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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 2001)
Check out sports on Page 14 Check out our special section on the terrorist attacks on Pages 4,5,6,7 T h e www.ClackamasPrint.com Wednesday, October 10, 2001 Clackamas Community College Oregon City, Oregon Volume XXXIV, Issue 1 Fear rises up for international students Editor-in-Chief Clackamas’ international students from around the world have experienced difficulties since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Some of them include not getting visas is sued on time, being called home by frightened family and living with a daily sense of fear. Every year students from different countries come to Clackamas for various reasons, such as to improve their English skills, obtain an education not available in their home country and experience American culture. This year, however, many of Clackamas’ international stu dents did not make it to the first day of classes. “We have students who could not come right away be cause their flights were cancelled and they couldn ’t make it on time. Instead, they will come next term,” explained Shannon J. Forrester, evaluation & interna tional-specialist. “Some of them were called back home because their parents got scared. We also have a few new students who did not get their visas issued on time.” One of the reasons why student visas are not being is sued on time is the fact that since the attacks, the processing of vi sas slowed has down immensely. “We issue 1-20 forms to all MIKE POLLOCK / Clackamas Print As the fall term began, students were greeted with patriotic posters created by the Associated Student Government the international students and then take it over to the embassy, but now it takes longer for them to be processed,” said Forrester. “Here at Clackamas, we are very open to all international stu dents.” There are many fears inter national students run into, such as being sent back to their home country and not being able to continue studying in the United States as well as being left out by American society. One of Clackamas’ interna tional students, who wishes to remain anonymous, came here about seven years ago along with her mother and her brother after a civil war had broken out in her home country of Somalia. “When 1 first watched the whole thing on TV, it scared me to death. It reminded me of what happened in my own country,” she said. “I’m a Moslem also but I have nothing to do with what has happened. Now I’m scared that they will send me back to So malia. For me, this is my home now, the place where I belong and I don’t know where I would go if they send me back.” According to Ellen See Fears, page 3 Clackamas instructors are concerned about students MAGGIE JIRASEK Editor-in-Chief Faculty members at Clackamas meet every Thursday at noon to talk about strategies and ways to address the issue of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and to report how students re spond to it. “It’s basically like sharing the wisdom,” ex plained Bill Zuelke, counsel ing department chair. “It’s an open discussion among fac ulty, and we try to encour age staff members to talk to their students about what has happened on Sept. 11.” Since the beginning of the school year, three meet ings have been held, each time hosted by faculty mem about today’s news and bers including Social Sci some spend not any time on it at all,” said Blessman. ence Instructors Trish According to McFarland, Loren Ford, Bob Kieler and Counselor David McFarland, a topic such as Blessman. Reactions to the attacks would arise natu whether it is rally. a good idea “The way 1 deal to address with it is that the attacks "We cannot ig in the class I can’t stop nore something as teaching his room differ big as the terrorist among fac tory to talk about now ulty. attacks. " because his Joe Johnson tory deals “Some in College President with the past, structors but on dis are amend cussion day, ing their it might come up as part of curriculum to include the informed tragedy as discussion, some discussion,” are just giving time at the McFarland. Not only students and beginning of class to talk faculty are impacted by the trag edy, but the college itself is af fected in terms of student en rollment, less resources avail able for students and declining employment opportunities. “We cannot ignore some thing as big as the terrorist at tacks and it has to be brought up and discussed,” said Joe Johnson, college president. “We have to give students the chance to express their feel ings.” Staff members agree that all of us, students as well as in structors, are impacted by the tragedy in one way or another and understand the importance of sharing our inner fears and concerns. When bringing up the issue of the attack in class rooms, instructors are trying to put it in context with their cur riculum. In classes such as psychology, the topic is more likely to arise than in drafting or computer classes, although the issue can be put in con text with the curriculum in any class. “Even if you look at the issue of computers, perhaps it would have never occurred without them,” explained Johnson. “There are major questions about the whole computer structure.” Besides looking at how to discuss the tragedy in context of subject matter, it was also brought up at the meetings to provide counseling services for students who want to talk about their concerns and express their feelings.
