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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1998)
Wednesday, April 8, 1998 D.C. trip proves to be a good experience CHRISTINA MUELLER Co-Editor-in-Chief Associated Student Government took their annual trip to Wash ington DC for the national American Student Association of Com munity Colleges (AS ACC) conference held March 7-10. Clacka mas had one of the largest delegations at the conference, a group of 15 including advisor Norm Boney. For the first time the group elected to bring a member of the Clackamas Print to cover the event I was fortunate enough to accompany them on their trip. I was so nervous. During the weeks before the trip I made an unsuccessful attempt to meet some of the other students who were going to DC. Josh Bruegman helped quite a bit by heading the “Lobbying 101 ” lectures which provided me and other uninformed ASG members with a “crash course” in lobbying. Our date of departure March 6 approached fast Iwasgoing to DC, ready or not The ride to the airport and wait at the airport provided me with an ample amount of time to get to know some of my fellow trav elers. My sample brought me to the conclusion that the trip was going to be OK. We landed in DC at about 8 p.m. Portland tune (11 p.m. DC timejaftera brief stop in Chicago. Ridirigthe Metro toourhotel, The Hyatt Regency, was a first experience for many of us. We arrived at the hotel, quickly checked into our rooms and went out on the town for some preliminary sightseeing. The capitol was only a few blocks away so that was our destination. I was shocked at how dirty the streets were. I still can’t under stand why our government allows our nation’s capital city to look so poor. There were a lot of bums and panhandlers on the streets. I clutched my bag hard hoping to not become a victim of crime like I’d been warned about before I left home. Approaching 3a.m. we decided, tired or not, it was time to get some rest. We returned to the hotel to wind down and sleep. The next morning most of us were functioning off three hours qfsleep. The conference officially started at 1 pm. but there was lots of preparation still to be done. The conference kicked off with more than 250 delegates in attendance. Jacob Boenisch, ASG president as well as ASACC president, began with a warm welcome and a slogan for the con ference. “Bring it home, What you learn here.. .bring it home. What you work on here.. .bring it home. What you gather here.. .bring ithome.” The convention consisted of workshops, round table discus sions and speakers to better inform students on issues involving financial aid for community college students. After attending a number of these activities, students lobbied their home state con gressmen and senators asking them to support a number of bills that benefit community college students. This year’s lobbying focal points were financial: the $5000 Pell Grant maximum advocated by Senator Paul Wellstone and Congressman James P. McGovern; the $5000 Income Protection Allowance for students as provided in the House subcommittee draft of the HEA; the promise of Pell Grants as early as the sixth grade to students in impoverished communities who finish high school, as proposed by Congressman Chaka Fattah in H.R. 777; and the provision of child-care assistance to colleges saving the CONTRIBUTED PROTO / Clackamas Print Part of the D.C. group poses with U.S. Senator Gordon Smith. From Left, Jacob Boenisch, Christy Atkins (Mt. Hood Community College) Brian Fuentez, David LeDoux, Casey Budesilich (Southwestern Oregon Community College), Senator Gordon Smith, Kate Fields, Scott Bones (Central Oregon Community College), Rachelle Snowley, Josh Bruegman, Tiffani Jagodnik, Christina Mueller, Jennifer Rankin, Cindy Kraxberger, Tiffany Fine, and Becky Biggs. cessful by the passing of the 12 percent Pell Grant increase and extending the employee educational assistance act Lobbying schools made a point to thank their Senators and Con gressman for the issues they’ve supported in the past “So many people go to the hill and they forget to say thanks,” said ASACC founder and National Policy Advisor Frank Mensel. Ambassador Ronald D. Palmer, professor of the Practice of International Affairs, George Washington University, spoke to the attendees on how student leaders can make a difference today that is remembered tomorrow. Palmer inspired students by his speech. “The question is, how students can play a successful role in the contemporary international arena'.. ..In closing, students must fight for what is right... let us begin,” he said. As with all conventions, this one had its glitches. Congressman Fattah was scheduled to speak Saturday evening but was unable to make it To compensate for his absence Fattah’s Chief of Staff Claudia Ferris spoke to the group Sunday morning. Thetopicof discussion was Fattah’s bill H.R. TT1 which ASACC supports. “This is a stark statement but I believe that American democ racy is the greatest human experiment of all time,” Ferris said. Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone spoke briefly on his pro posal of the $5000 Pell Grant maximum during the Monday lun cheon. Other speakers included Judith Eaton, President of the council on Higher Education Accreditation; John Martin Meek, President of HMI Inc.; David Carle, Media Director with Senator Patrick Leahy; Ambassadors to the United States from Austria, Egypt and Morocco; North Carolina Representative David Price; and New York Representative Major Owens. larger Pell Grant enrollments, as proposed by Senators Christo The convention pays off for all community college students pher Dodd, Edward Kennedy and Olymfria Snow in S. 1151. . when they receive the support of their Congressmen and Senators In past years, lobbying during this convention has proved suc for the bills they believe in. Clackamas students paid a visit to Congresswoman Darlene Hooley’s office; unfortunately, Hooley was in Oregon at the time, but we were able to speak with her as sistant The same went for Congressman Peter Defazio. All Staff & Full-Tinie Students are Eligible to Join. We were able to visit in person with Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith. All ofthe doors were wide open for us, and with Dividend Be.4$in^:-.Checking; No out our Congresspeople and Senators sup Minimum Balance, Monthly Fee or Per port our DC experience wouldn’t have been Check Charge, ^MD^^geck Card. as meaningful as it was. Tiffani Jagodnik, Tiffany Fine and ■ Free ¿4-hc^ur‘ PC & Telephone Access Becky Biggs from Clackamas presented a workshop on leadership recruitment entitled to Your=&count; A»,. > w" “Getting the Right Person in the Right Place <^> Money MaricetA:Cer0ficates, IRA’s, at the Right Time.” The workshop presented VISA’S, Loans & v? Lines of Credit. many new. and different approaches to re , vx- cruiting more members for individual student governments and activities. Jagodnik, Fine Oregon City Milwaukie 270 Warner Milne Rd. 4400 SE International Way and Biggs woe commended by everyone at Oregon City, OR 97045 Milwaukie, OR 97222 the conference by their excellent presenta Other aspects of the conference included a dance wi th DJ Buddy Hall and a nighttime tour of Washington DC that included taking the Metro and riding in a taxi (both a first for many)' < The walking tour was one of our only chances to sightsee. We woe able to see The White House, The Vietnam Memorial, The Einstein Memorial, The Lincoln Manorial and many other sites. Our visit to the Lincoln Memorial was disappointing because of all nights that night they woe pressure washing Mr. Lincoln. We begged and begged but they would not let us continue up the:' steps for a closer look. The Vietnam Memorial provided a touching moment forallofus. Jerry O’Sullivan, our tour guide, asked us to walk through the memorial in silence, reach out and run our fin gers across a name and then think about that person’s family, friends and the life they gave fighting for our country. Most of us left the memorial in tears. The tour concluded our last night in DC. I will always value my trip to DC. The members of ASG impressed me by their professional attitudes toward the trip and their ability to include me in their activities as vvell as other students at the conference. I would like-to express my sincerest thanks to the members of ASG for the experience of a lifetime. I believe that In the future ASACC will continue to build bridges and make contacts with people all over the country in order to better inform and provide for the students, prospec tive students, and any others involved in the future of our nation’s community colleges. Clackamas Federal Credit Union 656-0671 (Wednesday, April 8, 1998 Join Today 653-7788 tion. CHRISTINA MUELLER / Clackamas Print The United States Capitol was only a few blocks from our hotel, so we visited it often.
