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Navigating COVID-19 at Pacific This Fall
No full textCOVID-19 is not gone, but we have learned considerably more about how to manage it. Vaccines and new boosters are protecting most people from serious illness, and the extreme strain on our healthcare systems has abated. At Pacific, we are moving from an emergency response to our more typical long-term strategy of communicable disease management.We are looking forward to having everyone back on our campuses for the Fall semester!
As we get ready to begin this new academic year (or continue it, for those whose classes are already underway), we know there may be questions about what life looks like at Pacific in this newest stage of COVID-19.
After nearly 2 ½ long years, public health experts tell us that we are transitioning from pandemic to endemic. COVID-19 is not gone, but we have learned considerably more about how to manage it. Vaccines and new boosters are protecting most people from serious illness, and the extreme strain on our healthcare systems has abated.
At Pacific, we are moving from an emergency response to our more typical long-term strategy of communicable disease management. We are committed to following the best science available from our public health experts and to ensuring our communities are safe and healthy as we focus on our mission of educating students.
We encourage students and employees to be aware of community conditions and follow public health best practices, to stay home when sick "with any communicable illness "and to seek healthcare advice and treatment as needed.
So what specific protocols can you expect to see this fall at Pacific? Review the following update, and find more information at pacificu.edu/covid19.
All students and employees are required to be fully vaccinated, including any boosters for which they are eligible. The CDC offers this useful tool to look up your current eligibility for boosters.
COVID-19 vaccination status for students will now be tracked through the same mechanisms as other vaccines, like MMR: through the Student & Employee Health Center and the Certiphi system. Employee vaccinations will be tracked through PayCom. Medical and religious exemption requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
All guests on Pacific campuses or at university-sponsored events are expected to be fully vaccinated as well, or able to show proof of a negative test within 24 hours of arrival. Pacific reserves the right to check vaccination and test status of guests. Exceptions are in place for patients in our community healthcare clinics and families in our Early Learning Community.
In accordance with public health guidelines, face masks remain required in all healthcare facilities, including Pacific's public clinics, the Student & Employee Health Center, Student Counseling Center and Athletic Training Room. Masks may also be required in some class and lab settings where students practice healthcare services.
Faculty, staff, and students on our Eugene Campus should follow Lane Community College guidelines.
The Oregon Health Authority and U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention also recommend masking and other precautions based on COVID-19 Community Levels. Look up COVID-19 Community Levels and current recommendations by state and county.
If you are experiencing symptoms of an airborne illness, including COVID-19, the flu, etc., please try to stay home. If you are unable to stay home, wear a face mask in public.
Pacific will discontinue required COVID-19 testing for large groups (such as whole classes), as well as weekly testing for unvaccinated individuals. If you are concerned about potential exposure, wear a mask in public and contact the Student & Employee Health Center to evaluate what testing is recommended or consider a home test. Only unvaccinated individuals need to quarantine following a close contact exposure; vaccinated individuals are asked to wear a mask around others if exposed.
A positive test will no longer automatically necessitate isolation housing or the COVID-19 monitoring and support team.
We hope that this fall brings with it the excitement of a new school year and comfort in knowing that Pacific is here to support the wellbeing of our students and employees in any circumstance.
The Pacific University Business Continuity and Emergency Management Office continues to monitor conditions and review our protocols, as we also build the learnings of the past two years into our emergency response processes.
Stay up to date on your vaccines, monitor community conditions, and take care of yourself and your community wellbeing "physically and mentally.
And let's kick off this new year focused on our shared mission to think, care, create, and pursue justice in the world together
Arthur "Art" Reynolds '63 Inducted into Hall of Fame
No full textArthur "Art" Reynolds '63 was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.Arthur "Art" Reynolds '63 was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Reynolds was honored for his lifetime service to the sport, and presented with a plaque and jacket at an Oregon chapter banquet held Oct. 23, 2021, in Tigard. Reynolds began wrestling at Hillsboro High School in 1955 and then also wrestled at Pacific University. That led to 22 years as a coach and more than 30 years as an official through USA Wrestling and the Oregon Wrestling Association. Over the years, he also served as the Northwest Junior Collegiate Wrestling Association president and treasurer, coached wrestling clubs in Forest Grove, Glencoe and Hillsboro, and officiated national wrestling tournaments as an M1 official throughout the western region. Reynolds is a retired commercial fisherman and lives with his wife, Gerry (Peschka) Reynolds '63, in North Plains, Ore
Craig Bowen '83, OD '86 Elected Secretary-Treasurer to Optometry Board
No full textCraig Bowen '83, OD '86 was elected board secretary-treasurer for the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association at its annual meeting in July.Craig Bowen '83, OD '86 was elected board secretary-treasurer for the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association at its annual meeting in July.
Bowen works with Tualatin Eye Associates
Jordan "Bruno" Gegenhuber '16 Publishes First-Author Research
No full textJordan "Bruno" Gegenhuber '16 had first-author research, "Gene regulation by gonadal hormone receptors underlies brain sex differences," published in nature magazine on May 4, 2022.Jordan "Bruno" Gegenhuber '16 had first-author research, "Gene regulation by gonadal hormone receptors underlies brain sex differences," published in Nature magazine on May 4, 2022.
Sex hormones play a central role in shaping behavior throughout the animal kingdom, and this study maps where the receptor for estrogen binds to DNA in neurons that regulate rodent social interactions. The findings reveal that estrogen establishes lasting sex differences in gene expression and neuroanatomy during brain development, and identifies hundreds of genes that may mediate estrogen's effects on behavior and disease.
Gegenhuber earned a PhD from the Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences in Long Island, N.Y.. in May 2022. His field of research is in neuroscience, and he has accepted a postdoctoral research position at Harvard Medical Center in Boston, Mass. He also holds the honor of being the Pacific Class of 2016 Valedictorian
Pacific Updates Residence Hall COVID-19 Protocols
No full textLearn what to do if you or your roommate tests positive, and how to request a temporary room if needed.Following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pacific University has shifted protocols to treat COVID-19 infection more like infection with other communicable illnesses, such as flu or respiratory disease.
This includes an update to how COVID-19 infections are managed in Pacific residence halls.
In general, students who test positive for COVID-19 are expected to isolate in their rooms for at least five days, or until symptoms are resolving with no fever for 24 hours. Wear a KN-95 mask to pick up food or medicine, or ask a friend to pick up supplies for you.
Students who share a bedroom with a roommate who tests positive should go about their regular routines, monitor their symptoms and test again five days.
Students who live on campus and who test positive, or share a bedroom with a roommate who tests positive, may request a temporary room on campus. Temporary rooms are available only for the length of the infection, and if temporary room spaces are limited, they will be prioritized for immunocompromised individuals.
Read the complete details for what to do if you or your roommate test positive and how to request a temporary room if needed.
Community transmission levels are currently low in Washington County, and the vast majority of Pacific University students and employees are vaccinated. Learn more about Pacific's current COVID-19 protocols.
Boxer III with two other Boxers
No full textThe "Boxer III" bronze statue (middle, steel-colored) sitting in between a larger decorated Boxer statue (created mid-2000s) and a small rubber replica of the "Boxer II" statue. This photograph was taken in the atrium of Tran Library on the Pacific University campus in 2022.The original "Boxer" was a bronze statue in the form of a qilin. Pacific University students had a tradition of hiding, stealing and fighting over the statue as a symbol of college spirit. Boxer became Pacific University's mascot in 1968. The original statue was missing from 1969-2024. "Boxer II" was a recreation of the original Boxer made in 1983; Boxer III was a more accurate recreation, made in 2018
Dying Turtle
No full textA wood sculpture with bottle caps affixed, mounted on plywood and laminate base. Created by Tyler Brumfield, a professor, Pacific University Art Department
Rebecca Felde OD '22 Earns College of Optometry 2022 Tole Greenstein Award, MS in Vision Science Thesis Award & MS Research Award
No full textRebecca Felde OD '22 was bestowed the 2022 Pacific University College of Optometry Tole Greenstein Award.Rebecca Felde OD '22 was bestowed the 2022 Pacific University College of Optometry Tole Greenstein Award. The award is presented to a student who demonstrates an outstanding contribution to vision therapy or pediatrics through research or clinical application.
Felde also earned the 2022 Best MS in Vision Science Thesis Award and shares the 2022 Best MS Research Award with Peiran Si '20, MS '22. The Best MS Research Award honors students in the master of science vision science program engaged in advanced study and research in the visual system.
The College of Optometry prepares tomorrow's doctors of optometry, while also serving the vision needs of the local community and advancing research in the ophthalmic industry. The college offers bachelor's, master's and PhD programs in vision science, as well as a doctor of optometry degree.
Kathia Albañez OD '22 Receives College of Optometry 2022 Dean's Award and the 2022 Brian Lee Hill Memorial Award
No full textKathia Albañez OD '22 earned the 2022 Pacific University College of Optometry Dean's Award.Kathia Albañez OD '22 earned the 2022 Pacific University College of Optometry Dean's Award.
The Dean's Award recognizes overall academic excellence, leadership, community service, and a commitment to fulfill the values of Pacific University's mission"” someone who embodies the culture of the College of Optometry.
Albañez represented the interests of the Class of 2022 as a member of the dean's council and worked with administration to create town halls to discuss concerns and share opportunities for success when the pandemic hit and courses went online. She was also a member of the equity, diversity and inclusion task force and played a significant role in how the college moved forward with an EDI lens.
Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Albañez moved to California in seventh grade. Inspired by her own life, she looks forward to providing eye care to low-income communities in the future. She also enjoys educating Spanish-speaking patients and would like to work in a community health setting in San Diego.
She also was awarded the 2022 Brian Lee Hill Memorial Award, which was established in 2011 by Monty and Lilas Hill in honor of their son, an optometry student at Pacific, who died in a motor vehicle accident. This award provides monetary assistance to a deserving student who is chosen by their optometry school peers. The recipient is a student who brings the class together through friendship and leadership and who best embodies Hill's qualities of inspiration.
The College of Optometry prepares tomorrow's doctors of optometry, while also serving the vision needs of the local community and advancing research in the ophthalmic industry. The college offers bachelor's, master's and PhD programs in vision science, as well as a doctor of optometry degree.
Rebecca Felde OD '22 Earns College of Optometry 2022 Tole Greenstein Award, MS in Vision Science Thesis Award & MS Research Award
No full textRebecca Felde OD '22 was bestowed the 2022 Pacific University College of Optometry Tole Greenstein Award.Rebecca Felde OD '22 was bestowed the 2022 Pacific University College of Optometry Tole Greenstein Award. The award is presented to a student who demonstrates an outstanding contribution to vision therapy or pediatrics through research or clinical application.
Felde also earned the 2022 Best MS in Vision Science Thesis Award and shares the 2022 Best MS Research Award with Peiran Si '20, MS '22. The Best MS Research Award honors students in the master of science vision science program engaged in advanced study and research in the visual system.
The College of Optometry prepares tomorrow's doctors of optometry, while also serving the vision needs of the local community and advancing research in the ophthalmic industry. The college offers bachelor's, master's and PhD programs in vision science, as well as a doctor of optometry degree.