Japanese Cultural Exchange
Student Sculpture Installed
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by Bill Griffiths
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Master woodcarvers
Yoshiki Kawada and Mineo Shimada worked with the students
of
the Site Specific Sculpture
class to create a new wood
carving for
the L.C.C. Campus. The sculpture was installed
in
Moskus Square last June.
The sculptors are from Inami Japan, a small town in Toyama Prefecture with a long and rich
history of carved wooden sculptures.
The sculpture is entitled "Long Life" and contains traditional symbols
representing long life and wealth. For a closer look and some pictures
taken at the installation ceremony see more sculpture pictures.
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Check Float to
Disappear
by
Gary Mort
I have the impression that very few
people know that
Check 21 (officially Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act ) goes
into effect on 28 October 2004. The single biggest issue is
likely to be that "float" is fundamentally going to disappear.
When you write a check on Friday afternoon expecting to be able to add
money to your account before the check clears on Monday you will be
disappointed. The checkwill clear within minutes. You better have the
money in your account when you write the check.
Official
site
Respected
financial news source
Sept 27 edition
of:Industry Rag with a collection of stories |
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Unfinished Business
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by Dennis Gilbert
What
would you say is some of the
unfinished business of the
college? A reasonable question as we ponder the new academic
year. Here are 10 loose ends, not in any particular order, that
should be dealt with and some reason for hope that they could be:
1. Establish an open, transparent
budget process. Two years ago a budget transparency
committee made recommendations that could be implemented. Unit
planning will help. The new Finance Council may help. Until
we have an open, transparent budget process, it will be extra difficult
for most of us to fully engage in dynamic planning because most plans
have college-wide financial impacts. At the college-wide level,
we will continue to be offered a kind of paralysis: to be fearful of
our financial straights during the year and then to be grateful when we
find we were millions ahead at the end of the year, which, of course,
is a good thing due to the difficult situation we find ourselves in the
following year, etc. Fortunately, this situation will inevitably
change as more people choose to engage in real planning through the
unit planning process.
2. Come to terms with the
implications of collective bargaining on college governance.
Some steps were taken in the mid-90s during the federal Relationships
By Objective mediation between the college administration and the
LCCEA, the Work Relations Summit and subsequent agreements, the last
main faculty contract, and subsequent failed attempts of the temporary
bargainer for the administration/board to limit the gains made.
There was lots of dancing (perhaps some of it necessary) around this
issue in the Governance discussions and the Self-Study, but much
remains unsettled. Reality, however, seems to be pushing this
question to the fore for some specific answers.
3. Engage in the transformation of
work relations through the Work Roles and Relations Council.
The operation of this Council is contractually required, but has been
put on hold. There exist opportunities for the Council to make a
positive difference at the organizational level that most people carry
out their daily work. This important Council needs to be
reactivated, especially since no new Council has been given its
responsibilities.
4. Enforce the smoking policy.
The 6-month ban on smoking in Helena Montana and the almost immediate
substantial reduction in heart attacks and strokes provided "new
evidence that inhaling second-hand smoke can cause immediate health
problems, not just long-term risk of disease" (NYT editorial
4-27-04). Denying us the benefit of healthful air while engaging
us in "wellness" efforts is an inconsistency that could push us to
"clear the air" regarding smoking at Lane figuratively and
concretely.
continued
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Editorial
by Bill Griffiths
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#1
Priority
There are many issues that need attention
at LCC (Dennis Gilbert has outlined some of these in this edition) but
the national election November 2 is of more fundamental importance to
us all.
9/11 changed our lives in a significant way. Perhaps more significant
is our response to it. According to security experts (see Bush's Lost
Year, The Atlantic
10/2004 by James Fallows) we are less safe than at any time since 9/11.
The war in Iraq continues to deteriorate a year after President Bush
declared victory. It has provided a rallying point and breeding ground
for terrorists. The economy continues to have problems. The environment
is constantly under attack. Our civil liberties have been curtailed and
in some cases denied. The gap between the rich and poor continues to
widen. Our international reputation has been greatly damaged. Enormous
amounts of money have been spent on the war, between $120 and $200
billion, and continue to be spent at a rate of $5 billion dollars a
month. [Imagine what could have been done with that money. Even the $5
billion per month would be $100 million for each state each month. Could Oregon use that?]
Each one of these issues is a major cause for concern. The overall
picture, however, is much more disturbing. It reminds me of the 1950's
with the McCarthy era when the threat of international communism was
the billy club to intimidate our own citizens. Or the 1930's with the
rise of fascism. Today it's terrorism. The threat of terrorism is used
to suppress dissent as unpatriotic.
The administration's rhetoric is
double-speak. The
administration continues to deny any negative reports about the war or
it's consequences. "Victory" doesn't mean the war is over. We only get
rosy reports of it's progress. On the environment we find that "Clear
Skies" means more pollution is allowed. "Clean Water" means more
arsenic is allowed. "Healthy Forests" means more logging is allowed.
continued
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Voter Registration
Drop Boxes
- Bldg 1 Students First - 3
locations: Counseling Dept., Student Resources rm 210, and next
to the elevator on the 1st floor
- Cafeteria - north side
- Bldg 5 Health and PE -
lobby next to the gym
- Bldg 16 Math/Science - Math
Resource Center
- Center Bldg. - 4 locations:
Library, Student Government Office, foot of the stairs to the
bookstore, and at the book consignment station
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Letters
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Send letters to
griffithsb@lanecc.edu
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Past Issues
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