T H E
L I N N - B E N T O N
C O M M U N I T Y
VOL. 52 EDITION 3
C O L L E G E
OC T. 1 4, 2020
S E O D UR YO TE ? VO ER T T A M
Voting Is Important to Partake in, But Why? STORY BY BRENDA AUTRY The 2020 presidential election is just a few weeks away, and many people, especially first time voters, are asking themselves, “Does my vote even matter?” The short answer is, yes, it does. But the way your vote affects the outcome of an election may be a little confusing. The U.S. Presidential Election is actually a two-step process. First, each registered voter casts their vote for one presidential candidate. This candidate usually belongs to one of the two main political parties – Democrat of Republican. There are other party candidates, however, no third party candidate has ever been elected. Even though you choose a presidential candidate on your ballot, your vote is actually used
to elect someone who will cast a presidential vote on your behalf. These people are known as electors and they make up what is known as the Electoral College. In most states, excluding Maine and Nebraska who use the congressional district method, electors are determined by a ”winner-takes-all” system where the state’s popular vote determines its Electoral College. For example, if the majority of voters in Oregon voted for the Republican candidate, they would actually be voting for a group of electors who are nominated by the Republican party's State Legislature, and who have pledged to cast their electoral votes for the Republican candidate. Each state has a set number of electors which is equal to the number of representatives plus two electors for the senators the state has in the U.S. Congress. There are a total of 538 electors – 435 representatives, 100
senators, and three electors from Washington D.C.. Oregon has a total of seven electoral votes. After the general election, each elector casts one vote for president. A candidate must have at least 270 electoral votes to be elected. Thirty-three states – Oregon included – require their electors to vote for their promised candidate. However, some “faithless electors” have voted for other candidates, or refrained from voting. In most of these states, there is no penalty or mechanism to prevent the deviant vote for counting as cast. However, five of these states provide a penalty of some sort for a deviant vote, and 14 states provide for the deviant vote to be canceled or the elector to be replaced. The Electoral College was created during the 1787 Constitutional Convention as a compromise between a popular vote and a congressional election.
Even though the electoral vote and the popular vote are usually in agreement, there have been five times a candidate has won the popular vote and lost the election. Andrew Jackson in 1824, Samuel Tilden in 1876, Grover Cleveland in 1888, Al Gore in 2000, and Hillary Clinton in 2016 all won the popular vote but lost the election. Because of this, many people believe that the Electoral College should be abolished and the popular vote should determine an election. However, changing the Electoral College would require an amendment to the constitution, which requires a two thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate – a feat many experts don’t expect any time soon. Even though your vote may not directly determine who the next president will be, every vote matters! So, make sure your voice is heard – vote!
Inside this Edition
Graphics by: freepik.com
STUDENT FIREFIGHTERS
SEE PAGE 2
BRAVER ANGELS DEBATE
SEE PAGE 3
OUT AND ABOUT
SEE PAGE 4-5
2
CAMPUS NEWS
OCTOBER 14, 2020
LBCOMMUTER.COM
Wellness Wednesday STORY BY
LISA HOOGESTEGER
The Commuter is the weekly student-run newspaper 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” pages 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. Deliver letters to: Address: The Commuter Forum 222 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW Albany, OR 97321 Web Address: LBCommuter.com Phone: 541-917-4451, 4452 or 4449 Email: commuter@linnbenton.edu Twitter @LBCommuter Facebook LBCC The Commuter Instagram @LBCommuter
Our Staff Adviser Rob Priewe Editor-in-Chief Katie Littlefield Layout Designer Rebecca Fewless Marketing/Advertising Isaieh Heiken A&E Steven Pryor Joshua Bloedel Photography Editors Hikari Kawai Arianna Stahlbaum
I want to write something cheery, or something not about the pandemic, but it’s just not in me right now. My focus on work is haphazard. Sometimes stellar, sometimes vague. I’ve been talking with students and faculty about stress, coping and the inevitable question, “what can we do to help”? Logically, you identify your stressors and come up with plans to lessen the stress. Or you choose to either do something different, let it go, or embrace the feelings. There are no specific RIGHT answers. There is doing the best you can in a difficult time, and being gentle with yourself as things around you and within you change rapidly. Emotionally, it’s not so linear. And really, you can control some of the ways you react to stress, but it doesn’t just change the feelings. I hate it when
someone tries to tell me to not be sad, or mad. I just am. I know me and I need to just get through it - it takes time. What we're seeing now, 6 months after the state shut down schools, etc., are the effects of cumulative stress. We’ve gone from boredom, fatigue and anxiety; to fear, relationship struggles and personality changes. Be aware of the impact of your own past experiences. Each person responds to crisis in different ways and on their own timetable. A few tips: • Don’t dwell on the news. Limit your reading or watching. Then turn off and be present. • Intentionally, read a cartoon, tell a joke, do something silly. Change your brain for just a few minutes. • Let frustration and anger out through physical activity, or time outside, either alone or with a friend. Be honest, be vulnerable, be real. • Ask for help. It’s a sign of strength, not weakness.
The Fight to Protect Oregon Students Volunteer Across Oregon to Help Communities During Wildfires STORY BY EVELYN HERSHA This summer Oregon experienced record-breaking forest fires. Many people fought to protect Oregon’s wildlands, including firefighters from out of state, and many students who recently graduated from high school. Brady Tappana, a 2020 graduate of South Albany High School was among them. He is currently working for Miller Timber Services Inc., a Benton County forestry service. As of Monday the 5th, Tappana was in Southern Oregon providing help towards the wildfires. “I love it,” Tappana said about the job. “Every day is something new and I'm in the best shape of my life, plus, I get to do something that actually helps people.” LinnBenton has its own firefighting students. Aliya Seibel is also a 2020 high school graduate who participates in volunteer
work for Yamhill Fire. While Seibel does not plan to become a fullfledged firefighter, the experience means a lot to her. “I never really thought about being a firefighter,” she said. “I thought it had to do with real fires, which it does, but there were a lot more medical calls that had to do with it. It is just an amazing experience for the pathway I'm trying to reach.” Seibel plans to become a physician assistant in the emergency room. Both Seibel and Tappana said the work complements going to school. “It would be different,” said Tappana, “not paying all my attention to one thing, but I think it wouldn't be too bad.” While he is not currently going to college, Tappana plans on attending Chemeketa Community College after fire season is over. Seibel said, “The school made it easy for us to be able to make up work if a
Web Master Marci Sischo Copy Editor Bowen Orcutt Contributors Lisa Hoogesteger Kinsley Stone Karen Canan Josh Green Erika Donner Becky Burger Brenda Autry David Shaughnessy Megan Oliver Natalie Pelc Marcus Andrews Dakota Gange Cassidy Vanbuskirk Evelyn Hersha
LBCC Mental Health and Crisis Contact information: • For an immediate health/safety risk, call 911 or the LBCC Public Safety officer at 541-926-6855 • Academic Year: Advising Center Counselors, Mon - Fri 9am to 4pm; 541917-4780, press 1. Note: Possible wait time of 15-30 minutes for a counselor to be available. 24/7 all year LBCC Mental Health Crisis Line: 541-917-4780, press 2 Linn County Mental Health Crisis Line: (800) 304-7468 Benton County Mental Health Crisis Line: (888) 232-7192 National Suicide Prevention Line: (800) 273-8255 Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV): (800) 754-0110 24/7 Confidential Crisis Counseling Text Line: Text OREGON to 741741 Veteran Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255 or text at 838255
SAFETY SUGGESTION BOX
call came up, so we were able to leave and go to a call if we wanted to. Of course we didn’t have to though.” LBCC encouraged its staff to be flexible with firefighters, allowing them to get a later start on fall term. The entryway to this line of work (be it volunteer or paid) seems straightforward. “I got into it because I had a friend that was in it,” said Seibel. “My high school had a class that was taught by the assistant fire chief, where he talked me into coming to one of the meetings. That's where I made my decision to be a part of the station.” According to Tappana, the only sort of training required for his position is four school courses and one day of field training. These classes were free of charge. “I did have to pay for boots and a tent and [a few other things] but that’s alright,” said Tappana.
LBCC has a Safety Committee whose goal is to identify and eliminate risks on our campus, and to prevent accidents and illnesses through the involvement of employees, managers, and students in an effort to provide a safe and healthy place to both work and learn. A "Safety Suggestion Box" is available to provide a way for you to communicate your safety concerns, hazards spotted, and suggestions for promoting safety. Please email your suggestions, comments, concerns to: safetycommittee@linnbenton.edu
Safety Tip of the Week: An earthquake can happen anytime, anywhere. Be prepared before it happens whether you are at school, at home, or out and about. • Participate in the Great American Shake Out on 10/15/20 • Check out LBCC’s Emergency Plan for Earthquakes • Find more resources at ready.gov/earthquakes
COMMUTER@LINNBENTON.EDU
OCTOBER 14, 2020
LOCAL NEWS
3
PHOTO: NATHAN HOWARD
A Topic Worth Discussing Braver Angels Debate: “The Portland BLM protests have done more good than harm.”
STORY BY DAKOTA GANGE With the pound of the gavel, the debate begins (yes, even on Zoom you can’t escape the gavel!). Students and participants alike begin to take their turns, and it’s clear that we have a zoom-room full of mixed opinions: “the Portland BLM protests have done more good than harm.” The first speaker passionately describes previous protests where rights were gained, including the civil and women's rights movements. George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s stories were brought into play, and speaker BreAnna Rae states that the protests are a “call to justice” and a “cry for help against police brutality”. In opposition, the next speaker, Trevor Lane, talks about how he believes the protests were started for the right reasons (standing up against police brutality) but have grown into “a distraction from the essential message”. Stating that “violence begets violence” and that the protests have “focused their shift to violence and vandalism”. 23 year old Moriah RiveraLawrence talks about her father’s personal experiences of once living in an Oregon sundown town and how she herself was not aware of the severity of racial inequality until the BLM protests had started, prompting her research. Moriah answers this question by Madam Chair; Q: “Is the progress worth the backlash?” Her
PHOTO: ALLISON DINNER PHOTO: LBCC'S CIVIL DISCOURSE CLUB
LBCC’s Civil Discourse Club Hosts a Braver Angels Debate Held Over Zoom on Oct. 6, 2020.
answer: “Whether or not it’s justified [violence] is up to the people it hurt”. There’s no doubt about it, this was a hot debate, and a hard topic at that. Participants went back and forth, both on the ‘for’ and opposing side. It was about 50/50. However what was stunning about this argument and discourse, was the eloquence and grace that Madam Chair bestowed upon this event. April Lawson is the Director of Debates and Public Discourse at Braver Angels, a non-profit organization that strives to “unite red and blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America”. Mark Urista, a Professor at Linn Benton Community College, has been
PHOTO: NATHAN HOWARD
working diligently to bring Braver Angels to LBCC. This non-profit organization has over 10,000 members, with events in all 50 states. Everyone and anyone is welcomed and encouraged to become a part of this great team. (Note: you do not have to be a student to join or attend any Braver Angels events!) Professor Urista can be found teaching Communication 114: Argument and Discourse at LBCC, where he has incorporated Braver Angels debates, to better teach his students about what healthy argument and discourse looks like. Prior to the start of this debate, April Lawson and Doug Sprei, (Sprei is the Communications and Campus Partnerships Director at University of Rochester, who partners with Braver Angels), started off with an energetic speech focusing on how these debates are a “collective search for truth together”. Sprei says, “you could say everybody wins”, and that they highly encourage personal experiences. Lawson touches on the fact that they “only debate tough topics” striving for “a debate that’s unique”, and making it clear that Braver Angels desire a healthy interaction. Each speaker is allowed the opportunity to share their thoughts without interruption or fear of anger and backlash from the opposing side. Participants are allotted time for questions after every speech; Madam Chair (Lawson) makes time for everyone.
The control and grace that Lawson executed in this debate, provided a trusting and passionate yet peaceful environment where participants could speak freely, and could learn something new about the opposing side without a hint of anger. In light of our most recent National debate and social media based debates, April Lawson exemplified how a healthy debate, or argument and discourse, should be performed. "My experience with Braver Angels was fantastic. If more students [and non-students] had the opportunity to learn to debate like Braver Angels, we would see more conversation and inthe-moment-teaching happening rather than just clashing and moving along in the world of debate. The exploratory nature of the debates allows people to explain not only their thoughts but also the perspective that they are coming from. The world of debate has felt very intense and competitive, with a focus on winning over facts. This is not what I felt with Braver Angels. This debate format is open enough to allow the average participant who wanders in to contribute to the group without heavy prep or a prewritten speech. Every participant in the room is enriched by everyone else who shows up and speaks.” - Moriah RiveraLawrence, LBCC student. Moriah said it best. If we all could discuss topics the way Braver Angels promotes, we could freely express ourselves in a world that would listen.
4
LOCAL NEWS
OCTOBER 14, 2020
LBCOMMUTER.COM 
Out and About Life Through the Eyes of LBCC's Photojournalism Students
PHOTO: MARCUS ANDREWS
Visitors to the memorial/mural outside of downtown Portland, Oregon Apple store on 4th and Yamhill paying their respects, dropping off flowers and candles, and openly mourning October 6.
PHOTO: CASSIDY VANBUSKIRK
The Devils punch bowl beach on the Oregon Coast is 14 minutes north on highway 101 of Newport, Oregon. It is a popular destination for surfers.
PHOTO: MARCUS ANDREWS
Closeup of graffiti art mural including a portrait of Ahmaud Arbury, a black jogger killed while jogging in Georgia. The mural is on boarded up windows outside of the Apple Store in downtown Portland, Oregon on 4th and Yamhill, October 6. PHOTO: DAKOTA GANGE
Chris Hanson plays his saxophone everyday here on the Corvallis waterfront. His only exception - when it rains. Thursday, October 8. PHOTO: NATALIE PELC
People out and about on this sunny afternoon, October 6, walking the historic streets in Salem, Oregon.
PHOTO: MEGAN OLIVER
Davis Family Farm cashier assists customers in on October 7. This pumpkin patch is located off of Highway 20, north of Corvallis, and about 10 minutes away from Albany, Oregon.
Continued on page 5...
 COMMUTER@LINNBENTON.EDU
LOCAL NEWS
OCTOBER 14, 2020
Continued...
5
PHOTO: MARCUS ANDREWS
A man breaks down outside the memorial and mural located outside the downtown Portland, Oregon Apple Store on 4th and Yamhill on October 6.
PHOTO: CASSIDY VANBUSKIRK
On this particular day it was very busy Everyone is trying to rush down the stairs to get to the beach. People are masked and trying to social distance, but it was hard.
PHOTO: NATALIE PELC
Friends of two years Brien Durham (left) and David (right) meeting up for a midday break, October 6. They both have been coming to their downtown Salem hang spot since the 80's for coffee and comradery.
PHOTO: MEGAN OLIVER
Mckenzie Huso leading locals on the hayride at Davis Family Farm on Wednesday, October 7. Davis Family Farm is open all October from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
PHOTO: NATALIE PELC
Speedy Ryan catching some rays in Salem on October 6, with a smile on his face. He claims to be a jack of all trades, filling his days with odd jobs and time to just be himself.
PHOTO: MEGAN OLIVER
Sugar pumpkin bins for Halloween baking at Davis Farm's pumpkin patch on October 7. They offer hayrides, a corn maze, games, a haystack with a slide for kids to climb, and tons of vegetables and pumpkin options to buy.
Watch the film.
Contact Bryan Miyagishima for the link, and watch before October 15.
PHOTO: DAKOTA GANGE
Chris Hanson playing "My one and Only Love" by John Coltrane. Thursday, October 8, Corvallis waterfront.
Join the discussion. 2 PM, Thursday, October 15 Hosted by LBCC Library and Institutional Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Facilitated by Javier Cervantes
https://linnbenton.zoom.us/j/92310615060
6
POETRY
OCTOBER 14, 2020
LBCOMMUTER.COM ď‚Ź
SMOTHERED
Brain
Yet I hate to
Not like you do with fire
Filtered through
Be praised
Not how you'd normally
To become
By falsetto
Love a child
Someone
Claims
Not in the way that
I
Of
Keeps ones sanity
Always thought
You're gorgeous
From bursting
I'd have to aspire to be
Beautiful
Out of seems
Yet deceived
Pretty
That were sowed
By myself
You're so much stronger than me
To tight
Because
What am I To you?
So my lungs
Of cloaked
I don't care
Couldn't breath
Lies
Don't want to know
My lips
Tied tongue
If you put
We're stuck
Wrapped up head
Yourself
Corners up
Stuffed with lead
So much farther below
That way
Words
The rest of humanity
You were pleased
Addressed
We're equals see
By the falseness
Memorization was best
So please stop
You gave
Things expected of me
Petting me
To identify me
Things
With apologies
Curled bangs
No human
I never asked for,
Frilly dresses
Could ever achieve
With comments of
Sunday church
By being myself
How great I am
Say your prayers
Not an ass hole
With "love you's"
Maybe then you'll be heard
At least
As if me,
Be good
Not on purpose
you understand
Don't lie
I became
Because reality is
Gods
Lost
You
Ever seeing eye
To
Don't
He's not the only one
Myself
The sweetness
Watching
Constantly
Of your toxicity
See
Treading water
Is what burns
At only age 3
To appease
A hole
I learned
The deity
Inside me
I was already who I
That you knelt to
While your intentions
Was going to be
Every night
May not be bad
Yet
Who
The actions do
My sides sowed down
You told me
Reaching across
Strings attached
Controlled my
Uneven ground
Because
Life
The sound resonating
You didn't like
While hidden in the shadows
Where I'm found
Talk back
I must've seen
Inside my head
Realty was
You polishing
Heat filters through
Anything
One of
Telling me again
That was wrong
My puppet
To
By your conception
Strings
Stay away from
Of what god was okay with
Because
You
Then lead you to
For as long
Suffocate me
As
With not
I recall
Godly beliefs
I'm someone
But
Different
All beliefs
From what you believe me
Of what a person
To be
SHOULD
I'm strong
BE
Powerful
Yet here I was told
Sometimes
The person
Weak in the knees
I Inherently Was By your mind You said needed to be refined Yet I Have always been This way Because Of me Nothing else Not god Not books My Own
Photo By: Max Andrey from Pexels
POETRY
OCTOBER 14, 2020
COMMUTER@LINNBENTON.EDU Retraced
Exhaled
I Try to hide
Full of anger
Yet you won't abide
Born from sorrow
By the boundaries
Sowed the seeds of my Fate
I present you
That'd one day I'd grow to hate
So stay the same
My reflection
It’ll never change
Instead of Self preservation
Our relationship Because
I'd cut the pain Away
Where love should grow
Only for it to remain
A demon glows
To taunt My broken reflection
Reminding me why
Who am I? Am I ready?
I have to fly
To decide who I am
Far far Away
Is it time to step forward,Make my stand?
From You
Both feet striking sand As oceans echo
By JD
Caressing my aching soul Head clears I feel I'm strong
Arianrhod
I can Stand alone,
There once was a girl who thought the world to much
All On
Everywhere she walked she left rivers through her touch
My
She couldn't Contain her wildfires,
Own
So she let the world know her desires She exploded volcanoes, Showered down storms,
By JD
She was a disaster, Yet so much more. People watched her as she came to believe that she was destruction only She followed the world with envy, her eyes were cloud storms, her feet the trees She bellowed in thunder, screamed lightning.
Stars
When it got to much She had to breathe
There's parts that make our body
As she was swallowed up by the deep black sea,
Those atoms that come from stars
It was in that place she found peace.
The parts from galaxies away, as if they're not really that far
While she simpered, her fire quenched
I wonder if at night, while I stare up at their light
The calming of the tides Came and went.
Though what I see is the past
She rose up with the full moon that night
I wonder if they through the vast Universe can see
So full of love, burning bright.
The future smile of me
She tiptoed On moon beams,
They say stars we see at night
As she floated up high She glided over mountain trees.
Are long ago deceased even though
She uprooted her seams,
The echoes of their past haven't lost their glow
rolled up her thread
So I wonder if the stars currently we see
Beginning to see, while she did tread.
Are reverbs of our pasts
Through stormy seas, she had created
Sparkling freely
A world with so much beauty.
That though they may have died long ago,
She'd left fingerprints In lakes, footsteps in forests
What was it's starDust
chaos in volcanic rocks, and mysteries in the sea.
Now makes my blood flow
She had consumed time, and time had consumed she.
And now I get to see
Infinity wrapped her, sending her higher than ever before,
Part of my old self
As she reached atmospheric heights she opened the door.
Twinkling back at me
She wove twine together, thread leading here, By JD
As she left through that door, leaving behind her fear. She embraced the emptiness of what seemed to be vast. She couldn't resist She let out a gasp, for it wasn't empty at all. Here you couldn't fall.
Scuicide
There were colors and lights, echoes of endless nights.
What do you do when you feel scuicide
Explosions and gases, chemical reactions.
Cry out your name In the middle of the night
She couldn't help herself, She leaked out.
How do you know if you really want to die
Leaving behind what people thought must contain our minds.
Or if your brain is telling you a lie
She laughed and giggled as her hair turned dark. She pinned in sparkles that looked like stars.
Feeling the emptiness sink to your bones
She dotted her eyes with yellows and pinks
Feeling as though you’re all alone
Opened her arms and let herself sink.
Not everyone feels this way
She connected spaces by swirling her fingers
So I understand if you can’t relate
Each dipped in color as if galaxies were just a splash of finger paint.
Yet here I sit on my bed
Then when she was done, she started to dance.
Hearing scuicide beats in my head
Rejoicing at all she'd become
Telling me that I should be dead
Now she's constantly twisting, While reminiscing In All the wonderful things she's done.
Yet scuicide can collide
For you can't tame a fire
With thoughts that seep
That's expanded farther
Out from the deep
Nor the tides that come and crash
Of my core, and as they mix, I realize
For who would want to claim
That honestly
That they were the one to tame
It’s most likely
The beauty that we see all the time
The hardest way
For this entity, is so simply
You could ever die
The beauty that we all immerse
To tell yourself the biggest lie
She’s what we call the universe
That you aren’t worthy to be alive
By JD
By JD
Photo By: Emre Kuzu from Pexels
7
8
A&E
OCTOBER 14, 2020
LBCOMMUTER.COM
A Killer is 'Among Us'
REVIEW BY JOSHUA BLOEDEL
I think it’s safe to say that most of us have been interested in murder mysteries one way or another. Some of us have read detective stories like Sherlock Holmes. Some watch murder mystery movies and try to figure out who did it (my money is on the butler). But I have been interested in murder mysteries through gaming. In gaming, you can not only be the detective but sometimes even the killer and that is where things become a little more interesting. While being a detective, you have to use your observation skills and intelligence to find the holes in a person’s testimony, as a killer, you have to be cunning and make yourself seem as legitimate as possible. People have played games like this in a party-game called Mafia (also known as Werewolf). Mafia worked like this: At night, the mafia would decide who to kill and then that person is dead. In the morning, everyone has to figure out who did it and vote on who is the mafia. The process repeats until the mafia is caught or the innocents are all killed. This simple game inspired the team of Innersloth to create a game similar to that but in space. Innersloth released “Among Us” for Android and iOS on June 15, 2018, and Steam on Nov. 16 that same year. The game didn’t sell well but Innersloth persevered and kept updating the game. So how did this game become so popular all of a sudden two years later? Two possible reasons: Sodapoppin and a certain disease we all know and “love” (that’s sarcasm if you can’t tell) COVID-19. Sodapopping is a Twitch streamer who really got the ball rolling on the game’s popularity around July of 2020. Suddenly many other Twitch streamers started playing thus gaining
more and more popularity. What could also have attracted these players is that they can interact with other people without the need for social-distancing. This game also caught my attention so I decided to get it since it was at a cheap price. Do I think that it’s a great game? Or did this game only get its popularity thanks to very fortunate circumstances? In Among Us, you play as either the crewmate or the impostor. As a crewmate, you must perform your assigned tasks such as fixing the wiring of a ship, cleaning the oxygen filters, destroying asteroids, etc. If you and your fellow crewmates accomplish all your tasks, you win. As the impostor, you must eliminate all crewmates. You can accomplish this by sabotaging the systems causing blackouts, shutting doors, etc. or using the vents to travel without detection. If a crewmate (or yourself if you wish) reports a murder, a meeting happens where everyone discusses who murdered the crewmate and vote who is possibly the impostor. As the crewmate, you must look through everyone’s testimonies and find holes in them and point them out. As the impostor, you must be cunning and lie your way out and point the blame on the innocent. So that’s the basic gist of the game. This game has no story so it gets an automatic C in the story department. The gameplay is really fun. I really enjoyed it but I do have a few nitpicks, however. I wish the map would be displayed during meetings and what tasks you were assigned to do which will make new players have an easier time remembering where exactly they were when the report was made. Communication is very important in this game so that’s why this nitpick is major to me. Another problem I have with
'AMONG US' PUBLISHER: Inner Sloth DEVELOPER: Inner Sloth PLATFORM: Android, iSO, and Microsoft Windows ESRB RATING: E 10+ this game is there is no incentive to win. You don’t get any EXP or rank to show how good you are in the game and there aren’t any unlockables as you play through the game. All the cosmetics you can select such as hats or costumes for your character are immediately unlocked (or paid DLC). Overall, despite the game making it a bit difficult for newbies to communicate with their fellow crewmates and lack of unlockables, this game is really fun. I give it an A- on gameplay. There is no music for the game so C on that as well. To conclude, this is a really lacking game.
While the game is fun, don’t expect to be hooked on it for too long. I give the game a 6/10. At a Glance: Among Us Summary: Figure out who is the Impostor or eliminate all Crewmates that stand in your way. Rated: E10+ for Everyone 10 and Up: Fantasy violence, Mild blood Price: Free (iOS), $4.99 (Steam) Distributor: Innersloth Systems: iOS and Windows Release Dates: Android/iOS: June 15, 2018, Windows: Nov. 17, 2018 Rating: 6/10.
'Hollow Knight' Full of Heart REVIEW BY JOSHUA BLOEDEL
Metroidvanias aren’t a well-known genre in gaming. There are a few popular ones like, of course, Metroid but also Cave Story and Dead Cells. To the average gamer, they probably have only heard of Metroid. But then comes Hollow Knight, a Metroidvania indie game that has gained a ton of popularity. It all started when Ari Gibson and William Pellen created a game called “Hungry Knight” where a knight has to kill off bugs to help his starvation. The game didn’t do well so they decided to try and make their next game in an underground setting. Now called “Hollow Knight,” the game was revealed on Kickstarter with a goal of $35,000. The game managed to reach its goal with $57,000 which allowed them to hire a new developer named David Kazi and Christopher Larkin, the composer for the game. The team named themselves “Team Cherry” and released the game on Windows on Feb. 24, 2017. The game was also released for Nintendo Switch on June 12, 2018, while the PS4 and Xbox One followed suit and was released on Sept. 25 of that same year. The game received great praise and won the “Independent Game of the Year” award as well as the “Australian Game of the Year” award in the Australian Games Awards. So, does the game have the soul of a great Metroidvania? Or is this game just a hollow
vessel? You play as the Knight who arrives at Hallownest, a once flourished kingdom destroyed by The Infection. Your goal is to stop the source of the Infection and save Hallownest. As you explore the vast land, you will encounter bug characters and many enemies. There is also a surprisingly huge amount of lore in the game. My problem with the story is, while it has great characters and lore, the main story is incredibly forgetful so the lore I would see would be meaningless to me since I couldn’t even remember how the main story goes. Because of this, I’m going to give this a B+. As Knight, you explore the ruined kingdom and collecting new skills to allow you to progress through the world. At the start, all you can do is jump and swing your sword. But as you play, you will be able to double jump, wall jump, and shoot projectiles. This game is infamous for its difficulty and that reputation is well deserved. This game is very difficult which means you’re going to die a lot. I would be fine with this if it had a difficulty setting for those who aren’t as familiar with games but, unfortunately, it lacks that setting. Another problem I have with this game is, due to how big it is, you can get very lost and confused about where you’re supposed to go. Overall, the gameplay is fun but for new gamers, it can be very difficult and hard to navigate through. I give the gameplay an A-. The soundtrack is great! It has a lot of
'HOLLOW KIGHT' PUBLISHER: Team Cherry DEVELOPER: Team Cherry PLATFORM: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. ESRB RATING: E 10+ great songs such as Enter Hollownest, City of Tears, Sealed Vessel, etc. My problem with the soundtrack is it’s too ambient for my tastes. I’ll give it an A. The art-style of the game was handdrawn by Ari Gibson and it’s beautiful.
Bonus points for the art-style. To conclude, I really like this game. While the story can be a bit forgetful and you can be lost on occasion, it is a fun game. I don’t recommend it if you are new to gaming. I give the game an 8.5/10.
COMMUTER@LINNBENTON.EDU
OCTOBER 14, 2020
A&E
9
Hilarious and Brutally Honest
Coronavirus Commentary STORY BY
STEVEN PRYOR
@STEVENPRR2PRYOR
The latest season of “South Park” has begun airing on Comedy Central. Facing some of the biggest challenges for society in recent memory both on and off-screen, series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have opted to tackle the issues head-on in the opening episode of the 24th season: a 1-hour “Pandemic Special,” marking a series first. Mirroring real-life events, months have passed since the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic came to South Park; impacting virtually every aspect of daily life. As the citizens of the small Colorado town prepare to deal with everything from the upcoming election to their children going back to school, Randy Marsh’s home business “Tegridy Farms” is one of the few places doing strong financially. At the same time the authorities are trying to find a cure to the disease, Randy decides to take advantage of the surge in his business with a “Pandemic Special.” All does not go smoothly over the course of these events, with the show bringing its
trademark brutally honest humor to help gain perspective on current events. Over the course of the show’s first 1-hour season premiere, the episode pokes fun at everything from practical jokes over Zoom to shortages of bath tissue. Through the lens of the intentionallycrude cutout animation and the series’ signature writing style; this latest season opening has set the stage for what’s sure to be another stellar run for the show (the series has been renewed through its 26th season as of this writing). Though this latest outing for the long-running hits closer to home than ever in this day and age; it does so in a way that’s equal parts earnest and darklyhumorous. Very few shows on TV can simultaneously depict the effects the pandemic can have on a young child’s psyche and have a character doing bizarre things with a pangolin. While it remains to be seen how the rest of the season will handle the changing nature of society in this pandemic, the “South Park Pandemic Special” marks a strong first effort for the series as a 1-hour special and provides a solid foundation for another great season of the show.
'SOUTH PARK: PANDEMIC SPECIAL' CREATOR: Trey Parker and Matt Stone NETWORK: Comedy Central (Check your local cable or satellite listings) RATED: TV-MA-DV MY RATING: PHOTO COURTESY: IMDB.COM
Complete the grid so each row, column, and 3x3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit.
10
CAMPUS NEWS
OCTOBER 14, 2020
LBCOMMUTER.COM
Get Organized! Below Are Some Helpful Tips from SLC Team Members
SLC TEAM MEMBER: MARISSA MILES
SLC TEAM MEMBER: MORGAN SYLVIA
My biggest tip on getting organized is to buy a very large calendar. In addition to the calendar, I also have a mobile planner that I take around with me everywhere I go. Once I learned that we were mostly going remotely for this fall term, I knew I had to get organized and manage my time well. Since deadlines are a large factor in the success of the courses, I decided to set reminders on my phone several days and even up to 1-2 weeks before an assignment is due so I can start working on it. Another piece of advice I have is to buy colored pens. You can color coordinate deadlines for certain classes with different pen colors. For example, math class may be blue and biology can be purple. My last piece of advice to you is to get a 5 subject notebook. I know this may sound odd. During my first S H I P COUNCIL S T U DENT LEADER several terms I had one notebook for each course. I soon realized having 4-5 notebooks around my office space was not the best idea. I was much more organized when I had everything I needed in one notebook.
S T U DENT LEADER
S H I P COUNCIL
Organization is a vital skill for students and graduates alike which requires practice and an optimistic attitude; meaning you look forward to learning from your mistakes and giving it your all! In other words; aim for improvement and consistency, not perfection. Before you can begin to practice this you need a clean workspace away from distractions, or as far away as you can be. From this point, many options are available such as the famous Pomodoro Technique, the Italian word for 'tomato'. In essence, you set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on a single task until the end of the timer, followed by a five-minute break. After doing these four times, your breaks increase into 15-30-minute breaks. In addition, consider following the bulletin points below; • Creating a list of assignments and their deadlines/due dates • Improving your diet with more balanced meals and less caffeinated drinks • Obtaining a reasonable amount of sleep [Super Important]
SLC TEAM MEMBER: JACOB COTTERELL • Create a weekly plan spreadsheet, so you don't have to remember all the tasks in your head, and you can assign certain hours to certain tasks to help balance your schedule between school and other responsibilities. • Try to join zoom classes 5 to 10 minutes early. • Check every class every day, even if
you don't think there's anything new for the day. • Have a daily recurring time, where all you do is work on online class work. • Don't be afraid to ask for help, we're all a community working hard together.* *Note: Use tutors and help centers, for some reason, students don't use these as much as they could, even if they need help.
Graphic: freepik.com
STUDENT LEADERSHIP UPDATE
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• Lead More Balanced Lives • Earn LBCC tuition (Must meet specific volunteer goal requirement)
THEN LBCC'S VOLUNTEER PROGRAM IS FOR YOU! CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED.
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CLUB SPOTLIGHT ESTUDIANTES DEL SOL CLUB As LBCC's only Latino club, we're here to make a positive impact on our campus by presenting the culture and history of Latin America. Our mission is to be present and active on campus–but our purpose is to make a lasting impact on the Latino community. We welcome all students regardless of their cultural background. To find out more or join please contact Tania Mendez (habla Español) at (541) 917-4292.