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Alumni E-Newsletter

Spring/Summer 2011

 

 

PLNU One of America's Top 100 Greenest Schools

 

Below: The roof of Bond Academic Center, one of many locations on the PLNU campus with solar panels.


The Sierra Club’s Sierra Magazine has unveiled a list of the 100 greenest colleges and universities. We are proud to say that our Alma Mater was included in the rankings.

We were named one of "America's 100 Greenest Schools," for our efforts in sustainability, including energy supply, efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, and financial investments.

We are nationally recognized for our leadership in the area of sustainability. In 2007, President Brower signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, a commitment to attain "climate neutrality." We have continued to innovate in order to fulfill this pledge.

We have received numerous awards recognizing sustainable efforts, including the San Diego Environmental Services Recycler of the Year Award four out of the last six years, the 2009 SANDEE Award for Special Achievement in Energy by a Nonprofit, and the 2008 Orchid Award for Sustainable Design.

Each fall, we also host Creation Care Week, a week of events devoted to environmental stewardship that range from a Creation Care Fair, tours of local recycling facilities, expert panel discussions, film screenings, and a beach cleanup. On a regular basis, we compost 100 percent of food waste. We also offer a new innovative sustainability studies minor.

"The PLNU commitment is to take action that makes a difference right where we are - action that continues to engage all of us in the care of God's spectacular creation," said Brower.

Majority of article taken from NNC News.

 

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Forensics Team Recap


The PLNU Speech and Debate team’s competitive intercollegiate season has now drawn to a close with our last tournament.  But the team went out with a bang at National Parliamentary Debate Nationals, hosted by Colorado College in Colorado Springs, March 16-20.

  • Our team ended the year as the third highest ranked school in the yearlong nationwide sweepstakes, ahead of much larger institutions like UCLA, Cal Berkeley, the United States Air Force Academy, etc., all of which have outstanding programs.  There are hundreds of fine colleges and universities competing from across the nation in NPDA, all in one large division.
  • At the NPDA National Championships from which we just returned, the six teams representing PLNU were ranked the 8th top program at the national championship tournament sweepstakes, a sweepstakes which is incredibly difficult.  This ranking counts your top four teams against all the other programs’ top four teams at the tournament, all competing within just one senior division.  We have had many very strong teams in the past that have not even cracked the top ten awards in this category.  Our 1999 team won the top spot in this particular category.
  • Senior and team co-president Daniel Nadal was one of only three debaters in the nation selected to this year’s  All American Parliamentary Debate Team.  This honor was richly deserved by Daniel based on his forensics success, his high academics, and his service to the community.  He is choosing now which law school to attend next year.
  • The team of Ashley Nuckels and Ian Sharpels advanced to the double Octa Final round, and the team of Daniel Nadal and James Wilson advanced to the Triple Octa Final round.  Their winning records in preliminary rounds allowed them to participate in the elimination rounds.  Three of our other teams missed that opportunity by only one round.

It will be especially sad to see this year’s season end.  Of the twelve students competing for us at Nationals this year, all but one will be graduating or studying abroad next year for the bulk of the competitive season.  This means though that there will be many opportunities for new students and recruits to join us.

We always welcome your help in our recruiting of bright, competitive, well spoken and hard working students! 

 

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Spring Sports Highlights

The athletic year wrapped up with all six Spring teams qualifying for the postseason, capping off a stellar 2010-11 campaign.

Coach Joe Schaefer’s baseball team finished with a 28-22 overall record and a fifth-place finish in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The team went 1-2 in the GSAC tournament and did not advance to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 2008. Two Sea Lions: Rashad Taylor and Edgar Molina were All-GSAC selections.

Men’s golf surprised just about everyone with a win at the GSAC/CalPac/Cascade Regional. Ben Foster’s Sea Lions drifted through the regular season until arriving at Hemet’s Country Club of Soboba Springs in mid-April. The No. 19-ranked PLNU squad knew they had to win the 11-team event in order to reach the NAIA National Championships - and they did just that. The team shot a three-round 879 over three rounds of play, which was six strokes better than No. 13 Holy Names and No. 16 The Master's. Sea Lion Oscar Casillas medaled in the event, winning a sudden-death tiebreaker over TMC's Kevin Anderson. Casillas, Ryan Ellerbrock and Zane Keith made the all-region team with both Casillas and Ellerbrock being named Honorable Mention All-Americans. PLNU advanced to nationals in stormy Silvis, Ill., where they finished 15th out of 29 teams.

Both PLNU tennis teams reached the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championships held in Mobile, Alabama. The PLNU ladies enjoyed another tremendous year, notching a 20-4 record and finishing sixth in the national rankings under Coach Rich Hills. Three Sea Lions: seniors Kristin Strimple and Ashley Litchfield and sophomore Jessica Kwan were all-conference picks. Strimple, who posted 30 wins this year and finished her career with 100 victories, was a first team All-American selection for the fourth time while Litchfield pulled in second team All-American honors. In addition, Strimple, a business major, earned Scholar Athlete status. Coach Hills’ men concluded the year with a 16-9 overall mark and a No. 7 ranking. Senior Joel Myers and junior Tyler Bowman garnered All-GSAC selections with Myers also being named a second-team All-American.

Track & Field was the last to wrap up competition with the NAIA Championship Meet in Marion, Indiana. Coach Jerry Arvin’s squads performed well despite tough competition and terrible weather. Once the rain cleared and all 48 events were recorded, it was the Sea Lion women placing 10th overall with 29 points while the men were 23rd with 12 points. Point Loma women All-Americans were: Sarah Laine (400 meter dash), Tori Anderson (400 meter hurdles, heptathlon, high jump) and the 4x400 relay team of junior Dominique Picker and seniors Jordan Turner, Tori Anderson and Sarah Laine.  On the men’s side, Sean Lewis (400 meter hurdles) and Edward Morrow (400 meter hurdles) earned All-American honors. Coach Arvin’s squads also combined for 13 NAIA Scholar Athletes.

 

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ZipCar Provides Vehicles for Car-less PLNU Students

Being car-less is part of the freshman experience at PLNU.  Freshmen living in residence at our Alma Mater are not permitted to bring their cars to campus during their first year as students.  Sophomores, juniors, and seniors with cars on-campus will frequently lend rides and, at times, will lend their own cars to car-less students.  There is also an off-campus shuttle, lovingly nicknamed the “fruttle” for “freshman shuttle”, that runs in the evenings during the school year and stops at key locations near campus so any PLNU students can run errands, go out to eat, or head to the mall.  While the lack of cars helps freshmen connect to one another and the PLNU residential community, there are times when having a car at personal disposal would be helpful.


To meet this need, our university began a car sharing program through ZipCar this past school year! ZipCar is used by many other colleges and universities around the country, including institutions such as Stanford and Yale.  This car sharing program provides a way for students, 18 years of age and older, to easily get around San Diego. Once a student has signed up for membership and has been approved, they can have access to a ZipCar 24 hours a day for an hourly fee.  For more information on ZipCar, visit www.zipcar.com. 

 

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Sneak Peak at Homecoming 2011

Join us on-campus for Homecoming November 17-19!  Homecoming is the perfect time to come back and visit your Alma Mater, reconnect with old friends and faculty, and meet others in the PLNU family.  Below is a sneak preview of a few of the over 50 events planned for Homecoming 2011.  Full schedule will be posted online at the end of August.

  • Variety Show and Coronation
  • Melody Men Reunion
  • Tailgate BBQ
  • Men’s and Women’s Basketball Games
  • Homecoming Extravaganza
  • Alumnus of Point Loma and Distinguished Achievement Award presentations
  • Café 10 – a time of relaxation and mingling for the last 10 years of alums – for alums from the classes of 2001-2011
  • Class Reunions: 2006, '01, '96, '91, '86, '81, '76, '71, '66, and '61

For more information, visit www.pointloma.edu/Homecoming and www.pointloma.edu/Reunions. 

 

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Alumni Events in Your Area!

 

Mix, mingle, and meet alums in your area and celebrate being part of the PLNU family! Each year your Alumni Association hosts events in six different cities around the United States. We have two Area Events remaining for 2011!

July 23, 2011

Santa Barbara Alumni & Friends Area Event

Join us for a catered BBQ and spend time together with central coast alums at Shoreline Park along the sea cliffs in Santa Barbara, CA.
You’ll enjoy delicious Oak Smoked BBQ Tri Tip & Chicken with tasty sides, greetings from local Alumni Board members, door prizes, and a casual time to connect with other PLNU alums and friends! Then the afternoon will be yours to experience some of the local culture and fun attractions in Santa Barbara!

Shoreline Park
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Noon – 1:30pm
Adult Tickets: $12
Children (12 and under): $8

Deadline to purchase tickets is July 15!

Click Here to purchase tickets (under Alumni Events)!

Thank you to James Kinzler ('92) for leading this great event!

Catering provided by Woody's Bodacious Barbecue!

 

August 6, 2011
Hawaii Alumni & Friends Area Event


Aloha! Join us for a catered Luau and good times with friends and alums from PLNU!


You’ll enjoy delicious Hawaiian food, greetings from President Bob Brower, great live entertainment, door prizes, and a casual time to connect with other PLNU alums and friends from the islands.


Kailua Intermediate School
145 South Kailua Drive
Kailua, HI 96734
5 – 6:30pm
Adult Tickets: $10
Children (12 and under): $8


Deadline to purchase tickets is July 29!

Click Here to purchase tickets (under Alumni Events)!

Current & prospective PLNU students and families are welcome!

Mahalo to Suzanne Mulcahy for leading this awesome event!

 

For further details and to purchase tickets, visit the Area Events section of our website. 

 

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Alum Artist Builds Fort Exhibit

 

A man resting in the wilderness of daydreams and phenomena: Meet locally renowned artist Wes Bruce (07), a PLNU alumnus who has found his creative forte in the construction of small wooden forts.

Bruce’s work has been featured in several galleries across San Diego, including his recent project which was exhibited alongside a few other artists this past August thru September at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. “Leveled: An Interactive Experiment in Art” exhibited Bruce’s art piece titled “The Secrets Surrounding the Mysterious Life and Psychology of Ms. Augustine Greane,” a fort dedicated to a woman named Miss Augustine Greane.

A wooden panel adjacent to the structure describes her as “one of the 20th century’s most curious, unfathomable, unexplainable, and wonder filled individuals.”

At the entrance, dark curtains push aside like wardrobe coats leading to a Narnian Winter, tapestries bringing viewers into the mind of Greane. A smell of cedar lingers in the air as a musical composition by Joel P. West (06) and the Tree Ring summons a longing for this mystery woman’s past. This serene sound leads an explorer on an adventure deep into the architecture of Miss Augustine Greane.

“This is a summary of everyone, everything you’ve ever experienced, and the memories you acquire overtime,” said Bruce.

Through the entry hole a person must crawl, shuffling over battered carpets, sliding past miniature toy pianos, shelves of dinosaurs, gathered straw and sheep wool, aged photographs, and shelved clusters of empty glass jars. These nooks, crannies, hidden staircases and second stories are her life and her loves, Miss Augustine’s history incarnate.

“This is not my idealized childhood necessarily,” said Bruce. “This happens to everyone. This is just a collection of memories, Augustine Greane’s memories.”

Ladders lead to a second floor with draping strands of paper that dance gently with the breath of a small floor fan. The paper is covered in poems: “We make maps of lands we’ve yet to love” and “Déjà vu grew like a garden in her fertile mind.”

“This negative space should just be air, but I filled it with poetry,” said Bruce. “I wanted it to almost be like a metaphor, like may this, your mind, be a mansion for all lovely thoughts to dwell.”

Bruce and a preschooler venture through the fort with a flashlight in hand as they pass untold stories permeating from the walls. For some, the fort is a nostalgic scrapbook of a should-have-been childhood. It’s an almost unsettling yet tranquil feeling knowing that as an adult this knickknack-filled escape is what childhood should have felt like, looked like.

“This is exactly what you hope the world would look like as a kid,” said alumnus Andrew Gumm (09) as he sat burrowed in a dark corner of the fort. “Or at least one room will make you feel that way.”

Within these wooden walls, however, one uncertainty still remains. Miss Augustine Greane may have been real or she may never have existed. She may have been one of the most curious beings ever or she may have been conjured somewhere in the dreams of a young man with a mop of lively hair and tattered maroon skinny jeans. Among the collection of heirlooms, an explorer may wonder if all this belonged to Greane, if all this could really reside in and with one single woman.

“That’s all part of the mystery,” said Bruce.

Text taken from an article in The Point Weekly.

 

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Alumni Travel to NYC

In May, 2011, 25 PLNU alumni and friends took a great trip to New York City where they stayed at the Millenium Broadway Hotel on Times Square, watched the Broadway musical Wicked, enjoyed a PLNU Area Event at which they met local New York PLNU alums, and visited many sites including the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, and others!

For more photos, check out our album on Flickr.

 

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Take a Vacation to Spain and Portugal!

In 2012, the Alumni Association will be hosting an international trip.  Visit our website for information on the upcoming excursion to Spain and Portugal in 2012 where you can see sights you’ve always dreamed of, enjoy delicious cuisine, satiate your craving for travel, and visit with other alumni!

 

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*Links to past newsletters can be found in "Archives"

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