LBCC's Student-run Paper Continues Through the Pandemic
The bright glare from the screens reflects onto the faces. Scattered across the screen, multiple windows are open, each with a slew of other tabs. Eyes scour each written article,
photographs, ads and layout. Over and over, looking for errors. Is it ready for the final edit? Welcome to the student-run newspaper, The Commuter.
The Commuter is LBCC’s weekly newspaper, financed by student fees and advertising. Most important, it is run totally by the students, varying in different roles, opinions and niches. Articles and photographs range from covering protests, local happenings, reviews of movies, video games and more. The staff work together each week to produce one cohesive newspaper.
The pre-Covid-19 atmosphere could not be more different. The Commuter’s adviser, Rob Priewe, said, “It was bustling with energy … people essentially lived in the office on Monday and Tuesday.”
Rebecca Fewless, the layout/graphic designer for the paper, said, “The entire team would be in the office. … On Tuesday, all of our editors together sat around this giant table, with all of the pages of the Commuter printed out. Circling things that need to be fixed and they would bring it to me. … It was a very interactive thing. I really miss it.”
Like most of the rest of the college, due to Covid-19 regulations, staff are not able to actually step into The Commuter’s office in the Forum building, overlooking the courtyard on the Albany campus. Currently, everything is being done virtually and online to produce and create the digital version of the newspaper, which is distributed via email, posted on the Commuter’s website -- LBCommuter.com -- and the paper’s newsletter, which was launched in fall term. No physical prints of the paper are being made for now due to Covid-19.
So throughout the week, current Marketing/Advertising Director Isaiah Heiken sends out a slew of emails, plans ads, talks to advertisers, develops and releases the newsletter every week. As well as giving out story ideas to editors.
It is hustle time. Deadline for contributors and students is Sunday to submit and finalize their stories. By then, hopefully, most of the articles, photos, ads and press releases are dropped into the shared Google drive.
Now, over the course of each Monday and Tuesday during the term, Fewless works to transform a blank page into a colorful and engaging layout.
“I love that I get to express my creativity,” Fewless said.
Katherine Littlefield, the current Editor-in-Chief, then proceeds to look over and edit what
the staff has contributed so far.
Together, they touch base with the reporters, writers, photographers, and marketing director to organize things into their designated places.
“A lot of it is communication based,” Fewless said. “It's really important to communicate when everything has gone digital.”
This process can take longer some weeks, while other weeks it may not take as long to put all the pieces together and edit. “Each paper is different,” said Littlefield.
On a normal week, the final version is ready Tuesday night.
Wednesday finally rolls around. Staff waits in the Zoom meeting at noon, in anticipation to see how the edition turned out. Priewe said, “It's like a big reveal … there's a reason we call it a weekly miracle.” All the staff present on the Zoom call look over the finished PDF, highlighting good work and reflecting on what can be improved. Staffers share what they like about each other’s efforts and encourage each other for the next edition.
Sometimes silence hovers over the Zoom call while staff think about what to do next, while other times the meeting is overtaken talking about a story idea and how to go about it. Writers, other contributors, and photographers pitch different ideas for stories, photos, reviews. The weekly production cycle begins again at the Commuter.
Content in the Commuter is not always just from the newspaper staff. It can also include submissions from other LBCC students, students from other colleges, to non-students, including LBCC faculty and staff. Part of Dakota Gange’s role in The Commuter, as Student Voice Editor, is to reach out to students of LBCC and ask and shed some light onto the students' opinions, stories and more.
Littlefield said, “I wish people knew how accessible it is to get involved.”
Heiken said, “The reason I chose to be a part of The Commuter is because I can gain experience and also because I just love the people and environment at the Commuter. … I wish people knew what a resource the Commuter is.”
The Commuter is not only a place where as Priewe puts it, “A weekly miracle” happens. A whole team of writers, photographers and others are a part of this to make it what it is. A community of people who want to help others, learn and inform, and provide a trustworthy and true-to-word paper. It is a positive environment where things blossom into existence. “It’s a way for you to get your work out there,'' said Priewe.
Contact Katherine Littlefield if you would like to contribute or join the Commuter.
At a Glance:
What: Inside view of how the Commuter runs
When: 2021 Since Covid-19 lockdown
Where: LBCC/ Virtual Zoom
What’s next: The next edition!
Website: https://lbcommuter.com
For more information: Katherine Littlefield, Editor-in-Chief of LBCC Commuter, katherine.littlefield.5238@mail.linnbenton.edu
Who:
Adviser:
Rob Priewe
Editor-in-Chief:
Katherine Littlefield
Layout Designer:
Rebecca Fewless
Marketing/ Advertising:
Isaiah Heiken
Sean Ramos
A&E:
Steven Pryor
Joshua Bloedel
Photography Editor:
Hikari Kawai
Student Voice Editor:
Dakota Gange
Web Master:
Marci Sischo
Copy Editor:
Bowen Orcutt
Current Contributors:
Karen Canan
Brenda Autry
David Shaughnessy
Megan Oliver
Tanner Johnson
Natalie Pelc
Abby Johnson
Alistar Woods
Sydney Greene
Aidan Arthur
Mattea Hellman
Leah Biesack