STOCKTON – University of the Pacific again this fall becomes the regional center of education, culture, entertainment and athletics.
The events extend Pacific’s long tradition of community engagement and include lectures and presentations, music performances, art exhibits, collegiate athletics, and – for the first time in 18 years – Homecoming. The events listed here are open to the public and many of them are free.
LATINO HERITAGE MONTH, Aug. 27 – Oct. 19: Pacific will mark Latino Heritage Month throughout the fall, opening with an exhibit by Enrique Chagoya on display Aug. 27 to Sept. 20 at the Reynolds Gallery. A second exhibit at the Reynolds Gallery – “Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1962” – will run from Sept. 20 to Oct. 19. And Noche de Musica, a night featuring folk music from throughout the Spanish-speaking world, is 7-10 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Bechtel International Center at Pacific. These events are sponsored by the Pacific Arts and Lectures Committee.
POWWOW, Aug. 30 – Sept. 1: Pacific’s Native American Students Association and the Stockton Community Powwow Committee bring the 32nd annual Stockton Labor Day Powwow to the lawn north of the Wendell Phillips Center at Pacific. Everyone is welcome to experience this gathering of indigenous people of the West and to share their songs, dances, drums, arts, crafts, foods, and more. Intertribal dancing songs are sung and everyone dances to the beat of the drum. Call Pacific’s Multicultural Center at 209.946.7707 or email the center at multiculturalcenter@pacific.edu for more information.
RELIGION LECTURE, Sept. 19, Thursday: University of Notre Dame religious studies professor Candida Moss, author of “The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom,” presents “Why did the early Christians die as martyrs?” in the 2013 Colliver Lecture 7-9 p.m. in the DeRosa University Center Ballroom at Pacific.
HOMECOMING, Oct. 18 – 20: The excitement is building as Pacific brings back Homecoming. A great weekend is planned to celebrate the fall rite of passage, including alumni reunions, Midnight Mania Basketball, a children’s fair and more. Old friendships will be renewed and new ones will begin amid the exhilaration of a new school year and autumn on campus. Call 209.946.2391 or email homecoming@pacific.edu for more information.
CONCERT, Oct. 19, Saturday: The Pacific Conservatory of Music, the oldest music conservatory in the Western United States, this year celebrates its 135th anniversary. An anniversary concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. during Homecoming weekend. Information on other performances by Pacific’s fine ensembles, orchestras, bands and soloists is available at go.Pacific.edu/MusicEvents.
AUTHOR SPEAKS, Nov. 5, Tuesday: Rebecca Skloot, author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” will lecture beginning at 7 p.m. in Grace Covell Hall. Skloot’s book, which took more than a decade to research and instantly became a New York Times best seller, tells the fascinating story of a poor Southern tobacco farmer, Henrietta Lacks, whose cells live on as HeLa. Unknown to her or her family, scientists used her cells to help develop modern-day medicine. This event is sponsored by the Pacific Arts and Lectures Committee.
PHOTO EXHIBIT, Nov. 19, Tuesday: Project Unbreakable is a photographic exhibit featuring more than 1,500 compelling images of survivors of sexual assault holding posters displaying shocking quotes from their attackers. Project Breakable founder Grace Brown and project director Kaelyn Siversky will discuss the exhibit 7-9 p.m. at the Janet Leigh Theatre. Their talk will include a slideshow and discussion of the prevalence and dynamics of sexual assault on the college campus, among other issues. This event is co-sponsored by Gender Studies and Pacific Arts and Lectures Committee.
