Pacific Alumni Blog

Boxer Book Club: A Leader's Legacy | Question 1

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:50:00 +0000

What is the greatest lesson you learned in reading a Leader's Legacy?

Boxer Book Club Sparks Interest of Students

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Tyler Atwood '09, student coordinator of the Writing Resource Center, recently submitted a Letter to the Editor of the Pacific University Index opposing the Boxer Book Club selection of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

Read Tyler's comments here.

The following issue of the Index featured two Letters to the Editor and an editorial on the topic.

Read the Letter to the Editor by Jan Nerenberg '09.

Read the Letter to the Editor by Tabith Rogers '11.

Read the editorial.

Comments of this type (and reactions to them) are welcome on the Boxer Book Club blog. The blog is meant as a medium for conversation. Boxer Book Club is open to the entire University community.

Boxer Book Club: Twilight | Question 1

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Twilight is the first of a four part series. It was released in 2005 and instantly reached #5 on the New York Times Best Seller List. The Twilight series reportedly sold 22 million last year. Meyer has claimed that she did not intend to write the book for a particular audience, and although it is categorized as young adult fiction, it has garnered popularity across generations. What makes this book so compelling?

Boxer Book Club: Twilight | Question 2

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:48:00 +0000

One of the strongest themes throughout Twilight is resistance of temptation. What relevance does this have in modern culture?

Boxer Book Club: Twilight | Question 3

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Many critics of Twilight cite Meyer’s writing as low-quality. What expectation or standards should the reader have for this type of book or books in general?

Boxer Book Club: Twilight | Question 4

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:42:00 +0000

Twilight and Stephanie Meyer have gained as many foes as fans. What makes the public so vehement about this work?

Boxer Book Club: Twilight | Question 5

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:41:00 +0000

Bella is shown to be weaker than her vampire counterparts, male and female. Bella is also shown to be accident prone and in constant need of rescue. As a consequence Twilight has often been criticized as anti-feminist and offensive to women. Do you think this is true? What relevance do gender roles in contemporary literature have in contemporary society?

Book Club: Indian Creek Chronicles | Question 1

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:20:00 +0000

Indian Creek Chronicles is now in its second printing. What makes this book so successful?

Alumni Holiday Wishes

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:02:00 +0000

Although the calendar tells us that winter is more than a month away, it feels like winter today. Halloween is just barely behind us yet the stores have already had winter holiday decorations and wrapping paper in stock for weeks. Egg nog prevails at every coffee shop.

As the holiday season begins, we in the alumni office would like to know -- what do you wish for this season?

There are many things the alumni office can assist with:

•we can connect you to those who provide official transcripts
•we plan reunions and other events to help you connect with Pacific University and with your classmates
•we can help you locate a friend from school who you may have lost touch with
•we can keep you updated on the latest events and news at your alma mater
•we congratulate all new parents with a baby t-shirt to welcome their infant in to the Pacific University family
•we can connect alumni with resources to advance their career

But is there something more you wish for this year?

Whether or not we can help, we want to hear your wishes. All wishes submitted to will be entered to win a Pacific University pride pack, including a Pacific University sweatshirt.

•Do you wish for your favorite team to win this year?
•Are you wishing for world peace?
•Are you wishing for a new flat screen tv?
•Are you wishing for airfare to go down so you can visit your grandchild an extra time this year?

Submit your wishes by commenting below.

Book Club: Into the Wild | Question 1

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Did Chris McCandless love "truth" more than relationships? Are they mutually exclusive?

Book Club: Into the Wild | Question 2

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:53:00 +0000

What mistakes, if any, did Chris make before going to Alaska?

Book Club: Into the Wild | Question 3

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:53:00 +0000

What do think caused Chris to embark on his journey?

Book Club: Into the Wild | Question 4

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:52:00 +0000

What do you think of Krakauer’s insertion of himself into the narrative? Did it add or detract from Chris’ story? Did it help you understand Chris’ own motives?

Book Club: Into the Wild | Question 5

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:52:00 +0000

What significance, if any, do you attach to the note Chris left in the margins of Dr. Zhivago: “Happiness only real when shared” as he neared the end of his life?

Book Club: Into the Wild | Question 6

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:51:00 +0000

Did you find the book suspenseful? Why or why not?

Book Club: Into the Wild | Question 7

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:51:00 +0000

Contrast McCandless' feelings about his family with his family's feelings about him in Into the Wild.

Book Club: Into the Wild | Question 8

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:50:00 +0000

How did Into the Wild impact you?

Book Club: Boom! | Question 1

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Brokaw covers many issues in Boom! including race, politics, Vietnam, women’s rights, drug culture and counter culture. Do you feel he leaves anything out? What else might Brokaw have used to define the 1960s?

Book Club: Boom! | Question 2

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Brokaw has mentioned several times that the acts that took place in the 1960s are shaping our lives today. Do you agree?

Book Club: Boom! | Question 3

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Former president Bill Clinton is quoted in Boom! saying, “If you thought something good came out of the Sixties, you’re probably a Democrat; if you thought the Sixties were bad, you’re probably a Republican.” What do you think of the Sixties? Were the results positive or negative?

Book Club: Boom! | Question 4

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:28:00 +0000

Boom! is often described as a “reunion of the Class of 1968.” Are you from this generation? What are your thoughts on the book as a “reunion?”

Book Club: Boom! | Question 5

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Did you miss the 1960s by being born too late? Does this book still resonate with you?

Book Club: Boom! | Question 6

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:20:00 +0000

Were you a student at Pacific University between 1963 and 1974? How do Brokaw’s descriptions of the time fit in to your memories of life at Pacific?

Book Club: Boom! | Question 7

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Where were you when? Share your story of the 1960s

Book Club: Suite Française | Question 1

noreply@blogger.com (Pacific University Alumni) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 01:03:00 +0000

The novelist, who herself fled Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion, wrote the book virtually while the occupation was happening, most likely making Suite Française the first work of fiction about World War II. How do you think she managed to write while she herself was in jeopardy? Do you think it was easier for her to capture the day-to-day realities of life under occupation? In what ways might the book have been different if she had survived and been able to write Suite Française years after the war?