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The Clackamas Print Visit TheClackamasPrint.com for more info & photos First copy FREE; additional copies 1¢ An independent, student-run newspaper since 1966 Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Volume 44, Issue 17 Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, OR With a $8.5 million hole burning in the college’s wallet, Clackamas Community College is searching for ways to patch up the gap. One of those recommendations is increasing tuition $3 and the student technology fee by $1.50 per credit hour. This idea will be voted on tonight, April 13, at the Board of Education meeting. Courtney Wilton, vice president of college services, has said that the col- lege was looking in three general areas to help reduce the budget: increasing reve- nue, decreasing spending/looking for inef- ficiencies and using part of the college’s reserves to help supplement the deficit. The budget proposal for next year has used all of those options and more to deal with this problem in two years. Tuition and student fees will likely be going up next year. During last month’s Board of Education meeting the college submitted the business item of increasing tuition $3 from $74 to $77 per credit hour and increasing the student technology fee from $3 to $4.50 per credit hour. Believe it or not, there’s a place that’s closer to hell than any other in the United States; a place that seems to be a barren wasteland of dust and sand; a place where solid rock tends to bend, fold and twist like a piece of nuked laffy taffy; a place where the Devil plays golf and the giant lakes that once flooded the area were replaced with endless fields of jagged salt rocks. Of course I’m talking about Death Valley, a location so unique it would be a shame to just drive through it like most do on their way to the City of Sin. With areas sink- ing as low as 232 feet below sea level, Death Valley is home to the lowest ground elevation in the United States. By Erik Andersen Co-Editor-in-Chief Please see DEATH VALLEY, Page 5 Death Valley $77 By Brian Baldwin News Editor Track and field finds its feet See page 7 Chrysalis begins to publish See page 4 Please see BUDGET, Page 3 Rocks Back in 1967 Tuition cost: $60 Per Term 10-11 $74 09-10 $72 08-09 $62 07-08 $57 06-07 $56 05-06 $56 04-05 $54 03-04 $51 02-03 $41 Projected 2011-2012 Will it Stop? Tuition Per Credit Hour Starting on the right, Sarah Hoover has a “rock talk” with: Bryan Fletcher, Devon Kennedy and Mary Hunt. students’ minds John Shufelt Clackamas Print

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02-03 $41 03-04 $51 2011-2012 $56 $56 $72 $57 $74 05-06 06-07 07-08 09-10 Tuition 10-11 Projected ince 1966 Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Volume 44, Issue 17ClackamasCommunityCollege,OregonCity,OR Visit TheClackamasPrint.com for more info & photos By Brian Baldwin News Editor By Erik Andersen Co-Editor-in-Chief Per Credit Hour See page 7 See page 4 Starting on the right, Sarah Hoover has a “rock talk” with: Bryan Fletcher, Devon Kennedy and Mary Hunt. Please see Death valley, Page 5

Citation preview

Page 1: Vol44Issue17

ince 1966The Clackamas Print

Visit TheClackamasPrint.com for more info & photosFirst copy FREE; additional copies 1¢

An independent, student-run newspaper s ince 1966

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Volume 44, Issue 17Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, OR

With a $8.5 million hole burning in the college’s wallet, Clackamas

Community College is searching for ways to patch up the gap. One of

those recommendations is increasing tuition $3 and the student technology

fee by $1.50 per credit hour. This idea will be voted on tonight, April 13, at

the Board of Education meeting.Courtney Wilton, vice president of

college services, has said that the col-lege was looking in three general areas to

help reduce the budget: increasing reve-nue, decreasing spending/looking for inef-

ficiencies and using part of the college’s reserves to help supplement the deficit. The

budget proposal for next year has used all of those options and more to deal with this problem in two years.

Tuition and student fees will likely be going up next year. During last month’s Board

of Education meeting the college submitted the business item of increasing tuition $3 from $74

to $77 per credit hour and increasing the student technology fee from $3 to $4.50 per credit hour.

Believe it or not, there’s a place that’s closer to hell than any other in the United States; a place that seems to be a barren wasteland of dust and sand; a place where solid rock tends to bend, fold and twist like a piece of nuked laffy taffy; a place where the Devil plays golf and the giant lakes that once flooded the area were replaced with endless fields of jagged salt rocks.

Of course I’m talking about Death Valley, a location so unique it would be a shame to just drive through it like most do on their way to the City of Sin. With areas sink-ing as low as 232 feet below sea level, Death Valley is home to the lowest ground elevation in the United States.

By Erik AndersenCo-Editor-in-Chief

Please see Death valley, Page 5

Death Valley

$77

By Brian BaldwinNews Editor

Track and field finds its feet

See page 7

Chrysalis begins to publish

See page 4

Please see buDget, Page 3

Rocks

Back in 1967 Tuition cost:

$60Per Term

10-11 $74

09-10 $72

08-09 $62

07-08 $57

06-07 $56

05-06 $56

04-05 $54

03-04 $51

02-03 $41

Projected

2011-2012 Will it Stop? Tuition

Per Credit Hour

Starting on the right, Sarah Hoover has a “rock talk” with: Bryan Fletcher, Devon Kennedy and Mary Hunt.

students’ minds

John Shufelt Clackamas Print

Page 2: Vol44Issue17

Will there be change in power or will Clackamas keep a long-time representa-tive? Voters will decide in May to elect either student Marlo Smith or keep Chuck Clemans as the community’s representative from Oregon City.

Smith announced her candidacy for the Board of Education at the March 9 meet-ing. She is running against Clemans for the Zone 4 seat of Oregon City. Papers have been filed with the county elections office, and now the race is on to see who will fill the position for the next four years.

The Clackamas Community College Board of Education votes on school busi-ness such as tuition increases, approving next year’s budget and adopting policy for the college to follow.

“We establish policy as a board; we operate as a board, not individual mem-bers,” said Clemans. “The individual mem-bers really don't have as much authority or power than someone off the street. The only way we can do anything is with an affirma-tive vote with the majority of the board. We do a lot to collect information, both for-mally and informally, and then the outcome of that happens at our board meetings.”

According to Clemans, the board con-ducts all business publically with the excep-tion of executive sessions. Executive ses-sions typically are for limited topics that the board cannot discuss in open session, such as labor negotiations or topics surrounding a student’s medical files.

Marlo Smith is a political science student at CCC and plans to soon be at Portland State University. Smith says she is running to try and end corruption and unethical behavior that she sees in the current board as well as end certain events that are hap-pening in the background of the college.

“The Board of Education currently does

not represent in an ethical manner,” Smith said. “(An example is) their refusal to answer public queries during the period of time in which they were given. They refuse to give us direct answers at the time. Fiscal responsibility: it's completely irresponsible for them to ask for another bond when it's completely unnecessary for us to need it.”

On Smith’s campaign platform, she men-tions that she will seek to make Clackamas a student-centered institution. She hopes to make the college tuition-free.

“The mission of the college promises the lowest possible tuition. We're not giv-ing that right now. We can run this college tuition-free; it’s a complete reality that we could do this by cutting bloated salaries,” said Smith. “And that right there gives us all the money we would need to make this a tuition free college. There wouldn't even need to be student fees.”

Smith believes that this idea will be very unpopular as the teachers’ union receives higher dues from bigger salaries.

“The higher the salary the more dues they make, so obviously it’s benefitting them but not the students or the community that supports the students and college,” said Smith.

Another way that Smith is going to try to cut bloated salaries is to stop allowing professors and administrators to double dip.

“After they have retired and are collect-ing (Public Employees Retirement System) benefits they come back to work at a sub-stantially lowered amount that they’re mak-ing. But if they are already collecting PERS benefits they don't need to come back and take a job from someone who really needs that job,” said Smith.

Smith feels that she is more than quali-fied to represent students on the Board of Education and still be a full-time student herself.

“I’m doing it already, and I’m a straight ‘A’ student. I don’t see how the require-ments of being a board member will be

any different than me being involved in the community, going to the board of education meetings and meeting with students and organizing this campaign,” she said.

Smith admits that she isn’t acquainted with every department but that will come to her through experience on the board. She also said that she has several experts advising her on subjects such as how to make CCC a tuition-free college and that she will absorb as much information as she can from them.

“You can't have change by electing the same people over and over again,” she said. “This will be (Clemans’) third term, and he's run things in the old school. You can't have change if people have the same mindset. If you want status quo, you'll elect Chuck Clemans. If you want change, you're going to elect me.”

According to Smith, she is still trying to get in contact with Clemans to see if he is willing to participate in a debate to show the differences between their campaigns.

Clemans is a former superintendant of the Oregon City School District and has served on Clackamas’ Board of Education for the past ten years. His involvement at Clackamas started in the 80s when he was contacted by the president of CCC. After he retired from Oregon City, he was recruited by then-college president John Kaiser for the school’s foundation. He came onto the board in 2001 to fill a vacancy and has been reelected for the past eight years. Now he is running for his third term against one of the students he is representing at this college.

“I think it’s great! I’m going to beat her, but I think she’s going to get some good experience out of this. Maybe it’ll help get some of the issues out there. Running unop-posed … is a luxury so having an opponent is fine with me,” said Clemans.

Clemans feels that while he may not see the personal view of the everyday student himself, he understands the operations of the college.

“It’s probably a matter of difference. I don’t know it from the perspective of sit-ting in classes in this institution the way a student might. I’m sure I have a greater depth of understanding of this college’s operations but I don't have that particu-lar perspective of sitting day after day in classes,” said Clemans.

So would that mean that he knows every problem or need that the college has?

“Not necessarily; I learn stuff all the time,” he said. “I’m sure that there are needs out there that haven't been directed to me, but I think the big needs, the broad brush stroke needs, I have a pretty good feel for. And I pride myself in the degree that I’ve been able to represent the college at the legislature.”

One major issue that has been coming up during the monthly board meetings is community members trying to initiate in a public dialogue and debate with the board. Clemans disagrees with that.

“We conduct our meetings in the pub-lic, but they are not town hall meetings of the public. There is a big distinction there. We’re there to conduct business of the col-lege. Now the public comments section is actually an optional item. I think they are a good idea but by no means are they required. My view of what the public com-ments portion of the meeting is for us to get information that we otherwise wouldn't receive,” said Clemans.

“Whether or not someone is a student … is not a factor; it's qualifications. Do they have the qualifications to do it irrespective of what their background is or what they do outside of being a board member?”

2 Wednesday, April 13, 2011The Clackamas Print

StaffThe

Clackamas Print19600 Molalla Ave.

Oregon City, OR 97045503-594-6266

Co-Editors in Chief:Kayla Calloway Erik AndersenNews Editor:Brian BaldwinAssociate News Editor:James DuncanSports Editor:Robert MorrisonAssociate Sports Editor:John HowardArts & Culture Editor: Josh BairdAssociate A&C Editor:Mandie Gavitt

Staff Writers/Photographers:Katie Aamatti, Brittany Anderson, Hillary Cole, Markus McCollum, Jasmine Moore, Patty Salazar

Production Assistants:David Bard, Mollie Berry, Jaime Dunkle, Gary Lund, Darla Nguyen, John Petty, Mireille Soper

Journalism Adviser:Melissa Jones

Ad Manager:Brad HeinekeCopy Editor:John SimmonsAssociate Copy Editor:Anna AxelsonCo-Web Editors:John ShufeltCorey RomickPhoto Editor:Michael BonnDesign Editor:Nathan Sturgess

Goals:The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased, professional manner. Content published in The Print is not screened or subject to censorship.

Email comments to [email protected]

News

New candidate enters race for board seat

By Brian BaldwinNews Editor

Nathan Sturgess Clackamas Print

Marlo Smith (left), a new candidate running against Clemans, visits with Jenna Schrack, an ASG presidential hopeful. Smith is also a student at CCC.

Michael Bonn Clackamas PrintChuck Clemans is a long-time member on the college’s Board of Education. He is running for his third term against Marlo Smith.

Voting dates to rememberApril 26, 2011 - Deadline for voter registration.

April 29, 2011 - Local and in-state ballots mailed.

May 17, 2011 - Election day.

Page 3: Vol44Issue17

3Wednesday, April 13, 2011 The Clackamas PrintNews

I am a full time honor student in the Manufacturing Department and transferred to Clackamas Community College in 2009. I would like to express my voice on behalf of my cohorts in regard to the recent discussion and proposal of the bond measure.

I can understand the hesitation that many tax payers would have when looking at tax increases that they may encounter. I would like to encourage an alternative way of thinking. As I write this letter to you, I reflect on the ease and accessibility of technology and the people that have worked over the years to bring this luxury for everyday use.

Granted, I am not some computer Engineer that works for Intel or Microsoft, but the tools they use to produce the technology we often take for granted began in the hands of machinists.

Some common stereotypes of machinists are that they have no education and this was a trade they acquired in Job Corps or in the military. Contrary to this notion, we are educated, hard working citizens

that have aided our country to develop and become successful since the Industrial Revolution.

Without the education that CCC has provided us, countless industries would be impacted and essentially dead in the water without our troubleshooting and technical capabilities. Although our school has good equipment in comparison to other community colleges, we still fall short in the eyes of our potential employers.

“Why would this be?” you ask. When our potential employers are seeking out qualified and experienced machinists, they are looking for how their company can continue to flourish alongside with new technologies being developed daily. This experience requires equipment that CCC does not have funding for.

As a result, a new graduate may be able to find employment within our industry but not at the industry standard and expectations. This can mean a pay differential from $20 per hour to a potential $50 per hour.

Currently, some of the equipment

is 40 years old and constantly breaking. Due to the age of those machines, parts are very difficult to locate, are costly to repair and can cause a student back log of projects needed to be completed prior to the end of the term.

By allowing this bond to pass, our department would not only have the access to upgrade the equipment but to also be highly valued in our community for training such uniquely qualified and professional machinist.

While holding this newspaper, I encourage you to reflect upon how far the technology has improved in the world of news and media. You can thank the machinist who built the printing press and has continued to provide the tools needed to keep people informed and educated. It is my hope that while reading my testimony, students, readers and taxpayers may appreciate the insight I have provided for an industry often forgotten.

Respectfully, Tony Holmes

According to Wilton, the projected state average for community colleges will be $80 to $81 per credit hour for tuition. This will still keep Clackamas below the state average and will still be $100 lower than the state average of $1,352.22 for a student taking 15 credit hours, including the increase in fees. Clackamas is projected to be at $1,252.50.

But the board will still have to approve the change in tuition, and it may not be the amount that the college requests. Last year the college increased tuition but at a lower amount that was approved by the board.

“I don’t have any control over what the board does. My guess is that they are going to approve it just given the environment that we are in,” said Wilton.

Given the same enrollment, a $1 increase will generate $180,000 from tuition and $210,000 from student technology fees.

This budget deficit is caused partially by a recommended decrease in state support. Gov. John Kitzhaber released his recommended budget for next year and community college support dropped by $40 million. Currently the state legislature is still in session, and the budget has not been approved and sent to the governor for his signature. Members of the college’s Board of Education recently went to Salem to lobby the legislature on March 24, according to college President Joanne Truesdell.

“At this time, it is difficult to say when the budget for community colleges will be passed and sent on to the governor for signature. I have heard that most budgets will not be passed until after the May 12 Revenue Forecast,” stated Truesdell in an email.

As the legislature has the power to amend the recommended budget and submit it for approval, the hope is that they will either keep it at the

level recommended by Kitzhaber or preferably increase the amount of support.

“It’s also possible that it will be lower,” said Wilton. “It’s really uncertain. It’s really not a good idea to grab onto a higher number at this point and start spending that money because it absolutely isn’t here yet.”

According to the report, the college will use $1 million a year from the school’s reserve fund. Board policy requires that the college maintain a minimum standing balance of 6 percent of our operating budget.

“With all of our discretionary reserves, we’re going to have around $8.6 million and about $2.6 million is the minimum. And so $6 million is the amount that is available over and above the minimum,” said Wilton.

The college put out a survey for students and staff to fill out to gauge what they thought the college should cut or do to increase revenue or decrease spending along with meetings with deans and budget forums. As a result, one action taken was to not fill vacant positions, more than 20 of them are spread out throughout the college. They even eliminated the dean of business services position inside Wilton’s department.

Unfortunately, the college did have to lay two people off. Two classified staff members, one in the public affairs and another in the student success offices, were given notice that their last day at Clackamas will be June 30 of this year.

“It’s not personal, but it’s looking at certain positions and deciding where we possibly can do without or do things a different way,” said Wilton. “It has nothing to do with these people individually; it has to do with their job responsibilities.”

The marketing project coordinator of the public affairs department, Janet Paulson, explained how the college was able to eliminate these two positions.

“The college was able to minimize staff layoffs in part due to the announcement of several retirements in the weeks before budget decisions were made,” Paulson stated in an email.

The report also includes a small list of items that will be changed or restricted as well, such as “… tighter controls on travel, supplies and food; even more focus on energy conservation; squeezing more efficiencies from our liability insurance program and bookstore.” Other items such as an early retirement incentive are still

awaiting board approval.Initially the report stated that Wilton

and his team will be making a detailed budget plan to be approved for next year, but with the uncertainty of the state budget they will be delaying that meeting.

“It looks like we’re not going to meet until we have a better idea of state funding,” said Wilton. “Such as if funding were different from the governor’s budget, we could incorporate that somehow in the budget.”

BUDGET: Tuition on the rise

Hiring Freeze

Reserves

Staff Reductions

Various

Revenues

Hiring Freeze

Tuition Increase

Various

Reserves

Staff Reduction

$2 million

$2.88 million

$1.42 million

$0.20 million

$2 million

Letter to the editor: Student speaks out about the issues

Illustration by Nathan Sturgess Clackamas Print

Proposed Part-time Faculty Increase

Student Tuition/Fee Increase

$4.50

In issue 16’s article “Students should demand college accountability” Nevin Halvorson and Christopher Thomson’s names were misspelled. Also, it is the college Board of Education, not Clackamas County.

Corrections

Continued from Page 1

Facing an $8.5 million deficit, the college has recommended cuts and increases to close the gap. This chart represents the amount of money each cut or increase will save.

Page 4: Vol44Issue17

4 Wednesday, April 13, 2011The Clackamas Print &Arts Culture

College is a time for experimentation; a place to discover who you are and what you will be when you “grow up.” It isn’t, however, a time for reinventing that per-fectly shaped thing called the wheel.

In this case that means that you should be focusing on studying for your tests and exams, not studying the school’s program trying to decide which classes you are going to take in hopes that you will end up choosing the correct areas of academia for when you transfer off to a four-year university.

As a way to determine whether you are actually ready to graduate with your associates degree or move on to a four-year degree, you can go to myClackamas and do an academic evaluation.

“We always encourage students to turn in a petition for graduation two terms prior to their anticipated term of completion,” said Lori Eckhout, one of the academic evaluators at Clackamas Community College.

As far as most students are concerned, applying for graduation isn’t something that is required, in fact it isn’t even something that crosses most students’ minds.

“What happens sometimes is a stu-dent thinks they are close to graduating

and maybe a class they thought would count is not going to count. … So that gives them a good chance to get credits or get some substitutions if needed,” said Eckhout.

Many students wonder if they are tak-ing the right courses and all of the links to determine if your classes will transfer are all available on myClackamas.

“We’ve put the links together so it’s easier to find,” said Jessica Walters, a CCC counselor.

If you know for sure where you are going, go to that school and talk to them and see what other classes you can take here at Clackamas that will apply toward your degree. It is a good idea to check into the program at your future school.

“What I encourage students to do is go to the school where they are want-ing to transfer to and check with them to make sure the classes they (have) are needed for that degree,” said Eckhout.

Many students also are unclear on how to transfer credits.

“You can just print it out (from myClackamas), or you can talk to one of the counselors and they can help you out (with) transferring it to your new college,” said Karina Dzhyga, a cur-rent CCC student planning to transfer to Indiana.

This is only partially accurate; if you are going to use myClackamas you need to fill out a form to request an official

transcript, as simply printing out a copy of your unofficial transcript generally is not accepted by institutions of higher learning.

One thing that may leave you wonder-ing is the case with challenging classes. These count towards a degree but only second-year courses.

“If you challenge Spanish 201 it would show up on you transcript as that class on your transcript,” said Eckhout.

Most of the time students don’t know what they need to do in order to gradu-ate. “Students think … that we do it automatically. And we don’t; we encour-age you two terms prior to thinking you are graduating to put in that petition for graduation. Don’t strictly rely on the academic evaluation because many times we have to make some adjustments there,” said Eckhout.

You need to have at least a 2.0 GPA and a 24-credit residency to get your degree from CCC. No fee is associated with petitioning to graduate and it is vital that you fill out and turn in the form for petitioning, available under “forms” in your myClackamas account. It takes eight weeks to receive the diploma in the mail.

If you are looking for information on transferring your credits and how they will appear at your next school, go to depts.clackamas.edu/advising/Transferto -yearSchools.aspx.

Jodi Picoult is well known for enter-taining readers while dealing with heat-ed topics through her novels. In fact, that’s exactly what her readers expect from her. Picoult, never one to disap-point, wooed readers once again with her newest novel “Sing You Home.”

In this new book, Picoult intro-duces Zoe and Max Baxter, a couple desperately trying to conceive. They seemed to have finally gotten their wish, but their hopes are dashed when Zoe miscarries. Their marriage is then torn apart by their loss. Max finds hope by joining an Evangelical church while Zoe deals with the miscarriage and divorce by throwing herself into her work as a music therapist.

Zoe begins working with a sui-cidal teen at a local high school where she meets Vanessa. Vanessa is a high school counselor that happens to be homosexual. Zoe is surprised to find herself falling in love with Vanessa but discovers she can’t help herself. She and Vanessa wed in Massachusetts. After the wedding, Zoe and Vanessa discuss the possibility of using the embryos Zoe and Max had previously stored in their attempts to have a baby. However, to use the embryos they must ask for Max’s permission. Max responds with a lawsuit.

“Sing You Home” moves much more slowly than past Picoult novels, but this is not necessarily a negative thing. It allows for more time to get to know the characters involved and their distinct voices. The presentation of realistic characters is accomplished largely in part by Picoult’s amazing amount of research.

During a recent public reading in Portland, Picoult explained that while researching for the book she spoke to the company Focus on the Family to get a better understanding of the Christian perspective on gay marriage, and later took things that were said in the interview to create the dialogue for some of her religious characters. The devotion to better research shows in her writing as the characters are given a clear voice and the opinions of those represented are accurately shown.

The story Picoult tells in “Sing You Home” is engaging. Many times, I found myself unable to put it down. However, one of the most interesting things about the novel is that it comes with a soundtrack.

According to Picoult, this new idea stemmed from the fact that she wanted to give Zoe a more tangible voice outside of the text. Because the char-acter was a music therapist she thought music would be the best way to do so. Picoult enlisted Ellen Wilber to assist her in making the soundtrack. Picoult wrote the lyrics to songs which were then set to music and sung by Wilber.

Each chapter is represented by a track on the CD. The music is simplis-tic but beautiful, with Wilber singing and playing guitar. Possibly my favor-ite song is “Ordinary Life” in which the reader hears Zoe asking poignant ques-tions about what makes being a homo-sexual “wrong.” She describes how her life is actually simple and ordinary, the only thing that makes it out of the norm is people’s reactions to her sexuality.

The idea of a book coming with a soundtrack is rather interesting, and I believe Picoult did an excellent job of utilizing this idea. As someone who loves both books and music, I enjoy having the CD along with the book. Having a character with a voice you can physically hear adds a special touch to the story and I wish more books came with music accompanying it.

I highly recommend everyone grab a copy of “Sing You Home.” Picoult’s ability to tackle hard issues with an enlightening story makes the book a good read.

Those wishing to publish an e-book may have a new avenue to do so thanks to members of Clackamas Community College’s Chrysalis writing club. Renee LaChance and Susan Landis-Steward started Puddletown Publishing Company with the first set of books published on March 21 of this year. The company is local and based in Beavercreek.

According to Lisa Nowak, who is involved with the Chrysalis club, the idea to start a publishing company came out during a party the club was hosting on Jan 2. After the idea was formed those wanting to be involved hurried to get started. Landis-Steward had previous publishing experience which helped to get the company going.

Nowak said that there is no initial charge for writers wishing to pub-lish through Puddletown, though Puddletown does keep a percentage of royalties.

The first books to be published were from four Chrysalis writers: Landis-Steward, Alice Lynn, Roxanna Mathews and Pat Lichen.

Lynn’s novel, “Volunteer For Glory” is a Civil War romance story. For Lynn, it was interesting time to have her novel published as the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s beginning is on April 14. She cur-rently runs a blog that is counting down to the anniversary.

“It’s been a fast ride,” said Lynn. “They hit the ground running.” Lichen, who writes about nature in the Pacific Northwest, said that

Puddletown opened up an opportunity for her that she may not have

otherwise had. “Most of my life I’ve been told that I need to get a pub-lisher in New York City, and they don’t have much interest in the Pacific Northwest,” she said.

Lichen was asked to publish through Puddletown, as she had an already finished novel (“Kidnapping the Lorax”) that she hadn’t pub-lished. “It wasn’t hard to say yes. I wasn’t doing anything else with the book,” she said.

Since publishing through Puddletown, Lichen has heard from read-ers in Ohio and New York City. “That’s pretty exciting and vindicating,” she said. Although Lichen has heard back from readers in New York she claims she no longer has interest in traditional publishing and wants to stick to publishing through Puddletown.

“Right now is such an interesting time for publishers and writers. Everything is up in the air and changing. It is an interesting time to be in the industry,” she said.

The books published through Puddletown and the topics and genres covered are varied. The authors have written about a number of topics including magic, nature and history. Puddletown does not stick to one genre or idea.

Just like with any other publishing company, there is a process before any novels are published through Puddletown. Novels submitted to be published through Puddletown go through various readers before they are published. Readers check for market value. Also, anything that needs to be fact-checked, such as historical information, is verified. Novels are also checked for proper grammar.

For more information on Puddletown you can visit their website: puddletowngroup.com.

By Joshua BairdArts & Culture Editor

By Mandie GavittAssociate Arts & Culture Editor

Michael Bonn Clackamas PrintRenee LaChance and Susan Landis-Steward, members of Clackamas Community College’s club, Chrysalis Women Writers, started the locally based Puddletown Publishing Company earlier this year.

makes a

Are you ready to graduate? Well, are ya, punk?

Praises sung for ‘Home’splash By Mandie GavittAssociate Arts & Culture Editor

Puddletown Publishing

Page 5: Vol44Issue17

Looking out the window of a fast-moving car, most will see a vast scenery of goliath-like snowcapped mountains surround-ing endless seas of what looks to be the same type of plant (believe me, it’s not). But in order to truly see Death Valley, you must step outside the box (or in this case, the car) to see what this relatively young geological feature really has to offer.

Now you can try to remember to check it out the next time you head out that way, or you can experience this unbelievable, breathtaking land through a very unique course provided at Clackamas Community College.

Geology professor Sarah Hoover and Department Chair of Science Jennifer Bown make a phenomenal team when they take the students enrolled in BI-165 to Death Valley for nine days during spring break.

Hoover and Bown leave no rock unturned, no plant or animal unnamed and work hard all year to make every spring trip to Death Valley one to remember. Every day is filled with endless streams of interesting information from the scientific names and biology of lizards, scorpions, plants and birds to how rocks and the valley itself formed over millions of years.

Students enrolled in the Natural History of Death Valley class also learn about the different people that call the desert home, like the Shoshone tribe who are considered to be the best basket weavers in the world. Students also learn all about the gold rush that stormed the land and sparked “boom towns” to sprout up everywhere. They get to tour through ghost towns like Rhyolite which was built in 1905 as a mining town for Bull Frog Mountain where $3.1 million was pulled from the rock.

In the class you are required to have a field journal where you log all the information as it comes, information such

as elevation, temperature, species lists and location notes. At the end of every day students must

write a reflection

that summarizes the daily events and reactions of the student. The journal hardly seems like work though; aside from helping you out greatly with your final exam, the journal stands as an excellent reminder of the breathtaking experiences.

“It’s what we call a living laboratory,” said Bown, who is known for her bird classes and Natural History of the Oregon Coast class.

Six nights on the valley floor without any TV or radio may sound like a daunting task for some technology-addicted col-lege students, but once you’re there it’s actually not half bad. The view will have you staring out into the openness for what would be hours if Hoover or Bown allowed it to happen. The night sky brings something more unbelievable than anything TV could provide: a window that reveals the far reaches of the universe through countless flickering stars and distant moving objects.

So if you’re in need of an adventure, one that will stay with you for the rest of your life, Death Valley is where it’s at. There are no words to appropriately describe anything that happens in the Natural History of Death Valley course. The words awe-some, informative, creative and adventurous all seem to fall short in defining what the experience is like.

Although the Death Valley lab only takes place during spring break, you can still walk around the giant Petri dish on Bown’s Malheur field trip from May 12-15. Students travel to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge and stay in the on-site dorms and visit the John Day Fossil Beds to learn about the geology of Eastern Oregon. Bown said that because she brings her bird class there will also be quite a bit of bird watching.

The class is only one credit and is used as a science elec-tive by most students, but again the experience is why people go. It’s one thing to learn about the geology and biology of a specific location from a book or class but a complete other to actually see, feel, taste, hear and smell it right where it’s happening.

For more information on the Malheur trip or any others, talk to Bown (Pauling-124e)

or Hoover (Pauling-124) during their office hours. There are still quite a

few openings on the Malheur trip; don’t let the opportu-

nity pass you by.

It’s about time.I hate to mix politics with

pleasure, but in this case it is a must; on March 28 John Kitzhaber made the first good choice of his cur-rent administration.

After nearly one year, the Oregon State Legislature has fixed one of the most antagonistic rulings by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission in a very long time with Senate Bill 444. This bill allows home brewers to once again compete at amateur brewery and winemaking contests statewide.

After the debacle last summer at the Oregon State Fair, where the OLCC made it known that the com-mission fully intended to block all

contests being held statewide with a reinterpretation of a Prohibition-era law, many home brewers and brew supply shops began to express their discontent with the way that OLCC was handling the regulation.

Many, myself included, felt that the only reason that the OLCC was so gung-ho about enforcing this law after so many years is that they were unable to (over) tax homemade alcohol as they do with beer, wine and liquor at the store.

Much like a lame DVD, this new ruling comes with one extra feature: no, it isn’t a preview for the movie you bought, but instead donating your beer to non-profits is allegedly now going to be considered tax deductible.

I’m not really sure if it is worth it to even try and donate my sweet homebrewed ambrosia-esque beer. The sheer volume of beer that you would have to give away would cause you to lose money on the ingredients alone, unless the government is will-ing to give a tax deduction to give your beer away of 10-20 times the cost of ingredients.

In my opinion, there is nothing more sacred than a man’s (or wom-an’s) right to share the fruits of his labors with his friends, family and co-workers if he so chooses. And thankfully, most home-brewers love

to share the beer that they make with others.

In the end, there is very little left to say about this decision beyond that it was the right choice for the artistic types in Oregon, those of us whose medium is not paints on canvas or pencil on paper, those of us who instead chose to carve out our place in the world with flavorful and intense (and in some cases highly potent) beer or wine. Or more simply put, it’s about time.

Don’t forget to check out www.twenty-1plus.com for more exclusive content.

Disclaimer: We at The Clackamas Print do not encourage drinking to excess or underage drinking of any kind. Remember to drink responsibly.

5Wednesday, April 13, 2011 The Clackamas Print&Arts Culture

Bow to the creator of the photo caption! BOW! MWAHAHAHA Also, please make them more than one line!

Continued from Page 1

By Joshua BairdArts & Culture Editor

21+: Home brewers can now find freedom in new bill

DEATH VALLEY: Hottest lab off campus

Sarah Hoover instructs her Natural History of Death Valley class that takes place over spring break. From left to right: Devon Kennedy, Mary Hosanna Hunt, Max R. Porter and instructor Hoover observe fault lines.

Brad Heinke Clackamas PrintHome brewers can now enjoy the sharing of their homemade beer thanks to a new bill passed on March 28.

John Shufelt Clackamas Print

Page 6: Vol44Issue17

6 Wednesday, April 13, 2011The Clackamas Print Sports

When Head Track and Field Coach Keoni McHone steps across the concrete and onto the rubbery track on which many of his athletes train, he isn’t in unfamiliar territory.

McHone is entering his fifth season as head coach at Clackamas Community College after several years as an assistant coach and having been a track and field athlete since high school. Because of his experience, McHone understands what it takes to succeed in a sport such as his, one where talent and natural ability don’t always hold sway.

“Getting rid of the psychological barrier and believ-ing in the possibility I think is the biggest key,” said McHone. “The physical training, if you come out and work hard, will help, but you’ve got to believe that you can go above and beyond.”

This unbelievably determined mindset is seen in the eyes of many of the runners, jumpers and throwers that spend their afternoons hard at work all across the track and infield. There is a noticeable difference between these athletes and those of any other sport.

Jumpers and throwers will spend hours in the weight room only to gain an inch of success, and run-ners routinely push their bodies so close to the breaking point that they can get sick or collapse from exhaustion.

The reason for all of this grueling work is that track and field really is a competition against yourself, not against other athletes. Because of this, progress isn’t measured in wins and losses, but in an athlete’s person-al records, or PRs. A runner’s goal is to PR every race and to have their PR be better by the end of the season than at the beginning. That, however, isn’t always easy.

Success is dependent on training, which in turn is dependent on weather. Cold weather means cold athletes and therefore more opportunities for injuries, something that has been a major setback for CCC this season. It seemed that every runner, thrower and

jumper mentioned an injury either to themselves or to one of their teammates.

“I’ve just been trying to come back from injury,” said freshman Mariah Villa, who competes in a com-bination of seven different events called a heptathlon. Villa admitted that not being able to train for health reasons was her biggest stumbling block and that working to return to competition required a lot of time and effort.

Despite multiple injuries and the miserable weather, which was noticeably bad even for the month of March, the team has done well at their recent meets.

“If you listen to the loudspeakers, you hear a lot of first place finishes for Clackamas,” said Ryan Rau, a freshman sprinter from Oregon City High School.

Rau also mentioned that health was a problem for the team, but said that they had overcome it fairly well in a lot of different events, something that McHone echoed.

“We’ve been placing really well. … We had some-where around eight event winners at our last meet out of the 40 events,” said McHone, who usually tries for a well-rounded team, something that is apparent this year when he begins to mention the team’s many standouts.

McHone spent several minutes highlighting dif-ferent pieces of his team, including the women’s sprint crew and distance runners Mary Botsford and All-American Laura Copenhagen, as well as decath-lete Dominik Walker and hurdler James Ratliff, who threatens to break the school record in both the 100- and 400-meter hurdles.

“We’ve been pretty successful, and I’ve seen a lot of personal records,” said McHone. “The weather hasn’t really cooperated in order to get the training in and so we’re a little bit behind schedule, but we’re going in a positive direction.”

The next home meet is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 and will be held at the Oregon City High School Stadium. Both track and field events will begin at 11 a.m. and events will continue until just after 3:30 p.m.

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Track and field finds success By John Howard

Associate Sports Editor

Welcome to the world,

LeLand Erik Morrison was born on March 28. He

weighed eight pounds, eight ounces and measured 21.5

inches long. He’s the son of � e Print’s

sports editor Robby Morrison and his girlfriend,

Kylee Montgomery.

Good luck, you guys!

LeLand!

Mariah Villa practices her hurdles on April 7 on the Clackamas track. She competes in a combination of events as she tries to return from her injuries.

John Howard Clackamas Print

Track and FieldApril 16-Lewis and Clark Invitational @ Lewis and Clark College

BaseballApril 16 @ SW Oregon 1 pmApril 19 vs.Chemeketa 1 pm

SoftballApril 16 vs. S Puget Sound 9 am

vs.Walla Walla 11amApril 17 vs.Skagit Valley 10 am

vs.Wentachee Valley 12 pmApril 20 @ Mt.Hood 3 pm

Page 7: Vol44Issue17

Last term at Clackamas Community College we brought home a

number of championships and we’re glad to call our wres-tling team the National Junior College Athletic Association champions. It seems like the playoff bug is going around in Portland, too, because both the Portland Trail Blazers and Portland Winterhawks have been either in the playoffs or clinching a spot.

The Blazers have had a year full of injuries, drama and miscommunication. The team had its lows with the surgery of guard Brandon Roy and its highs with the all-star play of LaMarcus Aldridge.

Rumors near the trade dead-line said that the Blazers could deal but the team didn’t move their veteran players like many, myself included, thought they would. They did deal for multi-position player Gerald Wallace,

though. Wallace came over from the Charlotte Bobcats in a deal that included fan favorite Joel Przybilla.

The Blazers went on a win streak after the deadline that helped make a serious push towards the playoffs. On April 6 the Blazers lost in surprising fashion against the Golden State Warriors 108-87. The Blazers would have something to cheer about after the loss because my hometown Sacramento Kings went on the beat the Houston Rockets 104-101.

The Rockets were fight-ing for a playoff spot as well, but with their loss the Blazers clinched a spot for the third year in a row. The Blazers have been fighting for the sixth seed for the playoffs to try and avoid playing the LA Lakers in the first round, because they haven’t had the best of luck against the Lakers in the playoffs in recent years. Tickets for the Blazers playoffs game go on sale April 15 at noon.

The Winterhawks have been playing another outstanding sea-son. The team finished the sea-son with a 50-19-0-3 record. The record gave them the WHL U.S. Division championship.

Portland got a nice seed in the playoffs for the WHL Championship and they started off hot, beating Everett 4-0 in

their playoff opener in Portland on March 26. Portland went on to knock Everett out of the playoffs by beating them in four straight games. During those games the Winterhawks outscored Everett in goals 22-8. Two of the games were at home and two of them on the road, showing the team can win anywhere.

On April 12 the team played host to Kelowna at the Rose Garden Arena but fell in the first game by a score of 5-1. They were able to tie the series at one game apiece with a 6-3 win the next day on the road. The Hawks have a chance to pull to a series lead when they play host to Kelowna on April 15 at 7 p.m.

With all of these playoffs in full swing and spring sports underway at CCC, sports fans should have more than enough excitement to keep them busy all season long.

Sports 7Wednesday, April 13, 2011 The Clackamas Print

Since the dawn of athletic competitions, there has always been an intangible factor that athletes see as necessary in order to succeed: luck. Superstitions in sports are something that nearly every athlete and coach will admit to participating in, no matter what sport they play or at what level they compete.

“These shoes right here? I love these shoes,” said Clif Wegner, who coaches men’s basket-ball at Clackamas Community College. “In 2007, we got on a streak, and we won 21 games to close the season, and I was wearing these shoes. I wore these for 21 games in a row just because I didn’t want to change them. I think there’s some magic in them.”

Wegner said that while he was superstitious, it was mostly just for fun. He also said that his habits are exemplary of many players on his team, saying that some had a lucky t-shirt or lucky shorts they wear under the uniform, and others had special rituals they performed before games.

Wearing lucky shorts isn’t something local to the college. Michael Jordan, the hall of fame NBA player who many claim is the great-est basketball player ever to set foot on the court, was said to wear his University of North Carolina shorts underneath his Chicago Bulls uniform.

Perhaps the most superstitious of all sports is baseball. Players such as Wade Boggs, third baseman for the Boston Red Sox, would write in the dirt before each at bat, and became known as the “Chicken Man” because of his obsession with eating poultry before each game. Turk Wendell would chew four sticks of licorice while on the pitcher’s mound and would sprint to the dugout after each inning to brush his teeth.

“I drink chocolate milk before every baseball game,” said freshman shortstop Tyler Arnold, “and I have a baseball at home that says ‘game day’ on one side. Every game day I turn it

around so that the ‘game day’ side shows.”Superstitious behavior isn’t just made of

random acts. There are patterns and connec-tions to be found, something that psychologists and sports fanatics alike find fascinating.

“Aspects of baseball where players have the least amount of control, and succeed the least, is where research has found the most supersti-tions,” said Eric Lewis, chair of the social sci-ences and psychology professor at Clackamas.

“Players field the ball successfully over 95 percent of the time, depending on the posi-tion played, and there are few players who have superstitions with their glove or fielding. However, a ‘good’ batter will fail roughly 70 percent of the time. In this area of baseball, where control and success are fleeting and often come in spurts, superstitions are ram-pant,” he said.

Lewis, a self-proclaimed sports nut, said that the superstition, while it wouldn’t directly affect the outcome of the game, can often act as a placebo and boost the confidence of the ath-lete, therefore raising the possibility of a good game for the player or coach.

“People like predictability, controlling their own destiny and tucking themselves in at night believing the world makes sense,” said Lewis. “In areas of life where random, unpre-dictable or unwanted things can occur, people are more prone to develop superstitions.”

“These superstitions help an individual feel a sense of predictability and control over important and otherwise random events. Most superstitions not only help with predictability and the illusion of control, but also as a way to bring about good, or wanted, fortune.”

In the end, the fans often get more enjoy-ment out of superstitions than the players. To the athletes themselves, their practices are a routine that gets them to feel comfortable, but to those looking on, it’s an exciting pattern, much like LeBron James’ powder toss before each game. For some it has meaning and for others it’s simply fun, but for most it’s just sports.

i wonder ...

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Full Court Press: Blazers, Hawks looking for championships

By Robert MorrisonSports Editor

By John HowardAssociate Sports Editor

Superstition plays big part in sports

John Howard Clackamas PrintA Mt. Hood Community College baseball player places a good luck mascot on top of the visitor’s dugout at Clackamas Community College’s baseball field on April 12.

Blazers playoff tickets go on sale

April 15 at noon.

On April 15 at 7 p.m. the Winterhaks play

Kelowna.

~

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Find us on Facebook!

@clackamasprint

Page 8: Vol44Issue17

&8 Wednesday, April 13, 2011 The Clackamas Print Fitness Nutrition

Ingredients:1 whole artichoke (per person)2 limes or lemons1/4 ounce of extra virgin olive oilDash of salt and pepper

Preparation:Begin by cutting off the

leaf end by 1/2 - 3/4 inch and snipping off any additional thorns. The artichoke(s) should be placed face down in a steamer rack and sit over boil-ing water for 30 to 40 minutes

or until a leaf easily pulls from the artichoke and the stem is fork tender. While it is boil-ing, squeeze the juice from the limes or lemons into a small bowl and mix in the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Recipe

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By Joshua BairdArt & Culture Editor

Why would I ever want to eat something that looks like it belongs at the end of a stairrail? The answer is deliciously simple: artichokes are both good for you and taste terrific.

The artichoke, a member of the thistle family, is not a native to American shores; in fact, they originate in parts of Africa. They are now grown in nearly every country in the world as well as cultivated in the United States, primarily in California.

One of the many health bene-fits is that they are rich in vitamin C, which is a great antioxidant, and fiber, which helps your body to remove waste from your sys-tem.

After the artichoke is fully cooked, remove it from the boil-ing water and drain before placing it on a plate and sprinkling it with a hint of freshly ground pepper.

Gently scrape the meat from the leaf with your front teeth; the leaves are tougher and more fibrous than the meat and are not meant to be eaten.

Once all the leaves are gone you will find the artichoke heart, which is a great-tasting section, though you will want to scrape the choke, or fuzz, off of the heart and throw it away. After all of this hard work, enjoy that tender center with just a hint of that citrus dip.

Fruit & veggies word seach

blueberrystrawberrypearplumlemon

grapeapplelimeartichokepinapple

Z K G G E J R T S R B Q SB D P R I B D U L C M L TL A B D J C S H C X E V RU G M L V R X P E M V X AE L E A M J A B O K E Q WB T Q M R O Z N Z L F A BE N I U L T P B P Z H E ER M R L E U I P R A E P RR P I P K G A C S V B T RY B Y L I B B T H L Y Y YS V W O R P H Y F O J B CK V F F M N F M S N K C OU D G R A P E S L D K E UN R C T S O E O Y Z D L GK P I N E A P P L E X P H

SEACH KEY

Why don’t you eat a pinecone?

Photo illustration by Brad Heineke Clackamas Print