OPINION
THE CLACKAMAS PRINT
March 7,1990
Page 4
Is riding Tri-Met buses a rewarding experience?
by Helenmarie Nelsen
Staff Writer
Would you enjoy riding the
Tri-Met busses daily to and from
classes in all types of weather? If
this was your only form of trans
portation, would its necessity in
your life become a rewarding
experience, or would you be frus
trated at some of the inconven
iences and dangers involved?
I have been utilizing my two
sturdy legs to bring me to the bus
stops of the huge dty transporta
tion vehicles that are sometimes
too hot, cold, or stuffy. The repul
sive odor of smoke from persons
who must smoke during their rest
time before taking off on their
next scheduled run often greets
the riders.
Most of the buses have a sur
prising accuracy in keeping their
runs on a tight schedule, and the
drivers always get a lot of criticism
and rudeness from the riders if
they are a couple of minutes late,
or especially if they are a half
minute early at a given stop on
their route. By the end of the day,
or their 6,8, or 10, and sometimes
a 16hourshift, they are noticeably
weary and cross, almost threaten
ing the riders with a mean stare
when they are barraged by per
sons who keep up a constant chat
ter as they ride in the handicapped
seats up front by the driver.
All this compassion on my
part for the problems of the Tri-
Met system helps me actually enjoy
my conversations on the bus,
making all the inconveniences a
necessary evil to allow me to con
tinue my education in understand
ing the different classes of hu
manities found on the buses.
In the early mornings there
are plenty of executives and well-
dressed persons riding to down
town Portland. One is riding also
with the industrial workers, who
board the buses at that time after
working in the industrial plants,
as evidenced by their smelly, greasy
jeans and damp sneakers. I don’t
find this disturbing anymore, as I
like to speak with them all and
find a unique story from each one
if they care to speak to me.
On the last buses out of an
area, especially, the driver and rider
can see a totally different kind of
clientele. I must marvel at the gall
of the two young men who boarded
the33or 32 bus on a foggy evening
with a dismounted racing bike and
numerous heavy garbage bags,
which I assumed contained plants
as they could hardly drag them up
the steps of the bus. They also had
a couple of wilted hanging bas
kets of fuschias with them, which
I figured they were lugging home
as an addition to their collection
of articles to revive, sell, and help
support them. What an innova
tive way to start a business.
Istarted to askthebus drivers
if they had any funny or unusual
stories of their experiences on the
buses, and they had plenty to tell
about Of course, I had indulged
them with listening to my woeful
tales of the time when my pass was
flicked out of my hand as I was
showing it to the driver. Although
she spent a long time looking in
all the crevices it might have flown
to, we finally decided it must have
been stolen by the two young men
sitting in the front seats who
promptly left the bus a couple of
stops after I had requested that
they help me look for it
On Tri-Met, you
find love,
intrigue: The
stories of trials,
joys of real
people.
One driver, who has witnessed
couples actually battering each
other in the rear of the bus, has
also been entertained (including
a bus full of students) by a sales
man showing his wares of bikinis,
bras,and feather boas that hesells
to the prostitutes downtown.
A frequently told story is about
the driver who spotted a couple
making love in the back seat When
he couldn’t find cause in his rules
book to expel them, the couple
opened a champagne bottle and
started to pour it over each other.
This gave him the legal reason to
slam on the brakes and order them
out
Love, intrigue, theft, stories
of the trials and joys of REAL
people, all sorts of people, truly a
cross-section of humanity in the
Portland area: quite a rewarding
experience, communicating with
one’s fellow man.
Nelson responds to article
After reading your article in
the February 28,1990 edition of
THE PRINT, I had a few con
cerns about the facts you ignored.
Please note that these comments
refer only to the Associated
Student Government.
First of all, there is a reason
for this “red tape.” Like it or not,
it is the only fair way to select
qualified people to fill the posi
tions. It is not reasonable to
think that we could pick replace
ments by their applications alone.
The interview process allows us
a chanceto talk to the applicants
and get to know who they are.
As far as giving the position
to people who are already in the
“family,” I would like to point
out that there are two students-
at-large on all selection commit
tees. They are not part of A.S.G.
If someone is selected from the
“family” it is because the com
mittee felt that person was the
most qualified person for that
position, not because they are a
friend of a friend.
Finally, there is a small
matter of the constitution of the
Associated Students of Clacka
mas Community College (pages
51-56 of the student handbook.)
You will find the guidelines for
selecting Student Government
OfficersZSenators on page 55,
section 19. This was passed by
the student body and we must
follow it until it is changed.
Iwould be more than happy
to sit and talk to you about this
matter.
Sincerely,
David Nelson
A.S.G Administrative Assistant
Campus Views
Steve Rudometkin
"1 will be hanging out, wash
ingwindows from the high
altitude of 10 stories up,
hanging by a rope. I will
also be starting up my own
Roseann Wentworth
Frank Schoenfeld
Lance Hobson
T will be going to Lake Shasta
to live on a houseboat. I’ll
also water ski, and jet ski for
about a week and a half."
’Going to Yakima for a base
ball tournament, That we will
win!"
"I’m going to Denver, Colo
rado for some incredible spring
dang during the week, and then
my friend is getting married-
that means bachelorette party!"
band!"
What will you be doing during spring break?
¿avid Bruneau
’Goto San Diego for a week to
visit family. Then I’m goingto
"TT to celebrate my bvthday."
Tim Osburn
Chris Lucas
Bob Chenoweth
*Tm going to Disneyland. I'm also
goingto LA to scope out some hot
babes?
Tm going to Arizona, and
r’m goingto San Diego and
I’m going to get crazy."
"TT
inches
97.06
-0.40
1.13
D50 Illuminant, 2 degree observer
Density
92.02
-0.60
0.23
87.34
-0.75
0.21
82.14
-1.06
0.43
72.06
-1.19
0.28
62.15
-1.07
0.19