Sean Bassinger will be the next editor-in-chief of The Commuter, LBCC’s student newspaper.

Sean Bassinger has been appointed the next editor-in-chief The Commuter, LBCC's student newspaper.

Bassinger was appointed Wednesday afternoon by the college’s Student Publications Committee, which includes LBCC students, staff and faculty. Bassinger will succeed Jill Mahler, who will wrap up her year-long stint as editor with the last edition of Spring Term.

“I’m honored to serve as next year’s editor-in-chief at The Commuter,” Bassinger said. “We have an excellent staff and outstanding incoming contributors, so next year will be exciting for both student journalists and readers alike.”

Over the past year, Bassinger has served The Commuter primarily as a contributing writer and copy editor. He has reported on a variety of campus issues, from changes in campus leadership and tuition to activities such as Day of Silence and Science Week. He also has written commentaries on video gaming and proposed changes in laws concerning internet piracy and privacy.

In his application to become editor-in-chief, Bassinger wrote, “The Commuter must offer readers relevant, up-to-date content for our college and local community. It’s essential for writers and editors to focus on topics they’re passionate about, but we also have a responsibility to provide honest and accurate new on current events.”

Bassinger also noted that he and the other members of the newspaper staff have a responsibility to serve as mentors to other students, giving them “the tools they need to succeed as journalists.”

Bassinger, who lives in Corvallis, has been a contributing writer for IGXPRO.net along with editing for gaming sites Press Pause Radio and Crush! Frag! Destroy! After LBCC, he plans to enroll in the New Media Communications program at Oregon State University.

His term as editor-in-chief at The Commuter runs through the 2012-13 academic year. The duties of editor-in-chief include:

• Appointing and managing the newspaper’s staff of editors, reporters and photographers.
• Coordinating the work of the staff, including assigning and editing stories and photos.
• Leading staff meetings and other newspaper activities.
• Representing the newspaper in the college community.

Kay M Roth | Contributing Writer

The Benton County Historical Museum cherishes history. Located on Main Street in Philomath, the Benton County Historical Museum features rotating exhibits, special art shows and, since 2005, the curator of the Horner Collection.

Imagined plans for the Benton County Museum. provided by bentoncountymuseum.org

Founded in 1951 to preserve historical artifacts, photographs and manuscripts related to Philomath and Benton County, the museum had amassed over 66,000 items. The number includes some 44,000 photographs. The addition of the Horner Collection, the museum is now home to well over 100,000 items.

In 2007, the museum broke ground for its new collection center, where the bulk of the Horner Collection was slated to find a home. Once located in the basement of Gill Coliseum, the collection includes vehicles, collegiate memorabilia, furniture, photographs, toys, rocks and taxidermied animals.

Bruce the Moose proved to be one of the hardest pieces to transport from Corvallis to Philomath. Due to its size, the moose had to be delivered in the back of a pickup truck. Also, because of his size, Bruce can not be displayed inside the museum.

The Moreland Auditorium, located on the second floor of the museum, is often home to displays, including the Annual Willamette Valley Scholastic Art Awards and the annual Open Studios tour. The auditorium has also hosted a variety of events including town hall type meetings, the Benton Lecture Series and special events for children.

The museum is also a local gathering place where the community kicks off the holiday season with the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree. When road construction forced the town’s traditional tree to be cut down, a group of citizens banded together to insure another tree would take its place.

Thanks to the hard work by many, a Redwood tree now stands on the museum’s front lawn. Each December, a tree lighting ceremony is held with the community gathering to ring in the holiday season.

The museum has a website (http://www.bentoncountymuseum.org/index.cfm) that offers up a variety of information on the museum and current and past exhibits. One page is dedicated to online exhibits, including everything from Amusements, Oregon’s Botanical Landscape, Can You Hear me Now, and They Call it Swamp Adair.

Another part of the museum complex is the Benton County Historical Society’s research room. It is open to the public by appointment only and features a comprehensive collection of resource materials. Scholars, students, genealogists and the curious often visit to search through the priceless archives the society’s members have so painstakingly preserved.

The museum is open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. There is no admission charge but donations are gladly accepted. For more information, please call 541-929-6230.

Johanna Lundahl | Contributing Writer

via flickr

In an email survey that went out to all instructors, the teachers at LB shared their feelings on student incivility in the classroom. The survey asked teachers what they thought of certain classroom behaviors and whether those behaviors were acceptable or not. Marcene Olsen, Manager of the Safety and Loss Prevention Office highlighted the most looked down upon behaviors pointed out by teachers.

Doing unrelated activities in class such as reading a newspaper, doing homework for other classes, or checking Facebook was sometimes or often an issue for 64% of the teachers who took the survey.

Behaviors that caused students to not pay attention during class included chatting in class, which 74% found a concern, and texting which 64% found a problem. 79% said that arriving late or leaving class early was an issue, but comments indicated that arriving late and disrupting the classroom was a much bigger issue than having to leave early.

84% said that being unprepared for class was sometimes/often a problem, while 78% also said that they considered it unacceptable. 50% said that students dominating the class discussion was an issue. §

Some of the most often mentioned negative behaviors from the teachers were gossiping, inappropriate use of technology in class, interrupting others, loud talking, or divisive/negative speech. Also mentioned in the survey by teachers was selfishness, inflexibility, a lack of respect, and a lack of empathy.

“Some bad behaviors seen as very disruptive when they’re seen, but their rarely seen, so you have to balance that type of behavior with the impact on the class.” said Olsen.

Every so often large outbursts from students happen around campus. The kind of class disruptions where campus security needs to get involved have a much larger negative impact on the classroom environment.

Last term there was an incident where a student stood up in class and threatened a female student who had told him to be quiet, the teacher asked him to leave, saying that there was no place for that kind of behavior, and even had security come to class the next day in case the student came back. Gender or racially based conflicts/harassment like that cause the most impact on classroom environments when they happen.

“While they may not happen often. they can have a big impact effect how safe students feel on campus,” said Olsen.

It’s the instructor’s responsibility to manage their classroom, but different teachers have vastly different levels of tolerance when handling student behavior. “Some are just not good at it,” said Alice Sperling, Coordinator for The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence here at LB.

For teaching college, Sperling explained, teachers don’t need to have taken any courses in preparation for teaching. “They need to be highly educated about their subject, and we try to hire teachers that are experienced, but that doesn’t mean that they know anything (about teaching)…. Some teachers come into the classroom thinking that they need an iron control over the students.”

When a conflict occurs and reaches a point where the student need to be excluded from the classroom, that student or students go and see Sandra Shinkle, the Associate Dean of Student Services.

Shinkle works with the students who’ve violated the student Code of Conduct. She receives a complaint from an instructor or member of the staff, and have a meeting with the student who’s having/causing a problem in the classroom. Usually it’s communication gone sideways, but the excluded student must meet with her before being allowed to rejoin the class.

She rarely meets a student who doesn’t wish to go back. After that, she brings the conflicting parties together, and with a conversation they reach common ground.

Linn Benton Community college had a civility forum this last Wednesday the 10th to discuss student levels of politeness and civility on campus. Anyone was invited to come to the DAC to discuss their reactions to a civility survey that went out to all LB students over email. The forum went through each question of the survey and had a discussion with students on what things the campus should be focusing on to improve civility here on campus.

In contrast to the survey, four teachers were asked about the student body’s level of civility and they answered favorably. When asked about his students, English Teacher Peter Jenson explained that they were mostly very polite, and even that he’d prefer for them to express themselves more in class. “I like to talk a little rough in class sometimes, so I don’t mind if they do too,” said Jenson.

Karelia Stetz-Waters, also from the English department, said that “There are a few who need to work on it, but students tend to be civil.”

Kelly Ferrell, a Biology teacher said that a lot of the students are great, and respectful, “but it’s always the small few who make up the dynamics of the class.”

Dan Stone, the Theatre Director said that LB students are generally civil, but one of the biggest problems that he sees is attendance. “It all comes down to the fact that you are shelling out money for your classes. So come and get everything you can out of them.”

What is more important, appearance or personality?
Shoulder Devil: Jill Mahler	Shoulder Angel: Jennifer M. Hartsock
Aw, the age old question. For me, there is nothing more attractive than a man with a plan; the end of mankind as we know it, but let’s be honest, a good man is hard to find.I guess it’s what matters to you, but I would wager to say the most important is appearance. Think about it, you’re not looking at their big brain when they first walk by. Sure, personality keeps you interested. When the skin sags, hair departs the head and replants itself on the back and that six pack is hidden underneath a “protective covering,” all you have left is the brain… if you’re stupid. I say trade in the old model and get yourself something you don’t mind toting around town. Life is too short to be stuck with the same person. I mean really, who wants to be around when the youth is gone and all you have left is a nag who leaks when they laugh? I know I don’t. Iceberg ahead captain! Abandon ship! When it comes to finding that special someone, there are certain things to look for. Strong arms to fight off anyone who gets in your way. Ummm, that’s about it. As far as personality goes, someone who is obedient is ideal. I mean, you can’t have someone arguing with you about right and wrong, yada yada. You’ve got people to squash and countries to conquer.	Whoa, whoa, whoa, Devil, please! We live in a very different time than the cave man days! Before evolution, when our brains weren’t as developed, we depended on strong, healthy men to protect us. The best man for the job was the best looking: big muscles, good teeth, and fewer boils.Then something magical happened. We became aware of an inner-person. There was something special shinning through our eyes and speech. The person is no longer a noble stud with means of protecting us from enemies and providing our offspring with good genes, but a comrade both intellectually and, quite possibly, metaphysically.We are a gleaming unique essence inhibited within a physical shell. It’s not about the packaging, it’s about the candy bar. As Lisa Unger says, “You begin to dwell in their energy, recognize the scent of their skin. You see only the essence of the person, not the shell. That’s why you can’t fall in love with beauty. You can lust after it, be infatuated by it, want to own it. You can love it with your eyes and your body, but not your heart. And that’s why, when you really connect with a person’s inner self, any physical imperfections disappear, become irrelevant.”

Got Questions? We got answers.
We will be offering advice on ANY topic from two different points of view.
Send your questions to: commuter@linnbenton.edu

Dale Hummel | Contributing Writer

The beautiful 2011 Miss Oregon, Caroline McGowan, shows off her elegance while promoting heath and safety on campus. by Mike Rivera

Last Wednesday’s weather was a beautiful backdrop for the LBCC Safety Fair in the court yard. There were several representatives from safety groups and organizations from around the campus and the community to inform and entertain the public and students of safety features, practices, and services on and around the LB campus.

The fair featured such organizations as the Albany Police Department, LBCC student nurses, Linn County Mental Health, Kidco Head Start, the LBCC Amateur Radio Club, and the Linn County Amateur Radio Emergency Service group and more. Even health and medical organizations made a presence.

Mandy Clark, a nursing student at LB, was practicing with her heart pressure sleeve at the LBCC nursing table on Brigid Clark, (no relation). Brigid’s blood pressure was a little high, but she is fine.

The Albany Police was there showing off their K9 patrol car. Officer Davis informed us the car does not have a Hemi, but is does have a nice V-6. The dog is highly trained and very pleasant.

Pam Woitt and Mellisa Bergstrom from Kidco Head Start were speaking the glories of the Head Start organization and voiced their need for volunteers.

Even the LBCC safety office was there showing off their ability to extinguish a fire and giving out information on all the services that is offered to the LBCC student.

Last but not least, The LBCC, Amateur Radio Club, (call sign K7LBC), and the Linn County Amateur Radio Services group was there presenting their skills in communication and answering questions asked by students about ham radio. Even the LBCC mascot came by to see what was going on.

The fair presented several services and organizations to help the LBCC student, and anyone to keep safe. Everyone seemed to enjoy the beautiful day and the informative activities.

For more information on anything in the Safety Fair, please contact the LBCC safety office at 541-917-4309. For more information on the Linn County Amateur Radio Emergency Services group, go to www.qsl.net/lcares.
Watch video bt Mike Rivera

William Allison | Contributing Writer

Old cop car. by William Allison

Have you ever had someone flip you the bird and shout profanities at you while you’re driving down the street, just because of the vehicle that you drive? That’s one of the more comical reactions I’ve gotten to my car, a 2000 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor – an old cop car.

There are also an astonishing number of people who seem to think that just because I drive the car that I do, it automatically makes me a police officer. I can’t even begin to count the number of times that I have been asked, “Are you a cop?!” When I tell the inquiring people no, they seemed confused and insist that I must be one, since I drive an old cop car, to which I reply, “So a homeless person who pushes a shopping cart is shopping then?”

In addition to many profane gestures and statements, people seem to drive ridiculously slowly in front of me, which, when you’re late for class, this can be extremely frustrating. It’s not all bad though, as I quite often see people putting their seat belts on when I come around the corner. Many people laugh at that, but in my opinion, it’s great because it got them to buckle up and be safe.

It’s not just on the road where people get worried that there might be a police officer nearby; I have noticed a significant decrease in the number of transients hanging around my work since I’ve purchased this car. There have also been a few times when I’ll pull into a parking lot and see a group of teenagers quickly disperse, which leaves me wondering what they might have been doing.

When I asked a Linn County Sheriff’s Deputy (who requested to remain anonymous) his thoughts on people driving old cruisers, he said, “While I know the average person wouldn’t do this, I have heard about people trying to pull other cars over. It also worries me when I hear complaints about guys trying to take advantage of women by acting like a police officer.”

I then spoke to an Albany Police Officer (he also did not wish to be named), and he said, “I don’t see anything wrong with it. In my opinion, it’s a cheap way to get a good car, providing it was taken care of. If you want to pay for the maintenance of it, that’s up to you.”

So, when you see an unmarked Crown Vic on the road, keep in mind that it’s not always a cop; it could be a taxi, probation officer, or even just a normal college student (imagine that!).

The issue of legalizing gay marriage is not going away, and rightfully so. Recently, President Barack Obama has publicly endorsed same-sex marriage, and North Carolina has banned same-sex marriage and civil unions.

Generally, many people believe that Holy Scripture forbids same-sex relations. This argument, by nature, is legally invalid for more than one reason. First, people are very selective with which Biblical passages are taken seriously, and which are ignored. From the same holy book, both adultery and homosexuality are punishable by death (Leviticus 20:10-13); working on the seventh day is punishable by death (Exodus 35:2); if God commands it, you may conquer other nations and kill or enslave its inhabitants, livestock, and resources (Deuteronomy 20:10-17); wives must submit fully to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24); and you must refrain from consuming camels and rabbits (they chew their cud, but don’t have cloven hooves) and anything from the sea without fins or scales (Deuteronomy 14:6-7, and Leviticus 11:10).

Depending on the person, some Biblical passages are taken more literally than others, and others are completely ignored. If not all religious people interpret the Bible in the same way, maybe religion should not hold merit when banning or permitting actions of the public.

With freedom of religion comes freedom from religion, as well. Anyone at any time can follow any religion of their choice, or shy away from one. Many Americans follow different religions, and rightfully shouldn’t be limited to the religious beliefs of people outside of their faith.

Here is where we run into a problem. Could legalizing gay marriage cause a snowball effect, causing more and more banned religious practices to be put to vote? Some religions support a man having more than one wife. There are religions that mandate sacrifices, and walking around in the nude, and challenging anyone who offends them to a death match. What about religions that practice sacrificial rituals, or religions that permit parents to leave their unwanted children out in the wilderness? If same-sex marriage is legalized, will we be asked to legalize these practices because everyone has the right to practice, or not practice any one religion?

The answer is no. These other customs take away rights – the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Mandating sacrifices, death matches, burning virgins, and abandoning children infringe upon the rights promoted by the Declaration of Independence; rights that every human being should have.

Same-sex marriage does not infringe on anyone’s rights. When it comes down to it, marriage should be between two consenting adults who are capable, mature, and of a legal age to make a matrimonious decision. It only concerns others, as does any unwanted marriage, when outsiders make it their duty to be nosey. For too long, people could not marry outside their caste system, or outside their race. It’s time that the prejudices against homosexuals are put to an end as well.

Spring Onions offered by Denison Farms (Photo credit: LBCommuter)

When did it become acceptable that a few produce items can multiply the cost of your shopping trip? Sure, you’re consuming less harmful chemicals, but where’s your sense of adventure?

There are some great alternatives to draining your bank account by buying organic at the supermarket. Why not buy locally-grown produce instead?

If you are ready to get out and enjoy the weather at the same time, you can find local “pick-your-own” farms in the area. From berries to other fruits and vegetables, nuts to even meat products, there are plenty of ways to support the local economy and get some fresh air. http://www.pickyourown.org/ORsalem.htm has a searchable feature for local farms and seasonal activities, including annual corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and Christmas tree farms.

If adventure is not what you seek, but just a quick trip to get a couple of things, there are several other options. Do you prefer the convenience of a supermarket-type store layout, or the personal touch of a family farm stand?

4 Seasons Farmers Market is a relatively new store in Albany (opened May 2011). The store immediately became a member of Food Alliance, a nationwide group which 4 Seasons says focuses on “food safety and sustainable agriculture.” If at all possible, produce is bought from local farms. In October 2011, the store won the award for Best New Business Opened Since 2010 from the Mid-Valley Newspapers. It has plenty of local seasonal produce, along with other options.

Midway Farms has a family farm stand, with many choices, including produce, dairy products, and some home-made products as well. They also have a kids summer day camp and other services, like wedding flowers. This small farm has been around since 1998, and prides itself on going “beyond organic to a bio-diverse, ecologically-sound system.”

Yankee Acres is just East of I-5 on highway 20. They are proud to offer soy free eggs from pastured and foraging hens, available as a self-serve 24/7. Seasonally, they also offer raw honey, tomatoes, and blackberries.

Grandpa’s Fresh Market just opened for the season, with fresh produce, hanging flower baskets, and canned jams. This farm store also accepts WIC and senior nutrition coupons, for those customers.

These are just a few of the closest local options. If you don’t mind traveling further, there are even more fresh produce options in Harrisburg, Sweet Home, and Independence.

It is undeniable that Oregon produce leaves nothing to be desired. Now is the perfect time to explore the produce world outside of your local grocery store!