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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1999)
4 TI he CI ac I< amas P rìnt Wednesday, April 21, 1999 Associated Students’ Constitution up for review Student Government seeks to become more responsive, accessible to students ROBERT SCHOENBERG News Editor A step towards convening a constitutional convention was taken Monday night at the weekly ASG meeting. The representatives in atten dance voted to form a Constitu tional Review Committee that will consist of nine students from the campus as well as a Chair, or head of the committee. It was voted that the Chair of the Constitutional Convention Com mittee would be ASG President David Ledoux and that when his term is over at the end of this school year in June, the Vice-Chair, who has not.yet been picked, will become the Chair. LeDoux said that any student interested on joining the commit tee should stop in at the ASG of fice and see him. The committee was formed by a vote of 12-4. The same proposal was defeated, 7-14, at last week’s ASG Monday meeting. “I think some people were con fused about the process and the purpose of the convention. After a week of discussion people be came more comfortable with what was going on,” said LeDoux. The Constitution is available in the ASG office to students inter ested in reading it. The document was last amended and approved on May 8,1995. In a memo that LeDoux released last week after the April 12 meet ing, he said that some students were concerned about adequate representation of students by the ASG and that “there is not a clear understanding of what student government is and how constitu ents can use it as a medium of in formation, service, and/or get in volved in it themselves.” Legislative Officer Christine Reed, Childcare Senator Jennifer Rankin and Student Access Sena tor Saida Johnston were some of the students expressing concern about student representation in the ASG. They have been debating these issues as well as ideas about the Federal, State and Associated Stu dents' Constitutions in Political Science Instructor Dean Darris’ class this term. The debates have involved students within and out side of student government. “There’s so many great ideas out there and... so many people in the Political Science Dept, that under stand the Constitution in depth,” said Rankin. Darris confirmed that after dis cussion of constitutions students became interested in reviewing the ASG Constitution. Darris said that the process of analysis and evaluation of a con stitution and amending the docu ment is a normal function of a demo cratic government. Every constitu tion should be looked at carefully from time to time in the interest of the people that it concerns. Johnston suggested that the ASG Constitution be made avail able at the ASG office for any stu dent interested in knowing what it contained. “If the student sees anything that they would like to improve or change, if they would just give us some feedback and give it to any Phi Theta Kappa garners awards at convention STEFANIE SMITH StaffWriter Clackamas’ chapter of Phi Theta Kappa attended the Oregon Re gion Convention in Springfield Oregon on Sat. March 27, and re ceived numerous awards. The Alpha Xi Zeta chapter re ceived 12 total awards. Eight stu dents received participation certifi cates, including: Hillary Wootan of Colton; Jennifer Cameron and Chris Sparrows of Estacada; Jan Baer and Lynn Brown of. Milwaukie; Stacie Harp of Molalla and Matthew Ives and Scott Landauer of Oregon City. The mini mum requirement for receiving a participation certificate was to ac quire 30 points through attendance and participation by attending meetings held four times during the school year. Two members of Alpha Xi Zeta, Stacie Harp and Hillary Wootan have outstanding achievements. Harp is the current chapter presi dent and the outgoing regional vice president. Harp received the Personal Fellowship award for the person with the highest number of points. She received 207 partici patory points. Wootan received the Personal Hallmark award, which is for exemplifying four pre vious Hallmark awards during the past year. Two of the awards were to the Clackamas Chapter. The chapter earned the Participation award and the Leadership Hallmark award. The Participation award is for send ing the highest number of mem bers to the four regional meetings. The Leadership Hallmark award is for doubling the number of leader ship positions within Phi Theta Kappa. Alpha Xi Zeta was also named as a distinguished chapter in the Oregon region. They were awarded with a scholarship to the International Honors Institute at Catholic University of America. This will be held this May in Wash ington, D.C., and the scholarship has a value of $750. one in the office. And that is just what we want to get back right now. We need their ideas,” said Johnston. “When students say they don’t even know where the ASG office is I feel bad and I ask, ‘why?’” she said. “Why don’t they know? Be cause it’s there for them.” The convention will be a series of forums attended by students with discussions about the differ ent articles of the Constitution. Office manager Lynn Brown said that the forums will begin in May and will probably continue next fall. The review committee will then consider what the forums have pro posed as changes to the Constitu tion. LeDoux said that three goals he wants to see accomplished with the constitutional convention are bet ter representation of the students, a review of the bylaws, and to make any necessary changes. In particu lar, he would like to see the bylaws reflect the ASG's responsibility to develop better communications with students. Gaines at Gregory Ernest J. Gaines, one of the most celebrated authors of lit erature today, will read and sign books Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Gregory Forum. Gaines' most current success is his novel A Lesson Befpre Dy ing, which will be made into an HBO movie. Originally, the film was to debut in April, but the date has been moved back to May 22. There is a great appreciation for Gaines’ work by both blacks and whites. His lectures are popular and he is often invited to speak and read at libraries. Ironically, some of the librar ies that have asked him to speak are the same libraries that had kicked him out during our country’s segregation period. Of his eight books, Catherine Carmier, Of Love and Dust, In My Father’s House, The Autobi ography of Miss Jane Pittman, A Gathering of Old Men and A Lesson Before Dying are novels, Bloodline is a collection of short stories and A Long Day in No vember is a children’s book. Admission to the event is $10 general, $5 students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the college bookstore or at Looking Glass Bookstore, 318 SW Taylor, Portland. For further information, please contact ext. 2230. CHAR 1 P rofessor for E very 15 S tudents . [Now Th tit's How You Get Attention.] At Western Oregon University, you’ll find our students get lots of personal attention from our professors. Plain and simple, your success is their mission. You’ll be challenged and inspired in nationally-recognized programs in liberal arts and sciences as well as teacher education. Choose from nearly 40 degrees such as biology, public administration, music, business, chemistry, speech communications, computer science, and teacher education. Come see our comfortable, friendly campus just minutes from Salem. If it’s attention you want, picture yourself here. [ Yes, still accepting applications for Fall, 1999.] WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY Your success is our mission. Monmouth, Oregon (just minutes from Salem) Toll-Free: 1-877-877-1593 www.wou.edu
