Diversity a priority on LBCC campus

At an impromtu press conference this afternoon, Toni Klohk (Diversity Achievment Center {DAC} Coordinator), expressed the importance of having a safe space for students of all orientations and cultural backgrounds.

The DAC is a dedicated space on campus for students to gather, talk, learn and educate each other about what it means to live and be a part of diverse community. Mrs. Klohk's stated 'mission' for the DAC is to "promote understanding, acceptance and provide an opportunity for students to experience culture and diversity that they have not experienced before."

Students can come and eat lunch, do homework, read, use the computers or just hang out and talk to staff and fellow students. The DAC is intended to faciliate open and honest dialogue about topics that students might feel intimidated by talking about elsewhere in their day to day lives.

The DAC receives funding to allow campus clubs to have events and host presentations, and so far this term, has been buzzing with activity having already hosted 2 events for the Gay Straight Alliance and one for the Peace Studies Club. Students who work in the DAC are integrated as part of the student life and leadership program, and help to facilitate their own multi-cultural programming as well.

The DAC is located in Forum room 220, on the second floor just above the Hot Shot Cafe, and Mrs. Klohk is typically there to assist students Mon.-Fri. until 5:00.

At a glance:

Where: Diversity Achievement Center, Forum room 220

What: Native American Flute Workshop

When: Nov. 10th at 3:00

Sponsored by: The Native American Student Union

Why: To teach people about the importance of the flute to Native American culture.

Parking lot complaints abound at LBCC

"That's the fourth time I was almost hit!"

Exclaimed student Raul Laurence, after explaining his frustration over the amount of large trucks speeding through parking lot, oblivious to the speed reduction bumps in place to encourage safe and cautious driving.

So far, since the beginning of the Fall term, there have been 66 traffic citations written by security in the parking lots on campus, that's a 600% increase from the total amount of 11 written in the entirety of the previous Spring term.

Marcine Olson, the head of Safety and Loss Prevention, provides a sense of what is going on with the parking lots on campus, and it seems a lack of respect and common courtesy coupled with careless driving and inattentative behavior seem to be the main culprits to LBCC's parking lot woes.

Looking at the serious side of things, to date there has been two car to car incidents, one pedestrian (an employee) hit by a car, one vehicle break in, one vandalized vehicle, one case of menacing a pedestrian with a vehicle, and roughly 3 speeding warnings a day.

Student Jordan Turnstill says "I think if the school were to make part of their big field into more parking, then everything would be a lot nicer."

There has been a work order in place since the beginning of the term to have a lane division with directional arrows painted into the new one way exits to mitigate some of traffic backing up when leaving the parking lot.

The office of Safety and Loss Prevention has been stepping up additional efforts to make educational materials more visible to the student body, but stresses the importance of students to take the initiative to be courteous to one another and slow down to try to make the campus safer for everyone.

To report and incident or to voice additional concerns, please contact Marcine Olson in the office of Safety and Loss Prevention at 541-917-4309.

At a glance:

Who: Average LBCC students

What: Parking lot safety concerns

When: Fall Term

Who to contact: Marcine Olson at 541-917-4309

Event to cover for story #3

Meeting or speech story used for story #2, GSA bullying presentation.

News story for #3, LBCC low-cost dental hygiene program.

Got teeth? LBCC Dental Hygiene Program offers low-cost treatments for students

Do you want to have better teeth? Sure, we all do. Well now you can! The Dental Hygiene program at LBCC offers a more affordable alternative for routine dental treatments, right here on campus.

Instructor Tina Clarke and administrative assistant Debbie Hernandez were asked to provide more information on how the program works, also to ask, why do students want to know about it?

The program offers a comprehensive dental exam, teeth cleaning and fluoride treatment for $40 (seniors ages 60 and over receive a $10 discount), and a full series of x-rays for $25, after receiving a free initial evaluation. Other services such as sealants and bleaching can also be provided at discounted rates as well.

The Dental Hygiene program was started at LBCC in 2007, as a two year distance education program administered by Lane Community College. This has opened up an opportunity for students to receive this type of specialized training locally, without having to commute, and expands the talent pool for local businesses as well.

Admittance to the program is highly competitive and once the two year cycle has begun, no new students are admitted until the preceding class has graduated. The program is supported by grant funding and collects modest fees for services to offset the costs of supplies, enabling them to offer low cost services for the community. Services are provided year round, with the exception of the first month or two of every new class cycle.

Students in the program learn not only through lecture and coursework, but also through extensive hands on experience under the supervision of a licensed dentist. When asked whether she felt the program adequately prepared students for the workplace, student Jenny Tegner cited the over 50% hands on training the curriculum provides for as being a primary reason she feels confident she will graduate with the necessary skills. She also recommended the program to anyone who likes detail oriented, structured working environments that provide enough schedule flexibility to have a life outside of work.


Students Jenny Tegner (blue scrubs) and Hannah Brink (white jacket) demonstrate how to properly brush.

For prospective patients, to schedule an appointment call Debbie Hernandez at 541-917-4494. For students interested in participating in the program, additional information can be found at LCC's website.


At a glance:

When: Thursday and Friday afternoons

Where: Red Cedar Hall, room 211

Who for: Uninsured or under insured college students and adult community members

How much: $65 for exam and x-rays

Who to contact: Debbie Hernandez at the LBCC Dental Hygiene Clinic, 541-917-4494.



Your friendly cleaning staff; Heidi Elias (navy blue), Hannah Brink (light blue), Stevie Beard (green), Tina Clarke (gray t-shirt), Marilee Tennant (pink), and Jenny Tegner (gray scrubs).

Top 3 things journalists should never do.....

Reading the list it strikes me as actually being the top things journalists should do....

In any event, these are the ones that stood out to me the most:

#2 Always be willing to let any answer -- including one on deadline -- completely change the story's direction.

I like this one because it's a good reminder to stay open-minded about the information you collect, things often aren't always as they seem or how our preconceptions tell us they should be.

#7 Be responsive. When a reader gets in touch, listen & follow up. Without an engaged audience, you're talking to yourself.

I think we all have the tendancy to be somewhat self absorbed, this reminds us that the other half of speaking is listening, and not listening can mean missed opportunities.

#13 Never say you're unbiased. You are biased. The best journalists mitigate their biases, they don't deny them.


This pretty much speaks for itself, but I will add that even if you have a personal bias, that doesn't mean you cannot objectively present both sides, it's really a matter of giving someone else a voice that you don't interrupt.

GSA: Bullies and Bullying

Have you been bullied or are you the bully?

Two questions asked at the presentation on bullying and cyber bullying hosted by the LBCC Gay Straight alliance (GSA) on National Coming Out Day (also National Indigenous Peoples Day), Monday, Oct. 11th.

As these questions were asked to the 82 students in attendance, an anonymous poll was taken via electronic tally, and the results were surprising. 84% said that they had been previously bullied, however, in an unexpected twist 82% said that they had actually been a bully themselves at some point in time. Participants met to discuss what bullying is, how to identify it in personal behavior, and what to do to stop it from happening in the future.

Karelia Stetz-Waters and Greg Mulder, faculty advisors for the GSA, defined bullying as "repeated acts of physical, emotional or social behavior that are intentional, controlling or hurtful" to another individual or group of individuals. They went on to discuss different types of direct and indirect bullying, and how people, much like chickens, often begin to exhibit bullying behaviors at an early age, subconciously attempting to establish a "pecking order."

The discussion gave way to allow audience members the opportunity to express instances where they had themselves been the bully, and offer explanations regarding what had caused them to behave the way they had. It was emphasized that in all cases bullying behavior involves a "real or perceived imbalance of power," and the fact that even teachers and employers can be in a position to be bullied by students and employees, given the right set of circumstances.

Continuing the discussion, the presentation then turned to the guest speaker, Poet and retired OSU professor Roger Weaver, who has spent some time recently lobbying for passage of anti-bullying legislation here in Oregon. Mr. Weaver continued to talk about identifying reasons why bullying continues to go unreported in schools and emphasized how much change can be made by simply standing in solidarity alongside someone who is being bullied.

Before the presentation wrapped up, staff at the Diversity Achievement Center (DAC) made sure to point out that the DAC is a campus 'safe space,' and are there to assist anyone who is feeling intimidated or harassed, as well as counselor Mark Weiss noted being available for anyone who needed to talk.

After the presentation, I asked Lynne Cox (Associate Dean of Students) to provide some statistical data showing how well LBCC is doing in terms of reducing the instances of bullying on campus. She feels that LBCC seems to be doing relatively well considering there are more than 8,000 full-time students on campus and the school typically handles less than 10 instances a year (including summer) that would be considered bullying or harassment. She also offered this bit of advice:

"No student at LBCC deserves to be treated with anything but respect.

If I were to offer students advice, my first advice would be to people who are interested in asking someone out on a date or who get asked out. Ask once. Be clear. Is "No," meant to be no, not today or no never? As a courtesy, when we ask someone out, we need to know if they welcome us asking another time, or if we should not ask again. If we are the person on the side of saying, "No thanks," it helps to be very clear. Do not leave people guessing. Don't be ambiguous. When someone asks a person out repeatedly, it eventually becomes harassment. Our college code says, "We each need to try to resolve our own confllcts."

My next advice would be to those who see people at LBCC whom they don't like or are different than them. LBCC is committed to diversity. We welcome everyone. Each person contributes to the college, and we are stronger for our differences. Please learn about those who are not like you. The fact that someone else or their behaviors make you uncomfortable does not mean you are unsafe. If we learn about one another, we will not be tempted to bully others."

Additional information about bullying can be found at the HRSA website, the U.S. Dept. of Justice website, and at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network website.

At a glance:

Who: Hosted by the Gay Straight Alliance

What: Presentation on bullies and bullying

Why: To discuss strategies to identify and prevent bullying behavior on campus

Story idea #2

Cover GSA bullying presentation.

Who does it affect?
What is the scope of the presentation?
How many are in attendance?
How does it affect the student body?

Campus GSA offers a safe space for all

Can you openly walk into school holding the hand of your signficant other? When asking someone out on date are you confident you won't be rejected based on perceived soceital norms? Do you ever feel others are judging you and need somewhere to turn? Have you ever been made fun of because people perceived you as being "different?"

The LBCC Gay Straight alliance (GSA) is a campus club that welcomes all LBCC students and faculty who are part of, or are sympathetic to the needs and concerns of the LGBT community.

According to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA; an agency within the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services), bullying is defined as "aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength," and often "is repeated over time."

The HRSA has produced an entire website designed to educate students and parents with regard to bullying, how to recognize it, and how to diminsh the occurance and it's effects. That website can be found here.

The HRSA informational material points out that according to The National School Climate Survey,

"three-quarters of the high school students surveyed heard derogatory and homophobic remarks “frequently” or “often” at school, and 90 percent heard the term “gay” used generally to imply someone is stupid or something is worthless. Bullying around issues of sexual orientation, non-conforming gender behaviors and dress was the most common form of bullying, second only to issues of appearance (e.g., body size and disability)."

In another 2005 poll,

"60 percent of students (aged 13-18) had been verbally or physically harassed or assaulted during the past school year because of real or “perceived race/ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, or religion." Over half of these incidences were thought to be based on sexual orientation alone."

and in another survey of teens conducted by the National Mental Health Association (NMHA),

"78 percent of teens reported that kids who are gay or who are thought to be gay are teased or bullied in their schools and communities; 93 percent hear other youth use derogatory words about sexual orientation at least once in a while, and 51 percent hear these words every day."

For individuals in need of help and encouragement, please watch the videos from the It Gets Better Project, and maybe post one of your own as well. There are currently over 1 million youtube.com channel views and over 14,000 subscribers to this project.

Currently in her second year as campus advisor for the GSA, Karelia Stetz-Waters says that "One of the reasons why this club is so important to me right now is because of the findings of a recent study (2010: The State of Higher Education for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People; a national college climate survey conducted by the Q research institute for higher education) that shows students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender do not feel much more comfortable on college campuses now than they did 30 years ago."

When asked about the GSA's primary purpose and goal, she replied "I want the GSA to be a safe place for students, staff, and faculty of all sexual orientations to meet, make friends, and talk. Next, I would like to see the club work to make the entire campus community a safe place for everyone. Homophobia and the ensuing bullying doesn’t just hurt gays and lesbians. It hurts everyone, because it makes the campus unfriendly and unsafe."

The campus GSA needs participation from the straight community as much as it needs participation from the LGBT community to bring people together to help focus on the things that make us the same, de-emphasize our differences, and help us all come together as a community.

If you are concerned about any of these things or are concerned about people who are, the GSA needs you!

At a glance box:

The Gay-Straight Alliance

Purpose: To provide a place for like minded people to meet and discuss the concerns of the LGBT community.

When: Mondays at 2 p.m.

Where: The Diversity Achievement Center (DAC), Forum room 220

Upcoming events: National Coming Out day, Oct. 11th; Bullying presentation at 12-12:50 in the DAC

Advisor contacts: Karelia Stetz-Waters & Greg Mulder

The surface of me.

Tim Downin

Father, professional photographer, Naturalist,science nerd, music lover, and currently a Liberal Arts major.

I could go on and make an exhaustive laundry list of things I like and dislike, yet you'd still know little about who I am.

What seems most relevant at this point in time is to answer the question I'm getting asked most frequently; what do you want to do when you grow up?

As Stephen Colbert so elequently put it recently, 'I like to talk about people who have no power.' I see myself putting my passion for talking about people with no power to good use in a field that will help, and stand up for the least among us.