George Fox University | Offices and Services | Student Life | Student Life

Office of Student Life

Your journey toward becoming a person of commitment, wisdom, and confidence at George Fox allows you to explore beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. True learning and experience takes place wherever you are - where you sleep, eat, play, perform, sing, study, and relax.

Those of us in the Office of Student Life are committed to assisting you in your journey, enhancing and improving your experience by providing staff and services to help you reach your full potential as a student at George Fox University.

This section of the handbook is an introduction to various departments and services within the Office of Student Life. Feel free to contact the appropriate offices for further information.

Campus Ministries

Receiving a well-rounded education means growing intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually while creating a strong foundation on which to discover and build your hopes and dreams. Such growth does not occur by chance, but by intentional input. We all need people to walk alongside us, to guide us, and to join us in the effort of building this foundation. And that "coming alongside" is the focus of Campus Ministries.

Our campus pastor and the director of outreach and discipleship are gifted at joining students in their journeys toward knowing, hearing and obeying God. Their work includes equipping students for the service of Christ, discipling new Christians, and walking with students who are interested in investigating who God is on a personal basis. They accomplish these tasks in a variety of ways:

Spiritual Formation Program

One of our priorities is for each student to come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in that relationship toward a mature faith. While we believe strongly in the value of our Spiritual Formation Program, we want you to know that it does not replace the life and ministry of the local church and should not be considered a substitute for church attendance or involvement. Instead, the Spiritual Formation Program is an integral part of the total faith-learning experience you receive at George Fox University.

Retreats include fall and spring all-campus getaways designed for spiritual growth and refreshment.

Spiritual direction is available for the times you need someone to talk to about a stressful or troubling situation. Campus Ministries staff members provide good listening and pastoral counsel, although their help is not a substitute for therapeutic counseling. Staff members work in conjunction with Health and Counseling Services to make referrals, if needed.

May Serve is a monthlong serve trip during May Term. Past May Serve teams have visited Ukraine, Brazil, India, Jamaica, Romania, Cuba, The Philippines, Russia, and Nepal. The focus is on service, evangelism, and experiencing what the life of a missionary is all about. It takes months of preparation and team-building before students are ready to embark on this type of service trip.

Chapel is a time of learning, praise, and worship. Chapel services are held Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10:40 to 11:30 a.m. the first 14 weeks of the 15-week semester.

The Spiritual Formation calendar (available at the beginning of each semester) lists all opportunities to receive Spiritual Formation credit. In addition to the regular Monday and Wednesday chapel services, there are other daytime and evening opportunities to receive required Spiritual Formation credit.

Chapel Attendance Requirements
Students who are freshmen, sophomores, and juniors carrying a full load of classes (12 academic credits or more) need to earn 21 Spiritual Formation credits each semester. Seniors (93 credits or more), fifth-year seniors, and students 22 years of age or older on the first day of day of classes in the fall semester, are encouraged to attend. While students who are 22 years of age and have 93 credits or more are automatically exempt, fifth year seniors must contact the Student Life Office so that their record can be adjusted.

You are responsible to track your chapel attendance via Bruindata in order to meet the requirement.

More Spiritual Formation Options for Chapel Attendance
In addition to the normal chapel attendance, students may receive chapel credit for all things listed on the Spiritual Formation calendar, as well as the following:

â?¢ Small-group Bible studies offer a time of worship, study, prayer, accountability and fellowship with other students.These small-group Bible studies are held many different times during the week. Students involved in these groups during the semester - with consistent weekly attendance and not missing more than one-fourth of the group sessions - may earn four Spiritual Formation credits. Students must sign up for a small group through Campus Ministries within the first three weeks of the semester. At the end of each semester, small-group leaders turn in the names of those group members whose regular attendance has earned them four Spiritual Formation credits.

â?¢ Serve trips over Christmas (Winter Serve) and spring breaks (Spring Serve) provide opportunities for students and staff members to lend a hand to communities on the West Coast, across the country, and in Mexico and Canada.The Campus Ministries staff trains and disciples student leaders for these ventures.

Students attending and participating fully in the ministry and the work of Winter Serve or Spring Serve earn four Spiritual Formation credits for the semester just ending. Students choosing this option must sign up before the deadlines for each of these trips.

â?¢ Morning and Evening Prayer Using the Book of Common Prayer as their guide, a group of George Fox community members meets Monday through Friday, 7:30-7:50 a.m. and 5-5:20 p.m. Students receive one Spiritual Formation credit for every four times they attend morning or evening prayers.

Receiving Chapel Credit
To be given credit for attending a chapel service, students must scan their student ID cards into a computerized scanner upon entering the auditorium. Students should plan to enter and scan no later than 10:45 a.m.

Students who leave chapel before the conclusion of the service - or students who scan in for someone other than themselves- may be held accountable for an attempt to defraud chapel attendance requirements.

Scanners for recording student attendance at Spiritual Formation events are mounted at all inside entries on the south side of Bauman Auditorium. In addition, when activities on the Spiritual Formation calendar are held in Hoover 104, scanners are mounted near the east entry door. Students will record their attendance at Spiritual Formation functions by swiping their ID cards at these locations (magnetic stripe facing right) to receive credit for attendance at Spiritual Formation events.

For other Spiritual Formation options held in smaller venues, a sign-in list will be used.

Generally, only services provided in the Spiritual Formation calendar will be counted for Spiritual Formation credit. Outside services such as church involvement may not be used to obtain Spiritual Formation credit.

Chapel Accountability
All students who have not fulfilled the chapel requirement by the last day of classes must fulfill the 21-credit requirement by 4:30 p.m. on Friday of finals week or a hold will be placed on their registration for the following semester. From the end of finals week, the student will have one calendar week to fulfill his or her chapel requirement and have the hold removed.The hold may be removed when the student fulfills the following: Listen to or watch online the number of chapels they have not attended from that semester and write a summary/reflection paper (50 words) for each chapel missed.The papers must be turned in to the Student Life Office before the hold will be removed. Watch the Chapel Podcasts online at: http://media.georgefox.edu/chapel/

Any student who has not fulfilled the requirement by one week after finals week may not be allowed through the confirmation process at the beginning of the next semester because of the hold on their account.

If a student has not resolved his or her hold and confirmed by the end of the third day of classes in the following semester, their class schedule will be dropped and they will be withdrawn from the institution.

Academic advisors and any other advisors, coaches, etc. of co-curricular activities may be informed when a student is not meeting the requirement at mid-semester or failed to meet the Spiritual Formation requirement by the end of the semester.

Students who are continuing to have difficulty meeting the chapel requirement or attempt to defraud the Spiritual Formation attendance process in any manner may be required to meet with the dean of students and may be subject to further disciplinary action, which may include a semester suspension from the university.

Absences
Absences due to activities such as field trips, athletic team participation, band and choir tours, etc., are not considered excused. Students who participate in these activities are responsible to earn 21 Spiritual Formation credits like all other students.

Prolonged and confining illnesses are evaluated on an individual basis at the end of the semester. Prolonged and confining illness excuses are issued only by the school nurse for illnesses of three or more consecutive days

Field Experience
Students are expected to plan field experience so they can earn their 21 Spiritual Formation credits. Rare exceptions are made in communication with professors if specific field experiences directly conflict with the Spiritual Formation schedule.

Exemptions
A student may receive a full or partial exemption for the chapel attendance requirement for one semester at a time due to one of the following reasons:

• adult-learner status (22 and older on or before August 27th, 2007; the first day of classes of the 2007-08 academic year) will be automatically exempt and do not need to fill out the exemption form
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• seniors (93 credit or more)there is no need to apply forSpiritual Formation exemption if you fall under this category)
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• student teaching
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• significant off-campus work schedule (must attach signed work schedule with exemption form)
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• an off-campus field placement
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Full Exemption:
If a student receives a full exemption, he or she is not required to attend any chapel programs for the period of one semester. Students must re-apply each semester.

Partial Exemption:
Because of student teaching, offcampus work, etc., students can apply for a partial exemption in which they are allowed to meet requirements by earning 11 rather than 21 Spiritual Formation credits. If a student receives a partial exemption, he or she must attend 11 chapels throughout the semester.You must re-apply each semester this exemption is needed.You may receive an exemption for the attendance requirement for one semester due to student teaching or an offcampus field placement.

All exemptions must be cleared through the dean of students by the second Friday of each semester. However, if employment dictates that an exemption be granted after this date, students should submit the exemption form along with the required documents as soon as possible.

Exemption forms may be found on the Web or at the Office of Student Life.