Smoking at LBCC

Linn-Benton Community College, gateway to the future? Maybe or maybe not... Alot has been said over time about what people can and can't do on campus. Depending on when and where you are, the rules seem to change. Many people can't seem to get all the rules strait because there is no clear picture of what is and isn't allowed. Take, for example, smoking on campus. Many of the faculty will add rules and regulations for what is and what isn't acceptable in their course syllibus at the begining of each term. However, once a smoker decides to excercise his ability to smoke, someone inevitablly tell him that there is to be yet further restrictions on their smoking habits.

Marcene Olson of Campus security said " There are no changes as of now for the designated smoking areas" and that no official decision has yet been made as to the future of smoking on campus and that we students will just have to wait and see how things go from here. "As OSU has recently changed to a non-smoking campus, we are watching them to see if there arise any added cost, conflicts, administrative headaches, or if it's met with success."

LBCC offers educational opportinitys for people of manys different cultures and backrounds. Some of these people smoke cigarettes. Some of those people who smoke cigarettes are less willing to keep LBCC campus's designated smoking areas clear of cigarette butts and trash than others. For this reason, there is much talk around campus about removing some of these designated smoking areas and with Oregon's Clean Air Act, that just may be a possibility.

This plan seems like a punishment to many cigarette smoking students who feel that it is unfair to move these areas to other areas of campus or to simply lower the number of smoking areas all together. LBCC has allowed smoking on campus for some time, and this isn't the first time that there have been issues with the smoking areas. Many students are not even aware that when smoking in the 'smoke shacks' the designated smoking areas, they are to only smoke on the open side -> _] of these places and not behind them in the walkways, crosswalks, or parking lots.

Smoking is restricted to designated smoking areas. There is talk around campus, these smoking areas are soon to be either moved or removed all together. Is this fair to people who smoke? Chemekita Community College has outlawed all smoking on campus and LBCC may be next.

"It's so stupid," says LBCC student Dan Bender on the topic of removing smoking from campus, "We already have to be huddled together in the parking lots like plague victims but now we might have to walk to the street and line up like bums waiting for a hand out?" This view is shared by many cigarette addicted students here at the college.

Jennifer Fisher, also a student at LBCC, said "I hate hearing people talking about how it's so unfair to them to have to walk past us 'smokers' and have to breathe in our second hand smoke." Fisher, after taking a long and obviously satasfying drag off her cigarette continued, "We have to walk around campus and deal with all types of smells like bad perfume or deodorant. What's next? No perfume or cologne on campus because someone complained about that too?"

Many instructors enclude the rules regarding smoking on campus in their class syllabus every term yet the rules are often not followed. LBCC Safety Committee has discussed this issue on several occasions. Students have continuously choosen to smoke where ever they please and throw cigarette butts on the ground where ever they go.

I don't want to be the person who points out all the names of the people who are either staff on campus or the ones who tell new students misleading information that seem to just cause further problems. What I want to do is to simple point out mistakes that have been made to set the record strait.

Blood Testing At LBCC

Linn-Benton Community College now offers an opportunity to learn vital facts about yourself each term. Those students enrolled in Lifetime Health and Fitness or LHF, are able to get this done by phlebotomists from Samaritan Health who come once a term to draw your blood and send back your results. Students enrolled in Circuit Weight Training can also get this done; however, they require a $20 fee. Faculty members and their spouses can also have this done for this same fee.

What do we associate in our minds when we think about blood? Pain? Injury? Death? How about life? Did you know keeping appraised on your blood glucose, lipid panel, and cholesterol levels can save your life? 250,000 people die each year due to blood related illness before they get the chance to reach the hospital.

When I say illness, I mean many things from heart disease and diabetes to heart attacks and strokes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that in the year 2010, Heart disease had claimed 597,689 lives, Diabetes claimed 69,071 lives, and Stroke or cerebrovascular diseases claimed 129,476 lives.

Did you know that by being aware of these blood levels can prolong your life span? Well, knowing what you’re up against isn’t where it ends but the knowledge you either do or do not have an issue enables you to make any lifestyle changes needed to save your life.

LHF instructor Brad Carman said “Between 300 and 400 students opt for this testing each term”, which is usually the 3rd week of each term. “When you get your results, you can even give them straight to your doctor to either act on or put on file for future reference”, said Carman, “Results range from Lipid Panel, blood glucose level, cholesterol, and indications whether you may be diabetic.”

LBCC Athletics Department secretary Gayle Rushing said that “only students enrolled in these classes are eligible for testing”. Rushing was very clear that if students are interested in blood testing, they must sign up for one of these classes. “We don’t want students thinking that just anyone can do it,” says Rushing, “We just don’t have enough people from Good Samaritan coming to accommodate more students than are currently in class”. Can you imagine the line of people who would show up if it was open to everyone?

“You want to fast for 12 hours before you have your blood drawn”, says Richard Gibbs, Athletics and Health Instructor, “You want to be fasting so your levels reflect your normal state as opposed to giving a false score due to food you just ate”.

Gibbs has personally participated in this even before and believes that keeping informed is quite important. Gibbs related to this writer that he has seen many people who have recieved their results and were able to make lifestyle changes that they didn’t even know were needed.

For anyone who may be interested in having this information, enroll in LFH or Weight Training and become master of your own future. For anyone currently enrolled who has missed sign up or are unable to attend the event, a second chance to have this done will take place at the Benton Center at a date that will be given to those interested parties. Protect your future. Think ahead. Be prepared.