LBCC College Night: Showcase and Reception

Graphics courtesy of Linn-Benton Community College

Click here for video footage of the event. Filmed and Edited by Theo Hendrickson, video editor at The Commuter.

College Night started with speeches, had a mini a capella concert and ended with none other than pizza.

On Feb. 3 the Forum auditorium at LBCC seated about 200 guests looking to become future RoadRunners. The crowd was a collection of current high school students shopping local colleges, adults looking to continue their education, and the friends and family that supported them.

Sixteen different clubs and programs offered at LBCC came together to showcase what they have to offer prospective students. The speakers were department heads and student leaders that highlighted their group’s activities and curriculum.  Each group in the showcase had a booth set up in the cafeteria for a reception of mingling and questions, accompanied by pizza and popcorn.

Some presentations were traditional talk-to-the-crowd format, some used homemade videos to present for them, some used role-playing to explain their topic of discussion, and some performed their craft on stage.

Humor was a common theme throughout the night. Javier Cervantes, representing the Diversity Achievement Center, bribed interested students to come to his booth on the principle of, “I’ve got chocolates so that’s good enough reason to visit.”

Jeff Lehn, representing Phi Theta Kappa, took the stage and asked onlookers, “How many think we should stop talking and go eat pizza?” Hands raised with smiles.

Charles Madriaga, Counselor in the Career Center, then took the stage after Lehn and joked, “I’m better than pizza so you’re going to listen.” Laughter broke the silence.

Food was clearly a hot topic. But all presenters also brought food-for-thought to the stage.

The ROV Club (Remotely Operated Vehicle) wowed the crowd with their impressive accomplishments projecting several photos capturing competitions they’ve been a part of. One of the photos was from 2011 at NASA where they placed third out of 450 and were photographed with their ROV’s in NASA training tanks with astronauts present.

The Near Space Exploration Club also presented student-built equipment for off-land adventures. Parker Swanson, faculty and adviser, enticed future club members by telling them, “We want to empower you to explore the stratosphere.”

Program leaders proudly announced what their course can do for students. The Accelerated Learning Program is designed to help get students to a college writing level quickly. Chris Riseley, faculty and adviser, impressed the audience by stating his program “Raised completion rates (on testing) from 29 percent to 79 percent.”

Halfway through the night the stage was alive with energy when the award-winning a capella choirs, Blue Light Special and The Sirens, burst onto stage. Both the male and female ensembles performed separate and both commanded attention with their vocal skills. During their performances the crowd was scattered with heads bobbing, knees shaking and feet tapping. It was no wonder why these vocalists were invited to perform in the opening ceremonies leading up to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

When James Reddan, the artistic director, gathered The Sirens to go on stage he whispered, “Sell it ladies!” Followed by an immediate reply from group member Christie Gangewer who said with sass, “We always do!” And they did.

After an hour of information for prospective students to digest, the reception began. Complete with the school mascot Rocky on hand, the cafeteria was transformed into a meet-and-greet for students, faculty and future students to interact. The smell of buttered popcorn lingered in the air.

After talking to prospects, it was clear that students choose to attend LBCC for many different reasons. Some reasons are based on functionality and others on the school’s merit.

Attendee Daniel Pieroca said, “I live a half mile away and the commute is easy.”

Shyanna Lowe, attendee, said, “It costs a lot less than going to a four year college.”

Stacy Balazar came to College Night because “I heard (LBCC) nursing program is really good.” She added, “It was definitely informational,” when asked if she benefited from attending the event.

Whatever the reason may be that students choose LBCC, College Night was a success in presenting how students can thrive on campus, be a part of a like-minded community and prepare themselves for a future in a field of their choice.

-At a Glance-

Where: Forum, Linn-Benton Community College
Presenters: Faculty and students
What: Showcase of 16 programs and clubs 
Online Applications: http://www.linnbenton.edu/future-students/make-it-official
Contact: Admissions, (541) 917-4811