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.