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On Thursday morning, November 20, the PUC campus gathered for a memorial service celebrating the lives of four students who died in a tragic accident on Saturday night. There were many hugs, quiet greetings, tears, and N4 ribbons displayed on sleeves. An estimated 2,000 people were in the sanctuary, and well over a hundred who couldn't be present watched the service live online. The lives of Luke Nishikawa, Boaz Pak, Chong Shin and Simon Son were both grieved and celebrated through music, sharing and memories, and quiet. When PUC president Richard Osborn shared how he imagined what heaven would be like for these four, he called it "A celebration — that will begin today, even as we cry." Four friends of the students presented words in honor of each student, heartfelt memories of joy and laughter, jokes, deep conversations and lessons learned. Justin Kim shared in honor of Luke, a close friend of his. He honored Luke, whose goal had been to teach history at HMA, by giving a "class presentation" about the things he learned from Luke. "Luke taught me about strength, purpose, and persistence," he said. "With the strength passed on to me by my friend, I will...

When executive and entrepreneur Chris Klinvex presented “Competing for Great Jobs: What Every Student Should Know Before Starting the Job Search” for colloquy on Career Day 2008, he was honest about the challenges, personal in his approach, and serious about the importance of God in the process. The paradox, he said, is that “really this is not about you guys… it’s about Him.” He told students, “I challenge you to be very prayerful.” He also encouraged them that, even in a difficult job market, there is purpose. “I really believe that you’ll find your purpose when you use the brain He’s given you and hold his hand. My life has gone best when I let His desires become mine.” Klinvex shared how he and two others started a new consulting company, Select International, which now provides major corporations around the world with assessment, hiring solutions, and recruiting services. Contrary to what you’ll be told, he said, you don’t have to sacrifice your family or your values to be a successful businessperson. Klinvex also shared some information about job markets, advice on what to look for in a company and what to prepare for in college, and common mistakes students make...

After the Social Work Forum’s push to register voters, classroom and informal debates over Prop 8 and candidates, formal debates about election issues in the Student Association “political party” and a PUC-Cast special episode, and students participating in a survey of Adventist campuses, election day itself was fairly quiet on campus. True, shuttle cars coordinated by the Social Work Forum transported some students to and from the Angwin polling place, but as professor Monty Butler reported, many chose to vote by mail-in ballot. Evening found a little more hubbub as a good-sized crowd kept the Campus Center full. Students came through as they could to catch the results and speeches on the big-screen there. Doug Wilson, director of student activities, said there were a few cheers and boos as results came in, but mostly students were just “interested in seeing the whole process.”Before the election, some of our students participated in a survey conducted for Spectrum magazine by Roger Dudley, director of the Institute of Church Ministry at Andrews University. Students at Andrews University, Southern Adventist University, Union College, La Sierra University, and Walla Walla University also participated in the survey, and an initial report was published on the Spectrum...

With election day fast approaching — and with this year’s much-talked-about ballot — politics, parties, and polls have naturally worked their way into campus life. Class discussion in the Honors seminar “Alterity” have delved into the social background for the to-do on various candidates. Students can always catch some CNN in the Campus Center and have gathered there to watch the candidate debates. The Social Work Forum provided voter registration forms and will host a shuttle to the polling location. And a full Campus Center welcomed a “Political Party” on October 29. Hosted by the Student Association, the “Political Party” featured a Democrat table and a Republican table; commentary and an open forum for issues on the ballot, with a panel of senators and faculty members responding to questions raised by the audience or the facilitator; and apple pie. Student and village district senator Matthew Reeves opened the forum with a basic explanation on bonds and some commentary on how they play into measures on California’s ballot this November. Another senator, Zach Benton, presented background and commentary on Prop 4 (Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy). Reeves and senator Cristina Alba then represented opposing sides on...

In the late afternoon of Friday, October 10, a seemingly harmless incident with a car on the side of Deer Park Road generated a spark that took off through dry grass and became a blaze within minutes. Angwin and Deer Park residents were quickly on the alert — and the firefighting forces multiplied as wind spread the fire. At Pacific Union College, key people stayed in touch with CalFire and were on the ready for whatever might happen. The campus was very briefly without electricity. Special announcements were made to the students at vespers and in dorm meetings regarding fire status and procedures in case the campus should be threatened. About 100 people were evacuated in Deer Park, but Angwin was never threatened. Residents heard the trucks, planes, and helicopters through the night, however; and the glow and smoke could be seen from surrounding areas. The main road off the hill was closed, though most people were able to come and go using Old Howell Mountain Road. The Angwin Fire Department was not a part of the initial dispatch, except for their water tender (for transporting water to the fire location). But later in the evening a team of ten...

This year the Social Work Forum, an organization of the social work program at Pacific Union College, is renewing its efforts to encourage students to vote — and help them get registered and to the polls. Some are predicting increased voting of "youth voters," and the Forum wants to make that a reality at least on our campus. In the all-school colloquy program on October 2, president Richard Osborn spoke about voting, the history both of Constitutional amendments affecting voting rights and the Adventist position on voting, and some guidelines he strives to use in his voting decisions. Osborn then introduced social work professor Monte Butler and student Alisa Jacobo, who detailed the Forum's movement to encourage voting. When talking about the program's mission, Butler said, "For many of us in the social work program, you can hardly read Christ's message to us without saying we're called to make this world a better place." In voting, he added, "We need to have influence on who gets elected." As they have in past years, the Forum this year set up a voter registration booth at the beginning of the new school year. "We had lots of people come by and say,...

Each new school year brings a myriad of new students, but also some new professional faces. This year, several new people have joined the faculty and the enrollment team at PUC. Ismail Akman, M.S.W., and Sylvana George, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., have both joined the social work program as assistant professors. Akman teaches part-time and works as a medical social worker at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa. George also teaches part-time and works for two parole units with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, providing individual and group therapy to parolees. Clay Burnett, B.S., is a new enrollment counselor. He comes to PUC from Arkansas, where he worked at Ozark Adventist Academy. Cambria Wheeler, B.A., who was a drama program intern for PUC’s English department last year, is also a new enrollment counselor. Visual arts welcomes Alexander Carpenter, M.A., Melissa Pratt, M.F.A., and Rodney Vance, M.F.A. Carpenter, an instructor, will teach art history. He is also a new media consultant and the editor of the Spectrum magazine online blog. Pratt is an assistant professor with filmmaking experience and teaches in the film and television program. Vance, associate professor, heads up the film and television program. He has been...

There are two events at Pacific Union College that add a whole new element to fashion on campus — velvety caps, drapey sleeves, and billowy hoods. These unusual garments come out each year when the faculty don their regalia for graduation and also for the opening convocation at the beginning of the year.On September 25, the faculty marched into the PUC church in their regalia for the first of the weekly all-school colloquys. But the program was about much more than pomp: Following a welcome from president Richard Osborn and his wife, family ministries pastor Norma Osborn, three speakers shared compelling personal insights into spiritual authenticity on our campus.As PUC has sought to refine its standing as "academically outstanding and spiritually authentic," questions about how that plays out have been a big part of campus dialogue.Charlene Bainum, professor of psychology, told of her struggle as a professor to integrate spirituality in the classroom — did she need to pray before every class, or tell more stories of her own spiritual experiences? She began to see, however, that "authenticity was declining in proportion to my attempts to manipulate it." Now she sees that spiritual authenticity is the by-product of something else:...

Former Pacific Union College communication professor Fred Kinsey has been named the new speaker/director of the Voice of Prophecy (VOP), an Adventist radio, Bible school, and evangelistic ministry with its international headquarters at the Adventist Media Center in Simi Valley, California. "[Kinsey] was a very popular and influential teacher at PUC… over many years," says PUC president Richard Osborn. Kinsey's strong background in both pastoral ministry and the communication field have served him well as the assistant to the president for communication in the North American Division, a role he will continue to hold. Kinsey succeeds E. Lonnie Melashenko, who spent 17 years in the role. "I'm glad that Fred Kinsey is able to help give voice to the message of the Voice of Prophecy," said Don C. Schneider, chairman of the VOP Board of Trustees and president of the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in a VOP press release. "Fred is a veteran of pastoral ministry as well as communications, and he lives to share God's love with people, which is exactly the aim of every VOP broadcast.""I'm honored to follow the broadcasting pioneers who established and grew the VOP over the years, H.M.S. Richards, Sr....

Most people don't kick off their freshman year at PUC by becoming a beauty queen. And Amanda Betat, now a sophomore, was pretty certain it wasn't her preferred way to start a college education. So she turned down the offer to run for Miss Lake County three times: "All the negative stereotypes that I initially had about pageantry almost kept me from running at all." Even when she finally agreed to run, she wasn't so sure. "Surrounded by hairspray, false eyelashes, and swimsuit glue I was certain that there was no place for me in the world of pageantry."But Betat quickly began to see that there was more to the pageants than most people realize, from a commitment to making a difference in communities to scholarships for education. "Fashion, makeup, and evening gowns were discussed interchangeably with talk of politics, platforms, and current events," she recalls. "I've made many friends, gotten to know my community, earned money towards college, and learned a lot about myself."When Betat won her local pageant, became Miss Lake County 2008, and went on to the Miss California pageant, the "deeper" aspects of the pageants became even more real in her life. For one thing, she...