Hamann focuses on moving LBCC forward

 At a Glance:

•  President Greg Hamann has a message for LBCC
• "Leadership comes from everywhere," Hamann said.
• Charles Madriaga: "I really appreciate him."
• Karelia Stetz-Waters: "I'm getting a good impression..."

While many students used the April 15 in-service day as an opportunity to sleep in, staff gathered in the Russell Tripp Performance Center to hear new LBCC President Greg Hamann give his first speech to all campus employees. Hamann shared his enthusiasm for his new role at LBCC, along with his thoughts on the future of the college and his concept of leadership.

Karelia Stetz-Waters, of the English department, is looking forward to Hamann’s influence.

“I think he’s going to do a good job. I’m getting a good impression from him.”

Upon entering the theater, staff were greeted with “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas blasting from the walls. As soon as everyone was seated, the Roadrunner danced out on stage and stood behind the podium. The room was full of gasps and laughter when it removed its head and President Hamann was revealed.

Still in the costume, he gave a teaser for his address later in the program:

“It isn’t about me, it’s about us.”

True to his word, President Hamann spoke to LBCC staff members about what he sees in store for the
college.

“I know that we are going to change,” Hamann said.

With that in mind, he voiced a fear held by many: there will come a point when the college will need to learn to do less - because enrollment increases are outpacing funding. One of the staff members asked how they would know when that point came. Hamann answered that everyone would have to decide together what that point would be. However, he also acknowledged that no matter what the challenge, everyone must be sure not to violate one of LBCC’s most noble principles: the students always come first.

Counselor Charles Madriaga is ready for whatever new innovations President Hamann might make to
LBCC.

“There’s a strong sense of hope,” Madriaga said. “I really appreciate him. And, quite honestly, he’s a good man.”

President Hamann also has some interesting ideas about leadership. He wants every staff member to understand that leadership is not about power. It’s about purpose.

Hamann’s definition of leadership contained five parts to leadership: unity, creativity, adaptability, persistence, and sharing. In order for this institution to work, he noted, everyone needs to be united. Sides can’t be taken. Staff members need to share their creativity. “Creativity is not just about one idea. It’s about bringing things together,” he said.

To illustrate how leadership must be adaptive and involve persistence, Hamann cited changes that needed to be made at his former college, Clatsop Community College, in Astoria. A few of the changes
involved constructing new buildings. The only way for that to happen was for everyone involved to be flexible and to persevere.

“Leadership does not just come from the top. It comes from everywhere. Everyone has a role to play.”

Hamann said about his role, “I’m most excited about coming to a place where I can be part of this community.”

LB students dance the night away (story #2)

 (at left dance club members have a laugh while practicing)

LBCC is dancing the night away, and then some.

Right now, members of the dance club are rushing rehearsals for the upcoming dance concert on May 7 and 8. The group is really enthused about the concert.

Chante Marvin, one of the dancers, said, “I’m looking forward to the performance. I’m really excited to see the other pieces people have come up with.”

Dance instructor Katherine Sanders explained, “We’re really putting on a show that takes a lot of people from the community to make it happen.”

Sanders has created a dance club open to any LBCC student with an interest in dance. Sanders explained, “I think everybody can dance.” Both genders and people of all levels (from no experience to professional) are highly encouraged to check out this new club that meets on the Albany campus and sometimes at the Benton Center.

Liz Pearce, one of Sanders’ students and an LBCC staff choreographer, said, “It’s great to have this opportunity on the Albany campus. There’s never been anything like this.”

Sanders began this club during fall term with the ambitious intention of having a dance organization originating out of LBCC and performing for the community. She felt that there was a desire and need. Forty students rose to the call.

Mia Sanchez, the student representative of the club, was “all over the idea.” As a dancer and one of the six student choreographers, she is very optimistic about this new club.

“I’m having a great time … it is a little frustrating when you go over it [the same dance] over and over and you have somebody else’s vision you’re trying to fulfill … but it’s a lot of fun.”

Sanders says that all types of dance are welcome in the club, but right now student interest mainly lies in hip hop and modern dance. Students choreograph most of the dances practiced.

Daniel Rasberry, one of the student choreographers and dance club members, said, “I love hip hop. I love the feel of it. I talked to Katherine and loved what she believed in and what she represents with her dancing. It fits me and my personality and the way I am.”

Sanders is a strong advocate for the arts, but her main passion is dance. She hopes this concert and the club will artistically inspire people, particularly other students. Her goals are to provide a creative learning experience for students outside of the classroom and to touch the community at large.



At a glance:

• For more information about the club contact Katherine Sanders at sanderk@linnbenton.edu or (541) 917-4235
• Concerts are 7:30 p.m. May 7 and 2 p.m. May 8 at the Russell Tripp Performance Center on the Albany campus
• Cost for concerts: $5 adult $2 children ages 5 to 12, free for children 4 and under
• check out this website for an explanation of hip hop
• for a definition of modern dance click this link

Top 3 from 100 things journalists should never do

With the media as a fabulous tool and a dangerous weapon, journalists have to decide how much integrity they want to exercise in this business. In my opinion, it is best to be a good person. That way, if people know you for being a fair, honest reporter, they will be more likely to talk to you and give you an excellent story.

Keeping that snippet in mind, journalists really should consider living by the phrase "treat others as how you would want to be treated". They should also live by other mantras, including these three:

1. A journalist should never be a friendly dog when reporting then go snake at the keyboard

2. Journalists should follow the facts where they lead, especially if that's somewhere unexpected and uncomfortable.

3. Never say you're unbiased. You are biased. The best journalists mitigate their biases; they don't hide them.

I chose these three because one of my goals in life is to be a very compassionate person. The first "never do", the one where it mentions being a friendly dog, is what I always try to do when reporting. If you are friendly and fun, people will be more willing to talk with you and work with you on a story.

Secondly, following the facts is less likely to get you in trouble. As Rob reminds us, the truth is your best bet. Also, facts are what people want. People want the truth. And some things are meant to be told. Uncomfortable things need to be discussed.

As for the third quote, there is so much truth to it. No matter what a person will be biased, even if it is just slightly. As a reporter, it is our duty to put aside our facts to "get the story".

These three items came from this site. Poynter is working on compiling 100 items (they are not there yet). They are receiving tips from Twitter and emails. A few of these "never do's" are similarly found in Tim Harrower's book "Inside Reporting".

LBCC soccer is run over by Southern Oregon University (1st newsreporting story)

Racing into the freezing rain LBCC the boys soccer club fought fiercely against Southern Oregon University only to be defeated by three goals.

Despite the cold and the rain, approximately 25 fans sat in the stands or stood on CHS’s track on April 4 to watch the soccer match. Both SOU and LBCC played gripping games with the final score being 4-1 to SOU.

LBCC Roadrunners worked an aggressive defense. TJ Comini , LBCC goalie, dove madly for the ball and had thrilling saves. Cesar Pablo Reyes darted into the skirmishes and attempted to steal control of the ball.

Mickey Allapach charged toward Southern Oregon’s goalie and managed to score LBCC’s first and only goal of the game.

Max Sampson played a feisty offense assisted by Motahana Al Zabidi. As a whole the team played a strong game.

Mark Uff says, “The team has good chemistry.”

While LBCC regularly stole the ball, they could not keep control of it and allowed three goals to glide through Comini’s outstretched arms.

Head Coach Art Mota comments, “The first half was disappointing. I think the effort was lacking on our part. They definitely out worked us. They took advantage of the open space ... we made some adjustments in the second half … played much better in the second half. The guys showed a little bit more heart, worked a little bit harder.”

The loss though is not devastating. Zabidi comments, “We tried our best. But we still have one more game. Next game we will do better.”

Amedce Ngarnkiye ads to the positive spirit: “We still have our pride.”

Everyone is looking forward the final upcoming game on April 17. This game will determine the Roadrunners placement in the league. The game will be held at LBCC, and Coach Mota believes the team will perform well.

“We still have something to play for. If we win our last game we can finish in third and then with the realignment the league is going to do next season we’d be in the Premiere league.”

Ian Chapman also has great faith in the team. “Our game has really stepped up this season. This is one hell of a team.”


At glance:

• final score: 4-1 SOU
• for past and future game details check out the Cascade Collegiate Soccer League website
• for more info about the soccer club check it out on LBCC's website
• if you want to join the soccer club email club advisor Coach Art Mota at art.mota@linnbenton.edu or call 541-917-4467
• next home game: April 17 12 p.m. LBCC Albany Campus

And the winner is ...

If you're an avid coffee drinker, you've probably wondered which of the "popular" coffee places you should go for an exceptionally tasty cup of coffee, but you don't want to spend a lot of money. You might also want to order some food while you're there. It might be late in the evening, and you don't know who's open.

In the end, it really matters who is worth your time. Now, everyone has different tastes. May this objective popular coffee comparison (of the Corvallis area) assist you in your search for the perfect cup of coffee whenever you need it.

Coffee Culture at a glance:
hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. except Sunday (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
sit-in locations: 9th Street and Kings Street
pricing: moderate

The coffee house on Kings is warm and cozy with colors of red, brown and beige. This is an excellent place for socializing, studying or just sitting solo. The varieties of food, coffee, tea and wine are more than satisfactory as well as the prices that come with them.The coffee feels like a warm silky robe with it's foamy top and subtle sweet taste. The food is filling and unique. In a word: classy.

Dutch Bros at a glance:
hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
sit-in location: Monroe Street
pricing: low

Upon entry you are greeted with a large silver peace sign. There's plenty of seating for those who want to study or just hang out. The entire building shimmers with shiny silver and black painted on the walls and tables. Besides coffee, they offer tea and simple food like bagels and muffins. The coffee itself is like slipping on your favorite pair of inexpensive jeans. The espresso is balanced by the flavor of your choice. In a word: college-oriented.

The Beanery at a glance:
hours: vary by location
sit-in locations: 26th Street, 2nd Street, Circle Boulevard
pricing: low - moderate

The Beanery claims it is "fiercely independent with it's Allann Bros coffee. Each location offers good seating as well as good coffee and food options (with similar prices to Coffee Culture). The set up is also similar to Coffee Culture with the difference being that the atmosphere is more hippie-like with water color paintings on the beige walls and simple wood tables. The coffee is foamy, simply flavored and rocks the espresso taste. In a word: retro.

Starbucks at a glance:
hours: vary by location
sit-in locations: Kings Street, various store locations
pricing: high

Starbucks very accurately reflects the price in coffee, as it is the most expensive of the four. The goldenrod and white walls provide a spacious feeling to the small study area in the back cove of their Kings location (in the Winco shopping area).  Starbucks also offers a variety of food ranging from bagels and muffins to wraps and pie pieces. The coffee is extremely sweet and milky to the point where you can't taste espresso at all. Starbucks takes pride in their "shared planet" logo: you and Starbucks. It's bigger than coffee.  In a word: upper-class.

All the coffee places discussed above are very close in price. On the other had, different food and atmospheres are offered. Each coffee location provided good customer service. So go out there and have that cup of coffee you've been craving.

Jennifer and Katie: the naked truth

Note: All names have been changed for the confidentiality of those interviewed.


It's Friday night and the girls are ready to head out. Jennifer's sweet face is adorned with make up and subtle glitter. Katie's clothes hug her bronze body and move over her luscious curves as if a second skin. These two best friends are off to work. They're going to shake their bodies up on stage, completely naked.

Here's the honest, bare naked truth: strippers are ordinary people. Not all are drug users. Many aren't whores. Most are just trying to make ends meet.

Jennifer and Katie were seniors in high school at the time they started stripping. Katie starts from the beginning, "I called Jennifer and said hey I need $10,000 [for tattooing school], and I need to make it fast, so you should be a stripper with me."

Way kept her answer simple and to the point: "um, ok."

That very night, at 2 am., they auditioned. And made it.

Both made $10,000. And more. The goal was to make enough money to not burden their parents with paying for their education.

However, Katie's mom loathed her daughter stripping. Noxima (one of Katie's former roommates and a friend to both girls) gives a summary of the mother's reaction "No daughter of mine is going to be a stripper. If you can't abide by my rules, then get out."

Katie moved out and into an apartment with a few other roommates. Jennifer still lived at home as her mother remained unaware that she stripped. Noxima testifies by saying that "her mom is a sweet woman, but kind of daft."

Way spent a lot of time at Katie's shared apartment. Noxima describes life at the apartment: "They were mature, but they were still teenagers." Both Katie and Jennifer were guilty of leaving dirty dishes in the sink and wet towels on the floor. However, when asked, they would clean up their messes. And they were always good about paying their fair share of the bills.

Brandon (a friend and former roommate of Katie and Jennifer) describes what it was like living with these two strippers. "It was interesting. They definitely had a bit of a wild side ... a few parties ... a little bit of typical girl drama  ... it was like living with two typical college students. At first it was like holy shit this is crazy, then it was like, 'ok'. You'd think living with strippers there'd be naked girls everywhere (that's the thought that goes through any guys mind). After a few months you think 'they're just roommates. When they're not stripping they're regular people'."

Katie and Jennifer made good money as strippers. Katie mentions that they easily made $30,000 (as they made about $300 a night). The job was taxing though. Katie began elaborating by saying, "Physically, it takes a toll on you," when Jennifer chimed in, "Not only the heels but then the pole, like the first time you go up on the pole your whole thighs are black and blue."

Worse yet, it was mentally exhausting. Jennifer says, "I know for me personally it wears on me. I could only do it twice a week or else I would feel overwhelmed...you just start feeling like a whore."

Jennifer and Katie fought the emotional overload by remembering to separate stripping from sex. Katie says, "I can either be me, or I can be a stripper." Jennifer describes the experience as being like acting. "I'm just going to be an actor right now. I'm going to be this [other] girl. And when I'm done I'm going to take off all my stripping stuff and just be myself again."

While the job was a challenge, it gave both Katie and Jennifer a new found confidence they'd never had before. Katie explains, "I feel so comfortable in my own skin. Overall I just feel so comfortable with myself. I'm glad I did it."

Jennifer says, "There's a few negative things here and there, but they're just blown away by all the positives. You get so many compliments and you're like 'wow, I don't look as bad as I thought I did'. You just feel good about yourself. And I paid for school, so I felt self-worth, and I felt like I was independent and that I was doing stuff with my life."

Brandon noticed the change in confidence in both girls. "Over time Katie got more confident. Jennifer got a lot more confident and very much as a result of that [stripping]. Jennifer went from kind of being unsure of herself to being a lot more sure of what she wants out of life."

Right now, both girls are done with stripping. Katie is attending school for nursing and Jennifer is studying physical therapy while working part time at Goodwill. Katie and Jennifer are both relieved to not have to strip anymore. Jennifer comments on her job:

"I love it ... I enjoy it a lot more than stripping."

Katie also would rather do "normal" work. "The difference is indescribable. You can't compare the two."

Katie has some enlightening secrets about the world of stripping: "At first we just assumed that the people working there would be crack-heads and they just care about making that extra buck and they don't care how they do it.We thought we'd be the only 'decent' people working there. We figured that if we stuck together that we wouldn't get caught up in the drug world or anything like that."

Jennifer adds, "A lot of people are parents and college students just like us. We've seen so many girls at school that strip. And a few of them have other jobs too. They just needed more money to get by ... it's different than you might think."

Katie concludes about how we as a society should view people that strip: "People should actually talk to someone [one of the strippers] before they judge them. People should bite their tongues and at least take into consideration that maybe someone who does something like that [stripping] isn't doing it because they're a whore or because they're a druggie. Maybe the case is they're trying to get by just like everybody else."

At a Glance:

Strippers can be loved too
Issues of stripping
What would you do?

Stephen King is my hero

I loved "On Writing". The anecdotes are incredibly funny yet also very insightful. For example, the stories he shares concerning his wife always make me smile, but they also help me things in my relationship, and how it all applies to writing (i.e. support). Another interesting clip was when he discussed his problems with abusing alcohol and drugs. He finally acknowledged that good writers don't have to be in a drug induced altered state to be good.

Three specific things that I learned consist of understanding that the paragraph is the framework of a story, great writers have a talent so you can't make a great writer out of a bad writer, and all you really need is one supporting person to continue writing. I really appreciate this book and all the wisdom and tips it has given me.