Volume 47, Issue 21 by The Clackamas Print

www.TheClackamasPrint.com

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014 V. 47, ISSUE 21

CLACKAMAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

AN INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1966

Cougars take

by BLAKE THOMASON sports editor

2ND PLACE at NWAACC

Liz Gomes

Cougars utility player Cassidy Edwards slides into home base in the team’s win against Treasure Valley Community College over the weekend.

For the fourth time this year, the Clackamas Community College Cougars’ softball team faced off against the Mt. Hood Community College Saints. This time around, the NWAACC championship was on the line. These two teams were so evenly matched; the point total heading into the finals was 18-16 in favor of the Cougars. The two regular season doubleheaders were both split and their first tournament matchup was a one-point win for the Saints. Monday’s championship game was a similar story with the Saints narrowly beating the Cougars 4-2. “I think we played well, it’s just a tough team,” pitcher Breann Morrison said. “Mt. Hood has been our biggest competitor all year. I think we just didn’t execute when we needed to.” Both teams threatened early but failed to take advantage. Clackamas loaded the bases in the first inning but were unable to score any runs. Mt. Hood had runners in scoring position as well, but could not capitalize. Clackamas was first to get on the board in the second inning; catcher Kandace Furlong scored from second off of a double by utility player Cassidy Edwards. Mt. Hood got on base with their first at bat in the second, but Clackamas got the next three batters out to end the inning. Facing two outs with only a runner on first, it looked like Clackamas wasn’t going to add to their lead but back-to-back singles by outfielder Morgan Brown and utility player Cassie Cruz drove in first baseman Kiara Vasquez to extend the lead to 2-0. It was three up and three down for Mt. Hood in the bottom of the third, and it started to look like Clackamas was gaining momentum. see SOFTBALL Page 7

2014-15 ASG ELECTION RESULTS ARE IN by PATTY SALAZAR editor-in-chief Clackamas Community College students voted last week for their Associated Student Government president and vice president for the 2014-2015 school year. Current president Erick Breton ran unopposed but still racked up 244 student votes. The vice presidential candidates ran a tight race, but Johnney Russ snagged 197 votes, beating Candice Stauffer by a mere 23 votes. Now the training begins for the new vice president Russ. “I feel like I’m on cloud nine,” Russ said. He’s

ready to hit the road running. His first order of business is to start training under current 2013- 2014 vice president Susi Escobedo to hire his staff for the upcoming school year. The Print has reached out to Breton over the last week but he has yet to return calls or emails. Russ on the other hand received a text from Escobedo Thursday morning. “Good morning Johnney, or should I say Mr. Vice President,” the text read, according to Russ. Russ joined ASG in fall term as the clubs senator and saw he could make a difference in students’ college experience, he said. In winter

term he was torn between running for presidency and vice presidency but ultimately decided to run for vice president. “I felt that my skills are better suited and I can work closely with students, as well the members of ASG [as vice president],” Russ said. “I always felt like I could be a leader.” One of the large projects Russ will be taking over is establishing a “lending library,” which will offer book rentals for students for $20. He also wants to expand cultural awareness, which was Stauffer’s platform for vice presidency. “The main plan right now is to

be present for the students,” said Russ. “To be someone they know they can come to with a problem.” Matt Wandschneider, a CCC sophomore, said he kept bouncing back and forth between voting for Russ or Stauffer. “Ultimately it was his biography [that was placed around campus],” said Wandschneider. “Being an older student myself I felt like he would be suited for the position.” Some students who wanted to vote were unable to because of confusion on how to actually cast a ballot. Melisa Ford, a CCC freshman, was one of the students who

believed Stauffer’s ‘bubbly personality’ would be the right fit for vice president, but was unable to vote because she was never informed on how to vote. “No one said how to vote,” said Annie Cannon. “They really need to because a lot of us are freshmen and I never heard how to do it.” Cannon believes her voice won’t be heard and saw a lack of participation from candidates. “They really needed to make a bigger effort to incorporate more people,” said Cannon. “Not just a select few. The only thing I saw or heard was a few posters about the election.”

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

Letters to the Editor Students disgruntled about the anti-abortion display on campus Dear editor, I find it atrocious that these people were allowed to set up on the campus of Clackamas Community College. I was informed that the flags scattered on the lawn were representation of the babies that were aborted today. I can’t believe our school administration let these people on campus with this atrocity. It is sick, disgusting and disturbing. Do they think that women in general just get up one morning and say, “I don’t want this baby, I’ll go abort it?” Well, that isn’t the case. Most often, abortions are by women who would die if they carried the child, the fetus is unhealthy or the women are victims of sex crimes (rape, incest, etc.). To say the least, this was in distaste. I certainly hope that there will not be a repeat event of this nature at CCC. Cordially, Debbie Fox — — — Dear editor, I am a Student/Veteran Federal Work Study/President CCC Comedy Club/Person with empathy. I am writing to complain about the display in the courtyard. I was informed that the brightly colored flags that are in the courtyard directly outside of the Community Center represent aborted babies. That is disgusting. There are people of all walks of life that attend this school and it is not right to express such a sensitive issue in such an “in your face” manner. I find it tasteless, disturbing and sick. I am outraged that this school would let this kind of display occur. I can understand someone putting up a booth to discuss this issue, but a giant display representing dead babies is atrocious.

Statistically, there have to be people on this campus that have had an abortion. Reminding them of the hardest choice in their life in such a dramatic measure is wrong on so many levels. The person that authorized this display should have thought about everyone when they decided that this was a good way to increase awareness for all the students. It is not up to this school or anyone else except the parents to make the choice of what to do in that situation. It sickens me that this school would support something like this. Those of you in ASG have made a poor decision by supporting such a display on a PUBLIC campus. We all have rights, opinions and morals of our own choosing. It is not okay for you to make such a statement in the middle of OUR campus. Nicholas C. Hadley

Electric door debate I am appalled at the letter to the editor in the April 16, 2014 issue of the Clackamas Print. Matt Elyea was complaining about the use of the automatic door openers on campus. He stated that they disrupt his studies. Instead of lashing out at people for using the devices, wouldn’t it be a better solution to sit in a different location? In defense of people you say clearly take advantage of the devices and you stereotype as lazy, I wish to remind you that disabilities come in many forms. Some of those disabilities come from non-visible means and have movement or weight restrictions. Just because a person isn’t showing visible signs of a disability doesn’t mean they are without limitations or disabilities. Before you stereotype or assume laziness, make sure you know all of the facts. Sincerely, Debbie Fox

Editorial: Indifference personiﬁed The Print examines the lack of Clackamas student involvement in ASG elections for the 2014-2015 year. by Erin Carey news & culture editor & Liz Gomes associate photo editor Even though the voter turnout of this year’s Clackamas Community College Associated Student Government election was higher than in past years, the total count of 382 votes cast only represented a minimal amount of the student body. Although the voting turnout was low, it shouldn’t be that way. A student’s involvement with ASG means that there are opportunities to get scholarships and creates a strong connection to the student body as a whole. But in their most recent elections, a lack of enthusiasm from the student body and the president himself seemed to drag this year’s ASG elections down. Some cared to vote, some didn’t, and some didn’t even know how. Days prior to the election, the student body held a Q & A session in the Community Center to give students an opportunity to learn more about the candidates and their platforms. Dean Wright, a member of ASG and the emcee for the event, had a short list of questions to ask the candidates to keep the ball rolling, but of the 10 to 15 students present and actually paying attention, none generated very compelling questions. Wright even tried to wave over a few familiar passersby to beg for questions from them. The apathy of the audience matched or perhaps mirrored the apathy of the president. Erick Breton, the unopposed presidential candidate, seemed disengaged throughout the event. His quiet and passionless responses were indicative of an acknowledged lack of incentive to try. Both vice presidential candidates were more involved and attentive, but with the lack of original questions, they seemed to parrot a lot of their own rehearsed previous

responses. The event seemed thrown together. Last minute signs advertising the Q & A promised popcorn for attendees, which may have lured hungry students had the popcorn machine not been empty and unplugged. The session also took place in the middle of a commonly high-trafficked area, which could have attracted an audience but instead became more of an imposition to students eating lunch and doing homework. You saw them everywhere – Candice Stauffer’s campaigning signs wallpapered the entire campus. Her pretty face was all most of us saw for a month. A few smaller signs were put up by her opponent, Russ, and the unopposed winner of the presidency, but hers outnumbered theirs substantially. She also toured the campus hitting up clubs and school groups to engage with them individually about her “cultural competency” platform. She even walked around the campus during the election offering students her tablet so they could vote. So why didn’t she win? Maybe it was the fact that it seemed she tried too hard. While Stauffer made a solid effort to get the word out about her platform, people got more annoyed with her strong attempts to communicate with them. However, they awarded Erick’s apathy towards the entire event just because he was running unopposed. Some students said they had a hard time knowing where to vote or how. Some heard that they needed to go to Moodle, some heard they should go to the ASG office and some were just left confused. Why did it have no effect? CCC is a two year transfer school. And while we have activities that people do care about, the common train of thought is: get here, get your education and get out. Bringing together a student body who only wants to go to classes and go home is hard to do, even for the most enthusiastic and charming of ASG government officials. People see ASG as a place to get cheaper Cup O’ Noodles and hang their posters on campus.

CAMPUS POLICE LOG

STAFF

The Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased and professional manner. Content published in The Print is not screened or subject to censorship. Email comments, concerns or tips to: chiefed@clackamas.edu or call us at 503-594-6266 19600 Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045 Journalism Advisor: Beth Slovic elizabeth.slovic@ clackamas.edu

EDITORS Patty Salazar Editor-in-Chief chiefed@clackamas.edu Erin Carey News & Culture aced@clackamas.edu newsed@clackamas.edu Tim Young Associate News Amber Fairbanks Associate Arts & Culture Blake Thomason Sports Editor sportsed@clackamas.edu Denee Shelton Photo Editor photoed@clackamas.edu Liz Gomes Associate Photo

MONDAY, MAY 12 – SUNDAY, MAY 18

Donny Beach Web Editor webeditor@clackamas.edu

Date

Time

Incident

5/12

1:42 p.m.

911 Hang-up/Community Center — no one around

4:20 p.m.

Disorderly Conduct — Neimeyer Lobby-report that an unknown male yelled profanity in lobby and then left. — Unable to locate

5/13

ASG is more than a place to get cheap Cup O’ Noodles. They do their best to bring together the student body and offer a variety of services, including offering scholarships, buying textbooks at cheaper prices, and running voter registration programs along with much more. The moral of the story is that people shouldn’t be apathetic and cold towards an ASG election. People should care because there’s a bored president representing the students at things like Board of Education meetings, insisting that he knows what’s best for the student body. Ignoring elections for ASG means that it’s another year letting people control the things students care about, like ‘cultural competency’, instead of improving the things that students need to see improvement on.

Chris Morrow Copy Editor copyed@clackamas.edu Zak Laster Ad Manager admgr@clackamas.edu

12:20 p.m.

Suspicious person — Barlow lot-using wifi, making inappropriate comments — left prior to arrival

1:45 p.m.

Assist other agency — OCPD — follow up for PPB

2:06 p.m.

Disturbance — Gregory Forum — verbal argument over childhood dispute — no crime

3:38 p.m.

Disturbance — Bus turn around — verbal argument between high schoolers over sweats — no crime — referred to OCHS

5:44 p.m.

Wallet found — subject claimed lost wallet on 5/14

5/14

2:40 p.m.

Suspicious person — Orchards Lot—advised to leave campus

5/15

9:50 a.m.

Suspicious activity-vehicle running/doors locked/keys in ignition — MC Lot

11:00 a.m.

Detail — CC — Sexual Assault Awareness campaign table/talk

11:08 a.m.

Suspicious vehicle from MC lot — gone

Matt Morrissey

1:40 p.m.

Found wallet — CC — unable to locate owner — in safe keeping/safety office

Joey Fisher

3:30 p.m.

Detail — FRC — Bike Rodeo

Naomi Sommers

11:31 a.m.

Suspicious activity/Poss. Less than oz — OC Woods — OCHS SRO contacted — Case #14-13301

1:37 p.m.

Parking detail — OC Visitor lot — citations issued

5/16

Emily Rask Production Manager Brandon Chorum Design Editor

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Karsten Mayer Kai Kiefel

Source : Suzy Isham, Campus Safety

facebook: the clackamas print twitter: @clackamasprint

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

Small program expands to hands-on internship

Nolan Bradley provides movement for his motion capture class. Photo reprinted from The Print, volume 47, issue 11.

Students in the DMC program strike CWE gold in the Motion Capture field by LIZ GOMES associate photo editor Ten years ago the Digital Multimedia Communications (DMC) program was just a glimmer in the eyes of Andy Mingo

and Sue Mach. Together they created a screenwriting and video production class under the creative writing headings WR-264 and WR-265. The students were given access to a couple of GL2 mini DV cameras which shot in standard definition and two Mac stations for editing kept in The Print lab. This experiment led to the creation of some of the most wonderfully terrible student films, but more importantly showed Clackamas

Community College that there was a real demand to fill. Today the DMC program has its own Associate of Applied Science Degree and is a finely tuned machine. Its many focus areas are supported by several talented members of the faculty and a vast supply of the most stateof-the-art equipment. Students of the program have gone on to internships and careers in the multimedia industry. The trick of the program

is that, unless you follow the degree plan exactly, acquiring all of the essential credits for a chosen focus area can be a bit of a chore. The classes are primarily offered during the day, and some courses only offered one term a year. Perhaps the most difficult credits to obtain are the ones that require the most self-motivation: Cooperative Work Experience (CWE) credits. Some students of the DMC program have expressed that there’s a lack of opportunities to get CWE internships, and the leads passively mentioned during classes don’t usually go anywhere. The Clackamas Print caught up with Andy Mingo during one of his classes to find out whether these claims were legitimate and to talk with him about the recent wealth of opportunities being generated by one of the newest additions to the DMC curriculum, Motion Capture. The Clackamas Print: In the past it’s been hard to get CWE credits, or at least know about CWE credits. Andy Mingo: CWE credits actually aren’t that difficult to get. In the DMC program we have partnerships or know of companies who would be willing to take on internships. TCP: We’ve heard that the motion capture class is one of the only avenues for internships for CWE credits. Why is this specific class successful? Mingo: Winter term was the first term that we offered DMC-250, the motion capture class. We brought in Damon Redmond who is the art director from SuperGenius to teach the class. He has some experience with motion capture and obviously a lot of experience

with SuperGenius, which is a video game design company in Oregon City. With SuperGenius and the present CWE internship that’s happening, it was kind of an extension of the original class. We had students taking DMC-250 in winter term but they wanted to continue on and engage in a professional project. TCP: What are the interns doing with SuperGenius? Mingo: What we’re doing is through Damon’s guidance and SuperGenius, (I’m also giving some support to this project) we’ve come up with a short film idea that is going to be done exclusively via motion capture. The interns are helping with the preproduction process, the directing process, the motion capture process and all of that, and then what we’re looking to do is to take it into two additional classes that will be started in the summer. One will be a 3D modeling class, and the other class will be a Unity class, which is a game engine program but you can also have it drive animated films. We’re creating a pipeline, if you will, of workflow so that we have the stuff that we take in the motion capture sessions, and we’ll take it in and design assets, and then actually design our film. The success these students found with their internship may inspire confidence in their weary DMC peers to keep looking. Mingo’s advice is simply to ask. A lesson to be learned during the quest for CWE is that, like real jobs in the industry, these opportunities don’t usually just fall into one’s lap, they have to be pursued.

Welding students could follow Portland’s example with ‘Art Racks’

by TIM YOUNG associate news editor The city of Portland has a program where “innovative and aesthetic designs” are incorporated into city bike racks. Anything from tooth brushes outside of dental offices, to whatever you can imagine that would serve as an effective bike rack can be made as a way of adding artistic flair to city function. At Clackamas Community College, we asked the ques-

tion, “why not do something like that here?” According to the City of Portland website, the “Art Racks” program operates to serve the following goals: “To provide needed parking for the increasing number of people who choose bicycling as a transportation option To enhance Portland’s image as a people- and bicycle-friendly city; a community that regards bicycles as a permanent and important part of the city’s transportation infrastructure To encourage more people to choose cycling as a transportation option To create a symbol for our city’s livability that will gain positive attention locally, regionally and nationally.” In the Portland program citizens are encouraged to participate by using a step by step process called “Art Rack Approval and Installation 101,” using bike rack fabrication companies and fol-

WHAT’S

With the help of the CCC welding program, some suggest that Portland’s artistic bike rack program could be launched on campus

with that

lowing the established Oregon Administrative Rules on the subject. The welding program recently purchased a virtual welder where students can work with the instructor on the machine and get

trained with cost saving on material and reduced safety concerns. At Clackamas we have an impressive and well-equipped welding program where students and instructors can make just about anything, according to John

Phelps, CCC welding instructor. Phelps said the welding department is equipped for projects but nobody has brought the ideas to him or the welding department.

arts & CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

How will you stay focused?

by LIZ GOMES associate photo editor Though there are only three weeks of school left this term, many are too bogged down in homework and general stress to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It takes every last bit of energy for teachers to keep the attention of their overwhelmed students long enough to get through the final chapters of their curriculum. Long days of deadlines and tedious group projects are made worse by the beautiful weather beckoning us to come outside. Summer is so close, yet so far, and it seems impossible to finish the school year strong when most of us have already checked out.

The Print staff are no strangers to the hemorrhaging morale and vacant stares present in the final weeks of spring term, but we’ve mustered up enough energy to share tips that we’ve used and are using to push us to that finish line. – If you’ve reached your breaking point, there’s no shame in taking a personal day. Whether you choose to catch up on homework or sleep for eighteen hours straight, if you choose a day that you can make up whatever assignments you miss, go for it. The world won’t crumble. Just don’t make it a habit; one day is about all you can miss without potentially compromising your grade, so make it count. -Watch your caffeine and sugar intake. Unnecessary jitters and

crashes only make things worse, and the quality of your work will show it. Just try to eat well and get as much sleep as you can. -What you absorb outside of school affects your mental state. If you’re reading a depressing book, watching shows that piss you off, or hanging out with negative people, it sticks with you. Take a break from what troubles you until the summer, and try to surround yourself with positive things. -De-clutter your life. If your purse, car, room, desk, etc. are messy, they can actually cause anxiety and distraction. Take a moment to toss out all the Taco Bell receipts and soda bottles and straighten up. -Watch the things you eat.

Some of us are so burnt out that we often rely on terrible food choices to get us through the day. Put down the bag of chips and pick up a salad. Eating healthier for you often makes you feel 10 times better than you did before. The empty calories also stack up, meaning an extra couple pounds to add onto the burnt out stress. -Take a couple hours to enjoy the nice weather. A run, walk, dance or anything that gets your heart beating will often help distract from your bad feelings and boost your endorphins. Your feel good hormones. -Find a good venting system. Write a letter you’ll never send, or a Facebook post you’ll never hit the ‘post’ button on. Keeping

negative emotions all bottled up helps neither you nor the people around you who are subject to a lash out of negative emotions. -Print out a calendar so you can cross off days as they happen. Visualizing how few days we actually have left will make the tasks at hand more manageable. Print out a calendar so you can cross off days as they happen. Visualizing how few days we actually have left will make the tasks at hand more manageable. -Finally, try to be encouraging to your peers. They’re probably in the same boat you are, and a smiling face or helping hand may be the one thing they need to keep them from giving up.

Oregon’s invention at play

Photos by Patty Salazar

Above: Clackamas student Erick Ruhl ‘hacks’ with fellow students outside of the Dye Learning Center. Right: John Kissner enjoys the sunny day on campus.

marylhurst student body: TheClackamasPrint

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arts & CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

Summer time brings job opportunities for you by ZAK LASTER ad manager It’s almost time for summer vacation. Students at Clackamas Community College use the summer break as an opportunity to leave for a while, and some use it as an opportunity to make money working. Others do both. A few students were asked what their summer job plans were. “I’m going to Los Angeles, Calif., for a college trip, then coming back and working for Nordstrom Café,” said Antoinette Mauro. Many students were asked about their summer plans and most responded that while they do plan to work, it’ll mostly be part time so they can enjoy some time off. “I’m a waiter right now, but

I’m going to take time off this summer,” said Alberto Hernandez. “I’m going to go to Orange County, Calif., I’m also going to go to Los Angeles for a month. I’m also going to New York to spend some time there,[and] I might also go to Mexico depending on how much money I have left.” For some students, this summer will be their first summer working. “I’ll be working at Forever 21 at the Woodburn Outlet Mall.” said Mackenzie Martinz. “I’ll be working there as soon as I am done with school.” Students spend their time at CCC working long hours during the school week, whether it’s in the classroom or at home doing homework. “I usually work during the summers, but I’ve been working

a lot lately so I kind of want to treat myself,” Hernandez said. That’s how most students viewed their summer vacation. They just need to finally get a break and some rest. The school year can be a difficult time for some students, and they could really use the time to unwind with family and friends. “This summer my family is celebrating an 80th wedding anniversary,” Katie Archer said. “It’s the combination of my parent’s 25th, my mom’s younger sister’s 25th, and my aunt’s 30th. We’re going to be having a big party.” Most students said that working isn’t a big priority for them this summer, but that getting away for a while is something that’s very important to them. They put themselves through a stressful three terms, and three

months of work isn’t worth it for what three months of relaxation could do for them instead. “I’m hoping to go camping at the beach with some of my friends possibly,” Archer said. “I hope to also have a job, but I don’t know where yet.” Although it’s not a summer job, one great opportunity for students is the Disney World College Program. One of CCC’s former students, Kassey Ingle, participated in the program and had nothing but great things to say about it. “I got to meet people from all over the world and there’s always something to do.” Ingle said “My job was really fun.” The Disney World College Program is not offered during the summer, but instead during the fall, winter, and spring. For those wanting to apply to

the program, it’s recommended you research it. It’s a competitive opportunity with many applicants. “I went through a long interview process that I spent quite a bit of time preparing for,” Ingle said. “There was a web interview, then a phone interview, and then there is a lot of waiting around waiting to see if you got in.” It can be a great opportunity for students to boost their resume, but if you’re just applying so you can have the perks that come with working at Disney, this many not be the job for you. You’ll have to work all holidays, long hours during the day, and all with low pay. Also, “your face will always hurt from smiling so much,” Ingle said.

Employer is For more information: Oregon City Date: Time: Where: 10:00 am Worksource Clackamas recruiting Call 971.673.6400 Employer 5/21/2014 to 2:00 506 High Street for: Warehouse option 2 for referral Recruitment Oregon City, OR 97045 pm Workers instructions

Opinion: Acceptance starts with education by CHRIS MORROW copy editor I remember being 11 years old when I first heard the words “gay” and “fag.” I parroted them while not really knowing what they meant, only that they were new words that my friends were using to describe anything or anyone they thought was stupid, irritating or boring. As I gained more insight into their meanings, I seethed with anger in response to having them aimed at me. Being a shy, quiet kid who spent more time focusing on getting good grades than on socializing and caring more about playing Nintendo games than participating in sports, I had such words hurled in my direction more times than I can even begin to count. As a result, I learned to do what most other kids in that situation learn to do – use anti-gay rhetoric and behavior as a shield to deflect accusations of being gay. As I grew closer to admitting and coming to terms with my own sexuality, behaving in a way so contrary to how I felt inside made me feel more and more fake. I would continue to maintain the facade purely out of fear of what might happen to me if I didn’t. Having been in that kind of position and thus able to analyze it from the inside, I understand how easy it is to feel compelled to put on the mask of homophobia as a tactic of misdirection. Children, teenagers and adults often seek approval from their peers and it’s pretty obvious one of the messages we’re bombarded with most is that anyone who doesn’t conform to the societal expectations attached to gender is worthy of contempt and aggressive “correction.” According to data from the National School Climate Survey published by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) in 2011, teens regularly experience incidents of anti-gay behavior. More than 80 percent of the students polled reported being verbally harassed in the past year due to their sexual orientation; 18.3 percent reported being physically

assaulted; 55.2 percent reported electronic harassment via text messages or social media; 60.4 percent of students who reported being harassed or assaulted in school said they did not report the incident to school staff, believing little or no action would be taken; 36.7 of those who did report incidents of harassment or assault claimed school staff did nothing in response; 56.9 reported hearing anti-gay slurs from their teachers or other faculty members. In the same year as this survey was conducted, Zach King, a student of Unioto High School in Chillicothe, Ohio, (90 minutes from my hometown of Ironton), was mercilessly beaten in a classroom while the assailant’s cousin filmed the attack on his cell phone to be uploaded to social media. Zach suffered a concussion and a chipped tooth, while his attacker received a three-day suspension and 90 days in juvenile detention, according to news reports. The various uploads of the cell phone footage on YouTube are littered with comments that appear to be praising the actions of the bully. Zach and his mother Becky Collins both went on to speak as part of a panel called “It’s Getting Better,” to talk about how schools can improve their methods of dealing with the issue of anti-LGBT bullying. Also in 2011, Chris Sigler, a 17-year-old heterosexual student at Sequoyah High School in Madisonville, Tenn., resisted attempts to hinder his freedom of speech, concerning his desire to start a GSA (Gay / Straight Alliance) at his school as a support group for his sister, Jessica, and other friends who were LGBT. Despite being straight, he was called “queer” and “fag” by schoolmates when he wore a self-made shirt advertising the proposed GSA club, according to his accounts. Sigler went to his principal for support, but received none. Previously, another student, Nathan Carroll, who was gay and who also had tried to form a GSA at the same school, allegedly faced threat of suspension if he did not discontinue his efforts. Just last year, Luke ‘Sascha’ Fleischman, a senior at Maybeck

High School in Berkeley, Calif. who does not identify as a single gender and prefers the gender-neutral pronoun “they” rather than “he” or “she,” was sleeping on a public transit bus when a 16-year old boy decided to light the skirt Fleischman was wearing on fire. Fleischman suffered second and third degree burns to the legs which required skin grafts. Richard Thomas, the teen accused of the act, allegedly told police interviewing him that he did it because he was homophobic. A lawyer for the teen later disputed that. Even just looking the wrong way, in the wrong place, at the wrong time can result in an attack based seemingly on conjecture. In 2008, Jose Sucuzhanay, 31, and his brother Romel, 36, were walking home armin-arm after a night of drinking. Nearby, Keith Phoenix, Hakim Scott and Demetrius Nathaniel sat in an SUV parked at a red light. Phoenix noticed the men and began yelling anti-gay and anti-Latino slurs at them. According to testimony given by Nathaniel – who did not participate in the attack, but was a witness to it – when Jose retaliated to the barrage of insults by kicking the vehicle, Scott got out and smashed a glass beer bottle over his head. As Scott chased Romel with the rest of the bottle, Phoenix grabbed an aluminum bat from the back of the vehicle and hit Jose with it three times, and a fourth when Jose tried to get up. Jose was rendered braindead by the attack and was eventually taken off life support, according to news reports. Neither Jose nor Romel were gay. Cultural attitudes towards homosexuality and gender expression are slowly starting to evolve, but there is still a lot more that needs to be done to repair the damages done by ignorance, prejudice, stereotypes, dehumanization and resentment through association. Teaching children, teens and adults about these issues isn’t about trying to “indoctrinate them into being gay,” it’s about trying to create a future with fewer bigots and bullies. Education is the soil in which the flowers of understanding take root, without it, nothing gets better.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

SPORTS

NWAACC Tourney Recap: Road to the championship by BLAKE THOMASON sports editor The Clackamas Cougars softball team came in to the NWAACC championship tournament holding the no. 2 seed and finished with a 4-2 record over the weekend. Both losses came at the hands of no. 1 seed Mt. Hood, a team Clackamas battled with all season. Each matchup before this tournament was split with both teams winning one game of each doubleheader. Since this tournament was double-elimination, one team was going to have to do something it hadn’t done before: win two straight. On Friday, Clackamas easily handled its opponents beating Everett 6-2 and

Treasure Valley 11-1. Saturday would be a completely different story. In Clackamas’ first game, they just squeaked out a 3-2 victory over Wenatchee Valley. The second game of the day was against Mt. Hood and Clackamas fell short in a defensive battle, losing 1-2. Sunday’s games were rained out and moved to Monday. Clackamas had their spot in the semi-finals and awaited the winner of the Treasure Valley-Wenatchee Valley game to see who they’d face. Treasure Valley won their game and Clackamas beat them again in convincing fashion, 8-3.The win advanced Clackamas to the finals for the second time in three years.

The Print live tweets from the game.

Liz Gomes

The Clackamas Cougars’ infielder Rashaun Sells gets a hit in the win against Treasure Valley Community College last Friday during the NWAACC Championship Tournament.

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

SOFTBALL: Clackamas falls short in NWAACC championship game continued from PAGE 1

Clackamas finished second place overall after a great season, but it was clear the team was upset with the finish and wanted more. From the coaching staff to the players, there were a lot of emotions and tears. “It’s a rough way to go out, but we had a very good season,” outfielder Samantha Owirka said. “I’m just really happy to have the group of girls we did.” Assistant coach Dustin Bare admitted it “hurt”, but was optimistic about next season. Players cried and hugged family and teammates, but they were also able to laugh and joke around. afterward. They even attempted a team dogpile. After the initial sting wore off, the team looked back and appreciated what they accomplished on the field and off. “All the team work and just coming together as one was probably the best thing,” Morrison said. “We worked together more this year and we got things done.” Buel agreed with that sentiment and added, “it’s a great group of girls. They’re determined, they work hard every day, they went for their goals, they surpassed a lot of them.” Owirka, a sophomore, took the loss particularly hard but reflected on her career with great admiration and pride. “When I came to Clackamas I was told ‘once you’re a Coug’, you’re always a Coug,’” she said. “I honestly didn’t know if it’d be true, but it really is. You never stop being a Coug’. It’s great.”

Photos by Liz Gomes

The fourth inning was huge for Mt. Hood. Unfazed by Clackamas’ quick start, Mt. Hood answered back on defense with their own three straight outs. Then it was their offense’s turn to answer. An error and a single put runners on first and second base, and a homerun erased Clackamas’ lead and put Mt. Hood up 3-2. Clackamas got the next two batters out before Mt. Hood could add to the lead but homerun proved to be too much to overcome for Clackamas. Clackamas was unable to do anything offensively in the fifth inning, and Mt. Hood stretched their lead to 4-2 after an RBI single. Coach Jessica Buel decided to switch pitchers, replacing Alyson Boytz with Morrison, who already pitched earlier that day. Morrison didn’t appear sore or tired as she shut out Mt. Hood in the sixth. Clackamas didn’t score either, so it came down to the seventh inning. The Clackamas rally caps were on and outfielder Rachel Ray got on base to start the inning. Infielder Rashaun Sells flew out to center field for the first out and Vasquez came up next. Vasquez hit a short pop-up that was caught for out number two but Mt. Hood also beat Ray back to first to complete the double play and win the game. “It just wasn’t our day,” Buel said. “We could’ve maybe executed a little better, but we played a great game, we fought hard and we did what we needed to do.”

Pitcher Alyson Boytz winds up for a pitch against Treasure Valley during Clackamas’ 11-1 win.

NWAACC Championship Tournament Recap Day - Opponent - Result - Score Friday - Everett - W - 6-2 Friday - Treasure Valley - W - 11-1 Saturday - Wenatchee Valley - W - 3-2 Saturday - Mt. Hood - L - 1-2 Monday - Treasure Valley - W - 8-3 Monday - Mt. Hood - L - 2-4

Cougars Catcher Kandace Furlong attempts to throw a runner out.

Blake Thomason

Cougars softball team huddles up pre-game.

Cougars softball team poses with second-place trophy.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014

Anti-abortion demonstration causes controversey

by AMBER FAIRBANKS associate arts & culture editor

Denee’ Shelton

On Monday Clackamas Community College’s pro-life club “CCC Students For Life” set up a demonstration in the lawn in front of the Bill Brod Community Center. Signs sticking out of the lawn read The “Cemetery of innocents” along with 330 bright pink flags with the face of a baby featured on them, each one representing 10 babies that will be aborted each day. This display can be found disturbing, but the CCC Students For Life president Simeon Wakefield said he felt this was a necessary display for students to see. “What made us want to do this today is that there is 3,300 babies that get aborted each day,” Wakefield said. “We’re trying to raise awareness and show respect for the lives that have been lost like any cemetery would do.” Abortion is a very controversial topic where both sides have very strong opinions. Often the discussion leads to situations of sexual assault. “That’s a really, really hard question,” Wakefield said. “The way that I stand is that if someone’s alive, there is never really a legitimate reason to take that life from them. We should, in a modern society, be able to come up with alternative solutions to taking a life to make

someone feel better.” Most students had no idea what the display was about when they originally walked past it, and the ones that did had very differing opinions on the subject. “I’m really against abortion, life is life. Even if it was accidental, you knew the consequences of having unsafe sex.” CCC student Madeline Szabo said. Student Nicholas Hadley had a different opinion. “I think people should keep to their own opinions and not put it in everybody’s face.” Though CCC Students For Life have vocal opposition, there is no club to represent the pro-choice student body. On May, 13th PCC Sylvania and PCC Rock Creek had similar demonstrations on their campus. PCC’s paper ‘The Bridge’ reported that Rock Creek’s Students For Life had set up a ‘memorial wall’ which featured names of aborted fetuses etched into the wall. Sylvania’s display stirred up more controversy. “Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust” (SAH) set up very graphic pictures of aborted fetuses and bloody tissue and were asked to move due to discomfort. Despite all students’ rights to free speech on campus, a demonstration like this can very easily spark a lot of controversy. The discomfort brought on by this club’s expression of their right to freedom of speech was not for everyone.

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The grass-covered courtyard in front of the Community Center was covered in 330 flags and was referred to as the “Cemetery of innocents.” Each flag represented 10 babies aborted each day.