Monologue
Idle Hands
J. Dana Haynes
Editor In Chief
It comes as a surprise to no one that the
economy is in a mess, despite the President’s
pristine Pollyanna nonsense about happy days
being here again.
The plain and simple truth is that a few
economic factors (which are as nebulous and
sorcerous to the common man as is the Neilson
Ratings) are on the rise, from ‘horrible’ to ‘very
bad.’ In the meantime, people nation-wide are
unemployed and there seems to be precious little
the government can do for them, or that they can
do for themselves.
Now, Clackamas Community College is
working on a plan that just may help several hun
dred unemployed citizens of the metroplex. It is
called Take Charge Day, and will be held at the
College on Saturday, April 16.
Those of us who have been around the cam
pus for a while have seen many worthwhile pro
jects, such as the Retired Seniors Volunteer Pro
gram and the community education system. In
fact, social programs have become a permanent
and prominent facet of the College. However, in
the three years I have attended this school, I do
not remember seeing a more far-sighted or social
ly responsive program than Take Charge.
The idea came from Mt. Hood Community
College, who in turn got the plan from the Henry
Ford College of Detroit. It is an entire day
dedicated toward helping the victims of the reces
sion (or depression, depending on your level of
poverty).
The idea is not to find jobs for the
unemployed, but to provide options. “Options”
seems like a relatively commonplace word.
However, it is the options in life that most quickly
fade when a person or a family is faced with
unemployment.
There will be four components, called tracks,
to Take Charge Day. They are:
(1) Focus on people who are without jobs, but
who possess certain skills. Many of these people
have been employed all their lives and have never
had to face a job interview or write a resume. This
track will focus on how to find work, where to
look, how to approach a possible employer and
other job-search skills.
(2) Focus on people who are umemployed
and without moneymaking skills. Most of the peo
ple who will be helped by this track are right out of
high school and/or still living at home. Of course,
the best way to help someone like this is to
educate them and give them career training, and
that has always been the prime responsibility of
the community college system.,
(3) Focus on people who would like to
become self-employed. The Randall Hall gym
nasium will be overrun with self-employed people
on Take Charge Day. They will discuss ways for
the unemployed to make extra money at home,
such as baby-sitting, freelance writing and
jewelry stone setting.
(4) Focus on families that have gone from
two-incomes to one-income. The problem in these
families (and there are a great many of them in
this county) is that they are used to living on an
economic level that suddenly becomes beyond
their means. For them, the secret is in learning to
live on less. This track will focus on budget
adherence, fix-it-yourself projects and ways to
keep the cost of living down.
Take Charge Day is a terrific program, and
the College is expecting as many as 800 people to
show up. However, to handle that many,
volunteers are needed. Anyone who wishes to
help is encouraged to contact the Job Placement
Center, ext. 213, 214. Volunteers can work two-
hour shifts, doing various chores.
This is a chance for those of us to take the
helm and have an effect on the troubles that beset
our society. This is where Clackamas Community
earns the name “Community.”
Page 2
Libraries: endangered species in
need of monetary protection
Doug Vaughan
News Editor
Public libraries are a value to every citizen. It
is a place where unlimited knowledge can be
gained for no cost. Yet this is one area that has
been hit with rough economic times and is suffer
ing.
Libraries are being affected nationwide as
well as locally. On top of being crippled, there is
no help being given to them.
In fact, President Reagan has cut all federal
funds for public and academic libraries. The
figure allotted to libraries was around $80 million
last year, but was removed from Reagan’s 1983
budget.
Locally the crunch has also been noticed.
The majority of a library’s funding is done at the
local level, and the recession’s effect on property
tax bases has been tremendous.
Multnomah County’s one area that has
been hit badly by this epidemic.
Multnomah’s library system has taken
reductions in every aspect the past few years, yet
next year it will face another cut—a tragic 26 per
cent.
This cut is larger than almost every other cut
in the county-funded programs. Worst of all, it is
in a place that will severely hurt everyone.
Cuts in any institution will be felt'by every
citizen. The public library is a place where
anyone can go and have access to information
and ideas which most likely will help that person
in some way.
The affect in Multnomah County has been a
shutdown of the libraries for a week, the first
ever shutdown of this sort in the 119 years they
have existed—even during the depression.
The libraries are preparing for future cuts in
staff by one-third, the shutdown of some of the
operating branches and a possibility of a shorter
operating week.
But there is a bright spot in Clackamas
County and I am glad to hear it. Recently,
County residents passed by 56 percent a three-
year library levy totaling $4 million. It will raise
$1.3 million annually to support Clackamas
County libraries.
The support of our libraries is important. To
reduce funds for them will only hurt ourselves.
Hopefully, Clackamas County residents will con
tinue to support their libraries in the future and
ward off the tragedy that has crippled other
countries’ systems.
Dialogue
single activity .
disables
College as
has
is worth
had three of these
already, with
disasterous results. Scheduling
was halted, the job placement
center was rendered useless,
the counseling center area was
useless, the whole C.C. was
useless for the time of the . . .
“Show.”
And what of the college
placement visitors we had on
campus last Lip Sync? I am
sure that the opinions taken
But, when a
Lip Sync is totally
the
Lip Sync
done, it
it? We have
bad
for image fallacies
Editor:
Dear
There has been an unfor
tunate rumor that has been in
circulation here at CCC this
spring. Rumor has it that
another Lip Sync contest is in
the works.
Now college is for every
body. And programming for
students should reflect that.
That is also true.
THE PRiNT, a member of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers
Association, aims to be a fair and impartial journalistic medium
covering the campus community as thoroughly as possible. Opi
nions expressed in THE PRINT do not necessarily relect those of
the College administration, faculty, Associated Student Govern
ment or other members of THE PRINT. Clackamas Community
College, 19600 S. Molalla Avenue, Oregon City, OR 97045.
back to the various universities
that were on campus that day
were simply superb. Consider
ing that it’s hard to tell people
about your school, or universi
ty, as you have been invited to
do, with a bunch of screaming
people twenty-five feet away.
How many times are we
going to be “April Fools?”
Students come and visit CCC
from different area high
schools, and see what? Over
glorified rock and roll? Come
on, let’s face reality.
We will continue to appear
as a “High school with ash
trays” as long as we allow such
farces to go on. The money in
staff wages, and facility upkeep
alone could have most likely
paid for a healthy tuition waiver
for some kid that would like to
go to school next year, and
who won’t get a chance. A lot
of people were unable to do
anything during the lip sync.
It’s unfortunate that our
representation of the students
is so poor as to allow such pro
gramming to occur. It is also
hard to convince the communi
ty to give their hard-earned
taxes to an institution that
doesn’t effectively use them.
Sure, the money used for the
contest itself isn’t public funds.
But wasted staff time, hence
wasted wages sure is.
There is a lot that could be
improved without the negative
things such as lip sync. What
comes next, Mud Wrestling in
the cafeteria?
Sincerely,
Robert Fisher
Vice-President
PHI-BETA LAMBDA
Clackamas Community College