2007

Husbands, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends. These are only some of the people lost to cancer on a daily basis. By the time you have finished reading this paragraph, another person in the United States will have died from cancer, the most common forms of which are prostate and breast. Statistically speaking, everyone has been or will be touched by the destructive and prevalent disease, a disease that invades our lives and our bodies yet remains without a cure. While the world continues its search for a cure, a great deal of research has moved towards the preventative aspect. Dr. Brian Wong, a biology professor new to PUC this academic year, has been researching and testing various methods of cancer prevention during the past sixteen years. Since his doctoral dissertation in 1990, Wong has researched the effectiveness of Chinese herbs in combating, or at least slowing, the growth of cancer cells. Two of these herbs, which have shown promising lab results, are found commonly throughout China in roadside ditches. Testing performed on mice has yielded delayed cancer cell growth of up to five or six weeks when taking certain levels and combinations of the herbs, which is the equivalent of about...

African-American cultural emphasis took place February 1 through 3. The Black Student Forum organized the programs for colloquy, vespers, and church. Each program featured music from The Voices of Zion, the gospel choir on campus. Thursday’s colloquy also included interpretive signing to a song entitled “We Should Praise” and a multimedia tribute to black Americans. Dr. David Taylor was the speaker for each program. Taylor is the former chair of PUC’s religion department, and at present he serves as an associate dean of religion at Loma Linda University. On Thursday, he emphasized that loving other people means recognizing and embracing their unique backgrounds. On Friday and Sabbath, he spoke on the importance of looking at our memories and staying a part of the church. Taylor presented his thoughts in a way that impacted people of all cultural backgrounds on the PUC campus....

To start winter quarter off right, students, faculty and staff turned their thoughts toward the divine during the daily “Winter Revival” meetings from Wednesday, January 17, to Sabbath, January 20. The speaker was Terry Swenson, the Loma Linda University chaplain. For each meeting, Swenson chose a different role that we as humans are familiar with, and then described God in those terms. In his talk for Thursday morning, Swenson compared God to the Lion King, recounting a scene from Disney’s “The Lion King” in which a pack of hyenas corners Simba and his playmate, Nala. The two baby lions are helpless in the face of the hyenas until Simba’s father, Mufasa, shows up with a roar to save the day. Using this example, Swenson made the point that God is the most powerful force in the universe, and He wants to use His power on our behalf if we will only accept it. Swenson connected easily with his audience by telling such familiar stories. Student Elisabeth Reeves said, “I like the fact that he made sound effects because they kept my attention better. I enjoyed his stories because they were easy to remember. Who can forget the Lion King?” Other...

The artistic minds of Pacific Union College’s faculty have once again produced an exhibit of variety, depth and beauty. Every year, the visual arts faculty members display their creative work in the Rasmussen Art Gallery, making it clear that as they teach art to students, they continue their own exploration in the field. This year, several contract teachers and artists from other departments were invited to participate and are among the 11 artists who are represented in the show. The “New Work” exhibit had its opening on Saturday evening, January 13, welcoming a diverse mix of student, faculty, and community visitors. The exhibit contains themes from diverse minds. The floor space of the gallery is filled with sculptures, and two faculty members displayed art in the form of film. The walls hold oil paintings, photographs, graphic images, and even a philosophical digital collage. One thought-provoking section is Thomas Morphis’s series of multi-media collages that explore the existence of struggle in life. Another series that offers a glimpse into campus life is Tom Turner’s photo display of the new photography lab, the construction of which he has overseen in Fisher Hall over the past year. The visual arts department offers majors...

Back when Stauffer Hall was known as Paulin Hall and housed the music department, a small auditorium was located upstairs, its stage and high ceiling infused with years of music. More recently, offices were built over part of the stage, and the remaining space served as a class and conference room for the English department and for some years as a test-taking space for the Counseling Center. Now the 75-year-old room is entering a new phase. The office walls on the stage were torn down and the motley assortment of chairs, whiteboards and shelves was carted out. The tired white of the walls gave way to violet primer, followed by rich coats of elegant crimson paint. The high ceiling with its massive dark beams and the many windows with their small panes and topped with arching yellow glass perfectly complement this new look. The theatre will provide the drama program with a much-needed “sacred space” that’s dedicated to their needs. The theatre is small, but the department will work with that. “With a smaller space you can do things that are a little edgier, you can take risks,” explains drama program director Mei Ann Teo. Students have an opportunity to...

The first all-school colloquy of winter quarter was held in the church on January 11 and was a special service commemorating the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. Students provided a reading of Langston Hughes’ piece “Democracy” and special music from the Gospel Choir. The guest speaker for the program was Ronald Pollard, Greater Los Angeles youth director for the Southern California Conference and founder of Heritage Missions, a short-term missions program that targets urban SDA youth who attend public schools and encourages them to be socially responsible citizens through global mission service. In his presentation, Pollard took a look at King’s life, following the story of his childhood, family, education, and civil rights leadership. Talking about King’s willingness to die for what he believed in, Pollard recounted how his mother had worked endlessly as a single mother to allow her children to be what they dreamed of. “If [King] could die for what he believed, I can live for it,” she would say. To students, Pollard said, “The challenge is that you will say ‘My life is bigger than just me.’” Pollard remained on campus to speak for the vespers program on Friday as well....