Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 28, 2004)
4 • C ommentary T he C lackamas P rint »»«I m »—.»-«— What is that smell in the | Skylight Dining Room ? “Greasy nasty kitchen.” Isnardo Gandarilla The Skylight Dining Room houses a mysteriously unpleasant odor, making it the ‘nosesore’ of the college. Stumped students speculate stench Ben Maras O pinion E ditor One question has plagued Clackamas students since the dawn of time: What is that unusu al and unpleasant odor in the Skylight Dining Room? Theories range from poor ven tilation, to a plot by the College to use neurotoxins to gain unlimited control over the brains of the entire student body. Others believe there is a Sasquatch living in a bomb-shelter under the floor boards. Thé pure fact that a dining area (which implies that one is sup posed to eat in it) smells of a mix-, ture of mold and chëese wiz is? Evan Fasson ■ something to be worried about. What on this earth Could produce such an unusual smell? It can be one of three things: ani mal, mineral or vegetable. Most min erals do not produce strange odors (brimstone aside); besides, the smell of the lounge is a bit more organic than the smell of a rock. Veggie? Maybe, if one counts some bizarre fungal growth as a vegetable, and if it is, would a bot tle of Round-Up really cost that much? With the sheer magnitude of the odor, though, it seems the fungus may have grown legs and teeth and,,spends nights stalking the campus ,for prey, dropping strange trails of peat-moss, at which pojpt | jt becomes, both an animal and a vegetable. It could still be a dead animal, like a large rodent, maybe a capy bara. Or it could be something far worse, such as the bodily odors, of thousands of college students, trapped in a confined area, roast ing and stewing in a veritable steam room under the hot Oregon sun (words that usually cannot go together). With no way to escape, the smell only cooks down until the air is a near plasnia of , noxious fumes, sending the students’ sens es into neurological convulsions, their scent receptors trying to leap right out of their nostrils and hurl themselves to their deaths. Of all the theories, perhaps this is the most disturbing; (although mold-monsters is a close second It is hard to imagine how mu B.O. it takes (not to mention t time it takes) for odors to combi to create that pungent aroma. There are legitimate conccr in this matter; a repulsive smell an unknown origin would usui warrant an investigation. B since it doesn’t seem to be a hi. concern for the college, all we c do is sit back and hope it’s n anything toxic (or predatory). 1 Best of luck to ASG, as t new Construction plans call fl their office to be moved into ti area. At least then maybe measu: might finally be taken to rcmc the odor and we’d finally have til age-old question answered. 'Z New Fox reality make-over show 'The Swan' ruffles viewers' feathers “I know what it used to smell like... it used to smell like urine.” Jennifer Trank T he C lackamas P rint Paul Wanner Laura Andrews “Stale bar beque sauce, it V '.. i L' WIIRww- s ■ smells like BBQ and charcoal.” Britt Crooks Thanks to Fox’s new program “The Swan,” reality TV has sunk to a new low that has redefined the exploitation of women to danger ous levels, exhibiting television at its worst For those who have yet to see the show, each week viewers are presented two new self-proclaimed physical and social misfits. Actually, they are average-looking women who have fallen victim to today’s unrealistic, media-driven portrayal of the way women should look. Each woman describes the mis ery associated with each physical “flaw.” Viewers learn why each contestant is so utterly unhappy with herself while plunging through the most dismal lows in her life. One contestant recalls her father warning her grade school teacher “not to expect much from her,” while another describes the pain and humiliation associated with requiring daily facial shaving. Contestants become the project of a “team of experts” including two plastic surgeons, a cosmetic dentist, dermatologist, physical trainer and therapist (thankfully). The panel critiques each woman from head to toe in brutal detail, peppering thé discussion with such comments as “That nose has got to go” and “It’s a scalpel, not a magic wand.” The beauty wannabes then undergo multiple procedures to bring their physical appearance more in line with what the experts feel is the ideal woman (picture Britney, Beyonce and Barbie rolled into one). They are then resuscitat ed, bandaged and wheeled to a motel to recover, looking like they’ve had encounters with a meat grinder and a blowtorch. Still shrouded in gauze, the Svyan hopefuls are put on rigorous can do for them,” said Rohrich. Rohrich also expresses concern exercise regimens and restrictive diets to shed the pounds required to for the young, impressionable audience. win the pageant “The public is being lulled into a On a positive note, the women are also provided weekly psycholog sense that there are no real risks or ical counseling which, in most complications [associated with] cos metic plastic surgery,” he said. cases, is totally inadequate After three months, contestants The ASPS urges potential and their construction team gather patients to find a qualified plastic for the unveiling. To add to the fer surgeon that operates in an vor at the “big reveal,” mirrors are accredited facility to ensure patient off-limits throughout the recovery safety. What the women on this pro period. The drama is immense, with dumbstruck girls professing gram need is major reconstruction with unbridled joy, “I don’t even of self-esteem, not their profiles. And we as a society need to rethink recognize myself!” How nice. - At the end of each episode, one what makes a person truly beautiful. We have become a society of “former ugly duckling” is told she has been chosen to participate in couch-gawkers who take pleasure in show’s beauty pageant,. while the the drama of others. This show other is told, “Sorry, not good takes the meek, the insecure and the miserable, places them at center enough!” What message are we sending stage and gathers the masses to about inner beauty and loving one stare and shake their heads in agree self? Is the scope of what consti ment: “She is indeed ghastly.” tutes attractive really that narrow? This is not only exploitive on Can the misery and self-loathing it the part of Fox, but in poor taste takes a lifetime to amass be eradi and downright cruel. Ther sad cated with a scalpel, a tube of lip part is most of us will remain stick and a few sessions on a thera glued to our televisions, unable to pist’s couch? This seems a bit sim- pull the plug. plistic, not to men tion exploitive and dangerous. According to Rod Rohrich, presi dent of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), plastic sur gery should not be viewed as a means to transform a person’s looks or life. “Some patients on these shows have unrealistic and, INTERNET PHOTOS frankly unhealthy, Before and after photos of ‘Cindy,’ a expectations about what plastic surgery contestant on Fox’s ‘The Swan.’ Letters to ! the Editor ( ] High cost in cafeteria gives students' shaft I wanted to bring some thing to the student body’s attention. It may be trivial toI some, but I think it will res onate with others. It used to cost about two dollars for al bowl of soup just a couple of terms ago; it now costs $3.40 or so. It used to cost fifty cents to get a refill on a regular coffee; now it is about $1.10. That is a 120 percent increase. Starbucks only charges 50 cents in the real world. Doi they sell Stock in this compa ny? With this kind of market profits, who needs to invest in their 40IK? Just buy cafeteria stock and you are set. The point I want to make is: Why the dean doesn’t do! anything about it? I com plained to the dean’s staff and they said they would get back to me and never did. I wondet if the student president even knows or cares that the stu- dents are being gouged big time. By the way, I was told that the school gets a percent age of the profits. Maybe that’s why nobod; will call me. Two plus two equals what? It equals the school making more profits and the students getting the ■shaft. Just a thought. Karl Barnes CCC Student
