Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2007)
Ihe Bin depe n d en t, First copy FREE, additional copies 1^ a c kam as Print si u d en t-run newspaper since 1966 Has Community College, Oregon City, OR _____ ________ -____________________________ _________ Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 First Thanksgiving 1 i amas ’ international students celebrate Thanksgiving and fcce about why they came to America in the first place Volume 42, Issue 8 Club attendance drops as student interest wanes Lydia Emily Bashaw Editor in Chief Lisa Sellars Clackamas Print ■ntsl from around the globe gathered in Gregory Forum on Tuesday before Thanksgiving etebrate the feast a few days in advance in the company of other international students. Sellars ^gaimas Print ’s a really big advantage having international ■on campus,” Anne Bachmann, an ESL tor. said of the 33 international students at mas ny of those students attended a Thanksgiving Ion Tuesday, Nov. 25, in the Gregory n, where some got to experience their first ksgiving ever and many were reminded of they came to America. 1 the Thanksgiving lunch, everyone watched ■imak clip from brainpop.com of the first fcksgiving. ate the traditional Thanksgiving R talked with fellow international students, m raffle prizes and each person said what they STam for. roe were thankful for family and friends, s teachers, advisers and financial aid. Jung Ik ■ Korea, said he was “thankful for lunch.” ■ee’s humorous statement and a room full tehtei. the thankfulness continued down the to a 23-year-old girl from Goa, India named pa Desouza. Blank God for giving me the strength and age to come here and (for) helping me to I Hsouza said sincerely, as her eyes welled up with tears. This is Desouza’s third year in America and her second chance at college. The first time that she came to America to study, she became really home sick and, in her longing for home, let her homework become a lesser priority. In talking to her mother, Desouza was told how important her schooling is and she was reminded of how hard her parents were working to keep her here. Currently living in downtown Portland, Desouza originally attended Portland Community College. She decided to transfer to Clackamas last spring to work on her nursing program prerequisites. Desouza said that Clackamas is different than PCC and universities back home in that the teachers and advisers actually help the students. She went on to say how nice it is to have teachers that are more personal and actually care about talking with their students. When asked how long she was planning on stay ing in America, Desouza stated, “I don’t know, but to work, for sure.” She continued on to say that she didn’t like the scrubs back home. “They’re the white dress kind,” Desouza said, as she crinkled up her face in disgust. “Yours are more comfortable.” Ekamas Print LA startling state revenue |rt»ll is causing unex- ^■budget cuts in com- hit) colleges all across tegoi Many colleges are staff and faculty as Hens ol making up the Ises. [Clackamas is not exempt lomlliese cuts, and while kpected to cope with the Uses j - hard times are the college. Wnwhu board of educa Recession leads to drugs and depression lohn Hurlburt Associate News Editor Please see TURKEY, Page 3 wancial woes strike Clackamas tOstergren Something is dying on campus and it’s starting to stink, but unlike road kill it can’t just be swept off the pavement and forgotten. Clackamas has 33 official clubs, yet most do not exist anymore, with several facing death due to low student turnout. The biggest concern amongst new and old clubs is that recruitment isn’t working and Clackamas’ Associated Student Government (ASG) has been little help to their cause. For students, the fear is that without clubs they will lose one of the’ few outlets they have to be involved on campus. “Most of us-just worry that without clubs, students won’t have a way to express themselves here,” said stu dent Morgan Christensen. “Clubs are very beneficial to student life. It helps us to get involved and do something. Without them we have nowhere else to go.” Epsilon Tau Alpha (ETA) President Eric Cameron has been trying to build its criminal justice club numbers, to no avail. With low attendance, concerns in regards to the future of his plub are on the forefront. “No one wants to play, and the club dies,” said Cameron. “It happened when I was running a non-profit concert hall for underage kids, (it) lasted for five years, but then the people who were helping with it all went away and no one filled their place. No more concerts after that,” Cameron continued. At-the first Inter Clubs Council meeting, held Nov. 4, there was much concern over ASG’s job duties in regards to clubs. This year’s Club Senator, Esther Haikkila, heads up the division of ASG that is responsible for club awareness and promotion. They are also responsible for approving new clubs and handling their budgets. “I think that ... ASG needs to be more involved with the clubs,” said Cameron. “Maybe having representatives not only show up to the occasional meeting, but actually members of the clubs. If they are emotionally invested, they’re more likely to help out,” Cameron continued. Clubs are only looking a little bit into the future, with plans for a four day Clubs Fair in February to help with recruitment. However, the success of clubs lies in the hands of student involvement. tion meeting last month, the board reviewed the col lege’s budget and its rev enue for the current and future years. Financial forecasts predicted a con tinued decline in income for the state and for the college. Vice President of College Services Courtney Wilton explained to the board what steps were being taken to avoid dire consequences here at Clackamas. Small cuts in faculty and staff have been made and will continue, as well as hold ing off on long term proj ects until stability returns. Last week in an inter view, Courtney Wilton told The Print that the gover nor had notified the college that all state agencies were receiving budget cuts. Revenue is down so much for this year, a cut had to be made after the budget had already been finalized. The cut is 10 percent of the income from the general fund, approxi mately $456,000. Please see BUDGET, Page 2 Economic recession may seem like a distant thought that may have been blown out of proportion to many, but to those who have lost jobs and housing nationwide, the words can be almost unbearable to hear. The situation has become all too real for many Oregonians, and unfortunately, it can get so bad some feel like there is no way out. According to Oregon Partnership - a non-profit company dedicated to drug and alcohol awareness and suicide prevention - calls to their crisis lines have seen significant increases over the last two months, with an increase of 30 percent in calls to their suicide prevention line It’s not only Oregon Partnership that has seen an increase in the amount of people who are searching for help in rough seas. Ellen Wolfson, counseling department co-chair, has noticed an increase in the number of students seeking help this year in compari son to previous years. “We are seeing quite a few students in crisis,” Wolfson said. “We’re seeing students who are struggling with meds, depression and anxiety.” Although Wolfson cannot be sure that the increase in students seeking help is due to the economic climate, she does have her suspicions. “I would intuitively say the eco nomic crisis is creating a lot of fear and stress. People are losing their jobs, parents and families are being affected,” Wolfson said. “Mental health and career go hand in hand.” History shows that when indi viduals feel stressed, their tendency is to cope by abusing substances. The counseling department has not recorded an increase in drug related problems recently, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been higher instances of use. Please see STRESS, Page 2
