Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1983)
Monologue Idle Hands J. Dana Haynes Editor In Chief The year is inexorably drawing to a close and as I sat down before my pre-Columbian LC Smith and Corona typewriter I realized this would be my last Idle Hands. Throughout the year, I have attempted to let this column live up to Its name by being the devil’s workshop ... or advocate, if you prefer. And as is fitting for a last column, I had to decide whether to do this one looking back or looking forward. We know what’s behind us. This seems like a good time to look ahead. Scenes to coming attrac tions, as it were. Sometime next year, probably during spring term, this College will have to go before the voters of the county and plead for passage of our trian nual levy. Without the levy, there would be no money to run the school and the doors will close. Unfortunately, very few levies have been passed for colleges in Oregon lately. Earlier this year, seven schools tried and four were turned down. There is a fairly good chance that this Col lege will also get the old heave-ho and if the ad ministration doesn’t want to see that come about they’d best give the voters a good reason to vote yea. A recent presidential council on American education gave failing marks to this country’s schools. In short, people are graduating from high schools without sufficient educations and the citizens are angry. But revamping the high schools isn’t the1 only answer. Education is a dinosaur in grades K through 12. If billions of dollars and years of work were poured into the system, it might possibly become passable. But more likely it is fated to live forever in the past, never quite fulfilling its pur pose. Likewise, colleges and universities cannot and should not change to meet the gap. It would be insanity to tell the universities they can either spend their financing on post-graduate programs or on reading’, writin’, and ’rithmetic. That leaves the middle ground: The com munity, or junior colleges. The world is changing and the two-year in stitutions are perfectly suited to that metamor phosis. The community colleges already serve a good and useful purpose, at least théy do In Oregon. However, that usefulness can and should evolve. One realistic change would be toward com puters. In a few years, everyone will have to know how to use a keyboard and those who do not will be left behind. Manditory computers classes would then be a logical function. This begets the obvious questions: How to pay for the necessary equipment? The equally obvious answer is local industry. The economy is improving and if most of the middle-or low-income types cannot feel it you may rest assured the large corporations do. These businesses include Tektronix and Precision Castparts, to name two of the largest local ones. Surely these companies would want to see a more “computer-friendly” community, as well as a generally better educated one. Last year, Tektronix made a large grant available to local schools for just such a project. If they did it once, they may do so again, given the proper incentive. That is just one way to close the ecduca- tional gap in our society, and to prove our worth to the voters. The community college system is im portant and underrated, and it is a safe bet no one else is going to blow our horn. That’s left for us to do. All right. Enough preaching. Goodnight Mrs. Kallabash, wherever you are. Page 2 Church, state separation in danger of disappearing Brett Bigham Arts Editor America Beware! You are in danger of having your basic rights taken away. Thistime it is not by the Communists or a corrupt government, but by religion. I am speaking of a growing religious movement in this country, a movement that is trying to stop your-right of choice. Religion has always played a large role in this coun try. From puritan times up until the early 1960’s many of the laws in this country had biblical backgrounds. It was not until the mid-sixties that these laws were finally questioned for their Constitutionality. Many laws have since been subject to changes or done away with altogether. Laws concerning pornography, homosexuality, prostitution and many other social standards not acceptable to the church were among those altered. During this time religion lost much of its in fluence on society. Now, two decades later, the church is again trying to make itself a controling part of our govern ment. In the past year there have been several attempts made in the judicial system to reinstate many of these laws that had been removed in the sixties. Several boards of education have tried to gain control over thè censorship . of school libraries and their contents, and many have tried to discontinue sex education classes. I’m not saying that this movement is a bad thing. This country probably needs a little religious help but in no way should it infringe on the lives of others. This has all been tried before and it rarely works out. Look at prohibition for an ex ample. The churches rallied to make alcohol illegal and won, even though the majority of the country was against the act. Prohibition turned out to be a miserable failure and was even tually repealed Our country is here to pro tect its people’s rights. In many other places people do not have any rights. That is why it is important for us not to allow any group (hot just religious) to gain control over any of the aspects of our lives. We must retain the freedom to choose for ourselves. It will be very important in coming times for the average person to keep track of the social pressures that the chur- chesare placing on our govern ment. It will be up to us to keep religion and government two separate bodies. We ail have a lot to lose if we don’t. We can lose our right of choice, our right to freedom. THE PRINT, a member of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, alms 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 reflect 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. Office: Trailer B; telephone: 657-8400, ext. 309, 310 Editor In Chief: J. Dana Haynes News Editor: Doug Vaughan Arts Editor: Brett Bigham Sports Editor: Rob Conner Photo Editor: Duane Hiersche Copy Editor: Shelley Ball Staff Writers: Shelley Ball, Tracey Herrle, Buck Jennings, Tracy M. Sumner Staff Photographers: Russ McMillen, Tracey Herrle, Buck Jenn ings, Troy Maben, Joel Miller, Rick Obritschkewitsch, Jenni Weber Business Manager: Joan Seely Typesetters: Penney Jones, Terri Hannaford Advisor: Dana Spielmann Clackamas Community College