On Writing - Pgs 1-50

There are a great many parts of "On Writing" worth remembering, and worth quoting. But by far the part of it that sticks out the most in my memory would have to be the time Stephen King and his brother performed a science experiment involving an electromagnet, a stripped power cord, and an outlet in their house. Sometimes you see, hear, or in this case read something that makes you go, "Wait, what?" And then you go back over it more slowly just to make sure you aren't missing anything. I had to read that whole section of the book out loud to myself just to make sure I was following what was going on. I knew full well where it was going, but I just had to gape in amazement that they didn't.

In terms of anecdotes that actually provided insight, I think the one that stood out most prominently to me was the early one about his baby sitter and all of the mean and anywhere from borderline to flat-out abusive things she did. Mainly in how dealing with all that made the criticisms he would later receive about his writing seem much less bad by comparison. I feel that one would help me keep things in perspective once I start getting feedback from people.

I feel that Stephen King is a person that takes a fairly laid-back approach when it comes to talking about writing, yet still treats it highly seriously. I feel that there are a lot of parts to his story that reflect my own insecurities about my own writing. Hell, going back what I just said about keeping things in perspective: Stephen King used to be a poor writer. I'm comfortable saying that because I think even he'd admit he was one when he first started. My point is, he struggled to get good at writing, and now he's so well-regarded of a writer that we're learning about him in college classes. I suppose then the main lesson I've taken away from this first part is that I don't need to worry about how good my writing ability is, but rather I should focus on being persistent with it. There's the rub though, how long did it take me to write this?

Spring Term 2020 Update

Some life updates:

To start, I know full well that there are people that currently have it a lot worse than me in this current situation we're all in, so I'll try to keep the entitled whining to a minimum.

That being said, I actually haven't had that bad of a time adapting to self-isolation. To be honest, I didn't really get out that much in the first place. Though it is kind of annoyingly ironic as to when the quarantining all started: See, I'd spent the last couple weeks of the winter 2019 term crunching like nobody's business in an effort to get caught up on all my work. About halfway through the last week before finals, I'd decided that I needed a vacation, and had planned to take a day trip to the beach once finals were done.

But the good news is I've got a nice little office space set up in my room now. Had nothing better to do after about halfway through the second week of Spring break.

Now as for my Feature Writing class: Well, if I was doing this for a living I'dve been fired years ago. I'll just say that up front. My room is basically a small library, with a game console and TV in one corner and a bed the other. And I am an avid reader, gamer, and "stupid-stuff-on-youtube" enthusiast. Imagine an alcoholic trying to work at a brewery. Yet perhaps in spite of that, I've actually managed to work on a much better time scale than last term, or ever. I've actually managed to make myself start writing some of my assignments the first week they were assigned, imagine that. I'm not even going to bother with the 3 goals this time; I'm just going to set myself one basic one for the term: "Learn to be a writer."

Where the Commuter's concerned, I'll refer you to the first sentence of my last paragraph. I conducted a few interviews for an article in the first week, and haven't touched a bit of it since. Been focusing on trying to get into a consistent work schedule for my course work, though I am trying make time for it. Think I'll try working on Commuter stuff on the weekends; I never get anything done then anyway.

I will say this about the class, though: The kind of things we're going to be covering are the exact kind of journalism I've been wanting to get into. Especially reviewing; egotistical though it may sound I've always kind of liked the idea of getting to put my thoughts on various topics into writing and seeing them get published.

Farewell to Greg and Rita

By Bowen Orcutt

LBCC will be receiving a heartfelt parting gift from longtime president Greg Hamann, in anticipation of his impending retirement. Hamann and his wife, Rita, have established a $25,000 endowment fund to further the freedom of expression on campus -- a cause that both of them have supported extensively throughout the more than a decade that they’ve been involved with the LB community. 

In a video recorded with Jennifer Boehmer, executive director of LBCC Institutional Advancement, Hamann elaborated on his reasons for setting up the endowment fund: “As we’re leaving, and I’m retiring, we want to do something special, something that really shows our appreciation for the school and our continued commitment to the mission we have. 

“So, my wife and I have chosen to contribute $25,000 to an endowment that will support freedom of expression, of inquiry, and of thought on our campus, because we believe that that’s really the core of the work that we do here, and the extent to which we can support students’ exploration of what’s possible in their life and what’s possible for us as a community seems to be some of the most important work that we have.”

The “Greg and Rita Hamann Freedom Fund” will be released in payouts of 5% annually, which is around $1250 per year. The funds will be used for “anything the LBCC Foundation decides fits with the idea of supporting freedom of expression and viewpoint diversity,” according to Boehmer. This will include such things as hiring guest speakers and providing scholarships and stipends for student projects. According to Boehmer, the first payouts will start at the start of the next school year. 

Anyone interested in making a contribution to, or learn more about, the Greg and Rita Hamann Freedom Fund can contact the LBCC Foundation at 541-917-4209.

Review- A Scarecrow in Oz

(From left to right) Joseph Johnson, Laural Tannehhill, and Drew May pose in costume for a group photo between showings. 

In the classic story “The Wizard of Oz,” our hero Dorothy stumbles upon a living scarecrow hanging in a random field along the yellow brick road. No explanation was ever given, in that story or others in the series written after it, as to how he got up there. Until now, courtesy of LBCC’s theater group!

On February 6th, the magic of Oz came to LBCC as children from three local elementary schools flocked into the Russell Tripp Center to see this year’s Annual Children’s Play. The play was “A Scarecrow in Oz,” an original production written by members of the LBCC drama club and directed by theater faculty Dan Stone, telling the origin story of the beloved brainless scarecrow.

Once everyone was seated, event coordinator Michael Winder greeted the crowd and explained the rules of the theater through jokes, such as warning them to not leave with the wrong group lest they mistakenly end up with the wrong family, who’ll make them dress up in ridiculous pirate outfits. Yes, that makes exactly as much sense in context. He also asked how many of them had read the book beforehand; about two-thirds raised their hands. 

After Winder was done came the play itself. Most of the cast functioned as a sort of Greek choir that moved parts of the set around, as well as a narrator (Korina Rayburn) who walked around on stage singing a beautiful song about what was going on in the plot. 

Members of the cast and crew prepare for the dress rehearsal that took place on Thursday, Feb. 6th.
The boxes being set up on stage were the key props used for the play; the background cast members would move and manipulate them throughout a scene to create the setting; a bridge leading to Mombi's castle, the interior of the Munchkin home, etc. A single box could be used as a chair, a table with a detached scarecrow head, or even be moved around to make a fireplace, depending on the scene.

The plot opens with a pair of Munchkins, the witch-terrorized group from the original story. The Munchkins were cursed after a failed revolution against the Wicked Witch of the East, and were left unable to have children. The pair of Munchkins in question, Maize (played by Laural Tannehill) and Cornelius (Joseph Johnson), are a married couple working on a corn farm who very much wish to have a child. 

Lacking other options, the two of them decide to leave Munchkin-land to seek out another witch who is rumored to possess a magic capable of creating life. This witch, Mombi (Rianda Linebarger), lives north of the East Witch’s territory, through the enchanted poppy fields and a cursed forest. After a brief yet harrowing journey, they reach Mombi’s abandoned castle and successfully make a bargain for her magic: she gives them an enchanted silvery paint, which they can use to create the child they desire, but they must use it ONLY ONCE!

Returning home, they start gathering up some old clothes, a burlap sack, and a lot of straw. They put all of these together in the shape of a person, and painted a face on it. That’s when the real fun started.

The cast delivered their lines like a preschool teacher reading a storybook to their class, in the best way possible. Lines were spoken in an engaging manner that kept the audience’s attention throughout. The children also got a lot of laughs out of many choice scenes. They really enjoyed all the scenes with the scarecrow, named Cornwall by his parents, such as him learning to walk, learning about farming, and having a birthday party. This was thanks in no small part to the perfectly conveyed sense of child-like innocence his actor, Drew May, brought to the role. 

As for Mombi, she was easily a crowd favorite with her high-pitched, over the top delivery and her tendency to go off on long, rambling tangents. It won’t surprise anyone that she returns later in the play, and the way they decided to have her return to the stage made all the children in the audience completely lose it!

In this scene from the play, the naive Scarecrow receives a visit from the pet bird of Mombi. The individual pictured in the background is non-diagetic; he's there to physically maneuver the bird and provide a place for it to perch.

At a Glance:

WHAT: “A Scarecrow in Oz”

WHEN: Showtimes were Saturday, February 8 and Saturday, February 15, from 2 to 3 p.m. 

WHERE: The Russell Tripp Performance Center at LBCC’s Albany campus, 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW

ABOUT: Play runs for about 45 minutes

Starring: Laural Tannehill as Maize, Joseph Johnson as Cornelius, and Drew May as Cornwall. Other cast members include: Falyn Lazarus, Sarcon Majors, Shayanne Bolton, Sophia Brown, Korina Rayburn as the singing narrator and lyricist, and Rianda Linebarger as Mombi

Swipe Out Hunger

If you’re a student that’s struggling to cover food costs, you should know that there’s a large variety of ways to get help available on campus. One of the quickest and easiest options would be Swipe Out Hunger, a national food aid program currently being run here on LBCC’s main campus.

According to Lawrence LaJoie, the Director of Enterprise Services at LBCC, the program normally works by taking funds from a campus’ meal plan program and using them to cover food cards to be handed out to students in need. LaJoie came up with the idea of funding the program using the “rounding up” donation that you may have seen at food vendors throughout the campus.

Already the program has raised more than $1,500 from rounding up and other donations, LaJoie noted.

The biggest difficulty the program faced early on was its original distribution method; at first, students needed to submit a Google form, which would send a notification to four different people for confirmation. The problem with this method, according to LaJoie, was that these four people often weren’t able to respond to the notifications fast enough. As the purpose of the program is to provide students with a little extra money for a quick meal, LaJoie and others spent the rest of last Fall term coming up with a better method.

The new one they ultimately came up with is both simple and accessible: Simply go to the First Resort desk in the Learning Center and ask for a food card. After filling out a short form, you’ll receive a $10 card valid at any food vendor on campus as well as contact information for other food aid programs.

Abby Grewatz is the First Resort Coordinator in charge of distributing the Swipe Out Hunger food cards.

“I think there are a lot of students here on campus who are experiencing food insecurity,” said Grewatz. “Sometimes it feels like there aren’t a lot of things that we can do to help with that.”

Few people go to the Learning Center intending on asking for a food card, Grewatz said. Often times she’ll offer it to someone if it sounds like they might need it, when they say things like they haven’t had the chance to get lunch, or that they don’t have the money for it that day.

First and foremost, she wants people to feel comfortable with coming in and asking for it, elaborating on how easy the application process is. “We don’t ask questions here,” she said. “If someone comes in to ask for a food card we’re not going to quiz them on anything, we’re not going to interrogate them on anything. If they need a card, we give them a card.”

Grewatz also expanded on how the application process works. The form is a small sheet of paper, on which a person writes their name, the date, and their X-number (this information is only used to keep track of how many people have used the program). After completing the form, students are given an envelope that contains the card and contact information for the other aid programs.

Grewatz felt that giving students information about the other available programs was even more important than giving them the food cards. When asked if students could apply for the food card multiple times a term, she said yes, but also said that if a person’s food needs are enough to require it then they should strongly consider looking into some of the other programs.

One of these options is called the Linn-Benton Lunch Box. Run by the Student Leadership Council, students can go through a simple application process at the Student Union office, located in F 120 at the northeast end of the courtyard, and pick up a certain amount of groceries depending on how many people live in their household. This program is currently available for students to use twice a year.

The other option that both LaJoie and Grewatz had a lot to say about was food stamps, otherwise known as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which is a valuable resource that too few students on campus make use of. According to LaJoie, applying for food stamps carries certain stigmas with students. He believes students in need of money for food should feel free to seek out anything that might help them.

“They think that them accepting those types of benefits prevents somebody else from getting them, but that’s not true,” he said. “If you’re eligible, you’re eligible; you’re not preventing anyone else from getting those benefits. You’re entitled to them if you meet the criteria.”

He also spoke about how eligibility for college students works, saying, “It used to be tied directly to work requirements. It still is, but there’s still an easier way for students to become SNAP-eligible without work requirements. If they’re a [current] student, they’re pursuing a degree, and they don’t live with their parents, it’s much easier for them to become eligible for SNAP benefits.”

For other benefits available to students facing food insecurities, contact Amanda Stanley, LBCC program coordinator and resource navigator, at the Roadrunner Resource Center in Takena Hall or email her at stanlea@mail.linnbenton.edu








At a Glance:

Swipe Out Hunger: Provides a $10 meal card for students facing food insecurity

Where Students Go for Help: Learning Center, for the Swipe Out Hunger card; The SLC office, for the LB Lunchbox; Amanda Stanley for advice and information on other options.

Contact: Abby Grewatz, First Resort Center, grewata@linnbenton.edu

How to Donate: At all food vendors on campus,ask to round your purchase up to the nearest dollar. The cashier will ask if you want to round with cash purchases. If you want to donate with a card purchase, you’ll need to specify that you do BEFORE inserting your card.


SNAP/Food Stamps website:
www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program

JN-216: What My First Story Will Be

My first story will be about the "Swipe Out Hunger" money drive going on at the Albany LBCC Campus. I'm planning on getting in touch with someone working at the courtyard café and the bookstore, and seeing if anyone's interested in an interview after their shift's over. I'm also planning on talking with the management at both establishments.

A preliminary list of questions I may ask includes:

1. How long will the drive last?
2. How much has been raised overall?
1. How does that compare to the amount you were anticipating?
3. Are there any ways you would like to see the service expanded?
4. How many students would you estimate have applied so far?
5. On average, how many students would you say decide to donate?

My 3 Goals for: "News Reporting and Writing"

1. Finish the class with an A

2. Get at least one article put in the commuter

3. Get my work noticed by someone outside of the LBCC campus