Beneath the everyday chatter of George Fox University (GFU) students lies an infamous hub for online communication. It spreads to new students in secret, purely by word of mouth.

When I sit down to study, the first thing I do is turn on my noise-cancelling headphones and put on the playlist of the day. I do this so often that now it feels unnatural to study without music. Whether it be the library, my dorm room, the Bon or Lyrics Cafe, I feel that in order to efficiently engage in my work, I have to drown out the world.

Whether public or private, universities often bring acclaim to their cities and become central to their identity, hence the term “college town”. Newberg, home to George Fox University (GFU), is indeed a college town—though it doesn’t quite fit the stereotype.

George Fox University (GFU) recently faced backlash on social media from an alumnus of the school due to a lack of immediate response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. This raises the question of whether or not it is GFU’s place to make statements on such matters at all.

Quaker pioneers established George Fox University (GFU) as Pacific College in 1891. It was constructed by the Religious Society of Friends with the goal of providing a Christian education rooted in Quaker values.

Last year, my professors spoke of AI briefly, usually telling students not to use it unless stated otherwise. This year, however, I am far more aware of its effects on my classes, especially Honors, as the program now requires us to write all assignments by hand in class to avoid AI use.

George Fox University (GFU) requires students under 23 with less than 90 credits to attain 15 chapel credits per semester, five of which can be elective. However, some believe allowing more elective opportunities may help students with busy schedules and allow students to deepen their faith.

The very minute the fatal rifle round entered Charlie Kirk’s neck, something was put into motion. The man who did his best to set his message and career on Christ, left this world having started a wave, prompting people across the globe to turn—or return—to the Christian faith.

The 2024-2025 NFL season has ended unexpectedly, with the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX. Although I am not a gambling man, I would have bet my house (if I had one) on Kansas City taking home the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.

Last week, I was sent to the hospital, not due to a bear attack, a bus accident, or poor judgment, but because of George Fox University’s very own Canyon Commons. I would be lying if I said the experience didn’t shake me to the core.

“Why is Thanksgiving break so short?” This question is often heard from students, parents, and even some staff at George Fox University (GFU). Currently, students only have Thursday, Friday, and the weekend off for Thanksgiving. While some students look forward to going home to see their families, others have to wait until winter break for that opportunity.

Since the start of the 2024 fall semester, George Fox University (GFU) has faced significant parking shortages due to ongoing construction and an influx of students, causing frustration and safety concerns for drivers.

In the 2020 Presidential election, 76% of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump. Today, two-thirds of white evangelicals continue to have a ‘favorable view’ of the former president, including 30%, who hold a ‘very favorable’ view. Although many of Trump’s political positions are widely considered extreme and not representative of American values, he continues to maintain a cult-like status amongst white evangelicals, who seem more devoted to him as a person than they are to his politics. While it may seem like the white evangelical worship of Trump came out of nowhere in 2016, the modern evangelical right does not exist in a vacuum. 

On Feb. 16, the Supreme Court of Alabama issued an unprecedented ruling and determined that embryos, stored for in vitro fertilization (IVF), have the same legal rights as children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. As a result, IVF treatments shut down in the state until an additional bill was signed by the governor protecting IVF providers from criminal liability. Nothing in this bill addressed the repercussions of declaring frozen embryos “extrauterine children.” 

The desensitization of millennials and Gen Z has become a common occurrence on social media and pop culture. However, is this true and is there scientific evidence showing desensitization of these younger generations? If so, what does that mean for us now? 

As Gen Z spreads its wings, it’s developing its own generational trademarks. Some of the more obvious markers of this generation are its heavy use of the Internet and social media and its hankering for social justice. These factors have, however, helped construct this generation’s political identity. One facet of Gen Z’s politics is in its support of feminism, but these feminist trends of the 2020s are still being counteracted by misogyny. 

In 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, decriminalizing drug use within the state. Now, addiction rates remain high and overdose deaths a consistent problem, and the Oregon state legislature is considering backpedaling and making drug possession once again a low-level misdemeanor. Although this may be well-intentioned, especially as fentanyl deaths continue to spike across the US, criminalizing possession has never worked in the past, and it isn’t going to start working now. 

I have had my driver’s license since high school, but I came to college without a car. Instead, I brought a bike. Although having a bike certainly has its disadvantages, it is a good and feasible option for many students at George Fox University (GFU).

When I watched this year’s Grammy Awards with some friends, one of them asked, “How many of these people do you think are on Ozempic?” This question was a reaction to the recent wave of celebrity weight loss. I hadn’t noticed before, but once you see it, it can’t be unseen: dozens of celebrities of all body types have been losing weight in the past year. This amusing yet disturbing moment makes me wonder, “Are we still doing weight loss trends in 2024?”

Cinnamon cookie butter hair? Blueberry milk nails? Are you a coquette Lana-core girl or a cottagecore witch? Do you do clean girl makeup, clean goth, or soft grunge? If you know what any of these words mean, congratulations, you probably spend too much time on TikTok.