What is Your Tuition Funding on Campus?

Reported by Audrey Grice

Illustrated by Mia Baukol

As prices continue to rise across the country, colleges have also been forced to increase tuition to keep the lights on. With George Fox University (GFU) tuition exceeding $50k without scholarships or financial aid, students may wonder: where is all this money going? This article explores a few of the university’s recent investments.

Any student on campus will immediately recognize Christmas as the season of lights. From red and green yard lights and festively decorated trees on the quad to the annual tree-lighting ceremony, GFU takes its holiday decorations seriously.

“Here at Fox, we believe in the Be Known promise,” said Pete Carson, director of the Department of Lighting and Festivities. “And that includes making sure the university can Be Known from space.”

Carson said GFU aims to expand its global reach by making the annual Christmas lights visible from space.

“Who’s to say?” Carson said. “Maybe an astronaut up there will see the lights and send his kid here. You never know.”

While GFU focuses on galactic marketing, it is also ensuring that campus equipment remains up-to-date and in top condition. To this end, the university recently announced it will be upgrading Campus Public Safety (CPS) golf carts to Segways.

The university cites faster response times as the reason for this transition.

“Newberg is a safe community, and we are blessed to have such a wonderful space,” said Keagan Short, a GFU representative. “But we also need to be prepared for anything that can happen. Providing CPS with Segways will allow them to respond to incidents faster and navigate smaller spaces.”

CPS employee Jones Tay said the Segways make him feel more confident in his position.

“It feels more official,” Tay said.

In addition to upgrading equipment, GFU is continuing its efforts to improve the campus itself. Plant Services recently began a new initiative to install a bench every 100 square feet to promote community and reflection. Students may have noticed the bench placed below Edwards Hall last semester as the first installment of the initiative.

“It’s just so beautiful to have all these spots around campus,” a GFU freshman said. “I love being able to walk past them on my way to class every day.”

While students might not be able to change the cost of college, they can at least rest assured knowing where their money is going at George Fox University.