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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2006)
Clackamas Print Commentary 3 Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006 Face off: College diversity Diversity programs bridge the racial gap by Tayo Stalnaker Liz Travers The Clackamas Print ■ o......................................... à On June 21, 1947, Harold ihl sat in his boat near Maury and. Wash, with his dog and a and watched in awe as six fOs flew overhead. .After a few seconds, one [the UFOs emitted a strange pd-metal substance, which lonto Dahl’s boat, killing his jg and injuring his son. The Kt day, Dahl was visited by a ¡•foot-tall man in a black suit tins home. The man drove a tn (at the time) 1947 Buick, gd invited Dahl to come have itakfast with him at a local aer. Dahl accepted the offer. At the diner, the man pro- aded to tell Dahl about the tange flying objects he wit- sed the previous day. He » threatened Dahl, saying nt harm would come to him id his family if he ever spoke [the UFOs again. The man who Dahl encoun- ted was the first of many tore encounters of the Men ¡Black that would follow for ¡cades to come. International Flying Saucer wait (IFSB) Director Alfred (Bender heard about Dahl’s ny and printed it in his news- ker Bender himself was actu- b visited by three Men in lek in 1953. According to Imder, the three men told him put the secrets of UFOs and beatened to send him to pris- lifhe spoke to anyone about kir conversation. Bender’s py was later immortalized in e friend Gray Barker’s book, fa’ Knew Too Much About tying Saucers. It should be noted that after Her died in the 1980s, his fends came out and said that is claims and theories about «Men in Black were a hoax. [Most people, who have lined to have witnessed the lien in Black, say that the fen usually appear in twos or pees and look either Asian or uan in appearance. Some fople have even claimed ■ these Men in Black have ■Iging, grotesque eyes, high (¿bones, pointy noses and usually very tall. Also, the littiesses almost always claim Kt the Men in Black are secret ■vemment agents and/or I ks themselves. I Should we trust these peo- f or should we just lump Im in with all the other para- fii tinfoil-hat-wearing, con- liracy junkies? I As a skeptic, I have to call laanigans on the Men in lack. Print ■ • • : ./tnas I W600 S. Molalla Ave. H Oregon City, OR 97045 ■ (503) 657-6958 ex. 2309 ■ Hie Clackamas Print is a weekly student publication and is ■ ” ’ ru •-•very Wednesday except ||s finals week. As a country, we have made leaps and bounds in accep tance and diversity. There was a time not even that long ago when an African American child could not go to a white school. Even in our parent’s time, it was uncom fortable to make contact with someone of a different race. People now seem to feel that diversity is shoved down our throats. We can all remem ber, during grade school, how Martin Luther King Day was a staple of every year. It is only natural to assume that these programs would also seep into college. Except this time, it is geared to help those in the minority category with grants, scholarships, clubs, etc. What is so wrong with that? It’s not as if the majority doesn’t have a million oppor tunities thrown in their laps every day. We live in a society where the majority thrives. It is, after all, the American way. I had no idea that help ing had become a problem in society. These days, the average student can barley afford to go to college, let alone pay for the cost of living. Unless you are a prodigy or can spank the competition on the field, col lege is pretty much paid for out of pocket. The rest of us are forced to rely on govern ment aid. The more we introduce the idea of diversity in schools now, the better off we will be in the future. Yes, it’s true that some people will never change their ideals about race, but every generation reaches a little farther towards that goal. Maybe we will never have true equality, but what’s wrong with making a valiant attempt? Diversity programs divide instead of unite Tayo Stalnaker Commentary Editor Racism has, and always will be, a fact of life. There is no way to end it, and it is pointless to even try. College diversity programs, along with all the other ones, were created in an effort to promote cul tural aware ness, unity and to end discrimina tion. I admire this about diversity programs because I wish that this country was more toler ant of other cultures and racism and sexism were non-existent. However, I am smart enough to that know will that never hap- pen. Why? Because humans are stupid, and forcing people to get along with each other doesn’t work Race should not be a factor when it comes to being accepted into a college. What should matter is what the person has to offer the college, such as previous academic success, community service work, student leadership, etc. Another problem I have with diversity programs is political cor rectness. Political correctness is the dumbing-down of society. It brings everything to the lowest common denominator. What these diver sity programs do is put everyone into hyphenated phrases, such as “African-American” and “Asian- American.” The only thing this achieves is dividing people up into different groups, only taking into account their cultural background. I’m sorry, but if a person lives in America and is a tax-paying citizen then that makes he or she an American, nothing more and nothing less. College diversity programs also contain false assumptions. Such as, they assume that people in a certain ethnic group all think alike, and that they will bring in different points of view. This is not the case; everyone has different beliefs, ide als, morals and thoughts, regardless of his or her race. Everyone comes from a different background and offers up something different to the metaphorical table. Yes, America does need to be more sensitive to other cultures, and racism needs to be erased. However, forcing multiculturalism on the public is not the way to do it. So, how do we achieve this? Honestly, I have no idea, but I’m pretty sure a better education sys tem and abolishing political cor rectness would help. Silly grown-ups, 'Tricks’ are for kids Tayo Stalnaker Commentary Editor Adults should not go trick- or-treating on Halloween, nor should they insist on dressing up. The candy is for the kids, so back off. I see adults trick-or- treating every year during Halloween, and it’s really getting annoying. For one, adults don’t need Halloween as an excuse to dress up anymore ... because they’re adults. Secondly, Halloween is now a children’s holiday and, unless there’s a Wiccan revolution, it always will be. Furthermore, candy rots your teeth, so leave it for the kids. Hey, they’ll be grow ing new teeth in a few years, so why does it matter? I have no problem with adults dressing up on Halloween as long as it’s C o -E ditors - in -C hief : Sam Krause, for an adult party. However, if an adult is going to dress up and go door-to-door beg ging for candy, they really need to grow up and/or get a life. And don’t give me that tired line about “reconnect ing with my inner child.” Whatever shrink came up with that line of bull should be cut with Ockhams Razor. I’m not saying that there should be a law ban ning adults from trick-or- treating, I’m just saying that adults should start act ing their age. If they want t o Ao M anager : Elizabeth Hitz Katie Wilson C opy E ditor : Colleen Watkins N ews E ditor : Megan Koler C ommentary E ditor : Tayo Stalnaker F eature E ditor : Laura Cameron S ports E ditor : Mike Guidice A&E E ditor : Matt Olson P hoto E ditor : Adam J. Manley S taff W riters : Justin Goe, Danny trick-or-treat, then I would ?uggest asking for booze instead of candy. My S botographers : Juno Dean, Jeff Sorensen Helus, Frank Jordan, Andrea D epartment A dvisor : Linda Vogt Simpson, Jeff Sorensen, David Stark, Liz Travers, Alexandria Vallelunga P roduction A ssistants : Rachel Gillette, Andrew Green, Genyva Laubach, David Stark aunt and uncle used to do that, and it worked out well for them. They would dress up as ghosts carrying wine glasses and go door-to- door trick-or-treating for Pinot Noir. So, this Halloween, if any adults reading this are thinking about dressing up and hang ing with the kids, please don’t. G oals : The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the stu dent body college administration, its faculty or The Print. E-mail comments to chiefed@clackamas. edu.
