University_of_the_Pacific's blog

The fifth annual Open World Jazz Concert – an evening of jazz with Brubeck Institute musicians and visiting jazz musicians from Russia – will be held at the Empire Theater on the Miracle Mile this year. The concert starts at 8 p.m. November 13, and will feature the renowned jazz trumpeter Nicholas Payton with the Open World Jazz Quintet (OWJQ) and the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet (BIJQ).

All future buildings and building renovations that cost more than $1 million at University of the Pacific will be green. The University’s Board of Regents approved the new policy at their fall meeting in Stockton this month. The new green building policy will take effect Jan. 1, 2010.

The policy calls for new buildings to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) “Silver”-level certification requirements. Pacific will also secure a cost estimate for LEED certification or equivalent of all renovation projects costing more than $1 million.

The University recently opened its first LEED-certified building – the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center – in 2008. It was the first LEED-certified building in San Joaquin County. Over the summer, the University also broke ground on the new John T. Chambers Technology Center which also will be LEED certified.

Just like their subject matter, movies about vampires just never seem to die. This year is proving that true with several vampire movies set for release in the next month, from the next “Twilight” movie to the comedy “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire Assistant.”

That’s because the films about the mythical undead creatures also share an ability that vampires have – they can take on many forms, from horror films to romantic dramas and even to goofball comedies, said film and literature professor Amy Smith.

The many variations of vampire flicks will be explored during a two-day course offered by the Center for Professional and Continuing Education at University of the Pacific on Dec. 5 and 6. The course, titled “Living Dead: Vampires in Film and Fiction,” is open to the community and can be taken for college credits.

Stockton’s Downtown Arena will feature top-ranked college basketball Wednesday, Dec. 9 when the Pacific Tigers face off against the Cal Golden Bears, currently predicted to win the Pac-10 title. The game marks the 30th meeting in school history between these two teams and the first time an NCAA Division I basketball will be played at the Stockton Arena.

The Stockton Showcase promises to be an exciting athletic event that will provide a tremendous exposure for the City of Stockton and provide the opportunity to highlight the many features the city offers the region, from college and professional sports to the Bob Hope Theatre and the many restaurants and nightclubs in the city. In addition, it will give many people the chance to experience all the non-stop action and excitement of Pacific Basketball.

Experts on sexual assault will join students, staff and community members at University of the Pacific’s Don and Karen DeRosa University Center Ballroom on Oct. 29 for a day-long discussion on consent and sex. Nationally recognized campus safety expert Brett Sokolow, Pacific law professor Ruth Jones and Joelle Gomez, executive director of the Women’s Center of San Joaquin County, are among the many guest speakers and panelists.

They will talk about definitions of consent and sexual assault, how alcohol and drugs affect consent, intoxication and victimization, and bystander responsibilities. The event is free and open to the public.

During the week of Oct. 18, the Stockton community will be treated to four concerts, an art show, two short film festivals and a symposium. And they all will have one thing in common – they all will be Italian.

University of the Pacific will host the Festival of Italian Music and Culture from Oct. 18 through Oct. 24. Featured artists include the Prometeo String Quartet, composer/performer Matteo Pennese, cellist Walter Prati and visual artist Antonella Bersani.  Pennese, Prati and Bersani will jointly present a multi-media performance. There also will be a concert featuring the music of Verdi and Mascagni, an Italian Cabaret, and two presentations of Italian short films by emerging filmmakers.

On Sept. 30, Asra Nomani, a Georgetown University Professor, an activist for Muslim reform, and an Islamic feminist, will deliver the Colliver Lecture on Pacific’s campus. Nomani’s inspiration stems from her struggles with her mosque in West Virginia, where she became the first woman to insist on the right to pray among males in a main hall. The New York Times has claimed that Nomani’s actions were “Rosa Parks-style activism.”

Nomani is the author of two books, “Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam,” and “Tantrika: Traveling the Road of Divine Love.” Publishers Weekly stated, “Through memorable personal narrative, Nomani gently instructs readers about Islam and her role as a woman in it.”

Nomani said that University of the Pacific is an appropriate forum for the topic, because in 1871 the University became the first independent co-ed campus in California.