LBCC SLC's Presidential & Vice Presidential Candidates Take Debate Floor

LBCC SLC Homepage
(Photo: Linn-Benton Community College)

The candidates for student government squared off and promoted their ideas for LBCC's student body.

The LBCC Student Leadership Council's presidential and vice presidential candidates met at LBCC's Hot Shot cafe for a forum style debate at 3 p.m. on Feb. 21. They were asked various questions by current SLC officers on topics such as how to improve commuting services for students, how to better promote LBCC resources, and why the candidates are qualified for the positions on the SLC.

The presidential candidates consisted of:

•  Ariel Zapien, a biological science major and former co-chair member of a Portland Community College multicultural organization.

• Brian Ixthlahuac, who is studying political sciences and has worked in student government for three years including a year where he was a co-class president at Corvallis High School.

• Connor Hibbs, currently interested in biological studies and a former senior patrol leader of Troop 2 of Boy Scouts of America in Corvallis.

Justen Noll is the only vice presidential candidate, he is majoring in business management and was the creator of a film club in high school that organized a multitude of extracurricular events for students such as open mics and film premieres.

The debate led off with a general question of what each of the candidates would do to advocate for the student body.

"I want to immerse myself within the student body and ask the people how they are doing and what they would do different. I want to ask them face to face on what their thoughts are and look for things to change," said Ixthlahuac.

"One of my ideas would be to start a group where we can support each other as students. I think it's important to support each other's opinions and encourage more students to participate more in student body events," said Zapien.

"I plan to represent students on key issues like tuition costs, study group availability in the learning center and library to encourage students to be all they can be," said Hibbs.

"The main goal I have is to have more accessible opportunities to students to be engaged and involved with their college. This would include having more prominent visual representations of what the SLC is up to," said Noll.

Another question was asked on the issues the candidates see facing students at LBCC.

"An issue I see facing the students of LBCC would be the lack of resource information. I went through the entire fall term not knowing that we could get a free subscription to Microsoft Office, I thought I would have to buy it on my own. So I want to focus on promoting resources possibly on LBCC Live to let students know what they have available," said Ixthlahuac.

"A lot of things I see is that students are not being able to voice their opinions. Like how they feel in class with their teachers, they don't feel comfortable going to the dean or express how they feel to teachers. Students need to feel comfortable voicing their opinions on things like diversity, their goals, grades and how they are doing. I feel those are all important pieces to what will help them succeed in school," said Zapien.

"I expect presidents to lead us as a team, I believe teamwork empowers," said Hibbs.

"The biggest one I see is time limitation, it really limits what students are able to do outside of classes. Whether they have jobs, families to look after, have trouble commuting, etc. We need to build off of a lot of the stuff we already have like LB Live that has immediate connectivity to the student body so adding additional opportunites would be helpful to them," said Noll.

One of the questions addressed commuting as a common issue facing students at LBCC. The candidates were asked how they would create a better a commuting environment at LBCC.

"One thing I would do was to know when the buses arrive,  setting up something on LB Live to notify students if the buses are having any problems or if it's facing delays. That way students aren't stressed about if they are going to get to class," said Ixthlahuac.

"Promoting the rides that are on the LBCC app outside of the app because not everyone has access to a smart phone or tablet. We could also maybe have some volunteers give rides to students throughout the community. Making sure we put a plan in place to make it safe for students as well," said Zapien.

"A ride share and carpool exchange of information could be better set up online. I know LB already has a system in place for ride share and carpool information, but I didn't really see a lot of participants. Advertising the carpool information on LBCC on things like th LB Live could help introduce commuting availability for everyone," said Hibbs.

"I think having an electronic posting, on LB Live or on the school's website would be helpful. Having a posting to show what times the buses are coming, I think the other candidates have great ideas as well and we could bring our ideas together to figure out a solution," said Noll.

An email will be sent out to entire student body containing the voting guide and profiles of the four candidates at 5 p.m. on Feb. 24. Voting will close at midnight on Feb. 26 and the election's results will be posted at 5 p.m. on Feb. 27.

At a glance:

Ariel Zapien: Presidential Candidate
Brian Ixthlahuac: Presidential Candidate
Connor Hibbs: Presidential Candidate
Justen Noll: Vice Presidential Candidate

Eric Slyter: Current SLC President
slcpres@linnbenton.edu
Kevin Pena: Current SLC Vice President
slcvp1@linnbenton.edu

"The Student Leadership Council (SLC) shall serve as the governing body of the Associated Students of Linn-Benton Community College (ASLBCC). The SLC will also serve as a liaison between the ASLBCC and the college administration, facilitating communication between the two groups as well as communication amongst the student body. The SLC shall provide opportunities for networking, social interactions, and outreach activities" -SLC Bylaws Mission Statement

LBCC SLC Homepage
SLC Current Officers Page
SLC Bylaws

LBCC's Space Club Project Manager Levi Willmeth Discusses Inspiration, Club, and NASA Internship

Levi Willmeth holds the payload for Eclipse Ballooning Project.
(Photo: Lori Fluge-Brunker)

It was a clear Saturday morning and the Albany campus of LBCC was mostly silent besides the few birds that chirped in the morning sun. The majority of the college's students were at home, recovering from the busy school week while Levi Willmeth and the Space Exploration Club were hard at work on their latest endeavor.

Willmeth is a graduate of LBCC with an associate degree in computer sciences. He is the project manager of the Space Exploration Club and is starting an internship at NASA later this year. He is currently enrolled at OSU and is scheduled to graduate with a bachelor's degree in 2018. 

Willmeth, grew up in a small unincorporated community in Southern Oregon called Williams. He cites his small-town upbringing as an inspiration for going into computer engineering.

"Growing up, I was always fascinated by electricity and electronics. Maybe it's because we lived very much off-the-grid without amenities like electricity or even a phone line at home."

Willmeth was home schooled immediately after sixth grade and felt like he was missing out on opportunities for pursuing a college education because of it. He was fed up with his situation and decided to take action by enrolling at LBCC.

"Four years ago I realized it wasn't my circumstances holding me back, it was just me. One day I realized I had to get out of my own way, and three months later, I moved across the state and enrolled at LBCC."

In 2015, he applied for a workshop put on by the LBCC Space Exploration Club, where they designed a scientific payload to fly on board a NASA research rocket. He loved the experience and has been with the club on every project since. He is currently the manager of their upcoming project, where they look to launch a video payload on board a high altitude balloon to capture near-space footage of the solar eclipse scheduled to cross the continental United States later this year.

"He's a good leader, very good at nurturing creativity, and loves when people bring their ideas to the table," said Delphine LeBrun, who has worked with Willmeth in the club since 2015. LeBrun was the Space Exploration Club project manager last year, when the group built an ambitious rocket-borne payload that was designed to measure polarized energy from gamma rays in space.

"I couldn't have led the team without him last year," said LeBrun, who praised Willmeth's contributions to the project last year.

Willmeth is committed to the club and is always looking for new ways to improve. Several members of the club praise his work ethic.

"I wish I had his blood pressure. He's so calm and collected, always on task and he's a great role model to other students," said Space Exploration Club adviser Parker Swanson.

"If I had to describe him in one word, it would be dedicated," said Space Exploration Club member Evan Schreiber. 

"He's always the first one here and the last one to leave," added Seth Newman.

Willmeth is starting an internship with NASA later this year in June. He will be writing and testing embedded software for orientation control systems on projects like unmanned aircraft systems and satellites. He applied for the internship through NASA's One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI), a NASA-wide system that is used for the recruitment, application, selection and development of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. They hope develop applicants in the various fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"I would definitely encourage more students interested in a career in aerospace to apply," said Willmeth "It was a little intimidating at first since I didn't come from a big school, but NASA is ultimately looking for people with experience more than anything. These types of opportunities with the club are more valuable to them than any big school background you might have." 

Willmeth credits the Space Exploration Club as an integral part for obtaining his internship opportunity. 

"My experience with the LBCC Space Club was critical to getting this internship, because I had plenty of real world experience to talk about on my application and during my interviews." Joking, "I feel like a small-town car mechanic who got invited to work on an F1 car."

While Willmeth is excited to get started at his internship, he reflected on his time at LBCC and with the Space Exploration Club. 

"I guess I just want to let students know how many opportunities at LBCC there really are and encourage them to take a look at the types of programs that are available."

At a glance:

Levi Willmeth: 
From Williams, Oregon
Majoring in Computer Sciences at OSU
Accepted an internship at NASA
email: levi.willmeth@gmail.com
NASA OSSI
Parker Swanson
parker.swanson@linnbenton.edu
Instructor Page
LBCC Space Exploration Club

Resource Fair Showcases Helpful Information for LBCC Students

LBCC Student Support Page
(Photo; Linn-Benton Community College)

Everyone can use an extra hand from time to time and the LBCC Resource Fair was there to help.

Booths lined the LBCC commons cafeteria walls Tuesday, Feb. 1. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the annual Linn-Benton Community College Resource Fair.

The Resource Fair was geared towards newer students who are looking for help while attending college. It helps students in a multitude of areas such as financial aid, food stamps, child care, advising and much more.

The fair was sponsored by the LBCC Student Leadership Council (SLC) and featured multiple booths representing different organizations that have made it clear that they are here to assist students in any way that they can.

"The Resource Fair definitely gives you a lot of local resources that are available to you as a student," said SLC officer and Resource Fair organizer Patrick Duffy.

There was resources on display that are directly associated with LBCC. These included the LBCC Advising Center in Takena Hall, whose goal is to not only advise undecided, transfer and freshman students about the next step in their education process, but also aims to assist students by providing information on career services and help students out with their general well being if they need it.

The LBCC Financial Aid Office also had a booth containing information on how to get started on registering for financial aid.

The LBCC SLC had an area set up as well. They strive to represent the LBCC students to the best of their ability. They are encouraging any students that may be interested, to either run or vote in the upcoming presidential and vice presidential elections for the LBCC SLC later this year.

The majority of booths, however, were local organizations that want to help students here at LBCC any way they can.

These featured services such as:

• The Family Tree Relief Nursery, trained professionals and volunteers who are committed to keeping children safe and families together by building healthy relationships.

• ABC House, a non-profit organization focused on working with children, youth, and their families to overcome the crisis of child abuse and neglect.

• Hand in Hand farm, aimed to help people of all ages and abilities to rebuild and enrich their lives through agricultural experiences.

• Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV), a free 24-hour crisis and support line dedicated to helping adult, teen, and child survivors of abuse stay safe. They also offer advocacy support groups, crisis intervention, emergency shelter, and assistance with navigating the legal system.

• The Oregon Department of Human Services had a booth dedicated to talking about their SNAP program. This program is there to help provide nutritious and healthy foods to low-income households.

• Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, provides a multitude of helpful resources for hard working students such as formal recognition, scholarships, and honors and leadership development programs.

• 211 info, a nonprofit organization that looks to help connect people to health and community services in their area. Simply dial 211 toll-free to speak with a resource specialist or visit 211info.org to search for services available in your area.

Duffy would love to see the Resource Fair occur more than once during the school year.

"Even twice a year would be great, because we usually only hold the Resource Fair in the winter term, but we obviously don't just have students enrolling in winter term, they enroll year round. So providing more opportunities for students to get in touch with these programs would be even more helpful to them," said Duffy.

If you or someone you know missed out on the Resource Fair but would like to know more about some of the resources that were mentioned in this article, students are encouraged to get in touch with the LBCC SLC office, located at the northeastern corner of the courtyard at the LBCC Albany campus. Or be sure to contact 211 info to receive additional information on resources near you.

At A Glance:

LBCC Advising Center
LBCC Financial Aid
Kristie Hernandez: Representative
LBCC SLC
Patrick Duffy: Event Planner
Dreagn Bennett: Volunteer Coordinator
Family Tree Nursery 
Vern Rose: Representative
Octavia Silvestre: Representative
Staphanie Cameron: Representative
ABC House
Maria Ross: Representative
Hand in Hand Farm
Athena Perry: Co-Founder
CARDV
Oregon Department of Human Services
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
211 info