Vol45Issue3

Clackamas Community College, Oregon City, OR

Volume 45, Issue 3

The Clackamas Print

ince 1966

www.TheClackamasPrint.com

An independent, student-run newspaper since 1966

Holocaust survivor to share his story with Clackamas

By Mandie Gavitt Arts & Culture Editor young boy. He needs a mother.’

They slapped on her face, she fell unconscious and they took me away. I never saw her again ,” said Wiener. Rachel was murdered in Auschwitz along with Wiener’s eight-year-old brother.

In total of 123 members of Wiener’s family were murdered during World War II; most of these family members lived in the same town as Wiener.

Today, Wiener lives in Hillsboro, in a sparse one-bedroom apartment. His home is pristine with minimal belongings. There’s a television, but Wiener said it is really only used to watch the news. Newspapers on his table range from The New York Times to Willamette Week.

A blender sits out on the kitchen counter. He couldn’t live without it as it prepares most of his meals; he has no teeth left, most of them were knocked out when he was punched by a German.

At the age of 85, Wiener knows about Facebook and email, which helps him speak to younger generations who grew up with online communication.

He travels to various middle schools, high schools, churches and even prisons to share his story of what it was like to survive the Holocaust.

Please see WIENER, Page 5

All photos from From A Name to A Number

Above: Alter Wiener in Tel-Aviv, Israel on August 4, 1950.

Below: A family photo of Wiener’s uncle Max’s funeral in Haifa, Palestine in 1939. Right: A current photo of Wiener.

“My little brother at the age of eight was taken to Auschwitz.

When I take a shower every day I look at the showerhead I say to myself, “What went through the mind of my little brother, at the age of eight when he was taken to Auschwitz, and pushed into a gas chamber and instead of water, cycline B gas choked him to death.’ How much did that little boy suffer?”

Holocaust survivor Alter Wiener is no stranger to the cruelty mankind is capable of committing. Thirteen when World War II began, Wiener spent three years in concentration and labor camps until he was liberated at the end of the war.

Wiener will visit Clackamas Community College on Thursday to tell his story.

At the time of liberation, Wiener weighed only 80 pounds.

Wiener was the sole survivor of his immediate family. His mother had died when Wiener was a young boy and his father was murdered on Sep. 11, 1939 at the start of the war.

After the death of his father, Wiener was raised by his beloved stepmother Rachel. When Wiener was 15, Nazis stormed his home, taking Wiener with them.

“My stepmother pleaded with Germans: ‘Don’t take him away from me, he is such a

Alter Wiener will speak in the McLoughlin Auditorium Thursday, Oct. 27 from noon to 2 p.m.

Electric vehicle charging stations come to CCC Page 2

Halloween events scare off boredom Page 4

CCC staff fined for breaking election laws

By Patty Salazar News Editor “Briefly, from a moral, philosophical and religious perspective, I believe and that in order for the greater good to be achieved in our society, our organizations, especially government as represented by its officials, should follow and play by the rules. It is important to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Moreover, it is incumbent upon citizens to be watchful,” said Hugo Grimaldi, an accounting instructor at Clackamas Community College.

CCC staff members were fined by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office for breaking election laws for the $130 million ballot bond measure in May. “I hereby request an investigation into these links since they appear to clearly violate Oregon state law regarding neutrality in bond election information,” stated the complaint filed to the Secretary of State by instructor Dean Darris, his wife Tara Darris, his former student, Marlo Smith and Grimaldi.

Now, five months later, the Secretary of State office has fined Joanne Truesdell, the president of CCC; Tamera Barry, a communication specialist; Janet Paulson, the public relations official for CCC and Shelly Parini, the dean of college advancement. They were all notified on Thursday.

Truesdell, Barry and Paulson were fined $75. Shelly Parini was charged $175. As dean of college advancement, Parini was in charge of overseeing and coordinating bond information activities for the May bond election.

Please see FINES, Page 2

Cougars volleyball spikes Multnomah Page 6

2The Clackamas Print

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011

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News

Federal grant electrifies Clackamas

By Patty Salazar News Editor Ah, to be on the open road. To feel the wind in your hair, the sun on your face and the low hum of your electric powered engine. That’s right, electric powered cars.

Be prepared drivers. There’s a new era of automobiles on their way and with that brings a new definition of eco-friendly.

Last July, in an attempt to become more eco-friendly Clackamas Community College constructed a contract with ECOtality, a company who contacted Clackamas Community College in Nov. 2010, about installing electric charging stations in preparation of a new rollout of electric powered cars. Oregon is a “pilot” for the Nissan Leaf in Nov. 2011. This new breed of electric powered cars is very intriguing. These cars, along with electric energy fuel, have the capability to run off of traditional gasoline.

“We were talking to PGE last December and we started looking at sights and in spring it took off really fast,” said Kirk Pearson, director of plant operations at CCC. But just how much does an operation like this cost? Clackamas itself put up $2,448 for two charging stations, while the total project cost came out to be $10,909 in Oregon City alone. Another electric charging station was placed on the CCC Wilsonville campus.

“Our total cost was $5,150, split between CCC, Portland General Electric and Pacific Core,” said Pearson.

This brings the cost to the college to $4,164 for these charging stations on the two college campuses.

“These stations were paid for by a federal grant given to the college,” said Mike Noel, the head of the sustainable energy department at CCC. ECOtality is preparing these stations down the West Coast from British

Columbia to Mexico in preparation for the new line of electric cars.

“When you look at what it would cost, if you waivered a few [years] and said, ‘Oh yeah I want to do this now,’ you would be putting out [the full amount] of that money. It made sense to get involved now,” said Pearson.

“It wasn’t necessarily [that] the college reaching out being like, ‘Hey we really want two electric vehicle charging stations,’ and spend all of this money on it. It was more a federal initiative to launch all these electric vehicle charging stations from British Columbia all the way to Mexico,” said Noel.

There are going to be 18,000 electric vehicle charging stations nationwide, 1,100 of these stations will be placed in Oregon.

Bob Cochran, dean of campus services, explained that for now the charging stations are free to use for the public. The electricity output of the actual charging station is paid

by CCC. Clackamas is currently not tracking how much electricity is being used by

the charging stations, if any is being used at all.

ECOtality is keeping track of how much electricity the stations are putting out. After the trial period is over in Dec. 2012, there will be a user fee for the charging stations.

“After [ECOtality does] their analysis on how the stations are being used then we take ownership,” said Pearson.

CCC will decide on a fee for the use of the charging station once they have taken ownership.

“I think that it’s where personal transportation is headed. I don’t know about my lifetime but certainly in your lifetime.

I think that it is going to become pretty prevalent,” said Pearson.

It’s certainly a possibility that electric vehicles will take off in the future. For now, though, CCC might worry about how effective their choice to implement these charging stations was, as the CCC employees that were so excited about the charging stations have yet to see them put to use.

FINES: Slap on the wrist for college administrators Continued from Page 1

Carla Corbin, the compliance specialist from the Secretary of State office assigned CCC’s case was unavailable for contact. The Secretary of State’s office did put us in contact with Alana Cox, another compliance specialist. She explained that Parini had “directed somebody to violate [the law].”

“We are alleging that she both told someone to violate Oregon Revised Statute 260.432 and then violated it herself,” said Cox. ORS 260.432 reads that “No person shall attempt to or actually coerce, command or require a public employee to influence or give money, service or other thing of value to promote or oppose the nomination or election of … the adoption of a measure or the recall of public office holder.”

During the investigation Corbin found evidence that Parini constituted advocacy in support of the bond measure. She also approved bond information that produced biased information for the bond measure.

Barry was also fined for proofreading and editing the bond levy postcard.

Paulson worked on informational articles for the spring schedule of classes, the postcard, the flyer and the bookmark that were biased and in support of the bond. She declined to comment and directed further inquiries to Courtney Wilton, vice president of college services and the spokesperson for CCC regarding the fine.

Wilton said that they were looking into dropping Barry from the complaint since she was just doing clerical and had no determination the words of the information that was reviewed during the investigation. Wilton also said that CCC did send some of the information to be

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.

19600 Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045

Above: The postcard meant for voters with corrections made by the secretary of state office that were never changed by CCC. reviewed by the Secretary of State’s office but not all concerning the bond measure was sent in for review.

“I would like [the public] to know that we were really trying to be objective with the material we tried to put out. It is challenging because you also need to be able to describe the need that you are requesting and we have plenty of needs [at CCC].

It’s challenging to both describe the need and do it in a matter that is completely neutral and their almost at odds with each other,” said Wilton. “Even though the fine isn’t significant it’s still embarrassing for those people involved.”

Tara Darris in an email, speaking on behalf of herself and her

husband.

“The reason for the low dollar amount of the fines is to prevent the tax payer from paying twice for the sins of those whose salaries and budget comes from the tax payer. The main purpose of the statute is to shine public light on what amounts to political fraud of $130 million dollars,” stated Smith had previously confronted the CCC Board of Education about violating election laws in the month before the bond was to be voted on.

“I think that it is satisfying to see unethical behavior punished and I hope the CCC administration takes a hard look at the way they are doing business and realize that they have

to follow the same rules as everyone else. However, having said that I also think that the amounts are merely a slap on the wrist, $75 [and] $175

[fines]? I am satisfied that some action has been taken but unsatisfied with the message it is going to send,” stated Smith in an email.

Editors

Writers & Photographers

Production Assistants

Contact Information

Editor-in-Chief: Brian Baldwin Copy Editor: Katherine Suydam News Editor: Patty Salazar Arts&Culture Editor: Mandie Gavitt Sports Editor: John William Howard Associate Sports Editor: Katelyn Aamatti Photo Editor: Hillary Cole Web Editor: Anna Axelson Design Editor: James Duncan Ad Manager: Brad Heineke

Dachabre Dixon Matt Senn Isaac Soper Chris Taylor Adviser: Melissa Jones 503-594-6266

Dan Bailey Mollie Berry Joshua Dillen Tyler Eheler Jaronte Goldsby Telicia Juliano

Hicham Kerkour Ellen Niles Fred Ramsey Emily Rask Mireille Soper

chiefed@clackamas.edu copyed@clackamas.edu newsed@clackamas.edu aced@clackamas.edu sportsed@clackamas.edu photoed@clackamas.edu admgr@clackamas.edu webeditor@clackamas.edu

News

Wednesday, Oct 26, 2011

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The Clackamas Print

3

Isaac Soper The Clackamas Print

Sunny Olsen, lead advising specialist, sits down with Ruslan Potapchuk, Clackamas Community College student, in the counseling department to discuss his career goals.

Olsen remains in the department after many advisers left CCC during summer term.

Voids appear in counseling department

By Isaac Soper The Clackamas Print

Over the past few years, Clackamas Community College has lost some of its fondest advisers and counselors. Those who have left include Paul Creighton, Jessica Walter, Miguel Cardenas, Ellen Wolfson and Jean DeVenney. Still, with so many members of the staff leaving, the college is left with a deep void in both the advising and counseling departments.

“Several people retired, others went to better jobs and some went on to pursue education. They are pursuing something different; they were not fired,” said Sunny Olsen, the lead advising specialist at CCC. Department Chair of Advising and Counseling, Guadalupe Martinez said, “The reason they left the college is for professional advancement. Walter moved onto OHSU. Cardenas is now at PCC Rock Creek and he is in the advising office there. Creighton entered the nursing program at University of Portland and he has been a part of his band for quite a while. We [also] had a couple of retirements from the faculty ranks.”

Creighton, lead vocalist for the Portlandbased band “Intervision,” who also studied music at the campus, worked as an advising specialist at the campus for many years and now is studying nursing at the University of Portland, all the while continuing the pursuit of his musical career. Creighton is currently performing across the country with his band. “[I am] in New Orleans all this week and Colorado all next week on tour. I won’t be back [in Oregon] until after Halloween,” said Creighton.Walter, who was employed as the lead academic advisor and a part-time psychology teacher, worked at CCC for a little over five years.

According to Walter, her fondest memory of working at CCC was co-developing the Peer Assistant program.

“I think that this program was a creative

response to a campus need. It provides leadership experience for students and in turn these students provide an amazing amount of service and information to their peers. I was surprised at how natural the program became woven into the fabric of student life,” said Walter.

When asked about her current job at Oregon Health & Sciences University, she said that “I’m located in the School of Medicine, within their Division of Management. My title is Associate Director of Student & Faculty Support.”

As for Wolfson and DeVenney, Martinez said that “We had two retirements, both academic advisers, and those two individuals had been at Clackamas for 12 plus years: Ellen Wolfson and Jean DeVenney. Jean is currently continuing to do some part-time instruction for us ... Ellen Wolfson is retired.”

According to counselor Casey Sims, “There’s been a new model that’s been rolled out where there’s three different major divisions at the college now [and] there’s a counselor assigned to each division. So my new office is in Barlow and it used to be in the Community Center with the other counselors. So, certainly there’s a change [and] in some ways it’s a big change.

I’ve been working in the same building for eight years until now but I wouldn’t be a very good counselor if I couldn’t take my own advice. I’m reminding myself to stay grateful and embrace the change.”

When asked if there was a plan to hire new members for either the counseling of advising department, Administrative Coordinator Dena Gillenwater stated that, “We do have new part-time counselors that have come on board.”

Although CCC has lost a handful of its finest advisers and counselors, members of the department are making strides to, as said

by Sims, “Make sure nobody falls through the cracks and that students are well served. I feel comfortable saying that student service levels are high. I feel really positive about the work we get to do here.”

Corrections

Mark Medgin was incorrectly tagged as Jorge Gil-Juarez on a photo on page 5 of Issue 2. Medgin finished second on the team and third overall. Teresa Lawson’s name was also misspelled in a photo caption on the same page.

In the city, for the city.

WARNERPACIFIC.EDU PORTLAND, OR

& Go trick-or-treating in many new locations

4The Clackamas Print

By Matt Senn The Clackamas Print

One thing that everyone thinks of around the time of Halloween is candy, and with so much candy being consumed, there comes the time to pull out the calendar books and set up a dentist appointment. But if you’re still wondering where you can get your hands on some of that sweet cavity construction goodness then you have come to the right place.

Nancy Vanmetre of Milwaukie said, “I’m not sure where I will be taking my grandchildren this year.

Probably just around the neighborhood.” However, she wasn’t aware of how many options there are.

Several different locations are available for you and your family where you can go to trick-or-treat, besides that standard neighborhood block.

If you live in the Portland area, consider going to the Lloyd Center for your candy needs. On Oct. 31 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. children who arrive wearing their ghoulish attire will have the privilege of traveling from store to store picking up candy to their hearts content.

If Lloyd Center doesn’t feel like the right place for you but you still want to stay in the Portland area, try the McMenamins Kennedy School; where a night of trick-or-treating is sure to please the entire family.

The school will be open at 4 p.m. and at 6 p.m. there will be the Willamette Radio Workshop which will perform works by the horror author Edgar Allen Poe. “We are going to be throwing a dance party, which

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011

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is going to be a lot of fun. And if at any point things seem to be getting to hectic for you, you can stop by one of the many fine restaurants or bars for a relaxing glass of wine, pint of beer or a soothing cup of coffee,” said Jesse Blanchard of McMenamins marketing.

From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. there will be trickortreating for all ages. The “Freak Mountain Ramblers” will be playing a mix of rock’n’roll, bluegrass and alternative music from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. There will be plenty of other events such as ghost stories and artists, making this Portland area school the place to be for a fun and sage Halloween for the whole family.

For the animal lover there is Howloween at the Oregon Zoo. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the zoo will be hosting a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt. This event will lead costumed trick-or-treaters all around the zoo to different activity stations.

“The activity stations are set-up around specific animal exhibits for children to have fun and learn about the animals that inhabit the zoo. They can do arts and crafts, or just look at the animals and get their stamp to proceed,” said Krista Swan of the Oregon Zoo. Swan also said that they candy that they will be handing out was donated by Green Halloween, an organic candy company. “All candy is palm oil free due to the fact that palm forested are being destroyed [orangutan and elephant habitats] for the production of palm oil,” said Swan. At the end of the hunt goodie bags will be given at the zoo’s exits.

If you do make it to the zoo be sure to stop by

John Phelps and Matt Klockers, thank you for our new home.

-The Clackamas Print newspapers

Arts Culture

the Predators of the Serengeti exhibit to see the three new caracal kittens. They can be seen from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day.

Milwaukie Marketplace located on the right of highway 224 the will be hosting a trick-or-treat giveaway from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free trick-or-treat bags and Halloween candy will be handed out to costumed participants.

If you wish to stay in the Oregon City area, make your way downtown to Main Street. Each year downtown Oregon City holds the trick or treat on Main Street, which typically yields hundreds of children and their parents.

“We are expecting over 2,000 ghosts and ghouls this year. We should have a very large crowd,” said Lloyd Purdy, downtown Oregon City manager.

On Halloween the trick-or-treating will go, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. At the conclusion of the trick or treating fun the pumpkin creations from this previous weekend will be judged and one lucky winner will receive the Golden Pumpkin Award.

During the event the Beavercreek Lions Club will be accepting canned or dry foods and new, unused toys to be distributed during the holidays to more than 100 local families in need. They will be glad to give you a small token of their appreciation for your donation in the form of a sweet treat.

These are just a few of many fun things that you and your family or friends can do this Halloween. Just make sure that you don’t eat too much candy at one time.

The Print asks: How old is too old to go trick-or-treating?

“It’s not so much a matter of age as it is a matter of height and facial hair. If you’re really tall and have a beard then you shouldn’t trick-or-treat. It also depends what you dress as. If you’re 80 years old but short and clean shaven then you could go as Yoda.” — Kevin Kidd

“Once you are out of high school you really need to stop trick or treating.” — Lacey Butler

“No age is too old to trick-or-treat. I’m going this year.”

— Jason Little John

TWEAKS OF THE WEEK Things to do if college life is tweaking you out: Flag Football Fridays: Holocaust Survivor Flag football Fridays, Speaks on Campus: “a beloved tradition” at Clackamas Community College, is available now for all to enjoy. This intramural sport meets every Friday from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Hwy 213 soccer field.

Breast Cancer Awareness Barbecue: A barbecue will be held on Thursday, Oct. 27 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. outside of the ASG office.

Stories & Soundtracks:

Local band “Stories & Soundtracks” will be opening for a show on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Community Music CenterPortland Parks and Recreation 3350 SE Francis St. Portland

Holocaust survivor Alter Wiener will speak at CCC on Thursday, Oct. 27, from noon to 2 p.m. in the McLoughlin Auditorium. He is the author of “From A Name to A Number, a Holocaust Survivor’s Autobiography.” No cost to attend. Open to the public.

“14 is too old to trick or treat. But, while 13 [years old] is pushing the limit, it is still an acceptable age.”

— Joe Blumenburg

“16 is the age when you move from adolescent to adult.

When you can drive to buy your own candy, then you need to stop trick-or-treating.” — Evan Brown

“It seems that 7th grade is a good time to stop trick-ortreating. Around that age is when people start to go to parties and stop trick-or-treating.” — Victor Wu

Halloween Fantasy Trail:

Take a haunting walk through a lighted, wooded, fantasy trail decorated with spooky sights and sounds at Wenzel Farm until Oct. 30.

19754 S Ridge Rd. Oregon City Noon - 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

- 10 p.m.

Does your band have a gig or are you involved in an event you would like CCC students to be in the know about? Send your event info to “Tweaks of the week” at aced@clackamas.edu.

“Oh I don’t [know] … maybe 42.” — Tom Pickens

“15 is too old to trick-or-treat. 14 [years old] still seems innocent enough to go, but I’m not going to give any of my candy to a 15-year-old.” — Yong Liang Wang — Compiled by Matt Senn

&

Arts Culture

aced@clackamas.edu

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011

The Clackamas Print 5

WIENER: Holocaust survivor to speak at Clackamas Continued from Page 1

A picture of Alter and Esther Wiener on their wedding day taken from “A Name To A Number.”

Alter Wiener will speak in the McLoughlin Auditorium Thursday, Oct. 27 from noon to 2 p.m.

Tiffanie Clifford, from the the college’s human resources department, invited Wiener to speak on campus after she heard him speak in Canby. “I don’t think we often have the opportunity to hear [about the Holocaust] first hand,” she said. “It increases awareness and sensitivity across the generations, and that’s a lesson for everyone.”

The chance to hear a survivor speak is becoming rarer.

“Al’s story is one of a thousand,” said Sonia Marie Leikam of the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center. She has known Wiener for eight years. “He has the courage to speak about it, but there are a hundred more survivors that are not willing to speak it. Most survivors have five years or less to live so it’s really a once in a lifetime experience,” Wiener has three reasons that drive him to tell his story. The first is ignorance of the Holocaust. Wiener says that he runs into people that know nothing about the Holocaust before meeting him.

The second reason Wiener tells people about his life is that some people deny the Holocaust. “This is very painful to me,” he said, “How do you reason with a person like that?” After hearing on the news that the president of Iran denied the Holocaust, Wiener sent him a copy of his book, “From a Name to a Number” as well as a copy of a check sent to him from the German government as repayment for the labor he was never paid for in the war work camps “If there was no Holocaust, why do they send me a check?” Wiener asked. “There is no time period in history as well documented as World War II. There are survivors, museums and documents.”

However, it seems the main motivation for Wiener to tell his story is the difference he sees it making in the lives of his listeners. Wiener says he has over 40,000 letters from people who have heard him speak; he says

he has changed their lives. About 100 of those letters are from people saying they were contemplating suicide until hearing his talk. Some students write that they were planning on dropping out of school, but changed their minds after hearing that Wiener was banned from school at the age of 13 and couldn’t graduate high school until he was 36-years-old.

Wiener says he thinks he can relate to “youngsters” because he was about their age when the war began.

Before the war Wiener lived a simplistic lifestyle with few conveniences.

Wiener says that it was this simplistic lifestyle and the values on which he was raised that kept him going throughout the Holocaust. “The values with which I was brought up are part of the reason I am still alive. I wanted to survive to be reunited with my family because it was so precious to me,” he said.

Wiener did not have his doubts about his survival despite the circumstances of the war. Wiener said, “What is most outstanding is the brutality. I saw a German take a young kid and throw him against a wall, killing him. A guard beat me so badly with his rifle that I pleaded with him to kill me. He wouldn’t give me that pleasure. I saw so much cruelty so much brutality for no good reason.”

Wiener says despite his haunting memories and nightmares he tries to carry a message of positivity to his audiences. “Did I ever dream I am going to be alive and going to be in the United States? You never know.

You never know. You never give up hope ... never give up hope. At one point when I couldn’t work anymore. The Germans decided to liquidate me so they sent me to a killing center. I was standing in line. I saw the chimney.

I knew my life was coming to an end. While I was standing in line a German entrepreneur approached me and said, ‘Come on, get out of the line young man, you can still work’ and he sent me back to work. Two weeks later I was liberated. Never give up hope. You never know.”

The Bucket List: Ghost hunting experience leads to new hobby

By Mandie Gavitt Arts & Culture Editor

I still consider myself a skeptic. I know that it is very possible that my experiences were that of an overactive imagination, though my conversation with Datum Blessing leads me to doubt that this was the case. I think it will be a few more ghost hunting trips before I really decide what I believe on the subject. I am looking forward to the next ghost hunt.

If nothing else I know that ghost hunting was the start of what I hope to be a long lasting friendship between myself and the Blessings.

Furthermore, I think I have a new hobby that, even if I don’t know exactly what I think or believe, I find fun.

Hillary Cole The Clackamas Print

On Oct. 8 The Clackamas Print’s Photo Editor Hillary Cole and I were invited to go ghost hunting with the Spirited Away Paranormal Investigative Team run by Datum Blessing and her mother, Carol Blessing.

Datum Blessing told me she started the company after having a paranormal experience as a young child. She had the idea of starting her own investigative company after watching “Ghost Hunters” and thinking about the other people who might want to experience ghost hunting as well.

We were investigating Cannabis Cafe, a medical marijuana dispensary owned by Madeline Martinez. Customers and employees of Cannabis Cafe had experienced some bizarre phenomena.

The building has a rich history, and it was at one point a brothel. The team of Spirited Away thought it would be worthwhile to investigate the place.

Before the investigation, Datum Blessing explained the various equipment used in investigating.

The equipment used includes an electromagnetic field detectors, night vision video cameras, voice recorders, dowsing rods, and K2 meters.

After recording the base readings the lights were turned off and we began trying to determine whether or not there was in fact spiritual

activity in the building.

This started with everyone sitting in a circle in the main room with K2 meters out and taking turns asking questions. Cole seemed to have the best luck with this, she was the first one to get a reaction with her questions and the responses continued for 45 minutes. In this time the lights on the meter would consistently illuminate with answers to the questions she was asking.

During our first attempt at contacting the spirits I kept feeling like there was someone standing behind me. Every time I turned around there was no one there.

After a break, we resumed in an office, where a man once felt as if he were being fondled when he was lying down to take a nap. I didn’t quite enjoy this room, I felt that the people asking questions were going in the wrong direction and the electronics in the room were setting off the equipment rather than anything remotely spiritual.

I closed my eyes in an attempt to feel a spirit’s presence like I had in the other room. I saw an image that played like a movie in my mind, a woman in a full length green velvet dress with white lace cowering in a corner protecting an infant. It kept playing over and over so strongly in my mind that it felt real and I swear I felt fearful for her.

Eventually, I tired of the questions the group was asking and the way they were distracting me from the woman I kept seeing, so I slipped outside where I found Datum Blessing.

I told her that I kept seeing a woman in a green dress protecting an infant; I asked her if it meant anything or if I was making up things to make myself feel special. She grinned and knelt down in the exact position I saw the woman in my mind, saying she saw her wearing a full dress with a white trim. I was amazed that she acted out exactly what I saw even though I was vague in my description. This was the moment that I thought that the ghost hunt might actually be real.

Datum Blessing led me to a bathroom and said, “This is where I see her.”

I’ve tried since that night to find in my vocabulary a way to explain that room but I can’t. All I can say is that it felt heavy and thick. It was like that moment when you walk into a room and know by the stopped conversation everyone has been talking about you. But there was no one there besides me and Datum Blessing.

I stood in the room for a long time, trying to grasp the emotion I felt in the bathroom. I became distracted by people filtering out of the office space, so I stopped prematurely. We left shortly after my bathroom endeavor.

Datum Blessing, co-owner of the Spirited Away Investigative Team, shows a group of people how to search for ghosts on Oct. 8 at the Cannabis Cafe in North Portland.

6The Clackamas Print

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011

sportsed@clackamas.edu

Sports

Shades of pink: coloring a victory in tie-dye

By John William Howard Sports Editor

Brad Heineke The Clackamas Print

To say that the volleyball team’s trouncing of Multnomah University was a beat-down would be a euphemism, if the conclusion was made purely from the stat sheet. If you were in attendance, it would be an outright lie.

The Clackamas Community College Cougars flattened Multnomah last Wednesday in straight sets to the tune of 25-13, 25-7 and an embarrassing 25-4 at home in the Randall Hall gymnasium. Were it not a “pink-out” in support of breast cancer, the pink tinges on the cheeks of the Multnomah girls might just have been visible on their faces as they slunk from the gym, utterly defeated.

In atmosphere, it was a far cry from just a few weeks ago, when a throng filled the gym and watched two powerhouse programs struggle to the finish. This time, the home team donned pink tie-dye T-shirts instead of their regular jerseys. The unusually thin crowd was dotted with shirts, hats and sunglasses and kept fairly quiet most of the night.

That didn’t seem to affect the Cougars. While they weren’t as pumped before the game as they have been in the past, Clackamas jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the first set, taking advantage of the height and skill difference between the teams.

Multnomah was helpless against the towering front line of Clackamas and took a beating from the start.

The lead grew to 21-8 before the teams traded a few points and the Cougars finished the first set 25-13 without breaking a sweat. It was clear from the first serve that Multnomah was in for a thrashing, so the attention turned from the competition between teams and toward the competition within Clackamas itself.

According to Head Coach Kathie Woods, the game against Multnomah was an opportunity to try out a few different things and mess with the lineup. With middle blocker Shauna Salopek out with an injury, freshman Brittney Bevens got the starting spot. Also new in the starting lineup was Jessica Staigle, who started at libero in place of Maeghan Angel.

“Both [Angel] and Staigle are competing against each other for that spot. They both played equal time,” said Woods. “We’re just trying to figure out

who is going to take that nod in league play. It’s really intense and it’s really close,” said Woods.

The team is making efforts to be more balanced in their attack, rather than feed a heavy amount of their offense through sophomore star Taylor Richardson, who leads the southern region and is fourth in the NWAACC in kills.

“We’re working on spreading our offense so we don’t have to wear [Richardson] out so much,” said Woods. “We have other hitters, and others are stepping up. I think that [Bevens] did a really good job tonight working in the middle.”

While Bevens isn’t brand new to the middle blocker position, it isn’t quite what she’s used to. Bevens said that she hadn’t really played anything other than outside hitter since the eighth grade, but that the transition from one to the other wasn’t too tough.

“Tonight [the coaches] really wanted to push me, so they put me out there and I did what they asked,” said Bevens, who led the Cougars with ten kills and zero errors, hitting .714 for the match. She also mentioned that despite the lower than usual level of competition, they still needed to “always go out playing like they were the best team [that we’ve faced].

That pretty much keeps us in check.”

Woods went as far as to set goals for points allowed, and differentiated between points that Multnomah earned and points that Clackamas gave away.

“I’m really proud of my team because they actually got better with each game,” said Woods. “Usually when you play a weaker team, you end up playing down. They didn’t do that tonight, which I think is tremendous growth for us.”

“Focus is what we talk about the most within the team,” said freshman Julia Toscano, who led the team in total attack attempts, and was second in kills with 9. “[We’re] learning how to finish a game out and be quick about it,” said Toscano.

In spite of the large margin of victory — Multnomah had six kills to Clackamas’s 39 — there was still room for improvement. Of the 24 points that Multnomah scored, 9 of them were from errors by the Cougars, putting them above the total that Woods and Associate Head Coach Brad Swayne set for the evening.

“The improvement was good, but we didn’t meet the goal,” said Toscano.

Richardson sets up to serve against Multnomah University. She had five serving aces and no serving errors in the match.

In the end, Clackamas held their opponents to the lowest point total (24) and lowest set total (4) this season, in what turned out to be little more than a rehearsal in preparation for the NWAACC championships next month. The women continued their winning streak with wins at SW Oregon Community College (25-17, 25-22 , 25-23) on Friday and Umpqua Community College (25-18, 27-25, 18-25, 22-25, 15-13) on Saturday and sit third in the southern region standings behind Linn-Benton and Mt. Hood.

Positive power pulls through for fifth consecutive win

Katie Aamatti The Clackamas Print

Clackamas’ Ashley Brewer (12) battles Clark midfielder Kelsey Fraiser (19) Clackamas won 2-0, their fourth consecutive shutout.

By Katie Aamatti Associate Sports Editor Wind blew through the surrounding trees and storm clouds hovered as the Clackamas Cougars and Clark Penguins met for the second time this season last Saturday at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.

Throughout the 90 minutes of fast-paced play, each team had the other sprinting, reaching, rolling, jumping and diving over the mushy footing and each other for control of the ball. While each team played with diligence and aggressiveness, the Cougars came out on top by scoring two goals in the final ten minutes, bringing the final score to 2-0.

Throughout the game, the two teams battled for position and took control of the ball, sending it back and forth across the pitch. Both teams had each other actively pursuing every pathway that led to the net and would later on lead to a win for the Cougars.

In the 15th minute, Clark midfielder Jovanna Baza found an opening and launched a shot toward the net from within the 18 yard box and into the open arms of Clackamas’ goalkeeper Tori Wilkinson.

As the ball traveled back up the field toward the opposing net, Clark Head Coach Stan Rodrigues began to shake his head in frustration as he watched Clackamas midfielder Sevilla Soriano make her move and aim toward the far corner of the net in the

32nd minute.

“No, no, what are you doing? Reach for it!” said Rodrigues toward Clark goalkeeper Marissa Tyler as she tipped the ball forward and caught it, shutting down Sorianos attempt. The first half ended after a few more wide and high attempts from both teams but much to Clark’s relief the score remained 0-0.

As the Cougars talked openly about their efforts so far, head coach Janine Szpara instilled within them confidence and insight, as well as explaining certain instances in the game where an improvement could be made. Never did Szpara belittle them or count them out as a weak link in the team’s effort.

“Last time we were on our home field and

this time we’re on their home field. It’s a tight game; they’re out here to play,” Szpara said to the team at halftime.

The second half began with both teams battling just as hard as they were in the first half. In the 72nd minute, it was clear that the aggressive action and the Cougars’ fast pace were taking a toll on Clark.

While attempts for control were made during the 80th and 81st minutes, the ball continued to fly in every direction before it came into the path of Clackamas’ Jasmin Garcia, who guided the ball toward the goal in the 82nd minute. As the ball popped into the air, Clark goalkeeper Tyler tipped the ball backward, scoring an own goal and putting Clackamas up 1-0.

Despite the encouraging words from Clark teammates on the bench, it was apparent that the Penguins had given up to the Cougars. In the 86th minute, Clackamas’ Samantha Hamacher charged forward and scored her first goal of the season from 20 yards, giving the Cougars a two goal lead.

Hamacher’s goal would prove to be the finisher and Clackamas would walk away with their seventh win of the season.

As the game ended, the Cougars shared smiles and words of praise with fellow teammates while they packed up their gear. The Penguins, however, prepared for disappointment to come at them from all sides as they listened to the criticism from their coach.

The win came as the fifth victory in a row for the Cougars, who have only allowed one goal in that stretch since falling 0-1 to second ranked Spokane on Sept. 24. Four of Wilkinson’s five shutouts have come in the last five games.

“Today they all did well offensively and defensively. [Wilkinson] did a great job guarding the goal,” said Szpara of the team’s efforts as well as Wilkinson’s fifth shutout of the season.

“Watching the Cougars [play] is thrilling, especially when there is so much action and I can’t stop watching or I’ll miss something,” said Lisa McHenry, a longtime spectator of Clackamas athletics. “Szpara is sure to take them to new levels.”

Sports

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011

sportsed@clackamas.edu

CCC Football

The Clackamas Print 7

Recalling memories of program cut 34 years ago

By John William Howard Sports Editor There is something special about football. It’s a sport that Americans understand. It moves in short spurts but takes breaks in between. People hit each other, it’s easy to keep track of who has the ball and it’s a chance to get together as a community. Above all, football gives opportunities for young people to do something that’s constructive, active and something that will benefit them for years to come.

That brings me to something I’ve always wondered about. Why doesn’t Clackamas Community College have a football program? As it turns out, we used to.

Back in 1971, when McLoughlin and Randall halls were still under construction and the two year old Clairmont hall housed almost the entire college, a group of young men gathered at for football practice.

They were to be the first team for the first season of football at Clackamas and a part of a growing trend in the Northwest. At that time, around a dozen “junior colleges” had football teams, including Mt. Hood, Walla Walla and Treasure Valley. Those teams fed the larger division one programs like Oregon and Oregon State as well as the smaller schools in the region.

A lot of people know that Paul Fiskum has been everywhere; they know that he coached softball for 20 years. They know that he teaches numerous classes in Randall hall. They know he is an assistant coach on the men’s basketball team. What most people don’t know is that Fiskum was one of those very young men that pioneered football at Clackamas.

“It was fun being something that was starting brand new,” said Fiskum.

The fledgling Cougars struggled in their first outing.

Wrought with injuries and inexperience, Clackamas finished a miserable winless season but captured the attention of the community.

The following year, the program won its first game and continued to build. The third year began to bring some success. The team was competitive and finished around .500 in 1973, the year that Fiskum left Clackamas for what is now Western Oregon.

“The fourth year they were really, really good: 6-3,” said Fiskum. “They had a bunch of guys go play Divison-I. They had two guys go play at Oregon, two guys go play at Colorado State … it was really coming on.”

While the football team built on each successful season after another, the college board of education and the president of the college were working against them.

According to John Keyser, former CCC president and author of “Transforming Lives: a history of Clackamas Community College,” the board was worried that the local taxpayers would begin to disagree with the number of players coming from out of the area and uncomfortable with the expense of football.

If the taxpayers didn’t pass the annual budget levy for the college because of their gripes with the football program, then the college would lose much

Clackamas Community College football players celebrate a touchdown against Wenatchee Valley College. Clackamas played football at Pioneer Stadium in Oregon City until the program ceased to exist after the 1977 season. needed money. Those fears, in combination with a general thought that Clackamas shouldn’t have football to begin with meant that the program struggled to be stable from year to year.

“It was controversial in some people’s minds to have football … the whole time football existed, there was a fairly vocal group that felt like, ‘Hey, we shouldn’t be having football,’” said Fiskum. “Unfortunately one of the ones who never wanted football was our college president. He never really wanted it and he never really supported it.”

The 1977 season saw rivals Mt. Hood winning the NWAACC championship and the very existence of the newly successful Clackamas football program was called into question yet again.

After much debate, the decision came down from the board of education: 4-3 in favor of elimination of CCC Football. That meant the loss of a team that brought around 70 athletes to the school and filled Pioneer Stadium in Oregon City with supporters.

It wasn’t just a community college sporting event. It was college football, as far as Clackamas County was concerned. A pep band and a cheer squad greeted fans that came out to watch the top players from their respective towns play at the next level with the chance to move on.

Now, the echoes of that bright and vibrant football culture have all but faded, except for a few envelopes of pictures and in the memories of those that participated. Several members of the music faculty played in the

pep band and former players and recruits are sprinkled all over the area.

One such recruit was Ron Chappell, who now is the head football coach at West Linn High School.

While he decided to go to Western Oregon, he said that many of his teammates came from Clackamas and that he had visited and liked the campus and program at Clackamas. He also said that many of his players, given the opportunity, would love to play football if CCC had a team.

Fellow head coach Steve Coury from Lake Oswego High School also had good things to say about a community college football system in Oregon.

“If we could give kids an opportunity to compete at the junior college level it would be a great option for them,” said Coury, who played college ball at Oregon State. “A lot of times a kid needs another year of growth and maturity … a good football program would give them the chance to grow and improve as a player and student. That is something we no longer can offer our kids in the state.”

Sadly, in the years after Clackamas cut their football program, the other community colleges dropped theirs as well. Mt. Hood held on for a few years but eventually there were only four teams remaining. Then football was gone, as were the fans, the cheerleaders and the band. The necessity, however, still remains.

Coury said, “I believe this is really needed here, if done right.”

1976 NWAACC Football Standings W-L P F

PA

East Division

All photos contributed by Paul Fiskum

Paul Fiskum (center, with crutches) takes in a college football game at Pioneer Stadium in 1971. Fiskum was injured in his first season as a Cougar but got a medical red-shirt and returned to play during the 1972 and ‘73 seasons. Clackamas Community College football games regularly filled the stadium and were covered by The Oregonian.

Spokane Falls Walla Walla Columbia Basin Wenatchee Valley Yakima Valley

6-3 6-3 5-4 3-6 1-8

158 151 247 126 80

122 124 164 185 279

9-0 5-4 5-4 3-6 2-7

382 131 221 91 95

86 141 219 209 151

West Divison Mt. Hood Clackamas Grays Harbor Treasure Valley Olympic

League Champions: Spokane Falls Spokane Falls 19, Mt. Hood 7

8The Clackamas Print

chiefed@clackamas.edu

Wednesday, Oct 26, 2011

Feature

Skaters keep grinding at Burnside

Often times I find myself searching for the one word that will explain it all, one word that will accurately describe everything that I’ve encountered in a particular instance. There are times, though, when one word is simply not enough.

Destruction, intensity, vision, focus, religion, challenge, freedom and lifestyle.

These were the words written across the faces of those skating at the Burnside Skate Park, one

of the skate world’s most challenging landscapes and a place where concentration and skill level goes unmatched throughout the world.

Burnside Skate Park was built in 1990 by an assortment of passionate and determined individuals, without the cities permission. The park was later sanctioned; the beginning of Burnside remains an inspiration to skateboarders today.

Photos and text by Katie Aamatti

“

Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory.”

Ghandi

Burnside Skate Park challenges local skaters as they roll through their latest tricks.

Burnside is located in downtown Portland under the east end of the Burnside Bridge.