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WedNEsdAy, ApRiL 24, 2002
right to not publish any letter.
Biology students can't
get on the same page
Editor-in-Chief:
Maggie Jirasek
(x2447)
Design Editor:
Salena De La Cruz
Respect my
authority
Copy Editor:
Allison Gerfin
Shadra Beesley
Staff Writer
A & E Editor:
Daisy Bain
News Editor:
Frank Jordan
Sports Editor:
Elena Boryska
Opinion Editor:
Erinn Leiten
It all started when a simple
trip to the bookstore went awry.
I found myself choosing from
five different biology text
books, and I knew this was not
a good sign of what was to
come.
In the past, textbooks were
magical volumes of answers
that supplied all necessary in
formation. The Clackamas Sci
ence Department has changed
all of that. In Biology 102, For
mat A, textbooks are a source
of frustration, anxiety and
chaos.
How could a textbook cause
so much grief? Let’s start at the
beginning.
For years, biology classes
have been offered in. the tradi
tional lecture/lab format.
At Clackamas, these classes
are now offered in what is re
ferred to as “Format A: an inter
active group approach.” In For
mat A, students spend class time
working in groups, then go di
rectly to the lab. There is no lec
ture, no note-taking, no overhead
projector.
There is a teacher present to
help find answers and dole out
ridiculous amounts of homework,
but students are generally on
their own.
In traditional courses, one text
book is required, and every stu
dent in the class owns this same
textbook. Usually, this standard
textbook directly correlates to the
curriculum. For Format A, I was
required to pick from five text
books. The excuse for this un
fortunate idea is that students
can choose the book that best
fits their learning style.
The result of this unfortunate
idea is students spending $60 -
$120 on a book that presents in
adequate information in an order
bearing no resemblance to the
way they are actually studying
it. Another result is a classroom
full of confused peers citing dif
ferent sources of information.
Using a myriad of different text
books directly conflicts with the
group-learning concept. Stu
dents are constantly working to
gether and are not provided with
the benefit of being able to use
simple chapter and page num
bers to reference each other’s
information. Some textbooks
contain conflicting information,
and they all use different termi
nology.
Homework is another never-
ending battle on the Format A
frontier. In order to compensate
for the lack of lecture and note
taking sessions, the course pro
vides a truckload of various as
signments. Collaborative activi
ties, “Learning tp Think” ques
tions, concept maps, journals, lab
write-ups, group-work antholo
gies and lengthy objectives are
just a few of the regularly sched
uled afflictions. Two to five as
signments are due every class
period. The textbook catastro
phe contributes to the anxiety
created by this mountain of busy
work, causing me to spend most
of my homework time searching
for information.
Group learning is an innova
tive, fun way to study science.
However, this method could be
much more effective with a few
simple changes. One textbook
should be required, and the in
formation presented in class
should be based on that text
book. Also, the necessary home
work needs to be weeded out
from the redundant busywork.
Ironing out these kinks could
turn Format A into an efficient,
valuable program.
To reach Shadra Beesley e-
mail shadrab@hotmail.com or
drop by B-104.
My favorite product: nothing
Feature Editor:
Elisabeth Meyer
Business Manager:
Aaron Patelzick
(x2578)
Webmaster:
Lulçe Mahan
Be Human
Staff:
Jesse Gurzynski
Isaiah Creel
Shadra Beesly
Andy Price
Jennifer Kane
J.J. Pearson
Nick Barron
Megan Cobb
Secretary:
JoAnne Gale
Adviser:
Goals:
Patty Mamula
(x2310)
Jesse Gurzynski
StaffWriter
■HHHK
Advertising is extremely offen
sive to me, and I think any truly
self-respecting person will agree.
Advertising has invaded just
about every imaginable space in
our daily lives to the extent that
even someone like myself, who
does my best to avoid commer
cial messages, is inundated with
them everywhere they go. Out
side the confines of my little room
where I sleep, advertisements are
nearly everywhere and in innu
merable forms: emblems on cars,
logos on clothes, storefront
signs, onward up to billboards.
I realize I have here indicated
things that people don’t normally
regard as advertising, but is the
three-letter name on a ballpoint
pen or the blue oval on the back
of a car really necessary? Fur
thermore, they have succeeded
in their, intended effect, as you
certainly recall the brands I have
just alluded to.
I find it very offensive that ad
vertisers manipulate our emo
tions so as to sell us crap like
extra pairs of shoes, herbal pills,
specialized-purpose cleaning
agents, or various knick knacks
that we don’t need. Advertisers
know damn well what they are
doing, and they are quite skillful
at it. Isn’t it .kind of sick that we
have developed, emotional at
tachments to products and
brands'! And yet people still
deny they are being brain
washed.
Brand-building has little if any
thing to do with producing a
quality product. It’s about sell
ing an image. In her interview for
Stay Free magazine, Inger Stole,
assistant professor, Department
of Advertising at the University
of Illinois, put it well: “Really, just
the idea that advertisers would
have to state basic, hard facts
would defeat all kinds of adver
tising. If you look at ten differ
ent soaps,’ they’re all pretty
much the same, so people would
go for the lowest price.” Honest
facts don’t work in advertising.
If someone really needs some
thing, or even really wants some
thing, they will find it on their
own. Of course, monetary profit
would not be so great for the
giant corporations if people
bought just what they needed
or really wanted. It is far better
to tell them what they want. So
now we’ve been told what we
want and then told it’s not just
a want but a need. So to fulfill
this great need for worthless
junk, we sacrifice all our lives to
perform endless hours of use
less labor to earn petty amounts
of symbolic Wealth with which
to acquire all this worthless
junk.
And when it’s all said and
done at the end, we have noth
ing to show for our lives. Just a
worthless pile of junk to be
hauled off to a landfill, and a feel
ing of emptiness.
7b reach Jesse Gurzynski e-
mail heterodox@onebox.com or
drop by B-104.
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