangements to access the food bank.

The finance office will be closed from Friday, Dec. 22, through Monday, Jan. 1, for the Christmas break. Deposits that need to have a December 2023 date must be brought to the finance office no later than 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21. If it arrives later, it will go into a deposit for January 2024.

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 contact Heather Groenlund at 503-554-2173. Thank you, and have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

The entire university community is invited to join the Office for Spiritual Life for a morning of community service and reflection on MLK Day 2024!

On the first day of our 2024 “Spring Faith Into Action” Week (Jan. 15-20), the spiritual life office would like to invite students and employees to join us for a day of community service with SOLVE in Portland.

The event is set for MLK Day on Monday, Jan. 15. Please complete this form to register.

The day plan will be as follows:

• 9 a.m.: Continental breakfast and departure from SpiL (Barclay) House
• 9-9:45 a.m.: Listening, reflecting and discussing sermon/speech by Dr. MLK Jr.
• 9:45 a.m.: Meeting at Irving Park in Portland for orientation
• 10 a.m.: Join SOLVE for MLK Day service project
• Noon: Lunch and discussion on service as an opportunity for spiritual connection and growth
• 1:30 p.m.: “Walkabout” (prayer walk, reflection and practicing presence) on MLK Blvd
• 1:30 p.m.: Debrief and drive back
• 2:30 p.m.: Arrive back at SpiL/Newberg campus

Undergraduate students who participate will be eligible to receive five chapel-elective credits.

Contact Rus St. Cyr at rstcyr@georgefox.edu for more information.

Take advantage of LifeBalance’s December deals! Click on the links to access savings at these vendors:

• Columbia Sportswear Employee Store: Enjoy employee store access through Dec. 31.
• Portland Art Museum: Save $2 off adult general admission.
• Portland Trail Blazers: Catch a game this season and save up to 10% on select games.
• Majestic Inn and Spa: Need a getaway? Save 10% on the best available rate.
• BarkBox: Score one free month with the purchase of a six- or 12-month subscription.
• FTD Flowers: It’s the perfect time to send someone you love flowers! Save 25% on orders.
• Adventure Academy: Entertain your kids aged 8-13 and save 30% off monthly subscriptions.

The Bruin Store will have the following holiday schedule:

• Dec. 18-22: 9 a.m. 3 p.m.
• Christmas Day: Closed
• Dec. 26-29: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Jan. 1: Closed
• Jan. 2-5: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We will resume our regular schedule on Monday, Jan. 8. Please note that we will be short-staffed during the holidays.

The Bruin Store wishes you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Interested in an enriching and soul-stirring weekend at the Oregon Coast reflecting on the profound ideas of C.S. Lewis’s book The Four Loves?

During the weekend of Feb. 2-4 at Twin Rocks Friends Camp, our own Dr. Jason Lepojärvi will be leading engaging talks on fundamental questions about love: What exactly is love? Are there really “four loves?” Are genuine friendships possible between women and men? What are the dangers of love? What exactly is “Christian love”?

Reserve your spot for a journey into love’s complexities and the teachings of C.S. Lewis, deepening your understanding of Christian love and forging new friendships at this unforgettable “Seminar by the Sea.” George Fox employees can receive a 10% discount for registration using the code GFU_Staff_24.

All participants will be mailed a copy of Lewis’s book The Four Loves to read in advance of the retreat. You can learn more about the seminar and register online here.

The finance office will be closed from Friday, Dec. 22, through Monday, Jan. 1, for the Christmas break. Deposits that need to have a December 2023 date must be brought to the finance office no later than 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21. If it arrives later, it will go into a deposit for January 2024.

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 contact Heather Groenlund at 503-554-2173. Thank you, and have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!