March 2022

What’s yours?

We all have our own way of getting our day started. For some of us, that requires our go-to morning drinks. It is often said that many cannot get their day started without an iced coffee, but that is not the case for everyone. We asked some fellow Sunbirds “What is your go-to drink in the morning?” Below is what they said:

“Protein Shake, one banana, 2 scoops of protein” Jesse Franco said. 

“Water” David Simon said. 

“3 shots of Espresso straight-up” Maesyn Rix said. 

“Um I honestly forget to drink things” Hope Erwin said. 

“Water. I don’t drink coffee” Ayden Merrihew said. 

“Water or Chocolate Milk. That’s my go-to.” Alejandro Mendibles said. 

“If I workout then pre-workout and if not then tea” Anastassiya Barakhoyeva said. 

“Iced chai with soy milk” Mel Munoz said. 

“Water first then an energy drink” Sophie Underwood said. 

“Water” Ciana Rivera said. 

“Water” Amaia Rivera said. 

“Water if I have practice, if not a simple coffee” Tori De Leon said. 

“Water” Vanessa Cochrane said. 

“Water” Nayeli Flores said. 

Based on the majority of their answers, water is the most popular go-to drink to start their day! No one can ever go wrong with a classic cup of water.

Written by: Alicia Garcia | Staff Writer and Julissa Mercado | Staff Writer

Graphic by: Julissa Mercado

A deeper look into the college life of international students

Fresno Pacific University has a large International-Student population. Several international students are athletes, so they come for an opportunity to play their sport all the while receiving an education in America. Many come to California with the anticipation and vision in their head that Fresno, California will be just like what they have seen in the movies. The reality of Fresno is that it is a small town with a lot of surrounding agriculture. Fresno, as many of us local citizens can agree, is not Hollywood, San Francisco, or what you see in the movies. Many international students become disappointed when they realize Fresno and FPU are not what is in the movies, or what they imagined California and college life to be like. However, many of our international students still take this opportunity and attempt to make the most of it. 

Being a senior at FPU, I am close friends with a handful of international students. Through these friendships, I have realized the struggles they face while attending FPU. Many international students experience difficulty  with finding rides off campus for basic needs like doctor appointments or groceries.

 Being a commuter with access to  a car, I can attest to seeing the struggles my international friends face. Most times, I am their main mode of transportation. I offer them rides for basic necessities, like groceries and errands, or social events, like hiking and beach trips.By all means, I provide these experiences and opportunities to my international friends out of the kindness of my heart. However, not every international student at FPU has a friend with a car to provide rides. Another issue that sometimes  arises is availability for rides. I do  work and I have other commitments, so I am not always available to provide rides to my friends. 

The struggles that international students face when coming to FPU and America are real and have not been brought to light. International students make up a large population of FPU’s student body, and the resources given to these students is limited, especially now with COVID-19 protocols. 

When talking to some international students, many of them explained how Campus Safety was the main resource they used for rides off campus. However, with COVID-19, most of those services have been suspended. Below are quotes from international students who thank and appreciate the help that Campus Safety has given them in years past, but still express frustration with this service being currently  suspended.

“Most of the time, I was calling Campus Safety to ask for a ride to the airport, and they were very nice and available to me. Same thing when I asked for being picked up from the airport,” Senior Alice Di Matteo said.

“Campus safety helped me a lot. I sometimes called them to drop me off at Walmart or pick me up when I could not afford Uber. Most of the time they are available, but these past weeks because of Covid, they were not allowed to drive us.” Junior Lea Falentin said.

“Campus Safety used to be able to offer rides to Walmart but there are not doing it anymore so now I feel that FPU doesn’t help in any way,” Junior Alice Marques said.

International students also expressed another struggle. Finding  a vehicle is not their main conflict. They must plan in advance with a friend who has a car to go to the store and buy groceries. For those who do not have a friend who can provide a ride, they must resort to Uber or Lyft. Below are quotes from international students who have experienced this first hand. 

“FPU is far from any of the big groceries’ stores like Walmart for example and every week I need to do groceries and what I do is to ask a friend to drive me there but when I can’t find anyone available to drive me, I have to get an Uber which is expensive, and this is the most challenging part about not having a car,” Junior Alice Marques said.

“It is a real struggle not having transportation here. For example, just the fact to go get groceries is complicated because I have to get an Uber for the way to go and to go back. It costs me a lot of money not having transportation here because I have to spend it on uber.” Junior Lea Falentin said.

“When we want to do groceries, we need to make sure we plan it ahead and find someone that is willing to drive us. If there would be more stores or restaurants around campus it would definitely be easier,” First-year Graduate student Sanne Brull said.

The international students mentioned how COVID-19 restrictions have made transportation much more difficult to access. Brull explained how in years past The International Office used to organize events to help students with transportation. However,  due to COVID-19, those services are not offered. The pandemic has been ongoing for two years, and as a result,  international students are struggling on FPU campus.

Another difficulty international students have come across is the idea of college life and experiencing things outside of campus. From my personal experience with my international friends, I have made it a point to invite my friends off campus to experience new parts of Fresno and California. College is most definitely about education, but students can also have fun with friends. The international students that were interviewed explained how it is difficult to leave campus even if it is only for a day trip or on weekends. Below are quotes from international students who expressed their feelings about not being able to leave campus for fun social activities or trips. 

“It is also complicated to go out of campus because most of the cool stuff is far away, and sometimes I feel like I am stuck here,” Junior Lea Falentin said.

“Sometimes it can be hard to find a way to leave campus, especially on the weekends,” Graduate student Sanne Brull said. 

The struggles that FPU international students encounter are not at the fault of FPU alone. COVID-19, over the last two years, has played a big part in these struggles. I care about the college experience and accessibilities for my international friends and other international students.  Just as I am able to get the full college experience with access to a vehicle for my daily needs, so should international students. The difficulties international students face are legitimate, and as a student on campus who sees the struggle first hand through my friends, I feel obligated to speak on this matter and encourage change to happen for my international friends. 

Due to the many restrictions and difficulties the ongoing pandemic has placed on everyone, I look forward to new opportunities and accessibilities FPU will offer to its international students.

Written by: Nikki Campos | Editor in Chief

Graphic by: Nikki Campos

A short rant inspired by a text conversation!

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend in which she casually mentioned that the zombie apocalypse would be fun. To be specific, she expressed that she would like to have some fun before the end. Besides saying this as if it was a completely normal opinion, she was surprised I did not agree with her. Of course, a zombie apocalypse would be fun! Who would not want to be chased by dead people? Well, in case you need rationale, allow me to explain the many reasons why the zombie apocalypse would rank on the bottom of your “fun things to do this summer” list!

1. The smell

Ahhh, do you not love the smell of rotting bodies, unwashed people, and bad breath? Oh, you do not? For further explanations, I imagine it would be difficult to keep yourself clean in an event in which people are out to eat you! Specifically, an apocalypse implies the fact that the majority of humanity has been infected. If that were the case, production of all goods would surely come to a screeching halt. Therefore, you can forget your toothpaste, deodorant, and frequent showers!

2. The lack of food

As stated in the hygiene section, production of all goods would essentially stop. This means you can forget about eating fresh food, if you can find any at all, for the foreseeable future! Of course, any food that is left in stores or houses would be fought over by everyone. Do you remember what happened in the pandemic with toilet paper? Now, imagine if something you absolutely needed to survive was running out! Ooof, good luck not starving to death or getting killed among food scarcity and people fighting over what is left.

3. The lack of internet 

Let us face it: we can not live without the internet anymore. Whether it provides entertainment, tools, or information, the internet is an essential part of our lives that we can not go without. Admittedly, you might not even have time to be bored when you are running for your life. Despite that, you will surely miss the conveniences that the internet brings. One great example of this would be maps, which many young people, myself included, do not know how to use. Unfortunately, google maps will not be telling you where the best spots to hide are. Instead, you will have to figure everything out on your own, and hope you do not make a mistake that costs you your life!

4. Running for your life

If you have ever seen a zombie movie, you know that zombies will constantly be hunting you. If you have zero self-defense skills, you can kiss your life goodbye! Even with self-defense skills, however, there will come a point in which you can no longer defend yourself. Whether you are weak due to starvation or old age, there will come a point in which zombies will likely kill you. Now, try living a happy life knowing you can die any day if you do not find food, water, or become too weak to defend yourself!

Written By: Saraleim Mozqueda Saldana | Editor

Graphic by: Liza Larrabee

Athletes share their experience giving back to the community

Fresno Pacific athletes have shown hard work on the field and on the court. These same athletes have shown hard work in their community as well. Fresno Pacific would like to recognize student athletes who have volunteered with their teams and given back to the community. Some volunteer work from Fresno Pacific athletes include clothing drives, serving food to the less fortunate, and keeping their community clean. The athletes recognized share their experiences below. 

Junior Womens’ Basketball Felicia Dourva, Major: Business

“I enjoyed talking to the elderly of the Community and hearing stories about their experiences in Life. It was very Eye opening to hear some of their thoughts and experiences throughout Life. I also enjoyed volunteering at the foodbank and feeling like I was making a difference in someone’s Life by providing them with food on the table. Exactly what I did was keep some of the residents of Twilight Haven Company (this was in 2019 and 2020 before COVID) and since then I have just been going to the California food bank with the team to pack up food items for families in need. I also Went to a preschool a couple of times and played sports with the kids. I personally enjoyed the conversations with the kids the most.”

“I felt great and fulfilled because I was doing something that mattered to help the Community.”

Sophomore Womens’ Basketball Lindsey Moody, Major: Business

“We did two main things last semester, packing boxes at the local food bank and volunteering at Saturday Sports. It’s easy to enjoy volunteering when your team helps make it fun. When we are at Saturday sports we are playing with elementary aged kids, which is always a good time. And when we are at the food bank the competitiveness of our team really comes out and we are racing to see who can make better boxes and stuff the food in faster. But, I think the thing I enjoyed the most was being able to make an impact on the local community with my team.”

“It feels great being a part of a team that cares about giving back to the community that we are located in. Like I said earlier it’s easy to enjoy volunteering when your team makes it fun. Our team also has a saying to be relentlessly pursuing excellence on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.”

Junior Womens’ Basketball Sara Lundqvist, Major: Business

“We have volunteered in two different events this year with our basketball team. We volunteered for the food bank and for Saturday Sports. Saturday sports is a sporting event for kids in elementary school where we hang out with them and play basketball. I loved both of my experiences. What I enjoyed the most was to see what an impact or change I could make for other people. With the food bank we were able to help pack food packages for families who needed it. With the kids it was to see how happy they all were to have us all there and the interactions I had with all of them.”

“It feels great to be a part of a team that gives back. We want to be relentless on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. It is the least we can do. I know how much it meant to me when I was a kid having college athletes come to talk and play basketball with me. They made a difference in my life, and I hope we do the same for the kids in Saturday Sports.”

Written by: Casey Watkins | Staff Writer

Graphic by: Casey Watkins