Spring | A Time for Revitalizing the Events Calendar

Moshofsky at Patton Valley Winery

By Ginger Moshofsky

Now that I have been here all of four months, I am more excited than ever to plan, implement and create interesting and fun events that will get all of us together.

I have loved getting to know many of you and I loved meeting the Alumni Board and the Trustees a few weeks ago. I also had a wonderful time with the Golden Guard on March 14 and am already thinking about how I can get together and visit with them again.

I heard of an event done successfully at another school that I would love to do here. It is an event that would bring the 1960s to life as a theatrical experience through the reading of letters and journals written to and from students while they were in school at Pacific. It's called the Pacific Letters Project. If you come across your journals from college, please consider submitting them to alumni@pacificu.edu or by postal mail.

Alumni Relations staff at Patton Valley winery

I am thinking about ways to integrate more family friendly events and opportunities at Homecoming and throughout the year.

How about a croquet game where the wickets are costumed theater students who may or may not stand still as you try to play through.

You and your family can look forward to the Boxer Bingo game we are creating for Homecoming 2013.

The Alumni Relations staff recently visited local wineries to plan the wine tour during Homecoming weekend which sparked many ideas on possible events we can plan throughout the year.

I would love to design an arts season where for one price and one registration, you could attend a variety of musical and theatrical performances and gallery exhibitions by current Pacific students, with a dessert reception before or after the show.

I am busy planning the Trivia PUB Night featuring Byron Steiger at the Lucky Lab in May. There will be rivalry, revelry and prizes. You can view all of the upcoming events at www.pacificu.edu/alumni.

I would love to know your thoughts. Do you like any of these ideas? Do you have ideas of your own? Please share with us. Call, email or come by and visit. The Abbott Alumni Center, 2209 Cedar Street, is your home on the Pacific campus in Forest Grove.

You are always welcome to come home!

Moshofsky is the assistant director of alumni relations and can be reached at ginger@pacificu.edu or 503-352-2828. In her spare time, Moshofsky enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, volunteering as vice president of Mask and Mirror Community Theatre and writes stories about her hometown of Tualatin for The Oregonian.

Giving Baby Weight the Boot

Jenni Luckett

I’m sore.

It’s kind of sad, really. I didn’t actually exercise on Friday. I just completed a baseline fitness test that involved repeatedly stepping up and down on a stool about the height of my knees for five minutes.That act alone, however, led to a weekend of achy…um…let’s say gluts and hamstrings.

I guess that’s just more evidence for why I need to do a better job of consistently getting exercise.

Luckily, Pacific offers a pretty cool perk each spring for its employees, in the form of a learning experience for students majoring in exercise science. As part of their course work, exercise science students sign on to act as “personal trainers” to employees in an annual event called Boxer Boot Camp. The students get the real-life learning experience of meeting one-on-one with clients, conducting fitness tests and monitoring progress, and designing personalized workouts. Employees like me get 10 weeks of personal coaching to help establish better exercise habits. Win-win!

My trainer is Trevor Schongalla, a senior hoping to start working toward a doctorate in physical therapy next fall. He’s pro-water consumption, anti-fad diet and much nicer than the scary boot camp, yell-in-your-face trainers you might see in some movies. (At least, I think so…our first full session is this afternoon.)

On Friday, Trevor spent about an hour talking about my goals and health—I think my son’s second birthday in November probably was the limit for blaming my extra pounds on “baby weight”—then putting me through a few baseline fitness tests, like the 5-minute stair steps, which, to be fair, didn’t seem that hard at the time.

I don’t really know how I did. Between the body measurements in centimeters and the strength tests in newtons, I mostly learned that exercise science isn’t about hanging out in the gym; it’s a scientific field that requires a deep understanding of biology, the human body, and even math. Trevor also assures me that exercise science students are skilled in Microsoft Excel, and he’ll be charting my progress for me.

Jenni Luckett, Senior Writer

In turn, I’ll be sharing my progress with you. Maybe not all the charts and measurements, as a girl needs a little privacy, but definitely my experiences with one of the most popular undergraduate degree programs here at Pacific.

Luckett is the editor of the PACIFIC Magazine. Follow her editor's blog at  http://www.pacificu.edu/magazine/category/section/editors-blog

Preventing Childhood Obesity

Jenna Boundy, PT '12

I had the wonderful opportunity to complete a clinical internship at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. The facility provided a healthy lifestyles clinic where a physical therapist, physician, psychologist and dietician collaborate to provide care for children who are overweight and/or obese. Two of our patients were 10 and 11 year-old sisters. Each weighed around 170 pounds and showed early signs of Type II diabetes.

After my visit with these young girls, I wondered about the future health struggles they will endure over their lifetimes if they do not make changes early. Not yet teenagers, they may have to worry about multiple daily insulin shots. By age 40, they may face peripheral neuropathy, blindness or amputation.

I give a lot of credit to the healthy lifestyles clinic to help overweight/obese children and their families adopt  healthy behaviors. Unfortunately, we are not promoting prevention of childhood obesity at early ages. Obesity at any age can cause cardiovascular disease, many forms of cancer, Type II diabetes and hypertension, all of which will greatly increase medical costs. Being an advocate and a positive role model for your own children and the children in our community is essential. It is the only way we will create change and reduce the obesity epidemic.

Since, 1980 childhood obesity rates have tripled. Currently, 17 percent of children ages 2-19 are obese nationwide (www.cdc.gov). Many overweight children often are not given the opportunity to develop a lifestyle of balanced, healthy meals and physical activity that they enjoy. There are many reasons and barriers why obesity levels have risen over the past 30 years. We can blame it on an abundance of processed foods, a decrease in the physical activity provided in our schools, the increase in screen time and prevalence of sedentary jobs, increase in the cost of food, the decreased time we have to be active and cook healthy meals. The list goes on. The great thing is we have control to solve some of the issues which have led to the high obesity rates, while others provide opportunity for adaption.

Here are some tips to help build a well-rounded healthy lifestyle for you and your family.

• Instead of watching TV every night, go for a family walk. You can always record or watch your show online later. If you live in a neighborhood that is not conducive for family walks, ride your bikes or drive to a school track for some quality exercise time.

• Take the time to cook a nutritious meal. Many websites offer healthy, low-cost recipes that are easy to fix. If you don’t have access to a computer, use the local public library’s computers or check out a cookbook.

• Sit down as a family for dinner time. Multiple studies have shown that eating together as a family not only decreases obesity rates, but can also build a positive support system.

• Limit screen time (TV and computers) to less than 1 hour per day. Evidence shows that increased screen time increases the risk of obesity.

• Decrease the amount of time you sit at work. Stand up to do some of your work and walk during your breaks and lunch.

• Make a contract. Contracts make us accountable for our actions. As a family, sign contracts stating all the realistic changes you want to make in your life.

• Create a reward system. A great family motivator may be a visit to a water park, a family hike or a day trip at the beach. All of these activities are fun and promote a continuation of physical activity.

With the new school year starting, I challenge you to make healthy changes in your life. Not only will you be happier with yourself, you’ll be a great role model for your family and our community. Become a catalyst that will empower others to make changes and decrease the risk of obesity. Just remember to make little changes every day, create realistic goals and be accountable for your actions. Be the change!


Boundy, PT '12 graduated with a doctorate in the physical therapy. After graduation, she plans to work in the realm of orthopaedics and hopes one day to provide low-cost preventive services that will reduce the risk of childhood and adult obesity.