One of the missions of Pacific’s homecoming celebration is to welcome back former Boxers and familiarize them with Pacific currently as a student body and university.
Alumni Relations managed to achieve this goal once again by hosting the alumni pancake breakfast on Saturday, Sept. 29.
Pacific alumni from various graduating classes arrived for the 8 a.m. breakfast wearing a name tag that listed their class and was decorated with buttons listing the organizations that they were a part of during their years as a Pacific student.
For each organization represented, a table was set up to seat both alumni and current members. For the beginning of the reception, past and present members were encouraged to introduce themselves to other table members and many alumni were reunited with other members of their graduating class at the breakfast.
Although the preconceived speeches that followed introductions were a way to observe the changes between the old and new Pacific, the conversations at each table were just as useful for alumni and current students.
Alumni and life-long member of the Theta Nu Alpha sorority, Jessie McCandlish, class of 1967, recalled an experience during her years at Pacific that was both frightening and memorable.
A bomb threat had been called into Pacific’s campus at one point during McCandlish’s time as a student.
In order to make sure students were out of harm’s way and all residence areas could be fully searched, students had to be elsewhere for a portion of the evening so, “we just sat in the basement and watched movies,” McCandlish laughed.
Other alumni, such as former Pacific Index reporter Barbara Ellis, class of 1952, had advice to give students for life after Pacific. She encouraged that when introduced to an area of study that you enjoy, “stick with it” because it will “provide you with so many more opportunities.”
Pacific University Greek Senate president Annabel Gonzalez began the presentation with a short address, welcoming alumni to Homecoming 2012.
A representative from each organization was then introduced by Gonzalez and gave a brief update on their active group’s membership, their moral codes, achievements and goals for the upcoming year as well as in the future.
Short speeches were given by Alisha Taylor for Alpha Kappa Delta, Ryan Lee for Alpha Zeta, Rebecca Limone for Delta Chi Delta, T.C. Campbell for Pacific football, Karissa George for The Pacific Index, Sean Iverson for Pi Kappa Rho, Shanlee Gusman for Na Haumana O Hawaii, Kate Schiewe for Phi Lambda Omicron, Brianna Castellini and Colton Markham for Speech Team and Caitlin Valhuerdi for Theta Nu Alpha.
To conclude the breakfast, each organization took a group photo of alumni members and actives.
Although proud representation was shown for each organization, including the disbanded Greek chapter, Phi Beta Tau, perhaps the best example of a past and present bond was the group photo of the now 150-year-old Gamma Sigma fraternity.
The brothers filled their photo time with a loud, repeated chorus of their fraternity’s chant. This was one of the very few things that remains unchanged at Pacific to this day.
Leave a Reply