In this issue…
Current News
The Hiding Place production resumes this weekend
From left: Sarah Gorton, Haley Prizzi, Kiana Miskel, Jacob Nye, Samantha Cockrell, Joshua Hoefling are almost caught by a window washer during prayer before dinner in “The Hiding Place.” (Photo by Jessica Bills)
California Baptist University’s production of The Hiding Place will continue this Thursday, Feb. 26, and end on Saturday, Feb. 28.
The play tells the story of Corrie ten Boom and her family, who lived under the shadow of World War II Nazism. The ten Boom family lead lives of service, providing a hiding place for people fleeing the Nazis. The story takes the audience from a cozy clock shop in Haarlem, Holland, to the nightmare of the Ravensbruck concentration camp and back to hope again.
Frank Mihelich, director of the production and assistant professor of theatre, remembers reading the book in high school and staying up all night to read it.
“It’s just a compelling story,” he said. “We want to start inclusive conversations about faith, so we want to tell stories that are either dead-on about the gospel or just about humanity.”
Kiana Miskel, a junior theatre major, plays Corrie ten Boom.
“I think the biggest challenge that I have faced with playing this role is the fear of failing to give justice to such an incredible human being and tell her story the way that it needs to be told,” she said. “Being able to hear what these people went through at one of the darkest times in our history and were still able to put their faith and trust in Christ through it all has been so inspiring.”
She said the issues the play presents aren’t difficult to handle, but they are emotionally draining.
“I think it is worth it to really tap into what these people went through at that time,” she said. “It is an important story to be told, and I am proud to be a part of this beautiful production.
Corrie’s faith also touched Mihelich.
“The thing that struck me the most, even when I read the book when I was a kid, was that she had that slogan, and it appears in the play – ‘there is no pit so deep that Jesus is not deeper yet,’” he said. “Light shines the brightest in darkness.”
“I think often about my first-world problems – my latte isn’t hot,” he added.
Performances began Feb. 20 and will resume Thursday, Feb. 26, through Saturday, Feb. 28, with performances each evening at 7:30 p.m. and a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee. General admission tickets are $15, with discounts offered for matinees, senior citizens and CBU students, faculty, staff and alumni.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Wallace Theatre box office at 951-343-4319.
Sitcom actor Jim O’Heir comes to CBU campus
Jim O’Heir
California Baptist University students took a break from homework Feb. 17 to watch the next-to-last episodes of the NBC comedy “Parks and Recreations” live with cast member Jim O’Heir, who plays the character of Jerry Gergich.
O’Heir was invited by longtime friend Dr. Jim Buchholz, professor of mathematics and physics, who planned the event for the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design.
The event consisted of an hour-long interview performed by Buchholz in front of a packed auditorium followed by a question and answer period. O’Heir then watched two new episodes with the students while meeting and greeting fans in the process.
During the interview, O’Heir began by discussing his decision in taking on the role of Jerry. His agents opposed his joining the cast for fear that he may not get many lines and become an extra on the set.
“To me it was such a no brainer. These were the people who created Phyllis from ‘The Office’ and Stanley,” he said. “I thought, if only that could happen to me … and it did.”
O’Heir talked about the day-to-day life on the set.
“I have been on many shows over the years, and some sets are tough to be on,” he said. “People don’t talk, people don’t get along. There was never an argument on the set of ‘Parks and Recreations’ in 125 episodes. They are just all great people and we all meshed.”
O’Heir discussed the show coming to an end. He and the rest of the cast will appear on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” after the series finale Feb. 24.
“It was tough. We still text every day. It’s like we can’t break away yet,” he said. “I have the feeling when we do Seth Meyers next week it will be an even tougher goodbye, because that will be the last grouping of us.”
“The meet and greet was great,” said Austin Robinson, a business administration junior. “He was engaging the audience with jokes.”
Although “Parks and Recreations” is coming to an end, O’Heir has big plans for his future. Currently, he is raising funds for a new project titled “Middleman,” a dark comedy in which he plays the lead role.
Runners hit their stride in 5th annual Lancer 5000
Participants in the Lancer 5000 cross the finish line.
More than 300 runners and walkers participated in the 5th annual Lancer 5000 on the campus of California Baptist University Feb. 14.
Organized by CBU’s track and cross country program and sponsored by Lexus of Riverside, the event featured a 1K Kiddie Run at 7:30 a.m., followed by the 5K at 8 a.m. Awards were presented to the top participants in each age group, and the top three overall male and female runners were honored. Proceeds went to the CBU cross country and track program.
The top three male runners were Tyler Janes, who ran a time of 15:17.110, followed by Gabe Hernandez with 15:22.594 and Matthew Klein with 15:37.924. The top three female runners were Jennifer Sandoval, who ran a time of 18:18.297, followed by Emily Sanchez with 19:15.444 and Cassandra Boyd with 19:23.147.
“I saw all the older guys, and I wasn’t sure (about my chances),” said Janes, a junior at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside. “But when I got out on the track I felt good, and I decided to go for it towards the end.”
“It was a very challenging and fun course,” Klein said. “It was a beautiful day to run, and I’m very happy that we had some of the fastest high school runners (participating).”
A raffle awarded prizes ranging from gift cards to theme park passes. The event also featured a free breakfast sponsored by Chick-fil-A and free massages provided by Corona Physical Medicine.
“We were excited with the turnout,” said Sean Henning, assistant cross country and track coach and race director. “Having this many people come out and support is great. We hope to grow the event and make it bigger each year.”
Results by age division included:
0-10 Division: Jennifer Lopez: 20:26.764; Markow Allura: 21:19.664; Sanchez Dhannasshy: 25:44.334; Blake Moore: 47:56.580
11-14 Division: Caitlin Miller: 20:54.177; Lanie Schemenauer: 21:11.674; Joelle Ramos: 21:16.014; Jordi Peiro: 17:40.304; Edgar Gonzalez: 17:41.600; Jacob Moran: 18:08.707
15-19 Division: Valeria Ramirez: 19:28.477; Julie Diaz: 19:51.837; Kathryn Hammar: 20:05.074; Rolando Phalen: 15:46.197; Daniel Gonzalez: 16:00.444; Erik Gonzalez: 16:02.994
20-29 Division: Jacqueline Lutz: 20:37.450; Stephanie Curnow: 23:06.394; Melissa Booth: 23:23.180;Justin Wireman: 16:01.737; Antonio Sanchez: 16:31.037; Zachary Oliver: 16:44.034
30-39 Division: Erin Pope: 24:37.970; Andrea Morey: 26:52.667; Jacqui Contreras: 26:54.074; Isaac Gallardo: 19:24.790; Moses Vasquez: 20:13.014: Josh Morey: 21:02.547
40-49 Division: Beatrice Avila: 24:09.254; May Dai: 25:20.177; Georgette Chavez 25:30.994; Victor Garcia: 18:41.790; Brad Peters: 20:08.530; Paul Avila: 21:54.077
50-59 Division: Lisa Sherman: 23:31.214; Sandy Whitt: 26:21.517; Beth Thomas: 27:13.910; Neil Smart: 18:28.614; Andrew Benavidez: 20:16.424; Fredrick Martinez: 22:38.154
60-69 Division: Carolyn Greywood: 26:46.087; Vicki Snyder: 30:02.854; Tanya Mauldin: 39:06.907; Jeffrey Kinzel: 21:18.350; Stephen Posegate: 24:49.454; Isamu Long: 28:56:580
70 – 95 Division: Linda Lang: 46:04.807; Madeline Stilwell: 46:35.354; Bill Kennedy: 32:00.410; Robert Stilwell: 55:42.620
Family Updates
Dr. Charles Sands
Dr. Charles Sands, dean of the College of Allied Health, presented Introduction to the College of Allied Health to the Riverside Sunrise Rotary Club on Feb. 13.
Dr. Candace Vickers at ASHA headquarters
Dr. Candace Vickers, associate professor of communication disorders, chaired the Ad Hoc Committee on the International Classification of Functioning, Health and Disability (ICF) at the American Speech Language Hearing Association executive offices in Rockville, Md. in early February. ICF is a classification framework from the World Health Organization. The purpose of the committee is to find ways to help the national membership use the framework during assessment and treatment of clients. Members of the committee were scholars from the U.S., Australia and Canada, representing the fields of audiology and speech language pathology.
Dr. Beverly Howard
Dr. Beverly Howard, professor of music, has had two recent publications. Streams of Song: Developing a New Hymnal for the Presbyterian Church (USA) is a chapter in the new text The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices, and Politics, published by Springer Press. She also co-authored a six-week Adult Lenten study, Will You Come and Follow Me, published by The Thoughtful Christian, an online ecumenical resource center sponsored by Westminister John Knox Press.
Dr. William Flores with his plaque of appreciation.
Dr. William Flores, associate professor of Spanish, made a presentation titled Strategies for the Teaching of Literature at the Undergraduate Level: A Didactic Proposal at the Annual Conference of the Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) held at CBU on Feb. 7. Flores also was recognized for his service as president of the AATSP-Roger Anton Chapter. In addition, Ruth Flores, lecturer of English for Online & Professional Studies, made a presentation titled Three Ways to Engage and Inspire Your Students in the Fully Online Elementary Spanish Classroom at the conference.
Kenneth George
Kenneth George, assistant professor of finance for Online and Professional Studies, served as a judge for the Christian Speech and Debate Tournament Feb. 21 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland. The tournament was sponsored by Stoa, a national high school and junior high speech and debate organization serving the needs of Christian homeschooling families.
Gavin and Jennifer Andrew with their sons, Calvin Jay and Everett Joseph.
Gavin Andrew, graduate admissions counselor, and his wife Jennifer welcomed their second son on Feb. 8. Everett Joseph Andrew weighed 8 lbs. 10 ozs. and measured 21 inches. His brother, Calvin Jay Andrew, is 2.
Courtney Janae Billingsley (right) is the daughter of Samantha Greer, department secretary in facilities and planning services. She is pictured with her dad, Kevin Greer.
Courtney Janae Billingsley and her partner won first place at the Riverside Unified School District Science and Engineering Fair, with her project Proving Faraday’s Law. She will compete in the RIMS Inland Science and Engineering Fair April 6-7 at the National Orange Show in San Bernardino. Billingsley is the daughter of Samantha Greer, department secretary in facilities and planning services.
Personnel Updates
