LBCC Online Certificates: Introducing LB iLearn Campus

Daycare, work and limited time are inconveniences to potential students. Linn-Benton Community College has a solution.

This October the college will launch the new LB iLearn Campus. This option will offer students a virtual classroom to learn anywhere at anytime. Courses include the same work load and credits earned as classes offered on campus.

"The pacing is their pace," said Ann Buchele, dean of LB iLearn Campus. "We're trying to target students that don't have the means in their life for traditional schooling."

Last October the Department of Labor awarded LBCC a grant which is being used to help jump-start LB iLearn Campus. The goal is to have a self-sustaining program within five years. Cost of tuition is not yet decided.

LB iLearn Campus was designed based on similar programs in the nation.

There will be three programs available to begin with: business administration, social media, and coding and reimbursement specialist. Each of the programs are being beta-tested by students to provide feedback.

Certificates for social media and coding and reimbursement have not previously been offered at LBCC. According to Buchele, labor market studies show there is a high interest in these job fields so the college has decided to add them to the curriculum.

As for business administration, the LB iLearn Campus will offer the same course material as the classes currently taught on campus but is designed for more flexibility for the student.

"It's all about student success and this is a personalized way to do that," said Stacy Mallory, faculty curriculum development for LB iLearn Campus.

Since LB iLearn Campus will not follow the traditional term schedule, a student can enroll on any Wednesday of the year. Students can only enroll in one course at a time to ensure they are focused on the material for that class.

Once enrolled they will receive their course sequencing and start working as fast as they want to go. After completing the material, students will move on to the next course in their program.

"We are very prescriptive of what students are taking and in what order," said Linda Carroll, faculty curriculum development for LB iLearn Campus.

New students will be advised as to what classes in their program they will take based on their needed prerequisites and requirements. Guided help through their course will eliminate error in taking classes not specific to their needs.

LB iLearn Campus will have several faculty positions to monitor progression and assist in course questions.

The LB iLearn Admissions Specialist, Lara Miller, will be the first point of contact for questions. Miller will help guide students in the right direction towards completion.

Students will be assigned a Student Navigator, their go-to person for any questions and to help connect students with appropriate resources. The Content Expert will monitor the students’ work and provide assistance when needed on content and material in the course. The Assessment Evaluator will provide detailed feedback on assignments.

Although courses are done remotely, some assignments involve communication with others to enhance a hands-on learning environment. Activities such as attending community events or interviewing people of interest in their field of study are designed for interaction.

For questions or enrollment contact Lara Miller at lara.miller@linnbenton.edu.

Vote OR Vote: Potential Tuition Increase at LBCC

This November student voice can combat potential tuition increase.

In 2012, combined efforts from universities and colleges in Oregon registered 50,000 students to vote in preparation for a potential spike in tuition. When election time came, several hundred students gathered in Salem to rally for a ruling on a two-year tuition freeze.

Their votes and voices were heard.

State legislation passed a two-year freeze on tuition for all universities. Although community colleges are governed by their own elected boards, most in the state followed the legislation's request to freeze their tuition as well. LBCC designed their budgets in order to not raise tuition through the 2014-15 academic year.

The two-year freeze is ready to lift. LBCC Student Leadership Council and Oregon Student Foundation have been busy registering more students to vote. The goal is to get another 50,000 this year.

"This is a statewide effort. Linn-Benton is one of 20 other schools to participate," said Jon Crenshaw, vote organizer for the OSF. "If we want to fight it, the first step is getting students to vote."

The goal SLC set was to get 3,200 students to fill out voter registration cards this year.

This past spring they registered 1,500 students, followed by another 250 during summer term. At the start of fall term there will be two weeks to gather the remaining signatures to reach their goal.

LBCC has 16 different high schools funneling through on advanced diploma programs, such as the "fifth-year" program in which high schoolers continue education for an extended year on a college campus.

"We are visiting high schools in the fall because they are students too and have the right to be educated young voters," said Mike Jones, SLC legislative affairs director.

During the summer, OSF and SLC members visited LBCC classrooms, walked the campus with clipboards and voter cards, and talked with enrolling students on orientation days. According to Crenshaw, combined state effort has already registered 23,000 students.

"I have been very happy about the strong effort SLC has made to involve students in being mindful of this civic duty. The numbers have been impressive in comparison to efforts at other schools," said Bruce Clemetsen, vice president of student affairs.

LBCC will team up with neighboring Oregon State University to sign up Corvallis youth. SLC also plans on reaching out to Lebanon, Eugene, and Sweet Home to educate the surrounding area.

"The basic logic is when students don't vote our legislatures don't listen to them," said Crenshaw.

Tuition has historically increased every year, with the exception of the past two. The amount it may increase is unknown.

The 2015-16 school year will be the soonest the college will decide if they want to increase tuition. Currently the administration is considering all options of where money could come from rather than from student pockets.

"We are working very hard with other community colleges to ensure that state funding is sufficient to minimize the need to increase tuition. Our Advancement office is working hard and raising private money and trying to create endowments to support college expenses," said Clemetsen.

Fees are now under review to increase or decrease where numbers show it most beneficial. Technology purchases, safety and transportation costs, and student activities are being considered.

"We need to be looking at what state funding will be, how our expenses will grow, and what we need to invest in to make improvements," said Clemetsen.

Grants and bonds are also options being addressed. A $34 million General Obligation Bond will be on the ballot for both Linn and benton counties this year. The GO bond has the potential for the college to grow and get community support.

"The projects that the college would like to commence with the funds from the bond, explicitly capital projects, will allow the community to grow and can in turn increase enrollment and funds generated through The Foundation office. All of which can help combat tuition increases," said Jones.

Local Reporters Audrey Gomez and Jesse Skoubo Return to LBCC

The LBCC journalism program has served as a jump-start for the careers of journalists that fill the pages of local papers. Audrey Gomez of the Lebanon Express and Jesse Skoubo of the Albany Democrat-Herald and Corvallis Gazette-Times are two of them.

Gomez graduated from the journalism program in 2011. While working as a copy editor for The Commuter she received word of an open position at the Lebanon Express. She applied and was hired as a reporter. She has since been promoted to Editor-in-Chief.

Skoubo worked as a photo editor for The Commuter in 2006 while completing his sociology degree. In a photojournalism class he was attending, a guest speaker from the Gazette-Times mentioned an internship for a photographer. Skoubo wasted no time to apply and was hired. He now works full-time, half his week for the GT and half for the Democrat-Herald.

Gomez and Skoubo recently visited The Commuter, their old stomping ground, and spoke to current Commuters about their past experience at LBCC and their present positions.

"You guys are far more advanced than we used to be," Skoubo said.

Since his time, The Commuter office has been updated with new Macintosh computers, fancy programs, and several added work stations. But, some things have remained the same.

Gomez commented about the camaraderie of helping each other and working as a team. She feels she carried those values over to the atmosphere at the Lebanon Express.

"Not all newsrooms are like that."

Gomez is responsible not only for overall production of the paper and covering the city beat, but also editorials. Many reporters don't have the opportunity to voice their opinions, so her position is unique.

"I think that it's an outlet of all the things I left out of the news."

For Skoubo, having a portfolio ready for employers was important for him as he prepared for his career. His time at The Commuter helped with that but also gave him a glimpse of life in a newsroom.

"It helped me get my feet under me to get the pace of a real newsroom."

Both Gomez and Skoubo have continued learning on the job. Each offered valuable advice for the students aspiring to follow in their footsteps.

Much of the news Gomez writes involves meetings with the police, city council, and school districts. Knowing the Oregon Record System codes and what information is considered public information was her advice for the future reporters. Questions to sensitive material often remain unanswered unless a reporter knows the public's right to information.

"Know what is allowed in an executive session, site the O.R.S., any information outside of that is up for grabs," said Gomez.

Skoubo, who shoots action and sports, knows that inexperienced photographers are often unsure of where they can or should position themselves at an event. He suggested that a photographer put themselves where they want to be, within reason, and wait for someone to tell them they can't be there. It’s better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.

"When you have a camera around your neck you have immense access to where you can go, as long as you look like you know where you're going," he continued, "If you can stand next to the people that look like they know what they're doing or have the equipment, then that will be the prime area."

The Commuter is a student-run newspaper and is a good first step for a resume and future career in journalism. Those who would like to get involved can contact commuter@linnbenton.edu.

Catch the Buzz: Honey Bee Disappearance in the U.S.

Products pollinated by honey bees account for one-third of the food world-wide. The United States has 26 million managed honey bee colonies that pollinate $15 billion in crops each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Pears, apples, broccoli, carrots, onions, cherries, blueberries, pumpkins, and cabbage are all commonly used in our diets — and are just a few examples of food pollinated by honey bees.

Bees are a big business.

Scientists and researchers have been busy trying to identify why the loss of honey bees is so staggering. Their notable disappearance nationwide began in 2006 but has been declining for the last 30 years.

Oregon currently has an estimated 60,000 commercial colonies pollinating over 50 crops and bringing in an estimated $500 million annually.

According to a study by Ramesh Sagili, OSU honey bee researcher, Oregon beekeepers lost 21 percent of their colonies last year. An acceptable loss is 10 to 15 percent. The nationwide average over the last decade is a 30 percent loss.

Colony Collapse Disorder, known as the inexplicable loss of worker-bees, is linked to several factors. Without the full bee-power of worker-bees, the queen and the brood cannot survive. A healthy hive has 60,000 residents.

Varroa Mites

Arguably the biggest killer of the Western Honey Bee is the Varroa Destructor, a large external parasite that attaches to and sucks blood from the bee. As it feeds it infects the bee with disease. The infected bee returns to the hive and the mite lays eggs with the brood.

If untreated, the infestation can kill the entire hive.

"The big elephant in the room is mites. Mites are becoming resistant to the chemicals we use," said Dirk Olsen, owner of Olsen Honey Farms in Albany.

It's believed the Varroa mite was introduced to Florida by accident in 1987. The Asian Honey Bee and the parasite have a symbiotic relationship so it causes little harm. The Western Honey Bee, on the other hand, has a tragic relationship with the parasite and the mite has now spread across the nation.

Beeologics, an international firm dedicated to restoring bee health, believes that getting the mites under control will increase the health of hives in the United States by 70 percent.

Loss of Habitat

Humans have been expanding to once natural areas and have changed the landscape dramatically. Whether by building dams, creating fields for agriculture, commercial construction, or homes, we are connected to the loss of habitat for honey bees.

Monocropping, the source of only one kind of food, also has an impact to the overall health of a hive. Different pollens give the bees different essential amino acids. Honey bees will travel upwards of two miles from the hive to feed, but if the hive is in a location lacking diversity, the health of the bee declines making it more susceptible to disease.

"Bees can't fight viruses like they used to," said Olsen.

Willamette Valley honey bees, for example, have a lack of nectar available to them due to the loss of wildflowers, according to Olsen.

"For a hive to be healthy they have to eat multiple sources of pollen."

Local beekeepers such as Olsen are feeding their colonies corn syrup to combat the deficiency of nectar. Olsen has an annual budget of $250,000 in corn syrup for his 8,000 hives.

"Municipalities are getting involved now that they see the bees declining," said Olsen. "Like letting the plants grow wild along highways for the bees to have."

Pesticides

Colony Collapse Disorder has been linked to the use of pesticides, specifically those in the class of neonicotinoids. Introduced in 1992, neonicotinoids seep into the stem, leaves, flowers, and pollen of plants on which honey bees feed.

"Neonicotinoids are causing a lot of problems," said Olsen.

In a 2012 study at Harvard University, 94 percent of hives treated with neonicotinoids were lost.

While the neonicotinoids may be effective for farmers, the pesticide is destructive to the immune system of the bees. It causes them to be more susceptible to disease, including reduced resistance to Varroa mites.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced they will stop using neonicotinoids in the Pacific Northwest. The EPA, however, continues to use them despite warnings of CCD from the Department of Agriculture. Instead, the EPA relabeled packaging advising against use on flowering plants or those with leaves.

In June, President Obama directed the EPA and Department of Agriculture to lead a government-wide task force to develop a strategy to combat honey bee decline.

Cell Phone Towers

In new controversial studies of the impact of cell phones to honey bees, researchers are gathering interesting data as well. Bees are sensitive to magnetic fields and are compromised by radio waves.

Swiss researcher Daniel Favre did a 2009 study placing cell phones around hives and placing hives around cell towers. His study, along with others similar, showed that honey bees are repelled by the towers and the use of phones.

It appears the radiation causes confusion and disorients the bees, leads to failed navigational skills, and results in much of the hive fleeing and not returning. Some colonies tested collapsed in as little as five days.

Favre has suggested that the placement of cell towers in the landscape may be interfering with the bee's natural ability to navigate to the hive. If this is true, the estimated 200,000 cell towers in the United States could be a contributing factor to CCD.

People may be part of the problem but we are also part of the solution.

Regardless of what one chooses to believe is effecting the honey bee, the fact is that they are disappearing at an alarming rate. When a species is dying off it's a sign that something in nature is out of balance.

Honey bees are essential to our diets and our economy.

Even a home gardener can help honey bees by being mindful of the chemicals used in their pesticides, by planting flowers and allowing wildflower growth, and by building a bee box.

"We have a history of taking care of bees for 7,000 years," said Olsen. "There is a direct relationship between us and the bees. If all the beekeepers left, I think honey bees would die off."