The Torch — Edition 21 // Volume 49

LCC TORCH.COM

LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S S T U D E N T- R U N N E W S PA P E R

APRIL 24, 2014

The Torch volume 50, edition 21

INSIDE STUDENT ELECTIONS Q&A: FILMMAKER, INSTRUCTOR BASEBALL AND TRACK EU G ENE , O R E .

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Special meeting called to discuss budget, cuts Finalized enrollment numbers on table for April 28 meeting Taya Alami Reporter

MIDSUMMER PHANTASM PAGE 11

Liz Gibb helps Michelle Nordella with her robe in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Ragozzino Hall on April 19.

CHRIS PIEPGRASS / THE TORCH

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

ASLCC passes resolution on faculty safety proposal Senators oppose revised classroom safety rules Taya Alami Reporter Student leaders have passed a resolution outlining a stance in opposition to the labor union representing Lane faculty, which has demanded the right to remove any students from the classroom.

The union has been locked in an ongoing labor negotiation with the college for the past 11 months, and classroom safety procedures have recently become a topic of discussion in the negotiations, according to student government President Paul Zito.

The student government’s resolution against the socalled “bargaining chip” was drafted and ratified by the Senate during its April 16 meeting.

The written resolution outlined student support for the current process.

In its current form, the code of conduct stipulates that anyone affiliated with the college may file charges against any student for misconduct. Staff should prepare charges in writing and direct their charges to the executive dean of student affairs within 90 days of the incident.

All charges shall be presented to the accused student in written form. Within five to 15 days of the student receiving a written copy of their charges, the students are granted a private hearing.

A judicial adviser may conduct an investigation to determine the merit of the charges and determine if the charges can be disposed of FACULTY ON PAGE 5

EUGENE JOHNSON / THE TORCH

Presidential candidate Francisco "Kiko" Gomez attempts to rally support in the Center Building cafeteria on April 23.

Candidate ragequits meeting Gomez describes untreated anger problem J. Wolfgang Wool News Editor After a series of emotional outbursts on Wednesday, presidential candidate Francisco “Kiko” Gomez said he has untreated anger manage-

ment issues, in a late-night interview with The Torch.

Gomez said he will continue to run for president because he does not believe his opponent — or any candidate — should run unopposed. If Gomez ON PAGE 5

The Lane Board of Education will meet April 28 to decide how to weather a projected potential shortfall of between $8.5 million and $12.6 million for the next school year that could cause the college to raise tuition, cut faculty and/or reduce programs.

The board ratifies institutional policies and approves the school’s budget. It’s comprised of publicly elected volunteers, and typically meets once a month.

Supporters of the labor union representing Lane faculty said they plan to assemble in the cafeteria prior to 5 p.m. and march to the meeting in Building 3 wearing red.

The faculty union is locked in a collective bargaining negotiation that has dragged out over the past 11 months.

Lane Vice President of College Services Brian Kelly briefed board members on financial documents at the March 12 board meeting that outline the potential shortfalls.

Lane administrators said they expect enrollment at the college to decline by anywhere between 7 percent and 12 percent for the next school year. Because tuition contributes about a third of the revenue to Lane’s $100.7 million budget, enrollment declines can create large shortfalls.

One of the potential strategies the college may use to cover costs is a tuition hike.

Lane students will pay $2 more per credit beginning summer term, bringing tuition to $95 per credit next year, after board members passed an inflationary increase.

The motion passed at the Dec. 3 board meeting 4-1, with Board Chairwoman Rosie Pryor abstaining from the vote because she pays the fulltime tuition as a Lane student.

Board member Robert Ackerman cast the single dissenting vote.

At the March 12 meeting, board chairwoman Rosie Pryor asked all of her colleagues, aside from an absent Sharon Stiles, what they thought of a potential tuition increase.

“I would like to say for the record, and to my colleagues, that I am not anxious to look at tuition increases because I just don’t think that when demand is declining you raise BOARD ON PAGE 5

2 The Torch LCC TORCH.COM LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S S T U D E N T- R U N N E W S P A P E R

STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alyssa Sutton

MANAGING EDITOR Sean Hanson

NEWS EDITOR

J. Wolfgang Wool

SPORTS EDITOR Jarrid Denney

A&C EDITOR Penny C. Scott

REPORTERS

Taya Alami Jackson Dietel Edmond Leach Laura Newman Tran Nguyen Chris Patrick Chris Piepgrass

COPY CHIEF Zack Bear

PHOTO EDITOR Eugene Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHER Alex Quadrini

Cartoonist Riley Webber

PRODUCTION MANAGER Byron Hughey

GRAPHIC ARTISTS Wes Fry James Capps

WEB EDITOR Tenaya Smith

AD MANAGER Randy Maxwell

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Patrick Blough

NEWS ADVISER Winston Ross

PRODUCTION ADVISER Dorothy Wearne

OPINION&COMMENTARY EDITORIAL

ASLCC should ditch OrgSync Last year, fewer than 1 percent of eligible Lane students voted in the student government general election. That’s a disturbingly low turnout, even for a campus with a historically apathetic student body.

What’s more disturbing? That the Associated Students of Lane Community College is complicating the voting process.

The polls open April 28, and, barring any last-minute changes to the elections process, the student government plans to add an additional step to the two-step process by which students used to vote.

Students used to cast ballots through myLane, by logging in and clicking a link that said “answer a survey.”

This year, student leaders want us to vote through OrgSync, a Texas-based corporation that provides a one-stop web portal for student governments and organizations. Lane students can log on to its website, orgsync.com, and after they enter their L-numbers and passwords, they can view student government meetings records, check the hours for the Rainy Day Food Pantry, and browse a handful of student clubs and unions.

The goal, to improve students’ access to the wide variety of student-funded activities, is sound — so sound, you might have glossed over the part about the third-party website having your L-number and password. Whenever your information is duplicated, the number of places from which hackers can steal your data is duplicated too.

OrgSync makes much of its security measures in a detailed pitch aimed at colleges looking to procure its services, but the company representatives dance around an appalling admission: Its website uses OpenSSL, the same security protocol that made headlines when Google’s security team discovered the Heartbleed exploit, a flaw that, from December 2011 to April 7, enabled hackers to steal users’ data.

A search for “Heartbleed” on OrgSync’s

CONTACT The Torch Lane Community College 4000 E. 30th Ave. Eugene, OR 97405 torch@lanecc.edu (541) 463-5654

website yields no results. A similar Google search reveals a post on the University of Louisville’s OrgSync blog, in which students and advisers are urged to change their OrgSync passwords.

You should take that advice. Immediately.

While it’s unlikely any hacker would go to the trouble of dropping you from your classes, the damage one could do with that information is substantial, especially if you use the same password across multiple websites.

The switch to OrgSync has other, albeit less troubling, implications. By moving the general election out of the Lane information technology department — to Texas, of all places — student government has

RILEY WEBBER / THE TORCH

surrendered the guarantee that the results can’t be tampered with, diminishing our ability to detect any vote-tampering and reducing the likelihood that we’d have any recourse if they were.

This is an election, the winners of which will control more than $150,000 in revenue from the $50.30-per-term student activity fee. With the move to OrgSync, it has all the integrity of a Facebook poll.

Nonetheless, OrgSync already has your L-number and password. You might as well vote. And, while we’re not endorsing candidates this year, we suggest you vote for the candidates who promise to take governance seriously and return the elections to myLane.

GUEST COMMENTARY

POLICY • Letters to the editor should be limited to 300 words.

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REPLACE

Students' success includes classified staff In the April 10 edition of The Torch, there was a guest commentary written by a handful of Lane faculty members. In the commentary there was a lot of talk about respect — or, to be precise, a lack of respect. I am not pretending to know what the issues are in this bargaining process, nor do I want to discuss them.

What I do want to talk about is respect.

As a classified staff member, and a college employee for close to 24 years, I’ve seen good bargaining times and bad ones. I’ve seen the classified staff settle for less than we are probably worth, but we did it for the good of the college. In 2005 and 2006, I watched other classified workers be told that their jobs were being cut, gone. We lost three positions in my department, we haven’t replaced them yet and we picked up the extra

THE TORCH / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

duties and went on serving students. The faculty lost positions in those years also. Some of those positions have been replaced, in my department, as early as last year.

So here we are again in 2014 with another budget crisis. Some of us are wondering, is it going to be as bad as it was in 2005-2006? The Lane Community College Education Association's signs are out. You see them on the road coming into Lane, on office doors, bulletin boards and walls. What, you may ask, does this have to do with respect? Everything. The signs could mislead one to assume that the faculty is the sole reason students are successful and achieving their academic goals. One sign reads “student success starts with faculty success.”

Let’s take a journey of students starting their successful

education at Lane: •They apply for financial aid if they need it. Paperwork is eventually reviewed, and money is awarded by classified staff.

•They apply to the college, perhaps getting a little help with that process, and the application is processed by classified staff.

•They take a placement test to see what classes they should take. The test is administered, scored and explained by classified staff.

•They see their academic advisor or a faculty counselor. Yes, possibly their first interaction with a faculty member. But before they sit down with the counselor, the classified staff working a front desk checked them in.

•They register for classes built by classified staff. Perhaps they get a prerequisite cleared by classified staff.

They get help registering by classified staff or a peer mentor.

•They buy their books from the Titan Store, staffed entirely by classified staff.

•They have countless more interactions with classified staff until, finally, they come to the first day of classes and sit in classrooms to begin their education with a faculty member.

So does student success start with faculty success? I think not. It starts with all of us here at the college wanting students to be successful. So when I see that sign and other similar ones, I don’t feel respected for the work I do and the success I contribute to our students. Remember: It takes a village.

Rodney Brown Counseling Department

3

OPINION&COMMENTARY COLUMN

NWAACC's use of wood bats are costing student athletes more money while conference batting averages lag behind regions using metal bats

WOOD

Average of 5-6 bats used per season*

One bat used, usually over multiple seasons

.256

$100 per bat*

$200 per bat**

NWAACC cumulative season batting average as of April 23

.295

Cumulative season batting average as of April 23 from five community college leagues using metal bats***

Estimated $6,500 spent on bats by Lane athletes

METAL *According to Josh Blunt, Lane head baseball coach. **Based on Demarini Voodoo, the nation’s top-selling bat.

***Leagues include Western Junior College Athletic Conference, Maryland Junior College Athletic Association, Midwest Athletic Conferences, Iowa Community College Athletic Conference, Orange Empire Conference

Going against the grain Jarrid Denney Sports Editor Baseball is a game known for its traditions.

Whether it’s ballpark food, rain-delay antics or curtain calls after home runs, baseball is celebrated as much for willingness to never change as it is for the competition itself.

However, one long-standing tradition that needs to be eliminated altogether is the use of wooden baseball bats at the collegiate level.

Several years ago, the National Collegiate Athletics Association stepped away from traditional aluminum bats, mainly to eliminate the violent reaction of the ball bouncing off of a metal bat.

This became a safety issue after an increasing number of pitchers have suffered injuries from line drives that arrived at speeds as high as 105 mph.

However, instead of switching to strictly wood bats, the NCAA instituted a rule which declared that all metal baseball bats must perform like wooden ones. Each bat must pass a test in order to be considered legal for use in an NCAA game.

The rule essentially negates the advantage and danger of using aluminum bats, but also avoids the use of wood bats, which, as recently as 2008, were shattering at a rate of almost one bat per game at the major league level, which is costly.

While collegiate baseball’s best players have adapted and adjusted to the rules in order to create a safer game, several smaller college leagues throughout the country have switched to only wood bats.

One of those conferences is the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Col-

leges, to which Lane belongs.

According to former NWAACC Executive Director Dick McClain, the conference switched to wood bats in the early 1990s, when it became apparent that the NCAA may do the same.

There are several issues with using wood bats, especially at the small college level.

At Lane, as with many junior colleges, players are responsible for buying much of their own equipment, including bats.

The average wood baseball bat costs between $90 and $110. Lane head coach Josh Blunt said his players usually go through five or six bats each season, per player.

Five bats at $100 apiece, with 13 position players on Lane's roster, equals approximately $6,500 each year.

Wood bats also limit the potential of hitters when they are

being scouted by larger schools.

While an NWAACC player is stuck using a wood bat that provides less pop, a player from almost any other conference in America has the advantage of using a metal bat to help boost their power stats.

Even though the new NCAA-approved bats perform similarly to wood bats, that doesn't mean they don’t still provide an advantage.

According to Alan Nathan, a physics professor at University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and member of the NCAA Baseball Research panel, metal bats are easier to swing and allow the batter more bat control.

“While a batter might not hit the ball harder with a metal bat, he might make good contact more often,” Nathan said in a 2011 interview with Medill Reports.

According to McClain, the

NWAACC prides itself on being one of the few conferences who have stuck with wood bats for this long. He said he doesn’t see them switching to aluminum anytime soon.

For now, several Lane players have embraced using wood bats and found a way to avoid the steep cost.

Lane first baseman Jarren Goddard said he uses bats from a company called Baum, a company that makes its bats out of composite wood and is known for making durable bats. Goddard said he pays about $150 for a Baum bat and has never broken one.

Fellow Titan Colby Rice said he would choose wood instead of aluminum even if he were given the choice.

“I prefer wood definitely,” Rice said “I love feeling the ball more when I hit, and when I do hit, I feel more accomplished using wood.”

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

ASLCC president opposes safety proposal How does the fear of having no process for removing a student from class, with no refund for the credits or chance for an appeal, make a classroom safe? I will directly say that it does not.

If I have to worry that one single person can eject me from class, that makes me afraid to enroll in classes at all. I should

not have to be afraid that if I don’t fit the professor’s view of safety, I won’t be allowed to finish or attend the class.

The financial risk to me and other students is drastic.

Therefore, it does not belong in the hands of any single person, professor or not. There are governance councils that have representation of students,

faculty, classified, managers and administrators that create policy for the college. Those are the places classroom safety should be addressed.

Why are the faculty union leadership removing students from a policy debate that will directly affect students’ rights here on campus? This classroom safety issue belongs in

the governance system where it can be addressed in a manner that does not have to do with dollars in a paycheck and instead be developed by a body designed to deal with these sorts of issues.

I trust Lane Community College Education Association members are not getting all the information about this issue, as

they should be, or this would never have made it onto the bargaining table.

Please, instructors, be sure to help students have their voices heard and look into the process that already exists to ensure classroom safety.

Paul Zito President, ASLCC

The Torch / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

4

NEWS&FEATURES

Candidates prepare for elections Polls open April 28 to May 1 on OrgSync

J. Wolfgang Wool News Editor Lane students will elect a student government and consider two ballot measures in the Associated Students of Lane Community College general election, between April 28 and May 1.

Candidates for president and vice president share a ticket. In that contest, voters will

elect Francisco “Kiko” Gomez and Ben Buchanan or Michael Weed and Malisa Ratthasing.

A third ticket was announced when campaigning began April 14, but candidates Clinton Fear and Kathy Renfrow withdrew last week.

Renfrow said their withdrawal was primarily Fear’s decision. They both believe that Weed and Ratthasing would better serve the school

and did not want to risk pulling votes from them.

The president will earn a $500 monthly stipend and a 12-credit tuition waiver, and the vice president will earn a $450 stipend and a 12-credit waiver.

Fourteen candidates are vying for 10 ASLCC Senate seats: Emily Aguilera, Wesley Allen, Scott Compton, Sofie Crandall, Felicia Dickinson, Esau Gavett, Brandi Hoskins,

Jennifer McCarrick, Christian Mello, Caleb Miller, Trevor Moore, Sarah Pishioneri, Nicole Rund and Robert Schumacher.

Senators receive a $200 stipend and a three-credit waiver.

No one applied for the four available Student Finance Board seats. Next year’s student government will appoint students to the board.

Students will consider two ballot measures, one to keep

funding the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group, by renewing the $3 from the student activity fee revenue. Students will also decide whether to add a $4 increase to the student activity fee to pay for legal services Lane retains for students.

Legal services are currently a line item in the student government's budget.

(Managing Editor Sean Hanson contributed to this report.)

Elections gets new look, website Voters in the student election must use OrgSync services

Faculty bargaining team meets in Center Building

EUGENE JOHNSON / THE TORCH

After spending the morning in mediation with representatives of Lane's administration and a state mediator, members of the faculty union bargaining team met with other faculty members in the cafeteria during a lunch break April 23. They gave an update in preparation for the Monday, April 28 Board of Education meeting where the college's budget will be discussed.

Elections Committee defines campaigning Group takes stance on fundraising controversy J. Wolfgang Wool News Editor Lane’s student government Elections Committee created official definition of campaigning, after The Torch ran an article about presidential candidate Michael Weed’s fundraising attempts eight weeks before the official campaign period.

Weed and his running mate, Malisa Ratthasing, created a page on crowdfunding website gofundme.com on Feb. 25.

On the page, Weed described why he was running and asked for donations to help his campaign.

According to student government bylaws, no campaigning can happen outside of a designated one to three week window. The Elections Committee scheduled campaigning to begin April 14.

What qualifies as campaign-

ing was not defined in either the student government bylaws nor the documentation the Elections Committee provided the candidates.

Weed claimed this was not pre-campaigning because he did not ask for votes.

The Elections Committee defined authorized pre-campaign work to include “fundraising and the development of campaign material and content.”

Campaigning is defined as “actively encouraging students to vote a particular way on any specific ballot measure/referendum or for any particular candidate.”

Student government Vice President Rebekah Ellis, who chairs the Elections Committee, said the committee created this definition in advance of any official complaints so the committee would have a prepared stance.

Gender, Sexuality and Di-

THE TORCH / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

versity Advocate Max Jensen, who sits on the Elections Committee, said the official definition matches with previous policies.

In order to run a good presidential campaign, you need to prepare for it, he said. Candidates have announced their plans to run in the past prior to campaigning.

After reading the definition released by the Elections Committee, Ratthasing said she supports their interpretation.

Ratthasing said she believes that as long as candidates act with discretion and seek to raise funds off campus, it will not have an impact on the electorate.

“It makes sense. I mean, how could you start a campaign without having the funds or means to do it before the campaign season?” Ratthasing said.

J. Wolfgang Wool News Editor After years of electing leaders via their myLane accounts, students might have to register for a different, more private network when the polls open April 28.

Members of Lane’s administration have been pushing students and faculty members to use the network services of the private technology firm OrgSync.

OrgSync connects students “to organizations, programs, and departments” in a private online community, according to the organization’s website.

In order to be eligible to vote, potential voters must be Lane students enrolled in at least one credit on the main campus. It’s unclear whether OrgSync has the capability to verify whether students only attend classes online or at a satellite campus.

The student government constitution and bylaws stipulate that only students who attend classes on the main campus are eligible to vote in the election, because only those students pay the student activity fee that funds the student government.

Elections on myLane have experienced problems in the past. During last year’s elections, the numbered order in which ballot measures appeared was different in the voters pamphlet and on the myLane ballot.

“From what I have been told (OrgSync) has a good system for this,” Ellis said. “It’s looking like it will be a lot easier than the way that we have done it with myLane before.”

The ASLCC bylaws require that elections use myLane.

ASLCC President Paul Zito said elections will still use myLane as the primary avenue for the votes, with a link

to the ballot, but will use OrgSync to tally them.

ASLCC adviser Barb Delansky, who is organizing OrgSync for the vote, said it will improve voter turnout because the system’s more user-friendly, but students will have to log in with their Lnumbers and passwords.

If voters have to set up an OrgSync account before voting, Zito said it may impact turnout.

Ellis said the student government is using OrgSync because the system is more congruent with the voting process. Both the administrators and voters have had issues using myLane in the past, she said.

To register for OrgSync, students must enter their Lnumber and passwords, and cannot use a different username and password from their myLane password.

OrgSync was started in 2007 by a group of students at University of Texas at Austin.

The private network is written on the same kind of open script that was vulnerable to Heartbleed, an exploit that compromised approximately 60 percent of the Internet in the last two years.

According to developers working for Google, most firms have fixed the security problems since they were first publicized in early April.

Historically, the student government general election sees a low voter turnout.

Fewer than 1 percent of Lane students voted in last year’s ASLCC general election, but students still managed to elect a full government and pass four ballot measures before the polls closed.

“It’s a bummer more people don’t turn out,” Zito said.

“But (voting is) the way it should be, regardless.”

(Reporter Taya Alami contributed to this report.)

5

NEWS&FEATURES ELECTION

BOARD: College budget on agenda

LEGAL SERVICES BALLOT MEASURE

CONTINED FROM P. 1

Student government is proposing that students on Lane’s main campus fund legal services with a increase to the student activity fee.

your prices,” Pryor said in March.

At $95 per credit, the college is getting dangerously close to $100 tuition, Ackerman said.

“It bothers me philosophically that we have all of these people coming in here wanting a raise in their contract, and that’s not reality-based.

This is silly to be doing this,”

Legal services currently represents approximately 44% of ASLCC's projected 2013-14 budget of $258,000.

44%

board member Gary LeClair said in March. “We should, if anything, be saying we’ll keep salaries where they are so we won’t reduce people.”

Brian Kelly, Lane’s vice president of college services, said approximately 85 percent of Lane’s budget is spent on staff, and those costs are projected to increase.

Lane is projecting a $16

million contribution into its employee health care this school year — a significant increase from the college’s $11 million contribution during the the 2007-08 school year, according to numbers produced in January.

The board’s April 28 meeting will convene at 5 p.m. in the the Building 3 boardroom.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

ASLCC

Potential increase to student activity fee

$4

Student Body SOURCES: ASLCC 2013-14 Projected Budget, 2014 ASLCC Spring Elections Voter Guide

Student leaders propose $4 activity fee increase Ballot measure aims to free ASLCC funds

Taya Alami Reporter Less than one week from the start date of the Associated Students of Lane Community College general election, student leaders are hoping that the largest line item burdening their budget can be funded by an increase in student fees.

Students will be voting on an $4 increase to the student activity fee to fund legal services, which is currently paid for out of the student government budget.

The student activity fee funds various student activities on campus, including ASLCC, clubs, athletics, advocacy groups and The Torch. Students taking at least one credit pay $50.30 per term into the student activity fee fund. The student government receives $7.44 per term from the fee.

Approximately 44 percent of the student government’s projected budget for this year is predesignated for legal services. The retainer for one attorney is $80,000 per year, while his legal secretary earns $19,658 in salary from ASLCC funds in addition to $15,000 in benefits.

Although student activity fee revenue has decreased for the student school year, legal services expenses remained the same.

The student government’s operational budget for the current school year, is projected to be approximately $258,000, based on estimations on enrollment. The group’s revenue could potentially end up being less origi-

nally projected.

The actual enrollment total for spring term for the school year won’t be finalized until the college’s budget officers present it to the Board of Education April 28.

Fewer students attending class, or less attending class inperson, correlates to a decrease in student activity fee revenue — although not as closely or as directly as tuition revenue does.

Some students are simply cutting their course loads as a means to cut costs, according to student government treasurer Zach Wais.

During a discussion concerning a funds request during the April 10 Senate meeting, Wais said he was hoping to take the $80,000 line item out of the student government’s budget, but he wasn’t sure if it would happen.

“I think it would have a better chance a passing if it was lower,” Wais said, adding that the $4 increase is the largest fee increase students have seen.

“It’s one of those things that we’ve been volunteering to pay for years now,” he said, referring to the costs of providing an attorney for students.

Wais said the attorney is a necessary cost, but with declining enrollment, he said it will become more difficult for the student government to maintain the services it provides to students.

“It will actually be savings,” Wais said of the potential $115,000 in freed overhead. “It won’t just be spent.”

GOMEZ: Continues to campaign after outbursts CONTINED FROM P. 1 Gomez withdraws, Michael Weed would win the presidency by default.

Gomez told the senate he felt pressured and at a severe disadvantage to Weed’s campaign. Of the 14 senatorial candidates on the ballot, 11 have endorsed Weed — a disadvantage that, Gomez told The Torch, is contributing to his stress.

“I’m running against a machine,” Gomez said.

April 23 began with Gomez jumping onto a cafeteria table at lunch in an attempt to address students. The day ended with him walking out of the student government senate meeting twice, and admitting to using his senatorial position to try and influence the elections.

At lunchtime, Gomez used

his hands as a megaphone to bark an impromptu stump speech at students, who largely ignored him.

At 6:30 p.m., Gomez abruptly left the senate meeting during a discussion on bylaw changes. He returned to address the senate again, complaining about problems in his own campaign.

Student government President Paul Zito asked Gomez if he was holding up deliberations because of a vested interest in the turnout of the vote.

“That’s exactly what’s going on,” Gomez replied.

“You can’t use your position (as) ASLCC to advocate for your campaign. You can’t,” Zito said.

Gomez told the senate he felt pressured and at a severe disadvantage to Weed’s cam-

paign. He stormed out again.

Rebekah Ellis, chairwoman of the Associated Students of Lane Community College Elections Committee, said after the senate meeting that the committee would have to discuss Gomez’s actions and decide what steps, if any, to take next.

At the April 2 ASLCC Senate meeting, Gomez threw a pen at a fellow senator during a heated discussion. Gomez said he would resign, but later changed his mind.

A year ago, Gomez was receiving treatment for anger management, but has since stopped, he said.

“I am failing to meet my responsibilities to the student body,” Gomez said. “I’m not holding myself accountable to certain things.”

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

FACULTY: Students pass resolution on negotiations

CONTINED FROM P. 1 internally by way of mutual consent of the parties. If the charges against a student can’t be disposed of through mutual consent, the judicial adviser may later serve in the same manner as the judicial body.

A recent proposal from the union representing Lane faculty read that faculty members have the right to permanently remove students from their class for what they interpret as disruptive, threatening or otherwise inappropriate behavior.

In the proposal put forth by the union representing the faculty, students may be returned to the class upon a successful appeal to a review committee. “(We) understand that this is a very sensitive issue and could be easily misinterpreted, but it is a question of having authority to protect the classroom,” Jim Salt, president of Lane Community College Education Association said.

“The administration has not been supportive (of) the facul-

ty when students get extremely violent.”

Salt said that under administration’s current rules, a student can always come back to the next class following their dismissal from a classroom for disruptive behavior. Salt said a student is allowed to return to class, “regardless of how egregious or threatening the behavior.”

According to the college’s online policy and procedure system, faculty members cannot remove a student from their courses unless they continue their inappropriate behavior in class.

Some faculty members have not found safety and comfort in their classrooms, blaming the administration’s inefficient work, according to Salt and LCCEA Vice President Sheila Broderick.

Zito, however, said due process is already in place in the current code of conduct, and taking away a student’s due process won’t make a classroom any safer.

According to Zito, if an in-

structor isn’t already aware of the tools that are already at their disposal, “that’s on the teacher.”

“They should understand how the college works and not be taking it to the bargaining table,” Zito said. “They have no business changing a process that works for students in a positive way.”

Having classroom safety on the bargaining table makes Zito uncomfortable, he said, because any potential change in collective bargaining negotiations would impact students — a group unrepresented at the collective bargaining table.

Students who find themselves barred from a class may still be liable to repay that course’s portion of the student’s financial aid disbursement, Zito said.

The Senate passed Zito’s resolution unanimously.

“Due process creates a safe classroom — not a teacher’s unilateral authority to remove someone from that space,” Zito said.

The Torch / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

6

SPORTS&RECREATION

Sophomore Jalen Timms prepares to take off from the blocks for the women’s 4x400 relay on April 19. The team consisting of Timms, freshman Kristin Dunn and sophomores Jahzelle Ambus and Macaulay Wilson finished second with a time of 3:49.49, breaking a 17-year-old school record by more than three seconds.

History at Hayward Lane’s highly touted 4x400-meter relay team dismantles a long standing school record

Jackson Dietel Reporter Records are made to be broken. On day two of the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field, the Lane womens 4x400 meter relay team shattered the school record, which had stood for 17 years.

The relay team consisting of freshman Kristen Dunn and sophomores Jahzelle Ambus, Jalen Timms and Macaulay Wilson, broke the former school record of 3:52.5, with a time of 3:49.9. This secured the Titans second-place, with first going to Wichita State University. Timms started the Titans off by running a 56.9-second first leg to help her team break the record, which has stood since the 1997 season. Lane head coach Grady O’Connor is glad his relay team could break the record they’ve had their eyes on all season.

“It’s a special group,” O’Connor said. “We’ve had that record as a goal all season.

We came close last week at

Chico Calif. We knew we had the footspeed. We just had to eliminate our mistakes. It was an awesome feeling for our team to achieve that goal.”

Not to be outdone, the men’s 4x100 relay team was looking to enter the winner’s circle. A strong team effort from freshman Colton Thurman, Rohan Cain, Jesse Goodier and sophomore Dylan Hamming, and clinched victory for the Titans in a time of 42.6 seconds. The time is the third-fastest run by an NWAACC team this season.

The men’s 4x400 relay team also saw success at Hayward Field. Cain gave the Titans a strong second leg, putting the Titans slightly ahead of Clackamas Community College heading into the anchor leg, which sophomore Diego Gonzales ran. Gonzales was caught

by Clackamas’ star anchor, sophomore Zach Rial. Gonzales still delivered a strong finish in the Bowerman curve to give the Titans fourth-place, with a time of 3:20.98.

THE TORCH / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

“We’re getting better,” O’Connor said. “We have a young group this season who are still unproven, but we took four seconds off our time from Chico and I’m very happy with our weekly improvement.”

The women’s 4x100 relay team also had a strong performance on day two. This event took place before the recordbreaking 4x400 meter performance. This time it was Ambus who ran the strong anchor leg, leading her team to a secondplace finish in 48.48 seconds.

On the first day of the relays history was made as well.

The meet began with the high jump, which meant another chance for Titan freshman Dakari Hightower to break his personal record of 7'1", which he set at at the Lane preview on March 14 while competing unattached.

Hightower claimed third place at the relays with a leap of 7'0.25". Although it was short of his season best, it was good enough for Hightower to

break the school record of 7', in just his second meet in a Titan’s uniform. The old record, held by Kelly Graham has stood since 1976.

After a personal best time of 25.63 seconds April 12 in the women’s 200-meter run at the Chico Twilight Invitational, Ambus exploded out of the blocks to blow her personal best out of the water. Ambus finished in a time of 25.17 seconds, earning ninth-place in a highly competitive field that saw Oregon freshman Ashante Horsley take first with a time of 24.28 seconds.

Freshman David Cornish was also looking to improve his personal best in the men’s 1,500 meter. At the Chico Invitational, Cornish set a new personal record of 4:09.74. At Hayward field, Cornish broke his personal record with 4:09.23, giving him ninth-place overall.

Titans’ sophomore Luke McKay set another personal record, this one in the pole vault.

McKay vaulted 15'7", clearing his season best by more than

a foot. McKay tied with fellow Titans’ sophomore Zach Olivera for ninth place.

In the long jump on day one, the Titans were given a strong performance from sophomore Kara Hallock. Hallock jumped a total distance of 18'01.5", which saw her take fourth-place honors. Hallock’s mark could’ve been improved, but she passed on her final jump of the day. Hallock, the Titans’ top heptathlete, also competed in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing fourth with a time of 14.75 seconds, missing her personal best by milliseconds.

After breaking so many records this past week, the Titans look ahead to the Titan Twilight on April 24.

“At the Titan Twilight, since it’s a home meet, we’ll have the opportunity to manage some of our athletes better. It’ll be good for our athletes to take a deep breath and get sharpened up for the NWAACC championships,” O’Connor said.

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photos by Alyssa Sutton / THE TORCH

Sophomore Jahzelle Ambus passes the baton to freshman anchor Kristin Dunn during the women’s 4x400 relay on April 19.

Titans tune up at Cougar Open Lane prepares for upcoming Titan Twilight Jarrid Denney Sports Editor

Sophomore Macaulay Wilson ran the second leg of the women’s 4x400 relay on April 19.

Sophomore Jahzelle Ambus ran the third leg of the 4x400 in the women’s relay on April 19.

While athletes who qualified for the Oregon Relays competed at Hayward Field over the weekend, 22 other Lane men and women competed at the Cougar Open in Oregon City on April 19.

The meet featured five NWAACC schools, including Lane. It gave athletes who didn’t meet the marks necessary to qualify for the Oregon Relays a chance to stay sharp and also compete in events outside their normal repertoire.

Freshman Justin Angove claimed the Titans’ only victory of the meet. He finished first in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in a time of 56.24 seconds, blowing away the competition by over five

seconds.

On both the men’s and women’s sides, the Titans were represented strongly in all throwing events.

Freshman Tanner Easterlick finished third in the hammer toss and fifth in the discus, while freshman Megan White placed third in both the discus and hammer, as well as fifth in the shotput.

Freshman Nicole Maurmann claimed a second place finish for Lane in the 800-meter run, finishing in a time of 2:26.81.

Freshman Tenaya Smith cleared 4'11.75" in the high jump which qualifies for the NWAACC championships this season.

Editor’s note: Tenaya Smith is The Torch staff web editor.

The Torch / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

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SPORTS&RECREATION

photos by EUGENE JOHNSON / THE TORCH

Lane freshman Forrest Garcia knocks a double to center field April 18.

Lane sophomore Priestley throws a breaking-ball in the fifth inning April 18.

Lane sophomore Darin Nelson attempts to break up a double play against Clark Community College on April 18 in Eugene. The Titans lost to the Penguins 10-1.

Tale of two days Titans vault into first place after splitting series with Penguins

Jarrid Denney Sports Editor Sometimes, home field advantage means absolutely nothing.

After a bizarre weekend in which they split a four-game series with the Clark Community College Penguins, the Titans managed to emerge in sole possession of first place in the NWAACC Southern Region.

Lane lost two home games on April 18, but bounced back the next day when they traveled two hours to Vancouver, Wash., and stole two games back from the Penguins.

“It was so weird to be beaten so badly Friday at our own place and then do the same to them over there the next day,” Lane head coach Josh Blunt said. “It was so vital to at least split Saturday to at least keep ourselves in contention.”

Lane entered the game with an 8-3 record in Southern Region play and trailed

the Southwestern Oregon Community College Lakers by one game before Friday’s first pitch.

However, it was a disaster from the start in game 1.

The Penguins loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the second inning and scored two runs on a squeeze bunt that sophomore first baseman Jarren Goddard misplayed.

Two more Penguin runs scored in the fifth inning ending sophomore starting pitcher Jared Priestley’s day, and inevitably, the Titans’ hope of taking the first game. Priestly finished the game with eight earned runs on nine hits in five innings of work.

“He was a little bit up today, and we just didn’t play very good catch on top of it,” Blunt said.

Freshman catcher Kyle Beam scored the Titans’ only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth when he launched a solo home run to left-center field, his first of the season.

THE TORCH / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

Penguin ace Travis Eckert earned the win in Clark’s 101 trouncing of the Titans. Eckert threw a complete game and struck out three while surrendering 10 hits.

“He’s the best guy we’ve faced this year by far,” Blunt said.

Lane sophomore Eric Ruaro got the start on the mound for the Titans in the second game.

The righthander was solid over six innings, surrendering four runs while giving up five hits and one walk.

After trailing all game, the Titans saw the opportunity to claim a dramatic comeback with their last three outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Three consecutive Titans drew walks to load the bases, putting all the pressure back on the Penguins.

Montague then struck out looking on a late-breaking curveball, bringing up Smith, the Titans’ second-leading hitter.

Smith grounded to Clark

second baseman David Mason, who turned a quick double play, with the throw narrowly beating out Smith at first to end the game, giving the Penguins a 4-1 win and completing their sweep of the day.

“The way they played today, they’re as good as anybody I’ve seen all year,” Blunt said.

“They played our style of game today. They put all the pressure on us.”

The next day was a completely different story.Blunt deployed two of his more talented arms to start each game in sophomore Jeff Hardy and freshman Jackson Bertsche, and both came through with strong outings.

Hardy threw 5.1 scoreless innings and allowed only four hits in the Titans 13-1 beat down of the Penguins in Game 1.

All nine Titans starters reached base at least once, and Montague and Goddard led the way for Lane.

Montague was 3-for-5 and scored twice, and Goddard

went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. In Game 2, Bertsche came through with a breakout performance in his strongest showing of the year.

He held the Penguins to just one run and two hits in five innings of work and struck out four batters.

“Being able to throw him on the back end of a fourgame series, the odds are pretty good if he pitches like that.”

Blunt said.

Lane freshman Forrest Garcia led the Titans on offense.

He drove in two runs and went 2-for-3, shooting his average up to .288 for the season.

Lane now sits at 10-4 in regional play and find themselves in sole possession of first place, despite their tumultuous start to the weekend.

Lane will take on the second-place Lakers in a fourgame home and away series next week, with the first two games set for April 25 in Coos Bay, and the second two in Eugene on April 26.

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REPLACE

EUGENE JOHNSON / THE TORCH

(Above) Sophomore center-fielder Spencer Smith is leading the Titans in stolen bases and is second in hits and RBIs after sitting out last season.

EUGENE JOHNSON / THE TORCH

(Left) Tucker Campbell, sophomore, has been a defensive leader for the Titans this season after his transfer from Linfield College.

The Tigard connection Former high school teammates push the Titans atop the South Region

Jarrid Denney Sports Editor Two years ago, it would have been hard to imagine Spencer Smith and Tucker Campbell playing college baseball at the same school.

Now, they’re not only on the same team, but they are two key pieces of a Lane squad that is on the verge of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Smith, a center fielder, and Campbell, the Titans’ starting shortstop, are two of the top bats in the Titans’ lineup. Smith is second on the team in batting average and leads in stolen bases, while Campbell is tied for second in RBIs and doubles.

They shined on the defensive end as well. Smith has played nearly error-free defense in the outfield, while Campbell is one of the top defensive shortstops in the conference according to Lane head coach Josh Blunt.

“Both of those two have a really similar style of play that stands out,” Blunt said “They play hard all the time. They help other players all the time.

Just watching them run on and off the field, they have an energy to their game. They’re coaches on the field.”

Although they are cornerstones of a team full of sophomores who are hungry for a regional title, both Smith and Campbell took unconventional paths to arrive at this point.

Both players attended Tigard High School in Tigard and

helped lead the Tigers to a second-round appearance in the 2012 6A Oregon School Activities Association playoffs during Smith’s senior and Campbell’s junior years.

Campbell’s grandfather, Tom Campbell, coached them during their entire high school careers, and helped instill the same disciplined style of baseball that is obvious while watching them play today.

“We really focus on our defense, both infield and outfield,” Campbell said. “And also baserunning. You don’t always have the luxury of having a great offensive team, but you can always run the bases well.

So our emphasis has been baserunning and bunting the ball and just executing on things that you have control over.“ Until Smith’s junior sea-

son, he played second base and combined with Campbell to form the middle of the Tigers’ infield.

While Smith says they were a solid double play duo, Campbell jokes that wasn’t the case.

“I was,” Campbell said. “I had to kind of make up for him.”

It wasn’t until his senior year that Smith made the move to center field, after impressing Tom Campbell one day while running down fly balls during batting practice.

“After talking to another coach, we said ‘lets take a look at him in the outfield,’” Campbell said. “He went in and he looked like he had played there his entire life. He transitioned almost instantly to the outfield and he just got better and better from that point on”

Alyssa Sutton / THE TORCH

Sophomores Spencer Smith and Tucker Campbell.

After his senior season, Tom Campbell, who had a good relationship with former Titans head coach Dean Styles, encouraged Smith to attend Lane.

Although he was recruited by Styles, Smith played his freshman year under Blunt after Styles accepted a job as pitching coach at the University of Oregon.

During the 2012 season, Smith was one of the Titans’ top players. He was second on the team in hits and runs scored, and was selected to the NWAACC Southern Region All-Star team.

However, during the 2012-13 school year, Smith chose to dual-enroll at Lane and UO, and ended up sitting out the 2013 baseball season in order to focus on academics and clear up enrollment issues.

While some would have seen a season away from the game as a setback, Smith, who still practiced and traveled with the team, found a way to use it to his advantage.

“I actually feel like it was kind of a blessing in disguise,” Smith said. “I was able to take a year and really develop some of the aspects of my game that I hadn’t been able to before. It definitely heightened my appreciation for the game.”

Blunt said Smith is one of the few players he’s seen who used their year off wisely.

“As good of a leader as he was, he got to be a better leader,” Blunt said. “I thought the difference between him playing and not playing was the differ-

ence in us not making the playoffs.”

While Smith spent the 2013 season on the sideline, Campbell was enrolled at Linfield College in McMinnville, where he played one year for the Wildcats.

Although he saw little playing time there, Campbell gained valuable experience playing for a Wildcats team that was crowned Division III national champions.

“Every day at practice was really competitive,” Campbell said. “It was almost game-like every single day at practice and it was something that was really cool to be a part of.”

Campbell said that midway through the season he knew that he wanted to transfer to a larger school where he would have the opportunity for more playing time.

He had considered Lane after high school and knew that with the Titans he would have a chance to improve his skills and increase his chances of moving on to the next level.

He was comfortable switching cities because he had a lot of friends already living in Eugene, but admitted that Smith being on the team helped ease the transition to Lane.

“Playing in college with him was something I was always very interested in, but I didn’t think it would happen,” Campbell said. “He was always one of my favorite guys to play with, and that’s another reason that I came to Lane. Because I knew he was going to be here.”

The Torch / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

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Students and visitors enjoy Lane Earth Fair

Q&A

Free food, entertainment draw crowd into Building 5

Penny C. Scott A&C Editor

chris Piepgrass / THE TORCH

Johnnie Mozzocco fields questions after a screening of her featurelength film Found Objects in Building 17.

Instructor produces film

Mazzocco touring with full-length feature Chris Piepgrass Reporter Part-time Lane instructor Johnnie Mazzocco screened her first feature-length film, Found Objects, at Lane on April 15. According to the closing slide of the film it is “dedicated to the women of the world who create, and especially to the ones who don’t.” The Torch sat down with Mazzocco, who had created five short films previously, to discuss her accomplishment.

The Torch: Had you worked with the actors before?

Mazzocco: No, I felt really thankful to find these people. When I cast them, I was fortunate to find people who really embodied what I was after. I gave them a really elaborate back story on each character and let that percolate during the early summer. That was the bulk of my directing.

We didn’t rehearse anything.

Q: When did filming start?

A: It started in September.

We did 12 straight days in the motel. It was a very smooth production.

The houseburning scene was planned months in advance.

Q: Did you just stay by a police scanner and wait for a fire nearby or did you burn the house yourself?

A: No, the fire department has a program in which they burn houses for the purposes of training. It was McKenzie Fire and Rescue that helped me with that. I was in touch with them way in advance to make sure it would be safe. They said we could

start out as close as we wanted, but I think they knew the heat would keep us back.

Q: What was your inspiration for making this film?

A: In grad school, I got really interested in social systems and institutions and how that shapes who we are — especially the nuclear family. I became very fascinated with being a creative woman and raising a family and what that means. I think unrealized creative impulse is very destructive to an individual. It comes out of us in other ways when it’s stifled. I think it makes us physically ill, mentally ill and spiritually ill, and that projects on to the people around us. I also think the opposite is true. I think that if we have a healthy creative outlet, then we can heal the people around us.

Q: Are you going to submit this film to any festivals?

A: I’ve been thinking about it. Moondance is one for sure.

There’s another one in London called Raindance. I have this feeling that European audiences will like it, so I’m really going to explore the international festivals.

Q: How many short films did you make before you moved on to the featurelength film?

A: I have made about five short films. They’re in a box somewhere and they might not ever come out.

Q: Do you have any other work coming?

A: I’m starting some beginning phases of the next film and also a web series. I’m getting ready to say goodbye to this project and these characters.

THE TORCH / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

Healthy food, music and advice on sustainability were the main ingredients of the Earth Fair held in Building 5 on April 22. The Lane Sustainability Committee brought different focus groups on campus to bring people together in the community and to develop stronger community awareness of sustainability.

The event was to celebrate Earth Day, an annual worldwide initiative in support of environmental protection. The Earth day Network has been organizing Earth Day events globally since 1970.

Different groups handed out pamphlets, and spoke to students and visitors about water conservation, energy management, watershed sustainability, home and self-

protection, and different community sustainability initiatives.

Eugene resident Muhiyiern Moye, offered to sing and play the drum at the fair. He said his mission is to help introduce people to the idea of placing people and the environment over profit.

“It’s possible to have a sustainable environment where everything and everyone is thriving,” Moye said.

Lane second-year culinary arts student Lemuel Wilson served healthy four-bean soup with turnips, carrots, onions, tomatoes and other vegetables to an appreciative crowd lining up for servings and second helpings.

“Everything in the soup you could find in your backyard,” Wilson said. “I just love the looks on people’s faces when I give them a bowl of hot soup.

To me, it’s just priceless.”

Being around people who are enjoying themselves and being able to contribute to their enjoyment is why Wilson wants to be a chef. Seeing people smile when they taste dishes he creates is where he gets much of his job satisfaction.

“It’s not about the money. It’s about people,” Wilson said.

The event was well-organized and a great success, said Patty Hine, sustainability committee member and coordinator of the Lane co-op and intern program.

Musicians took turns entertaining students and visitors as they mingled among different vendors.

Organizers reported being pleased with the turnout and plan to hold a similar event next year.

AWAKENING DREAMER MOVE TO ACTION

FRIDAY SATURDAY APRIL 25 26 2014

lane community college, main campus, longhouse

JOHN PERKINS author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. JON SYMES Outreach Director of Pachamama Alliance’s Awakening the Dreamer Training.

GOOD SHIELD AGUILAR A Turtle Island Native devoted to speaking up for the last wild buffalo.

KAITLIN SOPOCI-BELKNAP Executive Director of Move to Amend.

MONICA BEEMER Organizer for the 2014 Northwest Social Forum.

Symposium will be live streamed at http://www.lanecc.edu/it/media/live-streaming.

FOR INFORMATION & REGISTRATION FOR THIS FREE EVENT GO TO: lanecc.edu/peacecenter Lane CC Faculty Professional Development

Peace Center

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Event calendar: april 24 -29 Thursday 24

Take Back the Night March 6 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

Begins at Erb Memorial Union at University of Oregon and ends at Titan Court A Midsummer Night’s Dream Ragozzino Performance Hall in Building 6 7:30 p.m. $10 for general admission and $5 for students

Saturday 26 chris piepgrass / THE TORCH

Nick Bottom, played by Robert Newcomer, argues for every role in Pyramus and Thisbe, A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s play within a play, on April 19.

Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream opens

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Ragozzino Performance Hall in Building 6 2 p.m. $10 for general admission and $5 for students Adrenaline Film Festival Screenings Prince Lucien Campbell Hall, Room 180, at UO 9:30 p.m.

Lane actors’ skill highlights performance

Chris Piepgrass Reporter Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream opened at Ragazinno Performance Hall on April 18.

In the play, Duke Theseus of Athens is approached with a complaint by Egeus. His daughter Hermia refuses to marry Demetrius, the man her father has arranged for her. When the Duke mandates her marriage, Hermia and her true love Lysander elope to the forest, where the majority of the play is set.

Demetrius, fighting for his right to Hermia, pursues them, and Helena, in love with Demetrius, follows.

Within the forest the fairy king Oberon, played by Tad Merrell, the fairy queen Titania, played by Michelle Norella, and the mischievous Puck, played

by Naomi Todd, complicate the love triangle even more with their magic.

This is Lane instructor Judith “Sparky” Roberts’ second time directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream and her 11th Shakespeare play as a director.

“The play is a phantasm, wide open for interpretation.

While we honor the countless original interpretations of the last 450 years, our own presentation is highlighted by the particular skills of our actors,” Roberts said.

Lane student and stage manager, Jonathan Edwards, said Kaitlynn Baugh, originally cast as Helena, has been replaced after she was injured.

“There was a mishap backstage. It was a big letdown, especially because she put so much work into it,” University of Oregon student, Clay Johnson said.

Baugh ran into a protruding prop and suffered a mild concussion. Lane student Melanie Moser had just days to prepare for her Ragazinno Hall debut as Helena.

“She came in and knocked it out,” Johnson said.

Johnson, who played the part of Lysander, has acted in a variety of Shakespeare plays under Roberts’ direction.

“I’ve been in upwards of 20 Shakespeare showcases. All right, 20 might be an exaggeration, probably 15,” Johnson said.

“I’ve worked with Sparky extensively.”

The cast had nothing but good things to say about their director.

This was the second time Will Jeanniton has played Theseus, the first being in the Shakespeare showcase.

“She’s a visionary,” Lane student Jeanniton said.

“I was really expecting nothing less than excellence and (Sparky) didn’t disappoint. It’s a beautiful show,” he said.

Tuesday 29

Blood Drive April 29 to May 1 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Center Building Native Craft Night 6 p.m.

Longhouse

W O W

All Ages All the Time

H A L L

Lynx Organik Time Machine Thursday, April 24 Garcia Birthday Band Shafty Friday, April 25 Sila Eleven Eyes Saturday, April 26 Fortunate Youth Los Rakas True Press Sol Seed Sunday, April 27 Kvelertak Wednesday, April 30 chris piepgrass / THE TORCH

Clay Johnson as Lysander and Radhika Stein’s as Hermia discuss their elopement in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Ragozzino Hall, April 19.

Love & Light Psymbionic Thursday, May 1 8th & Lincoln - 541.687.2746 www.wowhall.org www.facebook.com/theWOWhall

The Torch / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

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PENNY C. SCOTT / THE TORCH

Tinh Mahoney plays guitar, sings songs and tells stories for Lane students April 18 in the Longhouse.

Vietnamese storyteller promotes peace

Surrounded by killing in childhood, Mahoney teaches lessons about positivity Penny C. Scott A&C Editor Approximately 20 students gathered in a circle around visiting storyteller Tinh Mahoney in the Longhouse on April 18 while he sang songs, played guitar and told stories. Mahoney was invited to speak to the students as part of the Storytelling Model for Social Justice through the Arts.

From his fearful childhood in war-torn South Vietnam emerged Mahoney's personal mission to enjoy life and help others do the same. Fighting and killing was going on all around Mahoney when he was young. He lived in constant fear.

“We thought we were going to die,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney uses music and storytelling to convey his message of peace, harmony and having a positive attitude. He

said he loves both Vietnam and America and focuses on the best in each country.

"I love the beauty, nature, family traditions and culture of Vietnam," Mahoney said.

"America is great. It's a place of opportunity where, if you want to do something, you can just do it. It's not like that in Vietnam."

Mahoney's award-winning documentary 7,500 Miles to Redemption is a collaboration between him and inmates at Oregon State Penitentiary to build a school in Vietnam.

The inmates were inspired to have an opportunity to make a difference in another part of the world while behind bars, one of them said in the documentary.

Mahoney teaches Vietnamese children English using American songs. He is the founder of the Village School Foundation, a nonprofit organization that builds schools

THE TORCH / Thursday, APRIL 24, 2014

and gives scholarships and private health care to needy children and their families in Vietnam.

"No matter where you are or what the situation, there will be problems," Mahoney said. "But you've always got a choice how you want to look at it, and that’s what I teach the kids.”

He said that more than 70 percent of the population in Vietnam was born after the war, and that it's time to move on.

“It's not about war anymore,“ Mahoney said. “It’s about ordinary people.”

Lane international admissions adviser Colby Sheldon, who attended the event, said that while in Southest Asia in 2012, she was surprised to discover 27 is the median age in Vietnam.

“It’s still part of the culture in Vietnam to have a lot of fear and have a lot of shame,” Mahoney said. “But it’s slow-

ly changing, and I like to be a part of that. There’s a whole new generation now.”

Even though there’s a new generation in Vietnam there are a lot of customs that people have to follow, Mahoney said.

“It can be confusing at times because I’m not a true Vietnamese,” Mahoney said.

"I left when I was younger. So I am American-Vietnamese, which is not the same.”

Lane students Malisa Ratthasing, from Laos, and Hanh Nguyen, from Vietnam, said they came to see Mahoney to learn more about their Southeast Asian heritage.

“I grew up in America, so this is home. We are a melting pot of many cultures, so it’s very different here,” Ratthasing said.

Both students agree that the diversity they see in America means there’s a reduced focus on family heri-

tage and tradition. Nguyen, who has been in America for almost three years, plans to return to Vietnam at the end of her schooling.

“We are more family-based in Vietnam. There’s generation after generation of Vietnamese, so we pay a lot more attention to tradition,” Nguyen said. "Here, it’s not that people don’t care about tradition. It’s just so diverse with so many cultures, it makes it different.”

Mahoney has traveled and lived in many parts of America, and he said the diversity is very noticeable.

No matter where people are or what their differences may be, life is about getting along with each other.

“We pay a lot of attention to things that are not important. Life is about making choices,” Mahoney said.

“Laugh and have fun and enjoy one another.”