Search - by Melinda Smith

Tackle the challenging terrain overlooking the Napa Valley on Sunday, April 20, when Pacific Union College hosts its annual mountain bike race, the Napa Valley Dirt Classic.The Dirt Classic's hilly and forested 22 mile race circuit is made up of smooth to medium rough trails, service roads, double track, and single track. The race is sanctioned by the National Off-Road Bicycle Association, and all NORBA rules apply. A one-year racing license is required for those competing in the categories of pro, expert, and sport. These will be available on race day for $35 from NORBA officials. One-day racing licenses will also be sold for $3 on race day for those competing in the beginner class. ANZI-Snell approved helmets are mandatory during race and race day practice. Emergency medical technicians will be present on the course and at the finish line. The first male and the first female finishers will each receive a $100 purse. Prizes for second and third place are $60 and $30, respectively. All participants will receive a race T-shirt....

You've heard the higher education horror stories: all-night cram sessions, mass caffeine ingestion, Blue Book essay exams. But despite what your parents have told you, college is not all work and no play. Consider this alternate true life tale involving 25 relaxed undergraduates and a handful of English teachers.It was an open-mike gathering in the tradition of the beatniks. There was no tension in the candlelit atmosphere. People calmly sipped hot cider as poets, musicians, and soul daddies stepped up to perform. Who were these hip insiders? None other than members of Pacific Union College's Silverado Club.The Silverado Club is sponsored by the college's English department, and its activities are in no way limited to poetry readings. Previous endeavors have included trips to San Francisco's De Young Museum, come-as-your favorite-author theme parties, film discussion groups, theater outings, creative writing groups, and birthday celebrations for literary legends. Each year, the club is represented at PUC's Fall Festival (the theme of the most recent booth-- an Indian book bazaar complete with massages). The Silverado Club, in conjunction with international Honor's club, Sigma Tau Delta, also produces Quicksilver, an annual publication of student poetry and artwork. At PUC, you needn't tackle Shakespeare 474...

The Christian tradition colors all aspects of life and study at Pacific Union College. Accordingly, beyond PUC's academic focus, there is an emphasis and concern with the developing Christian experience. Nine students took the platform during Student Week of Prayer, January 21-25, to share their own experiences, insights, and struggles. They came from a wide variety of years and majors, but all focused on the theme of "Knowing God."Student Week of Prayer has been a long standing tradition at PUC, and according to junior Daneen Akers, religious vice-president, a traditional favorite. "Students really enjoy being ministered to by their own peers," she said. "Hearing experiences and struggles from someone your own age makes a huge difference, and students pay a lot of attention to what their peers have to share."This year, the selection process focused on students not commonly found up front speaking. "We picked people because God is doing exciting things in their lives. They aren't your typical up-front people," Akers said. "I only think that made them more real and believable."Each speaker interpreted the broad week of prayer topic in a personal way. The first speaker of the week, senior psychology major David Pizarro, dealt with knowing the...

October 10 marks the anniversary of the completion of the Pacific Union College Church's Rieger Organ. At the school's chapel service on this date, the anniversary was celebrated as professor of music Del Case performed music on the world class organ which he had played fifteen years earlier in the instrument's dedicatory recital. A technical and visual masterpiece, the $250,000 Rieger organ is the result of a project which was 18 years in the making. The first commitment by Pacific Union College to build a pipe organ was made in 1963, but insufficient finances and difficulties with the chosen organ company delayed the plans. In 1977 the college was able to pursue the project again, appointing a committee to make recommendations for a builder and for the design. The first task was resolved when, after extensive study, Rieger Orgelbau of Austria was selected from the fifteen North American and European builders considered. The organ was constructed in Schwarzach, Austria, of materials ranging from African mahogany, Austrian spruce, and ivory, to steel beams for internal support. A French approach was taken in the design, which makes use of 58 stops, eight couplers and eight combination stops. Case, who was in charge...

Two Pacific Union College students have been selected as United Parcel Service Scholars. Michelle Konn, a senior journalism and communication major, and Erik Lundstrom, a sophomore business major, will each be the recipient of a $2,650 scholarship provided by the UPS Foundation's educational endowment fund. The opportunity for involvement in a summer internship program at a UPS distribution center will also be available to the students. The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of United Parcel Service, originally established the educational fund with a $4.2 million endowment in 1974. Since that time, more than $17 million has been provided in scholarships and student aid. The fund, which is administered by the Chicago-based Foundation for Independent Higher Education, has grown this year to provide nearly $1.5 million in scholarships and financial aid to 599 of the nation's private colleges and universities. Selection of the UPS Scholars is determined independently on each campus. PUC evaluated students involved in course work which could be practically applied in a UPS internship program, focusing on the business and communication departments. Konn and Lundstrom were chosen based on GPA and financial need. Said Lundstrom, "The award is exciting because it could lead to good business experience." Konn...

For nearly 50 years, Warren Miller has been meeting the cinematic demands of winter sports buffs with his creative ski films. Since 1949, when he borrowed a movie camera to film his first feature, Miller has produced more than 500 films, creating a name for himself synonymous with the winter season. On Saturday, November 2, enjoy Miller and company's latest efforts in Snowriders, his 47th annual feature length ski adventure film, which will be shown in Pacific Union College's Dauphinee Chapel at 7 and 9 p.m. Snowriders highlights more variations on snow riding than any previous Miller film, with footage of athletes performing their alpine exploits on traditional skis, snowboards, telemark skis, powder-cutting fat skis, monoskis, snowshoes, sleighs, inner tubes, sleds, garbage bags and more. And the locations featured are just as diverse. "Snowriders has plenty of action stretching from one end of the globe to the other...wherever we found snow," stated Warren's son, Kurt Miller, and his partner, Peter Speek, who have headed Warren Miller Entertainment since 1989. The conditions were right in over fifteen locales, with snow riders taking on challenging terrain in the United States and Canada, including snowscapes in Alaska, the Rockies, the Cascades, the Green...

On October 1, 1995, Pacific Union College was awarded $30,000 as one of 12 colleges selected for participation in a summer research program for college faculty. This program, largely funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, distributes mini-grants to individual faculty members at select Christian colleges. Harold Heie, Director of Gordon College's Center for Christian Studies which administers the program, described its purpose as being "to nourish high quality Christian scholarship that addresses important scholarly issues in ways that have the potential to make lasting impact on future academic discussion." Pacific Union College and the 11 other selected colleges were chosen out of 107 eligible Protestant colleges by a program advisory committee comprised of six senior Christian scholars. The colleges were judged on such things as their commitment to promoting Christian scholarship and the potential of the college's faculty to generate this scholarship. The $30, 000 PUC received as one of the grantee colleges will in turn be matched by the college and will then be divided among faculty members for research during the summers of 1996, 1997, and 1998. PUC faculty members hoping to participate will submit research proposals and letters of recommendation from two senior scholars. On the basis...

On September 28, 1995, the island of Palau celebrated its first anniversary of independence. A beauty pageant was held as part of the festivities, and Hila Asanuma, a former Pacific Union College student, won the competition and was crowned Miss Palau. Asanuma, one of ten contestants, took part in the pageant's five areas of competition. First was the talent contest, where Asanuma performed a Tahitian dance. Then, contestants were judged in traditional attire, swimsuit, and evening gown competitions. After these proceedings, five of the competitors were selected to proceed to the final pageant area, where they each answered one question. Asanuma won with her response to a question about women's roles in the 90's. As the winner, she was awarded a $1000 cash prize, two round trip tickets to Bali, $500 in spending money for Koror Wholesalers, and various other gifts. Asanuma is currently busy with the duties that accompany her year-long title. As Miss Palau, Asanuma says she is a "role model to the youth." She has made many appearances at elementary schools and high schools in Palau, speaking out against drugs and encouraging students to stay in school. Asanuma is also eligible, with her title, to compete in...