U of O transfer joins Titan baseball
LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S
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Independent agency approves Lane’s accounting Taya Alami Reporter
Website changes slated for February debut
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Dean of Enrollment and Management Systems Helen Garrett brought in Ellucian to create software for tracking degree progress for students. Lane has worked with Ellucian since 2003 when Garrett oversaw the implementation of MyLane.
Lane has been working in tandem with Portland Community College and Central Oregon Community College in implementing the DegreeWorks software. PCC has used DegreeWorks since Fall 2010.
Cameron Hughey Reporter Lane’s Enrollment Services department is currently beta testing software that would track students’ degree progress in terms of learning, experience and cumulative credits. Dean of Enrollment and Management Systems, Helen Garrett, said the software DegreeWorks, is meant to offer students easy access to up-to-date information about their academic progress over MyLane, assisting academic advising. “This tool will put the resources in students’ hands,” Garrett said. DegreeWorks would give students the ability to independently plan without facing the problems they currently have when changing majors or finding out
where they stand academically. “I have to look for and write down what classes I am going to take for the next four years,” said Esau Gavett, a full time student in his second term at Lane. “(Lane’s) website is a f---ing mess. I’m paying two grand to come here and with all the technology there is, I think this should already exist.” Beth Landy, a Business and Elementary Education counselor, as well as an instructor for Career and Life Planning classes at Lane, called the software powerful and accurate. “Students won’t be taking classes they don’t need. This excites me as a counselor for students to be able to use this,” Landy said. “Academic advisers could focus on more complex issues. I
Featuring a presentation by emmy-nominated actor Giancarlo esposito. regular classes will not be held.
College audit comes back all clear
Lane rolls out new software to track degree progress
QUiCK FACTS: Degree Progress Software
LCC celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
think it will increase degree completion, and I think students will be leaving with less debt.” Advisers can use their time more efficiently, she added. The budget for the project is $150,000, with one-third of the funding coming from the student enrollment fee and the remainder coming from a Title III grant, a fiveyear federal grant meant to address low rates of retention, graduation and transfer. The grant’s window opened in 2009. Despite the support, there will still be impediments to moving forward. All key administrators in the Office of Academic and Student Affairs in 2012 have either left Lane to accept a position elsewhere, retired or shifted to another assignment at Lane.
After an extensive independent audit of the previous school year’s finances, Lane has received a nod of fiscal approval. Kenneth Kuhns & Co., a Salem-based accounting firm, determined the college is at low risk for an audit. The firm also audits approximately half of Oregon’s community colleges. The college compiled its financial statements and notes into a single financial report. During Lane’s Jan. 8 Board of Education meeting, Kenneth Kuhns said the financial report was more extensive than most. “It’s a clean opinion, with no exceptions, on your financial statements,” Kuhns said at the meeting. Because Lane receives funding from the state and federal governments, it’s subject to a number of state and federal laws, Kuhns said. This includes the state’s audit law, which requires institutions like Lane to periodically submit their financial records to a certified public accountant to be audited independently. “I will say, about the financial records, they were well-maintained,” Kuhns said. “They were clean. There were no audit adjustments.” The statistical information and economic data the college submitted to Kuhns was not audited. “But we read a lot of that information, and we were happy with it,” Kuhns said. Kuhns’ report also determined that Lane’s financial office was successful in maintaining an environment that allowed its employees to keep accurate financial records. “Nothing came to our attention that causes us to believe Lane Community College was not in substantial compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts and grant agreements,” Kuhns wrote in his report. Speaking publicly, Kuhns said the college ultimately spent approximately $3.3 million more than it took in last year, after a state community college support payment of approximately $6.4 million that was made too late to be included in the financial report.
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editor-In-CHIEF
Opinion
CLIFTON HANEY
Lane Community College’s independent, student-run newspaper
STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Clifton Haney
FACULTY AND CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE UNIONS
MANAGING EDITOR Alyssa Leslie
NEWS EDITOR
IDEAL SOLUTION
EDITORIAL
ASLCC
J. Wolfgang Wool
SPORTS EDITOR Jarrid Denney
A&E EDITOR
Laura Newman
REPORTERS
Taya Alami Anna Tatum Jesse Davis Cameron Hughey Crystal Gasser
COPY CHIEF Sean Hanson
COPY EDITOR Zack Bear
PHOTO EDITOR Eugene Johnson
PHOTOGRAPHERS Matt Edwards Zora Parker
PRODUCTION MANAGER Byron Hughey
GRAPHIC ARTISTS Wes Fry Lynette Slape
WEB EDITOR Tenaya Smith
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Patrick Blough
NEWS ADVISER Paige Parker
PRODUCTION ADVISER Dorothy Wearne
POLICY • Letters to the editor should be limited to 300 words. • Guest commentaries should be limited to 500 words. • Please include the author’s name, phone number and address (for verification purposes only). • The Torch reserves the right to edit letters and commentary for length, grammar, spelling, libel, invasion of privacy and appropriate language. • The Torch reserves the right to publish at its discretion. All web and print content is the property of the Torch and cannot be republished without editiorial permission. • Up to two copies per issue per person of The Torch are free; each additional copy is $2.
CONTACT The Torch Lane Community College 4000 E. 30th Ave. Eugene, OR 97405 torch@lanecc.edu
THE TORCH / Thursday, JAN. 16, 2014
Cultural competency policy long overdue The Lane Board of Education will vote on a proposed cultural competency policy at its Feb. 5 meeting. The tabled policy has long been a hot topic around campus, but the council has yet to agree on what should be included within this policy. We are contemporary, modern people. We understand the importance of a policy that allows all students and employees to feel safe in our learning environment. We value fair treatment of all people and backgrounds. The real cause of the confusion is, why hasn’t this policy been written? Depending on who you ask, this battle has raged for several years or even decades. Lane substance abuse prevention coordinator Mark Harris said more than 20 years have gone by with little to no result in the construction of this policy. Looking through The Torch archives, we can see that staff and faculty have been talking about this for at least a dozen years. In the Nov. 29, 2001, edition of The Torch, we discovered a front-page article, “Diversity Issues Dominate Meeting,” written by then-news editor Sarah Ross. The article discussed the importance, hardships and necessity of a diversity plan for Lane. This plan would make it mandatory for faculty to attend annual training to better suit our evolving student dynamic. “While all 11 of the panel members praised the current draft of the diversity plan, they emphasized that the college still needs to create the procedures and specific policies that will implement it,” Ross wrote. It goes on to explain that this move
merely was the “skeleton” in creating this policy as a whole. “Opening the meeting, Lane President Mary Spilde listed steps the college has taken to improve diversity on campus since 1995, including creation of diversity scholarships establishing the Rites of Passage program for middle-school and high-school minority students and offering training to create a more respectful work environment,” Ross reported. “Jim Garcia, the college’s diversity coordinator, told the board his office would have the panel’s input incorporated in the diversity plan by January 2002,” Ross continued. This was 13 years ago. What’s the deal? On Dec. 9, 2013, Spilde sent an email to her colleagues about the progress of the latest draft of the cultural competency policy and diversity education. “I have until the January board meeting to bring back either a college policy or a board policy. It is my hope that College Council can accomplish the work so that we can move forward,” Spilde wrote. Spilde emphasized the importance of designing “a multi-layered, multi-faceted, multi-modality program of professional development.” By its Jan. 10 meeting, board members had read the first draft of a cultural competency policy. Getting to this elementary step, however, has taken 12 years. Why is this policy taking so long to be polished and implemented? Faculty and staff have debated over the required amount of annual hours needed to complete the training, whether
teachers will be evaluated based on attending the diversity training and if attendees will be paid for this mandatory training. While we see the frustration that may arise from these points, the overall consensus of the College Council members is that this is something that must be put into place at Lane, an institution of higher education. Should attendees be paid in order to attend mandatory training? Yes. Should they be evaluated based on this type of cultural education? Yes. Should teachers help shape the design of the training? Yes, to a degree, but if they could draft a solid policy with complete autonomy, they wouldn’t need this training. So, what is the problem? Why isn’t this already a part of our everyday mission as a place where anyone can come and be educated? The point of this is not to say that we employ bigoted, ignorant or anti-progressive staff, faculty or administration. It just seems that there is a greater focus on the small details of the policy while delaying its benefits. The faculty’s own mission statement claims our instructors are an ever-growing and learning community dedicated to evolving as necessary to accommodate their changing students through professional development. Isn’t that what this policy is about? More education for educators? This is the image that we project to our students and community. Be the institution we promise to be. Stop stalling and squabbling over minute details. Success starts here.
NEWS EDITOR
NEWS
J. WOLFGANG WOOL
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STUDENT GOVERNMENT
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS SERIES: STUDENT GOVERNMENT
GLOSSARY Associated Students of Lane Community College (ASLCC)
Staffers (Appointed Executive Positions)
OSCC
All students taking credit classes and paying activity fees are members of ASLCC and can vote to elect senators and executive officers. Appointed positions within the executive branch of student government Oregon Students of Color Coalition
President Paul Zito
Crystal Gasser Reporter
• $500 per month • Tuition paid up to 12 credit hours per term. RESPONSIBILITIES
POWERS • Veto power over Senate resolutions. This veto may be overturned by a 2/3 majority of the Senate. • May fire executive staff at will. These staffers are ratified through a 2/3’s majority of the Senate. • Selects Senate candidates for vacant positions ouside of elections. These candidates are ratified through a 2/3’s majority of the Senate. • Selects ASLCC’s representation on committees and boards.
Vice President Anayeli Jiminez STIPEND AND BENEFITS • $500 per month • Tuition paid up to 12 credit hours per term. REPONSIBILITIES • Assumes duties of president or treasurer in their absence. • Chairs the Senate and sets the agenda for meetings • Conducts regular one-onone meetings with senators • Tracks Senate work hours and committee reports • Chairs the Election Committee. May delegate this responsibility. • Sits on the Oregon Community College Student Association’s board of directors. May delegate this responsibility. POWERS • Tie-breaker in Senate votes.
Multicultural Program Coordinator Nathan Jacob Garcia Campbell STIPEND AND BENEFITS • $500 per month • Tuition paid up to 12 credit hours per term. REPONSIBILITIES • Works with staffers to create a culturally diverse, safe and inclusive environment on campus. • Forms and chairs the Council of Clubs • Works closely with identity unions such as MEChA and the Black Student Union. • Board member for the Oregon Students of Color Coalition. • Sits on the Lane Diversity Council • Shall act as an advisor on cultural issues to the ASLCC president. • Co-chairs the Lane OSCC represnetation
ASLCC president wants MPC coordinator position to be elected J. Wolfgang Wool News Editor Students voted last year on a ballot measure that would amend the ASLCC constitution, converting the multicultural programs coordinator from an elected position to an appointed position. Now, ASLCC President Paul Zito is actively trying to change
Food Pantry continues to gain momentum Clothing Stash merges with pantry
STIPEND AND BENEFITS
• Head of student government. • Chairs the Student Affairs Council. • Sits in on Board of Education meetings. • Required to attend ASLCC Senate meetings. • Sits on the Oregon Student Association’s board of directors. Zito currently delegates this responsibility to Vice President Anayeli Jiminez.
EUGENE JOHNSON / THE TORCH
Carrie Copeland (right), Food For Lane County’s agency relations and mobile pantry coordinator, inspects the new location of Lane’s Food Pantry with Michael Weed. The Food Pantry is now located in the Center Building, Room 218.
the position back to elected. “That was a point I pushed for last year extremely hard, because culture has no business being appointed,” Zito said. It is unclear how much support Zito has. ASLCC Gender and Sexual Diversity Advocate Max Jensen believes that the amendment should stand. “Having a majority vote
on minority representatives becomes problematic, because then it is not necessarily the people who are going to be affected by this individual who are voting on this representative and advocate,” Jensen said. The most recent constitution is not available online. A copy can be obtained by contacting ASLCC.
Lane’s Rainy Day Food Pantry is growing rapidly with the help of an anonymous donor. The pantry received $2,500 anonymously, ASLCC Sustainability Coordinator Michael Weed said at the student government’s Jan. 8 meeting. With this money, the pantry was able to stock up on toiletries and high-demand food items. The pantry also collected 229 pounds of food from Food for Lane County. “Even though this was our first week back in school, over 25 people came to the pantry,” Weed said. Weed is currently setting up a voluntary contact list for students who use the Rainy Day Food Pantry. To use the pantry, students provide proof of their status as students and must earn less than $21,000 annually. Weed said almost every student that goes to Lane meets the requirements to be eligible for the food pantry. On Jan. 10, 2014, No Cash Clothing Stash, a nonprofit free thrift store at Lane, joined forc-
es with the pantry. Students in need of reliable shoes, coats or other clothing items are able to use this free resource. It opened Monday Jan. 13 and will stay open five days a week. “This was my dream,” Weed said. “It made no sense to be separated.” Five students had already arrived by the 11:00 a.m opening. On average the Clothing Stash receives anywhere between 15 to 30 students a day. “I think it’s going to be good, because we are both nonprofit services that help the community,” said Kim Meyers, staff member of the No Cash Clothing Stash. With a new location in Room 218 of the Center Building, the store benefits from increased foot traffic. Lane student Jennifer White uses the Clothing Stash at least twice per month, both donating and receiving clothes. “Everything I have on, except for my shoes and my socks, are from this place. Almost every day, I am wearing something from the clothing store,” White said. In addition to receiving clothes, White makes an effort to donate to the Clothing Stash.
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS Jan. 5 to Jan. 10 Jan. 7 at 6:20 a.m.
A Public Safety officer located a bottle labeled “muriatic acid” in the garbage and recycling area near Building 12. Public Safety took it to Building 12 with a note questioning whether it was safe to leave the chemical unattended.
Jan. 7 at 10:49 a.m.
Public Safety received a report that a 17-year-old student was in labor. Public Safety ensured she was transported by medics to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.
Jan. 10 at 5:05 p.m.
A student reported to Public Safety that he had left his MyLane account open at the Titan Store and an unidentified person had subsequently dropped all of his classes.
The Torch / Thursday, JAN. 16, 2014
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SPORTS
ERIC EVANS / COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
Jared Priestly posted a 4.15 ERA and struck out six batters in seven appearances for the University of Oregon during the 2013 season.
Duck transfer hopes to bolster Titans’ baseball team Priestly embraces opportunity at Lane
Jarrid Denney Sports Editor Sometimes, a chance is all it takes. A chance is exactly what sophomore Jared Priestly is hoping to get after announcing his decision to transfer to Lane to play baseball for the Titans. Priestly, a right-handed pitcher, appeared in seven games while playing for the University of Oregon during the 2013 season. He finished the year with a 4.15 earned run average and six strikeouts in 8.2 innings of work. The Ducks are sixth in the 2014 NCAA preseason rankings. This season, they will welcome the nation’s ninth-best recruiting class, according to the publication Baseball America, and are loaded with pitching talent. UO finished 15th in the 2013 NCAA rankings and boasted a pitching staff that featured two Major League Baseball draft picks in Cole Wiper and Jimmy Sherfey, as well as 2014 preseason All-Americans Cole Irvin and Garret Cleavinger. Tommy Thorpe, who earned 2013 Pac-12 first team honors, is also returning for the Ducks. With so much pitching talent THE TORCH / Thursday, JAN. 16, 2014
featured on the UO roster, it became apparent that Priestly would not be guaranteed much playing time this spring. The UO coaching staff started looking for other options that would allow him the opportunity for more innings. “Oregon’s depth chart and their list is so strong that if you don’t succeed immediately, you’re not going to get another chance,” head baseball coach Josh Blunt said. “Coming here, he knows that even when he struggles he’s still going to get out there and throw.” Although he took an official visit to Chico (Calif.) State University and received offers from several other schools, Priestly said Lane was an easy choice. “Lane was just a good fit because it’s close to home, and the programs are really similar. I know a lot of the coaches here,” Priestly said. The idea of playing baseball at the Division 1 level while remaining close to home was what attracted Priestly to the UO initially. “Really, just with the proximity to my hometown, playing in my own backyard was a really big factor in my decision,” Priestly said. “Being that close to home and then with what they had to offer facility-wise,
equipment-wise, I was really enticed with what their program does.” After a standout senior season at Roseburg High School, Priestly was named Southern Oregon Hybrid Conference Pitcher of the Year and was an Oregon School Activities Association 6A first-team all-state selection. He was ranked the number three player in Oregon by Baseball Northwest, a magazine that annually ranks the top players in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, after finishing the 2012 season with an 11-1 record, 57 strikeouts and a 0.25 earned run average in 57 innings of work. “When we brought him in, we expected him to make contributions, and he did,” UO pitching coach Dean Stiles said. “Certainly in the time that he was here, what he did for us was very admirable.” Stiles, who spent the 2011 season as the head coach at Lane, said that he and Titans pitching coach Jeff Lyle have very similar pitching programs, which should help make Priestley’s transition a smooth one. Blunt believes that if Priestly had come straight to Lane after high school, he would have been one of their two best pitchers.
“The last time I saw him throw was in high school. He was throwing 85 to 87 miles per hour, he had a really good changeup, a solid slider. He was a strike thrower,” Blunt said. “He’s super, super-competitive, and he’s super-athletic.” In Priestly, the Titans are getting a player that will not only help them on the field, but according to both Blunt and Stiles, a leader who also excels in the classroom. “His intangibles and his baseball knowledge are just remarkable,” Stiles said. “He’s one of those players that the rest of the guys always looked up to in terms of leadership. He’s just a team guy first, always looking to try to help somebody else out.” Although he is leaving behind one of the elite baseball programs in the nation, Priestly does not see his move to Lane as a step backwards. He is embracing the opportunity to finally show what he can do on the pitching mound on a consistent basis. “Personally, I just want to get a lot of experience, and just get some confidence at the college level under my belt and just improve my mentality and mental toughness,” Priestly said.
Sports Editor
SPORTS
JARRID DENNEY
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Snook shoots down school scoring record Titans 1-2 in NWAACC, 15-4 overall Jarrid Denney Sports Editor On Jan. 8, Lane point guard Shelby Snook shot her way into the school record books. The Titans women’s basketball freshman set the school record for points scored in a single game with 44, breaking the old record of 42, set by Dominique King in 2003. “I didn’t really realize during the game that I had that many points, but it’s really cool,” Snook said. Snook shot 16-of-25 from the field, with the majority of her points coming from inside the key on drives to the basket. She also went 12-of-17 from the free-throw line and led the Titans in rebounding with 12. Her record-breaking performance led the Titans to a crucial 94-93 victory over the fifth-ranked Umpqua Community College Riverhawks. “Thank goodness we had Shelby tonight,” Lane women’s basketball coach Greg Sheley said. “She’s just so athletic ... she can rise and finish over people. It was pretty exciting.” In a back-and-forth contest that saw 20 lead changes, neither team led by more than seven points during the game. Despite the Riverhawks knocking down 8-of-17 three-
point attempts in the first half, the Titans entered halftime with a 51-48 lead. Snook racked up 25 points in the first half, and Umpqua guard Ashli Payne nearly matched her shot for shot. The Riverhawks freshman finished the game with 38 points, including 20 in the first half on 8-of-10 shooting. Every time Lane started to pull away, the Riverhawks answered with a three. The game was in Umpqua’s hands on the final possession. After a Lane miss with just seconds remaining, the Riverhawks grabbed the rebound and headed down the court, trailing 94-93. Umpqua guard Rachel Sample had an open look from just beyond the top of the threepoint line, but her shot missed as time expired, and the Titans won. On Jan. 11, the Titans headed to Gresham for a matchup with the 2-14 Mt. Hood Community College Saints. The Saints are third to last in the conference in scoring, and were no match for the Titans’ offense. Seven different players scored at least eight points for Lane to help the Titans pick up an easy 87-44 victory. Sophomore Tori Mahaffie scored 14 points, pulled down
EUGENE JOHNSON / THE TORCH
Lane freshman guard Shelby Snook sets up to shoot a freethrow in a Jan. 8 game against the Umpqua Community College Riverhawks. The Titans won 94-93.
seven rebounds and dished out seven assists for the Titans, and sophomore Seqoiya Tillman scored 13 points and shot a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point
range. “A game like that helps everybody mentally and helps us get some confidence. It takes a lot of pressure off of every-
body,” Mahaffie said. The Titans will return to action when they meet Portland Community College at home Jan. 18.
Men snap five-game losing streak Lane back in contention after two wins against league opponents
REPLACE
Jarrid Denney Sports Editor The Lane men’s basketball team may have salvaged its season during the second week of regional play. After suffering a five-game losing streak that stretched all the way back to Dec. 22, the Titans hopped back on a winning track with a Jan. 8 home victory over South Umpqua Community College. Lane took down the Riverhawks 96-90 in a back-andforth affair in which the Titans went 15-of-16 from the freethrow line to seal the victory.
ALYSSA LESLIE / THE TORCH
Sophomore guard Alex Sattley scored a season-high 34 points for the Titans on 10-of-12 shooting in their Jan. 8 win over the Umpqua Community College Riverhawks.
“That was crazy. We needed that so bad,” Titans coach Bruce Chavka said after the win. “We grinded it out. We got a six-point win and still really didn’t guard anybody, but (we’re) grateful for the
win.” Alex Sattley led the Titans with a season-high 34 points in a near-perfect shooting performance. The sophomore guard went 10-of-12 from the field and 12-of-12 from the free
throw line. “I was very tired of losing,” Sattley said. “I was just like, ‘I’m going to make sure this doesn’t happen again.’” Three days later, the Titans headed to Gresham for a
matchup with the Mt. Hood Community College Saints. The Saints, ranked fifth in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges, were ranked first for most of the preseason. Although the Saints defeated the Titans 76-63, Chavka believes the game may be a turning point for his team. “Even though it was a loss, I felt like we got a lot better and we grew,” Chavka said. “If we had come out with this kind of effort against Umpqua, we would have won by 20.” The Titans were within four points of the Saints with 3 minutes, 30 seconds to go, but lost control of the game after turnovers on back-to-back possessions. “There were three noticeable times during the game where we fought through. We didn’t get down. We didn’t panic,” Chavka said. “Three different times, we played through adversity and found ways to get back in the game.”
The Torch / Thursday, JAN. 16, 2014
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SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTS
JARRID DENNEY
“Establishing a league would be extremely difficult since you would need the NWAACC to have other member schools add the sport.” -Robert Strickland instructor MATTHEW EDWARDS / THE TORCH
Sean MonDragon teaches his flag football students Dec. 3, 2013. While Lane offers flag football, it’s unlikely to field a true football team any time soon, with start-up costs high and no funding available.
Lane junior college football team fails to find funding Facilities, players and Title IX requirements also factor
Keoni Conlu Reporter Lane is unlikely to add a football team to its athletic program anytime soon. During the mid to late ‘90s, Walla Walla Community College and Wenatchee Valley College were the only schools in the NWAACC that had football programs. While California has two conferences with at least 30 teams at the junior college football level, Oregon has none. The closest community college football program to Lane is in Weed, Calif., at the College of the Siskiyous. “Establishing a league would be extremely difficult since you would need the NWAACC to have other member schools add the sport,” said Robert Strickland, who has taught flag football at Lane for 10 years. NWAACC Executive Director Marco Azurdia said state budgets dictate how much money community colleges receive for programs and activities. “(Football) is just so cost prohibitive for community
colleges to try and maintain it,” Lane Athletic Director Greg Sheley said. Sheley said that the biggest difference between starting up a football team, as opposed to a small sport, would be insurance cost and liability cost. “I know that with football, there is maintaining the integrity of the helmet, the pads, the protective gear,” Sheley said. “There is always refurbishing and I know that is an expensive cost.” Strickland said that after costs, checking to see if the facilities are more than adequate would be the next step. The last step would be to find a coaching staff. Title IX is a federal law that requires schools with athletic programs to offer the same number of opportunities to women and men. If schools do not abide by this law, they could face serious repercussions. “It goes as far as the college’s financial aid, and stuff like that can be affected if we are not compliant,” Sheley said. He said there’s a movement to exclude football from
THE TORCH / Thursday, JAN. 16, 2014
Title IX because of the number of male players on a football team. No female-oriented sports come close to offering the same opportunities. “I think any time you talk about athletics, we always want to be or looking to bring in sports. You want to address the needs of the particular community you are serving, whether it’s football or other sports. I think people really do understand the benefit of having athletics for students and the community,” Strickland said. Before Sheley became the athletic director, he also taught a flag football class. He said the students who have played some high school football locally seem to be the majority that are still interested in that class. “I often times just think to myself, ‘can we do it on a smaller scale, like eight-man football?’” Azurdia said. “Then again, how would that help someone that wants to transfer to Oregon or OSU, or even Linfield if they only play eight-man football?” Approximately one to three
MATTHEW EDWARDS / THE TORCH
Sean MonDragon’s flag football class plays a game of five versus five. The class is offered each term.
players in Strickland’s class have the physical potential to participate if Lane was to get a football program, he said. The coaches would have to recruit hard to get more talent. “They would go out to watch games, watch practices, watch combines — those types of things they have for high school kids to evaluate talent — gauge interest and
then try to build a team,” Sheley said. Four-year flag football veteran Zach Boeger would be eager to join if Lane had a football team. “It would allow me the chance to play the sport I love at the school I go to. People I know could play since they attend Lane as well,” Boeger said.
neWs editor
nEWS
J. WOLFGANG WOOL
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Gas leak leaves students rained out
Math, science divisions evacuated J. Wolfgang Wool News Editor Workers fixed a ruptured gas line in Building 16 that forced hundreds of students and faculty to evacuate the building on Jan. 10 for five hours. “About 9:15 a.m. or so we started smelling a strong odor of gas in the old part of the science building,” lab coordinator Barbara Dumbleton said. The leak came from an old broken pipe in the building’s basement, near Room 148. “I called Public Safety and they came over. They assessed the situation and decided to evacuate the building. The gas smell was pretty strong down the east hallway, which is the
old part of the building,” Science Dean Sara Ulrich said. Emergency personnel from Goshen Rural Fire Protection District and Northwest Natural Gas were contacted to assess the situation. “What happen(ed) is, an abandoned natural-gas line that was capped off a few years ago, for some reason, failed without warning,” Mark Richardson, the facilities planner leading the repairs, wrote in an email. “It was located under a counter in a lab area of Building 16.” Ulrich estimates 500 students were evacuated into the rain. “Some students figured out pretty quickly that ‘maybe I should take my stuff. This is a big deal.’ and other students did
ALYSSA LESLIE / THE TORCH
Goshen rural Fire Protection district personnel respond to a gas leak inside Building 16 on Jan. 10. The building was evacuated for five hours before classes resumed. The leak emanated from a pipe near room 148, which was sealed until Jan. 13.
exactly what you are supposed to do, which is don’t take your stuff — just leave. So they were the students that were out there without coats, without their cell phones, without their wallets and their car keys,” Ulrich said. “We initially assumed someone had just pulled the alarm, but when we were out there for a longer period of time, and the Goshen fire truck appeared, we realized that wasn’t the case,” Math Dean Kathie Hledik wrote in an email. Building 16 is shared by the math and science divisions.
According to both deans, the Math Division did not know the details of the situation until after the evacuation. After 11 a.m., students and faculty were escorted back into the building to recover their belongings. The building was reopened at 2 p.m. The smell of gas still lingered on the first floor, and Room 148 remained closed. Repairs were performed over the weekend and the classroom was open again on Jan. 13. Richardson said Lane Facilities Management and Planning is
systematically checking rooms in Building 16 to make sure there are no more at-risk gas lines. If they discover any, all maintenance will be performed after hours and should not impact students or faculty. “It’s really a good thing that it happened on a school day and not over the weekend, because we could have had a situation where the building filled with gas, nobody was here and somebody could have come in Monday morning when we had a much more explosive potential,” Ulrich said. “It just takes a spark.”
Lane holds scholarship event for local students Over 400 estimated in attendance Cameron Hughey Reporter Lane held its 15th annual How to Pay for College in One Day event Jan. 11 in the Center for Meeting and Learning. The free event included two workshops aimed to educate students about scholarship opportunities. Participants learned how to navigate and compete scholarships as well as how to write effective essays and applications. Specific information about Oregon Student Access Commission and Lane Foundation scholarships were also provided. Financial aid professionals also assisted participants in completing online FAFSA applications. The event was sponsored by Northwest Community Credit Union. “(The sponsorship) allowed for advertising so more people were exposed to it taking place,” Career employment advsior Jackie Bryson said. “We think over 400 people attended this year.” The first workshop was meant to develop applicants’ skills in planning, organizing, writing and scholarship research. “Put the time in now or work for 20 years to pay off your debt,” Bryson said. “It’s worth it to come and learn about scholarships. LCC students received the most for
community colleges, and if you come to this event, your scholarship potential goes up because you are much more competitive.” The workshops provide specific information on what school committees are looking for and general scholarship information that helps students with the research process. “I hear stories every year where students say ‘I walked in never thinking I could get scholarships’ and left, went and applied for them, and got them,” said Lane instructor Beth Landy, who spoke at the event. “It takes hard work and persistence, but it pays off.” Hanna Achepol, an employee in the Career and Enrollment Services Department, said she attended the event as a student in 2010. “After that, I applied for 47 (scholarships) and got seven. Two of them were renewable. I went on to graduate from the Culinary Arts program in June and will be getting another associates this coming June. So I will have two associates degrees and six certificates, and I haven’t taken out a single student loan,” she said. “There is no reason to.” Bryson said students should look for future announcements about paying for college on MyLane and Lane’s Facebook page.
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A&E EDITOR
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
LAURA NEWMAN
OREGON JAZZ FESTIVAL: Jan. 24 and 25 Ragozzino Performance Hall 7:30 p.m. Jazz-rock quintet Kneebody will perform with the Lane Community College and University of Oregon Jazz Ensembles Jan. 24 and Jan. 25 at Lane in Building 6. “There isn’t a handy term or genre for the music that Kneebody creates. It’s a band thoroughly acquainted with 1960s freebop, 1970s jazz rock, 1990s hip-hop and postmillennial indie rock….” – New York Times
LAURA NEWMAN / THE TORCH
Lane student Ben Latimer practices one of his three tenor saxophone solos in “Descending.”
Jazz ensemble gets second chance to blow their horns Lane musicians prepares for Jan. 24 jazz festival
Laura Newman A&E Editor Lane’s Jazz Month began with the Jazz Ensemble’s rescheduled December performance, which was cancelled due to weather conditions, on Jan. 10 at the Building 6 Ragozzino Performance Hall. Lane music teacher Paul Kruger said students worked hard when practicing for the concert and some adjustments were necessary to ensure the performance would continue as planned. “We rescheduled because we wanted to. Because it was our one performance in the fall, it was just the Lane Jazz Ensemble, our own feature concert where we get to play. We’ve been working on that repertoire throughout fall term. We wanted to make sure the students got a chance to present it, in public somehow, even if it wasn’t ideal,” Kruger said.
There were some complications with rescheduling this event. Some students had other obligations. “I had to move it up to 5:00 p.m. instead of our normal 7:30 p.m. start time because our bass player has another gig in town later tonight,” he said. “So we had to make sure everyone could play, make sure we had a chance for people to come and listen.” Jazz Ensemble is a three-term course that produces a performance at the end of each of those terms. Typically, the class gets a chance to shine and present their skills solo. The Combos, which performs an improvisational form of jazz, were scheduled to perform a show that was also cancelled Dec. 10 in the Blue Door Theater due to the snowy weather. “Tonight we’re playing seven songs. Our set is 45 minutes to an hour long,” Kruger said.
Later this month, Lane will host the Oregon Jazz Festival. Lane’s Jazz Ensemble will again share the stage with University of Oregon’s Jazz Ensemble and a special guest. “Later on Saturday evening, they have a guest band come in. This year it’s Kneebody, which is a jazz-rock fusion group,” Kruger said. Ben Latimer, a second-year Lane student and veteran of the Jazz Ensemble, has three solos in this performance. He plays the tenor saxaphone, but also has begun learning the clarinet and flute. “I love all types of music, but I think jazz perfectly articulates what life is. It shows the highs, the lows, the sweetness of it, the disastrous moments, the loving, the kind — even the anger of it,” Latimer said. “I’m so glad I started at Lane. Everyone here is here to help you succeed, and you can’t beat the price.” A fellow soloist, Chloe Ann
Rice, plays baritone saxaphone, soloing in the melody “Crescent City Stomp.” “It’s a lot better than high school. I just graduated recently. It’s nice to be in a college band,” she said. “They know their stuff, and they’re passionate about their music. Everyone is here for music.” Admission for these events is typically $5, except for special events. The proceeds go to help Lane’s music students gain scholarships and receive private tutoring to improve their craft. “For all the concert admission money, whether it’s the Jazz Ensemble, for the choirs — any of the music groups — all of that money goes directly into student scholarships,” Kruger said. Students audition for these scholarships each term. Oregon Jazz Festival begins Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Building 6.
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