Earthquake shakes, rattles and
rolls through campus
Baseball slams
into a new season
Check it out on page 2
Check it out on page 5
ClACkAMAS P r ÌNT nt £C fl "
www.ClackamasPrint.com
Wednesday, March 7, 2001
Clackamas Community College
Speech team
wins BIG
MAGGIE JIRASEK
Feature Editor
Clackamas’ Speech and Debate
team placed first at the Phi Rho Pi
Regional Speech and Debate tour
nament last weekend and received
a total of 20 awards.
The tournament was hosted by
Clackamas and was a pre-cursor to
the Nationals. Colleges from
Northern California, Oregon and
Washington attended.
“I had a good time. I always en
joyed coming to Clackamas for
tournaments,” said Shannon
Valdivia, director of forensics at
Mt. Hood Community College.
The next goal for Clackamas’
speech team is the National tour
nament in Jacksonville, Fla. The
team can only afford to take half of -
the members. Students chosen for
the National team are Kerrie Baker-
Hughes, Jenifer Gile, Samantha
Griffin, Chris Henry, Melissa
Jones, David Lee, Amorita
Patterson, Laura Pi
and Paul Southwick.
“Our team did pretty
We have definitely improved com
pared to the last tournament. Now
we are preparing for the Nation
als,” said Kelly Brennan, Clacka
mas instructor and speech and
debate team coach.
The National tournament,
which is the largest and oldest
in the United States, will be tak
ing place April 5-15.
Student dies after rave
News Editor
A 19-year-old Clackamas
student died Saturday morning
at Legacy Emanuel Hospital af
ter she attended a rave in
downtown Portland.
Melissa Flaherty’s death at
19 is raising discussion about
the dangers of the drug ec
stasy, and the rave parties
where it is consumed.
Though she took a pill and a
half of ecstasy that night, doc
tors are not sure whether that
was the cause of her death.
The toxicology report won’t be
available for about another
week according to the state
Medical Examiner’s Office.
According to an article by
Gillian Gaynair in yesterday’s
Oregonian, Flaherty was at the
party with two friends from Al
bany who bought and con
sumed the same amount of ec
stasy. She was also separated
from her friends for an hour and
a half.
Medically qualified volun
teers treated Flaherty at the
party. Her vital signs remained
normal as she laid on a gurney
in the first aid tent. She started
to have trouble again when she
tried to sit up to walk. Volun
teers checked her vitals then at
around 6 a.m., and her oxygen
levels were so low that they
called 911. She died about two
hours later.
Flaherty was a full-time stu
dent at Clackamas, and taking
biology, chemistry, and writ
ing.
“Melissa was a quiet student.
I didn’t get to know her real well,
but she seemed like a real nice
young lady,” said Biology In
structor Richard Rueb. “She
came to class regularly and we’re
really going to miss her.”
Neither Rueb nor Chemistry
Instructor Hal Bender knew her
very well.
“I didn’t get a chance to talk
much with her outside of class,”
said Bender. “She was doing fine
in chemistry class, doing good
work...so it was really quite a
surprise to read about her in the
paper.”
Volume XXXIV, Issue
16.
Kirkpatrick
dies following
battle with cancer
DIANA SCRIVNER
Editor-in-Chief
Laura Pimentel, speech and communications major, seated above
and pictured at right, awaits her turn to speak after PCC student,
Kyle Wilken. They were competing in the speech to entertain contest.
STEVE NIELSEN
Oregon City, Oregon
“I always think of Corky as be
ing a rather unique person, with the
characteristics of being very
tough, very tenacious, and very
talented,” he said.
“She was very instrumental in
helping us pass the bond issue and
very effective in helping us deliver
our message to Salem,” stated
Keyser. “Corky handled this ill
ness a little differently than other
people. She wanted to keep work
ing, keep producing; she didn’t
want people to feel sorry for her.
She wanted
to be re
garded as a
contributing
p r o f e s -
sional.”
Corky Kirkpatrick, director of
grants and community relations,
died Monday morning after a cou
rageous battle with cancer. She
was 62, and had been employed at
the college since 1986.
Kirkpatrick was diagnosed with
breast cancer four years ago and
went through several rounds of
chemotherapy. Her death came as
a surprise to many at the college
because she was so
active and kept her
illness private.
Friend and col
league Jim Meiser,
department chair for
cooperative work ex-
perience, worked
Kirkpatrick’s
with Kirkpatrick on
work at the
the International
college will
Educational Commit
not be for
tee.
gotten, ac
Corky Kirkpatrick, director of
“I knew that this
cording to
grants and community relations
time would probably died Monday at her home.
David
come, but I kept ex
Dickson, as
pecting her to come to work this sistant to the president and her
week,” Meiser said. “I talked to her immediate supervisor.
last week on the phone one night,
“She’s made a huge difference,”
and she talked about having a he said. “She took over commu
rough time but said that she would nity relations as well as grants,
be back - and I fully expected to which is pretty unusual for a col
see her.
lege our size to have two functions
“She was a tough lady and real this large managed by one person.
inspirational about all this. Sev But Corky is a pretty unusual per
eral faculty members I spoke to to son; she always had a strong work
day who were not close friends ethic.”
Kirkpatrick worked closely with
said ‘Oh my goodness . . . what
happened?
the community and the
She never let
media.
“I think there is
on that she "She's made a
was sick.’
a huge amount of trust
That would be tremendous
between the media and
exactly her difference here at
the college as a result
style.”
of Corky’s integrity and
the college. "
Anne
forthrightness,” said
Donelson,
Dickson.
Anne Donelson
grants and
Along with her
Grants and Community
■
Relations
community
other duties, Kirkpatrick
relations,
was very involved with
worked with
the International Educa
Kirkpatrick since 1996.
tional Committee.
“She’s been through a struggle.
“She was very supportive of stu
She’s handled it with such dignity dents and staff having interna
and strength; she fought stronger tional exchange opportunities,”
than anyone could fight,” said Dickson. “She really was the
Donelson said. “She’s made a tre one who started the International
mendous difference here at the Endowment Fund through the
college... she was so incredibly Foundation. We are looking right
knowledgeable. She was certainly now at naming that fund for
a mentor to me.”
Corky.”
College President John Keyser
The foundation endowment pro
spoke of Kirkpatrick’s profession vides help for students and staff
alism throughout her career at to travel and study abroad.
Clackamas.
See Kirkpatrick, page 3