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As the classes began on September 22, both new and returning students started the school year right with the annual Week of Welcome celebration. Through an array of social, spiritual, and academic events, the PUC community was reunited following summer vacation. To start off the week, students filled the campus mall on Monday for “A Taste of San Francisco” welcome back dinner, and enjoyed a buffet of food such as Boudin sourdough soup rolls, gnocchi, and potato tacos. Ana Delgado, a junior, was excited to see all the new faces on campus at the celebration. “I’m looking forward to seeing even more diversity on campus than before because of all the freshman. There’s a lot more people so it feels like a bigger campus family,” she said. Students had a chance to promote and join clubs that catered to their interests and majors, such as the Business, Music, and Pre-Law clubs. Alicia Nieb, co-president of the Business club, noted, “The business club is especially excited for this new school year, and for our new and returning members!” On Tuesday night, students filled the benches to cheer on the Pioneers volleyball team against Cyclones of Mills College. The Student Association (SA)...

PUC’s student body, from excited freshmen to seasoned seniors, packed into the PUC Church on September 25 to attend the first gathering of fall quarter’s Colloquy Speaker Series. After professors and administration had marched into the building in full regalia, and the string section from the PUC Orchestra had performed a rendition of Vivaldi’s “Summer,” PUC President Heather J. Knight took the podium to introduce the Opening Convocation speaker, Leonard Bailey, M.D. Dr. Bailey’s presentation was entitled “Be a Pioneer,” an appropriate title for a lecture given to a college that has long been known as a pioneering institution. In her introduction, Knight noted that the podium on the platform was used by Ellen G. White, a pioneering founder of both the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Pacific Union College. PUC was founded in 1882 as Healdsburg Academy, and is one of the oldest colleges in California. The college continues to embody the pioneer spirit, even naming the varsity teams the PUC Pioneers. Dr. Bailey and his wife, Nancy, R.N., began their presentation discussing what makes someone a pioneer. On whether ordinary people would be able to become pioneers in new areas, Dr. Bailey was encouraging, yet practical. “Pioneering doesn’t happen...

Phaidra Knight’s first class doesn’t start until nine in the morning on Monday, but the new Pacific Union College freshman is already making PUC home. Like the rest of her peers in the PUC Class of 2018, Knight arrived on campus with a car full of boxes on September 17 for new student orientation ready to join the PUC community. “It’s happy and sad all at the same time,” shared Phaidra’s mother Sheilvina Knight as she left the Family Orientation session. “With college, once you start it’s like you’re an adult. It’s a big difference between high school and college, so I’m teary-eyed.” Though the moment can be bittersweet for families like the Knights, the PUC faculty and staff were excited to have the new students on campus. Many faculty members welcomed the new students by helping them move in to the residence halls, making multiple trips back and forth to the parking lot and travelling up and down many sets of stairs as part of Porter Power. Lary Taylor, professor of business administration, experienced a few special moments while moving in children of his former students. “The surprised looks and comments from parents and their children when seven or...

Grizzly bears, Dall sheep, moose, and orcas are unusual college classmates. Pacific Union College students enrolled in this summer’s Polar Biology class encountered these animals and more as the thriving Alaskan ecosystem became their classroom during an 11-day immersion into true field biology. After flying from San Francisco to Anchorage, PUC biology professors Floyd Hayes and Scott Herbert led their students to the city of Seward and on to Denali National Park. The course focused on the natural history of the region; students observed and studied plants and animals first-hand in their natural setting. Living in relatively close quarters with the native wildlife and experiencing the immediacy of the learning environment were incredible learning experiences. “Being able to see and experience the sights and sounds of Alaska firsthand is a much better learning experience than looking at photos and videos in the classroom,” explained Hayes. “You can’t forget watching salmon spawn while wading in a frigid river, a killer whale swimming right under your boat, clown-like horned puffins perched on narrow ledges of an island cliff.” Sophomore environmental studies major Dylan Turner said the trip significantly helped him broaden his understanding of ecology through direct interaction with the environment. “It’s...

Budding journalists, designers, videographers, and editors from throughout California and Hawaii travelled to Pacific Union College for the 24th annual Publication Workshop September 2-4, 2014. The workshop provided high school and junior high students with training and inspiration to make their academy yearbooks, newspapers, and other publications shine. Students from the 20 academies that attended returned to their schools with what Publication Workshop director Milbert Mariano describes as “targeted, practical training and useful tips for jumpstarting yearbooks, newspapers, and video yearbooks.” Students learned how to utilize design and photography software; strengthen writing, design, and photography skills; and edit video yearbooks. Industry professionals and PUC professors, including recent educator of the year John Nunes, presented the training sessions. Nunes, a professor of business administration, led workshops on project management and team building for publication editors. “Be consistent and simple,” were the lessons Rheanna Garcia took away from the Workshop. Garcia, the designer of San Fernando Valley Academy’s yearbook, appreciated the presenters’ real-world advice. “They were really helpful since they were all designers who knew what they were doing,” she said. This year’s workshop marked the tenth year Mariano has led the workshop. At the closing program, Mariano, chair of the department...