The Case For Returning to In-Person Classes

On October 2 and 10, Fresno Pacific University announced that it planned to reopen for the upcoming Spring 2021 semester, and offered a mix of in-person, online, and hybrid classes for students. This decision sparked a large-scale, but ultimately little-publicized, debate among students and teachers alike about the efficacy and safety of returning to campus at this time. Neither side is without points, and while I cannot speak for everyone else who wishes to return this spring, from the perspective of an out-of-state student, the benefits can be seen as far outweighing the risks.

    It is true that the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging, and that returning to school will reintroduce the risk of infection, especially for those with compromised immune systems or other underlying health problems. Those who are in close contact with such people are also justifiably worried and so cannot return in good conscience. Their concerns are valid and should not be addressed as anything else.

    Yet it is many of these very concerns that FPU is addressing. The smorgasboard of safety features, from the plastic dividers in classrooms and dining facilities to the required health check-ins, are more in-depth than many public locations or institutions. Gyms, for example, are opening up again in numerous locations around the country; few outbreaks have been traced to them, and often there is little regulation beyond the need to wear a mask, maintain social distancing and wipe down the equipment after use. These facilities are also open to a much wider range of people (in terms of age and background) than Fresno Pacific. If they are able to do such a thing without any rashes of infection or (God forbid) casualties, then surely FPU’s far more advanced measures can be effective as well when dealing with an age group that, in general, has been affected less than others by the virus.

    Places like stores and gyms are reopening as a matter of necessity: the services they provide to the public (and especially to their employees) are too invaluable to be shut down for long. Similarly, those students who attend FPU from outside California (and perhaps outside the United States) are being given precedence by the school in housing and moving back in. This is likely because they have needs that can be addressed by campuses reopening.

    In the first place, moving between school and home in the usual school year-summer cycle often creates a separate mindset for each. When at home, we are used to allowing our mind to wander and to relax about scholarly pursuits. Being restricted to one’s house so far away from the school therefore increases the challenge of keeping one’s mind on their schooling, which is already difficult due to the inherent nature of online classes. They are also restricted in terms of the resources at their disposal: Herbert Library is all but impossible to make use of without access to physical books, and different time zones between states can result in tremendous scheduling conflicts between both home and school. This goes double for those student athletes who traditionally come from abroad—and the situation is even worse for those who have not been able to return to their home country.

    The FPU campus also offers an easily controllable and monitorable environment. Out-of-state students will be further away from those friends and family members back home who are at significant risk, and will be an environment where their health, by rule, must be regularly verified. Quarantine and recovery of infected students are also easier tasks for the administration and students if they are relatively close to the school, especially with stringent social distancing rules and private housing in place. If anything, it may prove safer than some students’ homes: chores and the needs of their family can often cause one to venture out more often, putting themselves and those at home (where more strict and professional safety standards are often not enforced or difficult) at risk. This is not a demand that FPU become entirely locked-in and not allow students to leave campus at all, but the social-distancing policy and health checkups ensure that any risks will be under greater control than at home.

I, at least, feel that the resources and environment of a Fresno Pacific with such safety measures in place are well worth returning to campus for. This is not a prescription for everyone; there are those who doubtless have good reasons for wanting to stay away until the situation is more cleared up. However, returning to Fresno Pacific would provide me with an environment in which I am used to doing the strenuous academic work required as a student, and it has been fortified in such a way that I feel, at the very worst, no less safe than my own home.

Author: Luke Fredette | Chief Copy Editor

The Case Against Returning to In-Person Classes

On November 2, Vice President for Campus Life Dale Scully and President Joseph Jones released an email to all traditional undergraduate students announcing that FPU would be returning to campus for the spring 2021 semester. Registrar Danielle Jeffress also released an email on November 10 that detailed specifics about returning to campus: according to Jeffress’ email, courses will be offered through three different delivery methods next semester: face-to-face, hybrid and remote. 

While I share excitement with many at the prospect of returning to campus, it must be said that both face-to-face and hybrid classes are too ambitious given the current state of the pandemic. As of November 12, Fresno County was averaging 162.9 new cases of COVID-19 per day according to The New York Times. The Washington Post also noted that the United States reached 150,000 infections as of November 12—a record high, and the number has continued to climb. With several European countries entering their second lockdown, many suspect that the US will do the same, as mentioned in a recent article published by Insider.

    It cannot be stressed enough that Fresno Pacific is still susceptible to the pandemic. Even with pandemic protocols in place, there is no guarantee that all members of the FPU community will wear masks or socially distance properly: in fact, on September 18, Student Life released an email admonishing resident students for failing to wear masks on and around campus. Although Student Life promised to assert stricter policies—“documentation of mask policy violations will ensue and students will be subjected to the student conduct process who refuse to comply,” according to the email—it must be recognized that those members of the community who neglect the protocols put the rest of the community at risk. 

Furthermore, as recently as November 10, Human Resources announced that a member of the FPU community had tested positive. Admittedly, Fresno Pacific University News reported that the university has only seen eight cases total since the start of the pandemic; however, these cases developed during some of the emptiest months on campus. The number of COVID-19 cases at FPU could easily swell in the coming months. In a recent issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, staff writer Sara Weissman noted that many higher education institutions which attempted to reopen in August saw a flux of COVID-19 cases on their campuses. The University of North Carolina (UNC) was among the hardest hit after several clusters of COVID-19 were discovered among students. “Ultimately,” Weissman wrote of UNC, “university leadership decided to reclose campus.” 

Perhaps it is most important to note that this is not the first time that Fresno Pacific has planned for a semester of blended courses and failed to uphold that promise: on July 7, 2020, Provost Gayle Copeland released an email to the FPU student body stating that “Blended and online instruction will be available and previously scheduled online courses will continue” for the fall 2020 semester. But only two and a half weeks later, President Jones announced on July 24 that “FPU, along with all other private colleges and universities and public school districts, needs to continue classes online for the fall semester.” With only a month to prepare for this sudden change in course delivery, faculty scrambled to piece together new syllabi for their online courses, and residential students were forced to reconsider their housing situation for the next few months.    

While FPU’s efforts are laudable, our administrative leaders must recognize that current trends may not guarantee a safe return to campus by next semester. I admit that I am tempted by the idea of returning to a semblance of normality and share the opinion that our current situation is less than ideal; however, wishful thinking will do little to preserve the health and safety of our community. Until the pandemic poses less of a threat, I strongly urge the university against a return to campus. 

Author: Kassandra Klein | Copy Editor

Taking a chance for socialization by lowering face-to-face opportunity

A majority of students spend a required 13 years of their lives in a classroom or having similar in-person instruction. Then the pandemic came and closed classroom doors. Students could no longer  physically interact with their teachers or peers .  Across the country, we began to see our educators scrambling to bring whatever they could to the table and continue educating their students to the best of their abilities. Throughout the spring, the result was chaos. The country remained hopeful over the summer that COVID would run its course and school could resume in our “new normal.”. We now know how disappointing things turned out. However, our school districts and educators have pulled through and given our children fantastic educational opportunities via several online platforms. On Zoom, teachers have given live lessons multiple times of the day and five days of the week.

Fresno Pacific has also modified its approach to education in order to adapt to the pandemic. The instructors have worked hard to deliver interactive class experiences  and the essential information we need through Zoom.

There’s a hiccup, though: it began when our student-parents were juggling their distance-learning education with that of their children. The Syrinx published an article earlier in the semester addressing this very subject. Distanced learning has its difficulties and complications, but now we face something new. Many elementary schools in the San Joaquin Valley have started to reopen, using a “hybrid” schedule. This schedule looks different depending on the school district and county. Still, regulations by the state of California help to keep them very similar to each other. To reduce the number of students on campus, the schedule either alternates the days per week, or hours per day, that students should be present. While this seems to be an improvement—providing children with much needed in-person time with their teachers and peers—it could also create new problems.

Student-parents have established a routine that works with both their children’s distance-learning situation and their own. When their child now has to return to school for specific hours a day, or only certain days a week, with special release times to boot, this could create schedule conflicts. Many schools are not offering after-school programs right now. What programs are offered have a limited capacity or first-come-first-serve policy for working families. This means that a student-parent may be in class while their child is released from school. This would require the student-parent to work closely with their advisor and instructors in order to manage courses.  

The other potential problem, that I have encountered myself with my own child, is the trade-off that a hybrid schedule has created. Distance learning provided five days a week of Zoom-hosted, face-to-face time with the teacher. There were two to three live Zoom lessons a day, every day. The entire class was able to talk to each other and interact, even through Zoom. When the hybrid schedule started, my child began to attend school two days a week, 8 am-1:30 pm. On Monday, the entire class Zooms with their teacher for fifteen minutes. The rest of the day consists of unstructured activities, including working on three separate computer programs, and features no actual organized lesson plans. This isn’t because the teacher fails to teach them, but because the teacher needs Mondays to record the other four days in the week. When my child is home, she has one Zoom in the morning for thirty minutes with her class. She is then on her own for the entire day, doing assignments based on either her teacher or computer programs’ pre-recorded lessons. While I think the crucial in-person aspect of hybrid is essential for socialization purposes, I can’t help but wonder where the trade-off in primary education will show. The teachers at our Valley schools are working in unprecedented times. They continue putting in long hours preparing lessons and striving to find new ways to engage our kids with the tools given to them.

Student-parents have one other problem with hybrid schedules, and it’s one that I think any family could face:.  the increased risk of COVID-19 infection.  I am not claiming that sending our children back to school means we are all going to get COVID. Schools are taking severe precautions to prevent infection, but the issue doesn’t necessarily reside with the schools themselves. Going back to a semi-school schedule may include the need for children to begin attending a school or daycare programs. While these facilities can maintain excellent health and safety protocols, when we have several children together from several different places, who then leave to go to their homes, we are still increasing the risk of exposure. Even if we do our best, the very nature of the situation creates danger.

While there is no right or wrong answer to the current crisis, we all know how important it is for our children to be in school. The reality is the pandemic has given us the frustrating need to compromise. FPU also wants all of our student-parents to succeed. Our advisors and faculty are there for students whenever there is a situation. In an ideal world, we would all be able to be on our campuses. The Syrinx hopes to support all students at FPU and student-parents who may be struggling; they should remember that FPU is for them, too.

Author: Janelle Fontaine | Opinions Editor

FPU Students Weigh in on the Popular Video-Sharing App 

TikTok may be the newest platform to evolve out of the social media frenzy over the last two decades. I’ve personally seen it’s success and popularity increase significantly in our small part of the world. Its form of communication feeds the human need for exhibition and connection to others. When COVID hit, TikTok finally became a household name. The app created a bridge among users, giving people an outlet to express themselves and share feelings in a less intrusive manner while maintaining a semblance of genuine connection. People often feel the need to share the most personal aspects of life with others, and posting or watching content on TikTok helps people  meet others who share their experiences. In this way, TikTok has created communities and networks that might have never existed otherwise. TikTok has also provided an outlet for stress. 

Senior English and history major Gabriella Quijano says that “It makes me feel happy scrolling through and seeing all these dumb/really funny videos. Watching TikTok is definitely a way for me to cope with stress and just procrastinate. For the most part, it’s just stress.”

There are almost 100 million Americans (60% women, 40% men) regularly using TikTok. It has been downloaded more than 2 billion times. Almost 50% of users are under 34 years old, and 26% are 18-24 years old. It has swelled in popularity, and it is likely that even those who don’t have the app either know or have heard about it.  Many people know someone who posts content. Many more have likely heard about the dance challenges, and even participated in some of them. TikTok is more than a passing fad. For many people, it has become a lifestyle; for others, a platform for advertising, politics, awareness or acceptance. Some use TikTok to cry for help, learn delicious recipes or simply enjoy a laugh or two.  

John-Russel Laforteza, a senior history major, focuses on posting content that makes people laugh, stating: “I want to make people laugh, especially in these times of uncertainty and fear.” The type of content he posts makes him feel less lonely and he hopes to spread a message of positivity to his viewers.

From my personal experience,scrolling through my For You Page. The algorithm created by this unique application fills me with the feeling that I am less alone. It gives me much needed adult time. My algorithm is filled with other parents and crazy, funny content  and pranks my husband and I do to, and with, our children. My For You Page is filled with people singing, and I love to watch them. 

What am I when I log in to TikTok? TikTok is a way for me to connect with my teenage daughter. I see the content she posts and it is a glimpse into her world that she may not communicate to me. maybe that is what TikTok is really all about. It is freedom: freedom to be who you want and freedom to share yourself with the world. We tend to think that screens provide us with a safety net, but TikTok has stripped this safety net away because the content—though often edited—is still out there for the world to see and must face whatever comments may come.  After all, the point of posting content is so that someone else can view it.

Choosing to simply view content is choosing to find a community to identify with, or choosing to break up the loneliness or monotony of one’s day. Maybe we just get lost down the proverbial rabbit hole that is the For You Page. Whatever our reasons for using TikTok, it has become an important part of our lives. I think we should all take a step back and ask ourselves a question: what does TikTok mean to you and why?  

Authors: Janelle Fontaine & Kassandra Klein | Opinions Editor & Copy Editor

schools and even churches were closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, stores and restaurants have begun to open up again, albeit with restrictions. It feels as if things are starting to return to normal. However, while some stores and restaurants were able to open, churches remained closed. Many were forced to live-stream their services so families could watch from home. 

My own home church closed in March and began to stream their Sunday service on Facebook Live. We remained on Facebook Live until a few weeks ago, when we were able to meet for an outdoor service, and are currently having live indoor services with COVID restrictions in place. 

I’m currently employed to help my church with making bulletins and PowerPoint slides for its services. However, when quarantine began,  I no longer had a job at the church. It was just a few weeks ago that I was asked to come back and begin working again. When I began to make the bulletin, I realized the last time I have worked there was in March. I was making a bulletin for October. 

It had not occurred to me that I had been watching church from the comfort of my bed and pajamas for roughly 7 months until I came in to work. I’ve grown up in church all my life, and to not be able to physically attend church was very strange. It never really hit me that most churches had been closed so long. 

Church, to me, has always been a part of my Sunday morning routine. It’s been a place where I got to see those close to me. Typically, after a Sunday service a group of friends or family from church would always invite me to go out to eat. However, without any warning all of these Sunday norms stopped. COVID did not really disrupt my life, but it significantly disrupted my Sunday mornings. I had never not attended church on Sunday, with the exception of a few times I was out of town. 

It was strange to wake up five minutes before church. All I had to do was turn on my phone and click on the Facebook app and there was the service,  right on my screen. Admittedly,  I was starting to get used to rolling out of bed a few minutes prior to church starting and just having to open an app to watch. However, there was something about watching a service on my phone that seemed to lack meaning. At first it was enjoyable to stay in bed, but as the months went on I began to miss attending church in person. I longed to see my  community . 

When the day finally came that my pastor announced we’d be meeting in person, first with an outdoor service and the following Sunday with an indoor service , I was shocked. It felt like it had been an eternity since my church had met in person. There are many restrictions to meeting in person for our Sunday service, however. Masks need to be worn all the time, the chairs were spaced out 6 feet from each other, and the taking  traditional communion was modified to a prepackaged version. At times, it didn’t feel like I was really attending my church. There were so many restrictions that I almost didn’t want to attend. This wasn’t the church I had known all my life. 

Despite the restrictions and lack of an authentic  church feeling, I realized that being able to physically attend during this chaotic period of time is a blessing. Church may look different right now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy its somewhat normal return. It is very easy to be upset and frustrated with the way the world looks right now, especially with the way churches have had to modify their services in the face of the pandemic. However, I’ve decided to put those things aside, and am grateful to see my church family on Sunday morning—even if it is done social-distancing style. 

Author: Nikki Campos | Editor-in-Chief

We All Have the Opportunity to Join Together and Vote and Let our Voices be Heard

“Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country, and this world,” New York Times best selling author Sharon Salzberg once said.

Many of us at Fresno Pacific University are facing this election year as either new voters or potential ones. If you are at all hesitant about voting, I am here to tell you that your vote matters. This is about why you, dear reader, matter in any election.

Our country’s democratic system is founded on our freedom to vote. We have come a long way in providing the right to vote to all citizens of the United States. It was a battle fought with our cultural and gendered ancestors’ blood, sweat and tears. Only now can we begin to appreciate the power of every vote cast at an election.

But does the vote of a single person really matter? Certainly. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States by one vote in the House of Representatives after a tie in the Electoral College. In 1868, President Andrew Jackson was impeached but not convicted because the Senate was one vote shy of the necessary two-thirds required. More recently, in the Presidential Election of 2000, President George W. Bush won the race by a narrow margin of 537 votes in Florida. Considering almost six million people voted in Florida during that election year, every vote evidently mattered. I would hope that history alone would compel you to vote; if not, then I cannot emphasize enough that there is even more to our privilege and right to vote.

As college students, many of us are on the precipice of adult life. Most of us plan on beginning our lives and starting careers as soon as we can afterwards. This means that if we have not already, we will soon start paying our own taxes. We will also start providing our own healthcare coverage and finding our own housing, if we have not done so already. These are difficult decisions, and those of us who have already been making them know the level of responsibility that comes with each choice or necessity. We have new questions to ask, or at least should be asking: What are my state or federal tax dollars being used for and why? Are my health insurance benefits affected by state or federal government spending policy? How is the purchase of a home (taxes), property taxes, or the cost of rent affected by state and/or governmental policy? Of course, there are many more questions to ask once we reach adulthood; I have merely touched on a few post-graduation and career-focused concerns.

Educating yourself about the policies and government officials that will influence (and essentially control) your financial spending will set a solid framework for your socio-economic world. Regardless of which party you affiliate with or which policies, laws, amendments, etc. you agree or disagree with, being thoroughly informed about them will equip you with more knowledge to cast your vote with distinct purpose. This is not to say we cannot involve our own personal feelings during election season. Often, the person running for office may go against a belief or issue or a policy or proposition that in some way emotionally affects you. In fact, as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of the Treasury Monica Crowley once said, “Voting is as much an emotional act as it is an intellectual one.”

Whether this is the first election you have the opportunity to vote in or if you have had it in previous elections, I encourage you to look and see how important your own individual voice and vote matters. Even if you are indifferent about the election, your voice is just as important: you might very well offer an alternative to our current dichotomous political climate. I strongly urge you to fill out your ballot and mail it or drop it in one of the designated locations, such as this one:

https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voters-choice-act/vca-voting-locations?fbclid=IwAR3yn1I2GRKTRJ7pAeAFzTUJRsFalTW5sFT3iaCJzZnX3Rh0E3OPOpIHeQo

I will leave us all with a quote from the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg: “By voting, we add our voice to the chorus that forms opinions and the basis for actions.”

Author: Janelle Fontaine | Opinions Editor

Amazon Prime releases their new show “Utopia” with mixed reviews

Be advised! This article is not related to any actual, related or current events. This is a work of fiction. 

Or is it?

After a long day of Zoom-held classes, don’t we want to curl up on the couch, turn on a show, and distract ourselves from all of the chaos outside? But what if the thing we’re watching mirrors our reality a little too closely? Such is the case with Amazon’s new series Utopia, an American adaptation of the 2013 UK version. Utopia, created by Gillian Flynn,  depicts a conspiracy theory unraveling amidst a viral pandemic. Sound a little familiar? No doubt the number one thing on everyone’s mind right now is how COVID-19 is running rampant across the world, and particularly in our own backyard. The release of this show seems to have had the worst timing ever, he show began filming in 2018, finished in 2019, and premiered in fall 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Described as a “conspiracy thriller,” the series follows several individuals chasing after a fringe comic book that could give answers to ending an extinction-level pandemic. This comic book is sought after by both good guys and bad guys.  We have the pharma-doctor playing the evil nemesis and a love interest between two endearing characters. .The 50 minute episodes are fast-paced and sadly feel rushed, sometimes relying too heavily on violence rather than character development to drive the narrative. In fact,the hyper-violence often overshadows the storyline.It does have a cool Alice in Wonderland-esque twist involving the comic book the characters are seeking, with the White Rabbit being the evil character who will release the extinction-level disease and Alice as a gun-toting super-hero. I won’t get too heavy into the UK version description other than saying this cult classic is less violent and more analytical with character development a key factor and the storyline less trite.

So if you’re feeling the Zoom blues, give Utopia a binge, but be careful and prepared. The disclaimer is there for a reason.  More than the parallels that could be drawn between the show storyline and today’s life, the level of violence is intense. The show does hold up to other Amazon Prime shows like The Boys and is an interesting watch besides. Enjoy at your own risk, and always remember to wear your mask!

Authors: Janelle Fontaine & Shawn McCurry | Opinions Editor & Staff Writer

Traditional Fair Activities given a make-over this year

There is something special in the air during a particular week in Tulare County. School has already started, and September quietly follows. You begin to see bracelet booths crop up, and that’s when you know. Fair Week is coming.The people of this outspread county come together to share their best creations, cultivations and fruits of their efforts from over the course of the year. Anything, from the most beautiful quilts a guild has been working on to the largest vegetable grown, can be seen. Our county’s many amazing artists can showcase their art, photography, paintings, drawings, woodwork, baking and mechanical wonders in the gallery.  Students who have raised and tended livestock have an opportunity to showcase their animals and sell them to farms or interested buyers. People get to see how they measure up against others and share their work with everyone else. It usually starts on a Wednesday in September. People line up on Tulare Ave or K St,  getting there early in the morning to claim a spot that has been theirs for three generations. There is a time-honored tradition among Tulare County schools to have a holiday for students to not only experience the many aspects of the parade, but also because, somewhere within the many school marching bands, sports team/cheerleading floats, family work affiliated floats and other various floats exhibiting the various activities within Tulare County, our kids may be found. 

         The cacophony of sound once you enter the fair can usually be overwhelming.  Depending on which entrance you use, it will open up to a variety of scents and sounds. If you enter on the Ag/Animal side, you will smell the fresh hay for the animals and the distinct smell of manure. Your ears will be filled with the awe of the spectators, kids and adults alike, loud over the sounds of  animals grunting, mooing, braying and squawking away. You can hear the judges in the showroom. For many of us in this county, the smell and sounds of the ag side evoke  extremely nostalgia for our respective hometowns. For the fairgoer entering from one of the various other entrances, you will most likely hear the music from the speakers or the variety of shows going on all at once. As you enter, your senses are overwhelmed with sights, scents and, of course, even more sounds. For those who have never been interested in the rides, or agriculture or who have even come from beyond the neighboring towns, there is always one thing that becomes a staple, not just of the Tulare County Fair, but of all fairs:: the deliciously deep-fried fair foods. Whether it’s the trusty corndog, or the deliciously delicate funnel cake or that flat and fluffy elephant ear, there is always something special about the food, something about it you can’t easily whip up at home. Fair food is no joke;  it is by far the best and worst food in the world.  But not one of us can turn our heads away from the over-fried deliciousness available. You then approach the infamous midway. I can’t explain the love-hate relationship I have with the midway. When I was a teenager, the fair was where your significant other took you on the best date of your life. The midway is where you spent all your time. They can spend all their money trying to win you that cheap, sawdust-filled, jumbo-sized unidentifiable animal, yet together you still proceed to ride the questionable rides through the night. You spend hours cuddled up with each other in different sweaty, overly crowded lines for various attractions.The fair is a week-long affair for teenagers, them spending multiple evenings after school at the fairgrounds with each other.Then there are the parents and families who come with their younger children. Parents swarming the kids’ ride area and mothers looking, like ostriches, for a place to sit when it’s time to eat. The exhibit halls are full of venders, all asking you to vote for this candidate, or buy this product or specialty item.  

But I stray from my point in reminiscing. This Wednesday slipped by with a whisper. The only noticeable difference was the silence of laptops with no Zoom sessions thrumming on throughout the day. The fair looks drastically different. Many parts of the fairgrounds are virtual ghost towns. Exhibit halls are closed and the midway a long stretch of empty grass. People have still entered their different wares for various awards. Others still create their exhibits to be shown differently. While the FFA/4H portion of the fair is also still being held, it is in a different manner: the number of people allowed within is considerably lower and the show area is controlled with no audiences and all is done virtually. 

         The most unique venue the board has created to accommodate the needs of our COVID era is a drive-thru exhibit. The Fair has partnered with several different organizations to create a semblance of the experience all fairgoers have come to cherish. There will be a Fair food option offering our favorite corn dogs, cotton candy, lemonade and funnel cakes, along with ability to see several entries from county members and other special exhibits and shows along the way. While it may not be the Fair we know and love, we can still enjoy it and show support for what the talented people of Tulare County can create. The Drive-thru option not only showcased Tulare County talent, there is great music from local bands playing live during the evenings, side-show circus acts and some fun animatronics for the kids. Cars lined up for hours to eat and view all there was to offer.

         Many Fresno Pacific students hail from Tulare County towns and know what the Tulare County Fair has been in their lives. For those who aren’t and don’t, maybe your home has something similar, something that awakens the nostalgia for a time honored tradition like our little exhibition. For me, the County Fair has been a generational tradition of parade participation, baked goods, photography, the best in show and first place ribbons and passing on the enjoyment of the midway. This year may be different, but I hope that us Tulare County citizens can still feel the heartbeat of the Fair, the community putting forward its best efforts to be recognized.

Author: Janelle Fontaine and Shawn McCurry | Opinions Editor and Staff Writer

Hear stories from members of the FPU community 

Last week, I covered a story on the loss of our cabin, Casa Pacifica, to the Creek Fire. In the course of my research I encountered many who had stories to share about their experiences there. I had the honor of interviewing a few from the FPU community: senior Kinesiology major and ALAS Peer Mentor DJ Maxwell, Assistant Dean for Student Development Lynn Reinhold and professor emeritus (as well as one of the former owners of Casa Pacifica) Dalton Reimer. 

What retreats or events have you visited Casa for? 

DJ: “I’ve been to retreats since my freshman year. I’ve gone every winter with the track team, intramurals my sophomore year, and with the track team and Res Life my junior year.”

Lynn: “Over the last 14 years, I have taken numerous groups to Casa: student leadership groups, commuter students, peer mentors and cheer team retreats.”

What was significant about Casa to you? 

DJ: “What was significant about Casa to me is that, before going to the retreats, I never ever wanted to go, but when I was leaving after the retreats, I was more than glad that I went.

Lynn: “Casa was a special place, where students could come together without all of the distractions of the world and build deep relationships and friendships that have lasted beyond their time as a student at FPU. Casa provided the perfect environment for team bonding.  Every August the cabin was booked solid by FPU leadership groups and athletic teams who will never forget their time at Casa.”

Dalton: “Places of retreat from the ordinary routines of life are special. To escape the Valley for the cool mountain air, congregations of trees pointing to the heavens above, and the sky populated with an amazing canopy of stars, on a dark night not seen in the Valley below – all lift one’s spirit as one is renewed for continuing life back in the Valley. Universities deserve such a place for their students and staff. There we learn the rhythm of engagement and retreat that makes for a life more fully lived.  Jesus provides a good model, escaping from the press of the villages he served to the mountain, sometimes alone, and sometimes with his small group of disciples. So it is that one is renewed for continuing study, service and life, preserved as a hedge against burnout.”

What’s one special memory or story that you have about Casa?

DJ: “One special memory I have about Casa is seeing snow for the first time, both on the ground and falling from the sky.” 

Lynn: “I have so many favorite memories of Casa. Listening to students share their life stories and how they found their way to FPU. Late night dance parties, preparing and sharing meals together. I could go on and on.” 

Dalton: “Memories shared, even now, of what students and others experienced at Casa Pacifica are special. And memories of beginnings sometimes stand out at endings. What started it all was a vision of several of us on the faculty during the 1970s—a vision of a retreat center that would be Fresno Pacific’s very own and serve the institution in the years ahead. This beginning was unique, in that it began as an exercise in recycling. We won a sealed bid purchasing a mountain cabin that had to be removed. That was the seed that began a rebuilding process on the present site with the salvaged lumber as its core. What emerged was a combination of old and new.” 

Not a single one of these words makes up for the loss of the cabin or the new jeopardy of memories—much less for any of the other tragedies that people are facing as of late. But while the building once known as Casa Pacifica no longer stands, the memories and friendships forged around its walls remain. It is critical, perhaps now more than ever, to grip memories and friendships close, and refuse to let the weight of loss or anguish pull them asunder.   

Author: Kassandra Klein | Copy Editor

Photo by: Lynn Reinhold