2 The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
College to vote
on new health
tech degree
By Mandie Gavitt
Associate News Editor
For a college student, today’s job mar
ket doesn’t always look promising. The
economy is struggling, which is old news
to everyone. If people with 10 times more
experience than a student with a two-year
degree are having trouble finding jobs, what
will there be for us when we graduate col
lege? Well, depending oh what you want to
do, there actually may be quite a lot.
Clackamas Community College is pro
posing to offer a new degree. This degree
would be called Health Informatics and
would help students who want to work on
computers in the healthcare field.
According to a handout passed out at the
Feb. 9 board meeting, “Health Informatics
utilizes computer technology in the
advancement of healthcare.” It does this by
combining computer technology, informa
tion science, clinical practice and business
management.
The handout also stated that health infor
mation technology is one of the 20 fastest-
growing job categories in the country. There
is an estimated 49 percent growth in demand
for administrators, specialists, technicians,
consultant, educators and researchers in the
field. Thus, there is a wealth of jobs that will
need to be filled, and why not have them be
filled with Clackamas alum?
According to Debra Carino, department
chair of computer sciences and one who
proposed Clackamas offer this degree, start
ing this program will add little or no cost to
the college, a refreshing bit of news with
budget cuts on the front of many minds.
Carino also stated that this is a state
wide degree in which Portland Community
College is the lead. PCC started offering
the program in September of 2010. The
other colleges offering the program are
Chemeketa, Mt. Hood and Umpqua com
munity colleges. The fact that so many close
colleges are offering the program helps to
lower the cost for our school to begin the
OPINION: Students should
demand college accountable
By Nevin Havorson &
Rebekkah Brainerd
program. This way instead of having to
offer new classes for the program, students
could take the classes CCC does not have
available at one of the other schools, thus
helping spread the cost between schools.
“Another exciting aspect of this degree
is for students who want to pursue their
bachelor’s or master’s in the field,” said
Carino.
For most associate’s degrees, only 40
to 50 percent of the classes required apply
towards the bachelor’s or master’s degree.
Instead, with the Health Informatics degree,
80 to 95 percent of the credits taken will
apply, which will make it much easier to
move onto a four-year degree. There are
also doctorate level degrees in this field.
According to Bill Briare, dean of arts and
sciences, students who receive the Health
Informatics degree will be able to apply
for entry-level jobs working on computers
for any business that applies to health care.
These jobs would be as database techni
cians, network technicians, and health infor
mation systems specialists. Such jobs can
have a starting salary as high as $35,000.
“The degree is making good progress,”
said Briare, “It is ready to go for approv
al.”
Briare said that the college offers most of
the classes already and some can be formed
to be taught online, so it was more of a mat
ter of organizing the program into a degree
than creating new classes or expenses.
Students are already beginning to get
excited about this new degree. Student
Amy Sharer, who is currently working on
getting her associate of general studies,
wants to eventually work in the health field
working with disabilities and research. She
said she was considering going into Health
Informatics prior to hearing Clackamas was
looking into offering the degree and felt that
offering the degree was amazing.
The program will be approved, disap
proved or sent back for further review
on March 9 at the Board of Education
meeting.
Letter to the Editor:
Student resigns in protest
It is with my deepest regret that I am obli
gated to take such position on this matter. First
and foremost, I would like to thank all of the
members in Associated Student Government
for their kindness and compassion they have
shown me during my period of service.
The Clackamas Print covered a story
regarding the new Vice President, Sean
Briare, earlier this term. However, it foiled to
mention the deep conflict of interest that had
occurred during the hiring process.
Recently the members of the ASG were
made aware of the romantic relationship
between Alyssa Fava (president) and Sean
Briare (vice president), which dates back to
the hiring process. The exact time of when
someone “fells” in love is unclear, but one
can only assume foe emotional state and the
influence which our president carried dur-
-Staff-
The
Clackamas Print
19600 Molalla Ave.
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503-594-6266
ing the consideration of appointment of Mr.
Briare as vice president
Some may argue that there may have not
been any conflict of interest and that Mr.
Briare was the best candidate for the pbsition.
I would disagree, given that conflict of inter
est is not only the act of favoritism but also
the appearance of favoring individuals. This
conflict of interest became corruption when
Mr. Briare took office. Corruption, most com
monly defined as misuse of power, is, and
will be, the state of our Associated Student
Government if this continues. So I hereby
resign from ASG, for I will not be under the
leadership of those who misuse their power.
Sincerely,
Kyungwoong Han
The past weeks have brought many
ideas and actions into light. Many of
us have read the articles featured in
our college newspaper dealing with a
unanimously approved bond measure,
a controversial Clackamas County
Board of Education meeting and an
inevitable tuition increase. These sub
jects have started a compromising war
of words that are distancing students
from each other and the communi
ty they are educating themselves to
improve.
On Feb. 9 concerned students chal
lenged the Clackamas County Board
of Education to provide them with
documentation of the college busi
ness plan in relation to a May bond
measure.
To quote a Clackamas Print article
from Jan. 19, “If passed, Clackamas
Community College will receive $130
million to spend on expanding class
rooms, upgrading rapidly aging and
deteriorating equipment, paying off
$20 million in building debts, reno
vating older buildings and acquiring
new property for CCC to expand upon
This is the bond proposition that
was passed “in a unanimous vote
(that) the Clackamas County Board
of Education voted to place ... on the
May 2011 ballot.”
The issue raised by many students
is that the board doesn’t have enough
accountability for where the money
goes. The executive board and board
of education originally evaluating
the needs of Clackamas Community
College to be “an estimated total of
$250 million,” but “out of consider
ation of the economy and the state of
our taxpayers, we dwindled that down
to a ... (reasonable $130 million).”
Many students are asking how this
is a reasonable amount, but more
importantly, that there should be much
more accountability if this type of
money is going to be borrowed. The
students that spoke out feel that the
board is lacking accountability to both
the welfare of the college and the
community they are sworn to serve by
thus far not being forthcoming with all
the information requested.
To be a good citizen and student,
it is necessary to point out and try to
change the flaws that are seen in a sys
tem of government, to voice opinions
and viewpoints, especially if they are
unpopular, and to make oneself heard.
For a committee to decide what
benefits the majority of people, with
out those persons’ input and con
cerns being heard, is not beneficial or
democratic. For every action to better
something, whether it be to strengthen
the college for future students, aid the
administration in their tasks of educat-
ing or giving students the mean, A
the opportunity to take part in CM
administration, all must be foiM
on compromise and barter so thMt
the end, the best for the majorMi
decided by the majority.
Mil
Dear students, these issues are Mi
They are not merely just the indM
tion of members of the board r 1
zeal demonstrated by students. Mfi
actions are attempts at progresMli
the attempt at the prcservatioM
liberty. But as Edmund Burke Me
“Liberty without wisdom and wMa
virtue ... is the greatest of all poMf
evils; for it is folly, vice and mat lc
without tuition or restraint.”
I1'
All of us have stood around Mil
plaining about the way thingsMi’
about the problems we alone cM<
solve. But to be a good citizen Ml
standing up and taking a staMn
change the things we see are vMfy
That includes shifting our focus M
to the real problems at hand anMfc
wasting precious time and effort M
tling and condemning the mistalMn
others.
Mt
Those practices will not fiMh;
problems. They will not changMti
facts presented by a struggling Me
omy that is affecting our collegMa
soon our cost of tuition. Nor Mor
present a solution or bring cohMal
ness to a community already Mi
ed by economic, foreign policMc
human rights issues.
Mit
For if all we carry is a haMi
everything we see begins to look«
a nail. We cannot justify our aMf
with anger. Anger can be used Mil
form of passion to demonstrad ■.
much you care about the faetón
want to present. But in no way
it be used as the reason for acticM.
Every one of us desires
better lives, make a difference ^Br
homes, our community and our^BI
Attempts at this kind of good ■
zenship have been seen in the M¡|
weeks. It is a good thing, but A
importantly, it also means that ii M k
us students need to stand up and! vA
ourselves.
■_
As great men once said, all tl|
necessary for the forces of evil M.
in the world is for enough good »1
do nothing. This article is to chafl
you, dear reader, to question all A.
come to your own informed deni
and to use your own voice to staM
your own rights.
I
You, more than anyone, hMn
power to affect the changes thal
keep this college in good standi«
benefit yourself and the comni
Changes must be made and y|
the only hope of a change for tl|
ter. And if you do not act now
changes will be thrust upon yol
outcomes that you had no parti
will have little ability to alter. I
-Supported by: Adam Bueu
Christopher Thompson
I
Clarification
In the March 2 issue of 77ic Clackamas Print, a letter to the editor from s]
dent Sean Huggins stated that the Board of Education is paid. The Board i
Education is not paid.
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