ommentary
Campus
Poll:
Did you
<¡>et your
taxes in
on time?
Melody Judd
"I didn’t
need to
fie them,
but I
needed the
refund, so
[got them
in.”
Gabe Averre
“No. I
was just
doing
them,
actually.”
lebecca Holstein
I was
actually
just on my
ray to do
hem.”
Cory Andersen
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Clackamas Print
3
Internet radio in danger
Matt Olson
Commentary Editor
Many listeners feel indigna
tion, repulsion and, yes, severe
disappointment toward the
music industry in this new mil
lennium - but the industry’s lat
est actions take the cake.
Last month, the Copyright
Royalty Board (one of
Congress ’ committees/lackeys)
raised the fees that Internet
radios have to pay by 30 per
cent, retroactive back into
2006. There may be no col
lective gasp, or even an
“oh, that sucks” uttered
by the masses, but it adds
to the growing sense of
confusion.
To
“clarify,'
Congress has already
passed three separate
laws which affect
the rates that dif
ferent broadcast
ing
mediums
must pay to
beam beauti-
ful ballads
to greedy ears. Now mix in
music pirating, two types of
woyalty fees (which may or may
not apply), an increasing range
of musical tastes and ever more
competition for listeners, and it
might become a bit clearer what
broadcasters are up against.
The kicker is that this fee
increase was, essentially, done
by the music industry - to the
music industry. The betrayal
is an age-old one; the rich
music moguls are twisting the
arms of the music hipsters
(what with their podcasts
and streaming media).
Even simpler, big money
is strangling an oppor
tunity and, by doing so,
shooting itself in the
The “foot” that
these clout-swing
ing businesses are
shooting is the
independent Web
radio stations, which have such
potential and great communi
ties.
Too many times this pattern
has played itself out: fear of the
unknown, fear of change, or just
pure spite for a mote successful
newcomer.
For example, when Napster,
BitTorrent and Kazaa came out,
the music industry moaned and
bitched about lost profits. They
moaned until Apple kicked ass
with iPods and the digital music
store on iTunes. For a long time
before that, downloadable music
was an opportunity squandered
and bungled by so many par
ties. You’d think that someone
would have learned something
from the mistakes made and
imitated Apple and its success.
Unfortunately, it appears as
if this newest turn of events is
just another addition to the sad
equation of fear, failure and
poor foresight that the music
industry operates by.
The saddest part is
the actions taken
by Congress in all of this. Time
and time again, they’ve passed
laws hastily, desperately trying
to bail water out of a sinking
industry.
Don’t fear, though; all is not
doomed?
As these morose patterns and
trends define themselves, peo
ple will begin to recognize them
and learn from the mistakes that
have been made. Innovation will
always be there; it may struggle
with morality, competition and
Congress, but it will always be
there.
Tuition increase necessary, legislature to blame
Matt Olson
Commentary Editor
Tuition’s going up. Don’t
worry.
The Board of Education
just upped the tuition by $2,
$1 added to the technology
fee and $1 added to the credit
fee.
Nonetheless, Clackamas’
tuition is still the lowest in
Oregon.
Does such relative thrifti
ness console most people? Yes.
Does it console everyone? No.
So, why did the board deem it
appropriate? -
Was it the growing number
of enrolled students, or was
it the desire to improve class
quality? Maybe it was the sim
ple desire of greed.
A great number of students
may not care, but others do.
The explanation is not found
here on campus, but in the
halls of the Oregon legisla
ture.
Last year, the community
colleges proposed a 2007-
2008 budget of $529 million.
This impressive sum may
seem like an overestimation,
but considering the costs of
18 different schools and the
escalating enrollment at each
of these colleges, that figure
is not grossly bloated.
Despite this, the governor
and the state legislature have
decreased the proposed fund
ing to an estimated $458 mil
lion. The under-funding, along
with other factors, has finally
compelled Clackamas to raise
its tuition.
The measly $2 raise is
understandable when com
pared to the tuition increases
done by other community col
leges in the last two years.
While other colleges raised
their tuition by nine percent,
Clackamas was steadfast and
didn’t increase tuition costs
at all.
Also, Clackamas’ needs are
special. The Harmony campus
construction, planned to begin
soon, will cost approximate
ly $20 million. Without that
extra money from the state,
the revenue will have to be
made up in other areas.
Considering all of these
things, it would be stupid for
the Board of. Education not
to raise the tuition. Like any
other business, schools need to
stay competitive. In this case,
competitive means up-to-dati
technology, and being well-
staffed and well-maintained
- all of which cost money.
Finally, what’s $2 when
compared to the enormous
amount of money everyone
wastes on food in Chartwells?
With a bit of perspective and a
respect for the administration
and faculty here at Clackamas,
anyone can see the well-mean
ing intentions behind this min
ute increase in fees.
So, tuition’s going up.
Don’t worry; be happy.
ASG due for renovation; coup d'etat comrades
Editors ’Note: The following is
an editorial written on behalf
of and representing the major
ity,opinion of The Clackamas
Print’s editorial staff.
Campus Poll compiled by
¡cholas Baker and Jennesa
Palmer
The ASG debates for president
and vice president were a farce.
Not once did a candidate estab
lish a difference between him or
herself and the other candidates.
Entirely too much time was spent
on questions like, ‘Is there a plan to
keep students on campus after they
finish their classes for the day?”
There were many claims by the
candidates that ASG understands
the general student population. The
average age of a Clackamas stu-
C o -E ditors - in -C hief : Sam Krause,
Clackamas Print
Katie Wilson
19600 S. Molalla Ave.
Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 657-6958 ex. 2309
C opy E ditor : Colleen Watkins
N ews E ditor : Megan Koler
C ommentary E ditor : Matt Olson
F eature E ditor : Laura Cameron
S ports E ditor : Mike Guidice
A&E E ditor : David Stark
P hoto E ditor : Adam J. Manley
The Clackamas Print is a weekly
student publication and is
distributed every Wednesday except
finals week. .
dent is 32. The average age of an
ASG member is 20. That’s a gap of
more than 10 years. After watching
one of ASG’s many events around
campus, it’s easy to see that there
isn’t much interest, unless it has to
do with free food.
When The Print asked all four
candidates about the criteria for
someone to be a candidate in the
election, an attempt was made to
turn die question around on The
Print and how we select the edito
rial staff.
This is the problem The Print
has with the election of president
and vice president: In a supposedly
democratic student government,
only a person with two terms of
Student Leadership is allowed to
run and hold elected office.
A d M anager : Elizabeth Hitz
S taff W riters : Nicholas Baker,
The only way to get
Student Leadership training is to
be a member of the CCC Student
Government or the CCC Student
Ambassadors.
-■
The sitting ASG vice president
and the selection committee review
applications and appoint members
to these two groups.
Current ASG President Tim
Lussier said that no one who quali
fied for a position on ASG has been
turned away.
This criteria specifically leave
out other representitives of stu
dents, such as members of Latino
Leadership, not to mention the stu
dents themselves.
So, what’s the solution? The
only way to make a change to
the ASG bylaws is to have three-
Garrilynn Harvey, Chris Young
P hotographers : Juno Dean,
Kayla Berge, Benjamin Caldwell, Brandy-Marie Faulhaber, Jennesa
Jesse Dees, Leia Dickerson, Frank Palmer
Jordan, Heatherann Price, Dustin D epartment A dviser : Linda Vogt
Ragsdale, Jess Sheppard, Andrea
Simpson, Liz Travers, Sean Van
D epartment S ecretary : Pat
Walchren, Emily Walters
Thompson
P roduction A ssistants : Joseph
Elliot, Rachel Gillette,
fourths of ASG vote on whether or
not to make the change; however,
there are guidelines to have the
ASG Constitution repealed.
All that is needed is 100 signa
tures from Clackamas students sup
porting the repeal, a constitution to
replace the old one and a vote with
two-thirds approval by the voting
student body.
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t
have as many rules about the U.S.
presidency as the ASG Constitution
has about the ASG president.
The only way to fix this prob
lem of such an internalized elec
tion procedure is to start gathering
signatures for a repeal of the ASG
Constitution, since those already in
power aren’t willing to make the
change.
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@dackamas.
edu.