Letters
Z_______
Opinion
WcdwEsdAy, OcTobcR 25, 2000
All signed letters to the editor should be 500 words or less an:
considered for publication if submitted by 1 pm the Friday
publication. Letters to the Editor are subject to editing. We rei
¡right to not publish any letter.
People, issues and consequences offer countless choices on Nov. 7
The mind boggles when it tries to
grasp the people, the issues and the
financial and social consequences we
must consider in countless choices we
must make by 8 p.m., Tue, Nov. 7.
It would be so much easier to leave
it to the people
are better mforriied, if 1
coqld* beli|ve^ those
say, with their ballot, ‘Tve got mine, special interests rather than the
now leave it alone.” And that is their schools that serve the people, tie their
right But it is the duty of the churches, hands.
We must pass campaign finance re
educators, government and citizens to
seeo/f the children launched with some form, to stop big bucks from rigging
the game. We must demand in Oregon
vantages.
Education today is so much decent education again, for all. Prop
smarter than it was in my day. erty taxes used to pay much more for
Today the learning is job-di education, sort of like a sales tax, with
rected and may be enhanced which the people who bought more
with cooperative work expe paid more of the tax, until Measure 5
rience, community service, tu in 1990. Now the well-off send their
toring and hands-on class children to private schools, or schools
Sandy Lupo
work. This incredible campus like Lake Oswego—that district is ask
Opinion Editor
is a haven to the community ing for $85 million compared to the $47
transitioning from depen million bond Clackamas Community.
tation, and above all, education, the
first and the only real leveler of the dence to self-sufficiency. It levels the College has put on the ballot—even
playing field. The rich band together playing field for its students, who oth though the college serves many com
and decry the middle class and the erwise could not compete for the munities, including Milwaukie,
Gladstone, West Linn, Oregon City,
poor for their laziness, when it was goods of life.
The educators, being the brighter Wilsonville, Canby, Estacada and
probably just the breaks that made the
difference. The biggest break being and more democratically bent, I be Molalla/Colton.
Measures 8,91 and 93 are so dam
lieve, have figured out a supreme sys
education.
aging
to education that even busi
tem
to
prepare
today
’
s
students.
And
Now a great many of the middle
class have climbed into that comfort their dedication holds the college to ness, which would benefit most from
gether. However, legislators, who fund their passage, opposes them. Busi-
level, and have joined the well-off to
their futures are set They don’t have
to worry about Medicare and health
insurance or social security or access
for the handicapped.
To the poor, aminimum wage mat-
tens, and public transpor-
Read-Listen-Think.
votbrs would repre
sent me and mine
when casting their bal
lots. But I believe in
stead they will vote for
their private selfish in
terest without regard
to the larger community.
The rich may vote for the greatest
tax cuts, as they would receive in Mea
sures 8,91 and 93. After all, they can
send their children to private schools,
and to private art, music and athletic
instructors. They can buy their chil
dren the most advanced home com
puters and 1 aptops and the n ewest soft
ware. Their kids’ futures are set. And
Write,
ness’ bottom line suffers from
age of educated and skilled
coming out of our schools. I
has joined with labor and all
sible citizenry to oppose these \
written measures, that sound go
are really pure,
Clackamas’ bond measure i
Tell everyone you know t<
yes. Measures 8,91 and 93 >
deeply cut education and
critical services, as well as th
federal funds to Oregon. Vc
on these three measures, an
95, until a clear improveme
academic achievement/teacl
countability is written. Mea
is campaign finance refon
battle cry of both John McCa
Ralph Nader. Vote yes on 6.
sure 9 is insidious, and v
widen the divide of misu
standing among neighbors
no to the writers who beliei
people can be led so easi
choose littleness and ignore
Measures that amend the Constitution may haunt Oregon., agai
TAM OLIVER -
Feature Co-Editor
Among the 26 ballot measures on
the November ballot, there are 12
initiative petition measures that, if
passed, will make changes in thé
Oregon State Constitution. Because
these petition measures are Consti
tutional amendments, they should
be carefully scrutinized before they
are given a yes vote.
The Constitution is meant to be a
framework document, and statutes
are meant .to implement its provi
sions. The Bill of Rights, a compo
nent of the Constitution, is designed
to cover the big issues such as free
dom of speech and freedom of reli
gion. When lesser issues become a
part of our Constitution, the effect
is to dilute and devalue its impor
tance.
Additionally, once an amendment
is adopted by general election, it
cannot be modified except by vote
of the people at another election.
These modifications appear on your
ballot as Constitutional amendments
that are “Referred to the people by
the legislative assembly.” Conse
quently, if an amendment that is
poorly thought out and written
passes, and has not had the benefit
of open debate, it can cause a great
many problems.
For example, Ballot Measure 5
was adopted Nov. 7, 1990. It
amended several aspects of revenue
and finance relating to property
taxes, schools, bonding for capital
expenditures and the like. However,
once it was enacted, no one could
figure out how to get it to work. By
then it didn’t matter whether you
were for or against it; what mattered
was that no one could figure out
how to implement it Every time leg
islators came up with a way to fix it,
they would have to refer it to the
people to vote on as a Constitutional
amendment at another election.
Then they would find some
else that didn’t work. This we
for several years. Even now, 10
later, it isn’t clear whether it ha;
corrected for all counties with
state.
Consider how many tax dollar
spent over the years to clean th
Consider how many people he
took from the legislature all the v
the voting public. Think abou
when you vote on Nov. 7, and
avoid passing tomorrow’s nightn
Letters to the Editor
Clackamas Community
College Keeps a Promise
Clackamas Community College
serves 27,775 students with high qual
ity, affordable education each year. The
college also serves one of the fastest
growing areas in Oregon. Growth ex
pectation in the next 10 years is 30
percent!
When district voters approved
CCC's last bond measure request in
1989, we promised to make that in
vestment last 10 years. We kept that
promise, despite growing demand for
college education and training. We've
been able to stretch those dollars and
serve 20 percent more students in the
last five years.
The college has a two-fold financial
problem.
1. Nearly 60 percent of CCC's operat
ing funds now come primarily from
the state. No funds were allocated for
community college enrollment in
creases during the last legislative ses
sion and no construction has been
funded by the state since 1992.
2. To keep pace with enrollment growth
and protect the community's invest
ment in the college, we need to up
grade aging facilities, add classrooms
and improve space for technology.
We've worked hard to address these
problems. By reorganizing and work
ing more efficiently, we've cut the num
ber of staff and decreased the cost per
student by $300.
We've approached the private sec
tor more aggressively than ever before.
CCC now raises more than $1 million
annually in grants and private
fundraising. This fall we are finishing
repairs to the Observatory at the John
Inskeep Environmental Learning Cen
ter and an addition for childcare to the
Elizabeth McClung Brod Family Re
source Center... all with outside fund
ing.
We've used imagination to create
space. Hallways, stairways, lobbies
and even closets have been converted
into classrooms and offices to keep up
with growth.
The college now faces a critical need
for new public investment if we are to
continue to meet the challenges of the
growing demand for instruction and
shrinking resources. Bond Measure 3-
97 on your November ballot would
help the college address rapid growth,
protect the community's investment
in its facilities and bring technology
up to today's standards.
Voters narrowly defeated the $47
million bond measure on the May bal
lot. In a post-election survey voters
said the reason was they didn't have
enough information about the measure.
Consequently, the board of directors
has resubmitted the bond measure to
upgrade facilities, add classrooms and
improve technology to meet the de
mand for instruction and worker train
ing in Clackamas County and is work
ing hard to inform voters about the
measure.
Please look for Measure 3-97, the
CCC bond measure, on your very
crowded November ballot and con
sider carefully how much its estimated
20 cents per $1,000 assessed value cost
will pay for in upgraded facilities, added
classrooms and improved technology.
If you have questions or need fur
ther information, please contact me at
503-657-6958, ext. 2405 or the college
Community Relations Office at 503-
657-6958, ext. 2538.
John Keyser
CCC President
Measure 9 affects library
sources, academic freedom
As director of CCC Library, Instruc
tional Media Services and Distance
Learning Departments, I feel a respon
sibility to inform the college about the
impact Ballot Measure 9 (BM9)
would have on library and media re
sources, academic freedom and free
inquiry.
It should be noted that the Oregon
Citizen’s Alliance (OCA) has identi
fied on a link from its home page
"Twenty Tactics Used in Public
Schools to Promote Homosexuality.”
One tactic listed is “ Letters to the
editor in local and student papers.”
Under BM9, my letter could not be
published by the Print, as it could be
interpreted as “encouraging, promot
ing, or sanctioning ” homosexuality. Se
rious penalties, not yet defined, could
Editor-in-Chief:
be applied to the college were the Print
to do so. People should be aware of
this BM9 limitation on their ability to
be informed.
The primary mission of the Library
and Instructional Media Services is to
provide information resources, educa
tional technologies and services to sup
port instructional programs. To sup
port academic freedom and free inquiry,
materials should be provided represent
ing all points of view. Materials should
not be excluded because of their origin,
or the background or views of those
contributing to their creation. Materi
als should not be proscribed or removed
because of partisan or doctrinal disap
proval. This will happen under BM9.
T(ie OCA homepage link also con
tains a^“ Checklist to Assess Your
School’s Risk for Encouraging Homo
sexuality.” The placing of materials in
libraries that did not present homosexu
ality in a negative light is seen as pro
moting homosexuality. The inability
of CCC library and media services
to respond to instructor/student re
quests to purchase and disseminate
electronic, print/media materials
presenting a diversity of views un
der BM9 directly impacts instruc
tor ability to research and teach,
and student ability to research
and learn, compromising aca
demic freedom at every level.
Included in CCC library’s re
sources is EBSCO, an electronic
Web Master:
Diana Scrivncr (x2447)
Feature Co-Editor:
Jim Spickelmier
Staff:
Maggie Jirasck
Amanda Gosser
Chris Lundgren
Corinne Rupp
Dana Palmer
Elena Boryska
Jenny Chavez
Licsl Muggli
Matt Shempert
Michael Choe
Shannon Recabaren
Wes Fawcett
Feature Co-Editor:
Tam Oliver
A & E Editor:
Mandy Good
Copy/Opinion Editor:
K
Sandy Lupo
Sports Editor:
Jason Lingcl
News Editor
Steve Nielson
Photo Editor:
196 0 0 S. M o I a II a Ave. O riqon City, O<( gom 97045
(50J) 657-6958 txt 2509
ççç e*L*LLfi c I» cl»>ut.cc.oriH
Secretary:
Mike Pollock
Business Manager:
Jo Anne Gale
Advisor:
Scott Creson (x2578)
Linda Vogt (x2310)
database of3000 periodicals and
nals, 1260 of them full-text. I
BM9, we would not be able to i
this resource, because among the
available are magazines/joumals tl
not present homosexuality in a i
five light, titles that are used b
structors/studénts in a variety ol
grams. The licensing agreement
make this resource affordable d
allow libraries to de-select titlei
some individuals might find obje<
able. The library can afford indiv
subscriptions to only a fraction i
available periodicals. Thus, instr
and student access to a wealth <
formation would be severely curt
Other electronic, print and med
sources in film, literature, non-fi
or scholarly areas that support
gram, instructor and student n
would also have to be removed
our holdings because they may
tain content that is perceived by s
to be pro-homosexual.
constitutes “ instruction encouraj
promoting, or sanctioning homose
bisexual behaviors ” is very vague,
examples on the OCA web site
very concrete. Research carefull’
fore you vote. BM9 impacts ev
one.
Thank you.
Cynthia R. Andrews
Director of Library, Instruct
Media Services and Distance Le
ing________________________
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