In the middle of a vast plain of sagebrush stood the home of Pamela and Jim Ross - which they designed themselves, with a few neighbors in equally stunning homes on either side. Pamela opened the door and welcomed me with a hug. "I hope the cookies are good.
It started out with flu-like symptoms. What it turned out to be was a catastrophe. Kiah Eilenfeldt, a third-year transfer student at Pacific, began feeling sick last week Thursday, May 7. Still feeling ill on Friday, she made a trip to the campus Health center that evening.
As students scramble to secure housing for fall semester, Forest Grove apartment complexes offering smaller square-footage have higher vacancy rates while those with higher square-footage see units moving quickly through the market. The end of the 2009 academic year is quickly approaching and the expected influx of Pacific students moving in and out of local off-campus housing is in full swing.
Earlier this year it was reported that one to two new residence halls would replace Clark Hall by 2011. While it is true that the hall will be replaced, the timeline has been forced back. To Clark residents, there is no mystery as to why the building is next on the list of Pacific construction.
After two years serving on Pacific University's Board of Trustees, senior Kristen Croxford will be stepping down as the Board's only student member. The BOT narrowed down the search for a replacement from a pool of six sophomores to one: Nathan Gilpin. Gilpin, an exercise science major, was recommended to Croxford as a potential candidate for the position.
Smoking-related illnesses claim more American lives than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide and illegal drugs combined, and Pacific University's College of Health Professions Campus in Hillsboro is doing their part to change this statistic. The dangers of smoking are common knowledge, as anti-smoking advertisements are beginning to replace those that used to promote it.
For the students at Pacific University, Aramark is… well, everything. Unless students have a job with money to spend Aramark - the universities food service provider, is the only option for breakfast, lunch, dinner and any other meal that students eat. But for local restaurateurs like Maggie Pike, owner of Maggie's Buns on 21st Avenue, Aramark is… frankly, a royal pain.
A dancing flame gently licks the underside of a hamburger patty as students make their way through the outdoor buffet line. After filling their plates with the essential barbeque traditions of hotdogs, hamburgers and coleslaw they take a seat anywhere they can, at the various picnic tables scattered throughout the Pacific University Quad, or just finding a nice spot on the grass.
Sometimes the Internet has all the answers. While Pacific University officials have been quiet about who the next president will be, following the retirement of Phil Creighton in June, a quick look at the city newspapers The Tri-City Herald and Fayette County Union may hold the answer.
The chili morning did not keep a substantial crowd from accumulating in front of Old College Hall to hear the announcement of Pacific University's 17th president. Just after 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, Dr. Lesley Hallick was welcomed with cheers and tears. Her tears accumulated when she spoke of Pacific's noble history, she said she especially felt connected to that morning standing in front of such a historic building.
