theTorch stories that matter
APRIL 25, 2018
VOLUME 53, EDITION 11E
EUGENE, OREGON
DisOrient / page 2 Oregon & net neutrality / page 3 Welcome to Night Vale / pages 4-5
SPILDE SCORES SIX-FIGURE PAYOUT 91 %
73 %
$309,437
58 %
$324,609
Mary Spilde
Former Lane Community College president
47 %
Lesley Hallick Former OHSU administrator
42 %
$503,692
$558,690
Neil Swanson
Robert Bellotti
Former OHSU oncologist
Former University of Oregon football coach
$913,335
Joseph Robertson
Former president of the Oregon Health & Science University
38 %
$684,944
Johnny Delashaw Former OHSU neurosurgeon
*Percentages based on Final Average Salary infographic by Anna C.K. Smith / photojournalist
Former LCC President Mary Spilde is one of the top-ten PERS beneficiaries Sabrina Piccolo Reporter Mary Spilde, former President of Lane Community College, will be making over $300,000 per year in pension payments. Spilde is among the top ten recipients of the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, a retirement fund for the state’s employees. Spilde had served over 36 years in the Oregon public education system, 16 as the president of LCC, before retiring in May 2017. “In President Spilde’s case, her final compensation included payouts for large amounts of accrued leave, vacation time, etc.,” Chair of LCC Board of Education Rosie Pryor said in an email. The Oregonian shows that Spilde has an annual benefit of $309,437 – 91 percent of her final average salary of $338,630. The PERS formula that Spilde’s pension is based on is intended to give her 50 percent of her final salary, which would be $169,315. This final payout is an inflation of Spilde’s initial final salary of $227,551. Pryor said that pension compensations for all LCC employees are based “on achievement, market comparables and the college’s budgetary position.” Spilde’s
pension benefits were largely based on her accomplishments. “During her tenure as president, Mary worked virtually 24/7 for LCC,” Pryor said, “Even when in Scotland taking care of her 100-year-old mother, Mary participated telephonically in meetings on a daily basis. The commitment of the board to ensure this dedicated employee was fully compensated for all time and benefits earned is a mark of integrity. ” Jim Salt, the president of the LCC Education Association, finds Spilde’s large retirement benefits to be unacceptable, considering that the faculty union has “always had to fight to protect faculty members’ salaries” to account for cost of living changes and inflation. He added that LCC faced a “budget crisis” each year that Spilde was president, and because she was often not physically present during board decisions, “problems weren’t fixed and people weren’t held accountable.” “The idea that this could be justified is ridiculous,” he said, because it blatantly ignores faculty input regarding Spilde’s work as president. In 2015, the LCCEA presented the results of a faculty survey on the president, administration and the Board of Education at LCC. In regards to various aspects of Spilde’s work as president, an average of 42 percent of faculty members voted Spilde’s work as “unsatisfactory. ” Directly above Spilde on the list of the highest-ranking PERS beneficiaries is former Oregon Health & Science University surgeon Robert Norton, who earns a yearly benefit of $321,316. The top-ranking PERS beneficiary is Joseph Robertson, the former president of the OHSU, who brings in 58 percent of his final average salary every year: $913,335. Only 17.6 percent of PERS beneficiaries earn over $50,000 in pension benefits annually, according to The Oregonian.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2018
NEWS
theTorch
DisOrient breaks down stereotypes
The independent student newspaper of Lane Community College
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
THE STAFF Editor-in-Chief
Jeffery K. Osborns
Production Director Cat Frink
Art Director Diana Baker
News Director Dylan Plummer
Reporters
Marek Belka Fiona W. Corrigan Janelle Dutton Mckenzy Gausnell Noah Noteboom Sabrina Piccolo
Photojournalists
Nathan S. Calkins Sterling S. Gonzalez Anna C. K. Smith
Business Director
photo by Nathan S. Calkins / photojournalist
Dinh Thai answers questions during a large panel discussion focusing on Asian-American representation in film production during the Disorient Film Festival. Thai’s film “Monday” won Best Short Narrative at the festival and he used his experience to speak on the logistical challenges of producing a film.
Jordan Jones
Web Designer Josh Chatfield
Content Distributor Gabriel Collins
News Adviser
Filmmakers share experiences
Charlie Deitz
Printer
Oregon Web Press Albany, Oregon
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POLICY
Diana Baker Reporter A group of Asian-American filmmakers shared their films and advice at the DisOrient Film Festival in Eugene, from April 19 to 21. Social justice-themed films, an art display and panel discussions took place across Eugene, including at the Bijou Theatre, Lane Community College’s downtown campus and the University of Oregon. According to the website, DisOrient challenges Asian-American stereotypes by featuring films “by us, for us and about us.” The centerpiece film “Who is Arthur Chu?”, directed by Yu Gu and Scott
Drucker, won the award for Best Feature Documentary and was shown Saturday night at the Bijou. “Who is Arthur Chu?” explores the life of Arthur Chu, who had immense success on the game show “Jeopardy” but faced a great deal of racism with his fame. Other winners at the festival included “The Jade Pendant”, directed by Po-Chih Leong, which won Best Feature Narrative, and “Monday”, directed by Dinh Thai, won Best Short Narrative. On April 20, Gu, Leong and Thai participated in a panel discussion about Asian-Americans in film production. The panel included directors Harleen Singh and Tom Huang, whose films were also in the festival. Panelists discussed topics such as inclusion of Asian-American stories in the American film industry, challenges in documentary filmmaking and advice for filmmakers. After audience members asked about
documentary filmmaking, Gu shared tips from her experiences with “Who is Arthur Chu?” and her current work documenting migrant workers in Canada. “Editing is writing for documentaries,” Gu said. Leong has been making award-winning films since 1976 and discussed how he finds inspiration for building great characters. He advised aspiring filmmakers to be curious about all people, using people-watching to make observations. “Make all your characters interesting,” Leong said. Over 15 films produced by AsianAmericans played at the festival. An art display at UO’s Straub Hall entitled “The Architecture of Internment” featured Oregon’s role in Japanese internment camps. Two panel discussions at LCC’s downtown campus discussed racism in Oregon and diversity in filmmaking.
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CONTACT theTorch Lane Community College 4000 E. 30th Ave. Eugene, OR 97405 (541) 463–5655 @lcctorch
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Eleven candidates vie for county seats Incumbents face challenges from several rookie politicians Zachary Bruhl Reporter
Three County Commissioner seats are up for election in the 2018 Lane County primaries. East Lane, West Lane and Springfield Commissioner terms expire at the beginning of 2019 and all three current seat-holders face opposition. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, candidates need to receive at least 50 percent of the vote in order to win in the primaries; otherwise the top two candidates advance to a runoff election in November. County commissioners form a board that legislates budgets, hires county employees and enacts local ordinances. With three of the five positions on the ballot contested, a change in policy could be forthcoming. The race for West Lane is between incumbent Jay Bozievich
of Elmira, Lane County Health and Human Services employee Beverly Hills, and former Lane Community College instructor Nora Kent. The hot-button issue in this election is the aerial herbicide spray ban, with Kent taking a strong stance against the sprays. West Lane County contains cities north to Junction City, west to Florence and south to Lorane. Six candidates are vying for the East Lane Commissioner seat on the ballot in November. Candidates include current Commissioner Gary Williams, real estate broker Heather Buch, Dexter Lake’s Kevin Matthews, independent Frank King, former LCC student James Barber of Walterville and Tim Laue, a University of Oregon political science graduate residing in Blue River. East Lane County contains Coburg and Marcola to the north, Oakridge to the south and just beyond McKenzie Bridge to the east. The race for the Springfield seat has only two candidates: incumbent and former Springfield mayor Sid Leiken faces Joe Berney, another Springfield resident. Lane County has begun sending out mail-in ballots, the primary elections will be held on May 15. Information on all candidates can be found on Lane County’s website.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
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NEWS
Oregon enacts internet protections New law challenges federal repeal of net neutrality Marek Belka Reporter On April 9, Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill establishing net neutrality protections in Oregon in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of nationwide regulations. The bill, HB 4155, is designed to prevent government agencies from awarding contracts to Internet Service Providers, like Comcast and CenturyLink, who do not abide by the soon-to-be extinct net neutrality regulations. Oregon is the second state to enact net neutrality protections after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a similar bill into law in March. "In Oregon, we want to make sure that access to the internet is a level playing field, instead of exacerbating economic disparity," Gov. Brown said in a statement after signing the bill. Unlike Washington’s law, however, Oregon’s legislation does not require ISPs to abide by neutrality guidelines when dealing with private consumers. Colleges and universities are not considered government entities under the law, meaning that institutions like Lane Community College and the University of Oregon are not required to contract with net neutral providers. Net neutrality protections are designed to ensure that ISPs do not give priority to websites that pay more to reach consumers. Since the repeal of regulations by the FCC in Dec. 2017, advocates for net neutrality have voiced concerns that ISPs would use pay
scales to control speed and access for customers. “It’s easy enough to imagine how the end of net neutrality will trigger ISPs creating new ‘fast-lane’ packages – pay us a little (or a lot) extra, or your stuff just won’t load as fast,” Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said during testimony regarding HB 4155 in February. The Oregon and Washington net neutrality bills, as well as bills being debated in other states, are likely to be challenged in court by both the federal government and ISPs, as the FCC included provisions in their repeal to prevent states from overriding federal jurisdiction over the internet. Twenty-two Democratic state attorneys general — including A.G. Rosenblum — have filed lawsuits against the FCC challenging the repeal of net neutrality protections. “The real losers with the loss of net neutrality rules won’t be the Netflixes or Amazons of the world,” A.G. Rosenblum said. “It will be our small businesses, our startups, our entrepreneurs.” The debate over net neutrality rules largely fall along party lines, and the same is true in Oregon. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, is a vocal advocate for net neutrality protections, while Republican Representative Greg Wyden of Hood River is one of the leading opponents of net neutrality. “Chairman [Ajit] Pai and the FCC understand the importance of making sure the internet continues to flourish under a light-touch regulatory regime," Rep. Walden said in a statement after the repeal of net neutrality regulations. He spoke out against Oregon’s net neutrality bill. Representative Paul Holvey of Eugene was one of the primary sponsors of HB 4155. Representatives. Julie Fahey of Junction City and Nancy Nathanson of Eugene were also co-sponsors. Every Eugene-area representative voted in favor of the bill except for Rep. Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek. The law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019, pending potential court challenges.
Energy efficiency goes online Program’s founder looks to the future Fiona W. Corrigan Reporter Lane Community College's Career Technical Education Program in energy-efficient commercial building will transition to an online format starting next fall. The two-year degree program will be funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and will be available to students in the Northwest and Northern California. “Students who are wanting to pursue this program will learn all about how a building operates,” Roger Ebbage, director of LCC's Energy Management and Water Conservation programs said. “They learn all about the energy-using systems within a building, and about how to reduce the energy consumption of those energy-using systems.” The CTE program was created in 1980, but only lasted eight years before shutting down. Ebbage restarted the program in 1992. “There are a few other online CTE programs, but nothing like ours,” Ebbage said. His program’s lesson plans include hands-on experience in and around commercial buildings. “We’ve pioneered this concept of living laboratories,” Ebbage said. “They [the students] learn how to do energy efficiency by doing energy efficiency in a real place. We take students into the building environment to teach them how to do what they will be doing when they graduate from the program.” Ebbage was a member of the design team for LCC’s downtown campus. “When we built this building, we said, ‘Here’s a great opportunity to create some intentional education components to the building.’ And I think that’s why they wanted me involved.” The building “functions as a passively solarheated and cooled building,” Ebbage said.
photo by Sterling S. Gonzales / photojournalist
Roger Ebbage discusses the opening of the online Career Technical Education Program. Ebbage, who has worked at CTE since it re-opened in 1992, is the LCC Energy Management and Water Conservation director and is optimistic about the program launching in the Fall of 2018.
Students in the online commercial building energy efficiency program can expect the same model of hands-on learning as those in classrooms, because the program will partner with utility employees to guide students through hands-on experience. “We have a network of fieldwork mentors who will work with students regardless of their location in the Northwest or Northern California,” Ebbage said. In return, the utility mentors are able to “test-drive students as potential employees.” Graduates of the program will qualify for 28 established
fields, including auditor, building controls technician, and engineering assistant. Job opportunities may be available with “starting wages 20 to 25 bucks an hour, with benefits,” Ebbage said. “Next on the horizon is doing the same thing with our water conservation technology program,” Ebbage said. “We expect to launch that in fall of 2019.” The launch of the new online format for the energyefficient commercial building program will start in fall of 2018 when a cohort model of an estimated 24 students will start the two-year program together.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2018
FEATURES
Glow Cloud visits Eugene
photos by Anna C.K. Smith / photojournalist
Mal Blum performs a solo version of their heartfelt song, “Robert Frost.” Blum was the live show’s guest musician for the segment known as “The Weather,” and performed a selection of their own songs before the show.
McDonald Theater hosts traveling podcast performance Marek Belka Reporter “A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we lay open-eyed, watching it all...”
WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE On April 21, the McDonald Theater in downtown Eugene hosted a live performance of the popular surrealist podcast Welcome to Night Vale. A near-capacity crowd filled the historic theater to bear witness to a stand-alone story titled “All Hail,” performed live by the actors who lend their voices to the characters on the podcast. The performance included live music by electronic multi-instrumentalist Disparition — who provides the soundtrack to the podcast — and special guest musician Mal Blum, a New York-based singer-songwriter. The brainchild of writers Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, Welcome to Night Vale is performed in the style of a community radio broadcast from the small fictional desert town of Night Vale. Virtually every episode of the podcast is anchored by the velvet baritone voice of Cecil (pronounced CEE-sil) Palmer, voiced by Cecil Baldwin, who provides the fictional community with periodic updates on the increasingly bizarre and surreal happenings of the town. Since the podcast’s launch in 2012, its universe of recurring characters, settings and existential brand of dark humor has expanded considerably and garnered
guest appearances from celebrities like Wil Wheaton and James Urbaniak. Live performances of the show, however, are standalone stories set within the Night Vale universe, separate from the main storyline of the series and crafted to better suit the live setting. Though the series is renowned for its paranormal and often absurd characters and settings, many of its stories touch on themes of gender identity — several characters on the show are identified as gender non-conforming — sexuality and political oppression. “All good stories are based in truth,” Meg Bashwiner, who emceed the live performance and lends her voice to several characters on the podcast, said. “I’ve never lived in a world where trans people don’t exist, and Joseph [Fink] tries to reflect that in his writing.”
“ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY GLOW CLOUD” The live performance of “All Hail,” centered around the Glow Cloud (all hail!), a sentient and apparently malevolent cloud with telepathic abilities and one of the most popular characters from the podcast. Cecil Baldwin, in character as community radio DJ Cecil Palmer, took center stage to narrate the surreal tale of the Glow Cloud. To his right, behind a table piled with synthesizers and computer gear, sat Disparition, clutching an electric guitar. The dark and atmospheric soundtrack added a looming gravitas to Baldwin’s already deep voice. Throughout the night, several recurring characters from the podcast appeared on stage, including Deb, a sentient patch of haze with a thick New England accent played by Bashwiner and Tamika Flynn, a sixteen-year old City Council member and resistance leader played by Symphony Sanders.
“AND NOW... THE WEATHER” Every episode of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast features a segment called “The Weather,” a musical interlude
near the end of the episode featuring a different artist performing one of their songs. According to Bashwiner, creators Fink and Cranor originally used The Weather to spotlight artists they were listening to at the time, but has since grown to include notable artists from dozens of genres. In the nearly six years the podcast has been running, The Weather has featured songs from artists like The Mountain Goats, Explosions in the Sky, Against Me! and Jason Isbell, as well as songs written and performed by Fink and in-house artist Disparition. For the live performance of “All Hail,” the show tapped Mal Blum — whose song “Robert Frost” appeared on episode 108 of the podcast — to open the show and perform an extended segment of The Weather. Blum, a native of New York, performed a stripped-down solo set of a selection of their songs, including “Robert Frost.” Though they typically perform with a full backing band, Blum’s set lost none of its gritty indie-punk edge playing solo, thanks to a cranked-up electric guitar and the superb acoustics of the McDonald Theater.
“UNTIL NEXT TIME, NIGHT VALE… GOODNIGHT” For long-time fans of the podcast, seeing a live performance of Welcome to Night Vale represents an opportunity to interact with other fans of the universe Fink and Cranor have crafted over the past six years. Yancey Cantrell, a native of Salem who drove down to watch the performance with friends, bounced with excitement as she stood in the merch line after the show. “I’ve been listening to the Night Vale basically since it started,” Cantrell said. “But I’ve never seen a live show. I was worried putting faces to voices would’ve taken away from the weird stories, but I couldn’t be happier.” “All Hail” is finishing its run of tour dates on the West Coast, then being retired. The podcast releases new episodes twice monthly, most recently on April 15.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
stories that matter
theTorch // www.lcctorch.com
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FEATURES
Josh, played by Joseph Fink, is a 13-year old shapeshifter who praises the Glow Cloud’s position on the Night Vale school board. Fink is the co-writer and creator of the popular internet show “Welcome to Night Vale” and has many publication credits beyond his popular show.
Tamika Flynn discusses what to do about the Glow Cloud looming over Night Vale during the popular podcast’s live show. Symphony Sanders is the actor behind the character and joined the cast in 2014 during the live special, “The Librarian.”
Meg Bashwiner, in character as Stacy, a sentient patch of haze, and Cecil Baldwin, the man behind Night Vale radio DJ Cecil Gershwin Palmer, float as one during a performance of “All Hail.” The show was held at the McDonald Theater on Saturday, April 21.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2018
NEWS
Lane comeback falls short
Titan catcher Thomas Rudinsky, who played high school baseball at Lincoln High in Portland, Oregon, beats the tag to first base for his second hit of the game in a loss at Titan Field against the Clark Penguins.
photos by Nathan S. Calkins / photojournalist
Titans win four straight after dropping first game at home Noah Noteboom Reporter
Lane pitcher Donovan Baldocchi winds up to hurl a pitch. A Beaverton native, Baldocchi struck out two Clark batters in a 6-5 loss on April 18 at Titan Field.
The Southwestern Oregon Lakers edged by the Lane Titans 6-5 on April 18 at Titan Field to hand Lane just their fourth conference loss of the season. The Titans fell to third in the NorthWest Athletic Conference, but only a game and a half behind Clackamas. Late in the second inning, the Lakers opened the scoring off of a double from Chandler Kochan. The Lakers led 1-0, heading into the bottom of the second. The Titans were unable to answer and Lane gave up four more runs in the third inning to give SWOCC a comfortable 5-0 lead. With things looking bleak, Lane head coach Josh Blunt decided to bring in righthanded pitcher Harrison Grow for Dillon Larsen. Grow gave up one run in the top of the fourth inning. The Titans failed to cross home plate until the bottom of the fifth inning when they scored three runs to cut the deficit in half. Back-to-back doubles by Cade Kissell and Hank Forrest opened the scoring for Lane. After Matt Aguilar was walked to first base, Jayden Hanna hit to outfield a deep fly ball that was caught by a Laker outfielder but helped Forrest and Aguilar advance to second and third base. Lane outfielder Colton Sakomoto recorded his only RBI of the afternoon when he hit a single past the infield line, which allowed
Forrest to score. The scoreboard read 6-2 after Forrest scored Lane’s second run. Titan Tielar Murray hit another deep ball to outfield and provided Aguilar an opportunity to score, bringing the Titans back into striking distance for a comeback. Hanna hit his first triple of the season to put himself in scoring position with only one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Unfortunately, the Titans were unable to record a hit after Hanna, as he was left on third base heading into the top of the eighth inning with the score standing at 4-6. The time for a comeback was running out. Lane’s defense stood steady and allowed no hits after the fourth inning, putting the pressure on the offense to get on base. With their last chance at a comeback in the ninth inning, Aguilar hit his first and only single. A couple batters later gave Hanna, who was earlier walked to first base, a chance to score and make it a one-run game. As he safely scored, Lane was just two runs away from taking down the Lakers. Their efforts fell short as catcher Jimmy McDonald hit a ball to outfield that was ultimately caught. This secured the Lakers their fourth conference win of the season, winning by a thin margin, 6-5. Despite losing the first game, Lane bounced back and won the remaining four games of the series to bring their overall record to above .500 for the first time this season. Their four wins boosted them into second-place ahead of Clark and Clackamas. The Titans split a pair of games with Clark on Sunday, April 22 to keep themselves ahead of the Penguins in the NWAC South standings. Lane will face fourth-place Clackamas in another five-game series this week with games spread across April 24, 27 and 28.