Support for Students

There are numerous venues at George Fox that are designed to help students be successful. When students find themselves in difficult circumstances the University has the following supports and protocols in place as a few of the ways to help them navigate barriers they may be facing.

Fox360 and the Student Support Network

George Fox University uses a robust referral and support system, Fox360, to invite professors or other employees to submit alerts about students who are facing barriers to success. Students who are referred via Fox360 will be contacted by a member of our Student Support Network (SSN) to explore the student’s situation, develop a plan, and connect with relevant campus resources. 

The Student Support Network is designed to identify and support students who are struggling academically, socially, or personally. The SSN consists of a small team of faculty, staff, and administrators representing a variety of departments who are invested in the academic and personal success of George Fox University undergraduate students. The group meets regularly during the academic year to confidentially discuss appropriate and timely interventions for students in need of assistance or support.

In providing this support, struggling students will be encouraged to develop both their independence and their interdependence within the context of the campus community. The goal of the SSN is to encourage students' persistence to graduation and their active pursuit of God's call on their lives. 

Students can submit alerts if they have concerns about another student’s well-being or want to submit an alert for themselves by going to fox360.georgefox.edu. Our goal is to provide 360° care for students as they navigate your college experience. 

For further information about the SSN, visit ssn.georgefox.edu.

Suicide Prevention and Response

The University provides numerous resources for students who may be experiencing depression, suicidal ideation and thoughts, or experience a suicide attempt. Student life employees are prepared to intervene and journey with students through this difficult time. Because of the serious nature of these situations, there are numerous interventions put into place to care for and support the student. The Health and Counseling Center and Spiritual Life offices are confidential places where students may receive help and support.

If it is known to student life staff that a student has expressed suicide ideation or made a suicide attempt, part of the process may be contacting the parent of the student or the person chosen by the student as the emergency contact in the Housing and Community Life Portal. In order to ensure their success, students who have experienced suicide ideation or a suicide attempt must be assessed by a professional counselor and given clearance by student life staff before being allowed to resume class attendance or live in on-campus housing.

Responsibility for Self-Care Policy

Students are required to maintain a standard of responsibility for self-care (i.e., the ability to respond adequately to one's emotional, physical, and educational needs). Some students who are distressed engage in behaviors that negatively impact their own welfare or the welfare of the university community. These behaviors may require further assessment or support services by appropriate professionals to ensure the welfare of the student and GFU community members.

Various resources on campus are available to assist students to maintain or return to adaptive levels of functioning. However, some students may become compromised in their ability to ensure their own self-care (i.e., to appropriately access these resources) due to the presence of mental health issues including suicide ideation, eating disorders, thought disorders, or other harmful behavior or actions.  

Given that these students might not seek services voluntarily, or at the suggestion of staff, faculty, or administrators; they may be mandated to do so administratively. As such, students who exhibit an inability to maintain the standard of responsibility for self-care may be required to participate in a mandatory safety assessment process. 

The purpose of the mandatory assessment is to assure the student connects with the appropriate resources or services, and to afford the student the opportunity to improve her or his welfare, as well as to uphold the welfare of the community. 

The responsibility for self-care is essential for students to continue in their enrollment at George Fox University. The expectation is for students to take advantage of supportive resources so they will be able to stay in school or return to school. These situations may include the possibility of required hospitalization as directed by health professionals.

The University is committed to assisting students to maintain responsibility for self-care. If a student is unable or unwilling to assume responsibility for their own welfare following intervention by a representative of the University (such as multiple suicide attempts, broken safety contracts, etc.), their status as a student may be reviewed.

Missing Student Notification

Because the safety and well-being of students is paramount, necessary steps will be taken when a student is believed to be missing.  A student may be considered missing if he/she is:

• Unreachable in person, by telephone (talking or text messaging), email, or other forms of electronic communication for 24 hours or more; 
• Overdue in reaching a specified destination more than 24 hours past their expected arrival; 
• If additional factors lead University staff to believe the student is missing.

In these circumstances, an immediate investigation will be conducted and an intentional effort will be made to locate the student in question.

If you believe a student is missing, please contact the Student Life Office or Campus Public Safety immediately. If the student lives on-campus, an Area Coordinator or the Director of Residence Life may also be contacted. The Director of Commuter Life, Dean of Students or Director of Campus Public Safety may also be contacted if the missing student is a commuter.

If it is determined that the student is missing, University officials will immediately notify the following:

• The designated emergency contact listed in the Housing and Community Life Portal.
• The student's parent or legal guardian if that individual is not the designated emergency contact, and the student is under 18 years of age and not an emancipated individual.
• The Newberg-Dundee Police Department.  They will be given appropriate information gathered by University officials, even if the student has not registered an emergency contact person.

Only authorized campus officials and law enforcement officers may have access to this information in a missing person investigation. When a missing student is located, student life personnel may determine the student’s state of health and intention of returning to campus. When appropriate, a referral may be made to the University Health & Counseling Center. 

Students are strongly encouraged to periodically review and update their emergency contact information in the Housing and Community Life Portal.