Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2002)
November 13, 2002 Speech team comes in third, brings home six trophies Staff Writer KELLY BRENNAN Contributed Left to right: Kerrie Hughes, Nole Steketee, Melissa Karki, Alex Woolner, Leah Clack, Jennifer Cile, Kelly Brennan, Jennifer Nelson, Amy Perin. The Clackamas speech team recently competed at Butte College, CA and Lower Columbia College, WA. With a placement of third overall at the speech team’s last tournament at Lower Columbia College, it’s obvious that “the team is progressing very well,” as Forensics Director Kelly Brennan assures. Despite the team’s progression, Brennan explained that “one of the drawbacks” of being a community college team is “we’re always rebuilding,” meaning our team has members who are either new or at the most two years with it. Four year college’s have the advantage of their members having been a part of the team for longer and therefore also having ‘more experience.’ That’s what makes it even more impressive that our team, compiled of many first-timers, still does so well. “Everyone went and just did really, really well,” Brennan states in praise of his team, in reference to their Lower Columbia success. The weekend before Lower Columbia there was another tourna ment, which fewer team members were able to attend. This was held at Butte College in California on the weekend of Oct. 26-27, and the team ended up bringing home six trophies. Amy Perin was a finalist in Extemporaneous, Informative, and Persuasive speaking. Jennifer Nelson and Leah Clack were both finalists in Parliamentary Debate. Nelson was also placed as the fifth overall best speaker. Although the Butte tournament went well, the next weekend of Nov. 2-3 went even better. Perhaps their success was motivated by the fact that the Lower Columbia tournament was the first time this year that the Speech team had been allowed to take all 22 members. The Clackamas team brought home 16 awards as a result. Among the speakers were Eric, Lizzie and Joanna Piarson; three home-schooled siblings, the oldest being 18, who were competing for the first time with Clackamas. Eric was a finalist in Novice Impromptu, and won 20th best over all speaker. Lizzie was also a finalist in Novice Impromptu, Novice Persuasion, and a finalist in Debate, and Joanna won third in'Open Prose. Additionally, Alex Woolner brought home third in Novice Informative, and was the tenth-overall best speak er. Melissa Karki got third in Open Informative, second in open prose, and 18th best overall. Jennifer Nelson was third in Open Poetry, a Parliamentary Debate finalist, and rated fifth-overall best speaker. Leah Clack was a finalist in Parliamentary Debate and placed second in Novice Drama. ASG, Cancer Society join Kulongoski wins forces to sponsor Great American Smokeout Day Copy Editor News Editor “More people, believe it or not, quit [smoking] on Great American Smokeout day than on any other day," Amber Nunes stated at the planning meeting for The American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout day activities. Nunes is a health educator for the Clackamas County Public Health Division. She and the Associated Student Government’s Campus Activities Officer, Stephanie Neuhauser, are collaborating to come up with activities to be held on campus Nov. 21. On Great American Smokeout Day all smok ers are asked to quit just for one day. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has literature, posters, and activities to support and help people that would like to quit on that day. “I don’t even remember the Great American Smokeout happening last year,” Neuhauser said. “I’m hoping this year I can get the word out and it’ll be a bigger deal.” Students should begin to see new posters appearing around campus. Nunes brought several from the ACS for Clackamas to use in effort to pro mote Smokeout day. “People like to look at the posters,” Nunes said. “Some of them are pretty funny.” The festivities on campus for Great American Smokeout day will include a display in the courtyard featuring a variety of anti-smoking brochures and posters. Students will have the opportunity to sign anti tobacco pledges that may be entered into a drawing. There will be lots of giveaways, including key chains, fake tattoos, magnets, pens and decals. According to Nunes, the American Cancer Society will sup- ply these materials to Clackamas. Activities on Nov. 21 may include a prize wheel, donated by the ACS, that students can spin to win t- shirts, food and other novelties. Nunes and Neuhauser also discussed holding a “gear exchange.” Nunes explained that in the past, several groups have featured this activity, in which smokers can bring in lighters, cigarettes, and other tobacco-related products (such as clothing with tobacco company logos) in exchange for other items. Some of the items that Neuhauser proposed to offer in trade were restaurant and store gift certificates. Another topic that was discussed at the planning meeting Nov. 5 was the possibility of installing designat ed smoking areas on the college campus. Neuhauser said that in the past ASG has attempted to get bus shelters put up on'campus for people to smoke in. “At one point we were pushing for it, but then it fell by the way side,” Neuhauser said. “Basically, it would just be way too expensive to install designated smoking areas.” As a member of ASG’s tobacco committee, Neuhasuer agreed that she would present the idea of desig nated smoking areas to the commit tee again in the near future. “I’m willing to work for desig nated smoking areas,” Neuhauser said. Nunes offered to aid in pushing the proposition forward by bringing in cost and procedure statistics from similar schools that have gotten smoking areas installed. “It’s not a non-smoker versus smoker issue,” Nunes said. “It’s a health and consideration issue.” Smokers interested in quitting can call the Oregon quit line' at 1- 877-270-7867. Anyone who calls this number will receive free coun seling and can receive a free “Quit Kit” by mail. With a voter turnout approaching 70 percent, Oregon voters elected Democrat Ted Kulongoski as its next governor, defeating Republican Kevin Mannix and Libertarian Tom Cox in one of the closest gubernato rial elections in the last 40 years. Although Mannix took the majority vote in 28 of the state’s 36 counties, Kulongoski won enough votes in heavily democratic Multnomah and Lane Counties to edge out Mannix by about 33,000 votes. Republican Gordon Smith won re-election to the United States Senate, easily defeating Oregon will con tinue to oper ate at the highest level that we can.”. j Michael Jordan Clackamas County Commissioner, on faffed ' county measures Secretary of State Bill Bradbury. In the races for the U.S. House, all five incumbents in Oregon’s congres sional districts easily won re-elec tion. Oregon citizens voted to raise the state’s minimum wage from $6.50 to $6.90 per hour, with annual adjust ments for inflation, by a 51-49 per cent margin. The voters overwhelm ingly shot down measures to label genetically engineered foods and to give all Oregonians state-subsidized health care. Collectors of initiative signatures for all future ballot meas ures will no longer be paid by the signature, with the passage of Measure 26. Voters in Clackamas County defeated measures that would have raised funds to operate the Sheriff’s and Juvenile Departments, and to raise bonds to fund a new court house and juvenile facilities in the Hilltop area of Oregon City. “Although the voters have spo ken and we find this disappointing,” said Clackamas County Commissioner Michael Jordan, “we will continue to operate at the high est level that we can. We hope to scale back our request and come back to the voters in the near future.” Governor-elect Kulongoski will have many challenges facing his new job come January. The state is still facing an enormous budget shortfall that continues-to grow by the day. Democrat Kulongoski faces a legislature that has a Republican majority in the Oregon House and an even 15-15 split in the Oregon Senate. Kulongoski hopes to use his many years of experience in the Oregon government to find consen sus between both parties in order to get the state’s economic problems behind it. On Jan. 28, voters in the state will be asked to pass a temporary three-year surcharge on the state’s income tax. The state hopes to use this money, approximately $312 mil lion, to shore up education and social services in Oregon. If the measure fails at the ballot box, schools may face early closures and more cuts to their budgets.
