The Daily Bruin

Music is a versatile tool that can transform both your mood and your workflow. Beyond just filling the silence, listening to music you enjoy triggers the release of dopamine, providing a natural emotional lift and helping to lower stress during a busy day.

From a practical standpoint, background music is most effective during routine or repetitive tasks, where it helps maintain a steady rhythm and provides a “sound shield” against office distractions. By intentionally choosing your soundtrack, you can create a personal sanctuary that nurtures your mental well-being while keeping your energy levels high.

The Art of Mindful Listening: Protecting Your Mental Energy

To get the most out of your workday audio, it’s important to recognize when your brain needs a different kind of support. While upbeat tracks are great for energy, tasks requiring deep concentration or complex problem-solving can be hindered by lyrical music, which competes for your brain’s processing power and leads to mental fatigue.

To support your cognitive well-being, practice matching your audio to your mental state: opt for calming instrumental tracks or ambient “pink noise” when you need to focus, and don’t be afraid to embrace silence to prevent overstimulation. Being mindful of what you listen to ensures that your environment supports your productivity and well-being without draining your mental reserves.

Questions? Contact Aga Kasprzyk at akasprzyk@georgefox.edu.

Have you signed up for Summer Online? Don’t miss your chance to save money and time this summer! 

Summer Online offers you the chance to take care of credits from the comfort of your home – or wherever you’ll be this summer – for less than half the cost of regular tuition. Consider this: You could get up to three courses out of the way this summer in just two months! Free up time in your fall or spring semester, or get on track to graduate early.

Summer Online runs from June 1 to July 26. Check out the full list of courses on class.georgefox.edu and register on MyGeorgeFox.

We’ve successfully pushed the latest round of essential security and performance updates to all systems. These updates are crucial for maintaining a secure and efficient computing environment.

However, these changes will not take full effect until your computer has been properly restarted.

What you need to do:

1. Save your work: Ensure all open documents and projects are saved.
2. Restart your machine: Click the Start menu, select Power, and choose Restart. (Note: Simply logging out or shutting down the lid is not enough.)

A quick restart ensures the installation is finalized, patching vulnerabilities and activating important system enhancements. A restart can be done at the end of your day. Best practice is to restart once a week.

Thank you for helping us keep our systems running smoothly and securely! Questions? Contact Amy Yates at ayates@georgefox.edu. 

Come stop by the ARC tomorrow (Thursday) from 4 to 5:30 p.m. to pick up an Italian soda and celebrate the end of the semester. Bring your friends!

Questions? Contact Jocelyn Day at jday@georgefox.edu.

The celebration continues! Join us today (Wednesday) for a special off-campus reception featuring the work of two of our graduating seniors.

• Time: 4 to 6 p.m. (artist introductions at 4 p.m.)
• Location: Chehalem Cultural Center (415 E. Sheridan St., Newberg)

Come support our students as they transition into the professional art world. Light refreshments will be served in the gallery.

Questions? Contact Adam Long at along@georgefox.edu.

As you prepare to graduate, we invite you to pick up your complimentary “Be Known” President’s Challenge Coin at the president’s office (Stevens 330) before the school year ends.

We want you to give a coin as a token of gratitude to a professor, staff member or mentor who delivered the Be Known promise during your college experience.

Please share why you chose to honor this person with the rest of our George Fox community. Submit your challenge coin story, pictures or video here.

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

Need a reason to get takeout? Now you have one! This Monday, April 27, Panda Express will be donating 28% of all online orders using the code 9014720 to George Fox DPT’s medical service trip to Uganda.

This fundraiser will occur all day on Monday and is a nationwide fundraiser, so friends and family can contribute as well. Feel free to spread the word. The trip is fast approaching, and every contribution helps!

Questions? Contact Evan Robinson at evanr24@georgefox.edu.

The Virtual Learning Center (VLC) is open during finals week. Don’t wait to schedule an appointment! We offer 50-minute Zoom or asynchronous appointments.

To schedule, go to the TracCloud icon on your Canvas dashboard. If you have any questions, email Heather Harney at hharney@georgefox.edu.

The ARC is open Monday through Wednesday of finals week. Schedule your appointment now before it’s too late. We can help you with writing a paper/presentation or with academic coaching (study strategies or body doubling).

To schedule an appointment, go to the TracCloud icon on your Canvas Dashboard. If you have any questions, email Heather Harney at hharney@georgefox.edu.

Come join us for our final Quaker worship service of the semester tomorrow (Wednesday) in the chapel from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Travis Pickell will be opening the meeting with a biblical text.

Spiritual life credit will be available, and Paul Anderson will be turning the pages of the Saint John’s Bible at 11:30 a.m.

Questions? Contact Paul Anderson at panderso@georgefox.edu.

Get outside with Outdoor Rec this weekend for a wonderful time on the water! We will be going whitewater rafting on the Clackamas River this Saturday, April 25, at 8 a.m., among some other trips.

We are running a flash sale on all remaining trips. Use the code SPRINGDEAL when checking out for 25% off your trip total!

Questions? Contact Nathanael Freeman at freemann@georgefox.edu.

Please consider participating in our Doctor of Physical Therapy pelvic health research project if your first or primary language is Spanish, you are 18 years or older, and experience or experienced Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD), meaning “any departure from normal function of the pelvic floor muscles that is of bother to the patient.”

To participate, complete this survey. Questions? Contact Tess Swake at tswake@georgefox.edu.

You are cordially invited to celebrate the thesis work of our graduating art and design seniors today (Tuesday). Join us for an afternoon of creativity, refreshments, and insight into the artistic process.

4 p.m.: Kickoff at the Lindgren Gallery, then progressing to the Minthorne Gallery
5 p.m.: Artist talk and discussion time in Hoover 103

Come for the art and stay for the snacks and conversation!

Feel free to contact Adam Long at along@georgefox.edu for further information.

Do you have food and kitchenware you do not want to pack when you leave for the summer? Help support your peers by donating to the Bruin Community Pantry!

Here is how you can contribute before the semester ends.

What to Donate

• Kitchenware: Any gently used, functional items, clothing, hangers, etc.
• Food: Unopened, non-perishable food items
• Flex Points: You can use remaining meal plan points at the Maker’s Market or Bridge Café to purchase items for the pantry’s “Grab & Go” section.

Where & When
Drop off your donations at the Bruin Community Pantry by Friday, April 28.

• Monday, 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Friday, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

If you have questions, please email Jere Witherspoon at jwitherspoon@georgefox.edu.

Need a reason to get takeout? Now you have one! Next Monday, April 27, Panda Express will be donating 28% of all online orders using the code 9014720 to the doctor of physical therapy’s medical service trip to Uganda.

This fundraiser will occur all day on Monday and is a nationwide fundraiser, so friends and family can contribute as well. Feel free to spread the word; the trip is fast approaching, and every contribution helps!

Questions? Contact Evan Robinson at evanr24@georgefox.edu.

School will be out in only two weeks! Before you head out for summer break, we want to ensure that you are financially equipped for next school year and are maximizing all of your resources. 

Be Known, Be Done, May 1

Complete the following tasks by May 1, if you haven’t already, in order to attain an accurate picture of your financial aid and remaining balance. This will help equip you to make plans for August payment. 

Please take care of these as soon as possible so you can rest easy this summer!

• File your 2026-27 FAFSA or ORSAA as soon as possible if you want to access federal or state aid!
• Accept, reduce, or 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 List items in your MyGeorgeFox account (under the Tasks tile) to authorize your federal aid.
• Submit a 2026-27 Professional Judgment request if your family’s financial situation has changed since 2024, or if you had a Professional Judgment this year for special circumstances that will continue next year.

Be sure to contact us with any questions! The financial aid office is open Monday through Friday. You can drop in between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., or schedule an appointment with your counselor.

Google continues to provide new features and improved functionality for a more seamless access to Gemini in both the Plus license that all students, staff and faculty have, and the Pro license.

Here are the most recent updates:

• In the Gemini app and beyond:
  • Add notebooks from NotebookLM as a data source in the Gemini app. This will provide more relevant responses that are grounded in the sources in your notebook. Click the Plus icon in your Gemini chat window.
  • Google Chat is now available as a data source in the Gemini app.
  • Conversation history in the Gemini side panel in your apps. View and resume your saved conversations in the History section. Smart features must be enabled in your Gmail settings.
  • Available in Docs for everyone.
  • Pro version also available in Gmail and Sheets

• Expanded NotebookLM capabilities for Education Plus:
  • Increased source context: Support for more sources in each notebook.
  • More engagement: Send more chat queries per day.
  • Expanded study tools: Create more flashcard sets and quizzes.
  • More multimedia generation: Create more Video Overviews, Audio Overviews, infographics and slide decks.

Do you have a Mac computer? Click here to download the new Gemini for Mac app. (If you’re familiar with Anthropic’s Claude CoWork, this will be similar.)

• Sign in with your George Fox account. This provides the same privacy protection as the rest of our Workspace apps.
• Opens a Gemini Chat window anywhere on your Mac computer without opening a browser.
• All chats are saved and will appear on your Gemini app webpage.
• Works best if you have turned on your connected apps. This allows Gemini to search your email, docs, other files, etc. and give you the best response using data you already have.

Tip: To get more personalized responses, you can share your window with Gemini. In Gemini, click the Plus icon to see the option to share your window.

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

Don’t miss the final chapel of the academic year, also known as Awards Chapel!

Please join us tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10:50 a.m. in the chapel as we celebrate our faculty award winners and the upcoming end of the academic year!

We’ll have a time of worship, hear from President Baker and Joseph Clair, associate provost for the Division of Humanities & Honors, and present faculty awards. Faculty winners of the Undergraduate Teacher of the Year, Undergraduate Research & Scholarship, Outstanding Service, and Outstanding Faith and Integration awards will be announced.

Come celebrate with, and congratulate, our winning faculty members!

Questions? Contact Laurie Fair at lfair@georgefox.edu.

It’s that time of year again! If you have aches and pains, need to recover from an injury or surgery, or want to improve your balance, strength or endurance, this time is for you.

George Fox physical therapy students are hosting their annual free physical therapy clinic for all those interested from May 7 to June 12. We are looking for people who want services for all kinds of conditions, including, but not limited to:

• General aches and pains
• Chronic pain
• Orthopedic surgery
• Struggles with balance/falls
• Concussion management
• Sports injuries
• Neurological events
• Vestibular issues
• General deconditioning
• Pediatrics
• Cardiovascular, and more

The DPT students are eager to serve you, so please take advantage.

Please fill out this interest form and you will be contacted to be scheduled. Thank you!

Please contact Catherine Cieslak at physicaltherapy@georgefox.edu. or call our clinic at 503-554-2479 with any questions.

Tonight’s the night! In honor of National Poetry Month, the library will host “Celebrate National Poetry Month” from 7 to 8:15 p.m. tonight in the Murdock Library.

In addition to a rich conversation about the art of poetry, the evening will include poetry readings by guest and George Fox poets, and light refreshments. This event is taking place by the library fireplace after normal library hours; please register to let us know you plan to attend and to be entered into our raffle for one of three poetry collections.

Feel free to reach out to Suzanne Smith at ssmith@georgefox.edu with any questions.