November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, a time for writers of all ages and abilities to step up to the plate and try to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Since the program’s inception in July 1999 as a nonprofit, participating writers have increased exponentially—in 2015, over 400,000 people took part in NaNoWriMo. For writers just starting out or for college students and other people with busy schedules, the question is: is it worthwhile?

Before I came to George Fox University (GFU), I held science and faith in two distinct categories. If they couldn’t touch each other, neither one could be proven false. I told myself that I could trust science on evolution and the Big Bang and simultaneously believe a literal translation of Genesis. College changed that.

I’ve never gone trick-or-treating, and I’m a 21-year-old college student. Some people might say I’m too old to even dress up for Halloween, but I think Halloween is a holiday that can be enjoyed by anyone.

I will never go trick-or-treating again, and I’m an 18-year-old college student. Although Halloween in the United States is all fun and games on the surface, the risks of celebrating in traditional ways are legitimate.

If you have not been paying attention to the news like I have, you probably still caught wind of a big I word being used. That word is Impeachment, a big no-no in the political scene. It means our president, Donald Trump, could potentially be kicked out of office!

I participated in Tent City this year and while the experience is unlike any other at George Fox University (GFU), it wasn’t one worth the trouble. Tent City exists for students to secure their spots on Juniors Abroad trips. Students are assigned a number through an ASC lottery, which determines where they pitch their tent. They are then required to spend the night before registration in their tent.

On Feb. 26, the United Methodist Church (UMC) rejected a measure that would have made the denomination fully inclusive to LGBTQ church members. The One Church Plan was proposed May of last year by an overwhelming amount of UMC bishops in hopes for LGBTQ members to have the ability to become ordained and get married in the church. UMC rejected the One Church Plan measure in favor of the Traditional Plan, changing nothing.

On Feb. 20, Richard Avramento, political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, gave a lecture called “When Toleration Becomes a Vice: Thoughts from Aristotle,” hosted by the politics department at George Fox University (GFU). Avramento warned against an excess of toleration, arguing that some ideas and beliefs are in fact wrong and should be recognized as such.

When media companies aren’t reporting about the breakout of a civil war or another climate catastrophe, they’re spotlighting the latest ‘canceled’ public figure.

Three months ago, I stood on a public bus back in Hong Kong. I mulled over problems that I just cannot seem to answer: who is this Christian God? is he really that perfect? why should I be bowing to a religion that seems more like dictatorship than a friendship? heck... does he even exist?

You likely don’t know many philosophy majors at George Fox University (GFU). That’s because we’re rapidly dropping in number. I happen to be the only remaining philosophy major in the class of 2022. This makes me not only lonely, but bewildered.

Are we allowed to interpret the Bible? Absolutely. I think we can interpret the Bible far more than we realize, because it’s actually impossible to understand without our interpreting it. So, why is it that interpreting the first few chapters of Genesis, or at least looking for a non-literal understanding of them, can come across as taboo?

On Jan. 22, Arthur Milikh, associate director of The Heritage Foundation’s B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics, gave a lecture called “Will America Ban Hate Speech?” hosted by the politics department at George Fox University (GFU). During his lecture, he warned against the criminalization of hate speech, arguing that laws against hate speech will infringe upon our freedom of speech overall.

Finding a new church to attend once you get to college isn’t easy.

George Fox University (GFU) does not allow for faculty to openly support the LGBTQ

community or same-sex marriage. While they can be kind toward queer students, they are not

allowed to express that they are allies or that they agree with same-sex marriage. However,

faculty are allowed to support heterosexual marriages, ring by spring, and early marriage in

general.

Black Friday is quite the holiday phenomenon. Highly anticipated by bargainers and shopaholics alike, this post-Thanksgiving event provides the perfect opportunity to snag typically-expensive products and purchase Christmas gifts on a budget. While Black Friday may be considered a delightful, deal-driven outing to shoppers, it’s a very different experience for store employees.

Thanksgiving is one of the most “American” holidays we celebrate. Turkey, football and family mark the fourth Thursday in November for most of us as a time to be thankful — and eat a lot of good food.

Bradley Campbell, associate professor of sociology at California State University, gave a lecture on Nov. 7 entitled “Dignity, Victimhood, and the Future of the University” at George Fox University (GFU) as part of the William Penn Honors Program lecture series. During his lecture, he warned against the idea of “speech as violence” and requested that we work towards restoring a “dignity culture” in which we are all treated as equal human beings.

There are four clubs for people of color (POC) at George Fox University (GFU). Although GFU is predominantly white, there is still a large group of minorities who can often be forgotten on campus.

On October 29, Abigail Favale, William Penn Honors Program director and associate professor of English, spoke about Dating and Discernment as part of the Couch Lecture series at George Fox University (GFU). The Pennington lobby was packed with students eager to hear from a professor about healthy dating relationships.

Bon Appetit, the catering company at George Fox University (GFU), has always offered a variety of food options. And for good reason — with a diverse student body, all sorts of diets must be accommodated, from vegan to gluten free. Freshmen are required to have a meal plan, and for this reason there must be options for everyone. After all, we’re paying a lot of money for the meal plan.