Pacific Union College recently hosted the 2002 Northern California Regional Meeting of Phi Alpha Theta. The gathering of members from the national honor society in history was sponsored by PUC’s local chapter, Alpha Zeta Theta and organizedby the chapter’s faculty advisor and professor of history, Keith Francis. PUC chapter president Justina Buller, vice-president June Oh, secretary-treasurer Andrew Caldwell, and history major C. Ross Mullin also contributed to the success of the two-day event.Adu Worku, director of library services at Pacific Union College, was the featured speaker for the conference. He lectured on the topic of “Ethiopia: The American Connection.”The conference featured student papers by both graduate and undergraduate historians from colleges and universities throughout Northern California. Presenters were divided into twelve catagories to share their work with peers and professors. Lorne Glaim, chair of PUC’s history department, was a judge for the regional conference along with professors from San Jose State University and CSU Stanislaus. Prizes were awarded for the best undergraduate and graduate papers as well as a grand prize for the best paper overall....

And like one’s best relatives, they only came to visit. By Sunday afternoon, scarcely a trace was left of them, save a few fifth-wheel trailers and Burma-shave signs along Howell Mountain Road into Angwin. Though it happens every year, each Homecoming Weekend is a unique experience. Of course, most students wouldn’t know because they’re gone. Maybe that’s not all bad—good for them and good for alumni. However, it’s possible, maybe even likely, that both groups would benefit from each other’s presence. Alumni might learn that, contrary to rumors, PUC is NOT a party school. (Whoever started that rumor has never been to a party school.) And PUC’s students might learn that there is life beyond Pomp and Circumstance. Perhaps the surprising guest to this year’s Alumni Homecoming Weekend, April 18-21, was something past Homecoming’s have gone without: warm sunshine. It’s doubtful the thousand-plus visitors could have asked for a more delightful Spring weekend. Though the weekend officially began on Thursday, April 18, with an evening of vintage films and the Heubach Lectureship with George Knight, the festivities kicked into gear starting Friday. One of PUC’s grandest traditions, Pioneers’ Luncheon, took place at 10 a.m. This is when the old, old...

Pacific Union College (PUC) athletics are still going strong after nearly 13 years. While PUC is in the process of selecting a new coach for the women’s basketball team, the department’s varsity program and college-sponsored academy tournaments will continue as usual. “PUC is committed to its athletic program, from the administration on down,” says Chuck Evans, chair of the exercise science, health, and nutrition department. The school has been part of California Pacific Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) since 1996. The NAIA’s strict academic eligibility requirement is one of the reasons why PUC chose to join. “It allows us to stay focused on education,” Evans says, referring to the grade point average (GPA) and minimum load unit requirement for PUC athletes. Student athletes must also sign a personal contract before joining the team. The varsity program at PUC currently includes men’s and women’s cross country teams, as well as women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball. The selection of sports is based on school demographics and reflects the student population. PUC’s varsity teams include a cross section of athletes, representing many departments on campus—not just exercise science majors. Evans says he is pleased with how well...

Having a wide variety of students at Pacific Union College means that they have some fairly unique interests. Isaac Hrimnak, from Placerville, California, is one of these students. Now a freshman, Hrimnak has what some would consider to be a split personality. Aside from being a normal Californian, he has also taken part in Civil War re-enacting for half of his life. As he says, his frock coat, forage cap, and red sash may be “140 years out of style,” but his uniform fits right in when he joins his friends for battles and tours of historic sites. Hrimnak’s interest in history began when he was young. While his classmates were out playing soccer and baseball, Hrimnak stayed inside, absorbed in history books. At nine years old, he became interested in joining a Civil War re-enactment group, but was required to have a parent join as well. However, since his mother was a single parent at the time, she was too busy home-schooling his younger sister. Hrimnak’s mother finally asked whether there was any way he could join the group and was told that the only position a child of his age could hold during the Civil War was that...

Checking e-mail just became a little easier at Pacific Union College. The school is pleased to announce the recent completion of a campus-wide wireless network. The free wireless service, which is available in classrooms and buildings across campus, allows students and employees with wireless equipped notebooks to connect to the network quickly and conveniently. PUC is the first Adventist college to go wireless. In residence hall lobbies and the cafeteria, in the gym and from each classroom, PUC students can connect to the network’s vast resources. Wireless service was first brought to campus last summer as part of a general system upgrade. To make their bid for the project more competitive, the company whom PUC eventually hired agreed to provide wireless service at no additional cost. Because PUC paid only for the student labor required to install the system, the school was able to provide students with the luxury of wireless transmission without spending several hundred thousand dollars. In addition to the free wireless network, Pacific Union College upgraded hardware across campus and added bandwidth to increase internet connection to the residence halls....