Opinion
Student response to ASG forum almost nil
By Dave Holmes
Editor-In-Chief
After two ousters, a “misunderstanding” in a con­
tract negotiation, and much internal turmoil, the
Associated Student Government got itself together
on Feb. 26 and held an open forum to listen to
students air grievances and give suggestions.
What had been anticipated by ASG’s members,
and the press, was an organized discussion and criti­
que of the College’s student government. Unfor­
tunately, this did not happen.
The reason? Only five students bothered to show
up.
Just when suggestion boxes are finally starting to
generate some constructive comments and observa­
tions, a reasonable assumption would be that an
open forum would be the next step in improving
student-ASG communications.
This time, ASG cannot be held responsible for the
failure of a planned event. The forum was well
publicized and students were given plenty of advance
notice. ASG members even held a special meeting
that was geared to help them prepare for the open
forum. That preparation appears to have been in
vain.
Blame for the demise of the forum can be justly
placed on the student body, not ASG.
Motivation is the key word in attempting to stir
zombied students to become a part of what little
“college life” can, indeed, be offered at Clackamas.
Perhaps a small push is all that would be necessary to
get students involved.
If tlic ganic i uum in ilic Cuiiunuiiily Center was to
become empty over some weekend and closed in­
definitely, ASG could expect a fair-sized, angry
crowd to gather at the Student Services window.
While a lot of students might not notice, the sud­
den absence of noon-time concerts and performances
would most likely cause a few irate voices to be raised
in ASG’s direction.
Also, the refusal of ASG to acknowledge campus
clubs could be met with some heated discussion. To
some of the smaller clubs, the loss of ASG’s support
and the $50 grant that goes towards their club ac­
tivities could make the difference between an
organized club or wishful thinking.
While none of these things have happened, and are
unlikely to, the fact remains that they could. But why
should students wait until something bad happens to
let themselves be heard?
ASG does quite a bit of social and political work,
which includes projects that are not just activities for
students, but things students can become a part of.
Volunteer work looks incredibly good on a
resume, but also offers some intangible benefits.
ASG is making a true effort to find out what their
constituency wants and needs. Petitions and surveys
aren’t going to provide the kind of input they need to
serve the student body best. They need students to
speak up and be heard, no matter what the sugges­
tion, idea, or criticism might be.
From my side of the pool
By Dave Holmes
Obsession turns to lunacy
Editor-In-Chief
The video age has caught up
with me.
Cable TV has produced a
few surprises since it was in­
stalled at my house last Mon­
day. Most are pleasant, but a
few are really unnerving.
One great thing was the
price. On a chilly night in
February a very cold person
came to the door and asked if
he could talk to us about cable
TV. There was no harm in
talking, I figured, so I invited
him in.
As it turned out, the in­
stallation was free, we got
“Showtime” free for three
months, and the rate was ac­
ceptable. I think what really
sold me was the fact that the
guy graduated from Southern
Oregon State College and ma­
jored in Journalism. I was
ready to sign as soon as I
realized that I, too, could be
selling cable TV door-to-door
in the near future.
Like a kid with a new toy, I
spent hours flipping the chan-
Page 2
nels and watching whatever
popped up on the TV screen.
For two days, I don’t think I
watched even a half hour pro­
gram in its entirety. Except for
basketball.
Obsession turned into
lunacy as I stayed up until five
in the morning watching
repeats of the Sunbelt Con­
ference championships. I wat­
ched Syracuse tackle St.
John’s, Oregon State beat
Stanford, the University of
Somewhere take on the
Somebody’s from Backroad
State.
I watched everything. I
think I’m even starting to talk
with a distinct, clipped ESPN
broadcaster’s accent.
Things were beginning to
look bad when I somehow
managed to gather some will­
power and turn the channel,
Unfortunately I stumbled on
something with as great a
magnetism as basketball:
MTV.
I’ve never been the type of
person who really likes music
videos, but by watching MTV
I’ve found one of the fun­
damental laws of the universe:
You can’t watch just one
video.
Another irritating thing is
having to choose between
three different episodes of
“Leave It To Beaver” on three
different stations, all of which
air the show at the same time.
Sure, the stations are in three
different time zones, but they
ought to be thinking of the
millions of people who have
cable. In particular, me.
The College even has its
own channel. Various tele­
courses can be watched on it
so that students don’t have to
sit in those little booths up in
McLoughlin Hall. I’ve always
hated those headphones. And
during the evening, you can
always stare at the Com­
modore 64 screen that’s
displayed with its “power-up”
message and blinking curser.
It’s the best cure for insomnia
I’ve found to date.
Cable TV has a lot going for
it. Variety is, perhaps, its best
case for existence, although
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the premium channels help out
a lot. “But,” the salesman
asked us just before he left,
“will having cable TV cut
down on your movie going?”
I told him I didn’t think so.
He asked for a reason.
“They don’t show movies
on ESPN.”
Clackamas Community College