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kamas Community College, Oregon City, OR
newspaper
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Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008
Volume 41, Issue 11
II
Kyle Steele Clackamas Print
Klotchy Creek Giant ekes in a
stoim, and its branches ate brought
to Clackamas in hopes that some
of the tree can besalvaged
Kyle Steele
The Clackamas Print
Emily Watters Clackamas Print
Top Right: Students in the grafting class search for cuttings from a tree on
campus during their grafting class Monday, Feb. 4.
Top Left: Instructor Bruce Nelson looks over cutting samples in one of the
greenhouses. The cuttings will later be used as grafting practice for students.
The wind was just too strong on Dec. 3,:
2007, so strong in fact that it toppled the
nation’s largest Sitka Spruce near Seaside.
Klootchy Creek Giant, as it’s also known,
was considered dead when the top 125 feet of
the once-200-plus-foot behemoth fell to the
ground.
Please see HISTORIC TREE, Page 3
îxual orientation prevents male student from giving blood
Straight Alliance. “Anyone that is having unprotected sex is by MSM, or a subgroup of these potential donors, is as safe as
blood from currently accepted donors.”
susceptible.”
Matthias said, “They have planned to maintain those policies
“It perpetuates a stereotype that all gay men have HTV
and that HIV is a gay man’s problem,” Burnell added “These even though current blood-testing technologies have improved
healthy, young men that get tested are constantly reminded that and will continue to maintain them until new information
becomes available.”
they are not accepted and they are thought of as diseased”
Although Knudsen succeeded in organizing yet another
Knudsen considers himself a responsible individual and
draws offense at the stereotypes that have developed over the blood drive this school year, and will organize one again, the
success is a complicated one.
years.
•tor inKhief
“I’d like to give blood,” he said. “I like coordinating it, and
“People still think that gays are promiscuous and sleep
around” Knudsen said “I’m in a committed relationship. I don’t I am glad I am doing it because I like helping people; but at the
my people who give blood regularly know that going sleep around I don’t do that”
same time, it just reminds me that I can’t do this.
h the American Red Cross screening process can be like
According to Clare Matthias, spokesperson for
ig through hoops.
the Pacific Northwest Regional Blood Services, the
line people who donated blood at last Wednesday’s American Red Cross has been imploring the Food
iated Student Government blood drive
and Drug Administration (FDA)
perhaps surprised to find out that they
- which creates the guidelines by
tot eligible to donate for a variety of rea-
which the Red Cross abides - to
hdividuals who have recently visited a
loosen restrictions for blood donors
“
They
could
c foreign country or taken a prescribed
for quite some time but to no avail.
save so many
ition, for example, may be unable to
“They check the blood They
'ood
check every unit of blood”
more lives if
ters, like ASG Public Affairs Officer
Knudsen said. “They could save
they let gay
so many more lives if they let gay
Knudsen, who organized the blood
iis term, are very aware that they cannot
men donate. ”
men donate.”
ute simply because of their sexuality,
The FDA’s Web site has released
Mitch Knudsen
eel mat it’s inappropriate and ridicu-
an official statement in response to
ASG
Public
Affairs
'lûffldsen said. “Lesbians and hetero-
questions regarding the eligibility
Officer
; can still get HIV and STDs. It’s not
of men who have sex with other
;ay STD; everyone can get it”
men (MSM) as blood donors. It
i : bfood donor eligibility guide for the
reads as follows:
«Red Cross states that the organiza-
‘TDA’s primary responsibility
11 not accept blood from any male who has had sex with is to enhance blood safety and protect blood recipi
r male after 1977. There is no mention of restrictions to ents. Therefore, FDA would change this policy only if
jrals who have engaged in male-female intercourse or supported by scientific data showing that a change in
Genyva Laubach Clackamas Print
-female intercourse, regardless of any precautions taken,
policy would not present a significant and preventable
Student
leadership
adviser
Michelle
Baker waits patiently
is ridiculous that these men can’t donate,” said English risk to blood recipients. Scientific evidence has not yet
as she is prepped to give blood Wednesday, Jan. 30.
tor Carol Burnell, who is the adviser for Clackamas’ Gay been provided to FDA that shows that blood donated
7DAregulation about sexuality stops
‘ Clackamas blood drive organizer,
tch Knudsen, from donating
egan Koler