An audio recording of an oral history of Heather Higginbotham Johansen, Pacific University Class of 1974, recounting memories of her time at Pacific as a college student. Topics covered in the recording include: being an Elementary Education major in the early 1970s; meeting her husband at Pacific; strict rules for the women's dormitories; how her classes were fairly easy for the first two years of college; problems with how education was taught and current issues in elementary education in the 2020s; memories of Khiem (Tim) and Thuy (Cathy) Tran, two Vietnamese students for whom Pacific's Tran Library would later be named; and memories of the Vietnam War period at Pacific.
An audio recording of an oral history of Amber Benton, Pacific University Class of 2009, recounting memories of her time at Pacific as a college student. Topics covered in the recording include: what it was like to be a first-generation student and one of very few Black students at Pacific in the 2000s; living on campus for four years; serving as an RA (Resident Assistant) in Burlingham Hall; serving as a Student Ambassador; becoming involved with Nā Haumāna O Hawai'i, Pacific's Hawaiian student club; performing at Lu'au; going whitewater rafting with Pacific's Outdoor Pursuits; being a Spanish major and participating in Spanish Club; impressions of Pacific's Black Student Union and Black Alumni Chapter after she graduated; changes she has observed at Pacific since she graduated; memories of Pacific's President Phil Creighton; how her time at Pacific connected to her current work in diversity, equity and inclusion; being the victim of a racial hate incident while she was an RA; lack of awareness or celebration of Black culture while she was a student; the value of Pacific's education and how it encouraged critical thinking skills.
An audio recording of an oral history of Bruce Bishop, Pacific University Class of 1968, recounting memories of his time at Pacific as a college student. The main topic of the recording is Bruce's memories of Pacific University's mascot, Boxer, including: the Boxer "Toss" and "Flash" events; the original Boxer statue's disappearance in 1969 and Bruce's involvement in its recovery over 50 years later in 2024; his involvement in commissioning the Boxer III replica in 2018; and the theft and recovery of Boxer III from Tran Library in 2019. Bruce also discusses: being at Pacific during the political events of the late 1960s; meeting his wife at Pacific; Pacific's dining hall being moved from McCormick Hall to Washburne Hall; connections with fraternities including his own, Gamma Sigma; and his opinions on what "Boxer Spirit" means for Pacific students.
An audio recording of an oral history of Marissa Williams, Pacific University Class of 2019, recounting memories of her time at Pacific as a college student. The main topic of the interview is how she perceived diversity, equity and inclusion issues at Pacific during the late 2010s, including: her work with the Center for Gender Equity (CGE) and its director, Martha Rampton; the controversy around CGE's posters advertising The Vagina Monologues play in 2018; and the beginning of the Student Multicultural Center. Other topics covered briefly in the recording include: becoming a Gender and Sexuality Studies minor; participation in Delta Chi Delta and Student Senate; serving as a First Year Seminar (FYS) student mentor; memories of campus after the election of President Trump in 2018; and how her experience at Pacific helped her current work in advocacy in the 2020s.
An audio recording of an oral history of Patrice Fuller, Pacific University Class of 2016, briefly recounting memories of her time at Pacific as a college student. Topics covered in the recording include: her service as the Cultural Chair of Pacific's ACE Board; partnering with the Hispanic Heritage Association and the Black Student Union on events such as the Soul Food Dinner; responding to the Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown shootings; hosting awareness events such as film screenings; how her service helped her later in work such as event planning; hosting slam poets such as Kane Smego; and attending conferences and a social justice retreat.
An audio recording of an oral history of Donna Maxey Easter, Pacific University Class of 1970, recounting memories of her time at Pacific as a college student. The main topic of the interview is what her everyday experiences were like as a very social and involved African American woman in college from 1964-1970. Specific topics include: her first impressions of Pacific; becoming Secretary of the Freshman Class; socializing and dating; winning competitions such as the Omega Epsilon Phi Sweetheart contest; being loud and social as a library worker and being fired for it; what it was like coming to Pacific from Jefferson High School in Portland; being naive about sex and feeling embarrassed in class; memories of professors such as Dr. Prince (English), Dr. Roberts (Biology), and Dr. McVicker (Education); learning to study as a freshman for her Elementary Education degree and getting help from her dorm mates; having to dissect a frog and a rat in Biology; becoming a Boxerette; the value of a Pacific education; reactions to her interracial marriage when she and her husband Steve Pomerantz, who was white and Jewish, got married while they were students at Pacific; the mixed feelings she had about joining the Black Student Union because she wanted her husband to be able to join too; protests during the Vietnam War; being reprimanded as a Student Teacher for attending a protest during a school day and Pacific's lack of support for her at the time; working in the cafeteria and interacting with Auntie Edna (who would later be the Hawaiian Club advisor); the many other campus jobs that she held; receiving financial aid due to her father's poor health; dealing with prejudice from a staff member in Pacific's financial aid department; recalling how her father had been unable to get work as a teacher in Portland because he was Black; and working in Pacific's kitchen and watching a baker who always smoked while making pastries.
