Living with Autism

On July 19 it will be ten years since I was diagnosed with a high functioning level of Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a form of Autism.

Autism affects every 1 in 88 people in the United States, there are approximately 43,000 people diagnosed with Autism in Oregon. At LBCC alone there are 46 people that are diagnosed with some form of Autism. It should be noted that some students do not self-disclose their disability, the number reflects the amount of students that have provided documentation to the Office of Disability Services on campus. Because of the Autism Spectrum, the impact the diagnosis has on individuals is very different. There is a wide range of accommodations for people with Autism or any disability that are provided by ODS including, but not limited to, preferential seating, reduced distraction space, and extended time on tests.

A doctor at OHSU in Eugene diagnosed me. My father was in the room when being told. Because I was over 13 (I was 14) the doctor allowed me to be in the room but only with parental consent. The doctor asked my father if it was OK for me to be in the room while delivering the results, he said it was OK. To be honest, I think it was a good idea for me to be in the room. When it was revealed that I have Autism, I didn't want to believe it. After the diagnoses I felt I wasn’t normal, that I wasn’t the same as everyone else. I was often, when in Alsea, bullied in school and made fun of and I felt that because of being diagnosed with Autism I would be even more. It was also saddening because I felt that I’d never have a girlfriend because nobody would want to go out with someone who has a disability.

Due to constant bullying in Alsea along with an incident that occurred, that will not be discussed, my parents moved me and my siblings over the hill to Philomath when I was in 8th grade. Although I actually grew up in Alsea I often tell people that I grew up in Philomath because I dislike the memories that are brought back when Alsea is talked about. I do believe that I matured much more in Philomath than I did in Alsea. As I said I began school in Philomath in eighth grade, life became much better in Philomath because I had peers who helped me overcome many symptoms though eighth grade and all through high school. Things like understanding social boundaries, what's appropriate and inappropriate in different situations, things that people without Autism already understand. There’s still some things that I am overcoming, but over the last nearly ten years I have overcome a lot.

You may be wondering how most people that I went to high school with in Philomath knew about my disability. Well, I had two friends, who were twins, that I hung out with a lot in 8th grade and into high school, we were in the same grade. I told them about my disability, they then told others and word spread. At first I did not like the fact that they told others about my disability but looking back now, I’m quite thankful that they did. Had they not I am certain that I would not have overcome all that I have.

I know it’s not good to speculate but I think what initiated me overcoming what I did was something that took place right at the beginning of my sophomore year. During my freshman year I had had lunch with Kara and Teri Bartlow (the twins mentioned above) practically every single day, which was overwhelming to them. I did not really understand that having lunch with someone everyday was too much until the assistant principal, which was their dad, told me in a conversation that was had near the end of the school year. At the beginning of my sophomore year I saw Kara and Teri in the hall and they said to me “Hey Jarred, I think starting this year we should maybe just have lunch two or three times a week instead of everyday.” I then responded by saying “Ok well I was actually thinking two times a week too, because everyday is overwhelming.” There was then a brief pause followed by this response “Oh...ok.” I think the fact that I noticed I over-stepped a boundary and later on learned from it told them that I was willing to change and improve on my social skills that lacked due to my disability. I really truly did want to change and be more normal, and from that point on I started overcoming things with the help of Kara and Teri and a few hundred others. By the end of my sophomore year many of the students at PHS knew about my Autism, mainly in my grade and the grades above and below me.

I used to be worried about revealing my diagnosis to people after entering college because I was scared that I’d be judged and people would avoid me and not want to hang out with me. However, in January 2013 former Miss Montana and Miss America contestant Alexis Wineman revealed on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that she had been diagnosed with a high functioning level of PDD-NOS which is another form of Autism. When she told her story I was shocked by how many similarities there were between us. Her story inspired me to be more open about my disability. However, I do worry at times that some people might judge me and treat me badly if I reveal to them that I am different.


I like to think of July 19 as my second birthday. In 2012 Robin Roberts, Anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America, was diagnosed with a bone marrow disease known as MDS following previous medical issues that she had in the past. Her bone marrow transplant occurred on September 20 of that year and she considers that date to be her second birthday. After she talked about that date being her second birthday during a show that made me wonder if that would work for a disability. Yes Autism is a disability, not a disease but it is still something different that I have had to live with since the date that I was diagnosed. Although on June 7 I’ll turn 24, I’ll have lived with Autism for 10 years on July 19, 2014; my 10th birthday.

At a glance:

Who: Benton County Health Department

What: Benton County Developmental Disabilities Program

Where:
530 NW 27th Street
PO Box 579
Corvallis, Oregon 97339

When: Regular Business Hours

Why: To get help for people who believe they or someone they know has autism or a different disability.

'Deadliest Catch' Review

Deadliest Catch. The catch isn't deadly, but the catching can be. No, we're not talking about great whites or stingrays. We're talking crab, Alaskan crab straight from the Bering Sea. Some of the roughest waters on Planet Earth.

The tenth season of the reality television series "Deadliest Catch" premiered on Tuesday, April 22 on the Discovery Channel with some new twists. Everything from the government shutdown to the first female working on the boat.

The premiere began with news that had happened in October. On October 1, the government shutdown for the first time since 1996 because the debt ceiling reached its limit. This affected business in Dutch Harbor, Alaska where "Deadliest Catch" is based. Because the government was shutdown they weren't able to issue the fishing permits to the captains. Captain Keith Colburn of the Wizard traveled 4,100 miles away to Washington, D.C. to testify before congress in hopes of ending the shutdown. His testimony stated in part "Collectively, the fleet has already invested millions of dollars out-of-pocket just gearing up for the season. Each day it's tied to the docks, will cost these boats thousands more." Colburn continues by saying "For the majority of our crab, we rely on the holiday market. If the crab isn't caught, processed, and shipped out of Alaska by the second week of November, we stand to loose access to that market. Loosing the holiday market will decrease the revenue we earn at the dock by 20-25 percent. On behalf of all fisherman, I'm asking congress to end the shutdown now. I'm a small businessman in a big ocean with big bills and I need to go fishing." The government shutdown ended on October 16 at approximately 7:30 p.m. PT, less than 90 minutes before the government would've defaulted, after a bill was signed into law to raise the debt ceiling. This allowed the government to issue the fishing permits to the captains. The fleet began fishing, but approximately one week after their normal start date.

The boats often get new deckhands and greenhorns year after year, some move from boat to boat. 33 year-old Jake Anderson has been a deckhand on the Northwestern since 2007. Last year, he got into a fist fight with some of his fellow deckhands. Just after that he was offered a deal on a different boat called the Kiska Sea, not a part of the original fleet. He told Northwestern Captain Sig Hansen about the deal he got and decided to leave the Northwestern. Because things weren't working out too well on the Kiska Sea, Anderson decided to leave and asked for his job back on the Northwestern. Hansen agreed to give him his job back at the beginning of this season, the show is no longer following the Kiska Sea.

Other than character, traditions are a big part of the show. All the boats of the fleet have their own traditions. Like the Northwestern for example, before going out to sea the entire crew bites the head off of a cod fish. Cod is what they use for bait to catch the crab. On the Cape Caution, a greenhorn was trying to start a new tradition. This greenhorn, who is from the south, wanted the deckhands and the captain to kiss a quarter, he then would through the quarter overboard. This was superstition, believing that if they paid God a toll he will be sure to get them back safely. The deckhands agreed, but the captain...not so much. When the greenhorn told the skipper about the tradition that he wanted to start Captain Bill McCroskey, often known as "Wild" Bill, responded by saying "I know where you're from, I know they're all big on the undead down there. But I've been doing this for a long time without any worry of ghosts on the boat. If it's a big part of your life and you don't think you can live without it, you might want to get packing." Wild Bill, who is a key member of the show, did not kiss the quarter, but then when he tried to start the boat his engine failed. After he finally got the engine fixed and the boat started he changed his mind and decided to kiss the quarter, not taking any chances.

The Harris brothers are another fairly large part of the show. Their dad, Phil Harris, was the skipper of the Cornelia Marie until he passed away from lung cancer in 2005. This took a toll on Jake and Josh Harris, since the passing of their dad their lives have understandably been difficult. They at first tried to run the boat themselves which turned out to be unsuccessful, partly because of Josh's drug addiction. Johnathon Hillstrand, captain of the Time Bandit, gave the two boys a job on his boat to help them out. This year the two brothers are going to try once again to get the Cornelia Marie up and going on their own. They were going to begin the season in the premiere for the king crab, but Josh's continued drug use has but the boat on hold. Hopefully they'll be able to get going a little later this season.

There are two additional boats in the "Deadliest Catch" fleet. The Seabrooke, who's captain is Scott Campbell Jr., and the Saga operated by Elliott Neese. Elliott Neese is known to have some attitude problems but he is getting better it seems. Over the past two years he has had multiple heated arguments with fellow captains. He also had arguments via landline with his girlfriend while fishing, he received a restraining order from her. Because he mixed business with pleasure it got to the point where no one on his boat wanted to work for him. Captain Scott Campbell Jr., often referred to as Junior, has had arguments with his fellow captains, but not nearly as bad. This year he is battling some medical issues. During the off season his doctor told him not to go out this year because of his back problems. He refused and went out, he said one season that he is deep in debt and is constantly paying off his debt and if he doesn't go fishing and get money he won't be able to pay it off. He is fighting the pain and said that he'll see how it goes for king crab and go from there. Viewers can clearly tell though that it is taking a toll on him, while setting crab pots during the first episode he was barely able to sit in his chair during the time they were set, afterwards he had to go lay down.

Like most shows, there are always teasers to the next episode or episodes later in the season. At the end of the premiere there was a teaser for a huge milestone for the show. Later this season, Sig Hansen's daughter will be joining the Northwestern, the first ever female to be on Deadliest Catch. Also later on, one of the boats gets into a wreck after crashing into a bed of rocks. Plus, someone has a warrant out for their arrest. It's an action filled season and if you're one that's into action packed reality shows with arguing smoking sailors then Deadliest Catch is the show for you.

At a Glance:

Network: Discovery
When: Tuesdays 9 p.m. ET/PT
Starring: Mike Rowe (Narrator), Sig Hansen, Scott Campbell Jr., Keith Colburn, Elliott Neese, Johnathon Hillstrand, "Wild" Bill McCroskey
Production: Original Productions
Genre: Reality
Rated: PG
Theme Song: Dead or Alive
Overall Rating:

Wellness Trail

Unless you have viewed it on the LBCC map or have walked to the vacant baseball fields you may not know to much about the Wellness Trail. The Wellness Trail is a trail a little more than a mile in length that is located in the western area of LBCC.

In the mid-90's a 1,630 meter track was created on the campus of LBCC for the now-former tack and cross-country teams. Before the the trail was improved in the mid-90's the path was nothing but a trail of bark dust. The trail was originated by former staff members Dave Bakley and Arlene Crossman.

Brad Carman, LBCC faculty member, was the track coach in the mid-90's and wanted a soft surface to train on and decided to raise money to improve it, and put gravel on it. He spent over 100 hours and raised over $3,000 during a summer to improve it to make it useable year-round.

Sheri Rogers, LBCC math instructor, enjoys walking on it because "it provides a nice area to walk and get exercise outside." Rogers, who uses the trail 3-4 times a week, thinks that it is well maintained. "After the winter it can be a little muddy," she says. "But I think they do a good job of keeping it maintained with the bark dust there."

OSAA 4A Basketball Tournament moves to different location

    When the game clock struck 00:00 in the 4th quarter at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis on Saturday, March 15 at 10:05 PM it not only signaled the end of the game, it also signalled the end of something that had been occurring for 8 years. Gill Coliseum on the campus of Oregon St. Univ. had been the place for the OSAA State Basketball Tournament since 1999. Philomath’s Tournament win on March 15 was the 176th and final 4A Basketball game to be held at this venue, it was also Philomath High School’s first state title win in basketball since 2002.

    Starting in 2015, the OSAA 4A State Basketball Tournament will be held at Liberty High School and Century High School, both in Hillsboro. The OSAA Executive Board made this decision based on venue size and attendance figures. They found that there was no need for such a large venue with low attendance numbers. The Moda Center (Formerly the Rose Garden Arena), where the 6A tournament was held, can hold nearly 20,000 people. Starting next year the 6A tournament will be held at the Chiles Center at the University of Portland which has a capacity of 4,800. Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene at the Univ. of Oregon, where the 5A was held, can hold roughly 12,000 people. Gill Coliseum which has a capacity of 10,000 will be the new site for the 5A tournament in 2015. Liberty HS and Century HS can combined hold 5,200 people. When searching for a location for the 4A tournament Hillsboro School District considered it and later agreed and was willing to sacrifice school on Thursday and Friday of the 3-day tournament, which used to be a 4-day tournament.

    The tournament move should have a great impact on local businesses in the Hillsboro area for the 4A tournament, but also in Corvallis for the 5A tournament depending on what teams are competing. “I think it will have great impacts on both,” said Steve Walker, OSAA Sports & Information Director. There are seven 5A schools within 30 miles of Corvallis which means if all of them compete in the tournament at the same time, which isn’t likely, there won’t be much of an impact on Corvallis businesses because everyone will stay home and eat dinner. However, there will likely be more of a fan turnout due to the short distance. When the 4A tournament was held in Corvallis there were only three 4A schools within 30 miles. Philomath, which is less than 5 miles away, often competed in the tournament which means every time they did there was a large turnout but everyone who came likely didn’t eat out. In Hillsboro there is only one 4A school within 30 miles, Banks is less than 15 miles away, which means there may not be an enormous turnout but the fans who do come will be forced to eat at local restaurants along Cornelius Pass Road in Hillsboro and 185th Avenue.

    Because the OSAA has annual contracts with it’s sites, there is the possibility that a site could be changed after being there for only one year. When asked what would happen if having the 4A tournament in Hillsboro doesn’t work out Steve Walker, who has been with the OSAA for 14 years, said in part “What potentially could happen is, alright the Hillsboro Schools were not big enough for the demand were getting for tickets for 4A. So we’re going to move 4A back to Oregon State, we’ll leave 6A at the Chiles Center, and move the 5A to Portland State who is building a new on-site arena in Downtown Portland.”

    Before 2007 the OSAA did not have 5A and 6A classifications, it only went up to 4A. When Gill Coliseum began hosting tournaments in 1999 it was first the site for the 3A tournament from 1999-2006. In 2007 Gill Coliseum became the site for 4A and the 3A tournament moved to Willamette University in Salem, but since 2011 it has been held in the Coos Bay/North Bend area at Marshfield HS and North Bend HS. The 2A tournament has been held at the Pendleton Convention Center since 1991, starting in 2015 the OSAA will still be holding the 2A tournament in Pendleton but at the Pendleton Convention Center and Pendleton High School making the 4-day tournament a 3-day tournament. The 1A basketball tournament will remain in Baker City at Baker City High School, where it has been also since 1991.

    A notable player who played in the tournament at Gill Coliseum was former NBA player Luke Jackson. When the 3A tournament was held at Gill Coliseum, Luke Jackson helped lead the Creswell Boys to the 2000 OSAA State Championship Game where they would rout Philomath 56-40 to win their 2nd OSAA State Title (1969, they also won in 2004). Luke Jackson, who was a senior in this game, was named the MVP of the game. During his high school career Jackson scored 2,095 points, the 4th most in OSAA history. After his high school career he went on to play for the University of Oregon where he played until 2004. His NBA career began in 2004 and ended in 2011, he played for five different teams. 2000 was also the year that the Philomath Girls won their 3rd OSAA State Title, edging Marist 35-31. That was the first time ever that both Philomath teams played in the title game in the same year.

    This year, there were five schools with both the boys and the girls competing in the tournament, one of those schools was Philomath. This was the first time since 2003 that both Philomath teams competed in the tournament in the same year, the first time ever as a 4A school. The Philomath Girls came into the tournament ranked #3 in the state at the 4A level with only three losses during the regular season. The began the tournament by playing North Valley who they fell to 46-41. That put them in the consolation bracket where they topped La Grande 48-31. Following their consolation win, the PHS Girls advanced to play for 4th or 6th place on championship Saturday at Gill. Unfortunately, the girls had to settle for 6th place after being routed by Henley, 56-36. This was the first time since 2012 that the girls have appeared in the OSAA tournament, but the 4th appearance in the past nine years and 21st since 1984. The Philomath Boys entered their 2nd consecutive tournament appearance ranked #1 in the state at the 4A level, also only three losses during the regular season. The boys began the tournament against North Valley who they edged 44-43. PHS advanced to the semi final round where they topped La Grande 61-52. This sent them to the first state title game for a Philomath team since 2006, when the girls lost to Burns 49-33 at the 3A level. Philomath slid by La Salle Prep 48-39 in the OSAA title game for Philomath’s first title win since 2002, it was the 5th title between the two teams in school history (Girls in ‘86, ‘87, ‘00 Boys in ‘02, ‘14). This was the first time that a Philomath team even appeared in the OSAA title game as a 4A school. The 4A winner on the girls side was Sutherlin defeating La Salle Prep 52-40. It was the second tournament win for the Sutherlin Girls (2008). It was the first time since 1984 that both La Salle teams made it to the title game, both won that year.

    West Linn knocked off Sheldon 67-56 to win 6A Boys title, Oregon City defeated South Medford 57-48 to win Girls 6A title. Boys 5A title won by Jefferson, Portland after defeating Churchill 69-64, Willamette defeated Corvallis 63-54 for Girls 5A state title. At the 3A level, Valley Catholic topped De La Salle North Catholic 62-50 on the boys side, on the girls side Vale routed Valley Catholic 52-36 for win. Irrigon wins Boys 2A title after 42-21 rout of Oakland, Girls 2A won by Regis after edging Western Mennonite 36-29. Columbia Christian topped Horizon Christian, Hood River 68-49 for 1A Boys title win, Girls 1A title won by Condon/Wheeler after 57-52 defeat over Damascus Christian.

LBCC Spanish Website

     Students who visit the LBCC website will find something new and interesting at the upper right hand corner of the page. The link labeled "Espanol" will take you to an all new site designed for Spanish speaking families.
     The Spanish page, which was launched in early February, is part of LBCC's efforts to become a college of choice for Latino students. The Spanish pages are designed to help the parents of Spanish speaking students, not to recruit students. The pages that are identified as Latino Focused are going to be around issues of admissions, student life, tutoring services, etc.
     Javier Cervantes, Director of the Department of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, said "I think it's a great effort for us," when asked if he likes the new Spanish website, "there are some hiccups here and there with regards to grammar and what not but those are all things that we're working on."
     The LBCC Spanish Website was created because of a strategic initiative called "College of Choice" which evolves around the evidence that the Latino community is the fastest growing community in the LBCC service district. "We know that there are a lot of families where English is not spoken at home," said Bruce Clemetson, LBCC's VP of Student Affairs. "The research tells us that in the Latino culture family has a lot of influence about where you go to college."

Journalism Ethics Speech at ACP Convention

     During his speech at the 2014 ACP Convention in San Diego, Chris Ison, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, discussed several ways to report stories the right way.
     He began his speech by showing several different slides that were snapshots of front page newspapers from the past. He would show them then ask the audience if they were ethically right. The first slide was one of a newspaper that, on the front page, pictured the Virginia Tech shooter (Seung-Hui Cho who killed 38 people, including himself, in 2007) pointing a gun into the camera lens. Ison asked the audience if they would run that photo. Most said no, some said they would but not on the front page. One audience member said that she would rather run a picture of him looking pathetic rather than powerful because "He shouldn't be depicted as being powerful." Ison responded by saying "He shouldn't be depicted as being powerful? Why not?" The same audience member responded "That encourages other people to do the same thing. If they depict him as being weak and pathetic it most likely wouldn't create a 'copy cat' problem."
     He later showed a slide of the front page of a newspaper that showed a picture of a baby whose body was found in a trash bag in a vacant lot in Detroit. He asked who would run the photo, no one responded and some left the room. After talking about the incident a little bit more he asked the audience why they would not run the photo, one person responded saying that "It's dehumanizing." Ison then said to the audience "Ok, why would you run it?" A different audience member answered "Because it's the story." As he concluded talking about this slide he pointed out an ad on the front page that read "Best Fest for Kids" and mentioned that that probably should have been pulled reminding the audience that "You need to look at the whole page."
     Ison concluded his speech by talking about some principals and values of Journalism. He stated that the central purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with accurate and reliable information they need to function in a free society. He discussed the Potter Box with is a series of steps to follow to help someone make ethical decisions. It was developed by Ralph B. Potter Jr. who was a professor of social ethics at Harvard Divinity School. The steps are as follows: Define the situation, What values should you apply, What principals should be applied, and What are your loyalties.

Profile on SLC Vice President Emily Browning

     Working diligently on her computer in the Student Leadership Council (SLC) office is Emily Browning, the SLC Vice President for the 2013-2014 school year. From coordinating blood drives to overseeing by-laws, the LBCC Student Leadership Council VP is a very busy job.
     Browning initially applied for Legislative Affairs Director of the SLC, but was appointed to the Vice President position. She was hired by the outgoing SLC and Barb Horn, Student Life & Leadership Advisor. This year, the new President and Vice President will be filled through an election process. When asked if enough students know about SLC she responded "No, I think we're kind of one of the 'hidden secrets' on campus. With LBCC it's not the same culture as you see at OSU and other universities because often times people come to campus for class and then they leave." The Benton County native and Corvallis High School graduate will be handing over the Vice President responsibilities to someone else next term and will be transferring to Western Washington University (in Bellingham) and pursue her major of Secondary Education.
     Adelaine Carter, SLC Event Planner, said the thing she will miss most about Emily is the friendship that she has made with her. She added that Emily's skills complement others at SLC because "She is willing to listen to your opinion and give advice off of that and she is also very encouraging and can melt her ideas with yours."

At a glance:

Who: Emily Browning

Job: Vice President of Student Life & Leadership at LBCC

Age: 18

Family: Only child, her mom works at HP

Years at LBCC: Sophomore

Education: Corvallis High School

Hobbies/Interests: Kayaking and hiking

Hometown: Corvallis, Oregon

Organizations: GSA in high school

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