The Commuter - February 2025

T H E

L I N N - B E N T O N

VOL. 56 EDITION 6

C O M M U N I T Y

FEBRUARY

C O L L E G E

2025

pg. 16

untangling the web

LBCC’s Website Redesign

pg. 20

the shadow of solar

Civil Discourse Op-Ed

Summer Term Brings Changes at LBCC pg. 4

letter editor from the

I

t’s February – and midterms are here already.

It’s tax season, too. And also the time of year where students such as myself start seriously planning ahead for what comes after this school year: summer jobs, transfer plans, and all the related scheduling and stress about the future.

I’m not a big February guy – I love the cold but it gets a little bleak by the end of winter – but even I wish it was a bit longer than just 28 days to fit all there is to do.

Thankfully, one thing I’ve learned is how academic help is often just an email or two away. I entered the year confused as to how the changes to Oregon State University’s general education requirements would affect my plans to transfer there. I found out that the answer was a lot simpler than I thought, and that research turned into our lead article in this month’s magazine.

If you’re confused like I was, I’d encourage you to give it a read and then follow up with your academic advisor with any details you’re still curious about. In my experience, learning to wade through seas

about us

The Commuter is the student-run magazine for LBCC, financed by student fees and advertising. Opinions expressed in The Commuter do not necessarily reflect those of the LBCC administration, faculty and students of LBCC. Editorials, columns, letters, and cartoons reflect the opinions of the authors.

LBCC is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

letters welcome

The Commuter encourages readers to use its “Opinion” section to express their views on campus, community, regional and national issues. The Commuter attempts to print all submissions received, but reserves the right to edit for grammar, length, libel, privacy concerns and taste. Opinions expressed by letter submitters do not represent the views of The Commuter staff or the college.

of information, paperwork, and stress is one of the most important skills there is to learn in college.

During my time at LB, I’ve gotten better at advocating for myself and asking the right questions to solve my problems. Am I great at it?

Still learning. Do I still have the Gen Z urge to avoid phone calls at all cost? Growing out of it. But it’s been a rewarding experience overall.

All of that to say: February is busy! But try to embrace the crunch.

Time is flying by, and I’m immensely proud of The Commuter team for finishing up another 32-page edition in our shortest turnaround of the school year. We had some help – you’ll notice some stories from our fantastic advisor Rob Priewe’s news reporting class in this edition, as well as an op-ed from the college’s Civil Discourse Program. It’s always a boost to get some extra articles from other students here at LBCC. I’d also like to plug our website, lbcommuter.com, as it continues to feature a number of stories that we couldn’t cram into the print edition. It’s a great way to stay up to date on the latest at LBCC, with plenty of event previews and recaps, sports stories, additional work from the news reporting class, and more.

By the time the next Commuter comes out, we’ll be on the verge of spring break and some well-earned time off to catch up with life.

I wish we could take a week off of winter break and add it to spring break, but that’s a topic for another time…

Here’s to a great February – and maybe a snow day or two.

Ryland Bickley Editor-in-Chief

join the team

Wanna get together? We’re really nice and fairly cool and we’d love to hear what you have to say. Not big on journalism but love to journal? Perfect. Are you a STEM major with major opinions?

Let’s hear ’em. Like writing about ’80s film? Local animals?

Snack hacks? Maybe you have a hefty folder of flash fiction on your laptop, just dying to be published and printed. Drop us a line. We’d love to meet you, read you, and support you. Think your ideas might be too weird or too niche for submission? Even better. The Commuter is an award-winning publication because of our wide range of contributions and our unique contributors.

So reach out. We’ll be staring at our email inbox in the meantime, not an ounce of chill to be had. cover assets via FREEPIK

editor-in-chief RYLAND BICKLEY

design editor

KAILYN MCQUISTEN

photo editor

SARAH ROSE LARSON

feature editor EMILY JIMERSON

sports editor

ETHAN BIRMINGHAM

marketing director CHRIS PATTERSON

reviews

STEVEN PRYOR MASON WILLS

advisor

in this issue:

staff

avoiding core confusion

04

beyond the classroom

08

sparking innovation

12

student spotlights

14

Summer Term Brings Changes at LBCC

with Clay Weber

Electrifying Opportunites for Automotive Students

with Sayde Francisco-Nash and Poppy Mitchell

16

untangling the web

LBCC’s Website Redesign

saving lives

LBCC, American Red Cross Team Up

20

ROB PRIEWE

contributors ANTHONY DREWS AYDEN HORTT BRENDA AUTRY BRITTANY KING MICAH TEAGUE MIKA WINDER MIKE MCREYNOLDS SCOTT SUTHERLIN SID MYDLAND

the shadow of solar

Civil Discourse Op-Ed

22

corvallis bridge is falling down

Trestle Collapse in Avery Park

18

ready to repeat

2025 Baseball Season Preview

roadrunners in action

23 24

Basketball Photo Gallery

movie review

One of Them Days

WANT TO SEE YOUR NAME HERE? JOIN THE TEAM!

the worldhopper's guide to the cosmere

Dive into Brandon Sanderson's Universe

27 28

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ummer term is normally the quietest part of the year for colleges, but in 2025 it’ll mark two significant changes going into place that could affect LBCC students.

On July 1, LBCC’s partner school, Oregon State University, will alter its general education requirements from the baccalaureate core program to a new set of graduation requirements called “core education.” The change could affect degree-seeking LBCC students who plan to transfer to OSU. On that same day, LinnBenton will be adjusting its financial aid policy so that federal financial aid does not go towards non-degree coursework.

Neither change will be as dire as it seems at first glance, but there’s sure to be some confusion as students and school staff adjust to new policies and structures.

“What is complicated is that these two changes are happening on the same day. … We'll have to bring doughnuts or something that day,” said Katie Winder, LBCC’s dean of instruction and one of the contacts listed on OSU’s Degree Partnership Program website.

NOT GOING "BACC"

Oregon State’s baccalaureate core (or “bacc core,” as it’s often called) is a set of graduation requirements for every OSU student seeking a bachelor’s degree. However, it’s been due for an update for a while.

“Basically, they haven't updated their general education since the ’80s, just because it's such a huge project and so disruptive to everyone,” said Winder. “But they felt like it was really time.”

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On its website, the university writes that core ed is the “result of a multi-year curricular reform process that involved faculty, students, administration, employers, alumni, and community college partners.” OSU adds that it’s a “universal educational experience for the 21stcentury learner that promotes economic, social, cultural, and environmental progress for the people of Oregon, the nation, and the world.”

CHANGES FROM: BACC CORE Writing I (WR121Z) (4 Credits) Literature and the Arts, Western Culture (6 Credits) Cultural Diversity (3 credits) Social Processes and Institutions (3 credits) Mathematics (4 credits) Speech (3 credits) Biological and Physical Sciences (12 credits) Difference, Power, and Discrimination (3 credits) Physical Education (PE 231) (3 credits) Writing II (4 credits)

words by RYLAND BICKLEY

Beyond general goals, the switch from bacc core to core ed involves a number of changes in the lower division, with the new general education requirements moving from 45 course credits down to 35.

Winder noted one of the pressures to make the change came from students majoring in STEM: “That's why it's a little bit smaller, so that students can fit in all those engineering credits

TO: CORE ED Writing Foundations (WR121Z) (4 Credits) Arts and Humanities – General (3 credits) Arts and Humanities – Global (3 credits) Social Science (3 credits) Quantitative Literacy and Analysis (4 credits) Communication, Media, and Society (3 credits) Scientific Inquiry and Analysis (8 credits) Difference, Power, and Oppression (3 credits) No PE requirement (no credits) Technical Writing (WR227Z) (4 credits)

without going too far over four years.”

The decrease may also benefit less creditintensive majors.

“They may not have a full 90 credits [in community college], so they can choose a second major or a minor,” said Winder. “They can transfer a little earlier, although there are some good reasons not to do that … But yeah, it just gives students a little more choice over what they take.”

The classes are changing as well, with a new name for every general education category and some tweaks to the requirements. Some have the potential to be noticeably different; others are more subtle.

Some notable tweaks include the speech requirement now renamed “Communications, Media, and Society.” Winder noted that only communications classes fit the criteria at the moment, but more courses could fall under that umbrella in the future.

It’s a similar case for the mathematics requirement now “Quantitative Literacy and Analysis.” “There's the possibility for expanding beyond math classes,” said Winder, adding that a statistics course now fits the requirement at LBCC. There’s also one fewer class to take in the lab science and humanities requirements, while physical education (PE) is no longer a general education requirement.

The updates might seem confusing at first, but the goal is a more streamlined and useful foundation of classes for undergraduates.

However, the changes don’t apply to every LBCC student.

For one, students who won’t be transferring to OSU don’t have to worry. But for those who are planning on graduating as a Beaver, there are still two main ways to continue under the bacc core plan that most students started on: graduate with an associate’s degree from LBCC, negating the need for a transfer plan, or enroll in Oregon State’s Dual Partnership Program (DPP) before March 3 to be grandfathered into the old system.

Students in the latter category can still

choose to switch to the core ed plan down the road if they find it suits their educational journey better.

Winder noted one major caveat: HighGPA students who enroll in the DPP in any term other than the fall will lose their eligibility for OSU’s Finley Grant that academic year, making a meeting with an advisor a must before the March 3 deadline.

“We haven't come across anyone who we couldn't figure out a plan for, but that is the one nuance that has been a problem for students,” said Winder.

Still, the ripple effect of the general education changes will be felt across the entire school.

None of the classes from the bacc core system are grandfathered into core ed, meaning OSU is individually reviewing each course that could be eligible for general education. That means that a number of popular LBCC classes could see curriculum changes in the future.

“They aren't actually requiring that we do a lot of adjustment,” said Winder. “But we want to because we want our students, when they show up at Oregon State, to be trained in a similar way to students that started there.”

However, the review process means that the list of classes eligible for core ed might start small in summer term before growing in the future.

“OSU is doing a really comprehensive review,” said Winder. “They are a little further behind where they want to be at this point in terms of approving classes. And we (LBCC), of course, are downstream of that. … There are a couple categories that are going to be a little light in terms of the number of courses we'll have next year.”

Winder said that there will still be plenty of class spots available, with LBCC planning to expand the available sections of categories limited by the review.

The change to core ed also opens up the opportunity for new classes at LB. “Just because a class used to be in the bacc core does not mean that it's in the new

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core ed,” said Winder. “They're being really careful to think of this core education set of classes as general education – so really thinking about that as exposing students to new ideas and foundational skill sets. And so the content isn't quite as important – it's about the skills that you develop in the class. [Core ed] opens the door for fun stuff.”

Winder previewed some of that “fun stuff” – “There's a class that's just on ‘Grimm's Fairy Tales,’ or one that we're developing on global youth literature, which is really cool. Who doesn't love YA lit? There's one on natural disasters – from Hollywood to reality – that we're developing that's going to be a really fun science course for non-science majors.”

The changes will also be felt by school staff.

Beyond the new class offerings and curriculum changes, the removal of physical education from OSU’s general education criteria is likely to reduce enrollment in the Linn-Benton PE department’s offerings.

“I think that's just how the math will work out,” said Winder. “But PE 231 and other PE classes are still part of the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree. So we'll still be offering those courses. We have a pretty robust exercise and sports science degree, and lots of students take the physical activity courses just as a way to promote their well-being while in college. So for sure, it’s not going away or anything. But what they teach probably will shift a little bit.”

The switch to core ed is unlikely to be as cataclysmic as some might fear, but LBCC still faces the challenge of getting everyone on the same page ahead of July 1.

“When students reach out to us, it's not rough,” said Winder. “What worries me is the students that may not have heard of this somehow. So, we are tracking the students that we think want to go to OSU. … We are determined and committed to making sure that no student is surprised by this.”

Linn-Benton’s DPP coordinator Nick May echoed that sentiment: “It is very important that students who intend to transfer to OSU reach out to their advisor or the Transfer Center to make sure that they are on the right track, and get a plan made if they haven’t,” he said.

“The vast majority of students I have worked with are all set, so there really isn't cause for alarm. However, it is important for folks to have a sense of urgency about getting these matters taken care of so that they can ensure that the current degree path they are on

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will be ‘locked in’ at OSU.” May said he believes the change to core ed “will be great for students” once implemented.

There might be some confusion at first, but Winder sees the modernization of Oregon State’s general education requirements as a step in the right direction: “That'll help students in the long run. … OSU will have a lot more classes on the list, and so we'll have really robust offerings. Overall, I think it's a wonderful change. But to be totally honest, the transition is probably going to be rough for some students.

Those kinds of changes are just hard.”

A BUSY JULY

The start of the summer will likely correlate with a flurry of phone calls to LBCC as Oregon State’s general education changes aren’t the only notable update in July. Linn-Benton will also be changing its financial aid policy to comply with a requirement that federal financial aid cannot go towards non-degree classes.

How to tell the difference?

“Federal financial aid will only pay for courses that are in a student's degree plan,” said Winder, “which basically means they show up somewhere in your DegreeWorks audit – the top box in DegreeWorks will show if there are problems.”

The good news for students is that the ruling only affects federal financial aid, such as that from the Pell Grant. Money from state and private financial aid, such as the Oregon Promise Grant and LBCC Foundation scholarships, can still go towards non-degree approved classes.

Ahead of the change, LBCC is working on a plan to make the switch easier for students.

“We're changing several of our degrees to incorporate more of the pathways that students have been using,” said Winder. “And then we're changing our process to ask for substitutions to make that a lot more streamlined, so that when students are mindfully doing something different than the degree plan and they're working with an advisor, that can be approved.”

It’s important to note that electives remain unaffected by the change – if you’re a student who who will be taking 10 additional credits of electives due to the change from bacc core to core ed, those classes can still be covered by federal financial aid as long as they fit under the degree plan.

Winder said that the update will affect the process for changing majors, as making the switch in the middle of a term will result in some classes temporarily not falling under a degree plan. As a result, students will have to make sure to switch majors in between terms, or work with their advisor so the change doesn’t officially take place until the beginning of the next.

“We're going to have students trying potentially to change their major in response to core education,” said Winder. “And they are just going to need to do that prior to July 1. So, there will be a couple of messages that are very carefully designed going out to students about this change.”

Winder noted the school’s efforts to inform students ahead of both the general education and financial aid changes on July 1.

“It's just challenging from a messaging point of view,” she said. “Making sure everybody understands what's happening and how they're different from each other.”

The moral of the story? It wouldn’t be a bad idea to meet with your academic advisor ahead of the change.

And maybe eat a doughnut.

graphics via FREEPIK

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beyond the

classroom: with Clay Weber

interview and photos by BRENDA AUTRY

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or more than two decades, Clay Weber has been an integral part of LBCC's agricultural science program. Originally from central California, Weber worked hard and turned his passion for raising livestock — a favorite family pastime — into a successful career. Through his work in the program and his coaching of the livestock judging team, he has played a key role in shaping the future of the agricultural industry in Oregon and beyond.

How long have you worked at LB? I started in the fall of 2001, which makes this my 23rd year. I was hired as an instructor to teach mostly animal science classes and coach the livestock judging team.

In the time you’ve been here, how has your job changed?

My job hasn’t changed much, but time has passed. I no longer actively coach the livestock judging team, although I still help with the program. I’ve had the opportunity to be the department chair for agricultural science for seven or eight years, and most recently, I took over the College Now program.

What classes do you teach?

I teach feeds and feed processing, marketing in agriculture, applied animal nutrition, sheep and swine production, and forage crops.

Do you teach just in classrooms, or do you have a barn?

Right now, we teach mostly in classrooms, but there is a project in the works on Looney Lane for a more diversified school farm. In the meantime, whenever we have a hands-on lab, we work with community partners. We make calls and visit local farms and ranches for hands-on work. This has, perhaps to our detriment, lessened the urgency of needing our own farm, but we are the only school I know of with an animal science component that doesn’t have a diversified school farm for lab components and exercises.

We are also able to utilize resources at Oregon State University, but the challenge is that it requires a lot of planning. We have to figure out transportation and build the transportation time into our class time.

Do we have enough students to justify a school farm?

Yes, absolutely. Eventually, we’ll move the existing horse facility out to Looney Lane as well.

It will be a horse and livestock facility. Once people realize we have that facility, recruiting students will become much easier, and our enrollment will skyrocket.

How is the new facility build being funded?

It’s being funded through an $8 million grant that we received from the state, plus another $8 million from a bond measure.

Are there other community college animal science programs nearby that students could enroll in?

As far as animal science, we’re the only game in town. The next closest schools are Blue Mountain in Pendleton and Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario. OSU has the programs and facilities, so when students visit there and then see we just have classrooms, it could discourage them from enrolling here and send them straight to OSU instead. We would like to have them attend LB for two years and then send them to OSU. What degrees do you currently offer?

We offer both transfer and technical degrees. Transfer degrees include: Animal science, agricultural business management, agricultural science, and equine science. Technical degrees include: animal technology, and animal tech: horse management.

What we hope is that with the new facility, we could potentially develop a veterinary technician program, and it will give us the flexibility to offer a traditional crop science or crop production degree as well.

What did you do before you taught?

I was a livestock feed sales representative for Associated Feed out of Turlock, California.

Are you from Turlock?

I’m from Madera, California. After graduating from Madera High, I went to Modesto Junior College and earned my bachelor of science in animal science from Oklahoma State University. I completed my master’s in general agriculture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

What did you initially want to do?

I really didn’t know. I knew I liked livestock, and I’d always raised livestock.

My family was more into crop production, and livestock was a hobby, but there wasn’t

a livelihood in livestock to return home to, so I didn’t have a clear path. When I was a grad student, I had the opportunity to teach classes, and I learned that I enjoyed the student interaction and engagement, which was positive for me. I stepped away from academics to be a sales rep, and I’m glad I did, because it gave me a solid foundation for many of the things I teach, like my nutrition classes.

Do you have a farm?

Yes, we have 23 acres between Shedd and Brownsville. We raise sheep, and I own cows, but they’re not on my property. We’ve always run sheep on our own property, and we make a once-a-year hay crop in the summer. I also sell show lambs to 4-H and FFA exhibitors.

Who is “we”?

“We” is myself, my wife, Dena, and our two sons. Cole, my oldest, just graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove, where he played football and majored in sports communication. My youngest, Cade, is a junior at Lebanon High School.

Other than livestock, what are your hobbies?

My sons both play sports, so we spend a lot of time attending their sporting events. My oldest son played football at Pacific, but he also played football, basketball, and baseball in Lebanon. My younger son plays football, wrestles, and competes in track.

Livestock takes up a lot of my time, but I like to work out. I enjoy the gym atmosphere, lifting weights is my primary activity — that’s pretty much the extent of my free time.

I wrestled in high school, so much of my life was centered around school, raising sheep, wrestling, and competitive livestock judging.

Why did you stop coaching the livestock judging team?

It takes a considerable amount of time, and I’m fortunate to work with two of the hardestworking people on this campus: Jenny Strooband, who is legendary for her work ethic, and our newest instructor Sierra Meyers, who has taken on the role of livestock judging team coach. Sierra puts in so much time. Coaching is really intense, and unless you’re willing to put in hundreds of hours outside of class, you won’t be successful. She is deeply committed to her students’ success.

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placed eighth overall in the competition.

Many students who’ve been on the judging team go on to be very successful. For example, Lisa Charpilloz Hanson, a former team member, is now the director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Chanel Tewalt, another former member, is the director of the Idaho Department of Agriculture.

▲ Photo via Clay Weber Coaching at a high level is really more suited to younger people. It was a natural transition for me to step back, although I still help and oversee things. We needed someone like Sierra to step in and actively coach students.

Tell me a little about the livestock judging team. How do they compete?

It’s a series of contests that happen, some on a national level, like in Kansas City, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; Houston, Texas; Oklahoma City, San Antonio; and Denver, Colorado. We also participate in smaller, more regional contests. The competitions start in October and finish up by mid-March.

The team travels to competitions to compete in judging livestock. Everyone competes as individuals, but there’s also a team score. A typical day at a contest begins at 4:30 or 5 a.m., as we have to be onsite by 6 a.m. and start judging at 7 a.m. We judge 12 classes of beef, sheep, swine, and goats. Each class has four animals. Most of the judging is done by noon, but the afternoon is reserved

for oral reasons, where students are given one to two minutes to justify their reasons for their placings to the officials, and this can last until 6 or 7 p.m. This communication portion of the competition takes a lot of training.

In livestock production, there is a skill in selecting animals based on important traits.

I’m probably biased, but I don’t know if there is any other activity that is better at refining skills in decision making, critical thinking and communication.

Students win by placing the animals correctly based on how the officials score them. Each class is worth 50 points, and each set of reasons is worth 50 points so there is an individual winner and team winner based on points.

How does the judging team perform?

Our team has been good. This year, the competition has been tough, and making the top 10 is always challenging. In Louisville, they placed seventh in the fall, and they just returned from Denver, where they placed 13th, but they won first in sheep and goats as a team. One individual

Any interesting facts about yourself that you’d like to share?

I’ve judged a lot of sheep shows across the country. One of the most interesting things is that I’ve been around long enough to see many students come through the program who are the children of my very good friends. Coaching them on the judging team has been awesome, and it’s great that their parents knew me when I was young and still chose to send their kids here with me.

I’ve also had the opportunity to serve as the officiant at the weddings of two different sets of students of mine who got married. I thought it was great they asked me to officiate, but I am not looking for a side gig.

What is something people should know about the agricultural science program?

How committed our faculty are to seeing students succeed in whatever field of agriculture they choose. We recruit, advise, and in many cases, help them find jobs or transfer to another school. We also help with finding scholarship opportunities.

I also think people should know that we’re the primary option in this region of the Willamette Valley, which is the grass seed capital of the world and a huge sheep-producing area.

This valley really needs agricultural education at the community college level.

If you’d like to learn more about the animal science programs or the livestock judging team, you can contact Clay Weber at weberc@ linnbenton.edu.

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Community Education

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SPARKING

INNOVATION words by MICAH TEAGUE

▲ Inside the ATTC in Lebanon. Photo by Micah Teague.

L

BCC is going to have an electrifying opportunity for automotive students coming this fall. The automotive department at LBCC will be adding an electric vehicle technician program to the automotive certification programs already available through the school. This program will give students the opportunity to earn a certificate in EV technology and will combine with the existing program.

Starting this upcoming fall, continuing students can choose if they want to include EV technology in their curriculum. The program has a prerequisite of one year of automotive classes, or one year of diesel classes.

Focusing on what makes an EV different, this program will help students meet the needs of the automotive industry

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as technology advances and EVs become more common.

Department chair Mike LeBlanc and other automotive faculty members have been working to make this program available for students for several years.

“We try to align what we’re teaching with what is current in industry,” said LeBlanc.

The automotive program holds all of its classes at the Advanced Transportation Technology Center (ATTC) in Lebanon. This includes all of the necessary general education classes alongside automotive classes.

Students interested in the program can learn more by connecting with First Resort in Takena Hall on the Albany campus and contacting the trade programs navigator Kory Sessions-Riseley, or advisor Christy Stevens.

“The goal is to try to get our students to get their foot in the door,” said LeBlanc.

“As they graduate, they’re transitioning right into a job.”

Students also can learn more by attending one of the upcoming events about the LBCC automotive program. The LBCC Women in Auto Open House will be taking place on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at the ATTC. This event is an open house and facility tour that is targeted towards women interested in breaking into the automotive field.

Another event coming up is Dyno Days, a spring fundraiser that is held by the department. This event will happen May 1617 at the ATTC.

▲ Photo via Michael Fousert

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Culinary Student Spotlight:

Sayde Francisco-Nash interview by EMILY JIMERSON photos by SARAH ROSE LARSON

What is your major and year in school?

This is my second year in the culinary arts program.

What made you choose culinary arts?

I just really love to cook, personally.

Making people happy and seeing the smile on their face always makes you feel good, but it also brings people together like family. So that's what I started out doing, just cooking for my mom because she's working a bajillion jobs and she was tired all the time, and then she would have to come home after working two or three jobs and cook for four kids.

She was struggling. So once I got old enough, I started asking to learn certain things so that I could start taking over certain days so she didn't have to.

What brought you to LBCC? It’s the closest culinary program to where I was living originally, which is the Toledo area, so not a very big town.

There's not a lot of options for us out there unless you want seasonal work. And I wanted something stable, something that was going to bring me not necessarily just prosperity – I'm not only looking to get money – but I wanted to help people in the community, too.

I have an idea for a low-waste kitchen, so instead of throwing away things that we aren't planning to use, we would be taking them and giving them away for free. So at the end of the night, we would open up the restaurant and sort of have a soup kitchen and just let people have what we can't sell anyway.

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Could you tell me what a typical day looks like for you within the culinary program?

I wake up at 6 a.m. – or earlier if need be – and just get right to work. It really is one of those things where you can't dilly dally. You have to try to be fast and efficient at the same time. You can't be rushing through everything or looking over certain details. It's very task oriented and it's very A, B, C, and D – you have to do it in steps. I wake up, I go in, and I'll look over my list of things that I've prepped the night before. I'll go through and look and see what needs to be done the next day so that I know. And then I just start knocking things off my list as much as I can on that day. I'm in butchery right now, and I have been since we started school back up, so that's all I really know right now – just meat.

Generally your day in the kitchen is going to look like maybe baking a whole

cake and then decorating it top to bottom with a really nice buttercream, or maybe adding some pretty flowers that you made out of fondant. But it really does depend on where you are. It could be something different every day, or it could just be meat – currently where I am – but it's okay. You have to learn, and I get that. …

I am thankful and I'm more than grateful for the opportunity to be in our culinary program with such wonderful people. All of the chefs, they're really great.

What has been one of the most valuable lessons you've learned through the program?

I think the biggest lesson that I've learned is to just fail. Just fail. Sometimes you really just have to take that loss. You have to take that failure and just sit with it for a while, buy it a coffee, let it stay. It's OK. It's alright. It's not a big deal. And then you can move on. Just don't hold on to anything for too long.

What are your plans for after you graduate from LBCC? I don't have any definitive plans yet.

I just have a lot of ideas and a lot of doors.

So we'll see which one's open and we'll see what happens after I graduate. But hopefully restaurants, hopefully cooking would be cool. That's it. That's all I want.

Is there anything else you'd want people to know about the culinary program?

It may seem scary at first, but the only way to get over the fact that it is scary is to do it. And there are people here that are always willing to help you achieve your goals. That's the thing: They strive to make sure that you achieve what you set out to do — whether that's graduating, whether that's being the greatest baker in all of Albany if that's what you want — they will help you and they will stop at nothing to help you achieve that.

So just rely on your teachers, rely on chefs Stacy (Lebar) and Josh (Green). …

It's such a hard environment to go into and just trust, but you really can trust these teachers. They're there for you. Any moment, every waking day. I've emailed chef Josh at 6 in the morning and he's emailed me back 10 minutes later. Where else are you going to get that kind of stability from a teacher? It's a stable field and I highly recommend it for people that want to strive for something greater.

Read the full interview on lbcommuter.com.

Culinary Student Spotlight:

interview by EMILY JIMERSON photos by SARAH ROSE LARSON

Poppy Mitchell What is your major and year in school?

I am in the culinary arts program and this is my second year. It's a two-year associate degree program.

What made you choose the culinary program?

I love to cook. I've worked in the industry since I was very young. I decided to quit teaching two years ago, and my son said LB is a great place. They have a study abroad program for cuisine, which was what brought me and it's been amazing.

Is there a specific area of the culinary program that your major focuses on?

It's a general study. They break it down, whether it's the basics like French basics, bakery meats – they break it down into classes for you.

What was the main reason that brought you to LBCC? Well, I heard the culinary department has had a great reputation for about 30 years, and their study abroad program was what captivated me. We went to Prague last summer – it was amazing. We got to cook with a chef in Prague. We did food tours and I think we stayed 13 days. …

There were only three culinary students, but there were 15 of us all together because it's open to the whole campus.

What sparked your initial love for cooking and baking?

I like to make people happy. It makes people happy.

Could you tell me about some of your classes and what they entail?

Right now we are in our second year curriculum working the line. So we all take rotations working and cooking at the Santiam Café and Bistro, getting the bread done. We make all the bread, all the meats, all the sauces from scratch. There's 15 rotations and we all do two-week rotations.

The Santiam restaurant is up on the second floor right outside of the Commons area.

There's a nice new restaurant where you can dine in, so you can sit and eat on china or you can take it to go and eat. They have a grab-and-go deli selection that always has desserts and great grab-and-go meals for dinner. So there's stuff like meatloaf, lasagnas, or mashed potatoes and gravy, things like that.

What is your favorite style of cooking?

My favorite style would have to be baking, and I have prior history in bulk

cooking. I am getting familiar with line cooking, which is completely different, so I'm enjoying that aspect. I love to make cakes. I sell cakes on the side, sometimes wedding cakes. I like to make pastries, cupcakes, and cookies.

What are some of your plans for after you graduate from LBCC? I would like to start an event venue where I can have a certified kitchen to do catering and wedding cakes, and also provide a place for chefs who don't have a certified kitchen to work out of.

What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of school?

I go foraging a lot. I live off the land quite a bit, so I love canning and foraging. I plant a huge garden and make a lot of my own food from scratch and put it away. And I love to oil paint. I do a lot of wildlife and portraits.

What would you say has been the most challenging part of the culinary program?

Probably learning to work with other personalities, that's been the biggest challenge.

What has been the most rewarding part?

The chefs. There's five chefs upstairs and they work so well together. They're always there to help. The dynamic is how they work so well together. It just makes our classes go so smoothly. And even if they're not our chefs and they have 10 other things that they're doing, we can be like, “Chef?” and they'll be like, “Yes.” And they'll stop what they're doing, and they'll come talk to us or figure out what's going on. I think that's the best atmosphere to learn in.

Is there anything else that you'd want people to know about the culinary program?

It’s really rewarding and you take your education to the next level. Even if you think you've worked in the industry, they will teach you way more than you're expecting.

Read the full interview on lbcommuter.com.

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words by ANTHONY DREWS

UNTANGLING THE WEB LBCC’s Website Redesign

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inn-Benton Community College has used the same website for over a decade. Imagine, then, the surprise of current students who visited the site at the beginning of January, only to find that the header image was now moving.

The site’s looping aerial video of the Albany campus is the first eye-catching change to www.linnbenton.edu, which launched a redesign at the beginning of winter 2025.

Intended to consolidate and reorganize information that had been scattered across a maze of outdated pages, the site now boasts a sleek new layout, snappier navigation on mobile devices, and automatic translation into other languages.

“We had received multiple years of student feedback,” said Justene Malosh, LBCC’s webmaster and director of institutional effectiveness, “that it was difficult to find things [on the website], and when they did find things they were often out of date.”

These complaints eventually led to a two-year process of redesigning the site that was kickstarted by a small grant from the Lumina Foundation, an independent organization committed to improving higher education across the United States. This funding allowed Malosh to assemble a small team to fix these pain points and bring LBCC’s site into the modern era, including: Danny Aynes, registrar and primary contact for systems such as WebRunner and DegreeWorks; and Virginia Mallory, director of high school partnerships, recruitment, and marketing.

Malosh had worked with LBCC’s previous web management team, but most of them have since moved on from the college to other pursuits.

The project’s first year was spent doing literal legwork.

“It’s just a lot of content,” said Aynes. Negotiating what information was available on the site, what needed to be updated or removed, and how it could be better organized was the main focus. He recalls that “it took a lot of meetings with departments to figure out ‘What are you trying to convey?’ and ‘How can you convey it?’”

As a result, he noticed that “a lot of the information went from six web pages down to one.”

“We involved [the different departments] in our process, and we would try to regularly communicate where we were with the project,” Mallory added. “That helped everyone participate and have their voices heard.”

One example of the improvements that came from these discussions was the idea of using tab layouts for different departments. This allows all of the relevant information to be accessible without having to load multiple pages, improving efficiency for the site and convenience for users.

Another more subtle change is to the site’s search function. While the search bar may only look different cosmetically, the team has implemented an improved search algorithm to make results more accurate. This will

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lead to users spending more time viewing the information they are searching for, and less time actually finding it.

The second year of the project was spent doing the actual coding, and was mostly done by Malosh. Working with the same web host, Modern Campus, the team revisited how the site was built internally. Previously they only hosted the website, with LBCC handling all the actual coding. Now, Modern Campus also makes “building blocks” that Malosh uses to assemble the different parts of the site, a welcome change from manually typing out massive amounts of code.

This modular nature allows for the seamless addition of new content and features to the site, such as the option to translate the entire site into a different language without a third-party program. In addition, when accessed from a mobile device the site can detect the user’s preferred language and auto-translate accordingly. Currently this feature is only supported in English and Spanish, but Malosh notes that they are working with the International Students Department to determine what languages would be most helpful to add.

She also wanted to bring attention to an updated feature that many users had previously found to be cumbersome: the LBCC directory. By scrolling to the bottom of the site and selecting “Departments,” the user can now access a neatly organized page of all current staff, searchable by name or department. This is a welcome change from the old drop-down menus that felt like something out of an early ’90s phone directory.

What does the future hold for this new layout?

Malosh notes that they are going to be closely watching the analytics of the site during its launch period, using this data to continue making improvements to the site’s usability for students.

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SAVING LIVES LBCC, American Red Cross Team up on Campus Blood Drives

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tepping up to the challenge of solving an emergency blood shortage, the American Red Cross is pairing up with LBCC to hold blood drives on campus and save lives one donation at a time.

Linn-Benton is collaborating with the Red Cross to host blood drives to solve the emergency blood shortage, which has been causing problems over the last six months.

The trend started when donations dropped 25% in July 2024 due to intense heat waves driving away donors around the country.

Donation rates still haven’t fully recovered since last summer.

Since then, volunteers have worked hard advertising the blood drives around campus to improve student and faculty turnout.

The most recent drive was held Jan. 14-15 in the Calapooia Center’s Fireside Room. Students and faculty promoted the event through in-person and online communications. When participants entered the room, they were first greeted by the intake booth manned by student volunteers.

Individuals sign up for a 30-60 minute appointment slot, accounting for the time it takes one of two staff members to take the participant’s vitals and the time it takes to donate blood.

Student Leadership Council volunteer coordinator Quincy Summerlin facilitated intake during the blood drive on Jan. 14. He said 50 out of the 58 available appointment slots were filled on Tuesday, marking a significant improvement in participation.

Summerlin described the mission of the Red Cross as noble: “They exist to save human lives.”

When asked what types of donations are most sought after, he said all blood type donations are vital to saving lives. Summerlin said that O-negative donations are always in high demand because of how essential it is for hospitals to have it on hand in cases where blood needs to be administered as quickly as possible, leaving no time to test for blood type before beginning the transfusion.

According to the Red Cross’ website, trauma patients have a 5% greater risk of death for every minute a blood transfusion is delayed. The donation types of “power red” and whole blood are the most important in solving the current shortage.

“Power red lets your donation go further,” said Summerlin. This type of donation produces a concentrated vial of

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red blood cells in which a donor can safely donate the equivalent of two whole blood donations while having their plasma and platelets returned to them.

Since red blood cells are the most commonly needed component of a blood donation, power red was created to address the need for red blood cells while taking less whole blood from the donor, helping up to six patients. That’s double the impact of a whole blood unit per donation while only costing the donor 30 more minutes than a traditional whole blood donation.

When asked what he would say to prospective donors who are hesitant about contributing, Summerlin said, “The pros outweigh the cons.”

Perceived cons make many people reluctant to donate, whether due to the all-too-common phobia of needles or just being generally intimidated by the process.

Getting more donors in the door is essential to fixing the blood shortage.

“If you’re nervous, the people at the Red Cross will help you,” said Summerlin.

Returning for her fifth donation, whole blood donor Sarah Fraiser said, “If you’re afraid of needles, look away and go to your happy place.”

The early childhood education major was hesitant to book another appointment due to almost passing out after her last donation nearly a year ago. Fraiser explained she believed this was due to dehydration, assuring this time she thoroughly hydrated in the days leading up to her appointment so she wouldn’t have the same issue.

The Red Cross blood donation app, “Blood Donor,”

words by LIANA LAHANN graphic via FREEPIK

emphasizes the importance of preparation before donating. Eating enough, hydrating adequately, and getting sufficient sleep is essential to creating a pleasant donation experience.

When you donate using the app, you also can see where your donation goes to help people needing blood transfusions or other types of donations that the Red Cross facilitates. The Blood Donor app allows you to track your blood’s location during processing and where it is shipped to, also notifying you when it’s used at a specific hospital. This creates a fulfilling experience for the donor from seeing their donation directly impact people’s lives.

Supplying approximately 40% of the nation’s blood, the Red Cross hopes this feature and additional public outreach efforts can save more lives, one donation at a time.

Upcoming Events Hey LB students & staff! Come to these events!

2/20, Film and Fork: Disney’s Soul, 2pm Join us for a free movie in the Tripp Theatre and free food provided after in the Commons Cafeteria for LB students.

2/27 - Masquerade Ball, 7-9pm, $5, Commons Cafeteria Tickets on sale soon.

3/3 - LBCC’s Got Talent, 2-4pm, Tripp Theatre Reach out to getinvolved@linnbenton.edu to apply!

3/4 - Women’s History Workshop, 10-11:30am, Calapooia Center 211 3/8 - Waverly Park Clean Up, 10am-1pm, RAIN OR SHINE!

3/13, Film & Fork: Steel Magnolias, 2pm Join us for a free movie in the Tripp Theatre and free food provided after in the Commons Cafeteria for LB students.

3/28 - Comedian Ben Palmer - Tripp Theatre, 6-9pm Check out More Events Here

Follow Student Leadership Media Here COMMUTER

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The Shadow of Solar S

olar farms are one of the hottest new trends in Oregon. Sarah Esterson, a senior policy advisor for the Oregon Department of Energy, stated in a January podcast with The Oregonian that the state’s solar farm output has increased 200% when it comes to megawatts and 130% when it comes to footprint in the last two years.

The statistics back the eye test. In December, the state approved a 9,442-acre solar farm in Oregon’s Morrow County. More locally in Linn County, controversy has arisen around the proposed

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words by NORAH STEED, KAI YOUNG, AND THE CIVIL DISCOURSE PROGRAM

olar farms are cropping up all over Oregon, promising clean energy. However, concerns have been raised about the impact this will have on the beauty of the state and the continued output of Oregon agricultural land. While these are valid concerns, there are already state measures in place to limit the negative effects of solar farm development. As a result, solar farms on Oregon land would be doing more good than harm.

In June 2021, Oregon legislators passed the Clean Energy Targets bill, a bold requirement for Oregon electricity producers to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from their energy production processes with an end goal of reaching 100% below baseline emissions levels by 2040. In order to reach these fast-approaching targets, there will have to be some structural changes in the way Oregon gets its energy.

There are many sources of renewable energy, each with their own unique challenges, benefits, and detriments. Solar energy has the benefits of scalability and limited impacts on the environment (no dams or geothermal plants are required). The primary detriment highlighted by opponents of solar energy production in Oregon is the amount of land it might take up, which could otherwise be used for agriculture.

But how much land would solar farms actually cover? According to a study completed by the US Department of Energy in September 2021, in order for the entire country to replace its greenhouse gas emitting electricity production with solar power, it would require about 0.5% of the USA's land area to be converted to solar farms. In Oregon, which has roughly 1.28% of the US population and 2.6% of US land area, there is a lower ratio of wattage required by consumers to land available for solar farms, requiring even less of a solar footprint.

At present, Oregon is not facing a farm

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installation of the Muddy Creek Solar Park outside of Brownsville. The solar panel installation, still yet to be approved, would take up roughly 1,600 acres.

These projects are some of many in Oregon’s rapidly-growing solar energy pipeline. `While the installations are a step forward for the state’s clean energy goals, they’ve come under fire for a multitude of reasons, notably regarding how they are often being built on pre-existing farmland.

Are these solar parks really the right option for a greener Oregon?

shortage, but we are facing the effects of climate change, fueled in large part by decades of greenhouse gas emissions. It is our responsibility to support steps in the direction of reducing our emissions.

As Oregon’s population grows, its energy demand will grow too. It is necessary that we are able to provide affordable power to future Oregonians in a sustainable manner. From 2017-2022, Oregon lost 5.18% of its farms (by zoning). Despite this decline, total farm production and sales increased by 14.64% (adjusted for inflation), according to a peer-reviewed study published by Oregon State University. Oregon’s agricultural economy is not in danger of disappearing.

In fact, solar farms can be agricultural producers as well. Incorporating solar panels into farming could benefit crops by preventing soil erosion and aiding water retention due to shade limiting evaporation. Research projects at OSU have supported the use of agrovoltaics — using the same land for both solar power and agriculture — and reported benefits regarding everything from grazing sheep to farming tomatoes, beans, and grass.

A 2024 OPB article noted how farmers can benefit from the relative stability of solar farms in terms of an investment in contrast to the volatility of crops, further helping local farmers.

The promotion and development of solar farms in Oregon would also be a positive force for our economy. In 2021, the US Department of Environmental Quality predicted a national transition to solar power would generate another 500,000–1,500,000 jobs nationwide.

Oregon’s solar boom will result in some slight changes to the landscape around us, but it’s nowhere near as threatening to the state’s natural beauty or farmland as its critics fear. Solar energy is the correct answer to Oregon’s clean energy goals.

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words by JOSHUA HEWITT, PHOEBE DENBO, AND THE CIVIL DISCOURSE PROGRAM

he recent approval of Oregon's largest solar installation on nearly 10,000 acres of farmland raises serious concerns about the future of agricultural land use. While we celebrate the promise of powering 800,000 homes with solar energy, there is a conveniently ignored cost: the loss of productive farmland that has fed our communities for generations. These aren't just abstract acres on a map — they're the fields where countless farm families have worked dawn to dusk, where children learned to drive tractors alongside their parents, and where the very soil holds generations of careful land stewardship and family history.

Converting farmland to solar installations doesn't just impact agricultural production — it accelerates the push of development further into our rural areas. Oregon’s farmland and natural beauty are arguably the state’s two biggest draws, with the Willamette Valley even earning the title “grass seed capital of the world.” We don’t want to see a day where the fertile farms we see on our daily commutes are converted into acres of solar arrays. Solar expansion could also threaten restoration and access to the state’s wetlands.

We should not be fragmenting our agricultural belts with industrial installations, which will contribute to exactly the kind of urban sprawl that environmental planning tries to prevent. Our productive farmland serves as a natural buffer against urban expansion; once we start punching holes in it with solar parks, we weaken this crucial boundary.

There are better alternatives.

Solar installations can and should be prioritized on brownfield sites, former industrial areas, and urban spaces.

Parking lots can be covered with solar canopies, like California and Massachusetts have done. Desert areas with high solar potential can be utilized without sacrificing crop production.

But replacing farmland with solar panels should be our last resort, not our default strategy.

The current solar gold rush, fueled by generous subsidies, threatens to irreversibly alter our rural landscape.

Solar panels have an average lifespan of just 25-30 years, after which they become hazardous electronic waste.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, solar panel waste could reach 78 million metric tons globally by 2050, and the toxic materials within these panels – lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals – pose significant environmental risks.

These massive solar installations are creating tomorrow's environmental crisis while supposedly solving today's.

As we stand at this crossroads, we must ask ourselves: What legacy do we want to leave for future generations?

Will our grandchildren inherit a patchwork of industrial solar farms where fertile fields once stood, or will they thank us for finding a way to balance progress with preservation?

Our rush to achieve climate goals shouldn't come at the expense of food security and rural communities. We need a more balanced approach that recognizes the essential role of both agriculture and renewable energy in our future. This means implementing strict limits on farmland conversion, requiring developers to prioritize nonagricultural sites, and eliminating loopholes in laws that are supposed to protect prime farmland.

The decisions we make today about land use will shape our communities for generations. While the need for renewable energy is clear, sacrificing our best farmland is a short-sighted solution that creates new problems while solving others. We can and must find a better way forward that preserves both our agricultural heritage and our clean energy future.

Read a version of this article with links to the cited studies on lbcommuter.com.

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▲

▲ Views of the bridge collapse. Photos via Corvallis PD.

Corvallis Bridge is Falling Down

words by SID MYDLAND

Trestle Collapse in Avery Park sends Portland & Western Rail Car into River

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n Jan. 4, a trestle collapsed at Corvallis’ Avery Park, causing a rail car to fall into Marys River and spill 150,000 pounds of urea fertilizer into the water. The trestle, owned

by Portland & Western Railroad (PNWR), had previously been damaged by a fire in May 2022 that burned for nine hours.

“A primary concern was just the material [urea fertilizer] entering the water… particularly from ammonia, which can be created when urea combines with water,” said Oregon Department of Environmental Quality representative Dylan Darling. The DEQ sampled for ammonia levels in the water, with Darling saying that no “immediate high risk to fish” was found.

While this situation is relatively small, fertilizer spills can be disastrous in rivers. Last year in Red Oak, Iowa, there was a 265,000-gallon fertilizer spill that took place in the East Nishnabotna River. This spill, caused by a clogged line at a plant owned by multimillion-dollar company NEW Cooperative, traveled around 60 miles downstream, killing 750,000 fish. The Iowa Capital Dispatch mentioned outrage from the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

The Iowa DNR lobbied for higher fines, with their lawyer valuing the ecological damage at $226,000. So far in Corvallis, there has been no talk of fining PNWR for the incident.

There is also the matter of how or if drinking water has been affected at the water system uptake. “The closest water system was nine miles downstream and did not operate their water treatment plant for three days directly

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following the incident,” Erica Heartquest, public health communication officer for the Oregon Health Authority, told The Commuter.

She also mentioned how high water levels at the time of the collapse likely had lessened the impact of the fertilizer.

Tom Ciuba, a representative for PNWR, addressed if the 2022 fire played a role in the collapse. When asked if there were repairs to the bridge following the fire, Ciuba told The Commuter that PNWR had the bridge looked at by engineers: “The team identified some rail, crossties, and bridge caps that needed to be replaced around where the fire occurred.

Once those repairs were made, the bridge was then inspected again by engineers for structural integrity before traffic resumed.”

Residents seemed skeptical about the safety of the bridge pre-collapse; while some were surprised by this event, others found it to be all too predictable.

In a Corvallis Reddit thread titled “Avery Park train bridge finally collapsed,” locals shared their opinions on the incident. Many expressed anger, with one user writing, “Ridiculous, it broke exactly where it was burn damaged.” In another comment, a user stated, “Who decided to keep using the bridge to carry loaded cars after it burned? There needs to be some accountability.”

Many others repeated these sentiments, expressing anger for perceived negligence, but Ciuba said, “There is no indication at this time that the 2022 fire is related to this month’s collapse.”

However, the Corvallis Police Department

▲ Photo by Mike McReynolds states that the collapse was due to a structural failure. Whether or not the fire damage is why the trestle collapsed, the event has called into question PNWR’s management of the structure.

PNWR, along with its parent company Genesee & Wyoming, are no strangers to contoversy. In 2023, G&W settled in a suit filed by the EPA for breaking regulations outlined in the Clean Air Act. On the hiring website Indeed, former employees of Genesee & Wyoming have mixed reviews about working conditions. Some say they appreciate the benefits and job security, while others lament bad management. Several mention management’s lack of care, dangerous working conditions, and lower pay than similar jobs.

Their treatment of employees came to a head in June of 2023 when 31 workers were allegedly unlawfully fired for attempting to unionize and a suit was filed against them by a rail division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters labor union.

Luckily for Portland & Western Railroad, Marys River has come out of this situation relatively unharmed.

READY TO

REPEAT: 2025 Baseball Season Preview words by ETHAN BIRMINGHAM photo by SARAH ROSE LARSON

▲ Outfielder Kolten Lindstrom BASEBALL SCHEDULE:

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inter may be here, but baseball season is drawing near.

The Linn-Benton baseball team is shaping up for the start of the 2025 season with only days to go until their season opener at home against Columbia Basin.

Fresh off of winning the 2024 NWAC Baseball Championship, the Roadrunners are looking to become the first team since Lower Columbia in 2019 to win back-to-back titles.

In 2024, things couldn't have gone much better for the team.

After finishing the regular season with an overall record of 34-10, the Roadrunners went 5-1 in the NWAC championship tournament to capture Linn-Benton's fourth NWAC title.

Following their success, stars Gabe Brabec, Aidan Dougherty, and Ethan Kleinschmit earned a spot on the ABCA All-American team, while 13 members of the Roadrunners' roster earned NWAC All-Region honors. On top of the recognition for his players, Linn-Benton head coach Andy Peterson earned the honor of NWAC Baseball Coach of the Year.

To replicate last year's triumph, LinnBenton must overcome the usual yearly roster overhaul that comes standard to most junior college sports programs.

During the offseason, the Roadrunners lost 17 of the 30 players on their roster who were crucial to the team's championship success. Even the coaching department saw changes with assistant coach Cole Stringer accepting a position as pitching coach on the Corvallis Knights.

In response to the departures, Linn-Benton recruited a freshmen class of 12 players and brought in sophomores Nick Biagi, Jackson Jaha, Jack Joyce, and Connor Mendez to the team. The Roadrunners also welcomed back pitcher Noah Dewey, who played for the

team in 2023 but missed last season due to injury. Linn-Benton also hired assistant coaches James Marshall and Brock Townsend to fill the spot Stringer left.

Despite boasting a youthful squad, the Roadrunners will be relying on some of their first-year players to step up, much like the team’s freshman class last year.

In 2024, seven of LinnBenton's freshman players recorded 20 or more at-bats for the Roadrunners. Of the 13 team members who earned recognition to the NWAC All-Region team, four were freshmen. With their experience from last season, the returning players will have plenty of advice for this year's incoming Roadrunners.

"Being through it already, I love to offer advice about the things I've experienced just as the sophomores last year did for me," said sophomore outfielder Sam Giansante.

At the beginning of the school year, Giansante, along with his fellow sophomores, made it a priority to connect with their new teammates. During last season, Giansante noticed the camaraderie the team built and how it had contributed to their success.

With the hopes of replicating last year's team chemistry, Giansante and his sophomore teammates spent as much time with the freshmen players as possible. Combined with several preseason exhibitions that gave the team their first taste of playing together, the Roadrunners are now on the same page and fired up for the season to start.

"Playing for the Linn-Benton logo on the front of our jersey was kind of our recipe for success last year," said Giansante. "We aren't planning on changing it this time around."

The Linn-Benton baseball team opens up their season with a doubleheader at home against Columbia Basin on Saturday, Feb. 15.

The first game starts at 11:00 a.m., with the second set to start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

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ACTION ROADRUNNERS IN

COMMUTER SPORTS:

WOMEN'S SCHEDULE:

MEN'S SCHEDULE:

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intro by ETHAN BIRMINGHAM photos by AYDEN HORTT

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ver the last few months, the men's and women's basketball teams at Linn-Benton have been busy at work as they make their way through the 2024-25 season.

Despite both teams facing competitive opposition as members of one of the NWAC's toughest divisions for basketball, both teams remain within touching distance of a playoff spot.

With the season winding down and the Roadrunners in the back stretch of their conference schedules, now would be a better time than any to catch a game. And if you can’t make it in-person, Commuter photographer Ayden Hortt has captured some of the action at Linn-Benton home games, chronicling moments and memories from the teams' seasons. You can also stay caught up on the latest with lbcommuter. com’s sports coverage.

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Join the Student Leadership Council

Why?

By joining the Student Leadership Council, you will boost your resume, make connections, receive tuition credit, develop leadership skills, and make a real change. Join us, and be a voice for the associated students of LBCC. We are looking for all positions to complete our 2025-2026 team.

We need: Event Planners, Executive Assistants, Finance Director, Chieftain of Events, Clubs & Engagement Director, Legislative Affairs Director, and MORE! Check out position details here

Questions?

Contact slcpres@linnbenton.edu

APPLY TODAY! Due 2/16/25

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A&E

Anthem of the Month Monthly music recommendations to keep you inspired.

Silhouettes Colony House

The cold winter months can get depressing by the end. But don’t forget that spring is right around the corner. Fittingly, “Silhouettes” is a song about the light finally shining through – an ode to optimism and facing problems head-on.

words by MASON WILLS image via SONY PICTURES

MOVIE: One of Them Days DIRECTOR: Lawrence Lamont STARRING: Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Keyla Monterroso, Maude Apatow, Katt Williams, Joshua David Neal, Janelle James, Aziza Scott, Lil Rel Howery, Amin Joseph

The Commuter Recommends:

RATED: R RUNTIME: 97 mins OVERALL RATING: ★★★★★

ne of Them Days is an original comedy movie from the writers of Issa Rae’s Insecure that will most likely stand as one of the best comedies released in 2025.

The film follows two friends, Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), as they try to track down rent money before they are evicted at the end of the day after Alyssa’s boyfriend (Joshua David Neal) runs off with the money. Throughout the day, problems compound on problems and insane hijinks ensue.

This movie was surprisingly amazing.

I walked in expecting a run of the mill R-rated comedy, but it quickly overcame that assumption and grew into a fantastic watch.

The movie feels a lot like 1995’s Friday in almost every way. The stories are similar and the type of comedy that they utilize is also relatively the same. Each event is almost always caused by a prior event in the movie and that leads to a ton of really funny moments.

The performances are also great with Keke Palmer and SZA’s chemistry being off the charts. Keke Palmer is amazing as always, but

SZA is the real standout performance. One of Them Days is SZA’s feature length debut and her acting is surprisingly good and incredibly fluid. You wouldn’t be able to guess that she’s never acted in a movie before unless you already knew beforehand. The supporting roles are also well-cast and hilarious with some major standouts being two all-timers in Janelle James and Katt Williams and a relative newcomer Joshua David Neal.

The comedic timing is superb in this movie and there weren’t really any moments where I thought that it faltered. It also did what many modern comedy movies don’t do by knowing when and when not to make jokes of a situation. There are plenty of serious heartfelt moments, especially in the last half, and the movie really lets you feel the weight of them.

The main factor that helps this is that Keke Palmer and SZA talk, joke, and fight like actual friends do. The movie is well-balanced and creates a multilayered watching experience that elevates it quite a bit.

I don’t know what executive thought of releasing this movie in January, but it really deserved a late spring or summer release. It’s everything you’d want as a nice throwback to ’90s R-rated comedies. One of Them Days is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a good laugh in the near future.

LBCommuter

Silhouettes Colony House

An Ocean In Between The Waves The War On Drugs

Tomorrow Black Pumas

A Running Start Sufjan Stevens

flower store tea

Perpetual Mild Illness Crooks & Nannies

Besties Black Country, New Road

Put the Record On Kylie Cantrall

Threadbare Mineral King

4EVER Clairo

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27

COSMERE words by KAILYN MCQUISTEN

I

f you’ve been looking for a new world to immerse yourself in, the Cosmere has dozens to pick from.

Brandon Sanderson’s vast universe of unique and diverse worlds plays host to a wide range of stories and characters. From the strange spore seas of Lumar to the vast desert that spans half of Taldain’s tidally locked planet, there is no shortage of interesting places, peoples, and magic to explore.

The Cosmere is huge, and it can be daunting for new would-be Worldhoppers. While each of Sanderson’s series can be read independently, most readers agree that the most introductory-friendly place to start is on the ash-bound world of Scadrial during the original Mistborn trilogy. Sanderson has also released a successor that takes place on the same planet – the Wax & Wayne quartet – though many would argue that it’s best to read elsewhere in the Cosmere before you delve too far into it.

Perhaps you'd like to visit Roshar – home to the Shattered Plains, unique crustacean fauna, and curious spirit creatures that the locals call spren. Just tke care during a highstorm! This planet is the setting to the epic Stormlight Archive saga, of which Sanderson is currently five books into.

The latest, Wind and Truth, released this last December, and you have plenty of time to catch up with the Cosmere before Stormlight 6 releases, tentatively, in late 2031.

The Cosmere doesn’t end there! Sel is home to the mysterious fallen city of Elantris, where Sanderson’s first published novel of the same name takes place. Only the most daring attempt to visit Threnody, where shades are deadly encounters in the short story Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell. Many prefer Nalthis, where visitors can see its famous vibrant colors, bask in its warm climate, and perhaps even visit the Court of the Gods whilst reading Warbreaker.

If you’re interested in taking the Cosmere Tour, prepare for a commitment. Sanderson’s books can be lengthy. Wind and Truth clocks in at a whopping 63 hours of audiobook read time, or around 490,000 words. Whether you listen to the audiobooks (most of which are narrated by the fantastic Michael Kramer and Kate Reading) or read physical copies (adorned with beautiful artwork) it’s definitely an endeavor. It is certainly worth it, however – “journey before destination,” as the Knights Radiant say!

While there is no true “proper order” to read Sanderson’s books, there are definitely plenty of easter eggs, recurring characters, and answered questions to be found if you follow the thread. If you need a hand navigating, never fear! Based on common fan preferences and my own opinions, I have prepared a guide.

Ready! Let's tackle a series!

Welcome to the Cosmere!

Ready to begin?

Let's start small!

Yes!

Now we're ready!

But first...

Congrats! You're caught up on Mistborn!

Time to visit Roshar!

Industrial Revolution here we come!

Time to shift gears a bit. Steampunk or swords?

Knights please!

Let's start!

Color Key

Mistborn Series (Era 1)

Hmm, not yet!

Want to stay on Sel?

Nah, let's move on for now.

The Stormlight Archive (and related novellas) Found in the Arcanum Unbound collection Standalone Novels

Yes!

Need a break at any point?

Ready for a series now?

Mistborn Series (Era 2)

Congrats! You are caught up with most of the Cosmere!

However, there's still a little more to be read...

Already done!

Let's go!

Pause!

Warbreaker time!

Pause!

Mistborn Era 2 checkpoint!

COMMUTER

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across

1. Race car position 5. String neckties 10. Showed up 14. Surprised exclamations 15. United Airlines hub 16. State with conviction 17. "The game __!" ("Busted!")

18. Tuneful 19. Window glass 20. Infrequently replaced articles, in commerce lingo 23. Hockey venue 24. __ and Cher 25. Reclined 28. The D of FDR 30. Knock down to private 32. Fraternal or identical pair 36. Aid in a caper 37. Traditional fall gatherings 41. Where Farsi is spoken 43. Treat like a pariah 44. To a greater extent 47. More provocative 52. Stew cooker 53. Sir __ Newton 57. Three, on a par five 58. Source of some municipal revenue 60. Grow dimmer 63. Mutual fund?

64. Amiable 65. Finishes a cake 66. Tottering 67. Jazz great __ James 68. Yurt, essentially 69. Unhip sorts 70. Take a break

down

1. Many a Facebook "post" 2. "I'll bet!"

3. Mountain __ (flowering shrub) 4. Where Madrid is, to locals 5. Cotton capsule 6. "Certainly!"

7. Slow tempo 8. Heavenly hunter 9. Silver medal 10. Baseball toppers 11. Palindromic woman 12. Chaps 13. Prior to, in an ode 21. African language branch 22. Go green, perhaps 25. Some defensive tennis shots 26. Worked on a sub 27. As of now 29. Have a deed to 31. Smudge, perhaps 33. "__ five o'clock somewhere!"

34. Times Sq. locale 35. Northern California hub 37. Supermarket vehicle 38. Vague person?

39. Is for you?

40. Type of article (abbr.)

41. Pesky kid 42. Joey of literature 45. Title of respect 46. One of several millions Japanese 48. Type of dive 49. Light 50. Votes in 51. Move to a different section, say 54. Lit 55. Following 56. Mentioned in a footnote 58. Trial period 59. V8's eight (abbr.)

60. Relaxed __ jeans 61. Untouched serve 62. Lion's digs

"Final Ratings" by Mark McClain

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