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In between games, a group of basketball players took time for a different kind of endeavor — one that involved getting in the spirit of the holiday season and giving back to a community. It was November, and the Pacific Union College women's Pioneers basketball team traveled to Southern California to play in a Thanksgiving tournament. The competition included La Verne University, Pomona-Pitzer University, Whittier College and Cal Tech University. Playing four games in four days, the PUC team finished with two wins and two losses. But the Pioneers also made a point of getting involved in the community in another way. In between their games, the team took time out to visit a senior living facility in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. For over two hours the players and coaches mingled with the residents, playing chair volleyball and other games, singing songs, and enjoying each others' company. The atmosphere was filled with energy, laughter and smiles. Several of the highlights included the basketball team helping the residents beat their “total hits” record in chair volleyball by over 200; singing “We wish you a Merry Christmas” in the lobby to over 50 residents; and a solo, performed by team member Vanessa Felder,...

As Pacific Union College's Pioneers varsity teams in womens volleyball, mens soccer, and mens and womens cross country close their seasons, and as mens and womens basketball opens, the teams exhibit positive sportsmanship along with some serious wins. On November 11, womens volleyball team members Heather and Tiffany Jacobson were named members of this year's California Pacific Conference Volleyball All Conference Teams. Tiffany also received Freshman of the Year honors. The volleyball Pioneers made a positive comeback this year and made it to the quarterfinals for the Cal Pac Tournament, concluding their season on November 11. The mens soccer Pioneers finished their record season with a 3-1 victory at CSU Maritime on November 12. They made it to conference championships and narrowly missed the chance to play in the NAIA national championship, falling into second in standing (behind Holy Names University). They finished their season with nine wins, two losses, and one tie. The mens and womens basketball teams opened their official season on November 8 and 9, with the mens team winning their first game. The men will head to Oregon for two games, followed by a long line of California games. The women have games in California, Oregon,...

For the first lecture in the Presidential Inaugural Lecture Series at Pacific Union College, Harvard professor David R. Williams spoke about religion and the impact on American health. He presented studies examining how religious participation affects a person's health. In most cases, he said, the studies found that religious participation (regular church attendance) has a positive effect on health. Some of these positive effects include lower blood pressure, less stress, less depression, and fewer anxiety disorders. Williams noted, however, that there are exceptions. People who are intrinsically religious people, those who consider religion to be a central and genuine focus in their life and who live their faith, are positively affected. But by contrast, people who are extrinsically religious, those who go regularly attend church as a way to give off a certain appearance or establishing status, tend to be negatively affected and experience more anxiety and depression. Looking at the larger picture, Williams talked about the health crisis in America. In 1994, a study showed that 46 percent of U.S. adults have a psychiatric disorder. Then Williams brought it back to the church: If religion can be such a powerful tool, then we have to address the on-going question...

The second annual 24-hour theater festival was a big hit on Sunday evening, with people lining the walls of Alice Holst Theater and even watching from the lobby. Produced by the Pacific Union College Dramatic Arts Society, the festival was titled "Shuffle" and showcased four short plays created entirely in 24 hours. Four playwrights were given titles (from songs) at 9 p.m. on Saturday evening, November 14. They wrote through the night and handed off their plays to directors the next morning. The directors and their teams of actors spent the day rehearsing. At 8 p.m. Sunday evening, the theater was packed with an expectant audience. PUC film & television program director Rodney Vance wrote "The Final Slowdance"; current PUC student Peter Katz contributed "All the Things That I've Done"; San Francisco playwright Enrique Urueta wrote "Mistakes We Knew We Were Making"; and former PUC student Tim Wolcott wrote "Don't Blame it on Elvis." Five directors, 20 actors, and a crew of six brought the four brand-new plays to life. "Shuffle" producer, PUC student, and drama program intern Timothy Widmer explained that "last year DAS produced the first 24-hour festival and it was so much fun we decided to do...

If you grew up watching Ultraman and Ampanman, you might be Japanese. If you think Ichiro Suzuki is Superman, you might be Japanese. If you can identify a literary work on a wall and immediately converse about its significance to history, culture and society, you might be Japanese. “The Japanese view reading and writing as a patriotic, nationalistic act,” says Dr. Maria Rankin-Brown, professor of English at Pacific Union College. “It’s like they’re saying, ‘We’re being Japanese by reading.’” Rankin-Brown, whose mother is Japanese, returned to the island nation for the third consecutive year this summer to continue her research on Japanese literature and literary behavior, with special focus on manga — a literary form unique to Japan. Rankin-Brown chose to research Asian literature to supplement her Great Books course’s Global Perspectives subtitle, which concentrates on non-western works. Through her work, she hopes not only to publish a book, but also to find a method to motivate her American students to take the same pride and enjoyment in reading that she witnessed in the Japanese culture. Japan is ranked among the most literate countries in the world, boasting a national literacy rate of 99 percent. This high percentage inspired Rankin-Brown...

David R. Williams, a Harvard professor and an internationally recognized authority on social influences on health, will speak at Pacific Union College on November 14. His topic will be "Religion and Health: Findings, Challenges and Unanswered Questions." Williams is a professor of sociology and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and is the Florence and Laura Norman Professor of Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health. He is the author of more than 150 scholarly papers in scientific journals and edited collections, and his research has appeared in leading journals in sociology, psychology, medicine, public health and epidemiology. He is one of the most cited researchers in the social sciences. Williams' lecture is the first in the Presidential Inaugural Lecture Series, which will bring major speakers to PUC during the inaugural year of Dr. Heather Knight's presidency. Williams will speak on Saturday, November 14, at 4 p.m. at the Scales Chapel on the Pacific Union College campus. Admission is free. For more information, call 707-965-6303....

For two weeks, Mei Ann Teo lived in an old stone mansion in Umbria, the Green Heart of Italy. On a huge stage overlooking the Umbrian countryside, she learned things that "pretty much completely exploded everything I thought I knew about theatre." With the help of a Herber Grant, Mei Ann Teo, PUC's drama program director, attended the La Mama International Directors Symposium. La Mama, the nation's oldest and most established avante garde theatre, bought land and an old mansion and farm area in Umbria 10 years ago, making it into "the most beautiful place for an international theatre community to come together and learn from each other," says Mei Ann. She studied under four teachers, two each week. One who teaches hip-hop theatre at NYU, one who's famous for her work in documentary theatre, a very famous Japanese director, and Mei Ann's favorite, Romeo Castellucci - who, in addition to exploding what she thought she knew, " reinvigorated my belief and faith in the multitude of ways that it as an art form can reach and transform a human being who is sitting in the community of the audience." Castellucci started one lecture by saying, "Theatre is the domain...

Pacific Union College opened a new school year in September with increased enrollment and high student enthusiasm. Official headcount for fall quarter is 1,511-an 11.1 percent increase from last year. Retention numbers are also up from 71 percent to 79 percent. "We're off to a great start with increased enrollment numbers this fall, and there is such a positive spirit and a spirit of hope on the campus," said Dr. Heather Knight, PUC president. "Everyone is excited about creating a really exciting and dynamic learning community characterized by the intentional integration of faith and learning. Truly, PUC is becoming a real destination campus." While the numbers are encouraging, what's also inspiring to is the energy exuded by this year's student body. At a packed weekend retreat for freshmen, leaders observed students not only getting acquainted but starting a trend of connection, conversation, and involvement that carried over when the new students returned to campus. "There was just a buzz of conversation a new comfort level amongst their peers. People who came not knowing anyone … now have a sense of belonging," reported Lisa Bissell Paulson, vice president for student services, after the opening weekend. "The vibe that the new freshman...

The American Red Cross honored three Pacific Union College students this week for their heroic actions in an aquatic rescue this summer at Leoni Meadows, a Seventh-day Adventist campground in Northern California. Matt Freedman and brothers Robert and Nolan Negrete, who worked as counselors at the Adventist campground this summer, saved another counselor from drowning at the nearby Cosumnes River. The three, along with other counselors who were involved, were given awards at a ceremony in Sacramento, California, on October 13. The incident occurred the first week of the summer, when several of the counselors had the afternoon off and decided to go for a swim at the local river. Finding what appeared to be a good natural rock slide, they soon discovered that a strong current at the base was sucking the water down under a nearby rock. One counselor tried to avoid the current but was pulled under, and despite being a trained lifeguard, was unable to fight his way back to the surface. "We were just kind of awestruck at first," says Matt. "The rest of us were crying out to God and praying." Robert and several others tried unsuccessfully to reach down to the drowning counselor...

The second annual Piano Fantasia concert, hosted at Pacific Union College on October 11, honored noted philanthropist and Napa Valley arts patron Margrit Mondavi. It brought to the stage world-renowned pianists Daniel Glover and Thomas Hansen, internationally-recognized music prodigy Nathan Chan, dancer Jeraldine Mendoza from City Ballet School-San Francisco (who has been invited to finish her studies at the Bolshoi academy in Moscow), and violinist and PUC music professor Rachelle Berthelsen-Davis. "I'm delighted to be back," said Glover, who also played at last year's inaugural event. "It's been a fantastic experience." Several pieces brought the audience to their feet, including the 15-year-old Chan's performance of a "classical crossover" piece by contemporary composer Mark Summer, "Julie-O," a cello solo that includes the use of the instrument as percussion as well as being played with and without the bow. The event is a tribute to the music arts in the Napa Valley and the people who make it so rich. As PUC president Heather Knight said at the beginning of the program, this is an area celebrated for its arts culture, and as a Christian liberal arts college, PUC's role is "to add intellectual capital, spiritual capital, but certainly also cultural capital."...