Monthly Archives: September 2014

More Social Media Talk

By Laura Gore Laura-Gore
Career Counselor
Career & Counseling Center

To follow up on last month’s Let’s Talk Social Media blog post, I wanted to add a little more perspective on the big picture. As the career counselor, social media and communication is something I get to talk about to classes and students fairly often, and I get that some of you may be thinking, “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. What’s the big deal anyway?” And I agree. It may not seem fair that you have to be careful about what you put on your personal page for friends or even like all this is an invasion of privacy.

In my job, I get contacted by companies who want to post a job or visit campus to recruit PUC students. If I’ve never heard of this company before, sometimes even while on the phone with them, what do you think is the first thing I do? I Google them, of course. Most of the time everything looks good and I’m happy to post the position or set up a visit, but there have been a few times where things weren’t matching up and it seemed a little shady. In that case, I’m not going to promote them or give them access to our students. Not a perfect example, but you get the idea.

This spring I talked to a business owner hoping to hire some college students. He asked me to share with students that the first thing he does when he gets a resume is Google the person. Often their Facebook profile will pop up and even if everything is set to private, that profile picture comes up. He shared about seeing people in their profile picture doing drugs and alcohol, or profiles full of inappropriate language, or negativity about their bosses, schools, etc., usually not set to private at all. Again, that may not seem fair but it’s freely out there for anyone to see, so of course an employer is going to see it too if they look.

Some things may even seem really innocuous to us, but may not be to an employer. Even if you weren’t doing anything negative at all, are you tagged in a picture or post that may seem like it? Do you have tons of personal information out there about you? What if you’re going into social work or education or medicine? Do you want all your clients and students to know your birthday, that you had a date last weekend, and all about your family and vacation? I don’t. I also don’t want something like my Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to affect my future, or give information I don’t mean to share to strangers. Information about you online follows you forever and there are no guarantees about privacy. Just look at the news to see examples of this. We all have our professional lives and our personal lives, but they can often overlap in ways that really matter to our future and possibilities.

So what can you do about this?

  • Google yourself. No joke, if someone else is going to, you should know too. Do it. Who knows, maybe a famous (or infamous) person has the same name.
  • Set up a LinkedIn account or another professional networking site where those results will come up for employers to see and reinforce the amazing professional you are working to be.
  • Check out these two sites to take control and don’t forget to set everything to private. Consider how you want to be perceived and make sure that that is the online presence you put out there.
    • http://simplewa.sh/about – This site goes through your Facebook and Twitter content and brings up anything (including likes and comments) that could possibly be considered problematic so you can delete it or set it to private.
    • http://brandyourself.com/ – This site is about moving the good stuff up on search results and minimizing the not-so-good.

Get to Know Daniel DeCaires, PUC SA President

Daniel Decaires

Last year, Daniel DeCaires decided he wanted to leave his mark on PUC and ran for Student Association President, and won. Now entering his senior year, he has big plans for our campus! As a kid from the public school system with no discernable connection to Adventism, I wanted to find out why Daniel decided to come to PUC and what made him fall in love with the school.

Daniel came to PUC because he wanted to do something different. He grew up within the public school system and was becoming disenchanted by the end of his high school career. Everything seemed to become so impersonal to him and he really wanted to be somewhere with a sense of togetherness and belonging. He recognized the people who graduated from PUC got more than just an education – they had people surrounding them who genuinely cared about their success beyond college, and who did their best to ensure students had the best possible experience while attending.

I asked Daniel to answer a few questions about his experience at PUC and his plans for his future.

Two favorite things about PUC
1.) The small class sizes. I’ve gotten to know my professors and build a relationship with each one as I’ve progressed throughout college.
2.) The aesthetics. This is one of the most beautiful regions in the Napa Valley and there are too many places to count which offer incredibly beautiful hikes and drives.

Favorite class at PUC
Management—Professor Nunes has seriously changed my life for the better and in addition to being my favorite professor he has become my mentor and dear friend. I have learned as much outside the classroom from him as inside. He is an awesome guy.

Career Goals
I plan to graduate with a degree in Business and immediately begin working at Kaiser Permanente as a financial analyst. Kaiser has already agreed to pay for my master’s degree as long as I stay with them for an additional three years after completion. Eventually I plan to start and oversee a fully operational medical clinic in either Central or South America, offering medical services to the underprivileged people of a developing country.

Why PUC?
Pacific Union College can be as great as you want it to be. You get to decide how involved you are and just how incredible of an experience you have. Up here, people care about you. If you’re having a bad day, people take notice and ask if you’re ok. What other college can you say that about? The teachers care about your education, even classes they don’t teach, and they truly care about you as a person. Your friends are always close by and someone is always willing to help you when you need it most. Overall, this college offers far more than an education, it offers an experience, and it is an experience you will never forget with people you’ll always have in your life.

A Letter from the the Director of Student Activities

Hello Future PUC Students (and Family) –

Allow myself to introduce … myself. My name is Doug Wilson and I’m the Director of Student Activities at Pacific Union College. With a title like that, it frequently leads to an obvious question: Why am I bald and have no friends? Wait, that’s two questions. What I meant to say is, what exactly does a Student Activities Director do? Let’s find out together, shall we?

My job allows me to work directly with campus clubs, which are all filled with fun, creative and talented students. Campus clubs provide endless opportunities for students to get involved, get to know other students, put on events and have a ton of fun!

I also get to work directly with our Student Association (SA) leaders, who are elected by the entire student body to represent them throughout the year. In particular, I work with our SA Social Vice President, Melissa Khoury. Get to know her. She is awesome. That is all. Melissa and I are responsible for putting on exciting events across campus and providing a fun environment for students in the evenings and on weekends. But anybody can say they do these things, right? So where’s the proof?

Fun Fact Numero Uno (which is Spanish for Number Uno) #1 – PUC is the best school ever. Period. End of sentence. End of discussion. It’s over. Don’t even try to argue with me. Period. Ever. Did I say period? I rest my case.

Fun Fact #2 – We have some super fun events planned, like:

  • Week of Welcome (an event every day during the first week of school),
  • Open Mic Nights
  • Slip-N-Slides
  • Glow in the Dark Bowling
  • Extreme Dodge Ball
  • Fancy Banquets
  • Pool parties,
  • Talent Shows

…and that’s just Fall quarter.

Fun Fact #3 – You are going to meet some incredible people at these events and – wait for it – possibly your future mate. PUC was recognized as having some of the smartest and most beautiful students in the nation. Just saying.

Fun Fact #4 – By getting involved with a campus club, ministry, intramurals, varsity athletics or student leadership your chance for academic success triples. Ok, I can’t confirm that specific data, but we do know that students who participate greatly enhance their intellectual and social development and overall happiness. Basically, if you want success get involved!

Is your mind blown yet? Well, it should be. But if not I have another crazy factoid for you: Did you know that a duck’s quack does not echo and no one knows why? This and other useless info is trapped inside my brain dying to get out.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed your time with me today – I know I have. Let’s recap what we’ve learned today, shall we? We learned that PUC is the best school. Ever. We learned that we have incredible opportunities for students through campus clubs and ministries. And we also discovered that PUC is a pretty fun place with events taking place all the time; almost like Disneyland, except without screaming kids, four hour lines to Pirates of the Caribbean, and bottles of water that cost $30 each. So, you’re welcome!

Feel free to contact me and ask how you can get involved. We are excited you are coming to PUC! We want you to come share your gifts, talents and skills with us right away. Get involved. Come be a participant – not a spectator.  Remember, sharing is Doug Wilsoncaring and that only you can prevent forest fires. Basically, come help make PUC great!

I look forward to sharing more fun factoids with you soon. Can’t wait to see all of you on campus!

Sir Douglas Scott Wilson

Welcome to Campus!

JRRogersOn behalf of the faculty, staff, and students at Pacific Union College, I want to welcome all the new students to our campus!

YOU DID IT!

It’s been a long road but you’re finally here! The Enrollment team and I feel blessed to have gotten the chance to work with each of you over this past year, and we couldn’t be more proud. The best part of our job, and what makes our crazy travel schedules worth it, is getting to know you. The personal connections we have with each of you make us invested in you and we’re excited to see the difference you’ll make to our PUC community these next four years.

As you begin to arrange your dorm room and get acquainted with your fellow classmates and the campus, please don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it! Your deans and RAs are great resources, as is the Class of 2018 Facebook group. You will meet your advisor this week as well, and they will be your main resource for making sure you’re on track to complete your degree. Lastly, your Financial Counselor will be your lifeline as you navigate through finances.

Here are a few links to a few helpful things as you prepare to land on-campus:

The schedule for New Student Orientation
A map of PUC’s campus
PUC’s mobile app, available for iPhones and iPads only

I want to personally thank you for being an amazing class and allowing us the pleasure of helping you on your journey to PUC. On behalf of the Enrollment office, we wish you the best this year!

God bless,

J.R. Rogers
Director of Recruitment
Enrollment Services
800.862.7080 option 2
enroll@puc.edu

Tips for an Organized Dorm Room

By Melissa Setterlund

Around this time of year, most incoming new students have received emails from their deans telling them where and with whom they will be spending the next nine months. This highly anticipated email also comes equipped with a list of things provided in each dorm room and things to remember to bring. (Read the “Your College Packing List” post for a list of suggested items.) When I was an incoming freshman and received that email, I thought to myself, “Great! But now what? What do I do to my room to make it my home away from home?” Our tastes may be completely different and these ideas might not work for you in particular but here are some suggestions to try out in your own dorm room.

Under Bed Storage

{via}

My biggest issue is organization. Where was I supposed to put all this stuff I insisted on packing into my car and driving to PUC all the way from Idaho? Luckily, I realized the height of my twin bed in my dorm room could be easily raised or lowered and I adjusted it to the perfect height to fit two large plastic bins underneath. I highly suggest utilizing the space under the bed and using those colorful Target bins to keep things organized. They work great for food and cutlery items; boxes of shoes and boots; scarves, hats, and gloves; and more. You can mix and match sizes and colors with items you don’t use as often in the back.

PUC Dorm 1

Once I had things organized, I really wanted to make my room look good. I went to Napa and stopped at Target to get a couple of accessories. I got short, cheap tension curtain rods and some colored curtains to make the closets look more tasteful. Next, I got a long tension rod and the blackout curtains for the main window. I definitely recommend getting blackout curtains for your room if you need the room to be dark in order to sleep.

PUC Dorm 2

Another thing that helped make the dorm feel more like home was fixing the walls since the all-white, stone block wall really bothered me. I found three black-and-white posters from AllPosters.com for a total of $15 and bought simple frames from Target to fit. My roommate made us two corkboard wall hangings so we used those as well. I used 3M Command Damage-Free Mounting adhesives to hang my frames and they worked great. Of course, no room is complete without pictures of your family, your friends, your pet, and vacation destinations. I also used the 3M adhesives to hang up pictures so that I felt more at home in my room.

My last suggestion would be to personalize your room to you. I have a friend who decorates her room based on the holiday – pumpkins for harvest, turkeys for Thanksgiving, lights and trees for Christmas, hearts for Valentine’s Day, and summer décor. Another friend of mine puts up Christmas lights year round to give her room a bit of ambiance.

If you’re looking for more tips, follow PUC’s Pinterest board dedicated to Dorm Decoration Ideas.

Your College Packing List

Move In Day

With the start of New Student Orientation only a few weeks away, we imagine you’ve started to pack for the next nine months. We know it can be overwhelming to try to think about all the things you will need throughout the year. Here’s a helpful list of things you probably want to bring with you for your move up to PUC:

Must haves:

  • Air-tight food storage containers
  • Bath towels and other personal toiletries
  • Bedding, including mattress cover
  • Circuit breaker power strip
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Computer and network card
  • Extra blanket
  • Hamper
  • Hangers
  • Headphones
  • Laundry detergent and dryer sheets
  • Quarters for laundry
  • Shower mat
  • Trash can and trash bags

Additional suggested items:

  • Adhesive hooks and strips (that come off cleanly)
  • Air fresheners
  • Bulletin board or dry erase board
  • Decorations, like photos of families and friends
  • Desk lamp
  • Magnets, push pins, and / or whiteboard markers
  • Microwave
  • Mini-fridge (must be four cubic feet or less)
  • Rainboots and umbrella
  • Small room fan
  • Small vacuum (not supplied by residence hall)
  • Sports equipment
  • Telephone (optional)

School supplies:

  • 3 hole punch
  • Backpack
  • Binders
  • Calculator
  • Highlighters
  • Index cards
  • Notebook paper
  • Notebooks
  • Pencils and pens
  • Planner
  • Post It Notes
  • Printer and paper
  • Stapler and staples
  • Tape

We definitely recommend you coordinate with your roommate so your room doesn’t end up with duplicates of the same items! For a list of what each residence hall room is already equipped with, as well as a list of residence hall facilities, check the New Students page of our website.

Despite even the best planning however, you may find out you’ve forgotten something invaluable, but don’t worry! Here is a list of stores nearby where you can find everything you need:

  • College Market (Angwin)
  • PUC Bookstore (Angwin)
  • Ace Hardware (Angwin)
  • Safeway (St. Helena)
  • Smiths Pharmacy (St. Helena)
  • Walmart (Napa)
  • Target (Napa)
  • World Market (Napa)
  • Office Depot (Napa)

We’re getting excited to have you on campus soon, and we hope you’re getting excited too!

Five Departments Every Student Should Know

Starting college can be challenging, but at Pacific Union College, we have great resources in place to help students succeed. Here are five departments at PUC every student should be familiar with:

Nelson Memorial Library

Nelson Memorial Library

In the age of Google, a lot of people think libraries are obsolete, but that’s definitely not the case! At the Nelson Memorial Library, books reside there of course, but also online databases, academic search engines, journal articles, and periodicals. There are also very knowledgeable librarians available to help you navigate these resources. If a book or article you need is at another library, you can borrow it for free through the interlibrary loan program. The library also has a computer lab available for students and free computer printing.

Records

You might not immediately think of the Records office as a go-to place for students, but you would be surprised. Change your major? Contact the Records office. Find your academic advisor? Contact the Records office. Will credits from another college transfer to PUC? Contact the Records office. Want to reserve a classroom in Irwin Hall for a study session? Yep, contact the Records office. Need to track your degree progress? You know it—contact the Records office.

Student Finance

Preparing for college can be confusing enough without throwing finances into the mix. Thankfully, our five Financial Counselors are here to help. If you have questions about how to fill out the FAFSA, learning about the differences between a subsidized and unsubsidized loans, or finding out how many hours per week you can reasonably work to help pay your school bill, the Student Finance office can talk with you about your specific situation.

Teaching and Learning Center

The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) offers free group tutoring Sunday through Thursday for more than 25 different courses, ranging from business to languages to science. Most lower-division GE courses have tutoring options available. If you’re struggling with a class but don’t see a tutoring option available, talk with the helpful TLC staff and they can set you up with a small group or an individual tutor. There’s also a writing lab available to students who would like input and direction on writing papers—take advantage of this service!

For those with learning disabilities, be sure to contact the Disabilities Support Service Coordinator in the TLC when you are on campus.

Career and Counseling Center

Some of you may not have figured out what you want to study, and we’re here to tell you it’s okay to be undecided! Our Career and Counseling Center has a career counselor who loves talking with students about career options as well as resume preparation, interview skills, and more.

For those in need of personal counseling (for whatever reason), PUC’s caring, qualified counselors are available to talk with you.