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Planning for a ‘green’ scene

Posted by :jprokop On : December 4, 2010
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In September, students picked produce from the Linfield Community Garden. In October, compost bins for students to put in their kitchen and assorted wastes were made available. In November, vegetation sprouted on the eco-roof of the bike shelter between Elkinton and Terrell halls. What will happen next?
These projects were supported by Linfield’s Strategic Climate Action Plan. Finalized in early September as part of The American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), the plan was implemented to “balance leadership in sustainability and climate change action with the academic and financial integrity of the institution,” according to the official copy of the plan.
This strategic 28-page plan reviews Linfield’s sustainability achievements during the past 12 years, introduces current factors and ongoing projects to reduce the college’s greenhouse gas emissions and identifies potential opportunities to reduce carbon emissions.
“The plan is a framework for what we actually do,” John Hall, sustainability coordinator and director of capital planning & development, said.
The plan
As defined by the GHG (greenhouse gas) Protocol, a standard for emissions reporting, emissions sources are
divided into three scopes. Each scope takes behavioral and infrastructural sources into account (see figure below).
As part of its commitment to ACUPCC, Linfield aims to reduce the school’s emissions to below the baseline identified in Linfield’s 2007 greenhouse gas emissions inventory by Clean Air Cool Planet Campus Carbon calculator and initially contributed from the environmental studies senior capstone class. Eventually, Linfield anticipates that it will be zero.
“Those [strategies in the plan] are detailed in curriculum or facilities. House sustainability is a significant part of what we’ve been doing. We have saved both emissions and financial resources as we are progressing to the future, for example, renovating Northup Hall to LEED silver,” John McKeegan, Advisor to the President and Co-chair of Advisory Committee on the Environment and Sustainability, said.
The college calculated the efficiency for several potential projects. According to the official documents, one of the projects will remove outdated control systems and replace them with campus standard system which will potentially result in $19,369 annual savings.
Hall said that some of the renovations to T.J. Day Hall (formally Northup Hall) include environmentally friendly technology, such as an energy-saving roof with solar panels to capture sunlight and convert it into electrical energy for the building.
Difficulty and possibility
Since it’s mostly responsible for the Strategic Climate Action Plan, ACES faces challenges with its implementation.
One of the biggest problems is the school’s reluctance toward devoting more resources to making this plan a reality, senior David Kellner-Rode, sustainability intern and a member of ACES, said in an e-mail.
“There are various ways for the college to actually achieve carbon neutrality, but it’s going to be a collaborated effort,” McKeegan said. “I identify alternative strategies [in the plan]. The community as a whole makes some fundamental decisions about which we want to pursue.”
Hall said besides requirements the college got to do including gas emission inventories and climate action plan, Linfield is still struggling as a
community to identify what sustainability means to ACES, what it means to Linfield, not just the 5 percent of students that advocate for it.
McKeegan said he doesn’t want the impression to prevail that Linfield is doing nothing. He also said one thing ACES didn’t do a good job of is letting people know that the college has urged for sustainable actions.
Belief in the future
Kellner-Rode leads three other students on a sustainability work study team that works on Linfield’s 2011 greenhouse gas emissions inventory and will release a new report next May.
“Hopefully, [the new greenhouse gas inventory] will give [people] a clear picture of where we are and whether initial projection that we are going to see is correct. Then we will decide potential strategies,” McKeegan said.
Hall praised Kellner-Rode and other students who are involved in increasing sustainability on campus. He said their passion helps push the process of the plan.
Hall said that strategic plan is the first step, and that the college needs to look at additional details to develop a specific action plan with one or two more steps.
“A good next step is to engage the Linfield community, and tell them the plan exists,” Kellner-Rode said.

by Jaffy Xiao/Features editor,
Jaffy Xiao can be reached at linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com.

Notable numbers from the Strategic Climate Action Plan:

In an effort to reduce energy consumption for heating, cooling, hot water production and lighting, Linfield has developed a Comprehensive Energy Conservation Plan, which has yielded extraordinary results. During the last 10 years, Linfield College has implemented many energy efficiency conservation projects saving $2.2 million in operating costs.

During the spring and summer of 2009, the college implemented lighting retrofits in many of its buildings. These retrofits included reducing the number of lamps in a fixture by half and installing high-quality reflectors. The combination of new, high-efficiency T8 lamps, new generation ballast and reflectors created significant savings along with the installation of double pane windows in the college apartments. Total electrical savings came to 528,009 Kilowatt hours per year.

Although Linfield has no Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity as calculated by the Clean Air Cool Planet calculator, the college recognizes the benefit of reducing electricity usage. Regional and national sources of carbon neutral electricity are limited, and by reducing Linfield’s electricity usage, capacity is made available to others. Linfield has calculated that the use of hydroelectric and wind power instead of regional average electricity sources allows Linfield to avoid emissions of 4,800 MT carbon dioxide equivalent annually, or an increase of 60 percent of the emissions calculated. This knowledge will allow Linfield to demonstrate the impact of future reductions in electrical usage.

Linfield students have participated in so many cultural travel programs that 26 percent of Linfield’s GHG inventory comes from study abroad air travel. This is a higher emission impact compared with the average eight percent of emissions from air travel calculated by other colleges that have signed the ACUPCC.

Kirk’s carpe diem: Musings from a beloved instructor

Posted by :jprokop On : November 13, 2010
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Kirk rests with students during a session of Ecstatic Dance. Photo courtesy of Christina Ries

“I am enough. I have enough. I give enough. I am enough.”
Students of Instructor Christine Kirk’s yoga classes may have heard this mantra, and it’s a mantra that Christina Ries, health promotion and student wellness coordinator, said she finds original and applicable.
Ries, class of ’04, said she first met Kirk when she took an aerobics class from her freshman year.
“As far as first impressions of college go, it was just amazing to see a person like her. She loves what she does, and you can totally tell,” Ries said.
Kirk began teaching at Linfield the same year she got married — in 1999 or 2000. She said she can’t remember which.
“I’m not one of those time people,” she laughed. “I’m kind of in the now.”
When the 53-year-old instructor arrived at Linfield, she only taught aerobics, continuing her 27 years of teaching fitness.
“I had been called by Linfield a few other times to come and teach here, but I was never in a place, you know, I had another job,” Kirk said. “By the third time, it all fell into place.”
Before teaching Wildcats the finer techniques of “Downward-Facing Dog,” Kirk managed health clubs as a trainer and instructor, but also had jobs outside of the fitness industry. She handled a catering business called SIR Hinkleman’s in McMinnville, where she’s lived since moving from California in 1969. She even worked in concert promotions in Portland and raised two kids by herself.
Kirk picked up yoga to handle all the stress that came with her work. But while Ries and many other students may call Kirk their “yoga guru,” she only began teaching yoga at Linfield in 2001.

Kirk says philosophies of giving and enjoying guide her daily life. Photo courtesy of Christina Ries

“I took my love of teaching and my love of yoga and thought, ‘Well why not?’ Everybody needs to know about this. Everybody needs to be doing this,” she said.
Now she teaches multiple sections of aerobics, aqua aerobics and yoga. This semester, she’s even teaching an extra yoga class for Japanese students, sponsored by the International Programs Office. Kirk said Dawn Graff-Haight, professor of health, human performance and athletics, was key in adding that class.
“She thought that they needed to take my yoga class to get the full Linfield experience. That’s a huge compliment,” Kirk said.
Faculty, staff and all walks of students can be found stretching and destressing in her yoga classes.
“I think she benefits the campus by just reminding people to be conscious about themselves. You know, to take care of their health, to be an advocate for their own wellness,” Ries said. “She’s so relatable … She’s not afraid to put herself out there, to have fun, to not worry about anyone else’s perceptions and to make you feel comfortable with that as well.”
Ries’ relationship with Kirk has evolved from student to co-worker to friend.
“She has a very magnetic personality,” Ries said. “I don’t think people can know her and not find something about her to love.”
Kirk also partners with Ries to put on occasional late-night Zumba and yoga classes at Linfield, which Kirk said nearly 50 people attend.
She also leads bimonthly Ecstatic Dance sessions, a “freestyle, open, loving dance space.”
“I love to dance,” she said. “Dance is my church.”
And Kirk’s work doesn’t stop at Linfield. She leads yoga and aerobic classes for the cities of McMinnville and Newberg. She also works in wine tasting rooms and at Third Street’s Red Berry, which her friend owns.
Throughout her years of teaching and leading these programs, Kirk has developed a deep teaching philosophy that is “accepting and open and supportive and loving.”
“I don’t care what group you belong to; we’re all of one human family,” she said. “Leave your ego, leave all your other stuff over there.”
Telling students to check their egos at the door remains central in her policy of acceptance.
“You can be who you are and feel safe about it and embrace it for the good, the bad and the ugly,” she said, “Your truth is OK no matter what it is.”
Her methods don’t go unnoticed.
“There’s so many people who have just appreciated her perspective on things and how she can just help people feel at ease,” Ries said. “A lot of times, I think she forgets how deep the impact can be for some people and how personal it can be.”
Ries said students surprise Kirk with thank-you cards and e-mails at semester’s end. Some students even bring her little gifts, such as candles.
Kirk said these tokens make her happy and feed her life philosophy of giving and enjoying what she has in this life, because, she said, you never know what the next life will bring.
“Next time around, do we get chocolate?” she asked. “Do we get brie, baked brie, and really nice, red, robust wine? You know, do we get that next time? I don’t know. I want to enjoy it now because this is when I have it. This is here.”
Kirk encourages being here, in the now, among her students, too.
“It’s not a dress rehearsal, people. This is the real deal,” she said. “Allow yourself to show up everyday.”
Kirk always ends her yoga classes by recognizing the connection between us all. In one word, she both acknowledges that we are “the light, the love and the spirit” and says farewell:
Namaste.

by Kelley Hungerford/Editor-in-chief
Kelley Hungerford can be reached at linfieldrevieweditor@gmail.com.

Instructor Christine Kirk practices yoga on a beach in Costa Rica in 2009. Photo courtesy of Christine Kirk

Wayward Wildcats

Posted by :jprokop On : November 5, 2010
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Approximately 53 percent of Linfield students come from Oregon, but the rest travel much farther. Senior Dulce Kersting’s Iowa hometown is 1,862 miles from campus, and if senior Tyler Huynh wanted to drive to his North Carolina home, it would take him 45 hours. Sophomore Sara Peterson faces a 27-hour drive to her home in Little Falls, Minn. Junior Kate Koten must drive 2,142 miles to reach her hometown of Hinsdale, Ill. What make them come all the way out to Linfield? Read on to find out.

A long way from home

“It’s a long trip home,” Kersting said. “Six to eight hours to fly and about 35 hours to drive.”
Unlike the many Linfield students who can head home for the weekend, Kersting said that she only sees her family a few times each year because she lives in Iowa.
“I’ve stayed in Mac the last two summers but [had] gone home at the beginning of June and the end of August,” she said.
Kersting usually flies home for Christmas, but her Thanksgivings are spent in Seattle with her father, who moved there just after her freshman year.
“Even though we have a week for Thanksgiving Break now, it isn’t any easier to go home,” Kersting said. “It’s too close to Christmas to pay for the extra plane flight and deal with the hassle of traveling during the holidays.”
Although Kersting can’t go home on weekends, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t stay in touch with her family.
“I talk to my mom every day,” she said. “And I probably talk to my dad at least twice a week. Mom comes to visit me during the semester, and I go home on breaks.”
Huynh said that he hasn’t been home since Spring Break of his freshman year.
“I usually stay in Oregon for breaks and visit family,” he said. “This Thanksgiving, I’ll be with my grandma in Salem.”
While some students find it difficult to stay at Linfield for extended periods of time, Huynh said that it is normal for him.
“I miss the home cooking, but it doesn’t really affect me much,” he said.
However, Huynh said that it is harder now than when he was a freshman.
“My first year, everything was new,” he said. “New experiences; new people. Now, I start to look back and miss it.”
Peterson feels the opposite. She said that as a freshman, she called home frequently.
“Any time I failed a test or something bad happened, I’d call my mom,” she said. “Now, I call and sit down and talk to my parents about once a week, but I call about little things less often than before.”
Koten said that she is lucky to have supportive parents. Without them, the distance would be harder to cope with.
“They are always willing to Skype or chat on the phone,” she said.
Although Koten is only able to go home twice during the school year and for the summer, she said she feels lucky.
“Some people aren’t even allowed that much,” she said.
Koten said that she struggles with being away when times are hard.
“I don’t like it when something is happening at home, and I can’t be there to help,” she said.
She said she gets homesick when she is ill, but overall, she loves Oregon.
“I am so glad I made the decision I did,” she said.
Peterson said that studying far from home is difficult sometimes but that it has been good for her.
“Other students never had the chance to find out who they are on their own,” she said. “I had to start fresh in Oregon without knowing anyone.”

Searching for a fresh start
A fresh start is a common theme for out-of-state students and one of the primary reasons they start searching for a college far from home. Their search is made more difficult, however, by the fact that Linfield doesn’t recruit in certain states.
“Counselors from the Admissions Office travel to Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Utah,” Senior Associate Director of Admissions Kristie Patterson said.
She said that many out-of-state students, who didn’t learn about Linfield from a targeted search, heard about Linfield and choose to call or apply.
Peterson’s search was specific. She grew up in central Minnesota, and although her parents pushed her to look at schools near home, she started looking out of state.
“I searched online for places with D-III tennis teams, good science programs and small campuses,” she said. “I had an inkling that I’d like to go the Pacific Northwest.”
Peterson said that in the Northwest, she had only ever visited Seattle, but she said she heard the Portland area was pretty.
“When I flew to Linfield to visit, I thought the campus was gorgeous,” she said. “I talked to the tennis coach and really liked her, and I met [Assistant Professor of Biology] Anne Kruchten and talked to her.”
She said that her parents wanted her to stay closer.
“When my sisters wanted to go to college out of state, they said ‘Oh good, you should go!’ But when I wanted [to], they said ‘You should look at schools in Minnesota!’”
She said that she heard a lot about Linfield and its community when she visited.
“I just got a vibe here,” she said.
Koten, who grew up in Hinsdale, Ill., felt the same way when she and her family first flew into Seattle and took a road trip through Oregon.
“I fell in love with the dry summer, delicious pine scent and stunning scenery,” she said. “It was that summer I knew, some day, I would live there.”
She first heard about Linfield when her great aunt, a high school counselor, helped her find several schools that matched her interests.
“She made a list for me: schools out West, schools in the Midwest and one out East. My parents were pushing for Wittenberg University in Ohio, but I wanted out of the Midwest,” Koten said.
Huynh, from Hickory, N.C., also heard about Linfield from family members.
“My aunt and uncle went to Linfield,” he said. “We always visited Oregon, so when I told my mom, she just said, ‘If you want to go to Oregon, that’s fine.’”
Kersting grew up in Ames, Iowa. She, like Peterson, searched specifically for a school similar to Linfield.
“I knew that I was looking for a private, liberal arts school in a small town,” she said. “Everything that Linfield is.”
She said that she searched online and then took a road trip with her father to visit her top schools.
“I fell in love with Linfield,” she said.
That is a common reaction for visiting students, Peterson said.
“Students are attracted to the kind of education and community that Linfield offers,” Patterson said. “The friendly atmosphere and connection that students have to the faculty is something that prospective students pick up on when they visit.”
That atmosphere made it easier for these students to feel at home from their hometowns despite the long distance.

Oregon vs. home
If Peterson could go back and do it again, she said that she wouldn’t change anything.
“It’s almost like studying abroad,” she said. “I’m just in a different state instead of a different country.”
She said that many people are surprised to learn that she is from Minnesota.
“Everyone asks ‘Why are you here?’” She said. “They always want to try the Minnesota accent, and they are disappointed that I don’t have an accent.”
Kersting said that many people don’t know where her home is.
“They think that Iowa is in the south,” she said. “It’s just silly. Didn’t you pass fifth grade geography? I know where your state is; why don’t you know where mine is?”
Overall, though, she is happy in Oregon.
“I’ve never been so homesick that I thought about transferring,” she said.
However, she said that the distance can be difficult sometimes.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten more homesick,” she said. “I’ve learned to appreciate home.”
Kersting said that this is one of the advantages of attending a school far from home.
“When I left home, I was sick of Iowa,” she said. “I graduated with the same people I went to kindergarten with, and I was ready to leave.”
It has also made her more self-reliant, Kersting said.
She said that one of her high school friends came to visit her once and watched her go grocery shopping, do her own laundry and manage her own money. Her friend was surprised by how Kersting’s maturity.
“I probably wouldn’t have learned that if I had stayed home,” Kersting said. “I might still be working for my mom like I did in high school.”
Moving to Oregon has changed Koten drastically, she said, but in a good way.
“Ever since I stepped on campus, I felt totally comfortable and in my element,” she said. “I knew I would be successful here, and I would love it.”
She said that she is a lot more outgoing than she used to be and more outdoor-oriented.
“It is difficult to guess what I would have been like if I had stayed, but, so far, I feel good about the kind of person I’m becoming,” she said. “I’m so glad I made the decision I did.”
Huynh said that the distance has made him more independent.
“I have to feed myself and take care of myself,” he said. “I have no parents to take me out to dinner.”
The hardest part for him was not leaving his family in North Carolina, but leaving his friends.
“It’s hard to stay in contact with them,” he said. “Family is always there for you, but friends are harder. I’ve learned to let go.”
All four students have moved far from home and left some pieces of their lives behind, but they say that they have received much from their Linfield experience, and none of them regret it. In fact, all four plan to continue spreading their horizons outside their home states after college, either in Ore. or in a different state that is waiting to be explored.

by Rachel Mills/Freelancer
Rachel Mills can be reached at linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com.

Costumes That Won’t Cost You!

Posted by :jprokop On : October 30, 2010
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Photos by Jaffy Xiao/Features editor & Megan Myer/Online editor
Graphics by Juli Tejadila/Graphics/ads designer, Megan Myer/Online editor and Sarah Hansen/Photo editor

World Wide Wildcats

Posted by :jprokop On : October 30, 2010
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Everybody publishes content online. But there is more out in the World Wide Web than spam, viruses and get-rich-quick schemes. Legitimate jobs exist, and some of our own Wildcats have jumped on board. One Linfield student and an alumna have each taken their talents to a more professional level. Check out the
following Q&As to see what they’re up to.

Dawn Moore
Class of ’08
Professional blogger

What exactly do you do?
I am working for WoW Insider and Joystiq.com as a feature columnist and journalist. I’m also executive editor for two new, separate sites launching later this year. One is a competitive gaming tournament website working with game companies and publishers to host and advertise tournaments for them (e.g. StarCraft 2, Heroes of Newerth, Tekken). The other is a sort of social networking site for [massively multiplayer online games].
I also own and operate a semi-popular gaming blog, but I write under a pen name for that, so I can’t tell you where it is. Two of the four gigs are paid (WoW Insider/Joystiq through contract and my personal site through advertising revenue) with the other two eventually paying once we pay off our investors and re-contract.
When did you start your current job?
Dec. 2009 – I really got lucky, actually. There was a website I read that called for open applications (joystiq.com). So, I just applied. I didn’t have any background in blogging except high school and college (but without a topic). I had a fantastic application. I got the job and I’ve been working there ever since. After I applied for it, I realized that almost every site you can blog for, you could apply for an application. It’s actually easy to get a job. Just submit a sample writing and idea for a column.

What is your favorite part about your job?
1. Technically I get paid to play videogames for a living.
2. Love the readers who comment and send me e-mails, basically my fans. I have about 20,000 readers.
What is your least favorite part about your job?
I guess the worst thing about the job is sometimes, like, you’ll work really hard on something, and it will take forever. It isn’t an hourly job, but a rate job. You get paid per story. Sometimes I will write a five-sentence article, and I will get paid well, and other times I will write a 2,000-word article and not get paid much. If you spend forever on an article, the pay equals to less, so your efforts aren’t always rewarded. You really have to stay disciplined on your schedule.
You can make as much money as you want as long as you make stuff to sell. But you have to wake up in the morning and not just lay in bed. You have to work and work and work and work. And if you do that, you’ll be rich if not, you’ll just be there.
The cool thing is that I wake up at 11 a.m. and sit in my underwear until 5 p.m. working. It’s pretty glamorous, if you think about it. It’s a great job.
Josh Rivas
Junior
Writer for “Massive Pwnage” webcomic series.

What can you say about your series?
Massive Pwnage is about Ence, a struggling artist, and Locke, an ex-programmer, getting through life. The duo goes through misadventures that poke fun at the games we loved in our youth and the conventions of geek society. There is an overall story going on, but most of the comic is [about] Locke and Ence’s take on anything geeky — whether it be video games, movies, table top or collectable card games. While most of the strips are works of pure fabrication, much of the humor usually stems from real conversations and moments just because we don’t know who Jon is.

What are your plans for the future of Massive Pwnage?
We’ve recently released “The Book of Pwnage,” which is a compilation of our first year of comics. We’ve already begun plans for Volume Two, but it’s still in the early stages of design. As for the future, we hope to start promoting the comic at conventions and connect with the fans. We also want our site to be more connected to the heartbeat of the community, providing reviews of movies, games and comics and the things we care about as a whole.

How did you get started in writing for webcomics?
In 2007, I was contacted by Jon Nielsen, an old friend from high school. He told me that he wanted to start a comic but was burned out on ideas. I sent him a comic about the iPhone months before its release with my personal feelings on it. He thought it was pretty good, and after writing two more comics, he asked if I wanted to be on board as the writer full-time. I promptly agreed. We’ve been writing them ever since, maintaining our schedule for the past three years.

How popular is your comic?
It’s definitely still pretty underground, although some game developers are pretty well aware of us and are fans. Most recently the developers of League of Legends, a massively multiplayer online game, liked our comic so much, he sent it to the entire development. To reward us, they featured us in their very first Summoner Spotlight, a monthly award page featuring the work of fans, with our recent League of Legends comic as a highlight. We actually got so many incoming fans it broke our servers. The system estimated that more than 60,000 users had attempted to view the comic at the same time. We get anywhere between 1,000 to 3,000 views in a day normally, so this is huge for us.

What do you plan to do after
college?
Freelance writing and continuing work with Jon Nielsen on Massive Pwnage and other projects. I plan on writing short stories and novels in the future and using this products to sharpen my skills in building narrative and character.

By Megan Myer/Online Editor
Megan Myer can be reached at linfieldreviewonline@gmail.com

Maze Craze: Fall fun on Oregon farms

Posted by :jprokop On : October 22, 2010
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It’s that time of year again, when people begin to visit pumpkin patches to pick gourds for the season’s festivities. But what makes pumpkin patch farms stand out from the grocery stores that sell pumpkins? The farming community has come up with several creative ways to draw in customers during the fall season, using attractions such as petting zoos, hayrides, food and musical entertainment. However, another attraction growing in popularity is corn mazes.
Many farms use corn mazes to appeal to customers. Farmers are beginning to step it up and take corn mazes to a new level. Rare are maze mades of random patterns and lines. Nowadays, farmers are incorporating intricate designs planned out months in advance. Some rely solely on in-home planning, whereas others are bringing in professionals.
Since Linfield is situated right in the middle of farming country, many of these farms are located down the road. So if you are looking to have some fall fun, here is a compilation of a few farms and their corn mazes to keep in mind this season.
Farmer John’s Produce & Nursery
Farmer John’s Produce & Nursery acknowledges the fall season with its “Fall Harvest Celebration,” which features a corn maze in the shape of Oregon, employee Angelica Sully said.
The farm manager’s nephew, Jordan Bernards, drew up this year’s design. Last year, the maze was in the shape of a windmill with the words “Farmer John’s” written out, she said.
“As far as I know, no one has made it out the exit yet. Everyone keeps coming back out through the entrance,” Sully said.
The corn maze costs $4.
Farmer John’s Produce is located at 15000 SW Oldsville Road in McMinnville, Ore.
For more information about the corn maze, other attractions that the farm offers and hours of operation, visit its website at www.farmerjohnsproduce.com.
Willamette Valley Fruit Company
Willamette Valley Fruit Company features a 13-acre corn maze (right) in the design of the company’s logo, along with the words “Finding Hope” across the top. The design was inspired by this year’s theme: “Finding Hope in 2010.”
WVFC partnered with The Maize Company, the world’s largest corn maze consulting and design company, to design its maze, owner Jeff Roth said.
“We already had ideas for the design of the maze and the company took those ideas and put them on paper,” Roth said.
“Hope” came to his mind because of the hard economic times people have been going through during the last few years, and he wanted a way to incorporate that into the farm, he said.
The inspiration for the idea and slogan stemmed from a Hope Station conference Roth attended. Hope Station is a non-profit organization that aims to eliminate hunger. A portion of the farm’s proceeds will benefit Hope Station and the Marion-Polk County food-share program.
Roth, who is overseeing the corn maze project, is one of six owners of WVFC.
“We want to make a difference in people’s lives,” Roth said. “We have been trying to get more people to come out and spend time together as a family and enjoy the nature around them.”
Roth said he believes that WVFC’s corn maze is the largest maze in Oregon.
This is the second year that the farm has created a maze, so it is still building up its popularity, he said.
So far, approximately 2,000 people have visited this season, Roth said.
Last year, Roth went out with his mower and made circular and straight line designs to create a 3-acre corn maze.
“It was meant to be small for family and friends,” Roth said. “We later opened it to the public.”
Tuesday through Thursday, the maze costs $7 for adults and $5 for children. Friday and Saturday it costs $8 for adults and cost $6 for children.
WVFC is located at 2994 82nd Ave. in Salem, Ore.
For more information about the corn maze and its attractions, visit WVFC website at www.wvfco.com. E.Z. Orchards Farm Market
This farm takes an educational approach to its nearly 2.5-acre corn maze, which features Oregon state and its roads and highways. There are 50 signs within the maze mapping out the different pathways (roads and highways) along with significant geographical locations in Oregon.
“We have done the state before because it works out well for educational school tours,” owner John Zielinski said.
Zielinski designed the maze and used a surveyor to help lay it out to ensure its accuracy.
He said the idea came from a conference he attended during which he met a Washington farmer that used done the same concept using Washington State.
Last year, the farm’s maze featured a covered wagon pulled by oxen. The design represented the Oregon Trail to keep its educational aspect.
Zielinski is anticipating approximately 15,000 visitors this year.
On weekdays, the maze costs $3, and during the weekend it is included as part of a $7 general admission to the farm.
E.Z. Orchards is located at 5504 Hazel Green Rd. in Salem, Ore.
For more information about the corn maze, additional attractions that the farm offers and hours of operation, visit its website at www.ezorchards.com.
Bauman’s Farm and Garden
This farm has a 5-acre corn maze in the shape of an old-fashioned saloon. The design was inspired by this year’s western theme. Each year, a new theme is chosen, and the corn maze is designed to fit with that theme.
Sarah Bauman came up with the saloon design this year, brother Brian Bauman, class of ’02, said.
“We always look for something new every year,” he said. “Last year, it was a castle, and three years ago it was pirates.”
Because of the complex design, the farm began preparing for the maze during the spring, and it took approximately six months to complete, Bauman said.
However, the hard work has paid off since Bauman’s Farm had approximately 16,000 people come out to the farm Oct. 16 and 17, he said. Bauman anticipates that the farm will have approximately 30,000 to 50,000 people visit this fall season.
The farm offers three packages: a $4, $8 and $12 package. The $8 and $12 packages include the corn maze.
Bauman’s Farm and Garden is located at 12989 Howell Prairie Rd. in Gervais, Ore.
For more information about the corn maze and other attractions at the farm offers, visit its website at www.baumanfarms.com.
Airlie Hills Farm
This farm took a different approach this year by designing an abstract, 4-acre maze with random patterns to increase its difficulty. The change occurred in part because of time constraints, so a decision was made to focus on the expansion of the pumpkin patch’s other areas instead, owner Aaron Kennel said.
However, in past years, the design has been a giant sunflower with a honeybee and small designs around it, he said.
So far, approximately 2,000 people have visited the farm and its new corn maze.
The maze is part of an all-inclusive $4 charge on weekdays and $5 on weekends.
Airlie Farms is located at 10775 Airlie Rd. in Monmouth, Ore.
For more information about the abstract corn maze, visit its website at www.airliehills.com.
Heiser Farms
This farm features a 4-acre corn maze with a design that promotes the farm’s newest attraction: a railroad track with small trains. The design reads “Grande Island Railroad” and has a pumpkin and train incorporated into the words, owner Kristi Heiser said.
“We purchased a railroad track for small train enthusiasts to operate at our pumpkin patch,” Heiser said.
She invented the design, and her husband John Heiser oversees the maze, she said.
“We both worked together in a step-by-step process, which
included flagging the maze and spraying the rows of corn,” Heiser said. “From there, we just let it grow.”
During the 2008 election year, the theme was based on politics, and the maze featured the words: “Obama or McCain?”
The maze, which takes anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to navigate, has so far drawn approximately 1,000 people to the site. It costs $2.50 to travel through.
Heiser Farms is located at 21425 SE Grand Island Loop in Dayton, Ore.
For more information about the corn maze, other attractions that the farm offers and hours of operation, visit its website at www.heiserfarms.com.

Jessica Prokop/Culture editor
Jessica Prokop can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Battles in the Beaver State

Posted by :jprokop On : October 17, 2010
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County Commissioner:
As evidenced by walking down just about any street in McMinnville, the “Battle of the Marys” is in full swing. Arguably, this could be because of the painfully close primary on May 18, when incumbent Mary Stern lost by nine votes to opponent Mary Starrett.
A two-term County Commissioner, Stern is a Democrat who has shown that her focus is on planning ahead for her county through fiscal and economic responsibility. She chairs the Yamhill County Economic Development Forum, which Sal Peralta, her campaign manager, said helped to raise $2.5 million for the local food bank and more than $9 million in rainy-day funds for the county and state.
And the recession being a top issue, this economic responsibility has gained for support of Stern.
However, Stern has come under fire for her support of Measures 66 and 67. Measure 66 raised taxes statewide on families earning $250,000 or more, and Measure 67 raised the corporate minimum tax by $10.
Regardless of her stance on the issue, Stern is supported by many Oregon law enforcement agencies. The commissioner’s job primarily focuses on criminal justice, and Stern has a long career in the field. She was selected in 1991 by the Department of Justice to serve in the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Western Regional Office as an honors attorney, worked in Portland in the U.S. District Court and became an independent legal consultant in 2001.
• • •
On the other side of the Mary fence is Mary Starrett, a former broadcast journalist who said she is tired of the disconnect between Stern and voters.
Starrett said the need for change is what helped her win the vote in May and will come through for her again in November.
The fact that Starrett is a third-party candidate is one of the more eye-catching aspects of the race. Normally, throughout the country, races come down to members of the Republican and Democratic parties, but this election season sees some changes.
Stern has been quick to point out the fringe aspect of her party, claiming that the Constitution Party is a right-wing extremist group. Although she wishes to make clear that anyone can be a member of any party, she reminds voters that many in the Constitution Party are conspiracy theorists and that voters need to see exactly what they stand for. Starrett said she is fine with this, and reminds Americans that “most parties appeared as fringe movements at one time,” including the two popular ones.
She said she wishes to affect change in the government and wants to do that by bringing a third party to office.
This differentiation has been the major focus of the campaign, Starrett said. She reminds voters that she has been working with the public all her life, whereas Stern’s career has been almost exclusively in the government. Starrett believes it is this outside connection with politics that will pull her through in November, as voters can trust her to not make mistakes she has reported on all her life.
According to a story recently published in the News Register, Starrett said she believes that the government could have been involved with 9/11 or the Challenger explosion and believes that big-budget spending and fiscal irresponsibility have gotten Americans in trouble in recent years.
If elected, she said she vows to peel back on spending and bloated bureaucracy.
State Representative:
In a hotly contested race Republican incumbent Jim Weidner runs versus Democrat Susan Sokol Blosser.
Weidner has made this an intensely personal campaign, using emotional appeals about his top issues on his website and straight-talking willingness to say exactly why he is the right candidate for the job. As a lifelong resident of Yamhill County, his message has been incredibly effective.
He believes that putting taxes on businesses at a time when the economy is in a rough state is a recipe for disaster, as is evidenced by many businesses leaving Oregon. Rather, Weidner would repeal the taxes and work to impose a limit on government growth to 6 percent annually, thereby leaving funds open to support the municipal aspects that Measures 66 and 67 are funding.
As for his opponent, no love is lost for someone he describes as a big-spending liberal. He is quick to compare his record of voting nay for tax increases and additional government spending, whereas he claims Sokol Blosser “is going to support the tax and spending agenda.”
• • •
Sokol Blosser, however, claims to know what taxes mean for businesses and what Oregon residents need from Salem to survive in this economy.
Sokol Blosser styles herself as a candidate for small businesses and the economy. She was one of the founders of Oregon’s wine industry in 1971, and co-founder of Sokol Blosser vineyards, which opened in 1977. Thus, as her campaign pamphlets explain, she knows how to grow a business from the ground up.
Her campaign manager, Ryan Mann, said the now internationally known company was a small struggling business for several years before the acclaim set in. She was directly affected by Oregon tax laws, small business restrictions and bureaucracy, and it is this knowledge that she claims makes her right for office.
Further, Sokol Blosser labels herself as the candidate of bipartisanship. Although a Democrat, Sokol Blosser said her years of uninvolvement in politics have taught her how to get along with everyone and see all sides of an issue.
Mann admits that she has been rather displeased by some Democratic actions lately.
Although never having held a political office, Sokol Blosser has shown a history of fiscal and economic responsibility, at times almost conservatively, that her campaign manager claims comes from her business background.
Unsurprisingly, Sokol Blosser has made her primary concern economics. When it comes to Measures 66 and 67, she obviously did not have a vote on them in January. However, according to Mann, if she had been on the floor, they would have looked different, with wanting to add more business-friendly clauses. If she is elected, Sokol Blosser will work to cut the capital gains tax, which she said she is outrageously high right now, Mann said, and will push for legislation that focuses on small business
es and helping them obtain what they otherwise could not.
First Congressional
District:
The race for the U.S. House of Representatives has heated up as well, with 12-year incumbent Democrat David Wu facing great challenge from sports advertiser and Republican activist Rob Cornilles.
Wu has represented the first Congressional District of Oregon since a historic election in 1998, when he became the first Chinese-American member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Wu’s campaign spokesperson, Julia Krahe, said that Wu is primarily focused on middle class families and putting them back to work. She states that Wu is taking this campaign, like all elections, very seriously, and she wants voters to know the differences between her candidate and the opposition.
The media have been filled with her candidate’s advertisements, which are also quick to point out the difference between Wu and Cornilles.
Krahe said that Wu is dissatisfied with Washington, D.C., politics in regard to the economy and the lack of oversights. Wu hopes to change this in future sessions of Congress. He also said he wants to focus on ending big businesses’ rule over the economy and supporting Oregon small businesses while also ending wasteful governmental spending.
Specifically for the Yamhill county area, Wu has been a strong supporter of the Newberg-Dayton bypass, which would open up travel between Yamhill and Portland. Also, he introduced the “Rebuilding Local Business Act,” an act designed to adjust the Small Business Administration’s zones of aide throughout Oregon, to help provide businesses in economically distressed zones a chance to receive recognition and support at the national level.
It is this kind of practical legislative support that Wu has became famous for.
“Wu is really good at diving into legislation . . . and finding out what will really help the people of Oregon,” Krahe said.
• • •
On the Republican side of the aisle stands Wu’s competitor Cornilles. In all of the campaigns, the differences between these two candidates couldn’t be more striking.
One element missing from Cornilles’ background is prior experience in politics. However, rather than viewing it as a negative quality that voters should be afraid of, Cornilles sees it as a positive. He prides himself throughout his campaign as being the candidate who will bring change to Washington and will not engage in divisive partisanship. When looking at his campaign against Wu, he believes he is showing his commitment to doing just that.
“I am trying to focus on issues real and important to the electorate while . . . Wu is trying to change the subject,” Cornilles said.
As for issues, he, too, is focused primarily on the economy and, like Wu, also focused strongly on education. He believes that his background as a businessman, and a local one at that, will make him the correct candidate for the job. He said he knows what Oregon residents need and what will work for them and believes he also knows what the trick to resorting the American economy really is: confident leadership from the top.
Cornilles said he believes that for Congress to change and repair the economy, it has to show confidence in and to the American people. He believes that he, along with many Republicans running for office across the country, knows this and knows that legislators must stimulate the economy from the top before any trickle-down effect can be achieved.
He also said he is committed to balancing the federal budget. Congress has been saying for months that it will pass a federal budget by the end of 2010 to cap spending but recently has said that this will not happen after all. Cornilles said he believes this to be inexcusable and vows to balance the budget while in Congress.

by Matthew Sunderland/Senior reporter
Matthew Sunderland can be reached at linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com.

Pot policy: Marijuana and Measure 74

Posted by :jprokop On : October 17, 2010
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The 2010 Oregon Voter’s Pamphlet features a measure centered on medical marijuana. Surprisingly, the majority of the debate included in the pamphlet supports the issue.
The Oregon Regulated Medical Marijuana Supply System Act, Measure 74, also referred to as Initiative 28, proposes licensing guidelines that would extend to dispensaries and producers to be included in a regulated supply system of medical marijuana.
The measure aims to create nonprofit clinics for patients with doctor prescriptions, so they can have access to medical marijuana in a pharmacy-style setting.
Under the measure, licensed at-home growth would be allowed and privately owned, nonprofit dispensaries and producers could possess 24 plants and 96 ounces of marijuana and would not be subject to most marijuana criminal statutes.
Measure 74 also suggests an assistance program for cardholders with lower income among other provisions, such as state-funded marijuana safety research.
The medical community is becoming the dominant segment of supporters. The voter’s pamphlet includes 11 favorable arguments, to which 10 doctors, three nurses and one physician contributed, and two unfavorable arguments.
Twelve years ago, Oregon voters approved Measure 67, a medical marijuana law that permitted medical marijuana cardholders to grow and possess medical marijuana with a doctor’s prescription and registration from the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, OMMP.
Current law allows an individual to fulfill specific criteria and become a registered medical marijuana grower. It also places restrictions on them. A grower may not be in possession of more than six marijuana plants and of 24 ounces of marijuana to distribute to cardholding clients. A grower’s clientele is not to exceed four cardholders.
The current law doesn’t allow for a distribution system, but Measure 74 does.
As it stands, criminal charges are being brought against ailing people who require medical marijuana, since they are forced to grow it or support the black market because there isn’t a functional and responsible method of medical marijuana distribution in place.
Even defense lawyers support the measure. On Oct. 4, The Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association endorsed the measure. The group said it recognizes a pressing need to codify medical marijuana laws and provide specifics.
Measure 74 is paramount to reducing ambiguities and making medical marijuana more accessible.
The OCDLA isn’t the only group that lends its support for Measure 74. The Democratic Party of Oregon is on board, too. The Citizens Initiative Review Panel, an independent group of randomly chosen Oregon voters, endorsed the measure in September.
Despite the number of groups backing the measure, there are opposing opinions. The problem lies with the recreational drug’s illegality for some people, and free availability for others. Also, the measure could potentially undermine drug law enforcement for noncardholders.
How does the measure stack up in the public arena?\Assistant professor of philosophy Kaarina Beam said that although she isn’t familiar with every detail of the measure, it could be a part of a broader conversation about drugs.
“I also think we should be open to discussing what the research tells us about what marijuana does and does not do for and to people,” she said. “And until we have those serious conversations, I don’t think this should be a forgone conclusion either way.
Marijuana was outlawed in the ’30s, junior William Bailey said. Since then, society has ignored its medical and economic benefits.
“I think it should be legalized because any one of its uses would be enough of an asset to justify its role in America,” he said. “It’s taxable and can be used as paper, medicine and fabric. All the people who don’t want it legalized can still choose not to take part in it.”
The success or failure of Measure 74 will be determined by Oregon voters in November.

by Septembre Russell/Copy chief
Septembre Russell can be reached at linfieldreviewcopy@gmail.com

midnight munchies

Posted by :jprokop On : October 14, 2010
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Need help studying for midterms? Eat these late-night snacks for energy and foucus. Snacks are a necessity for the occassional all-night. Take care of your brain and stomach: Find a “snack mate” and hit the books!


Here are some tips:
It’s normal for us to feel hungry late at night, so don’t be too worried about calories when you have to spend a long night studying.
For snack choices, the key is what you eat not when you eat it.
Don’t eat fatty foods — they will make you sleepy.
Get up and walk around after you eat snacks.

Barbecue-flavored chips & soda
Tasty index: *****
Health index: *
Calories: 140 (1 oz) + 100 (1 cup) = 240
Classic-flavored chips with soda are for either a
movie night or study night. Like coffee and tea, icy soda can keep you awake. Try a Max Pepsi if you are concerned about calories.

Banana & vanilla ice cream
Tasty index: *****
Health index: **
Calories: 200 + 125 (.5 cup) = 325
A suggestion from a Korean exchange student: peel a banana, spoon ice cream onto the banana and add some chocolate chips. You can try it in Dillin Hall first with the ice cream machine.

Apple & peanut butter
Tasty index: ****
Health index: ***
Calories: 65 + 150
(1 tbsp) = 215
Peel an apple, cut it into pieces and spread on as much peanut
butter as you want.
Canned soup & saltine crackers
Tasty index: ****
Health index: ***
Calories: 100 + 250 (1 cup) = 350
This is the best option for filling an empty stomach.

Baked sweet potato & cinnamon sugar
Tasty index: **
Health index: ****
Calories: 180 (about 10 oz) + 100 = 280
Here, you have a chance to use your hall oven.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, bake entire sweet potato for an hour (depending on potato size), slice potato down the center and add cinnamon and
sugar.
Despite their high caloric content, plain baked sweet potatoes still tastes great.

Breakfast cereal & milk
Tasty index: **
Health index: *****
Calories: 120 (1 cup) + 130 (1 cup of 2% milk) = 250
This is the simplest way to munch for those who don’t want to go shopping for late night snacks.

Fresh strawberries & milk
Tasty index: ***
Health index: *****
Calories: 50 (1 cup) + 130 (1 cup of 2% milk) = 180
Here is another great pair with milk: fresh
strawberries. Sprinkle in a little sugar if you have sweet tooth.

compiled by Jaffy Xiao/Features editor
Jaffy Xiao can be reached at linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com.

Soup up the season

Posted by :jprokop On : September 25, 2010
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With autumns arrival, we take off our sunglasses and don our raincoats and shiny rain boots; we make warm soups and welcome good friends. With these soup recipes, you can spend 20 minutes making a healthy lunch or take a Saturday afternoon to have an exotic dinner from Eastern Asia. Try your hand at being a gourmet chef or just feed your roommates during a long night of studying.

Phó (Vietnamese beef & rice-noodle soup)

Ingredients:
4 quarts beef broth
1 large onion, sliced into rings
6 slices fresh ginger root
1 lemon grass
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 pound sirloin tip, cut into thin slices
1/2 pound bean sprouts
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
3 fresh jalapeño peppers, sliced into rings
2 limes, cut into wedges
2 8-ounce packages dried rice noodles
1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce

Method:
1. In a large soup pot, combine broth, onion, ginger, lemon grass, cinnamon and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 1 hour.
2. Arrange bean sprouts, mint, basil and cilantro on a platter with chilis and lime.
3. Soak the noodles in hot water and cover for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain. Place equal portions of noodles into 6 large soup bowls, and place raw beef on top. Ladle hot broth over noodles and beef. Pass platter with garnishes and sauces and enjoy.
—Based ona a recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Bacon & leek soup with a twist

Ingredients:
1 packet of bacon bits
2 leeks
2 chicken bouillon cubes
Curry powder
Water

Method:
1. Chop leeks up into chunks, as small or as large as preferred.
2. Fry bacon bits and chopped leeks together. Meanwhile, measure as much as water as desired for soup base, then place water into a stockpan, and bring it to boil.
3. Once bacon is ready, pour the boiling water into a pot and add bacon bits, chopped leeks and chicken bouillon cubes.
Tip: Crumble cubes in your hand before you throw them in.
4. Stir the soup a bit and put the lid on. Let boil. Stir occasionally.
5. Sprinkle in some curry powder once it’s boiling, or add it to your bowl once it’s out of the pot. Stir. Enjoy.
—Based on a recipe from www.studentrecipes.com

Tex-Mex tortilla soup

Ingredients:
2 light or fat-free flour tortillas, halved and cut into 1/4 inch strips
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
12 tomatillos, husked and chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chile powder
3 fresh green Anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup cooked chicken breast, skinned and shredded
1 ounce lowfat cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Method:
1. Combine chicken broth, tomatillos, garlic cloves, onion, chili powder and Anaheim chiles in a large saucepan and
simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Puree soup mixture in a food processor or blender. Return it to the saucepan and add tomatoes, parsley and chicken. Simmer for 15 minutes, and season to taste.
3. Place tortilla strips on an ungreased baking pan, and spray lightly with vegetable spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
4. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with tortilla strips and cheese. Serve immediately with poppy seed cheese chips, if desired.
—Based on a recipe from www.mexgrocer.com

Thai pumpkin soup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of red curry paste
2 17-ounce cans pumpkin soup
2 13-ounce cans coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
Barbecued chicken breast, shredded

Method:
1. Heat curry paste in a medium saucepan until fragrant.
2. Add pumpkin soup, coconut milk and stock to the curry paste. Stir, and bring to a boil until slightly thickened.
3. Stir in shredded, barbecued chicken before serving.
—Based on a recipe from www.studentrecipes.com

Yummy homemade “tommy” soup

Ingredients:
4-6 tomatoes
2 carrots
1 parsnip
Half an onion, chopped
Salt
Ground black pepper
Paprika
Chicken stock
Worcestershire sauce
Butter
1 tube tomato puree
Fresh basil, chopped

Method:
1. Chop onion, and peel and chop the carrots and parsnip.
2. Peel the tomatoes.
Tip: The easiest way to do this is to pour boiling water over the tomatoes and let them sit for 5
minutes. Then drain off the water, and pour cold water over them. Nick the tomato with a knife, and the skin peels right off.
3. After tomatoes have been peeled, chop them in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
4. Add some butter to a frying pan and lightly fry the onions, carrots and parsnip until onions turn slightly brown and everything has slightly softened.
5. Add chicken stock and to stockpot and boil gently.
6. Add carrots, parsnips, onions and tomatoes to the pot. Put in a large squeeze of tomato puree (about half a tube), a few pinches of salt and as much Worcestershire sauce, paprika and black pepper as desired.
7. Chop a few basil leaves, and add them to the pot.
8. Let simmer lightly for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Tip: Cover and stir every 10 minutes or so to make sure nothing burns or sticks to the pot.
9. Cool, and whisk using a hand blender or normal blender. If you prefer chunky soup, serve as is.
—Based on a recipe from www.studentrecipes.com

compiled by Jaffy Xiao/Features editor
Jaffy Xiao can be reached at linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com.