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On May 26, Pacific Union College hosted the 14thDiogenes Film Festival at the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena. The annual event showcases the talents of both PUC’s visual art majors. This year, 25 short films were shown and five awards were available—Filmmaker of the Future, Orson’s Disciple, Audience Choice Award, Audience Choice Award (for Thesis Films), and Best Thesis Film—with underclassmen being eligible for the first three. The Audience Choice Award was awarded to the producer receiving the most votes from a text poll. However, Best Thesis Film and Filmmaker of the Future were determined by festival judges. The underclassmen projects ranged from a TV web series, “At Grainger” by Hayden Cox, to short films such as “The Wiggles” by Kaitlin Darnell and Alexyss Johnson. A short question and answer session and awards presentation followed. This year the Filmmaker of the Future and the Audience Choice Award were both awarded to Taylor Bivens and Nick DeChicchis for “White Collar.” Also nominated were Jonathan Salvador for “Investigative Journalism,” Julian Ybarra for “Genesis,” and Rachel Ermshar for “Teardrop.” Johnathan Thall, sophomore software development and film and television major, received The Orson’s Disciple award, a new honor given to the film student who...

As students gear up for the fast approaching week of finals, most are excited to wave goodbye to school and head off to warmer weather, catching up on sleep, and days at the beach. But there are some who have different plans, plans which include spending a portion of their break taking classes. Over the past few years, summer classes have become more and more popular, allowing students to remain academically productive during the summer months. PUC offers a limited number of classes which cover the same coursework as a typical class, only in a much shorter amount of time, and sessions range variously from June 13 - August 12. Once you get past the idea of sitting in a classroom while your friends are off enjoying months of freedom, and once you realize the accelerated course work of one or two classes is completely manageable, we hope you recognize the benefits of taking a summer class at PUC. While an accelerated class will likely mean a little extra work and studying, the lack of other classes and fewer distractions will allow you to devote much more time to your class, which will show in your final grade! Summer classes...

For the past three years, the women’s volleyball team at Pacific Union College and The City of St. Helena’s Recreation Department have teamed up to provide a volleyball league for youth in the area. The eight-week program is offered for ages 9-14, and student athletes from PUC’s women’s volleyball team serve as coaches and mentors for the league teams. Aside from running practices and games, the PUC women’s volleyball team educate young athletes on what it means to be “Champions of Character,” a program in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which PUC is a part of. The goal of the program is to instill character building values so students can do the right thing on and off the court, and understand how those values play out in practice and competition. The five core values are integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. Brittany Brown, PUC’s athletic director, prioritizes the league’s goals as “character training, then practice training, then games.” Throughout the eight weeks, games and practices were held at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School in St. Helena. The final city league event took place on PUC’s campus at the Pacific Auditorium, with parents and the local community joining...

Spring is one of the most memorable seasons for students. It is a time when the campus community enjoys many festivities, including the highly anticipated REVOfest. On Sunday, May 15, students, faculty, and staff members gathered at the Campus Center for the REVO Stuff Sale and campus club food exhibitions. Participants browsed the REVO thrift shop for treasures. Clubs dished up ethnic foods and beverages. Later that evening, over 300 people gathered in the Pacific Auditorium for the highly anticipated annual REVO fashion show. Five teams comprised of 11 PUC student designers debuted fashions created from recycled materials. The designers where given the choice of five materials to craft their fashion lines from utensils, plastic, paper, cardboard, and cups. The designers created works of art which were model by PUC students. Cardboard, designed by Hannah Barnes, Aaron Hernandez, and Taylor Pittenger, won People’s Choice award. Bree Ali Mary and Suzie Deberry won Judge’s Choice for their recycled paper line. The show was a huge success, raising over $2,000 for REVO. Overall, REVOfest was an uplifting event for the campus and the local community to celebrate a noble cause. For the past eight years and counting, REVO, PUC’s student-led international philanthropy...

PacificUnion College is proud to announce the recipients of the 2016 MaxwellScholarship. Incoming freshmen Taylor Bothwell, LydiaEarles, Christian Im, Cheryl Wang, and Adrienne Weiss were chosen as the 2016 Maxwell Scholars.Named after the late Dr. Malcolm and EileenMaxwell, the beloved former president and first lady of PUC, the Maxwell Scholars Program is themost prestigious scholarship the college offers. Now in its eighth year, it is awardedto five high school seniors in recognition of their academic achievement, outstanding leadershipexperience, and a commitment to Christian service. Applicantsmust meet certain GPA and test score requirements, and submit an applicationthat includes a resume, essay, and letters of recommendation. This will be the first year the award willcover full tuition for four years, valued at approximately $112,000.Taylor Bothwell of St. Helena, Calif., hasspent her time at Pacific Union College Preparatory School heavily involved inathletics and student government, in addition to excelling scholastically. Forher junior and senior years, she served as captain of both the varsitybasketball and volleyball teams. Taylor has held various positions within theschool’s Student Association, including yearbook co-editor, executive vicepresident, chair of student senate, and president, as well as representing herfellow students to the PUC Prep Board.She gives back to her community by...

A total of 16 athletes across six varsity sports at Pacific Union College were named as the inaugural recipients of the new Scholar Athlete Recognition Program at the annual Awards Colloquy this past Thursday, May 12. In conjunction with Pioneer Athletics, the college will annually recognize junior and senior athletes who excel in the classroom while participating in varsity sports. This announcement comes at the completion of the second year of the collaborative efforts between Pioneer Athletics and the Teaching and Learning Center to help students balance the demanding schedule that comes with being a student athlete and full-time student. Being a student athlete and maintaining a high GPA can be tough, with practicing a minimum of 12 hours a week and traveling to locations in and out of state. “To manage and excel both as a student and an athlete takes dedication and a community of support, which makes PUC such a remarkable place to be,” said Athletic Director Brittany Brown. “They are not only preparing themselves as students but learning and growing in a team environment preparing them for their next phase in life. We are excited to announce our first ever scholar athlete recognition program!” Scholar Athletes...

Pacific Union College is delighted to announce Sam Delaware, an 18-year-old freshman photography major, has been named Youth Photographer of the Year in the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards. The recognition follows his win in the competition’s Youth Portraits category. Delaware came to PUC from Pine Tree Academy in Freeport, Maine, as one of the college’s five Maxwell Scholar recipients in 2015, PUC’s most prestigious scholarship. He was senior class president, a member of the National Honor Society, a Phi Beta Kappa Award recipient, and first chair trumpet in the academy band. PUC professor Brian Kyle, who is Delaware’s photography instructor, commended him on his win, saying, “Sam is a talented photographer and dedicated student of the arts whom I am thrilled to have here at PUC. The fact that such a young student is already being publicly recognized for his talents is a testament to his dedication, passion, and artistic vision.” Delaware’s entry was titled “Sarah,” and is a portrait of his sister. When asked about the inspiration behind the winning photograph, Delaware shares, “After moving to a university across the country, I understood I’d miss my family; my mother and father, and especially my sister. Like so many...

Assistant professor of communication and department chair Michelle Rai, M.S., was named Educator of the Year 2016 during the colloquy program on April 28. Faculty, staff, students, and administration all celebrated with Rai as she was recognized for this prestigious award for the first time. Rai has been a professor in the department of communication for the past ten years and chair for the past eight. “Faculty and students alike are pleased with the choice of Michelle, whose hard work and collegiality have allowed the Communication department to grow into one of the largest on campus in recent years,” says Dr. Nancy Lecourt, academic dean and vice president for academic administration. This distinction, determined solely upon student vote, recognizes an outstanding educator each year. Rai was praised by students for her ability to connect on personal levels and willingness to make time for students. Talissa Romero, junior health communication major, described Rai’s dedication to her students as, “a phone call or text away, responding to text messages faster than you can blink your eyes.” An alumnus of PUC, Rai graduated in 1997 with a degree in both communication and journalism. A home-grown member of the college’s faculty, Rai started her...

Pacific Union College Fine Art Series features renown solo pianistRoy Bogas on Sunday, May 1 at 4 p.m. in Paulin Hall Auditorium.An accomplishedmusician, Bogas was trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and received hischamber music training from the Alma Trio and the Griller Quartet. Bogas wasonly 14-years-old when he debuted with the San Francisco Symphony. By 19, hewas the accompanist for violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and proceeded to play over100 concerts alongside him around the globe. In 1962, he was a prize winner atthe Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Russia, and made his debut in New Yorkand London the following year. He was also awarded a special prize at the Queen Elizabeth Competition inBrussels, Belgium.Bogas has played with several otherinfluential artists, including Jaime Laredo, Zara Nelsova, Michael Rabin,Ruggiero Ricci, and Joseph Szigeti, with whom he made a number of recordingsfor Mercury Records. In addition to his recitals, he has performed as a soloistwith close to every orchestra within the state, and countless other orchestrasthroughout the country and around the world.Bogas is the founder and director of theMasterGuild Series of chamber music concerts at Holy Names College in Oakland,Calif., where he also serves as artistic director. He is the director of...

The Rasmussen Art Gallery hostedthe annual Student Art Exhibition on Thursday evening, April 14. The exhibitionis a showcase for the department of visual arts, receiving 127 entries from in-classwork and independent art pieces that included painting, photography, sculpture,and ceramics.A packed crowd spilled out of theeast wing of the gallery and into the foyer as Cheryl Daley, instructor of fineart, presented awards to 39 students across 12 different categories. Small cashprizes were given to students finishing in the top three or receiving honorablemention in each category.Visitors spent the two-houropening circulating the room, admiring the student works placed throughout thegallery. “This was my first time entering the art gallery and it wasphenomenal,” said Krista Bathan, a junior communication major. “The studentshere on campus are very creative and did an incredible job.”Michael McGinnis, the inventor ofthe 2013 Toy of the Year, the Superplexus, and a former Rasmussen Art Galleryfeatured artist, judged the exhibition and offered advice to the aspiringartists from afar: “Regardless of your ultimate career goals, make art a partof your lives, both as an expressive outlet of great value and as an aestheticelement in your daily living. Art is a fundamental element of the humancondition. Never be afraid to break boundaries,...