Discrimination is the past, equality is the future

Everyone is prejudice in some way or another. People are taught at a very young age to discriminate against others. Whether it is because of race, religion, sexuality, gender, age, personality or way of life, everyone pre-judges. Experiencing uprising discrimination lately are homosexuals.

Anti gay/lesbian discrimination tends to be particularly brutal and nasty. Homosexuals are victims of prejudice for multiple reasons. Homosexuality contradicts some religious beliefs, traditional family, and out of the norm behavior.

They run into problems with getting married, getting jobs, getting and giving education, adoption and much more. Gays getting married does not harm heterosexual marriage. Homosexuals are simply people who happen to love the same sex. It has not been proven whether homosexuality is biological or environmental, but what would it matter.

They are people just like the rest of us, no worse or better.

Taylor Mangan, a local transgender resident had said that his first encounter with discrimination was after he graduated from high school after he had announced his sexuality to the public.

“I ignored it because I don’t care what they say or think,” said Mangan.

Mangan believes that most people who discriminate against homosexuality, mostly for the reason that they are afraid  of what they don’t know or don’t understand.

Here on campus the college takes pride in having equality, and no discrimination in any form. The reality of it is, you can not always control people the way you want. Opinions are opinions and there is nothing that can change that.

It would be wonderful to have everyone follow the “comprehensive statement of non-discrimination” that every faculty and staff member on campus hands out to the students on campus, but some people just ignore it and do what they want.

Unfortunately there are still some people on campus who discriminate against people who are comfortable and open about their sexuality. In all honesty it is not hurting anyone or causing any problems.

“I don't see why someone's sexual orientation is anyone's business,” said Angie Erikson, an attending student at LBCC. “You can like whoever you want. It’s not their business.”

They are happy with what they do and who they are, everyone is on campus to go to college and get an education, this is not petty high school. There needs to be more respect for others.

Michael Redick, a Salem resident, said his first time of being discriminated against was in grade school.

Now if an 8^th grader is discriminated against, how else would they know how to handle it. Some might never go to school again. And who knows what their potential could have been.

“The only reason being gay is harmful to anyone is because of what some one who discriminates will do to them,” said Kim Willaman. “When my daughter came out as a freshman in high school, the only fear I had for her was what others might do to her for being [out].”

Discrimination is something that can impact someone in the worst ways. Some people encounter discrimination at a young age and the effect is to ignore it or even run away from it.

Being homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual is not everything that someone should judge about a person. It is one of many factors that make up a person, and no one should be judged based on that only fact.

LBCC prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, ethnicity or use of native language, sex, sexual orientation or disablitity. If anyone believe that they or someone they has been been discriminated againsted please visit the following website for further informatin on appropriate help:

http://po.linnbenton.edu/?BP1015-NondiscriminationandNonharassmentPolicy.pdf

LBCC hosts its' 13th annual College Night

Entering college can always be a stressful event, figuring out what classes to take, the over hanging thought of what major should be settled upon and how to be involved with the campus. It can be overwhelming to attend a new school and trying to find how to get into the swing of it.

There’s always a multitude of questions that are asked when dealing with a new experience as big as getting a higher education.

What is my major? Who do I talk to about taking the right courses? How does financial aid work? What is the tutition cost?

At Linn-Benton Community College, they strive to make all newcomers feel at peace with figuring out schedules and classroom locations, not to mention making everyone feel more at home when joining college for the first time. 

Every year LBCC hosts an "open house" event called, College Night.

This year was their 13th annual College Night for approaching students and their families. It is organized in a way that people can meet some of the instructors on campus. There was also a handful of tables set up for some of the clubs that are offered to join on campus.

There was free pizza offered to everyone, campus tours were given to anyone interested in learning the physical aspect of the campus, along with information sessions.

Zoe Alley, a student at Linn-Benton, attended the event, was happy to give her input on it.

"I love the energy and excitement here," said Alley, "Everyone here is so excited about pictures, dancing, singing, learning even math.  The energy is infectious."

Students and their families poured into the event. There were groups of people eagerly waiting to obtain information from all the tables in order to insure an successful transition into college. Staff and faculty waited around their tables ready to answer any questions.

Over the years College Night has become more and more popular for incoming freshman. This year was one of the biggest turnouts the college has had. However, there were a few suggestions for improvement for the location. This year it was held upstairs in the commons area. 

Juan Pattieshaw, an incoming freshman in college, wants to be a criminal justice major and he really enjoyed his first visit to the college, although it was a little crowded for him.

The Linn-Benton Dance Club even stopped by and gave a quick flash mob performance for the event. They had been practicing secretly around campus. The mob included students and even a few faculty and staff members.

"I thought it was amazing to watch," said Megan Messin, a parent of two of the dancers in the mob, "everyone in the group had a lot of energy and smiles, and it was hilarious to watch the crowds faces in the beginning."  

During College Night students and their parents learned about a wide variety of opportunites offered at the college, some including: programs of study, financial aid,  scholarships and degree partnership programs with OSU (Oregon State University) and OIT (Oregon Institute of Technology).

There was also a brief discussion over their special admissions programs and disablitlies accomodations for those who need it.

Remington Brandenburg, a former student, has been away from school for 10 years and thought this was a great opportunity to see what LBCC had to offer.  He will definitely be here next year.

Come join us next year for College Night. It is one of the best ways to meet a lot of new people, and to become familiar with the campus, the school and what it has to offer. There are lists of helpful information, friendly faces and a uplifting atmosphere.