A Blast from the Past

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Going through the faded pages of The Commuter archives is always an interesting and humorous read. The papers act as peek through the doorway of the past into the wild times of the ’80s and ’90s, where the unimaginable now was a daily occurrence then. Looking at the hair styles and fashion from then is entertaining, but the ads definitely take the cake.

“Now you can afford to dream in color,” chimes a marketing slogan for the Macintosh.

“Declare your love everlasting,” announces a French’s jewelry ad.

“Here’s a cheap roommate you’ll actually like,” reads another Macintosh ad.

It’s challenging, if not near impossible to replicate the corny advertising that was fairly widespread during the time. There is more corny material to see in the Commuter archives, but there is still something quite valuable that can be gleaned from the pages of the past. Reflecting on the past can be a worthwhile endeavor, after all, history often repeats itself.

Loss Prevention Clerical Specialist Mindy McCall recalls several student events being held over the years, but an annual flower sale hosted by the Student Life and Leadership office (SLC) used to be the main event.

Carnations were sold for cheap and there were deals to buy bundles of flowers in abundance. The Student Life and Leadership members even used to deliver the carnations across the campus for free. For many years, the event was a great way to raise funds, but circumstances have changed.

It’s important to note that those sales took place almost three decades ago and over that period of time a lot has changed. In the last two years that the carnation sales took place, the SLC wasn’t able to host the events, so the Honor Society took over the fundraiser. During those years, the Honor Society had varying success with the sales, but ultimately, the event just wasn’t seeing the same profits that the event had seen in previous years.

With the Honor Society being inactive this term due to restructuring, the flower sale being less profitable in recent years, and the SLC being focused on other events, the carnation sales didn’t take place this year. It may seem unfortunate that the event doesn’t take place anymore, but it may be for the best.

“Any student project has to be second priority at best because school comes first,” said Club and Engagement Director Mark Wiebe.

Wiebe also explained that Valentine’s Day is just different now than it used to be. A few great examples of how the holiday has changed over the years can be represented by the SLC “Be Kind Bazaar” from a couple years ago and the annual welding fundraiser where the students hand-craft metal roses to sell to students. To elaborate on what Wiebe said, the events are not worse or better than they used to be, they are just different and represent a shift in the how the community celebrates Valentine’s Day.

At A Glance:

Contacts:

Mark Wiebe, By Email: slcclubsengage@linnbenton.edu

Mindy McCall, 541-917-4309, RCH-119, By Email: mccallm@linnbenton.edu

The Commuter Office, 541-914-4451, F-222, By Email: commuter@linnbenton.edu 

A New Chapter for the LBCC Chess Club

Photo Courtesy of Istockphoto.com

Business Management Instructor Keith Tierney began playing chess in the Chess Club at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He remembers walking into the room where the club was meeting that day and saw several members trying to keep a tally on the most recent developments in the Spassky versus Fischer chess game.

The chess match between the American Bobby Fischer and Russian Boris Spassky in 1972 sparked excitement unparalleled by any other chess match during the time for several reasons. Each player was considered the best in their respective regions and before this European chess players had always dominated the international chess scene, that is, until then.

Additionally, the match took place near the height of the Cold War, so each nation had a lot of reputation riding on their player emerging victorious.

“During that time, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing Fischer,” Tierney recalled.

Forty-eight years later, Tierney is still participating in chess by serving as an adviser to the Chess Club at LBCC that has just been revived by LBCC student Rabecka Moffit in the last two weeks. Moffit describes the revival of the Chess Club as a spur-of-the-moment decision. She signed some papers, got some student signatures, and she was a club president. Once Moffit established an interested group, she reserved a room and set a regular time for the meetings. It was that simple.

The Chess Club started with eight members, the required amount of signatures to have a group qualify as an official club. Four weeks after the Chess Club started and the club now has 12 members already. If the Chess Club continues to experience similar growth, the Chess Club could be well on it’s way to becoming one of the largest clubs on campus.

It’s worth noting that club leaders don’t need experience or skill, they just need to be interested about the club. For instance, Moffit has only been playing chess for two months. Several other members of the club are still learning as well, so now is a great time to join in and start learning a little bit about chess. The Chess Club has regular meetings every week and are welcoming players of all skill levels. Students interested in becoming club members or students can access club information here.

Historically, the LBCC Chess Club used to compete in chess competitions across the Willamette Valley. The LBCC Chess Club often competed over at OSU against the Chess Club their college campus had. Moffit has considered having the Chess Club compete in competitions, but the idea is still in consideration.

Although it has not been very long, Moffit said her time as a club leader so far hasn’t offered too many challenges. Occasionally, she feels a little pressure to do her best for the club, but her club responsibilities always get completed. Moffit also expressed that if there’s a club leader passionate about an activity, there should always be some kind of student interest in the club.

Moffit said it was “definitely worth it” to form the club and that if other students are interested in forming clubs “others would be interested.”

Club and Engagement Director Mark Wiebe, Program Assistant Eric Slyter, and other faculty members are more than willing to help club leaders, Moffit noted. Moffit recalled having plenty of support from the college staff, but having minor problems staying organized or in the know about club procedures. Moffit expressed only one complaint when asked about her experience, “I wish there was more structure.”

At A Glance:

Business Management Instructor Keith Tierney has always been involved with chess, so when the LBCC Chess Club was revived by LBCC student Rabecka Moffit, he was eager to serve as the club adviser.

Where is the Meeting:

IA 217 on the Albany LBCC campus

When is the Meeting:

2-4 p.m. on Tuesdays

Contacts:

Keith Tierney, 775-622-3850, MKH-206, tiernek@linnbenton.edu

Rabecka Moffit, rabecka.moffit.6912@mail.linnbenton.edu

LBCC Clubs are in Need of Student Leadership

With Student Activities Coordinator Barb Horn having left LBCC to pursue a different career
and Program Assistant Heather Morijah now working full-time in the Department of
Institutional Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Student Life and Leadership has been left with
some big shoes to fill. 

In the 6 years Morijah worked as the Program Assistant of Student Activities, she organized countless events based around the clubs and even held meetings with all of the student leaders involved clubs on a regular basis. These meetings often decided how to distribute resources among the clubs and kept clubs in the know about opportunities for them to grow. These meetings became known as the Council of Clubs and while Morijah didn’t create the meetings, she played an important role in shaping how the meetings operate.

The Council of Clubs still exists and continues to play an important role in how clubs operate, however Club and Engagement Director Mark Wiebe now holds the meetings. Wiebe is in charge of ensuring clubs are informed about events, have access to resources, and all of their information is current.

With all of the information pertaining to clubs, Wiebe manages quite a bit to say the least. Wiebe also keeps track of which clubs are currently active and inactive. Currently, there are 21 active clubs, including The Black Curtain Society, Chess Club, Poetry Club, and Dance Club. While there are 21 active clubs, there are 39 inactive clubs.

There are several reasons for why a club might become inactive, but they all boil down to one central issue: “So why do clubs become inactive? First of all, because of [a lack of] student leadership and second of all because they are no longer relevant, I suppose, to the students on this particular campus,“ Morijah explained. 

She also noted that clubs are cyclical and can quickly fade out, especially when a student leader graduates or moves on to a university. It’s clear to see clubs become inactive and there are certainly reasons for that, but it’s worth noting that inactive clubs can be revived at any time by a student interested in becoming a student leader.

Students looking to revive inactive clubs or start a new club can view a fairly recent list of both active and inactive clubs on the LBCC website. Wiebe in the Student Life and Leadership office, just to the left of the Roast Runners cafe, can provide more information about how to go about reviving an inactive club or starting a new club. 

Wiebe noted how having more clubs could allow for more volunteers to help staff club events. By staffing more club events, clubs have the opportunity to get new members and possibly earn funds for their club. 

Clubs also are opportunities for students to experience a new activity with new people, Wiebe added. Wiebe said it best when he affirmed, “To state the obvious, students do better when they have support.”

At a Glance:

LBCC Student Life & Leadership: While autonomous from the college itself, the organization acts as a student operated union. Made by students, for students. Student Life and Leadership prompts students to have more involvement with their college and develop interests outside of achieving a college education. Student clubs, events, and activities are all ways the organization attempts to reach out to students and provide more than the traditional student experience.

When it is Open: 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday - Friday

Where is it: The Student Union building in front of the Forum on the Albany Campus, just to the left of the Roast Runners cafe.

Contact: Mark Wiebe, By Email: slcclubsengage@linnbenton.edu

More Information:

LBCC Student Life & Leadership Web-page

Article About LBCC Student Life & Leadership

Open Positions At LBCC Student Life & Leadership

The First Week of Journalism

About Me:

My name is Logan Helm-Williams, but I prefer to go by Logan Williams. I've been at LBCC for six terms now and I'm still undecided on my major. I have a strong interest in writing and I've taken the opportunity during my terms at LBCC to take several writing classes. I specifically enjoy fictional creative writing because of the creative freedom and the ability I have to incorporate my imagination into my pieces. I'm always trying to improve my writing, so I figured taking a course in journalism would be a fantastic way to broaden my knowledge about writing. I hope to learn as much as possible about journalism and, in the process, write a few good stories.

• Interview Questions:
• How many clubs are currently active on campus?
• How many inactive clubs are there currently?
• How often do students ask you about starting a new club or reviving an inactive club?
• What are some circumstances that would cause a club to become inactive?
• How would you say the recent club experience compares to previous years?
• Do you think reviving more inactive clubs would improve the club experience and why?

• Sources:
• Heather Morijah
• Mark Wiebe
• The LBCC website