The Torch // Volume 54 // Edition 4

TORCH the

- NOV 14, 2018 - VOLUME 54, EDITION 4 - EUGENE, OR -

Eugene News / pg 3

Arts & Ent. / pg 5

LCC News / pg 6

Student seize spotlight at superhero extravaganza David Galbreath Reporter The Eugene Comic Convention featured everything from art walks to celebrity signings, even some Lane Community College students showcased their growing businesses at the fairgrounds on Nov. 10. and Nov 11. EUCON hosted actors, writers, entertainers and illustrators from the comic book and video game community for the cities fourth annual comic con.

Entertainment was in no short supply at EUCON. Fans could get involved in an art walk with professional and inspiring artists debuting everything from homemade comic books to original anime designs. Afterwards, crowds poured into the beer garden in the parking lot. Surrounded

by Eugene’s popular food carts, everyone could enjoy a Hop Valley brew while chowing down on a Star Wars themed hot dog.

Amidst all the crowds of cosplay characters, students from LCC managed to make make an impression.

Andy Darnall, a student at Lane, was representing LCC’s new computer simulation and game development program. Darnall’s mission was to advertise Lane’s growing programing courses.

“People are excited, they just don’t know we offer these courses,” Darnall said. Her table displayed two full sheets listing Lane classes in the computer simulation and game development fields. Attendees were attracted to the computer game Darnell had setup for anyone to play. The computer game was the capstone project from a recent

Titans walk among heroes

photo by Selina Scott / photojounalist

Melora Mylin, one of hundreds of exhibitors, greets EUCON attendees as they arrive at her booth. The Portland-based artist sells buttons, pouches and other handcrafted items.

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The magnificent seven

Think global, act local Local energy guru reflects on over two decades of sustainable leadership

photo by Jason Petorak / photojounalist

From left, Christopher Ridgley, Bella Knowles and Laura Leader share an emotional moment in a scene from one of the seven short plays. “Turkey Shorts,” written by local playwrights and directed by LCC theater students, runs Thursday through Sunday nights at 7:30 through November 18th.

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James Croxton Reporter The World Energy Engineering Congress, presented by the Association of Energy Engineers, was held at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina from October 17-19, 2018. Its purpose: “[to] recognize achievements in energy within AEE's 15 regions around the world.”

During the conference, semi-retired Lane Community College adjunct faculty member, Roger Ebbage, was presented with the Energy Professional Development Award for Region V - competing against others from other Western states.

According to the group’s website, their focus is on “energy management, HVAC and smart building systems; renewables, alternative energy and onsite generation; lighting efficiency and integrated energy solutions;” and lastly, “plant and facilities energy efficiency and management.”

The Energy Professional Development Award is “presented to an individual for outstanding accomplishments in training and development of energy engineers and managers, and for superior service to the association.”

Ebbage has been the LCC Energy Management Program Coordinator since 1992. The LCC Institute for Sustainable Practices webpage notes that in 1998, “Roger created the Northwest Water and Energy Education Institute providing practitioner professional development opportunities nationally and internationally and has been honored by the Association of Professional Energy Managers, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, and the Community College League for Innovation with achievement awards.”

He began teaching at McClymonds High School in the early-1980’s, a public high school, in the West Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California. There, Ebbage said “[the school was] in a very impoverished neighborhood, [although] gentrified now and has really seen a resurgence.”

Ebbage claimed that “when [he] started teaching there, [he] had someone recommend a design where the building materials - the windows pointing the right way, south, with external shading so you don’t overheat the building - and with a thermal mass, typically concrete, the concrete will absorb the heat and when there is a temperature change between the inside air temperature and the concrete, the concrete will release heat into the space.”

Using this recommended design, he taught a construction program where he and the students built full-size homes in the community using this energy efficient technology.

As a part of Center Building remodel on LCC’s main campus, the school has implemented the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, policy and strives to build to those standards. The LEED policy focuses on using as much of the existing space as possible while being cost-effective and, ultimately, energy efficient. ...continued on page 7

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE THE STAFF Editor-in-Chief Marek Belka

Production Manager/Art Director Anna CK Smith

News Director Sabrina Piccolo

Reporters Dylan Bennett James Croxton David Galbreath Sanjuanita Maria Baum Trayse Riggle Sioux Sternath

Illustrators Lucien Guidotti-Lawrence Quentin J. Piccolo Prenapa Techakumthon

Seeds of climate change Historic carbon case to move forward despite feds’ best attempts Trayse Riggle Reporter After the Juliana v. US case was delayed, the front-runners of the case met up at the Wildish Community Theatre on Nov. 7 to update their constituents of their mission, their stance and the status of the case itself.

The plaintiffs claim that throughout the last two administrations, the executive branch of the federal government has made little to no effort to reduce CO2 emissions and has made no progress in remedying global warming. The Our Children’s Trust organization finds the lack of effort and progress to be a violation of the Public Trust Doctrine.

“Citizens everywhere could use the public trust because it’s in every legal system in the world, some seeds of it,” Mary Wood, expert in environmental law and University of Oregon professor, said. “They could sue their governments to force carbon reduction.”

As quoted in the previous edition of the Torch, it is the trustee’s job to take care of natural resources and Our Children’s Trust does not think they are fulfilling that duty.

Cartoonist Emmett Crass

Photojournalists Vicente Mather Chris Ortloff Jason Petorak Shannon Powers Selina Scott

Business Director Jason Petorak

Web Designer Ian Kersey

News Advisor Charlie Deitz

Printer Oregon Web Press Albany, Oregon

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photo by Vicente Mather / photojounalist

Mary Wood explains how she and the plaintiffs believe the federal government has violated the public trust doctrine. She was one of six key speakers advocating that their case proceed to the Supreme Court.

photo by Vicente Mather / photojounalist

Coreal Riday-White explains the current status of the Juliana V. US case at a meetup on Nov. 7. The case, which includes 21 plaintiffs between the ages of 10 and 22, is spurring the federal government to relinquish its interest in unsustainable energy like oil and gas.

“The federal government has both constitutional duties and public trust obligations to protect a stable climate system and recover it,” Wood said.

The organization hopes that the case will lead to a climate remediation plan.“This case was originally filed in 2015, of course [the Trump administration] were not in office then,” Coreal Riday-White, program manager of Our Children’s Trust, said.

“The original defendants were President Barack Obama and the heads of his agencies. It's important to note that because this is not a case about any one administration.”

Riday-White explained that the government is making decisions on a daily basis that have affected the amount of CO2 the country emits. This includes the pipelines and fossil fuel excavation.

“The United States is responsible for a full one-quarter of all CO2 emissions,” Riday-White said.

The defendants attempted to dismiss this case outright on multiple arguments but District Court Judge Ann Aiken didn’t buy any of the claims and ultimately decided to continue the case.

“The Trump administration is doing everything it can possibly think of to prevent this trial,” Wood said.

“Please continue following along with this case,” Kelsey Juliana, who co-filed the case, said. “Show up to these events, write letters, help support in any way you can.”

Senate tensions simmer More articles of impeachment threatened James Croxton Reporter The ASLCC Senate meeting on Nov. 8 followed the tumultuous tone of the meeting the previous day, during which a senator speaking on the promise of anonymity threatened impeachment proceedings against ASLCC President Keely Blyleven.

The open-to-the-public meeting began with a bang, eventually leading to the gallery being temporarily forced out for an emergency work session motioned by Hannah Lyon, who was recently ratified unanimously as a senator during the previous meeting.

The meeting began with an opening statement by acting Vice President Nick Keough. Promptly following this, “Diego Wilson and Keough started arguing,” Tegan Epperly, President of the Gender & Sexuality Alliance, said.

“Lyon and Wilson tried to interrupt Keough and Keough responded, ‘No, overruled. I’m going to continue my statement,’ referring to the last meeting and how he feels that Wilson shouldn’t be on the Senate [since] he’s not ratified.”

It was half an hour before the agenda before the meeting got ratified.

Following more back and forth between Wilson and Keough, Lyon called for an emergency work session. The gallery forced to vacate the ASLCC meeting place for about half an hour.

After the meeting resumed, Epperly made a statement from the gallery.

“As a GSA [Gender and Sexuality Alliance] President, I don't feel safe on this campus, speaking for students who couldn’t

be here, they don’t feel safe, speaking as someone who wants to be on student government, but with you [Wilson] being on student government, I don’t want to be on it, I don’t feel safe with that, and I don’t know how you got the position with being the person you are not even having the human decency to respect someone else and respect what they want to be called. You speak in such a condescending way, it’s not okay.”

ASLCC Senator Caleb Peterson admitted that “last night was most certainly a mess, I am embarrassed and apologize to anyone who witnessed the behaviors demonstrated.”

Epperly, reflecting on the future of the student government, said that she doesn’t see Wilson being impeached and doesn’t “see student government doing very well this year on top of everything else that’s going on at LCC.” On the other hand, Peterson said, “I’m sure it was not even noticed between all the arguing of our last Senate meeting, but we actually formed a committee to review and fix our constitution and bylaws, it will be lead by our Chief of Staff [Shana Santry-Weiland], who I think is a very thorough individual, and an excellent choice to run the committee.” The fixing, Peterson continued, is imperative because “what you are seeing is the result of our constitution being changed without a lawyer to look over it and make sure it actually makes sense. Our bylaws and constitution are from different years and crafted by different administrations, so they don’t line up too well.”

Moving forward, Peterson says that he is “in the process of developing a unity agreement, if the Senate votes to pass it then we will have a public signing of the document.” His hope is that the document will “better outline how we can work together and become more efficient as a small government.”

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NEWS

illustration by Prenapa Techakumthon / illustrator

Oregon stays blue, millennials show up in record numbers Dylan Bennett Reporter

Candidates The 2018 midterm election has come to an end, and we have our winners. Democratic candidate Kate Brown was elected Oregon governor. Brown received 50 percent of the votes, securing her position in office. In the race for the 4th Congressional district seat, Democratic candidate Peter DeFazio earned 56 percent of the votes and the district’s seat on the Oregon House of Representatives.

The Democratic Party now controls the State House and the State Senate. For the State Senate, 11 of the districts in Oregon are held by members of the Democratic Party while the other five districts are held by members of the Republican Party. Of the 60 districts included in the State House, 38 are Democratic, while 27 voted Republican.

During Brown’s tenure, school spending rose 22 percent and the graduation rate went up three percent, according

to the Oregonian. Brown also provided over 1,300 lowincome children access to free preschool. Brown’s goal for education is to raise high school graduation rates as well as funding for public schools. Brown promises to work toward making college more affordable and attainable for students by raising funding for the Oregon Promise program.

Brown promises to work to keep air and water clean as well as protect public land for future generations. Brown vows to protect access to health care in Oregon and keep it affordable. Brown will launch a job-and-skills training program to close the gap between skills Oregonian workers have and need.

Ballot Measures Of the Oregon ballot measures proposed during the midterm election, the only measure to pass was Measure 102. Measure 102, which proposed to use bonds to build affordable housing, passed with 56 percent of the votes.

Measure 103, 104, 105 and 106 failed to receive over 40 percent of the votes.

Measure 102 allows the local government to issue general bonds to fund affordable housing. This measure requires all contracted bonds to be meticulously explained and be voted on and approved by local voters.

Millennial Voters The number of young voters reached an historic number, according to US News. Students are drawn to candidates with policies supporting educational accessibility and opportunity. Measures that directly affect young individuals have previously drawn in voters who have needed similar services in the past, and continue to do so today. When voters feel a connection to a specific topic or measure, they tend to be more likely to speak up and make sure their voice is heard.

In the past, voters between the ages of 19 and 28 made up 11 percent of voters. This year, 13 percent of voters were between the ages of 19 and 28. Nationwide, 33 million young voters cast their votes early in this election, 188 percent more than in the 2014 election. College-aged and young voters have become more active in local elections as access to information that has become readily available to them.

On average, counties with colleges and large universities have had a larger turnout of Democratic voters in recent years, according to Politico. More educated communities have produced more Democratic voters than lower educated communities have. Counties with older populations tend to favor the Republican Party, while younger voters tend to side with the Democratic Party.

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LCC programming graduate.

“Our video game drew in a lot of attention,” Darnall said.

Darnall had set up the video game showing off the abilities of LCC game design students. The video game took players on an adventure through dungeons and encounters with monsters. The player would slash their way through the dark hallways using power ups to fight to the end of the dungeons. Darnall said the comic con event was a success and she may have recruited future programing students.

Not every booth was focused on LCC, but instead around the students’ businesses.

Genevieve Mullins is currently enrolled in the game development program and had her own booth advertising her company NerdOasis. Mullins creates hand-made, hand-painted pop culture accessories and figures. Some of her crowd favorites were Pokémon and Star Wars droids.

She sold her crafts all weekend long, but her works of art can also be found on Etsy.

“I have big plans,” Mullins said. “I might take a break from Etsy to slow down, rebrand and make some new items.”

Mullins recognizes that her classes don’t directly relate to her business but help her develop her skills as an artist.

“I feel like each one [class] I’ve taken have helped me learn technical design skills,” Mullins said. She feels her work is improving every year and gives high praises of her professors at LCC. Another student at EUCON set up a booth advertising her furry accessories. Island is an aspiring business owner that had great success at EUCON. “I’m in the green!” Island said excitedly. Island’s brand “Islandhedgehog” was a hit.

After just one day Island was able to make back all the money she had spent on her homemade crafts.

“It was a super successful weekend,” Mullins said. “ which was a relief considering the stress that went into the preparation.” The LCC students all said they had achieved what they came for. EUCON allowed these students to get their names out alongside some popular names in the comic con community.

The main attractions were the celebrities that were

Titans walk among heroes photo by Selina Scott / photojounalist

From right, LCC programming student Genevieve Mullins and boyfriend Sergio Silva table at the Eugene Comic Con. Mullins has her own business selling handcrafted pop culture trinkets.

photo by Jason Petorak / photojounalist

Andy Darnall, representing the game development program at LCC, discusses two of the video game-based degrees available to a EUCON attendee.

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NEWS signing autographs and taking selfies with fans. Scheduled throughout the weekend were actors like Simone Missick, who played Misty Knight in Marvel's Luke Cage, and Jason Mewes, who played Jay from Jay and Silent Bob. For a few dollars guests met and talked with the celebrities of their choosing.

Among the stars was WCW’s most decorated wrestler Booker T who held a panel discussion telling stories of how all the wrestlers would interact off stage and prank each other. Booker T also stated that he will be running for mayor of Houston Texas in 2019. He left with an inspiring look into his childhood and a message: whatever you do, do it with all your heart.

Some guest stars such as Bruce Campbell, who started in the 1981 horror film classic The Evil Dead, were at EUCON to give an interactive panel with fans for just one night.

Campbell gave a lecture on his career and later answered questions from fans Saturday night. Some celebrities stuck around all weekend entertaining the fans with personal stories from their careers.

EUCON came at a significant time for the comic con community. With the passing of comic book legend Stan Lee EUCON gave their gratitude to him with a powerful piece of art by Peter Han. EUCON on Facebook showed the artwork showing Stan Lee smiling with all his superhero creations surrounding him, effectively embodying his legacy.

photo by Jason Petorak / photojounalist

Charlie Lewis stands in front of his 2003 Dodge Neon dubbed “Neon-tendo” at EUCON. Lewis says the idea stemmed from a conversation with his friends that slowly developed into a show piece. The mobile gaming console contains five different gaming stations.

From A to Zine Under the shadow of EUCON, indie comic artists gather Sanjuanita Baum Reporter The third annual Euzine Comics and Zine Fest, held for the first time ever at the Lane Events Center, kicked off on Nov. 10.

Roughly 250 artists came to participate and sell their artwork and zines, more than double the vendors the event had last year.

Though they can sometimes look and feel like typical magazines, zines are more do-it-yourself. They are usually self-written, self-drawn, self-published and self-printed. Artists staple or sew the zines together, then distribute them as they see fit, often among their own niche communities or at conventions like Euzine.

Zines first became popular among the punk subculture, who used them to promote bands and concerts that weren’t being covered by mainstream publications. That scrappy, do-it-yourself nature has followed zines into the 21st-century, though improvements in technology have made zines easier to make than ever before.

“I remember when my friends and I first started making zines,” Bryan Wilhoit, a traveling musician who was attending his first Euzine, said as he stepped into the cavernous auditorium at the Lane Events Center. “They were these cheap, paper copies we made in our spare time to talk about bands we liked. We never thought they were serious artistic expressions.”

Even though Euzine is only a few years old, it has its roots in similar festivals around the Pacific Northwest.

“We founded this event after we went to a zine fest in Washington and felt like Eugene would benefit from the event,” coordinator and co-founder Alida Bevirt said. The coordinators managed to double their size because they were next door the Eucon this year.

250 visiting artists including Lane Community College instructor Damian J. McDonald and an artist named Jimmy Valderrama.

Valderrama makes his own drawings based on outer space – including his newest art piece, titled “Interdimensional Droid”– and has attended Euzine since its inception.

“I think it is perfect for self-expression and is very diverse–like all the artists here,” Valderrama said. “It's a labor of love,” Valderrama said about his artwork. All the money he gets from selling his zines and artwork will go to making more artwork.

LCC instructor Damian J. McDonald draws custom artwork of creatures of his own

photo by Jason Petorak / photojounalist

Island Hornor talks with a potential customer at her booth Islandhedgehog Accessories at EUCON 2018.

special design and makes his own zines, though he’s only been creating zines for just over a year.

“I visited [Euzine] last year and I saw what an incredible group of artists were there and I thought it was a great event,” Mcdonald said. “I illustrate and do my own zines, so I applied for Euzine this year. I am hoping to do this next year, if I’m in town.”

McDonald sold his abstract creations straight from his table. A batch of limited-edition zines created by McDonald, priced at seven dollars each, sold out within hours of the doors opening. He also sold several dozen surrealistic prints – many of them featuring one of his 159 custom creatures – ranging in size from small postcards to 8x10 posters.

photo by Selina Scott / photojounalist

Euzine offered attendees dozens of comic art workshops, from blending and painting to power cuff and mini-shield-making.

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The magnificent seven The Lane Community College Student Production Association launched their 2018-19 performance calendar with a series of short plays known as “Turkey Shorts.”

This year, seven groups of LCC students teamed up with Eugene-based playwright Russell Dyball to write, direct and produce the shorts. Dyball also contributed his own original work, the Shakespeare-influenced “Out of Joint.”

Ashley Johansson, who wrote and directed “No Strings Attached,” explained that her short is all about retaining individuality in a society that favors conformity. “[It’s] based on human relationships and connections and how society views people… and whether people break out of those boxes or their bonds and act the way they feel like they should,” Johansson said. “[The character] Nonnie represents a lot of society's expectations, and Ally is following along–not understanding she’s fitting [into] those roles perfectly until she voices something unexpected.”

The annual Turkey Shorts are being performed daily at LCC’s Raggozzino Hall until Nov. 17.

photo by Shannon Powers / photojounalist

In the short story “No Strings Attached”, Ally, played by Eryne Grant, is shown professing her love for Nonnie, played by Tae Critchett. According to the short’s playwright, Ashley Johannson, Nonnie represents society’s expections while Ally follows along, not understanding the role she’s fitting into until she voices something unexpected.

photo by Shannon Powers / photojounalist

Henry, credited only as Justin, works on a puzzle as his grandfather Pappy, credited as Bill, tries to connect with him in the short scene, “Fit.” The scene was a part of the Lane Community College Student Production Association Turkey Shorts and is written by Adam Nealy and directed by Hailey Raye.

From New York, with light Famous photographer holds workshops for LCC students Torch Staff

photo by Jason Petorak / photojournalist

Eric Kunsman reviews the final “Painting with Light” image Nov. 9 as a part of the visiting artist series at Lane Community College. According to LCC’s website, Kunsman is a photographer and book artist based out of Rochester, New York who lectures on visual communications at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and teaches at the School of Photographic Arts & Sciences, both at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

On Nov. 9, renowned photographer Eric Kunsman hosted a series of workshops at Lane Community College to help students see how they can make their photos better.

The end result was a photograph that looked like a painting.

Kunsman, the Rochester-born founder of Booksmart Studios and a professional photographer in New York, came to LCC to lead people in workshops on creative camera work. He also has a recent photo series on display in the gallery in Building 11.

“Thou Art… Will Give” is a exploration of the notorious Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA, which once held prisoners like Al Capone. The series included photos of the crumbling prison lit by solitary skylights and the handwritten prisoner logs kept by wardens throughout the ESP’s history. The haunting black-and-white photographs Kunsman chose to display mimic the morbid history of the infamous prison.

Kunsman’s workshops primarily dealt with the contrast of light and shadow, a hallmark of the photographer’s ethereal style.

Andre Scully participated in all the workshops, as well as the “light painting” lesson Kunsman led after sunset.

“We learned about Photoshop today, how to do layering and the workflow,” Scully said. “[It] should go as well as what you see on the screen… [it] will change drastically when it’s on paper.”

Despite the intricate details needed to successfully make a light painting, the photo was planned out only fifteen minutes before it was taken place.

“It normally takes 9 months,” Kunsman said, as workshop attendees took their positions around the courtyard.

The goal was to make the photograph seem like a painting. There were lots of jobs for everyone to do, from lighting the stairs and sculpture to simply sitting on the benches.

After roughly two hours, the students had created a brand-new “light painting” out of the yellow sculpture – affectionately known by LCC alumni as the “yellow thingamajig” – near Building 11 adjacent to the Center Building.

“Thou Art...Will Give,” is on display in the gallery in Building 11 until the end of Fall Term. More of Kunsman’s work can be found on his website.

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NEWS Art is for the Bird

...continued from front page

Think global, act local

For the remodel of what has recently been renamed the Dr. Dale P. Parnell Center for Learning and Student Success, but known as the Center Building to most, “over 90 percent of the existing structural building systems were reused, such as exterior walls, floor systems, and roof, saving millions of dollars in cost and tons of new material.”

There are four LEED-certified buildings at LCC as highlighted on the school’s website.

On the main campus: Building 11, known for housing the art department, features two rotating galleries, and is home to the Academic Learning Skills Division. Some of the “Green building aspects of this remodel include installation of new bike parking and two new bottle filling stations.” Also, “insulation was added to new exterior walls making those walls up to 60% more insulating than required by code.” Building 30, focused on

illustration by Prenapa Techakumthon / illustrator

illustration by Lucien Guidotti-Lawrence / illustrator

New interim dean takes over art department Torch Staff After a tumultuous last couple of years, the Lane Community College Art Division announced earlier this year that J.S. Bird, a faculty member for 14 years, was to take the position of Interim Dean of the Division of the Arts.

Bird has a long history with art and is a well respected teacher in the Fine Arts program.

Before moving to Eugene, Bird taught at SUNY Brockport in New York as the head of the painting program as well as coordinating the university’s Fine Art degree program.

At Lane, he has taught drawing, painting, basic design, and more.

“Art education can also give people an appreciation of beauty through aesthetics and history. This is especially important in this day and I am afraid that art is being replaced by technology,” Bird said about the importance of teaching art.

Aside from championing art education, Bird has been using art as a form of self expression and analysis for years.

“When I was in grad school I used art as a way of psychoanalysis. In the studio I found the truth of myself and through my art I was able to find self-actualization,” Bird said. “Shortly after, my goal in art shifted to dreams of becoming a great painter in the pursuit of excellence in the professional world. Once I realized I wasn’t a famous artist, art became about problem solving for me. Art is now a much more enjoyable and intellectual process… the art is less about me and relates more to bigger ideas that are less centered on me personally.”

health and wellness, got its LEED certification in 2012 and “includes solar thermal panels that provide heated water for the faucet and building heating.” With these improvements, it uses half the electricity and 30 percent less water than before.

At the Mary Spilde Downtown Center, the entire complex is LEED certified. The academic building - Building 61A - opened in January 2013 and received its Platinum Certification in 2014. Its green roof over the conference center is akin to a sponge and slowly filters out impurities. Additionally, the rain that falls elsewhere on top of the complex is collected and stored in two 10,000 gallon tanks located below the West Courtyard and supplies the water that is used to flush the toilets throughout the complex. The other building that makes up the Mary Spilde Downtown Center is the residential complex, otherwise known as Titan Court, which opened in the summer of 2012 and got its LEED Gold certification in 2014. It uses 32 percent less energy than a conventional building.

Roger Ebbage has also served as an advisor for LCC energy programs, water conservation programs, solar and renewable energy technicians and professional trainings and education offered through the Northwest Water and Energy Education Institute .

Ebbage retired on July 1. On September 28, a gathering of former students and fellow peers celebrated his 26 years at Lane and his “retirement” at the downtown campus.

However, even though retired, he’s still with LCC and “credits their success with National Science Foundation grants for [the] Water Conservation program and [the] Energy Management program [for] sustaining [his] adjunct employment with the college.”

His vision for LCC’s future in sustainability: to see that every building operating at its optimal efficiency.

Interested parties can learn more about LCC’s Sustainability Program by visiting the sustainability page on the school’s website.

“We’re still alive” LCC hosts events for month dedicated to honoring Native American heritage

illustration by Quentin J. Piccolo / illustrator

Sabrina Piccolo News Director Throughout November, the Native American Student Association will hold events in honor of Native American Heritage Month. This month was officially declared as such in 1990 as a means for Native peoples in the U.S. to celebrate and share their cultures, traditions, music, art and more. NASA, according to its website, strives to support “American Indian, Alaskan Natives and Indigenous peoples in maintaining cultural values while pursuing their educational goals.”

This month provides NASA with an opportunity to host events open to the community that display the diverse culture of the people they represent.

Upcoming celebrations include Native Rock Week, Nov. 12 to Nov. 15, during which students and faculty will display and don traditional jewelry, clothing, hairstyles and mocs.

LCC will also be showing “Up Heartbreak Hill,” a 2011 film about two high school students living on the New Mexico Navajo reservation, in the Multicultural Center on Nov. 29.

On Nov. 29, NASA will be co-sponsoring a salmon bake with the University of Oregon’s Native American Student Union. All of the food during the salmon bake will be traditionally baked and harvested. Certain details of the

community event, which will be held at the LCC Longhouse, are still in planning, recently elected NASA President Elyssa Landrum said. NASA hopes to have a Native American tribe demonstrate how the food is prepared and cooked.

Landrum,,after moving to Oregon from a reservation in North Carolina, said that Native American Heritage Month is significant to those of Native American heritage seeking a sense of community.

“Native Americans are often discussed in the past tense, even though we’re still alive,” she said.

NASA Coordinator Lori Tapahonso commented that having a month designated to Native American heritage is especially significant because the Native American population in the U.S. is small compared to other minority groups.

“We become invisible in the larger society,” Tapahonso said. “To have a month dedicated to our history and our culture allows us the platform to share our voice and stories.

For many of us, it's also a time to remind the public that we are still here, even beyond November.”

According to student demographics statistics on LCC’s website, only about two percent, or 126, of credit students at the college during the fall of 2017 identified as “American Indian or Alaskan Native.” However, Landrum added, NASA is working to challenge the definition of identity so that it is viewed not merely by blood heritage, but also by community ties. As a result, some of NASA’s members and attendees of the organization’s meetings have lived on or near reservations despite not being of Native American lineage.

Landrum strives to ensure that NASA remains open to the community so as to erase the structured, inflexible definition of identity that she argues divides rather than unites.

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theTorch // www.lcctorch.com Wednesday, November 14, 2018

SPORTS Sophomore night and the feeling’s right Five Titans end their careers with a shot at postseason glory

photo by Emmett Crass / cartoonist

Titan co-captain Stacia Panther, who led the team in digs during the regular season, sets up for a serve against Southwestern Oregon Community College on Nov. 2. Lane won four of their final five games, earning them third place in the NWAC South Region.

Marek Belka Editor in Chief After a strong end-of-season run, the Titans head into the Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Championships as the third seed in the South Region.

The Titans pulled through in clutch situations throughout the end of October, building a four-game win streak against conference foes Clark, Mt. Hood, Southwest Oregon and Umpqua to clinch the final playoff spot in the region.

The end-of-season streak didn’t come easily. The Titans were pushed to five sets twice, including a tense and gritty victory against the SW Oregon Racoons at home on Nov. 2. On Sophomore Night, co-captain Stacia Panther once again led the Titans on defense, diving all over the court to record 36 digs. During one volley in the final set, Panther hit the hardwood three times in under 30 seconds before a thunderous spike from Meagan Briggs won the point and effectively solidified a Titan win.

After the victory against SW Oregon, the Titans honored the team’s five sophomores – Avery Brookshire, Stacia Panther, Christa Todd, Shelby Dubay and Kaitlin Hampton – with a ceremony highlighting their accomplishments. The players were handed bouquets of flowers and armloads of gifts – including a live hamster given to Todd – and became visibly emotional as head coach Stephanie Willett spoke fondly of her time with the players.

With the sophomores on the way out, several Titan freshmen stepped up at the end of the season, helping win a crucial away game against the Umpqua Riverhawks. The trio of Briggs, Kennedy James and Hannah Hayes combined for 35 kills against the Riverhawks, including two crucial spikes at the end of the final set to halt an Umpqua comeback.

After their loss to Linn-Benton in the regular season finale, Lane finished with a 9-4 conference record, only one game behind Chemeketa for second place. Panther ended her final regular season at Lane ranked second in the conference in digs – recording 570 digs in 36 matches this season.

The Titans look to carry their strong regular season finish straight into the NWAC Championships, where they’ll face the Walla Walla Warriors in the first round. The Warriors defeated the Titans in straight sets earlier this season during a tournament in Walla Walla, WA. The NWAC Championships are being hosted by Pierce College in Tacoma, WA from Nov. 15-18. Live coverage of all matches will be broadcast on the NWAC website.

photo by Marek Belka / editor in chief

Kaitlin Hampton taps the ball out of reach of SWOCC setter Sydney Colledge during their match on Nov. 2. Hampton recorded 28 kills in the Titans’ final five games.

photo by Emmett Crass / cartoonist

Grants Pass natives Saige Brashears and Sierra Westling celebrate after winning over SWOCC on Nov. 2. The Titans will carry their momentum into the NWAC Championships, which will begin on Nov. 15.

photo by Marek Belka / editor in chief

Titan hitter Megan Briggs celebrates with Kaitlin Hampton after a thunderous spike in the final set against SWOCC. Briggs recorded 10 kills and added three blocks during the Titans’ final home game on Nov. 2.

photo by Marek Belka / editor in chief

Titan sophomores Stacia Panther, Christa Todd and Kaitlin Hampton line up to receive a serve during their final home match against SWOCC on Nov. 2. Lane’s sophomores will play their final sets as Titans during the NWAC Volleyball Championships in Tacoma, Washington beginning Nov. 15.