Introducing SOAC and 208 Garfield VIP Cards

Make it a date night - at 10 percent off

This season the School of Arts and Communication (SOAC) is excited to announce a new partnership with 208 Garfield, which is offering SOAC patrons a 10 percent discount the day of any event produced by SOAC with a VIP card.

208 Garfield is a cozy eatery in the heart of Parkland - just two blocks off campus and run by PLU's superb catering services. Patrons will receive their discount by showing their VIP card to 208 servers or baristas - VIP cards will be handed out with event programs at SOAC events. If a patron is unable to make it the day they receive their VIP card, they will be able to use it next time they attend an event. 

SOAC wants to encourage patrons to come to events and make a night of it by visiting local restaurants and cafes before or after performances.  This in turn, supports the university’s initiative to create and contribute to the thriving community of merchants. 

“We hope the partnership will be mutually beneficial – patrons will be reminded that there are many great places to relax before or after a performance, while 208 clients will be reminded that hundreds of SOAC-presented events are occurring nightly in numerous venues, just down the street,” Cameron Bennett, Dean of SOAC, said.

Originally the idea was to have audience members show their ticket for a discount, but most SOAC audience members pick tickets up at will call or purchase them at the door, so expecting audience members to have the ticket in hand before the performance was problematic. That’s when the SOAC VIP card idea came to mind. Patrons can hold on to their card through the season and present it each time they come in before or after a performance. Cards should be used only in conjunction with event attendance.

“This is the start of a really great idea that will hopefully grow into something much larger as time goes on. We're very excited about this new partnership with 208 Garfield,” Bennett said. 

At 208 there’s a full menu from fresh made paninis, soups and salads, to cheese plates and braised short ribs - all using local products. Dinner, bar and happy hour menus are offered, with selections for those looking for a full meal and those looking for a snack to share over a glass of wine or beer. Most meals cost less than $10 and can be purchased using LuteBuck$ (LuteBuck$ are not accepted for beer and wine). 

Student Advisory Board gives students a voice 

The School of Arts and Communication welcomes 2011-2012 Student Advisory Board members.

This select group of students meets on a monthly basis with the Dean of the School of Arts and Communication. Their main responsibility is to serve in a student advisory role to the Dean and as a liaison between the administration and SOAC colleagues. The students are given the chance to be closely involved in the decisions that will affect them. 

The students selected to serve on the board say they are grateful to have a voice – and to have someone that listens. 

“We have a Dean that truly wants our opinion and wants to incorporate us as much as possible, and we have students that are honest about what they want,” Kate Howland said, who is serving her second year on the board. 

“It means a lot to me to know that someone on the administrative level understands that there's a disconnect between his experience and that of the students. We get to be that bridge,” Jordan Beck, an advisory board member (pictured above), said.

The board consists of representation from across the SOAC disciplines as selected by the respective chair of the department or director of the program.  

“Our meetings help everyone to learn about the departments they aren't typically involved with and therefore become a unified School,” Howland said. “We all want the best for our specific departments and for SOAC as a whole.”   

Representatives hold their positions for one academic year with renewal upon the recommendation of the chair and/or program director. This year the board consists of twelve students; seven are returning students, while five are new to the board.   

This year’s Student Advisory Board is taking on a new exciting role – SOAC student ambassadors. Prospective students can connect with members of the board to ask questions and get a current student’s perspective on life at PLU and in SOAC.    

“I am really excited about the prospect of helping prospective students decide if PLU is a good home for them,” Beck said. “The students I talked to personally when I was a prospective student were not in the area that I ended up studying in- and it would have been a very valuable thing for me to get to have an honest discussion with a theatre major before I came to campus.”

Welcome 2011-2012 Members!

Miranda Matson-Jewett - Sophomore, Music
Jordan Beck - Senior, Theatre
Andrew Deem - Senior, Art & Design
Tessa Heck - Junior, Art & Design 
Kate Howland - Senior, Theatre
Hannah Kreutz - Sophomore, Art & Design
Heather Perry - Junior, Communication
Pam Barker  - Sophomore, Communication
Angie Tennant - Senior, Theatre
Nicole Ueland - Junior, Communication
Amy Van Cleave - Freshman, Music
Kylie Lewinski - Senior, Music

Opera - Gianni Schicchi by Puccini opens Thursday, November 10 

Join PLU, SOAC and the Department of Music next week for Puccini's popular comic opera, “Gianni Schicchi,” and scenes from “Great Moments in Opera,” directed by Barry Johnson in Eastvold’s Mainstage.

“Gianni Schicchi” is a one-act opera by Giacoma Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. The work is the last of three one-act operas and the final part of Puccini's Il trittico (The Triptych). Great Moments in Opera shows six scenes from famous operas, which include Nabucco and Falstaff by Verdi, Lakmé by Delibes and Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim.

PLU Opera has produced opera scenes and full productions, such as: Handel’s Semele, L'Enfant et les Sortileges, Mozart's The Magic Flute, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, Street Scene and Suor Angelica.

November 10, 11, 12 at 8pm and November 13 at 3pm
Eastvold Mainstage

Scarecrow Sculptures

Since 2006, Spencer Ebbinga, assistant professor of art, has lead his Sculpture I class in creating autumn inspired works of art – scarecrows. The students are instructed to sculpt scarecrows, which act as a self-portrait. Each scarecrow is uniquely different depending on the student artist. While you may not find any hay-stuffed farmers, you will find a sparkled faced, pink haired, skeleton inspired creation, or a dirt-brown sculpture with a crown of leaves.

This year 16 scarecrows were placed around the PLU campus Halloween weekend. 

scare·crow     (skâr'krō')   

1. A crude image or effigy of a person set up in a field to scare birds away from growing crops.

2. Something frightening but not dangerous.

3. A gaunt or haggard person.

Please enjoy a photo gallery of this event.

Full Calendar of SOACtivities:

November

December