Josie Greenman cultivates passion for roses
 by Elizabeth Miller
Roses are red, even when skies are gray, thanks to groundskeeper Joanie Greenman. Greenman loves Lewis & Clark College, her job, the people, and the atmosphere of LC and says, "at this point in time I just don't think I would want to work anywhere else."
Greenman, a native Oregonian, has been here ten years since retiring from a job in psychiatric social work and deciding to go back to school in horticulture. "I think the reason I did was because I always loved gardening and I decided after kids were kind of half-raised, why not go back and do something I really loved," she says. Greenman works with the other members of the grounds crew maintaining the grounds here, at the Northwestern School of Law, and at South Campus, which includes various duties from pruning to raking leaves. Each member of the grounds crew has a specific area of focus, allowing them to become familiar with the area. Greenman's specialty is the rose garden, an area in which she feels lucky to work.
Even after a decade of work, Greenman has a few missions on campus, namely restoring the rose gardens and conquering the endless ivy that plagues campus. After researching the history of the rose garden, she has attempted to restore it to the style of garden it was when it was part of the Frank Estate. In the past, the rose garden was used to test new varieties of roses before they entered the market. According to Greenman, recent work in the rose garden includes adding six new fragrant varieties this year and moving toward newer disease- and pest-resistant varieties that will decrease the need to use insecticides on the campus.
Greenman is also a member of the Portland Rose Society. Two years ago, on a whim, she entered the College rose garden in a contest, mostly to get a critique on the gardens and ideas for improvement. The rose garden won an award for "the best new formal rose garden in Portland."
Roses are Greenman's passion, as they have been for her family. "There's more folklore about the rose than anything else and it's just one of my favorite things," she says.
Greenman considers the rose garden a quiet, peaceful study area and encourages students to enjoy the gardens for that purpose in the spring and fall. Her belief in creating areas for students' use echoes the philosophy of her supervisor, Bill Salo. "His philosophy is that we're here for the students," she says. "That's the philosophy that every department on campus has, to my knowledge, or should have and that is that [students are] our customers and the whole point of the thing is to make it right for you."
As to Greenman's other concern, her mission at the moment is to remove the ivy from the trees around campus. "If I could do anything it would be to encourage students to get out there in groups to cut the ivy and try to get it manageable," says Greenman. The grounds crew has worked in cooperation with the environmental studies department in their efforts to pull ivy back from trees and practice planting species native to this area. The College is trying to keep the design of the grounds a natural one, so while there are some formal gardens, an effort has been made to cover the campus in native plants as well.
Outside her work in grounds keeping, Joanie has taken up photography as a hobby, and claims her new digital camera is like a toy. She recently took the Photoshop class at LC and is taking another at Clackamas Community College. These days, she can be seen across campus snapping photographs of the fall colors and students. Greenman takes pictures to help herself get a different perspective on the campus. "[Photography is] an opportunity for me to take a step back and take a look at through the eye of a camera instead of as a groundskeeper, seeing weeds over here and leaves over there," she says. "So when I look through the camera I see it the way a lot of visitors would see it." She has submitted some of her photographs to appear on the LC web page.
Greenman encourages students to work for the grounds crew because it "clears out the cobwebs" that accumulate in one's mind after too many days between stacks of books, serves as good exercise, gets students outside, and gives them a different way to feel tired. Working in what she considers an ideal job, she loves sharing her work with students and admires those who have worked for the grounds crew and gone on to careers in horticulture. Pleased with her situation, Greenman brightens the campus both with her work and with her friendly smile.
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Electronic musician sets sights on Portland compilation
by Aaron Landau
You may have already heard of Lewis & Clark College senior Chris Jones; he's one of many electronic music artists whose music has been showcased in LC's biannual electronic music marathon. But he is also one of a few artists who have taken their music farther than the Council Chamber, into the community at large.
Jones, who uses no pseudonym when on his own, but when teamed with fellow artist Martin (pronounced mar-teen) trades under the name HumanV, has been making electronic music since his high-school days. He has expanded his music to include not only computer-based sequences but live turntablism as well, and has showcased his DJ styles with Martin at local venues in recent months.
Among Jones' current ventures is a plan to put together a small record label, tentatively dubbed KRSP. The first of the label's releases is slated to press around Christmas, and will be a compilation of Portland electronic musicians who share Jones' vision. When asked what this vision includes, Jones remarked "the music should be progressive and experimental, with hip-hop's political influences." He emphasizes that the album's music will not necessarily come from a single styleó"the aim is for diversity," he notedóbut rather that each artist will aim for a similar, experimental theme. The compilation will be "moving beyond IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), but still tapping into old styles of acid-house, and other styles as well."
Jones' own music is somewhat experimental as well. His piece for last year's electronic music festival illustrated a more ambient side of his style, but he assures us that he has expanded since then. Of his music, he comments, "I've got a heavier dub influence, and things are always moving in new directions." Around the same time the compilation album is released, he says, a solo EP should be out as well. "On my own, I'd like to do some pretty out-there live stuff." Some ideas include "live DJ shows with an entire set of Hawaiian music," Jones jokes. "Or a set mixing nothing but guitar solos."
Jones encourages electronic musicians within the LC community and beyond to send him music for consideration on the compilation album, which he says will be released on CD, tape, and MiniDisc, "but not on vinyl just yet." For more information about the label or acquiring copies of any releases, email him at chjones@lclark.edu.
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