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I JUICY
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SEE PAGE 7
«tas Community College, Oregon City, OR
SEE PAGE
8
Wednesday, May 4,2011
Volume 44, issue 20
The Clackamas Print
h Sidependent,
____
student-run newspaper since 1966
.
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Ftrst Copy FREE; additional copies 10
Vist TheClackamasPrint.net for more info & photos
spices
blnesday. May 4
[1:40
Irt Exhibit
-12:05
X C Chamber Choir
5-12:45
¿ssana Kanneh
longs from Liberia and
11 African countries
ursdav. May 5
I la aela de Yasmin
I 'SU Instructor
I lamenco Dance
-11:55
l/iec Dancers
-12:20
I )r. Andrés Berger-Kiss
llilingual Poetry Reading
k12:50
SL and International
tudents Presentation
Nathan Sturgess Clackamas Print
Jane Rickenbaugh teaches dances of universal peace to Clackamas Community College students in the Bill Brod
Community Center on Tuesday as a part of International Week.
structor triggers state investigation of the college
ÿ Brian
Baldwin
Darris submitted his complaint
letter on April 11, according to Carla
Corbin of the Secretary of State’s
office. Corbin is the compliance
state is investigating pos
specialist in charge of the inquiry
tlection law violations by
requested against Clackamas from
mas Community College the state’s election division.
college instructor filed a
“I submitted a complaint as an
int
expert of public law,” said Darris.
April 11, the Secretary of “It is my considered opinion that
I "Hons Division received the
a college has made a mockery
Dean Danis, a full-time of the difference between factual
ience instructor here at information and information that
the letter, Darris request is of an advocacy nature. The law
state investigate whether requires that whenever you pres
violated election laws ent under public dollars and public
he college’s bond mea- facilities that the overall content of
May 17 ballot.
the information must be neutral and
not appear in any way as advocacy
or in any way influential.”
When presented with the com
ment that tiie college made a mock
law does not allow pub-
ees to promote or protest
■ News Editor
ery of the difference, CCC President
Joanne Truesdell said, “People are
entitled to their opinions.”
The college has attempted to
prevent advocacy during the months
leading up to the election, even hav
ing Truesdell explain the “dos and
don’ts” of- wearing the college’s
bond measure buttons at a College
Council meeting.
Darris highlighted several sec
tions of the CCC bond website that
he believed were in violation of this
statute.
“I believe that the entire web
page (of the) Frequently Asked
Questions violates that neutrality
clause,” said Danis. “(They) have a
‘yes’ letter on the website that they
have since taken down. If you go
into other news you’ll see a series
of advocacy pieces. The law is very
strict but this is why you turn it in to
the proper authorities.”
Truesdell commented that the
“yes” letter in question was a letter
to the editor that was automatically
posted to the bond website from
a news feed the college has set up
for articles about the college. The
letter to the editor was posted and
was brought to Truesdell’s atten
tion a few days later. The college
took down the letter days before
the college received the request for
information from the Secretary of
State’s office.
According to Corbin, the
Secretary of State investigates each
complaint that it receives from citi
zens. As they investigate the docu
ments provided, Coibin will write
a letter of determination and the
college will either be found not in
violation of the election or will be
fined.
“There is a... penalty of $75 for
the first (offense) with a maximum
of $250,” said Corbin.
Truesdell commented that she
felt that the inquiry into the col
lege’s informational packets is a
good process. “I think that is why
the Secretary of State’s office exists,
to respond to people’s concerns. We
haven’t been aware of them prior
to the Secretary of State’s office
providing us with that information.
That’s why these things exist, in
case someone has a question about
it,” said Truesdell.
According to Corbin, the inquiry
will take about a week and after she
writes her letter of determination
she will consult Oregon’s attorney
general.