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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2009)
2 the clackamas print news Wednesday, Nov, 18, 2009 NAMI struggles to find members By Annemarie Schulte Associate News Editor NAMI on Campus, Clackamas’ college version of the National Alliance on Mental Illness organiza tion; has officially been on campus for half of fall term. Now, Kathy Fredrickson’s club, still a little green, is thriving because of her vision and hope to help others through what she has been through: the throes of mental illness. At the club’s second meeting, a student member an<L Fredrickson met to discuss the club’s progress. VP Dale Chambers was not present, nor did anyone else show up. Two people have joined the club. A few promise to, W haven’t yet It.seems that Fredrickson and NAMI are still battling the stigma of mental illness; it shows in the low attendance at the NAMI connection meetings. Still, Fredrickson remains as bright and optimistic as ever, show ing her strength. Much like Adam Goldstein on his MTV show, “Gone Too Far,” where Adam intervenes in addicts’ lives and tries to help them recov er, Fredrickson puts herself in the middle of other people’s strug gles with mental illness when she struggles from it herself. A heroin addict, DJ AM (Adam Goldstein) died tragically from a drug overdose on August 28, 2009. Speculations that the show killed him continue to circle throughout the media and the psychology profession. Was it too soon to put himself in the same situations that he had just recovered from? Some say the show and being around other addicts using drugs he had just overcome addiction from caused him to relapse, according to the New York Times. He was in too deep and got much closer to drugs than he should have; fee temptation was so strong it eventually overtook him. It took immense strength to get as far and help as many people as he did. Doing what Fredrickson does, and what Adam Goldstein was able to do, takes self-control and determi nation to help others. Which raises fee question, how long should a person be recovered from an illness before they begin trying to help others? Tim Pantages, an addiction coun selor, said “AA doesn’t really have an official opinion on when some one is allowed to become a sponsor... The general rule of thumb, I’d say, is that a sponsor should have at least a full year of sobriety, but generally speaking, fee longer they have, the better sponsors they’ll be.” . In NAMI, Fredrickson, who acts as a mentor, is counseling people who may already be recovered or are more recovered from mental ill ness than she is. Fredrickson tells of an incident that happened about a month or two ago, a testament to fee fact feat she still battles mental illness every day of her life. Fredrickson said she had a ter rible day. She walked into a man’s bedroom that was in fee home for recovering people that she works for. There happened to be a knife there on fee bedside table and before she was aware of it, Fredrickson began cutting her arm, not hav- 'ian Steele Clackamas Phi Kathy Fredrickson discusses meeting dates with a fellow NAMI member during NAMI’s second meeting this term. ing any control over what she was doing. Fredrickson says that NAMI is about finding other ways to deal with mental illness and hard days by not doing negative things. She turns her negative and weak experiences into helpfill and encouraging aspects to help people struggling wife men tal illness. Fredrickson says she opens up about her struggles with her illness to other people and that she is often thanked for doing so. Fredrickson has been involved wife NAMI for about eight years and continues to deliver their mes sage wherever she goes. She says fee goal is just to help people, regardless of if they come to fee club or not “The goal is more than just fee club itself; I want the support system that people can see us, and feel free to come talk to me,” she said. Fredrickson says people ofte contact her while walking to class and she says she is able to helptha feat way. “We want the word out, we a here,” Fredrickson said. Fredrickson added feat studeu need to realize, “There is help a there. If we don’t have it, wed get it” Controversial measures tax wealthy and bring money to public fundii By John Hurlburt Co-Editor in Chief state’s general fund is used to fund K-12 education, corrections and human services. Community. college budgets The two bills have already statewide have been getting passed through state legislature beat like a piñata at fee end of in May of this year but through a birthday party this year; fee out the summer, business inter only difference is that what’s left est groups -such as Oregonians inside isn’t candy but a substance Against Job-Killing Taxes, were resembling despair. ' able to raise enough signatures to The current budget Oregon has get fee bills sent to fee voters of allotted for community colleges Oregon. in the 2009-2011 school year has Pat McCormick, media con already dropped from $500 in tact for Oregonians Against Job- the 2007-2009 biennium to $450 Killing Taxes, said businesses million. Now there is a possibility have not been fighting taxes or colleges like Clackamas may end additional funding for fee state. up with even less cash than they Businesses have been fight were promised earlier this year ing these two bills, however, when fee budget was published. because they believe fee bills A referendum taking place this will be affecting Oregonians coming January will be a crucial and fee job market in nega moment not only for Clackamas tive ways. but community colleges and pub “We can’t get out of lic services all around fee state. In this hole in Oregon until the upcoming vote, measures 66 we raise more private sec and 67 would raise taxes on the tor jobs and we cannot do wealthy and businesses statewide this by taxing the business in order to support fee general. es which offer those jobs,’ fund. McCormick said. According to Courtney Wilton, McCormick says that the bills vice president of college services, would raise taxes paid by busi fee bills combined will generate nesses an additional 37 percent; an estimated $733 million to help in his opinion an increase of this support Oregon’s general fund. proportion would have an impact About three quarters of fee that would not be productive. Clackamas Print The Clackamas Print 19600 S. Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR97045 503-657-6958, ext. 2309 “This increase of more than a third comes at a time when the business community is suffer ing the worst recession since fee Great Depression,” McCormick added. John Wykoff, government relations office» for Oregon Community College Association (OCCA), believes it would be hard for many junior colleges to handle any more funding cuts. “With enrollment levels as they are, it would be very difficult to deal with,” Wykoff said. According to Wykoff, fee aver age full time equivalence (FTE) for community colleges through out the state has increased 15 per cent from last year, yet funding G eneral F unds has dramatically fallen. Wilton warns that more reduc tions in budget might affect this upturn in enrollment. “It’s possible if we have to RECT I ON make large budget reductions that might impact enroll ment. You can’t continue to support as many stu dents wife less money,” Wilton said. These bills allow community colleges to retain $24 million that fee state has already allotted to them in order to keep fee current budget in balance. If fee two bills fail to pass, Clackamas would lose more of its funding and almost inevitably be forced to make more cuts. These cutsNvould not be the first Clackamas has Illustration by Kayla Berge Clackamas Print Co-Editors in Chief: Kayla Berge and * Ad Manager: Meredith James Design Editor: Kelsey Schneider Staff Writers/ Photographers: Copy Editor: Kayla Calloway Erik Andersen, Dale Balbi, News Editor: Abigail Neet , Chrlos Calderon, Matt Associate News Editor: Garrison, Jessica Foster, Jessica Annemarie Schulte Homer, Javierh Montero, A&C Editor: Matthew Ostergren John Petty, Brian Steele, Mark Sports Editor: Mark Foster Sunderland, Steven Weldon PhotoEditor: John Shufelt John Hurlburt Web Editor: Brad Heineke Production Assistants: Jaime Dunkle, Corey Romick, Jessica Sheppard Journalism Adviser: Melissa Jones trimmed recently. March of tn year a budget shortfall of $131 million caused fee school to 11 off 20 employees, raise tuitiq and cut its drafting department. | Alyssa Fava, Associate^ Student Government presides says that this referendum w be a decisive moment in our col lege’s future. “Since Clackamas has alreaJ budgeted for this money, if I lose it, the effects will be defl mental,” Fava said. ASG is not legally allow! to take a stance on bills subml ted for a referendum. ASG I however holding two events! order to allow students to becol more informed about fee upcofl ing vote. The first event called “Facl Out Loud” will be held Mondi Nov. 23 and will involve team of students scattered throughoj campus yelling facts about | upcoming bills. The event will I visible at different times scatter! throughout fee day. The next day, Tuesday, Nol 24, there will be a formal debal at noon followed by a question and answers session at 1 pl where students can pose qua tions about the upcoming vol and its effects. 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 student body, college adminis tration, its faculty or The Print. E-mail comments to chiefed© dackamas.edu
