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