Letter to the editor

Dear Editor:
I was recently shocked to read some of the questions and answers that were given in the November issue of The Byline. In the student interview section, I was appalled to read about one’s sexual preferences and experiences. This is a student newspaper, not an erotic Playboy blog. I hope that from now on, you the editor, will have a keener eye when it comes to moral correctness. I don’t want to be a hassle, and I read the paper often, but I should hope that from now on you will ask questions that have more substance, such as current events.
Thank You,
Colin Redmond

CORRECTION

On page 3 of The Byline’s November issue, the image accompanying the article “Former RCC student publishes thriller” is said to show Richard Finney (left) and David Snell (right). Mr. Finney in fact does not appear in that photo; the man shown is RCC Humanities instructor Charles “Chip” Phillips. The Byline apologizes for the error.

FILM REVIEW: “The Men Who Stare At Goats” (2009)

By Elijah Sullivan

Byline Staff

It must have seemed like a water-tight premise for a movie: a true story about the U.S. Army soldiers trained to read minds and to kill goats by – you guessed it – just staring at them. Cast George Clooney as the spy, Ewan McGregor as the plucky journalist, and Jeff Bridges as the commander/guru, and watch the money roll in.

That film is here – and it’s just as random, subversive and hilarious as the premise suggests.

Helping hand offered “Above the Radar”

The seed has been planted for a new grass-roots “non-organization” at Riverside

Photo by Amanda Adams

By Amanda Adams

Byline Contributor

Above the Radar is not like most clubs. It was founded on the conviction of one student who, in order to heal her past, had reached out to others.

Kep Barsotti was a victim of domestic violence for ten years. She slept in the back of her car and hustled to get by for a whole year before enrolling at RCC in the spring of 2008. Her two sons lived with their father because she felt it necessary to improve her circumstances in order to avoid being “one of those parents who cling to their children when it should be the other way around.”

Vinny finds Living Opportunities at RCC

By Amy LaPerle

Byline Staff

Vinny Aliries has been working side-by-side with the Rogue Community College’s maintainence department at Riverside since 2007, cleaning out the cigarette stands and picking up the discarded butts around campus.

The 41-year-old is part of Living Opportunities, a non-profit organization that subcontracts with RCC. The organization has been assisting the developmentally disabled and their families in Jackson County since 1974.

How well do you know your student government?

The student government of RCC’s Riverside campus is fighting an uphill battle to do — well, anything

By Marissa Woltanski

Byline Staff

The Associated Student Government of Rogue Community College at Riverside (ASGRCC-RVC) has been struggling to communicate its goals — and accomplishments — to the student body of the Riverside campus.

“This is my second year as president,” said Matt Vorderstrasse, President of ASGRCC-RVC. “There are lots of new officers. We’re going in a really positive direction.”

Former RCC student publishes thriller

David Snell talks about his new book, “Demon Days”, and his colorful storytelling history

David Snell (Photo courtesy of Rand Hill)

By Kassidy Scheppler

Byline Staff

In the third grade, David Snell told his mom he had been kidnapped. It got as far as him pointing out a suspect, and even the police were involved.

Luckily the suspect had an alibi.

Twenty years later, Snell confesses it was all a hoax. It is this same overactive imagination that has enabled Snell to become the writer he is today.

Snell, a graduate of Rogue Community College and current employee at RCC’s Redwood campus, has a new novel, Demon Days, hitting the shelves on Dec. 1.

HUMOR: “Dissecting A Cat (For Various Majors)”

The face of the future: rising enrollment brings hope to RCC

The swelling enrollment rates means many new faces at RCC, and the fastest-growing demographic is returning adults with a renewed sense of direction

By Amy LaPerle
Byline Staff

Do you need a new beginning?

With enrollment up 29 percent from last year, RCC has become a hot-spot for locals in search of a place to set their dreams in motion.

For the last seven years Reggie Jones, 47, has owned a small detailing business for commercial vehicles. Unfortunately the business went under.

“There’s already many people with a lot of skill and experience but in this economy you need a more skilled trade,” Jones said. “The more schooling you have the better off you are.

Since Jones got out of high school, he attended college off and on, but because the economy is in a shambles he is thinking he will need a specialized skill, and a degree to back it up.

H1N1 adviser: “It’s appropriate to be concerned”

 

Using hand sanitizers is recommended by RCC (Photo by Kassidy Scheppler)

By Marissa Woltanski

Byline Staff

The H1N1 virus – more commonly known as swine flu – has struck the Rogue Valley, and Rogue Community College wants its staff and students to use common sense precautions to protect themselves and their families.

“It’s appropriate to be concerned, this is a pandemic and it’s a widespread new virus,” said Dr. Steve Wells, a Family Physician of La Clinica and a member of the H1N1 Jackson County Medical Advisory Committee to the Health Department. “Those born after 1959 have no natural immunity.”