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^CI ac I< amas P rìnt
Wednesday, January 19, 2000
Clackamas Community College
Oregon City,Oregon
Student offended
by instructor's
anti-homosexual
comments
News Editor
A
JOHNTHORBURN
Editor-in-Chief
The complaint is now in the
hands of Don Hartsock, chair for
the social sciences department.
Hartsock told the Print he has
opened a dialogue with both the in
structor and the student, and will
follow the process for “Incident
Resolution Procedure” as outlined
on pages 88-91 of the CCC Student
Handbook and Calendar.
“It would not be helpful to the
process to create a public debate
ated Student Government Fund by
$49,369; in personal services in the
Computer Tech Fund by $2,241; in
capital outlay in the Capital Con
struction Fund by $152,953; and in
the personal services in the Public
Safety Training Center by $10,859.
These over-expenditures are in vio
lation of local budget law.’
Brian Trapp, a student for an esti
mated 13 years, collapsed near the
Randall/Barlow parking lot during the
noon hour last Friday. Paramedics and
doctors were unable to revive the 46
year old man; he was pronounced
dead at Willamette Falls Hospital.
Kathie Woods, first-aid instructor
and head volleyball coach, was the first
person to come upon Trapp only an
hour after running into him in the
Randall Hall lobby where they dis
cussed his health. He thought that he
was coming down with the flu, accord
ing to Woods.
“It was pretty hard,” noted Woods.
“I had just talked to him an hour be
fore and he was telling me that he
thought he had the flu. I was walking
out to my car when all of a sudden I
heard a loud slap. I looked over and
Brian was laying on his back. Immedi
ately I had Karon (Allen)call911.Iknew
it was bad. When I got to Brian, he
was conscious and squirming a bit
He tried to get up but I told him to stay
down because I noticed blood on the
back of his head. Pretty soon, he was
starting to drift in and out of conscious
ness so I started talking to him trying
to get him to stay with me.
“Brian and I have been friends for
awhile so I was asking him, ‘Who’s
your buddy Brian?’ And he’d say
‘You are’ so I asked him ‘Who am
I?’ and he’d say ‘Kathie’ so then to
get more of a response, I'd ask him
‘Who’s your favorite instructor?’
and he’d say ‘Kathie.’ He was un
comfortable and started to move
more. After a few minutes, the para
medics arrived and then we started
to lose him. They checked his vital
signs then started CPR and I was
waving my hands in front of his eyes
but there wasn’t anything there.”
Within five minutes of the call to
911 by Physical Education/Adminis-
tration Secretary Dotty Cobum, para
medics from the Oregon City Fire De
partment arrived on the scene. He was
then rushed to the nearest hospital.
Public Safety officers were not on
campus at the time and took an esti
mated 15 minutes to arrive.
Survivors include his mother, Verna
of Milwaukie; brother, Jerry of Junc
tion City; and his sisters, Darlene Scott
of Portland and Diane Robinson of
Springfield. The family suggests re
membrances be made to the Associa
tion for Retarded Citizens.
See Report, page 5
See next week's issue for a look
back at the life of Brian Trapp.
until all the facts are clear—it just
muddies the water,” Hartsock
added.
Dian Connett, dean of instruc
tion, provided the Print with Ar
ticle 14 of the faculty contract,
which addresses academic free
dom. Hartsock had mentioned he
would consider this topic. (See
sidebar, p. 5.)
See Epstein, page 5
A Special Report
Questions raised on recent financial reports
JOHN THORBUN
Editor-in-Chief
A Clackamas student stopped
by The Print office last Thurs
day to discuss a letter that he
wanted put into the paper ques
tioning the latest Comprehensive
Annual Financial Report, which
was given to the college earlier
this week.
The letter, written by Glenn
McCarthy, can be seen on page
three. What follows is a look into
the issue brought forth by
McCarthy and my attempt to un
cover a complicated situation
within the college.
The report, which audits all of
the college’s financial records,
was completed by Mark Brown,
CPA, P.C. for the fiscal year end
10
Student
dies on
campus
SANDY LUPO
Clackamas student has
filed a complaint against
Dr. Donald Epstein, in
structor for the Judaic Studies/
Holocaust class, because he was
offended by Epstein’s anti-homo
sexual statements.
“Donald Epstein said, and I
quote, ‘You’re better off dead than
being a homosexual,’” wrote
Joshua Alexander, an elementary
education major, in his complaint.
“The classroom should not be a
forum for personal prejudice,” he
added.
Alexander dropped the class and
spoke with the instructor the next
day, Jan. 7.
The Print spoke to Epstein in two
separate interviews, later that same
day. Epstein told the Print he had
been discussing in class the origins
of anti-Semitism that culminated in
the Holocaust, specifically the
Maccabean era, around 167 B.C.
Epstein explained that during
that era there was deep hatred be
tween the Greeks, who were “no
toriously homosexual,” and the
Jews, who “would actually sacri
fice their own children rather than
submit to the Greek atrocities, in
cluding homosexuality.”
The Print asked Epstein, “What
did he (the student) say today when
he came to see you—‘I’m quitting
your class because you are, what,
anti-homosexual’ ?”
“Apparently,” Epstein answered. Instructor Dr. Donald Epstein
“He feels I should not have an opin personal opinion?”
ion.”
Epstein: “Both.”
The Print: “Do you acknowledge
The Print: “Are you teaching
you are anti-homosexual?”
anti-homosexuality in a world that
Epstein: “Of course.”
is becoming more diverse?”
The Print: Do you think your anti
Epstein: “I’m not teaching anti
homosexual stance should creep homosexuality, I am teaching Judaic
into the classroom?”
Studies in the context of Jewish
Epstein: “Of course; it’s Judaic morality. Homosexuality is
Studies.”
immoral
if it is immoral, it is not
The Print: “So it creeps into your to be done, it is not to be condoned,
class as part of history, not as your it is not to be upheld.”
Volume XXXIII, Issue
ing June 30, 1999. While this re
port is public record, very few
people on campus know of its ex
istence.
On page 120 under the heading
Budget Transactions, it reads ‘ex
penditures exceeded appropria
tions in personal services in the
General Fund College Support Ser
vices Function by $98,455; in ma
terials and services in the Associ