Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011
The Clackamas Print 3
into
ion: race
coveted
asses; sign
js begin
?xt week
By Mandie Gavitt
Associate News Editor
that time of the term again. With most mid-
over, it is time to start dreaming of what
¡to take next term. Spring registration opens
I. 22 for returning students and March 1 for
¡¡dents.
dng out new classes can often be the most
ig part of the term for students. Student
e Ochoa said she was excited to sign up for
isses and had already decided she would take
;ed piano because she finished beginning
this term. Other students pick their classes
off their degree requirements.
¡ever, if other students should find it difficult
ide which classes to take there are ways to
Ip making the decision. According to Miguel
¡as, an adviser on campus, students who are
ling to decide which courses to take can make
ising appointment. This way, an adviser can
du decide which classes to take based on your
ither question that many returning students
ave is whether or not the computer system
lii again this term. The Clackamas registra-
Courseses such as Thomas Wasson’s computer graphics class tend to fill up fast. By registering early,
students can be better able to reserve their spot in the core classes and electives they may want.
tion website is notorious for crashing at midnight
the day of registration when everyone logs into their
accounts in an attempt to get those ever-elusive
popular classes that fill up even before the sun rises.
In the past it has frustrated many students trying to
register.
“When the system is down, it needs to be
improved,” said Ochoa.
“I would advise that students not get online
right at 12 and instead wait 15 minutes,” said Tara
Sprehe, the Clackamas registrar. She said that
unless a student is concerned their class will fill
up in the first 15-20 minutes, they should just wait.
“If the system crashes for one person it crashes for
everybody,” she said.
According to Sprehe, the college is exploring
new options, but if changes are made they will not
happen until summer term. “We try not to do any
thing new until summer,” said Sprehe. “Every time
you change something it is hard to get communica
tion out there.”
For students who go to register for classes only
to find the class they want is full, there are still
options. They can be put on the waitlist if there is a
one for the class or show up to the class the first day
and see if the teacher will be willing to sign them
into the course. Also, students hoping to get in to a
course should continue to check the website as it is
always possible that a student may drop the class,
leaving an open seat.
“If the class is full, don’t give up hope,” said
Cardenas.
Whatever classes students are deciding to take
this term, whether they need to rush to the computer
at midnight or they can wait until the next morning,
registration is coming up soon and it is time to start
making that sometimes easy, sometimes difficult
decision about what classes to take next term.
F: Board members, attendees whipped into frenzy
Continued from Page 1
1 board chair Richard Oathes absent, vice-
ane Reid was in charge of the meeting, a first
i. As the board prepared to leave to take a
ithe call center, Tara Darris, wife of political
t instructor Dean Darris, interjected that the
was trying to avoid an issue from the previous
i a concerned citizen and I was under the
Bion that this meeting was starting at 5:30
that we may voice our concerns for what took
It the last meeting. And now I’m concerned
»’re trying to avoid the situation,” said Darris,
concerned citizen that pays taxes, I want to
my opinion and I want it to be heard.”
ns was trying to confront the board as to
lie specific testimony last month from student
Brown did not appear in the minutes of the
ms meeting. Brown gave testimony last month
lhad talked to both the college administration
c college senate about alleged slander against
linstructors on campus. He did not specify any
Mrs.
hs continued to interrupt several times during
»ting and vice-chair Reid had to continually
I her that the citizen’s comments were sched-
16:45 p.m. After the meeting several students,
low Darris through her husband, said that they
Spalled and disgusted with how she was treat-
let when the board returned, Reid commented
nature of the citizen’s comments portion of
feting.
'available for anyone who desires to speak on
Wore the board. To ensure consistent treat
fee board requires that comments from the
Se sheet be signed in. The form indicates that
•Ms are limited to three minutes, and respect
aeration is expected for all comments and
hal personnel issues or concerns must not be
M in a general public meeting,” said Reid.
• then altered the agenda and pushed the
ls comments portion of the meeting forward,
¡this portion students such as Mario Smith
came to the defense of Darris, demanding an apol
ogy from Reid and warning that the board’s behavior
threatened their position.
“Many of you on the board and in the audience
were responding to her in a manner that is highly
disrespectful to a member of your community,” said
Smith. “And if that is how you want to conduct
yourselves in the presence of someone who has a
grievance, then we are going to seek our grievances
through elections. Because tonight, as I’ve seen, you
don’t hold us with the respect that we’re due as citi
zens of this community.”
Board member Ron Adams addressed his feelings
on the matter of respect. “I’ve been in legislature,
I’ve run meetings; they tend to go to hell quickly
if there’s not mutual respect. And I guarantee that I
will respect you at least as much as you respect me.
So it’s a two way street,” he said.
Later in the meeting the student’s public display
of disapproval further continued as student Stephanie
Halstead came up to address unprofessional conduct
and demanded an apology from president Truesdell.
“When you were leaving for your tour I was speak
ing from the ‘peanut gallery,’ and ... you decided
that an inappropriate and offensive hand gesture was
the way you would like to respond to me speaking,
particularly when you flipped me off. I am wonder
ing, is that something you do often?”
Truesdell said that she was “taken aback” by the
comment and denied the allegation both during and
after the meeting.
The meeting was hot all about addressing the
character flaws of others, though. Robert Brown, a
veteran and CCC student, asked the board how much
debt the school has from previous bonds and loans,
how much of the $130 million bond is for infrastruc
ture upgrades and why and for what the college has
earmarked $20 million of the bond.
“It’s important to understand whether you have
other bonds in place because that means we have a
debt from previous years that’s unpaid, 'and now you
want to saddle us with another $130 million,” said
Brown. “If you have too many dollars that you’re
worried about, you can’t worry about the student’s
education. And we can’t forget that bur reason for
being here as a student is not money, it’s not roofs
and things of this sort, it’s classrooms.”
Brown did hot receive an answer but was told that
it would be best if he submitted a written inquiry
so the board and the administration could prepare
a response to accurately answer his questions. This
response was repeated several times during the
night, and several people asked why their questions
were not being answered and why these meetings
were not a place for dialogue.
“We are not the managers of the place,” said
Adams. “We hire the managers and we let them man
age. If we hear something that sounds like it’s not
being managed, then we will ask why. But we’re not
going to get in a dialogue in a public forum.”
Truesdell commented that the monthly board
meetings are business meetings and not necessarily a
place for dialogue with the board or board individu
als, and that citizen comments were usually about
the board’s business.
Reid was very surprised on how much conflict
there suddenly was at the meeting.
“In my four years on the board I have not encoun
tered anything like this,” said Reid. “I’ve never been
at a board meeting where there were any kinds of
outbursts that we experienced, so it was a real chal
lenge to be sharing it and then having to deal with it.
I wanted to make sure that people felt like what they
said was respected but also knew ... what the limits
of our abilities to comment are.”
After the meeting, Halstead and others felt that
the board’s decision to not comment on the questions
asked was ridiculous.
“If these people are supposed to be representing us
and we need to go talk to their representatives to talk
to them, I feel that is contradictory on many levels,”
said Halstead. “If they are our representatives then
we shouldn’t have to go talk to their secretaries.”
Both sides in this meeting made it clear that they
felt very strongly about their views, whether it be a
need for structured, civil comments or the right to
confront representatives directly in an open forum.