RecycleMania is in full swing at Redwood Campus, and we’re competing against colleges across the nation to see who can recycle the greatest percentage of their waste. So far, RCC is in 3rd place for schools in Oregon, recycling 30.86 percent of our waste. This percentage is ok, but we can do better! The competition is happening until April 2nd and we could really use your help recycling to make this event a success.
To encourage recycling on campus, watch out for our Green-Handed Campaign. Club members will be offering free Dutch Brothers drinks (kindly donated) to people that are caught “Green-handed” by recycling or pulling recyclables out of the trash to recycle them. If you recycle you might be rewarded!
A few weeks ago, to kick off RecycleMania, the Sustainability Club, along with friends and artists, set out to build a sculpture out of just one day’s worth of RWC campus’ waste. We used paper coffee cups, lids, soda cans, and other preventable waste to build a nature scene (complete with a tree, a river, flowers, an osprey, and a salmon). It was astounding to see how many coffee cups were thrown away in just one day!

This is a great example of how just one small change in your life can affect the environment.  If all of us used reusable mugs instead of paper cups:
•RCC would have to pay less for trash disposal,
•The cafeteria would be able to save money on supplies,
•The owner of the reusable mug would save money on every cup of coffee or tea purchased (most coffee shops offer a discount if you bring your own mug).
This sounds like an easy win-win situation.  As a club we encouraged this idea by offering free coffee (donated by Rogue Coffee Roasters) to those students and faculty that brought their own mug.
For more information about RecycleMania, the RCC Environmental Sustainability Club, or to get involved please contact us at rccsustainabilityclub@gmail.com or check out our website

Staff writer

As a financial aid recipient myself, my college education is completely reliant on whether or not I receive aid. Students such as myself are in the “no aid, no go” boat, making financial aid an absolute necessity. This means I am not alone when it comes to the need for funds to cover my education.
Sheri Muzzioli, financial aid specialist in Rogue Central said that the key to maximizing the amount of aid you will receive is applying and filing early, so it’s a good idea to file as soon as possible for the summer term. The deadline for the spring term has already passed, but with the summer term deadline being April 11th, there is still time to complete the process before classes begin in June.
“Students should also make sure they are applying for scholarships,” says Muzzioli. “RCC gives over 400 scholarships, and OSAC gives over 4000. All of these things reduce the amount students have to take out for loan debt,” she concluded.
RCC has set up a three step financial aid process to assist in getting all of the necessary documents and information filed. The steps are as follows:
Step 1 – Complete the FAFSA application at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Be sure to include RCC’s federal school code, which is 010071. You will need to have ready your social security number, individual student information (marital status, veteran status, etc.), prior year federal tax information for you and your spouse/parents, adjusted gross income (AGI), non taxable income and benefits, and any asset information, if applicable.
Step 2 – Respond to correspondence – Watch for emails from MyRogueTeam at RCC and be sure to file any additional paperwork needed as soon as possible.
Step 3 – Take charge of your finances- RCC requires aid recipients to complete a certificate, degree, or transfer program within a maximum credit allowance as determined by the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy (SAP), maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative grade point average, and successfully complete a minimum number of attempted credits each term. You will need to read the SAP policy brochure sent with your first award letter, and be sure you understand the rights and responsibilities of accepting aid. (Please contact a Rogue Central Specialist for clarification)
According to the RCC’s financial aid information site, funds from approved grants, scholarships, and Federal Stafford loans are disbursed to students at the end of the second week of each new term. Please note that the actual date your funds will be available will depend on the date your application was processed by RCC.
A college education can make the world of difference in your attainable career options. Financial aid can assist greatly with fees including tuition, books, and supplies. Federal and state funds are available for you, so remember…apply and file your paperwork early, be sure to apply for scholarships, and answer all of you’re MyRogueTeam email. Please visit www.roguecc.edu/FinancialAid for additional information and clarification.

Look at the people around you in class. Now look at the instructor. After a term you might feel you know them, but would you be able to say if they are, or have ever been, homeless?

Jenny Jackson spent some of her teenage years stuffed into a singlewide trailer lacking electricity, sometimes with 15 to 20 other people. “It was a really dark and sad time in my life,” said Jackson, now the Associated Student Government advisor on Redwood campus. “I was really scared.”

Many others at RCC and in the Rogue Valley are currently in the same predicament as Jackson once was.

RCC student Ryan Katz is one of many who have struggled with homelessness. Currently in his fourth term, he is excelling in his classes and working on getting his CNA license.

However things haven’t always looked so bright for Katz.

After losing his dad to cancer at 12 years of age, Katz has never been the same. It started on the day of his dad’s funeral when his uncle handed him his first shot of whiskey. Not long after that, his aunt came with his second and that was all it took.

From that point on, Katz never turned back, and that was when the downward spiral began. After his father’s death Katz became a very hateful, bitter and angry child. He was an alcoholic and user by the age of 15.When his mother became a Jehovah Witness, she was no longer allowed to have anything to do with her son because of his actions, and so Katz was kicked to the street.

Not remembering much of anything from the age of 12 to 15, Katz does remember waking up in the hospital after being in an alcohol induced coma for 48 days. Opening his eyes he saw his mother and the tears and pain in her face, “What am I doing to my mother?” he thought, but it wasn’t enough to stop him.

“The pain I felt inside nobody knew,” said Katz.

The two people he loved the most had left him feeling abandoned. And so he lived the only way he knew how to block everything out.

Katz graduated from high school in South Dakota, although he doesn’t remember it, and then joined the Marines for the next 9 years.  While on a two week furlough, Katz had been on acid the entire time. He didn’t remember much from that trip, but he does recall being pulled up a cliff by paramedics. Katz was rolled off a 75 foot cliff in Hawaii and left for dead at 19 years old.

Katz had been clinically pronounced dead after being in another alcohol induced coma for three and a half days. But before even leaving the hospital he slammed a half of a bottle of whiskey given to him by a fellow Marine that was at his bedside.

“This addiction is such a scary thing,” said Katz. “I wanted to kill myself, but I didn’t have the courage to do it.”

“I never took baths. I learned how to eat out of garbage cans, and I knew the best places to eat,” he said. “I went to places that no human being should ever go.” But because of his addictions, he went.

Finally in 2006, Katz had a moment of clarity, and he knew he needed help or he was going to die. He had heard about an Alcoholics Anonymous group in White City, and before he knew it he was at the Domiciliary. Katz is in his third year at the program. Knowing that he has overcome his battles and there are people out there who support him makes each day a little bit easier.

“I’m a guy today that should not be here. Why I’m here is beyond my reasoning,” Katz said, “My life is really good today, although Algebra is kicking my ass.”

Today Katz is taking things one day at a time. “I don’t have a lot in life, but I’m comfortable with who I am,” Katz said. “I’m not a hateful man anymore, I’m not bitter, and I’ve forgiven myself. I’m a freaking miracle, I really am.”

A hand up, not a hand out

Working with homeless and at risk for homeless youth in Jackson County, the Maslow Project is just one of many places willing to help those in need.

In a tiny space on Main Street those who are in need of help will undoubtedly find what they are looking for. Aubrey Sharp and Drew Fitzpatrick are just two of the staff who are there to help those who come through their door.

Sharp, a case manager, and Fitzpatrick, a mentor and outreach coordinator, help supply the homeless with basic needs, and much more.

The Maslow Project has an abundance of supplies to give: On-site food, water, hot drinks, snack bins, heat up food, a hygiene closet, school supplies for those who are continuing in school, clothing, a place to do laundry, a place for showers, food boxes, sleeping bags, blankets, furniture occasionally, and free counseling services.

The clothing is supplied through Jessica’s Closet, which allows you to take up to 20 items once a month, and food boxes can be filled with enough food to last five to eight days.

Once a week a DHS worker will come in to help those who want to get on food stamps.

Maslow Project is open Monday through Friday, and usually sees about 25-50 walk-ins each day.

Besides providing the homeless or at risk with basic needs, they also can provide referrals to shelters and other programs. If the individual is under 18 years old they refer to Hearts With A Mission, and if they are over 18 years old they refer to the Mission.

According to Sharp, most homeless youth do not stay in shelters. About 80-90 percent don’t access shelters; they sleep on the streets, couch surf or double up with two or more families.

“We can tell them about the shelters, but on average they aren’t going to use them,” said Sharp.

The Maslow Project also aids in case management. They can help with the process of getting a birth certificate, an identification card, getting enrolled at RCC, completing the FAFSA, help create a resume and job skills classes. The basic needs are easy to get, but in order to receive extra help you must meet with a case manager once a week. Sharp is actively managing the cases of 60 kids.

“We want to work ourselves out of a job, but due to the economic season, it doesn’t look like it will happen this year.” said Fitzpatrick.

After seeing 1,610 individuals from June of 2009 to June of 2010 and serving roughly 3,500 hot meals on-site last year, the MaslowProject is hoping to find a new space so they are able to expand their services to a larger space.

Thanks to places such as the Maslow Project, homeless youth and families are getting the help they need. “The homeless population in Medford is very invisible,” said Sharp.

Referrals from RCC

According to RCC counselor Tom Pike, when a new homeless student is at RCC referrals can be made. Where they are referred to depends on the circumstance of why the student is homeless and their age.

“We’re not in the business of providing housing, but we certainly refer to agencies that are in that business. So we try to make appropriate referrals and support them,” Pike said.

At RCC there is an SOS program used by faculty. If there is suspicion that a student may be homeless, teachers can contact advisors and they can then try to reach the student and see if they may be able to help in any way. RCC also has master’s level clinicians on staff who are trained to provide personal counseling.

The Drive of Jackson

As a child she was orphaned, and placed between different homes and institutions. This was a struggle and culminated in her becoming a runaway.

From the ages of 15 to 17, Jackson lived anyway she could, couch surfing from place to place. She spent time with people she otherwise would not have. The only reason she was with them was because they were the only people who were there to provide food and shelter.

While living in the trailer Jackson saw a lot. “We would burn kindling down to embers in an old barbecue and then take it inside to keep the children warm at night in the winter.”

The trailer was rented by one person who had an incredible heart for others, and welcomed those without a place to stay. When she could no longer stay in the trailer Jackson moved into a van with two other people, two dogs and all of their things. She lived in that 69 Dodge for about six months.

It was a tough place to live, and even harder for Jackson as she watched her things get destroyed. “Such an unclean place, no showers, and with three people and two dogs, things would get spilled, oils get on clothes and things just got ruined,” Jackson said. “In many ways I’m very grateful for that time because every day of my life I appreciate what I have. I appreciate every meal a little bit more and my big soft cushy bed,” said Jackson.

The people that she lived with in the van had a poor mentality. They spent their days driving around trying to find bottles and cans to turn in so they could buy liquor.

Jackson at 15 was smarter than that though.

“I remember talking with these people who were my mentors, and people that I looked up to, and I was saying, ‘Shouldn’t we do a priority check here?’” Liquor wasn’t on Jackson’s list; she wanted a place to stay and something to eat.

Technically Jackson could not get a job because she was still a runaway and not yet 18 years old. But at 17, Jackson got her first job working at Taco Bell.

Within a month, she had a home, and hasn’t been homeless since.

Jackson started going back to school at 17 years old here at RCC. Where she earned her high school diploma and college degree.

“I am really proud of how far I’ve come and where I am,” Jackson said. “One thing that is unique about having been homeless in the past, is when I tell people I used to live in a van, they view me differently. I can see a real change, because they didn’t imagine that about me. And it gives them a new perspective on what I’ve been through.”

Something that makes Jackson unique is that she can tend to be kind of hard on homeless people. “I have a big problem with people standing on the street corners and begging for money,” Jackson says. “I got up and did something. I made a conscience decision to be proactive and find myself a life.”

“Education has been my saving grace in life.” That is something Jackson says frequently. Jackson is full of encouragement for those who may be in the same place today that she used to be in. “It’s up to you to find what you need. There are resources out there and people who want to help you,” Jackson said. “If you choose to improve your life you can. It’s just a matter of doing it. I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s certainly not easy, but it’s worth it.”

Senator Position Open:

Are you interested in becoming a member of your Associated Student Government? Well now is your chance! Your ASG is looking for a student Senator for the Table Rock campus. Come in to room 128 in the G building to pick up your application today. Applications are due November 17 so be sure to turn them in as soon as possible. Also, feel free to call us at (541)245-7730 or stop in to ask questions and learn more about this position. Apply now to become more involved in your school and with your student body. This position will begin winter term 2011.

Can Food Drive!

ASG is doing its annual can food drive! All items this year will be donated to ACCESS. If you would like to volunteer going door to door, contact ASG President Katilyn Eccleston, at KEccleston@roguecc.edu.  Or if you would like to donate you can drop off your items in the ASG Office (G-128) or drop them in one of the bins around campus!

Lunch with the Dean!

November 17th at 2pm in the HEC/ Room 221. Bring your questions and concerns to this open dialogue with Kori Bieber, Dean of Students. Refreshments provided.

Winter Festival

Keep an eye out for our winter festival on Tuesday November 30 from 9am-3pm. We will be decorating goodies along with other activities in the HEC building. There will be hot drinks for you to warm up with, as well as treats.

The Associated Student Government on Redwood Campus would like to let you know about a few events we have coming up in November.

RWC

Open Mic

Nov 16, 11 to 1pm, Student Center – Do you like Peanut Butter, or maybe juggling? How about juggling peanut butter? Well the latter is probably not going to happen but you never know considering the insane juggling talent of Devon “The Juggling Guy.” Many of you have seen him around Grants Pass standing on the street corner juggling and catching balls with his …neck. Yah, that’s right. Devon will be making a featured appearance at this month’s Open Mic, and back by popular demand is the comedic talent of the ever lovin Will Tippen. Come join us for a fun filled afternoon of peanut butter themed snacks and not so peanut butter themed entertainment!

Clubs Day

Nov 17, 11-2pm, Student Center – If you’re looking for something to do besides study, study, and well….study, come down to the Student Center on November 17 and check out the clubs that are active at RCC Redwood Campus. Everything from acting and dancing to environmental activism. Also, if you have an idea on a club you might want to start, this would be a great time to talk to a student government representative and find out how.

Lunch with the Dean

November 22, 11:45-1pm, Student Center – Come join the Dean of Students and other members of Student Government for lunch. Dean of Students, Kori Bieber, will be on hand to answer questions and hear your concerns. This is a great opportunity to have your voice heard and your questions answered personally by the Dean.

By S. Findley

Staff Writer

A controversial medical marijuana measure could mean relief for the seriously ill and an estimated $20 million in revenue plus thousands of jobs for recession-whipped Oregon.

Detractors of Measure 74 argue the measure could generate more crime and the state cannot afford licensing and regulation costs for dispensaries and grow sites.

An estimated 40,000 Oregon residents hold medical marijuana cards, but authors of the measure believe that since the passage of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act (OMMA) in 1998, there has been no safe, consistent and regulated way for patients to secure their medicine. Many patients, unable to grow their own or obtain it by any other means, resort to black market purchase.

Measure 74 as written would create a system of dispensaries and make marijuana growers and the dispensaries subject to licensing, background checks, taxes, and fees to the state. Regulation includes audit, inspection, zoning and quality control. It would make securing marijuana a business transaction like any other purchase. The measure also mandates marijuana research and reporting.

Dispensaries would be required to make marijuana low-cost or free for low-income individuals.

Under the new measure, state-licensed producers and dispensaries would pay an initial fee of $1000 – $2000 and 10 percent of their gross income to the state.

State officials estimate that dispensaries alone could generate revenue of half a million to as much a $3, or even $20 million annually. These revenues could offset the cost of regulation, which could run an estimated $600,000 per year.

Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston is against measure 74 because he believes it would add “more layers” for abuse. “The current system is already taken advantage of and abused,” he said. “People are growing more plants than allotted for distribution.”

Opponents also fear the burden of enforcement and police protection for the growers and dispensaries would overwhelm already stretched law enforcement. Many proponents counter that the improved system will displace the black market, cutting down on street crime.

In an interview with The Oregonian, longtime medical marijuana opponent Sheriff Tom Bergin of Clatsop County asked about measure, “Is there a way to deal with people who are driving around medicated, stoned?” But the measure changes nothing of the laws already in place for driving while intoxicated.

“Not supporting measure 74, won’t stop dispensaries,” John Sajo co-author of the initiative and Voter Power director told the Oregonian “It will stop the regulation of dispensaries.”

Likewise not supporting the measure will not stop illegal growers. “Stopping drug cartels from growing operations in national forests is where law enforcement needs to focus,” said Bob Wolf, spokesman for Yes on 74. “Picking on patients is disingenuous.”

Oregon—Deadline: Oct. 11

www.oregonvotes.org/votreg/vreg.htm  
 
California—Deadline: October 18 

www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm

California request a ballot by mail—Deadline: October 26

www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm

To the City Parking Committee:

Riverside Campus Students today are faced with a dilemma. Many are displaced workers who have lost their jobs, benefits, and the security of being able to provide adequate support for their families. Most have come back to school in order to receive the training needed to return to the workforce as a viable asset to the community.

The transition from worker to student is not always an easy move to make. It is full of financial insecurity and stress from the home as well as the academic front, yet they continue to show up, and move foreword with their education because the college is the only place where they are finding support. They do this even despite the cuts to the funding from our state. In our situation, the college is placed in a position where they are taking in our unemployed, and training them without any additional funding from the state, or the classroom space to accommodate.

Mixed in with all the struggles of student life lives another issue on our urban campus and this issue is parking. As it stands today students are having to play hop scotch from city block to city block as they go from class to class. Most students are aware of the parking structures made available to students, and there are students who utilize them. We have other students who utilize the buss pass that the college offers. Yet, we are a commuter campus and many of our students cannot afford the costs of the permit or the current cost of the parking ticket that the city issues.

We can all agree that reforming downtown parking in Medford is needed, but how can we do this without forcing students out of downtown? Students make up a good majority of the downtown foot traffic, and we do bring a certain amount of business to our neighboring food vendors. Yet, many students will not be able to afford the increase of the parking ticket, or the term parking permits for parking in downtown lots. The way it goes today is that many of us depend on federal student aid for survival, and the ones that don’t are forced to pay out of pocket for education costs that are not cheap. Students feel that they are being hit enough in life just for being students, and all that they ask is that the city thinks of them as well.

There is a proper solution for this, and the Student Government of Riverside Campus would be honored to assist if needed.

Sincerely,

Matthew Vorderstrasse
ASGRCC-RVC
Student Body President

Textbooks bought and sold, new and used, online buybacks. Buy, sell, rent at cheapbooks.com (260) 399-6111. Espanol: (212) 380-1763; Urdu/Hindi/Punjabi: (713) 429-4981. See site for other support lines.

Cheap Textbooks!

Why buy when you can RENT

www.bookrenter.com/roguerentals

GS105 lab kit for sale. Used but in good shape. $75

Call (541) 535-3937.

APARTMENTS FOR RENT

Quiet apartments in Medford.  1 & 2 bedroom, close to RCC & YMCA.  Student Rent Discount, gas heat, A/C, coin laundry, $495-545/mo.  Apply at 115 N. Ivy Street (6th and Ivy).

Evelyn Apartments, (541) 944-9295

STAFF WRITER

Rogue Community College launched a new recycling program Monday, January 11, 2010 on the Redwood Campus in Grants Pass.

Students stopped in at the information booth Monday, January 11.  Environmental Sustainability Club member, Jenni Porter, and president, Melanie Jessee, handed out stickers and pamphlets to students.  RCC Recycling Coordinator and AmeriCorps worker Britta Beckstead hopes will help increase membership for the club.   

Beckstead reported that there seemed to be a lot of student support of the program, resulting in over 100 raffle entries.  Entrants answered questions about recycling.   

Two RCC students tied for first place, winning a coffee mug, a Gooseberries bag, a Dutch Bros. T-shirt and blanket, a solar flashlight, and a $10 gift certificate to The Vine Restaurant in Grants Pass each. 

Sponsors included: Dutch Bros, Human Bean, Gooseberries Real Food Market, Ashland Food Co-op, and The Vine Restaurant.

The information booth was to raise awareness about a new recycling program inspired by the success of last year’s RecycleMania.  RCC’s Green Team wrote a grant proposing a “recycling laboratory.”  This would be used as an educational tool for the college and the Josephine County community, Britta Beckstead said.

Melanie Jessee and Jenni Porter are student workers paid by grant money received from the Green Team’s grant to drive an electric golf cart, picking up bins and performing general monitoring of on-campus recycling.

RCC Recycles is sponsored by the Solid Waste Agency, which includes government representatives from Josephine County, the City of Grants Pass, and the City of Cave Junction.  Beckstead said they have also received equipment donations (the blue bins and recycling dumpster) from local Grants Pass waste haulers, Southern Oregon Sanitation.

The goals of the RCC Recycles program are to reduce waste at RCC; educate our community about recycling; instill a sustainable effort that will continue to expand in the future; and inspire other green movements on campus.

“I am hoping that we will eventually be diverting at least 20 percent of our total campus waste generation,” said Beckstead.

Don Galli, RCC student and Animal House employee, admits that he probably does not recycle as much as he should.

“It’s not convenient,” Galli said.  “Nobody knows what to recycle.  I go out to the red recycling dumpster in the alley [between G and H buildings on the Riverside campus] and see that people toss garbage in there, or cardboard with food on it.”

Galli said that he would be willing to attend a class on recycling if it were offered.

RCC Bright Futures instructor, Shelly Diller, said that she sees a lot of recycling bins on campus already but expressed concern that “people may not be aware of recycling opportunities on campus.”

To educate RCC students about how they can improve their recycling efforts, a Master Recycler course will be taking place from March 1 to April 26, 2010 through Community Education.  Beckstead encourages students to apply for this course.

Beckstead hopes to have an event for Earth Day in April and many other events throughout the remainder of the year.  If students would like to be involved, they can contact her for more information as event dates approach. 

Beckstead, who was hired in September 2009, will perform the duties of recycling coordinator at RCC through the end of July.  She states that RCC hopes to hire a replacement part-time worker to fill her place and teach the upcoming Master Recyclers course.

Check out the recycling program’s website http://learn.roguecc.edu/recycle/ as well as the Green Team’s new website http://learn.roguecc.edu/green/ for updates and more information.

Britta Beckstead, Recycling Coordinator: (541) 956-7185 or bbeckstead@roguecc.edu/green/ for updates and more information.bbeckstead@roguecc.edu

BY ELIJAH SULLIVAN

STAFF WRITER

“When I first arrived at the college in 1974, it still had the feel of a Job Corps center,” Redwood instructor Lutz Kramer said. “For instance, there were still urinal hookups in our office area.”

In November of 1970, the electorate of the Rogue Valley voted to create Rogue Community College, making this November the college’s 40th anniversary. The Redwood campus in Grants Pass was a refurbished worker training facility.

“We were a very young faculty with an average age that matched that of our students,” Kramer said. “But we were also very energetic and ready to try anything.”

Kay Aldrich joined the staff as Sociology instructor in 1993.

“At that time the ‘Medford Campus’ was actually a tiny, rather depressing building in Phoenix – which is now Nim’s Warehouse, or something like that – across from Ray’s Food Place on Highway 99.,” Aldrich said. “Even G building didn’t exist then. Needless to say, we were all very happy when RCC began renting building space downtown and renovating the old building that is now G building.”

Verne Underwood, chair of the Humanities Department, has been with RCC since 1997, during RCC’s biggest influx of faculty members since Redwood opened. Underwood described the creation of Riverside campus as a “shot in the dark.”

“The first time I walked on campus it was like summer camp,” he said. “RCC came from some kind of worker’s camp, and it hadn’t changed much.”

When Aldrich joined the ranks of RCC’s full-time faculty the following year, her first office was in C building. “Archeological evidence of which lies under HEC, which butted up against a car repair business,” she said. “The smell of exhaust sometimes drove us out of our offices. Guthrie Motors was across the street where the library is now. I was also commuting to the Grants Pass campus a couple times a week to teach.”

At this time, RCC’s student population was significantly smaller.

“As I recall, my classes were pretty small compared with now. I had many students who were ‘displaced homemakers,’ as they were called then, and loggers who were re-skilling after reductions in timber industry jobs,” Aldrich said.

“I have had so many students over the years who come from very difficult backgrounds, growing up in poverty, without a good education, who struggle and struggle, and make it despite all odds,” Aldrich said. “Although all of my students make teaching a very rewarding experience for me, these are the exceptional ones, the ones I’m most proud of.”

Riverside always had a hard time finding a permanent home, it seems. This changed in 2004, with the approval of a $24 million bond that Underwood called “the best thing that ever happened to RCC.”

The bond was used to pay off the debt incurred from purchasing G building – formerly known as the Ward Building. Some of the remaining funds were pooled with resources from Southern Oregon University to build the Higher Education Center at the Riverside campus, which many consider RCC’s proudest moment.

“I think the completion of the HEC is the most significant thing that has happened to RCC in the past decade,” Aldrich said. “It gives RCC a strong presence in Medford, a real campus. And students get great classrooms, and places to study, congregate, and mix with SOU students. RCC in Medford has come a long way from the days of the Phoenix Center!”

During the last decade, RCC began to expand more rapidly The total student population swelled from about 15,000 students in 1999 to nearly 20,000 in 2009, necessitating more funding and classroom space — but the growth was not always to RCC’s benefit.

In 2005, RCC started Table Rock campus, which was “a stunning deal price-wise, until we realized there was extensive water damage,” Underwood said.

“Despite the growth,” Runzi said, “RCC has not always been blessed with financial support and had to deal with very difficult budgetary decisions. And unfortunately, these decisions — more often than not – came  at the expense of faculty and staff, and frequently restricted the scope of educational opportunities our faculty would have liked for our students. Yes, we have grown – and that’s a great thing – but we have also limited ourselves to delivering the bare minimum, the absolute basics. The faculty that has come to teach at RCC is much more gifted and talented than that.”

“We’ve rarely had good news from the State,” Underwood said. “Enrollment goes up and up but we received less and less support. We haven’t grown as a faculty because of funding.”

Kramer missed the RCC of 1971.

“The flexibility we enjoyed through not having an entrenched bureaucracy made Rogue a very exciting and fun place to work, and we really felt like one big family,” Kramer said. “This gradually changed as the college grew, and as we moved into Medford as well, the family feel gave way to a stricter organizational structure. Rogue is still a great place to work, but I miss those early years when anything seemed possible.”

Runzi called the decade a “mixed bag,” but he remains appreciative.

“It has been a genuine privilege to be part of RCC’s growth in Jackson County and to follow several of our students on their ways to academic success and wonderful career options,” Runzi said. “It has also been a great privilege to have been surrounded by amazing, energetic, enthusiastic, and supportive colleagues. And although some of them have retired, I find their influence lasting.”

Aldrich believes RCC improves with each passing year. “I love teaching at RCC! The students are the best part, and my colleagues here are fantastic.”

“RCC is like being in a warm, comfortable room while it’s raining outside,” Underwood said. “We’re all happy to be here.”