Quote of the Week

“(O)ur predicament is minuscule compared to that of countless other Americans right now. Yet, I believe it is healthy to recognize our sense of loss and I have begun to recognize these mixed emotions during this transition to remote instruction.”

— Christina Bouri ’20, The Record, April 26, 2020

Examples of how University of the Pacific was represented in the news media in recent days:

“Virtual Exhibition,” Good Day Sacramento (CW 31), April 24, 2020: University curator Lisa Cooperman and students Megan Rabatan and Salma Zaman were interviewed for a story about the virtual exhibit by students in Cooperman’s Introduction to Museum Studies class. The students had planned a pop-up exhibit in the Reynolds Gallery on the Stockton Campus, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the students to make adjustments and put the exhibit online. Other outlets also covered the virtual exhibit:
“Pacific launches digital gallery with coronavirus art, essays,” The Record, April 20, 2020
“Pacific students take on pandemic with ‘Gone Viral’ art exhibit,” Lodi News-Sentinel, April 23, 2020
“Weekend Picks: Gone Viral,” Sierra Lodestar, The Calaveras Enterprise, April 23, 2020

“Meet the ‘jiggle daddy’: Inside the weird world of niche Facebook culinary groups: From Show Me Your Aspics to Rude Rebellious Canners, online communities ‘are feeding our souls,’” NationalPost.com (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), April 23, 2020: History’s Ken Albala and his current focus on sometimes unexpected foods set in gelatin were featured in this story. “I think the little niches happen because they’re topics that mainstream TV certainly (isn’t going to touch),” Albala told the outlet. “They’re never going to do fermentation — ‘Oh, we’re going to get sued’ — and they’re never going to do charcuterie because they think everyone’s going to kill themselves. I think aspic (jelly) is like that. It’s just too weird for the mainstream, so people find this stuff on Facebook and you can do whatever you want. There’s no liability.” The story was shared by 80 or so other Canadian news outlets.

“Flowers bloom on empty UOP campus amid stay-at-home order,” KCRA3, April 23 and 24, 2020: Physical Plant’s Toby Rose was interviewed for this story on Pacific’s rose gardens — the “stunning sights of UOP in spring” and the “meticulously groomed grounds.” Rose, who has been at Pacific the past two decades, talked about the calming aspects of the roses and the work that goes into keeping them beautiful. The story was shared on MSN Video. A slightly longer version of the story was aired several times on April 23.

“Guest view: A letter for graduating seniors,” The Record, April 26, 2020: Student Christina Bouri ’20 authored an opinion piece on the impact COVID-19 is having on graduating college seniors. She expressed the realization that others face far more difficult circumstances than not having an in-person commencement ceremony. “Many of us feel guilty about grieving that we no longer will have in-person commencement ceremonies to look forward to in May and our last semester was snatched away from us so quickly,” Bouri wrote. “But our predicament is minuscule compared to that of countless other Americans right now. Yet, I believe it is healthy to recognize our sense of loss and I have begun to recognize these mixed emotions during this transition to remote instruction.”

“Pharmacist uses homemade 3D printers to make COVID-19 protective equipment,” Sacramento Business Journal, April 21, 2020: Pharmacy alumnus David Chayka ’18 was featured in this story about him using homemade 3D printers to produce protective shields he donated to Sutter Health, UC Davis Health and Kaiser Permanente. He built his first 3D printer while a pharmacy student at Pacific. “I was studying a lot, and just staring at pages all day was driving me crazy. I had to do something creative,” Chayka told the Sacramento Business Journal. “But then when the coronavirus outbreak happened, I figured I might as well repurpose all my equipment for something useful.” It was also shared by news aggregator site One News Page.

“Coronavirus Update: Napa Wineries Go Virtual To Weather Pandemic’s Economic Storm,” KPIX (CBS, San Francisco), April 24, 2020: The Center for Business and Policy Research’s report on the impact COVID-19 will have on the state economy was mentioned high in this broadcast and online story about the expected unemployment rate in Napa County. The story was broadcast at least twice.

“Bay Area Headlines: Tuesday, 4/21/20, AM: Protesting Stay-At-Home Order In Sacramento,” KALW (San Francisco), April 21, 2020: McGeorge’s Leslie Gielow Jacobs was quoted in this story under the subheadline “Protesting Stay-At-Home Order In Sacramento.” Jacobs said the state government has a right to enforce stay-at-home restrictions under the circumstances, despite growing protests of the orders. “So one thing they’d be talking about most would be their interest in liberty, the freedom of movement and, yes, the constitution does guarantee that, but the question would be what’s your interest government?” Jacobs said. “Well, it’s to prevent the spread of disease. … So long as the government’s not targeting people, trying to make them not be able to speak because of what they’re going to say, then the restrictions can stop people from even gathering to speak.”

“Thanks To The Virus College Will Be Different In The Fall; What Will Students Pay?,” Forbes, April 22, 2020: This commentary on likely changes to colleges and universities in the fall because of COVID-19 mentioned the student relief grants for incoming and returning students. Here is the entire reference: “The University of the Pacific has approved an additional grant of $1450 for all new students that they will be able to keep for all four years at the University. Other colleges and universities with whom I talked are considering grants like the University of the Pacific is providing but usually larger in amount and just for a term or at most next year. So far, most public institutions have not announced any price reductions for the fall.” The story linked to Pacific’s COVID-19 Resources for Admitted Students webpage.

“Summit goes virtual,” KCRA3, April 20, 2020: The School of Engineering and Computer Science’s Mehdi Khazaeli was interviewed for a story on moving the Pacific Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit to a virtual setting due to COVID-19 restrictions. PIES is a gathering of students, faculty, staff and alumni interested in innovation and entrepreneurship. The event features the Tiger Tradeshow, a showcase of startup concepts and companies founded by Pacific students and alumni.

“Future Of Dentistry – Challenges And Opportunities Post-COVID-19,” DentalNewspk.com (Dental News Pakistan), April 21, 2020: Dugoni’s Eve Cuny was the keynote speaker for a virtual discussion on the future of dentistry in the wake of COVID-19. Of Cuny, a portion of the story reads, “Member of the National Occupational Research Agenda Council, and reviewer and subject matter expert for CDC noted that this is the perfect opportunity for us to review guidelines and recommendations for infection prevention and what we might do differently when the world gets back to normal, and we can resume our regular lives. This pandemic has taught us a valuable lesson about the importance of vigilance with infection prevention as a whole and not just during a pandemic.” Cuny was mentioned in another piece:
“ADA streams webinar April 27 on respiratory protection,” ADA.org, April 23, 2020

“Keeping student athletes active and fit,” Fox 40, April 20, 2020: Athletic Training’s Manuel Romero was on Fox 40 to talk about keeping student-athletes in shape during COVID-19-related stay-at-home restrictions. He shared advice for working out at home, nutrition and stretching for being injury-free and able to compete once the restrictions are lifted.

“Churches challenge restrictions on gathering for services,” KFBK Weekend Live, April 25, 2020: John Cary Sims, McGeorge professor emeritus, was on the weekend radio program to discuss church pastors’ promises to fight against restrictions on large gatherings. Sims said all churches are being treated the same and not being singled out, so some of their claims will not hold water in court. Government and public health officials are taking extreme measures to deal with an extreme situation, he said, and that constitutional rights are not absolute. He does not believe the courts will side with the pastors.

“Protesting stay-at-home order,” KCRA3, April 20, 2020: McGeorge’s Clark Kelso commented about protests at the state Capitol over stay-at-home orders and claims that rights have been violated by the restrictions. He said that since these are not normal times, some rights can be put on pause for public health concerns and that courts are unlikely at this time to question what governors are doing to limit the spread of COVID-19. The segment was aired at least twice.

“Protest At Capitol Targets California’s Stay-At-Home Order, Demonstrators Ignore Social-Distancing Guidelines,” Capital Public Radio News, April 20, 2020: McGeorge’s Leslie Gielow Jacobs was quoted in this story about protests at the state Capitol over stay-at-home restrictions. She said law enforcement can legally enforce the stay-at-home orders, even at a free speech event. Demonstrators concerned with infringement of their rights should take into account the reasons for the current orders, she said, which do not single out a particular group. “They’re allowed to do this, but not in violation of the orders the government has issued,” Jacobs said of the protesters. The story was shared by the news aggregator website F3News.