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S.P.A. players perform as the "seed among the weeds" in a rendition of the "Parable of the Sower." Photo by JB BOTWINICK/The Torch

Godspell, the first musical completely produced by the S.P.A., premiers on Friday, Feb. 6, at 8 p.m., with shows every Friday and Saturday through Feb. 21. Using comedy and song the production explores the place of Jesus in Jewish history along with several parables from the New Testament. Photo by JB BOTWINICK/The Torch

OSPIRG reaches out to campus for support of winter, spring campaigns

LCC student group works for lower textbook costs, global warming awareness; continues to feed the homeless through food drive

By: Jesse Gray

Posted: 2/5/09

The LCC Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group, fresh from its successful Winter term kick-off, is planning several major events for the rest of the school year. Some events include a homeless food drive, the continuation of a campaign to address global warming and a campaign to lower the cost of textbooks.

Part of the textbook campaign took place in the first few weeks of Winter and Fall term, when OSPIRG encouraged students to sign cardboard placards stating how much money they paid for textbooks. "It's a good way to see the totally ridiculous amount students pay for books," LCC OSPIRG Chapter Chair Charles Denson said.

OSPIRG's textbook campaign encourages instructors to use open source textbooks in their classes, which can be downloaded for free online or bought for a lower price than regular textbooks. Many of the campaign's events focus on raising awareness of the high price of textbooks.

OSPIRG is funded by student incidental fees, and tackles a number of issues related to students and the community, such as hunger, homelessness, global warming and environmental issues, textbooks prices, and lobbying in the legislature for more state funding for higher education.

While the exact number of volunteers varies depending on the event, OSPIRG members report that they have been in contact with over 2,000 LCC students and 700 have expressed interest in helping out.

LCC OSPIRG Chapter Coordinator Ben Ramsden-Stein attributed this term's higher degree of interest primarily on higher enrollment. "Part of it is increasing enrollment," he said. "We also stayed on top of class raps [this term]. There was just a lot of interest. It was great."

Ramsden-Stein and other interns and volunteers tabled in the cafeteria and outside the LCC Bookstore several days a week in Fall and Winter terms. They also hosted the OSPIRG winter kick-off, which was the biggest one in three years. "It wasn't Lane's record," Ramsden-Stein said, citing the record at 100 attendees, but he was still excited at the 52-individual turnout.

As for campaigns, OSPIRG encouraged instructors to participate in the global "teach-in" on Feb. 5 to raise awareness of global warming by infusing their lesson plans with global warming themes. While he wasn't sure of the exact number of participating instructors, Denson said he's expecting "a pretty good turnout."

There will also be a panel comprised of teachers and experts from the fields of health, environmental science and economics to discuss how global warming applies to their respective fields.

Other campaigns include an ongoing food drive for the homeless that has already raised 250 pounds of food, and a campaign to work with legislators and teachers to lower the cost of college textbooks.

OSPIRG is always looking for more people to help out with a number of projects and campaigns. It is planning a trip to Salem, Ore., in March to speak with legislature regarding a number of issues. Any questions or comments can be answered at the OSPIRG office, located in the basement of the Center Building.