Rewarding Travel Without Stretching Your Wallet
swinging on a dream
genius in the face of adversity
Congratulations, Class of 2023!
Thursday June 15th, 2023
Once again, the Student Leadership Council will be hosting a party for graduates, their friends and family and staff. This will take place in the courtyard immediately after the ceremony.
The Student Leadership Council wishes you well on your finals, 2023 Graduates! It is almost time to unwind. Just a few more weeks to go! We believe in you, and we are looking forward to having fun with you at the grad party. We will have a free photo booth, BBQ food, music, and possibly graduation gifts. Beep, beep!
Scan this code to see last year's graduation party video!
design editor
KAILYN MCQUISTEN
photo editor
SARAH ROSE LARSON
CARSYN MEYERS
feature editor
KATIE REYNOLDS
news editor
JOSH CANDÉ
arts & lit editor
CODI WOOD
marketing director
RYAN JANOWITZ
STEVEN PRYOR
advisor
ROB PRIEWE
sports editor reviews contributors
BRENDA AUTRY
LEAH BIESACK
EVAN FINLEY
CLAYTON LYNCH
KACEY MONTGOMERY
SARAH PRIETO
RYAN SPARKS
PAISLEY VINSON
4 6 8 9 10 12 14 16 17 22
backpack europe on a budget
Rewarding Travel Without Stretching Your Wallet
beyond the classroom
NDT Instructor Scott Ballard
welding competition
LB Hosts High School Welding Skills Contest
graduation back in style
LB Mixes Best of Old and New in June Ceremony
swinging on a dream
Titus Dumitru’s Journey Continues at LBCC
photojournalism
LB Equity Rally and Look What's Growing
genius in the face of adversity
The Legacy of Howard Ashman
writing on the wall
artist spotlights
steven's reviews
Guardians of the Galaxy 3
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.
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.
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.
Backpacking through Europe is one of the most rewarding travel experiences you can have. This relatively small continent is laden with an abundance of different cultures, landscapes, and history. Europe is also one of the easiest continents to traverse. Thanks to an extensive network of trains, buses and low cost airlines, you can country hop at your leisure.
Two of the biggest questions facing those who choose to backpack through Europe are: Can I afford it? And where should I go?
Though Europe is notoriously expensive, you may be surprised to learn that backpacking through Europe is less expensive than you think. College students and budget travelers alike have been traipsing across the continent on shoestring budgets for decades, and so can you!
There are, of course, some countries that are more expensive than others, but a general budget for backpacking in Europe is $75-$125 a day in Western Europe, and $40-$90 a day in Eastern Europe.
The biggest expense you’ll face is your accommodations. If you’re not opposed to sharing a space, hostels are your best budget choice for a place to stay — they’re also a great place to meet people.
You can also get a private room in an AirBnb for similar prices in most places. And in some cities, such as Budapest, Athens or Prague, you can find a good budget hotel for just slightly more.
Your next largest expense is going to be transportation. The trains in Europe are a great and fast way to travel from country to country and city to city. But, they can also be pricey.
It may be worth checking out a Eurail Pass for your visit. These passes allow you to travel a certain number of days within a timeframe through designated countries. For example, you can get a Global Pass, which includes 31 countries, and allows you to travel 15 days within two months for $424 if you’re under 28, and $565 if you’re 28-plus. Oftentimes there are additional fees to pay with these passes and it may be less expensive to buy individual tickets. The least expensive way to get around though, is buses. Companies such as Flixbus operate several routes multiple times a day and
you can get tickets for as little as $4 — really! I got a ticket from Prague to Munich for just $4. The same train ticket would have cost $20 or more. So it’s good to compare prices.
Your next largest expense will be food. Eating out in Europe can be really expensive no matter what country you’re in. But, groceries are cheaper there than in the US. Buying food to make yourself will save you a lot of money!
Most hostels have kitchens you can use, and many AirBnb’s do as well. If you’re making your own food you can spend as little as $10 a day on meals. Whereas eating out you’ll be spending at least $10 per meal.
There are so many incredible things to do in Europe — that’s why you want to go after all — that you’ll need to make sure you have enough room in your budget to fit in a few activities. Here’s some ways to save on activities:
• Entrance to museums is often free or reduced for students (or free for everyone in the UK) so make sure you check for discounts.
• Check for free entry days. (Museums in Paris are free the first Sunday of the month.)
• Take a “Free Walking Tour.” I do free walking tours in every city I visit, and though not entirely free, they’re tip based and usually just about 10 Euro per person.
• Check out Go City cards. These discount cards include several activities for one price and can often save you some money.
• Look at AirBnb Experiences. You can often find local guides and activities for cheaper than the big sites.
• Check with your hostel. There are sometimes discounts available through them.
DAILY BUDGET: $65-$140
Ireland is one of if not my most favorite countries in Europe. The beautiful landscapes, friendly people and incredible history make this an amazing place to visit! Plus, they speak English! This is a huge bonus if you’re not used to traveling outside the US.
Dublin, the capital and largest city in Ireland, is a great place to start or end your journey through Ireland. But you’d be doing yourself a great disservice if this is the only place you see.
Public transportation is not great in Ireland, so I highly recommend renting a car — driving on the left is not that hard, I swear! It’s good to know that most vehicles are manual transmission and if you’re not used to driving a stick you’ll need to pay a little more for an automatic.
DAILY BUDGET: $35-$90
Budapest is a dream city for backpackers. It’s loaded with everything you’d expect from a Western European city with an Eastern European price tag. The city is a hub for culture, nightlife, and history. Oh, and have I mentioned the delicious food? I’ve visited Budapest twice, and I love it so much, I’m planning more return trips.
DAILY BUDGET: $70-$150
No tour of Europe would truly be complete without a trip to the “City of Light.” Full of history, culture, and sophistication, there is a lot to see and experience in the city's many arrondissements. Spend your days wandering the city streets, taking in the sites, and sipping espresso at a sidewalk cafe, and your evenings enjoying the lights of the city from the banks of the Seine. Paris is magical!
For a list of more places to visit, check out the full article at lbcommuter.com Happy travels!
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Photo by Brenda Autry
Scott Ballard has been a NonDestructive Testing instructor at LinnBenton Community College for the past seven years. He graduated from LBCC with an associate degree in metallurgy (the old title for the NDT program) in 1991, and soon after he decided he wanted to be a shop teacher. Ballard continued his education at Western Oregon University, earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in secondary education.
“I wanted to do an emphasis in vocational education, but Oregon State University had just discontinued that program,” said Ballard. “So I went to Western Oregon and chose social studies as my emphasis. I’m nationally certified to teach both manufacturing technology and social studies.”
Ballard spent 22 years teaching shop classes at Philomath HIgh School before coming to teach at LBCC.
“I enjoy working with young people and training people of all ages so they have an opportunity to make a good living,” said Ballard. “Especially at LBCC, where I can work with industry partners and help students find a good career fit.”
Ballard also spent much of his life working on farms, and as a mechanic.
“I started working on farms in the summers when I was 9 or 10,” said Ballard. “From age 15 until I was about 40, I spent the summers working as a mechanic on farms. I was the ‘shop
guy’ doing welding, fabrication … everything.”
Outside of the classroom, Ballard is a selfdescribed “outdoorsman.” He loves hunting, fishing, backpacking, and camping. He and his wife, Kathy Ballard, own a small farm outside of Monroe where they raised their three children – two sons (Ben and Joseph) and one daughter (Rebekkah), along with several “strays” as Ballard affectionately refers to the many extended family members who he helped raise throughout the years.
The Ballards grow a lot of their own crops and raise lambs, a few of which are sold. They also have a commercially licensed food kitchen on their property where they butcher game, and process meat for sale. They even had a small foray into the world of haggis making.
“I’m a big foodie so we started a food truck and I had my kids all working for me helping out. We had the food truck for about 14 years,” Ballard said. “One year we made haggis for a renaissance faire and people really liked it. Eventually we were asked to make the haggis for the Robert Burns Festival up in Portland, too.”
“We sold the truck about eight years ago, but we still occasionally do catering for family and close friends,” said Ballard.
Though Ballard is out of the restaurant business, it seems to have stuck with his children. One of his sons and his daughter have gone into business together and recently opened The Chicken Shanty in Corvallis.
Family is important to Ballard, and he makes spending time with them a priority.
“We have a big family so we always have a lot of family stuff going on,” said Ballard. “My youngest son and another family member still live at home with us, and my oldest son just bought the property across from us, so now it’s like we have a big family compound.”
Ballard was always involved with his kids’ sports and spent 30 years coaching wrestling. His oldest son wrestled for OSU, and is now the head wrestling coach at Monroe High School, where Ballard still helps out as the assistant coach.
He and his family like to spend time outdoors together. “Especially hunting,” said Ballard. “Around 70-80% of the red meat we eat at my house comes from us hunting.”
The Ballards also do a lot of camping and backpacking together. “We try to spend at least 10-12 days a year backpacking,” said Ballard. “I backpack mostly in Oregon. I like to go off trail for three or four days at a time. And once a year our whole extended family gets together for a big campout. My dad is the oldest of nine, so depending on the year, there may be 30-40 of us, or, if the family from Texas and Florida make the trek up, as many as 120 of us.”
Ballard is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the outdoors, farming, and, of course, NDT. If you have questions about NDT stop by and say hi. He loves talking about his program.
▲ Scott poses with the Monroe High School wrestling team he helps coach.Novice SMAW
1st — Bryce Duncan, Redmond
2nd — Elias Starbuck, Monument
3rd — Killian Germond, Grants Pass
Open SMAW
1st — Matthew Nonato, Redmond
2nd — Hoyt Cherry, Marshfield
3rd — Adam Hardman, Grants Pass
Novice GMAW
1st — Hayden Manchas, Redmond
2nd — Jaren Becker, Junction City
3rd — Sophie Arnold, Stayton
Open GMAW
1st — Owen Hull, Grants Pass
2nd — Brad Hageman, Forest Grove
3rd — Brady Schow, Marshfield
Combo
1st — Bruxton Leair, Grants Pass
2nd — Ari Huber-Kantola, Grants Pass
3rd — Devin Drussow, Monument
to compete in their annual LBCC Welding High School Skills Competition for the first time since COVID.
The competition is run by the welding co-curricular Industrial Technical Society students. The students are in charge of checking in the competitors, running the simulators, and judging the competition.
“I love doing this competition,” said Jessica Frees, ITS treasurer and second-year pipe student. “I think helping here is super fun, and it’s good exposure for the students and helps them get comfortable at LB.”
The Welding Skills Competition is comprised of five different skills categories that high school students can sign up to compete in. They include: Novice and Open category Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Novice and Open category Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), and Combo Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) with GMAW.
The competing high school students use the LB welding lab spaces and equipment to complete their welds. LB welding and pipe students supervise the competition and in between competitions take the high schoolers on tours of the CTE program areas and campus.
Marc Rose and Cameren Moran are the department chairs of the Welding, Fabrication and Pipe programs, and helped coordinate with the high schools in the planning of the competition.
“Collectively we’ve done this competition for about 20 years, not including our hiatus for COVID,” said Rose. “I’ve been helping to oversee it for the last eight years. It’s great for the high school students, but equally as good
In total 170 students competed. Several schools traveled more than 100 miles to compete, including students from Monument High School who traveled 173 miles to attend.
Freshman Sierra Jenks from Monument High School said she wanted to compete because “I really enjoy the competitions. Welding is a good skill and a relatable class.”
“I’m not sure of welding as a career,” said Pixie Jenkins, Monument High tenth-grader. “But I’m taking it as an elective because I like working with my hands.”
Prizes and equipment for the competition are donated from local industry partners. This year Advanced Mechanical, Harris Thermal, Selmet, Central Welding Supply and Fycraft all donated tools, welding hoods and other welding equipment for prizes. And Miller Electric donated all the welding filler rods for the event.
“This competition is also a great opportunity for our local industries to get involved and make a difference,” said Rose. “This year we had great support from our local industry and our Welding Advisory Group.”
The top performing seniors in each category are also awarded a tuition stipend to use when they enroll at LBCC. This year, students were awarded stipends totaling $4,500, which was donated by Advance Mechanical and Selmet.
“We are so happy to be back to hosting this competition again,” said Rose. “Next year we expect to have over 300 students attend the competition, and hopefully we’ll keep growing every year.”
Next year's competition is scheduled for April 25, 2024.
words and photo by BRENDA AUTRYcan you feel it? Summer is almost here!!. As we head towards better weather, many of you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your time with LBCC is now on countdown… to graduation!
Over the last two years, nothing in the world has looked “normal.” The Covid-19 pandemic changed nearly every event worldwide. Those who graduated missed out on the pomp and circumstance of old and blazed a new trail of “CARmencements.” LB had no choice but to adapt to this mode of graduation as well.
CARmencement was not the ideal way to celebrate the graduates, but according to Leslie Hammond, dean of Academic Foundations and Extended Learning, it introduced a new way to look at graduation ceremonies.
“With CARmencement, students would drive-through with their families and there was a lot of, like, whooping and everything for every single student,” said Hammond. “We’d read what they were going to do afterward and
In light of the survey, they’ve come up with the following plan:
• A traditional ceremony will be held outside at LBCC’s Main Campus in Albany, Oregon
• There will be no long speeches. One or two five minute talks.
• Families can walk with their students down to the stage.
• Students will go on stage
• Families will walk down in front of the stage. A perfect setup for taking pictures.
• Faculty will flank the student seating to cheer them on individually as they make their way to the stage.
• The SLC will host a celebration in the courtyard after the recessional.
their families were right there.”
“One thing our president, vice presidents, and our board of trustees really loved,” she continued, “was seeing their families right there behind them. It was really special.”
After the second CARmencement, there was some disappointment in not having a traditional ceremony. Because there were some parts of the CARmencements that were loved and parts of traditional graduations that were missed, a survey was sent out to ask the students how they would like to see the two combined.
danae Fouts, President of the Student Leadership Council, is excited to see how this comes to fruition as plans become more concrete.
“I believe this commencement ceremony will certainly be something special. The college is trying its utmost to blend the personal touch that CARmencement enabled with the pomp and circumstance of a more traditional ceremony. I am positive that the result will be unique to our year and college experience coming out of Covid-19,” Fouts said.
As we come to the end of the year, finances can run a little short. There are resources on campus that can help with some of the expenses of graduation, specifically the regalia. If you need help with obtaining graduation regalia, please contact Rob Camp, Advisor to the Student Leadership Council. He can be reached by phone at (541) 917-4459, or email at campr@linnbenton.edu.
Don’t let regalia, however, stop you from participating in graduation activities. Whether you’re in a cap and gown or not, everyone who has earned the right to walk will walk.
For Linn-Benton baseball player Titus Dumitru his luck came in the form of an unexpected text message. After graduating high school in 2021, Dumitru, like most high schoolers, didn’t know much about his future or what he wanted to do. What he did know was that he loved the game of baseball and wanted to keep playing at any cost.
He received one offer to play at a small Division II university in North Dakota. Not entirely thrilled by the notion, Dumitru started to realize that his childhood dream of playing Division I baseball might be coming to an end.
When an unexpected text from a former teammate appeared, it opened a door of opportunity. An opportunity to play baseball for former Oregon State infielder and Head Coach Andy Peterson at Linn-Benton Community College. It didn’t take much convincing for Dumitru to enroll, and take a chance on himself to chase his dream.
As fate would have it, the following season Dumitru played an integral part in helping the Roadrunners win their first Northwest Athletic Conference Championship since the 199091 season. That summer, Dumitru added to his trophy case, helping the Corvallis Knights, a collegiate summer league team, win their sixth consecutive West Coast League Championship, as one of the only two junior college players on the roster.
Dumitru, a Portland native, comes from a blue-collar family. He attended Barlow High School and competed as a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. Off the field Dumitru loves wakeboarding, playing golf, and hiking with his friends. Dumitru gives a look inside his love for baseball, what it means to win – and, oh yeah, getting to play Division I baseball.
words
What was it like where you grew up?
I grew up in a small cul-de-sac. I played wiffle ball and basketball with my neighbors every day. That was kind of my childhood. I went to a private Christian school growing up. That's where I started playing sports. I didn’t really play baseball. I played soccer when I was really young and then turned into basketball. Basketball was my main sport until like seventh, maybe eighth grade. I really started playing baseball in like seventh and eighth grade. I ended up after eighth grade transferring from the Centennial district to the Barlow district to play.
When you were younger, why did you decide to really focus on baseball?
In seventh grade I kind of realized I was pretty good at it for no reason. I was just good at it and I kind of got burned out on basketball. I just decided to focus on baseball and it kind of just took off from there.
How would you describe at this point in your life your relationship with baseball?
It's my dream and it's my love. My priorities in this life are God, family, and baseball. Baseball's my third and baseball's over everything except family and God. I'll do anything to play baseball for as long as I possibly can, just because I love it so much. I'm on the field every day and played this long because I've been dedicated this long just because I love it.
What's your favorite part of being able to play the sport that you love?
I love my teammates, but It's like I'm playing a game for my job, basically, and that's what I want.
You had a pretty successful season last year as a team and as an individual; you guys won the
first NWAC title in decades. How does it feel to be a part of something like that?
I was talking to Petey (Andy Peterson) about it the other day. We were ranking our top baseball moments in our lives and winning the NWAC championship was the number-one baseball moment of my life. We talked about winning a championship from day one last year, day one in the fall, it was like we got there and we were wanting to win the NWAC.
A lot of people want to win a championship, but not everyone gets there, what helped you individually the most?
First I think it's the love of the game. The love of the game makes you want to get better at the game. Second, I grew up and my dad pushed me in everything I did. I grew up with a work ethic. If you're going to do something, you have to do it all the way. Third, the culture here especially last year, the older guys showed us what it took to win every game, what it took to be a championship team.
Why Linn-Benton?
I had an offer from the University of Jamestown, which is an NAIA in North Dakota. I was planning on going there. I thought my dream of playing D1 and going and playing professional baseball, that's probably just over. Then I got a text from Durham (Sundberg) who went to Barlow with me. He asked, “Hey, what are you doing next year?” And I was like, oh, I don't know really. He's like, OK, well, cool, my coach is going to call you and you’re going to come here. I went and watched a scrimmage and when I got here I was just like, this is what I want to do. I knew this was the right place for me.
You were a part of the Corvallis Knights this past summer, what was that like?
It was an amazing experience. To win two championships in your freshman year of college, I don't know if most people can say that. It was a big growing experience when I first got to Corvallis, I kind of struggled. I went 0-15 in my first 15 at bats. We were facing Division 1 guys every day and I had to step up my game.
The big leagues. For the Dodgers.
What are the Roadrunners team's goals for the rest of the season?
As a team, let's just stick with the process, keep working hard, and keep doing the little things. I think a big problem we had, especially at the beginning of the year, was that we would hit well occasionally, I mean we'd pitch well, but a lot of times walks would make us lose games or some silly errors that would lead to runs. We have to keep doing the little things right.
How do you want your time at LinnBenton to be remembered?
A hard worker. Whatever I do in life, whether it's baseball or work or family, I want to work the hardest at it.
Students and staff gathered May 3 in the Courtyard of the Albany campus for the Demand for Equity Rally. Estudiantes del Sol joined with others on campus to organize the event, which advocated for increased transparency and fairness in employment practices in response to proposed LBCC budget cuts, along with raising awareness of equity in the workplace.
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Photo by Evan Finley
▲ Photo by Evan Finley
▼ Photo by Clayton Lynch
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Photo by Evan Finley
▲Photo by Paisley Vinson
Greenery abounds both on campus and throughout the community. Many student projects fill the LBCC greenhouse on the Albany campus and farmers markets are now in midseason form throughout the Willamette Valley.
words by CODI WOOD
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Photo by Walt Disney Archives
he man responsible for the characters and songs that wove into many of our childhoods is Howard Ashman; the legendary Disney lyricist whose passion for storytelling fueled the creation of songs like “Arabian Nights” of Aladdin. His dedication seems to be unmatched as he continued to work through the throes of HIV, stepping up to bat for his characters and for himself. Howard was known for his creative ingenuity and passion, with his memory being kept alive through each of his projects, which continue to only grow in popularity. This includes projects such as the live action Little Mermaid which is set to make its debut later this month.
Ashman was born on May 17, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland. He quickly discovered his penchant for storytelling and love for the theater. He joined the Children’s Theatre Association in Baltimore when he was 9, as an actor. But the love of the stage soon turned to a love of writing and directing – the big-picture storytelling. He attended Goddard College in Vermont, where he earned his bachelor’s in theater, followed by his master’s in Fine Arts at Indiana University. After graduation, Ashman headed off to New York City, where he gained experience and became the artistic director of the WPA (Workshop of the Players Art Foundation) theater. While in New York, he met Alan Menken, a name synonymous with musical royalty (Menken’s scores include Tangled (2010) and Beauty and the Beast (1991)), and the two became a musical duo. It was also in New York that Ashman met his future partner Bill Lauch, an architect who would later design their home, the home which would provide a shelter for Ashman as he fought through illness caused by HIV. In 1986, Ashman began working with the Walt Disney Company, in animated movies... the great Disney revolution had begun and Howard Ashman was the catalyst.
But like a sleeping storm slowly rising
above the horizon, the AIDs epidemic was beginning to brew. In June 1981, a couple cases of a rare lung infection and of a rare cancer were reported in the US. The men who were ill were discovered to have severely compromised immune systems, wrecked by something we now know to be HIV/AIDs. Rumblings turned into a cacophony as, by the summer of 1985, over 12,000 individuals were diagnosed with HIV and an estimated 6,000 individuals had died across the nation. By 1986, the same year that Ashman began working at Disney, there were nearly 17,000 deaths. In the blink of an eye, a decimating “gay plague” arose throughout the nation and the world. HIV was not well understood in its infancy and because, in the United States, the original patients were gay men, there was an extreme and damaging stigma around the transmission and diagnosis of HIV. Those with a diagnosis were then marred in the eyes of society, labeled, and considered dangerous because transmission wasn’t understood. Contrary to popular belief, HIV can and did affect everyone, in one way or another.
By the time Ashman reached Disney, the epidemic had swept the world, overtaking the political landscapes and destroying the foundations and sense of safety of people’s lives. With one of his first projects he won an Oscar and a Golden Globe with the signature song of The Little Mermaid - “Under the Sea” and countless additional awards rolled in with each project. He was well known for his dedication to the truth of his characters and the songs in his care, which yielded results forever imprinted on the fabric of American storytelling. In 1988, he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDs in the midst of The Little Mermaid production. Despite his diagnosis, he persevered with his dedication to imagination and continued on The Little Mermaid, even taking on The Beauty and the Beast as a project. Beauty and the Beast
later made $145.9 million in its first year. So dedicated to his projects was Ashman that he continued to work without informing his team that he was sick, keeping the diagnosis, which many were shunned for, a secret. Only when it was impossible for him to travel from his home in New York to the production studio in California did he tell Menken and their team about his illness. Production ended up being moved to New York so he could work while receiving treatments. It takes a special kind of human being, a special kind of artist, and a special kind of zeal to continue working in the fast-paced world of animation while living with actively-progressing-HIV.
On March 14, 1991 Howard Ashman passed away in New York City. He was not able to see the finished Beauty and the Beast, but a message to him was immortalized in the end credits of the film: “To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice, and a beast his soul. We will be forever grateful...”
Ashman changed the world. His musical genius shaped childhoods and adulthoods alike, with the promise of hope and joy. We are still being affected by the effects of the epidemic, having lost so many pillars of our communities: visionaries, activists, leaders, individuals such as Freddy Mercury and Elizabeth Glaser. Please continue to remember the stories of those who have passed before us but who built the path for us. If you would like to learn more about HIV, start at HIV.gov.
Editor’s Note: June is Pride Month. Pride Month is celebrated around the world and dedicated to the acknowledgement, celebration, and commemoration of the LGBTQIA+ community and their positive and transformational impact on society.
I want to write
I crave the feelings of words
Spurring out of my fingertips
But I always write of love
Or pain
Or abandonment
Or you
And how it feels
The love pours out of my pen
Because my feeling of love Begins with me
And ends with a rush
My pen is my greatest weapon
Hannah Thomas is an acrylic-focused painter living in Oregon. They’ve been painting since their junior year of high school and drawing since early childhood. Now age 21, they’ve produced several large acrylic paintings and assisted in the creation of the Peace Mural at LBCC, where they've spent the last three years studying art and a variety of sciences.
Hannah strives to make art that reflects emotions, dreams, beauty, and other things that are difficult to express in other ways. They take a lot of inspiration from their mom, an acrylic portrait and landscape painter whose use of color, texture and subtle surrealism is truly unique. Some other inspirations they’ve noted include classical sculpture from Greece and Italy, Georgia O’Keefe, and
Acrylics are their chosen primary medium because it’s the perfect balance between ease of use and vibrancy of expression. With acrylics, they can focus on shapes, distinct layers, and clean edges. All of Hannah’s work emphasizes curvature and flow; as in nature, hardly a straight line is
You can find all of Hannah’s work on Instagram at @paintblanket.
I have been creating art for as long as I can remember. It has been a very prominent part of my life, and allows me to portray any emotions I may be having. I was a student at LBCC in the year 2019-20 but I took a twoyear break during Covid. During that time, I rarely made any artwork, as I went through major artist’s block and was working full-time. Since coming back to school, I have worked on trying to make more pieces. However, busy school and work life can make it a little difficult at times. I want to continue to make more and more art as time goes on. I hope to expand my skills and get better at doing more portrait work.
You can view more of Mary's work soon at @a.fish.with.legs on Instagram.
Our Student Spotlight this month is Travis Overvig, who is currently studying Economics here at LBCC. His passions include being active in his new home of Linn County, whether it is in the political sphere or by volunteering with non-profit organizations that he cares deeply about During the next year, he will be taking on his biggest task yet here at LBCC, Vice President of the Student Leadership Council (SLC). With that said though, he is excited about the new challenge and is ready to be there as an advocate for all students One of the things he wants to accomplish during his year as Vice President is to increase the student body's awareness of the work that the Student Leadership Council (SLC) does. As he put it, "We need to focus on broadening how many students we interact with so that we can better communicate and assist them in making LBCC a better school for all."
Additionally, as a non-traditional student himself, he is especially passionate about helping those that face the additional challenges that being a non-traditional student brings about. When asked more about this topic, he responded by saying, “I would like to advocate and support nontraditional students whenever possible I would like to see increased enrollment and that can largely be done by advertising the many great opportunities that are available to them when they become a student. This includes a plethora of resources ranging from tutoring and academic assistance to financial assistance as well as mental health support. Non-traditional students come in with many different struggles compared to many of their peers and we can show that they will have all the support available to them to make them succeed.”
Only being a few weeks into his role, Travis is excited to be your new SLC Vice President Additionally, he welcomes anyone and everyone to reach out to him with thoughts and ideas on how the SLC can help students while they are attending LBCC. If you would like to reach out, his email is slcvp1@linnbenton.edu.
Interested in being featured for our next Student Spotlight, or want to nominate someone? Email us! slccampusoutreach@linnbenton.edu
Article Written by: SLC Campus Outreach Director
Cream-of-the-crop opening paragraphs throughout literary history
ON THE ROAD BY JACK KEROUAC
Ifirst met Dean not long after my wife and I split up. I had just gotten over a serious illness that I won’t bother to talk about, except that it had something to do with the miserably weary split-up and my feeling that everything was dead. With the coming of Dean Moriarty began the part of my life you could call my life on the road. Before that I’d often dreamed of going West to see the country, always vaguely planning and never taking off. Dean is the perfect guy for the road because he actually was born on the road, when his parents were passing through Salt Lake City in 1926, in a jalopy, on their way to Los Angeles.
graphic by MACROVECTOR via FREEPIK reviews by LEAH BIESACKWays and Means
Sana Krasikov
Real she said, he said.
Extra Yiyun Li
Empty connection. Odd companionship. Quirky.
Encounters With Unexpected Animals
Bret Anthony Johnston
Men expectedly being animalistic nightmares.
DIRECTOR: James Gunn
STARRING: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillian, Sylvester Stallone, Nathan Fillion and Will Poulter with Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji and Tara Strong
RATED: PG-13
OVERALL RATING: ★★★★★
words by STEVEN PRYOR
photos by DISNEY
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 is the latest film in Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marking the third and final installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, James Gunn (Slither, 2021’s The Suicide Squad) has returned to write and direct after a brief hiatus from the franchise and ahead of his reboot of the DC Extended Universe in the near future.
Fifteen years after the first Iron Man, Marvel has still proven to be the top of the line for shared cinematic universes on film.
Taking place chronologically after the events of Avengers Endgame, Peter “Star Lord” Quill (Chris Pratt, The Super Mario Bros. Movie) is trying to reconcile with Gamora (Zoe Saldana, Avatar: The Way of Water); who is now part of the Ravagers.
Complicating things further is Rocket Raccoon (voice of Bradley Cooper) having a bounty placed on his head by the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji, Peacemaker), who is responsible for Rocket’s personality and abilities.
The first of many flashbacks in the film’s 150-minute runtime is intercut with the acoustic version of Radiohead’s “Creep,” establishing it as the darkest of the trilogy. Gunn’s background in horror filmmaking makes the full extent of Rocket’s transformation as disturbing as it is dramatically effective.
While the film introduces a variety of new story elements and characters to the Multiverse Saga (supporting roles from Nathan Fillion and Will Poulter as Adam Warlock are standouts), the balance of creative action, offbeat humor and emotional weight from the previous installments in 2014 and 2017 remains in abundant supply.
In addition to a rousing musical score from John Murphy, the soundtrack contains a wide range of songs from Rainbow’s “Since You Been Gone” to “In The Meantime” by Spacehog. Without spoiling anything, the film has a touching callback in a credits scene set to “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone.
With several cast members moving on to other projects and James Gunn rebooting the DC Universe of films, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 marks the simultaneous end of the trilogy and the end of an era. It’s highly recommended as the ideal start to the 2023 summer movie season. Come and get your love.
Complete the grid so each row, column, and 3x3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit.
1. Washer cycle
2. Ditty
3. "The Sun ___ Rises"
4. The Concorde was one
5. Bold or dramatic actions
6. He played Egon Spengler in "Ghostbusters"
7. Rousing cheers
8. Chaney of horror films
9. Not to mention
10. *Mouthwatering
11. Airline to Tel Aviv
12. Artificial bait
