Locals Supporting Locals

It's not Walmart, Safeway, or Albertsons.  The Albany Farmers Market consists of blue collar farmers, like Robert Taylor who owns the Fir Grove Farm in Scio or Ross Glasser who owns the Happy Camper Farm in North Albany.  These are farmers that grow and sell their produce right here in the valley.

These farmers, and the dozen or so other vendors at the Farmers Market in Albany on October 20th, are the representation of how small farmers can supply the local area with the staple foods.  They keep the local economy alive by providing a local alternative for products that are also sold by corporations like Walmart and Safeway.

Glasser, who farms on just one acre, pointed out that locals should become aware just "how far away our food comes from."

There is something unique and special about the feel of an open-air market like the one at the intersection of 4th and Ellsworth in downtown Albany.

At the Albany Farmers Market, you will hear the sound of the live music that entertains customers while they casually peruse the vendors' wares.  You will see the vibrant colors of the produce,  as well as the smiles on the faces of the hard-working farmers that have come together to sell their produce and other products to their valley neighbors.

Some vendors even accepted WIC vouchers and EBT.

When walking through the market, it's abundantly clear just how vast the selection of produce is that you can find here.  There is everything from staples like potatoes, lettuce, carrots, and apples, to just about every type of squash imaginable.  But produce is not the only thing sold at the farmers market.  One farm out of Sweet Home offered customers an arrangement of meats, including beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and goat.

One of the resounding themes when talking to the farmers is their thankfulness to the locals in the area.  Both Taylor and Glasser have mentioned that support from the locals has been getting stronger.    Glasser stated that there has been a recent shift towards a "stronger customer base."  This is not to say that the support is at its peak, and these local farmers would certainly appreciate more business.  Taylor said while things have "actually gotten better," it "would help if people were more supportive of the market."

According to Taylor, the market is filled with vendors in the beginning of the season, which starts in April. He mentioned that many of the berry vendors and other farmers that specialize in certain produce or goods have slowly disappeared with the end of their respective growing seasons.  The Albany Farmers Market is closing for the winter on Nov. 17 according to their official web site, so make sure to visit soon!

At A Glance:

Albany Farmers Market:          4th and Ellsworth
                                                  Open only on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
                                                  Closes November 17th
Corvallis Farmers Market:       1st and Jackson
                                                  Open Wendnesdays and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
                                                  Closes November 17th
Lebanon Farmers Market:        Grant and Main St.
                                                  Open Only on Thursdays from  3pm to 7pm

Where Do They Stand On Education?

If you are someone that believes that the Pell Grants are a good thing, then you will be happy with President Obama for championing Pell Grants.  But if you're someone who believes that the Pell Grant system is in need of reform and cost cutting, then Governor Romney is a good choice.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, a Pell Grant is financial aid that is awarded to a student that has not yet completed their “bachelors or professional degree.”  The one thing that sets this apart from other forms of financial aid is that a Pell Grant doesn't have to be repaid.

Both candidates address Pell Grants, and one champions the grant as revolutionary while the other calls for reform of the Pell Grant system.

Obama has almost doubled the amount of Pell Grants.  According to his campaign website, he has increased the grants by 95 percent nationally and 114 percent in Oregon.

His Republican contender Mitt Romney calls for an opposing movement in the realm of Pell Grants.  According to his educational plan: A Chance for Every Child, Romney is calling for the reform of Pell Grants.  He calls for putting the Pell Grant system on a financial plan so that it can remain financially solvent and not reach “financial cliffs,” like the one that caused the elimination of subsidized loans for graduate students.

Another push by Obama on higher education is a different way students can pay off the college loans.  Under the “Pay As You Earn” plan that debuted in September, monthly payments will be determined by your household income, this information was obtained from Obama's campaign website.  With this plan, your income is used to formulate how much you owe per month, but you can’t be charged over 10 percent of your monthly income.

Romney sees the problems not just in our inability to afford our loans, but in the financial aid system as well.  He would like to reform the government financial aid systems and even eliminate programs that are ineffective or already duplicated in another program.  Christine Ruck, a Linn County Republican Party Delegate noted that the reform will make the "financial process simplified."   Romney also calls for the government to educate students in what kind of debt they will incur so that they can make more informed decisions.

One way that Obama strives to support higher education is through his administration's push in investing two billion dollars into community colleges nationwide.  This is according to his campaign website.

Another way Obama and the Democratic Party would like to assist college students is though the renewal of the American Opportunity Tax Credit.  According to John Welley, the Linn County Democratic Party Treasurer, one of the dangers of a Romney ticket was the possible elimination of the American Opportunity Tax Credit.  "Education Credits are Golden right now." The American Opportunity credit is eligible to students who personally pay for school expenses.  Welley claims these credits will be in danger, if a republican is President.  "(The American Opportunity) Tax credit has to be renewed.  The President wants to do it, and the Democrats want to do it."  The tax credit is due to expire next year.

In A Chance for Every Child, Romney points out what he believes to be the issue in rising tuition costs.  His opinion is that the government is hemorrhaging money into colleges, thus not keeping them accountable to affordable tuition.

Ruck noted that tuition cost at community colleges are dictated by state governments.  "Students should focus on (the) Oregon Legislature."  And especially take a "strong look at state representative races."

Higher Education is just one of many area's where Romney and Obama differ.  Look, listen, and be-informed.  Vote on November 6th.

At A Glance

Who:      President Obama

              Governor Romney

What:     Presidential Race

When:    Election Date  November 6, 2012

Where:   Nation wide
Why:      It's our Future

The Great Debate: Moodle vs Blackboard

          With so many students either dual-enrolled or with plans to enroll into Oregon State University or University of Oregon in the future, is the LBCC online schooling system out of sync?

           Even Chemeketa is in transition from their current online provider to Blackboard.  Their transition should be complete by the school year’s end, according to their school website.

           Should LBCC do the same and move out of the Moodle world?

          Either in Moodle or Blackboard the online operating system allows instructors to provide classes, lectures, quizzes, syllabi, grades and forums to students with access to the internet, from the comfort of home or anywhere else.

            Most of us probably don't know, but LBCC operated through Blackboard four years ago.  The main reason we left, according to LBCC Moodle Administrator Paul Tannahill, was price.  Four years ago, Blackboard wanted to raise the price from $16,000 to $105,000.  That would have been a 556.25 percent increase in cost.

           In Tannahill’s opinion, another reason for leaving Blackboard was because the "tools on Blackboard make it clear, (Blackboard) is a commercial product."  What Tannahill is referring to the fact that much of Blackboards features are very cookie cutter and don't allow much room to adapt to the instructors needs.

            His opinion is very different regarding Moodle.  "Moodle is designed to be flexible and adaptable," said Tannahill.  "More bang for our buck."

            When asked if LBCC would change to any other online schooling system if money was not a factor, the resounding answer is no.  

            Tannahill made it clear that instead of switching to a different system, he would continue to work with Moodle.  "The more I work with it, the more I like it," he said.
         
            For these and other reasons, LBCC continues to stick with Moodle.

            Tannahill is not alone in his opinion of Moodle.  Freshman Robin Bonnie agrees.  "Moodle Works," said Bonnie.  Why change what works.

             So where does that leave our dual-enrolled students?  It leaves them exactly where they were yesterday and where they will be tomorrow.  According to Tannahill, this is nothing to frown on.  He believes from his interactions that these students are "80/20 in favor for Moodle."

          

               One dual enrollee disagrees Moodle is a better system than Blackboard.  Dawn Dennis, a dual-enrolled junior at OSU, is in total disagreement   "Moodle doesn't function as well as Blackboard," she said.  Dawn complained specifically to the fact that Moodle has issues when a student tries to copy and paste from Microsoft's Word to Moodle.

        

               One of the things you figure out really fast when talking to the Moodle Administrator is that even after four and a half years, he is very enthusiastic about using Moodle to make our online and traditional schooling a success.

                 When he speaks of ideas and improvements in Moodle, he talks faster and very in-depth with such excitement as someone talking about their favorite football team.  He has ideas about having more classes taking quizzes on Moodle, as this would allow more face-to-face time with professors instead of wasting valuable time grading tests. 

He mentions that 75 percent of traditional classes at LBCC use Moodle in some way, from hybrids to those that use it for access for test and forums, to more traditional classes that use it to give students easy access to things such as contact information, syllabi and frequently asked questions pages.

At a glance:

Schools using Blackboard: OSU, U of O, and soon to be Chemeketa

Schools using Moodle: LBCC and Lane

Blackboard: 5000 Schools

Moodle: 11,961 Schools

LBCC elearning help desk: elearning.support@mail.linnbenton.edu
Student Help Desk:             (541) 917-4630