Remembering Brian Trapp
A tribute to longtime Clackamas student who passed away on campus
^€I ac I< am ' as P rint
Clackamas Community College
Wednesday, January 26, 2000
Oregon City, Oregon
Debate Epstein incident
sparks
vigil
tonight T
Volume XXXIII, Issue
11
resolved
SANDY LUPO
mosexuality. The comment had
been made in a Judaic history
class as Dr. Epstein was discuss
he Print received word from ing the evolution of traditional
the college last night that Jewish belief systems.
Joshua Alexander, the stu
In his letter, Dr. Epstein ex
dent who filed a complaint plained
last
what he felt was a misun
week, and Donald Epstein, in derstanding regarding the con
structor and subject of the com text of the comment and apolo
plaint, “have re
gized
to
solved their dif-
Alexander for
ferences.”
the pain and
“...the college is
Epstein wrote a
distress that the
in
committed to
letter of apology
comment
building aware-
to Alexander and
caused.
has decided to
In delivering
ness of cultural
retire March 31.
the letter, Asso
diversity on our
Following is
ciate Dean for
the statement
Humanities Kay
campus and in
given to the Print
Slusarenko also
99
our community.
by the college at
informed
Excerpt, College Statement
6 p.m. Tuesday:
Alexander that
A Clackamas
Dr.
Epstein
Community Col
would no longer Dr. Donald Epstein
lege instructor
be teaching the vision associate dean.
and student have resolved their course on Judaic history due to
Clackamas Community Col
differences over a comment made his pending retirement. Dr. lege values both the academic
in class by the instructor, ending Epstein, who has taught at CCC freedom of its instructors and a
a complaint filed by the student.
since 1969, will retire March 31. strong respect for diversity in its
History instructor Dr. Donald
The resolution was reached community.
The college’s long-standing
Epstein issued a written apology during an informal incident reso
to the student, Joshua Alexander, lution process involving the in Code of Ethics “calls all of us to
who had filed the complaint over structor, the student, the depart perform our jobs in a way that fos
a classroom comment about ho ment chair and the humanities di-. ters personal growth and aca-
News Editor
SANDY LUPO
News Editor
Last week’s Print article about
a student quitting Donald
Epstein’s Judaic Studies/Holo-
caust class— because he was of
fended by Epstein’s anti-homo-
sexual statements—sparked a
Candlelight Vigil for Tolerance to
be held today at 5 p.m. between
McLoughlin Hall and Gregory
Forum.
Kate Gray, English instructor
and advisor for the Rainbow
Coalition for gay and lesbian stu
dents, described today’s vigil as
the club’s attempt to “do some
thing” in response to intense
and mixed feelings arising last
week from the Epstein incident.
“They were outraged,” said
Gray of the larger than usual
group of Coalition members who
met last Friday. “Members spoke
of the hurt and further alienation
that anti-homosexual comments
cause, and of feeling unsafe on
campus. The tenor was very emo
tional, they were trying to figure
out what to do.”
Gray expects a good-sized
crowd today and much light. Stu
dents have expressed to her their
desire to use their energy in a
productive direction, for toler
ance and healing.
She expects leaders of diverse
faiths to attend, including the
minister of the United Church of
Christ in Beavercreek, who has
offered to lead the group in
prayer or song.
“If there were one positive
outcome of all this, there is one
I have already seen, and that is
the straight faculty and students
standing up (against intoler
ance) too,” Gray said.
Interest in last week’s article
in the Print was widespread.
The Oregonian followed the
Print’s story with their own on
Saturday and that was picked up
by the Associated Press and ap
peared in Salem’s Statesman
Journal and in Vancouver's
Columbian.
It was discussed over the
weekend on National Public Ra
dio and on Monday morning on
KEX and KBOO radio shows,
according to reports. Many let
ters have been received (and re
printed here) by the Print.
TIMOTHY A. BELL / Clackamas Print
demic excellence, recognizes the
inherent goodness of all people,
models personal and academic
integrity, respects diversity, and
shows concern for the needs and
feeling of others. ”
Within Clackamas Community
College’s institutional values
See Epstein, page 7
Fight Club author shares new work
Chuck Palahniuk
will read at
1 p.m. in Gregory
Forum today
KRISTEN WISER
Staff Writer
Novelist Chuck Palahniuk, writer
of the book Fight Club, will be at
Clackamas in the Gregory Forum
at 1 p.m. today to read an excerpt
from his new book, Invisible Mon
sters.
Palahniuk, who is listed as one
of the ten best new novelists of
the year by the New Yorker, is the
author of three novels, Fight
Club, Survivor and Invisible Mon
sters. He was also the winner of
both the Pacific Northwest Book
Award and the Oregon Book
Award.
Fight Club, his first novel, was
recently made into a motion pic
ture, which gained him national at
tention. The movie starred Brad
Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena
Bonham Carter. During filming the
author met and became good
friends with Pitt.
Palahniuk is known for writing
about potentially touchy subjects.
Fight Club discusses the chal
lenge to men’s masculinity and
male dominance using violence.
The book was written while he was
a member of the Dangerous Writ
ers Club. The club is made up of
writers who are willing to open
themselves up to new ideas and
to write about subject matter that
is not always socially acceptable.
Invisible Monsters, his new
book, also stays with this type of
theme. The book is a road story
about a barbituate-popping, male-
tumed-female transsexual and a
model whose face has been shot
off.
Palahniuk is a local writer who
lives on Sauvie Island and attended
the University of Oregon. Before
becoming a writer he worked as a
mechanic for Freightliner.
“He is funny and quick-witted. I
think people will really enjoy him,”
commented Allen Widerberg, En
glish instructor, who is in charge
of organizing the visit.
This is not Palahniuk's first visit
to the college. Last year he at
tended Authors' Night with other
Dangerous Writers Club members.
Palahniuk will appear at 1 p.m. to
answer questions, read a piece from
Invisible Monsters, and sign books.