The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, March 6,1996
Opinion
CCC volunteers
make a difference
Karin Redston
Staff Writer
Last Sunday the Easter
Seals Telethon aired on KPTV
Channel 12. Some of the vol
unteers were Clackamas stu
dents and the Associated Stu
dent Government (ASG) offic
ers.
During the Flood of ‘96,
faculty, staff and students vol
unteered in many areas, even
though the college was still
open.
Not only did Clackamas
. students volunteer, high school
students from several schools
also kicked into gear. This in
cluded filling sandbags, trying
to stop flooding of homes and
businesses.
Volunteerism happens in
various forms, be it spending a
couple of hours each week with
an at-risk child or teen, or do
nating blood. Whatever we do
to help our society is fantas
tic. Oregon has acquired a
reputation for volunteerism.
ASG student officers
spend numerous hours vol
unteering. They raise funds
for needed areas like child care
scholarships. They are the
college’s most valued ambas
sadors in promoting enroll
ment to this school.
Another overlooked
group on campus is the fac
ulty. They put in many hours
grading papers and advising
clubs such as Chrysalis.
I think when one becomes
a teacher, one’s social life goes
out the window.
Clackamas students and
staff have shown a strong will-
ing-to-help attitude. I have
not seen this at many schools.
We should be proud. Know
that others see our volunteer
work as making a difference.
photo by Karin Redston
Barlow parking lot was under water during the Flood
of ‘96.
Right to love: should be
guaranteed for everyone
Laney Fouse
Assistant Opinion Editor
Perhaps, 1 missed the small print
at the bottom of the American
Constitution that reads, “the free
doms stated above do not apply
to those who are different.”
When the Europeans came to
this country, they encountered my
ancestors. Because the Pilgrims
held such staunch religious be
liefs, they viewed the Indians as
‘children of the devil.’ My people
were regarded as a nuisance to the
As a student reporter my beat
enables me to participate in a wide
variety of subjects and activities
on campus. Recently, I had the
opportunity to coyer a general
meeting of Phi Theta Kappa.
The topic, “The Right to
Love,” doesn’t necessarily sound
“intellectual” enough for the Hon
ors society to be discussing. But
add the right to love by gays or
lesbians and the room is buzzing.
The three areas of discussion in
cluded rights, privileges and re
sponsibilities.
Let’s define rights. My hus
band and I enjoy many rights as a
“straight” married couple: We
have the right to get married or
divorced; pay or receive alimony
and child support; file a joint tax
return; inherit each other’s prop
erty; receive medical coverage; act
as custodians of each other’s will
and receive survivors’ benefits.
We enjoy the freedom of our U.S.
citizenship. We are allowed to
display public affection. We are
also deemed socially acceptable.
Comparable rights for gay
couples are limited to companion
ship and communication. Few
communities recognize or accept
their domestic partnerships.
The battle for freedom in this
country fills our history books.
These struggles have allowed us
the freedom of religion, freedom
of speech, freedom of the press
and freedom of choice.
Yet, why do these same free
doms not hold true for everyone?
I missed the
small print at
the bottom of
the American
Constitution
that reads,
“the freedoms
stated above
do not apply to
those who are
different”
Westward expansion, regardless
of the generosity shown to the
Pilgrims.
As more Europeans de
scended upon our shores, the
spirit of friendship faded. The In
dians were forced from their
homes and you know the rest.
Not so very long ago, it was
considered illegal for a man and
woman to publicly display affec
tion. Yet, today’s society finds it
acceptable. As recently as the
early 1900’s, women weren’t al
lowed to vote, to smoke or even
expose their ankles. As one ad
campaign so appropriately stated,
“We’ve come a long way, baby.”
So why would we want to take a
step backwards by denying basic
rights to those who are equivo
cally minorities.
For those who consider your
self spiritual—I would like to ask
you this. On which page does it
say it’s okay with God to judge
his children? Am I reading a dif
ferent Bible than you? Quoting
the Scriptures is one thing, but the
greatest difficulty for us mere hu
mans is living up to the expecta
tions of those words.
It’s a shame some folks jus
tify their prejudices by using the
Bible as a tool to discriminate.
From what I’ve read, it opposes
several activities of humanity, in
cluding eating meat on Friday.
This nation has overcome
economic hardships, cultural dif
ferences and other social injus
tices. Time and perseverance will
heal the misunderstanding of this
too. Let’s face it, gays and lesbi
ans are out of the closet—they are
not going to just disappear.
Issues surrounding homo
sexuals’ right to love cannot be
solved by just a few people. With
out a doubt acceptance and edu
cation are vital for everyone.
As a woman, I thank those
who paved the way for me to en
joy the freedom to write and pur
sue my educational goals. As a
minority, I thank those who paved
the road so that I could drive off
the reservation.
Letter to the Editor:
Pamela Sirianni,
Thank you for the excellent story on Edward Albee’s
appearance at Clackamas. The paper has been quite
good this year; this story is one of the best.
Alan Contreras
Senior Associate
p
Oregon Community
College Association
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