RIMI
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Women’s
basketball
roars on
Mshkol ahneeManito /
G. Spirit Hawk leads
Native American club
Check it out on page 7
Check out theprofile on page 5
Student’s car
catches fire
Check out the opinion
on page 2
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Clackamas Community College
Oregon City, Oregon
Volume XXXIV, Issue
12
Community College Day at the State Legislature
Students, staff lobby for federal funds
STEVE NIELSEN
News Editor
Last Wednesday’s Community
College Day at the Oregon capi-
tol building in Salem provided
community colleges with the op
portunity to argue their case be
fore Oregon senators and repre
sentatives regarding the need for
an additional $45 million that Gov
ernor Kitzhaber has written in his
2001 community college budget.
Representatives from several
community colleges were on hand
to talk to legislators. As
Wednesday’s meeting of the 71st
session of the Oregon House of
Representatives convened, stu
dents and staff from Klamath
Falls, Umpqua, Lane, Rogue,
Chemeketa, Columbia Gorge, and
Clatsop community colleges were
recognized along with Bryan
Fuentez, Associated Student
Government president of CCC.
Clackamas President John
Keyser, board member Larry
Wright, and Clackamas students
met with District 14 senator and
former newscaster for KOIN, Rick
Metsger. They expressed a need
for funds that are already allo
MIKE POLLOCK / Clackamas Print
cated to community colleges to
College President John Keyser (right) speaks with Rick Metsger, District 14 senator, last Wednesday at the state capital building in
stay in the governor’s budget af
Salem. Keyser encouraged the senator to make sure Community Colleges have proper funding.
ter it clears the legislature.
needed to maintain current service ries. Areas of information included
“One problem I see for the col
levels, no matter how you cut it, community college facts, high
lege is making it accessible and
good programs will suffer,” said school partnerships and adult ba
we really struggle with tuition,"
said Wright. "Every year it’s a real Metsger.
sic skills.
“Do you know you’re preach
struggle; how do we keep tuition
Since the state Legislature
ing to the choir?” said Represen passed laws allowing community
at a point where we can get stu
tative Kathy colleges to form and finance them
dents the most afford
^
Lowe after selves by levying taxes in the early
able quality services.”
she met and
Metsger expressed
1960s, community colleges have
spoke with a grown drastically and need in
that he understood
4 diversified
group from creasing amounts of government
that the legislature had
irriculum is a
Clackamas.
a legacy of short-term
funding.
strength to the
When
fixes when it came to
According to the college’s re
asked to sup search and planning department,
community colleges.
community."
port funding when it began in 1966, CCC had a
“We try to get
for commu total enrollment of 693. Today the
things to a continuum
Kathy Lowe
nity colleges, annual enrollment is around 27,500.
of access and pro
State Representative
Lowe was
grams - that’s how we
Board member Larry Wright re
fully in agree membered when there were 13
really like to have it,”
ment; she community colleges in 1975. Since
said Metsger. He ex
plained that the Legislature has only asked that in return Clacka then, four more community col
“never really maintained and built mas develop ways to help incar leges have been created. Portland
upon a consistent approach. It is cerated youths, especially those Community College has the larg
a very disheartening reality. I’d in the MacLaren Youth Correc est enrollment with 97,000. All 17
like to find some ways to change tional Facility.
community colleges have a total
“A diversified curriculum is a enrollment of 392,472 students.
that long term.”
strength to the community,” said That is around 10 percent of the
An approach that would ac
complish this is not possible, Lowe. “What do you need from total population of Oregon.
however, when people want to cut me and how can I serve?”
The governor’s budget allo
Information tables from the Or cated $474.4 million for community
taxes also. When people petition
Students Daisy Bain, Bryan Fuentez and Steve Nielsen represent
for new programs, he wonders egon Community College Associa colleges this year, which is $45 mil
Clackamas at Legislative Day. They spoke to senators and
how many of them voted for mea tion were set up by 9 a.m. in the lion above current service levels. representatives about how Clackamas is important to them.
sure 88, which took $240 million lobby behind the Great Seal of Or The Legislature’s co-chair’s bud
egon. Representatives from the get, that came out last week, in move into the Legislature, where the governor for his approval.
out of the budget this year.
•
“When the governor has a bud OCCA passed out plants, pam cluded an additional $6.4 million. they will debate and revise it, be
get of $800 million below what is phlets, coffee and morning past The budget proposal will now fore a final version is presented to See related story on page 3
1