Tuition increase

As many of you have noticed, tuition seems to be rising. With unemployment doing the same and the economy struggling, we seem to be feeling the crunch of higher prices everywhere. 


Like other colleges across the nation, LBCC is no stranger to budget fluctuations. Funding comes from 3 sources; Tuition, property tax, and government support. While only 40% of LBCC's funding comes from tuition, the other 60% is made up of the other two. 


"State support is directly related to income taxes." says Stephanie Kerst, LBCC's executive assistant - finance and operations. "When the economy began to go into recession, the college expected that state support could be reduced, as it has in other recessions."


The last major increase was at the beginning of winter term. "We are phasing tuition increases in." says Kerst,  "We increased tuition effective January 2011, and will again in July 2011 and July 2012."


Without knowing why tuition increases, many students are left to wonder why and what is going on. With the information on LBCC's website, it is all easy to come by, you just have to know where to look.


Each increase will be $7 per credit. The next increase will cause in state tuition to go from $84 to $91, out of state from $178 to $185 and international from $230 to $237. The increases may seem to not be that bad but imagine the affects of 5 tuition increases within a few years.


"With being a full time student and working part time, the tuition increase has been hard," Kacey Dowers, student at Linn-Benton. Her father has been helping her with school but it's getting a little more difficult.


Even though tuition is rising for students, faculty are feeling the crunch as well. There will be 12 positions cut this year- four faculty and eight support jobs. It's not just students feeling this hard time.

At a Glance:
Albany Democrat Herald: LBCC will cut 12 positions
2010-2011 Adopted Budget
Financial Aid Office:  541 917-4850

Theater: All of the world's a stage

When you hear the word theater, your mind usually goes to the movie theater. You think about which movie to see and wonder if you want popcorn or not. Sometimes, you think about how crowded the place might be and who you might see there. But, do you ever think about going to a theater to see a play or a musical?

For many people, a theater is about the movies but for members of local civic theaters, it's about the art and the craft that goes into a production. It's about the words coming to life.

"[It's about] those moments when you're up on stage with the actors, figuring things out, and it's just all *working*. Love that." Miranda Prince states. Prince no longer is involved with theater but she was a long time volunteer at ACT.

"I do theater for a number of reasons" Cheryl Nye, a local volunteer at Albany Civic Theater. "The family connections and friendships, the creativity of it and to give back to the community."

Cheryl, like many other members of ACT, feels as if she is a part of something bigger, something that helps bring art to our community.

Encouraging people to get involved is the easy part, the part that is difficult is extending your hand and love to the people that decide they want to become part of the theater.

"I love the comradery" said June Buechting, who was a part of Flinn's Dinner Theater. 

The idea of finding friends that become like family is something that theater brings. It's not just about the art but about the bond that each person shares. Like ACT, Flinn's was a great way to give back to the community. LBCC also has a theater that many people have been able to find a release of creativity in.

Getting involved with theater doesn't just mean getting on stage, in fact, there is so much more that happens than just acting. As you head into a theater, you see people dressed all in black or the box office person selling tickets, you see ushers seating people.

There are many ways to get involved. Just head down to ACT or LBCC's theater and ask how to volunteer because you never know, it may be something that you will enjoy.

At a Glance:

     Other theaters in our area:

Corvallis Community Theater in Corvallis, Oregon

Majestic Theater in Corvallis, Oregon

Pentacle Theater in Salem, Oregon

A teacher of music

He walks with authority, through the halls of LBCC, to a classroom upstairs in South Santiam Hall. He has a purpose and yet whenever a student yells out his name and says hi, he smiles and responds back.

James Reddan is LBCC's choir teacher and has been for the last three years. He is a man that shows compassion and expects for each of his students to give all that they have. He is a man that knows and loves music, inside and out.

"He's never afraid to tell us how it is but he does it in a way that we still know he cares." explains Kayla Nissen, a student of Reddans. She enjoys his classes as well is his teaching style and the fact that he loves what he does. 

"He has such an enormous passion for his work and his students." says Nissen.

Reddan is like most educators, he believes that what he does is extremely important but that he himself isn't extraordinary. He is humble and is still a student himself, taking classes to receive his doctorate in Music. 

He has been teaching music for nine years; three years at middle school, three years at high school, and this is his third year at LBCC. His passion for the arts is part of what brought him to LBCC.

"The first time I ever taught music was actually for a music store where I grew up." explains Reddan, "I was 16 years old."

Like most music educators, Reddan has loved music for all of his life. It is his passion and the fact that he can share it with people is what he enjoys the most. He doesn't feel he is unique in any way except for his energy. 

"He is always moving and always full of energy," says Cameron Graham, one of Reddan's students. Graham was in LBCC's production of "Blood Brothers" this last fall. "He is an inspiration, even if he doesn't think of himself that way."

Reddan may seem to be just another teacher but when you sit in on one of his classes or you hear his students talk about him, you get a sense of admiration and you know right away how great of an asset he is to this school. His passion for encouraging each student to succeed is amazing.

At a glance:

 In the past three years, Reddan has visited Germany, Italy, France, and Australia, as well as travel to Canada on a regular basis.

Attended University of Oregon for graduate school.

James Reddan
Faculty of Music & Director of Choral Activities
Linn-Benton Community College
6500 Pacific Boulevard, SW
Albany, OR 97321
(541) 917-4550 (office)
(541) 917-4474 (fax)
james.reddan@linnbenton.edu

                                                     Courtesy of Cameron Graham
                                                     Mr. Reddan in New York City, for a Choir trip

A little bit of PIX

People go to movie theaters to see movies, they usually don't take time to look around the establishment or have a short conversation with an employee. The movie is why they are there but wouldn't it be nice to be able to enjoy the experience completely?

From the first time that you enter the PIX Theater in downtown Albany, you enter an environment not found in bigger theaters. It's warm and inviting and the ambiance is perfected by the style and decor. It's not just a movie theater, it's an experience that you don't get anywhere else.

As you walk through the door, you get the feeling like you’ve entered a different time period. You see photographs of old movie actors and of movie theaters as well. It may be small but it’s inviting.

“I really enjoy working here,” Bonnie Thompson said. She’s worked there since the PIX opened and loves every minute of it.

The concessions were reasonable with non-alcoholic drinks named Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant just to name a few. It seems that the past big screen stars still draw movie goers in.

"The theater is nice," John Beck, a local student, said. "The sound is clear and the qualities of the movies are above decent."

Entering the theater you notice that the seating isn’t like the normal seating in a movie theater. It starts with stadium seating and then slopes up near the middle so that each movie goer gets the same enjoyment. When you sit down, you sink into the seat as if you were sitting in a couch.

It’s an experience all of its own. From the drinks to the employees to the atmosphere, it’s a place where people can be comfortable and relax, eat popcorn and enjoy the movie.

                                "Walking into the PIX is like walking into the past"
                                         Photo courtesy of the PIX website, www.albanypix.com


At a Glance:
The CARA Project
History of the PIX building

321 2nd Ave SW
Albany, OR 97321

OFFICE: 541-967-SHOW

SHOWTIMES: 541-926-PIXX

"Burlesque"

Jan 24th	Monday	7:30p
Jan 25th	Tuesday	7:30p
Jan 26th	Wednesday	4:45p & 7:30p
Jan 27th	Thursday	4:45p & 7:30p

History 203: LBCC class brings History to life!

            As Dr. Robert Harrison passes out his class syllabus for the term, students look through it and settle on the last few pages. These pages are the schedule of what will happen each class meeting but there is something students don’t expect to see; names of historical figures.

            Scott Joplin, Alice Paul, Henry Ford, Amelia Earhart, Rachel Carson, and Lt. William Calley- what do they have in common? Of course they are important historical figures but they will also be visiting Dr. Harrison’s History 203 class this term.

            Each student gets to pick a figure to portray from a list that Dr. Harrison puts together. The people come to life as the term goes by, sharing their unique stories and their time in history. 

            One of the places that he got his inspiration from was the t.v. show “Meeting of the Minds.” This show not only inspired the idea but also inspired the name for these interviews.

“I think I always had in the back of my mind the idea of re-creating it,” said Dr. Harrison.

These “Meeting of the Minds” have been appearing in Dr. Harrison’s classes for almost 11 years. The personas that are chosen aren’t the same every term. Dr. Harrison chooses these people partially based on who he would like to meet as well as how historically interesting they are. He also tries to make sure there is a balance of males and females.

After each student picks a persona, they do research so they can present themselves as the historical figure that they decided on. About 3 weeks before their meeting, Dr. Harrison sends questions for each student to answer about their persona.

"It is quite possibly the most inventive major project any teacher at LB assigns." said Travis Watters, who is a current student of Dr. Harrison's.

As the term reaches the third or fourth week, the class gets to have their first “Meeting of the Minds.” The personalities are interviewed and questioned about their parts in history. “Sometimes, guests respond to each other, since I sometimes pair them up on the show, creating a "reunion" show.”


"The most enjoyable part of the meetings is seeing how each person brings life to the historical figure they have spent the last several weeks researching." Watters said.

            Usually the meetings are limited to about 5 guests, which allows time for questions from the audience after Dr. Harrison himself interviews the figures. Bringing these personas to life helps bring history to the classroom.

“These personal stories are really why I love history and love learning about it,” Dr. Harrison said.

            If you see any LBCC students walking around in cloths not of this era, you now know why. Stop and talk to them, you may learn something about history that you hadn’t known before.







At a glance:
"Meeting of the Minds" based on the book called "Famous Lives"
Contact Dr. Harrison: 
541-917-4571
M, W: 10-11 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m.
T, Th: 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 1 p.m.
Friday: 10-11 a.m.     
Other times by appointment
203 South Santiam Hall