Clark Independent Issue 10 Volume 75 by Clark College Independent

issue n.10 - volume 75

April 24, 2013

the official student newspaper of clark college

vandalism strikes clark college sakura festival p. 6 - softball team struggles p. 12 clarkcollegeindependent.com

the independent Kyle Yasumiishi

Darrik Burns

Margherita Nicotra

Debbie Peters

Evan Jones

Dee Anne Finken

Aleksi Lepisto

Jim Camin

Level 3 Sex Offender Attends Clark the community at large,” according to the Clark County Sheriff ’s web page. Muldoon, 44, was convicted twice of sexual abuse in the second degree, once of rape in the third degree, and once of sodomy in the third degree. In each case, his victims were girls under the age 18. Muldoon is described as 5 feet 8 inches tall with brown hair and hazel eyes. He has also been known under the aliases Michael Anthony Bacus, Richard Shane Gonzales and Michael Dwayne Stevens. The Independent reports on all Level 3 sex offenders who attend Clark College

Sophia Coleman Leiulf Clausen Daniel Hampton

Michael Lusk

STAFF REPORTERS

Evan Blatnik

Jeff Knapp

will also notify students by email when a Level 3 sex offender has enrolled at the college.

Kyle Yasumiishi Editor-in-Chief A convicted sex offender has enrolled at Clark College for Spring quarter, according to information released by campus security. Michael Anthony Muldoon is a Level those sex/kidnap offenders who, based on currently known information, are rated most dangerous to the public and who are a high risk to reoffend within

Madeline Bern

For more information about currently-enrolled sex offenders, visit www. clark.edu/student_services/security/ offender.php or call the Clark County Sex/Kidnap Offender Registration Unit at 360-397-2284.

Contact Kyle Yasumiishi at editorinchief@students.clark.edu

Clark President Hosts Open Dialogue LETTERS TO THE EDITOR opinioneditor@students.clark.edu

EDITORIAL POLICY

COVER

1933 Fort Vancouver Way - Vancouver, WA 98663 - PHONE: 360-992-2412 WEB: clarkcollegeindependent.com - TWITTER: @IndependentCC

Daniel Hampton News Editor Clark College President Bob Knight gave insight into future plans for the college and answered questions from faculty and staff at an open dialogue April 15 in the Penguin Union Building. Key topics included the proposed state budget, plans for future bachelor’s programs offered at Clark and a new satellite campus in Skamania County. Knight said he is fairly certain a projected 3 percent cut in next year’s state funding will result in a minor salary cut for faculty and staff at the college. Tim Cook, vice president of

instruction, spoke about Clark’s plans to offer three applied science bachelor’s programs: dental hygiene, human services and applied management. Knight also answered questions about plans for the new Skamania County campus which he said will offer classes to 800 to 1,000 students. Administrators hope to have a building and curriculum announced last fall.

Contact Daniel Hampton at newseditor@students.clark.edu

CORRECTIONS

Instructors Vie For Job Security

Clark College Campus Sign Vandalized

Tenure review committees key in hiring best professors

Several letters in the Clark College campus sign were estimate of the repair cost this week. (Aleksi Lepisto/ The Independent)

Kyle Yasumiishi Editor-in-Chief CARK LEGE. These are the remaining letters in the Clark College campus sign at the corner of Fort Vancouver Way and McLoughlin Boulevard, which was vandalized over the weekend. cording to Ken Pacheco, director of security and safety. “It looks like the vandalism probably occurred in the late hours of Friday night or the very early hours of Saturday morning,” according to a Clark College Facebook post on Monday. repair cost by the end of the week, said Bob Williamson, vice president of administrative services. “When we see vandalism, we try to repair it as quickly as we can,” Williamson said. a local sign manufacturer, to repair the sign. The repair will take at least two weeks for the company to complete, Williamson said. “It’s going to be expensive,” said Williamson, who added that the sign is a custom design. place the entire sign or just the missing letters, said Jim Green, director of facilities services. Five incidents of vandalism have been reported at Clark College and the surrounding area since Spring quarter began on April 8, according to the daily crime log on the college’s website. “We would like to see students and staff treat buildings and grounds with the respect they deserve and to report anything they see as soon as they see it,” Williamson said. Anybody with information about the vandalism of the Clark College sign may contact campus security at 360-992-2133.

Contact Kyle Yasumiishi at editorinchief@students.clark.edu

Left to right: College President Bob Knight; Dean of Workforce, Career and Technical Education Genevieve Howard; Dean of STEM Peter Williams; Dean of Business and Health Sciences Blake Bowers; Vice President of Instruction Tim Cook; and Dean of BEECH Ray Korpi congratulated the newly tenured professors. (Madeline Bern/The Independent)

Lindsey Ponder Staff Reporter What’s the most important decision Clark College administrators make every year? Determining which instructors receive tenure, according to President Bob Knight and Vice President of Instruction Tim Cook. There are currently 15 tenure-track positions open to instructors, Cook said. Tenured professors have job security, which is why tenure-track for three years. Most professors remain at Clark for 20 to 30 years and therefore help determine the lasting “culture of the college,” Cook said. It is important for professors to be engaged in their students’ lives and other aspects of the school as well, Knight explained. Instructors on the three-year tenure track are observed and evaluated by a committee of three tenured professors, one student and the dean of the instructor’s respective department. The committee gives a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which decides whether or not to grant tenure to the instructor. Clark currently employs about 180 professors and 500 adjunct instructors. Students who serve on tenure review committees are essential in evaluating and hiring the best professors, Cook said. Students on the committee attend one meeting and one classroom observance per quarter, according to ASCC Educational Events Coordinator Anja Kubiniec. Tenure Administrative Assistant Kathy Ostermiller said only 13 out of 26 student positions are currently this quarter. “It’s really fun,” Kubiniec said. “The faculty that I work with are all very nice. … They’re really excited that a student is giving their time and serving on a committee.” Based on their classroom observations, committee

2013-2014 TENURE-TRACK FACULTY POSITION RECRUITMENTS Adult Basic Education - Language Arts Adult Basic Education - Mathematics Art Biology Business Medical Technology Business Technology Geography Health and Physical Education Journalism Library Mathematics Mechatronics/Power Utilities Psychology Welding Women’s Studies

members recommend ways each instructor can teach more clearly and effectively. A number of people criticize tenure for protecting bad teachers, Cook said. Tenure does give professors job security, but not unconditionally. It guarantees that professors can’t lose their jobs simply because administrators disapprove of their teaching methods or opinions, Cook said. However, Clark administrators can remove professors who abuse their authority. “You’ll get to work here as long as you want – unless you do something really stupid,” Knight said. To some professors, such as Marilyn Hale of business technology, tenure is more than just job security. “Nothing will change. I’ll still try to keep my instruction up to par. I’ve arrived. I get to put ‘professor’ in front of my name.”

Contact Lindsey Ponder at l.ponder@students.clark.edu

Committee Proposes S&A Budget

$1.6 million of student fees fund programs, services and activities Brittany Koontz and Robert Berman Staff Reporters The Services and Activities Fee Committee released the proposed 20132014 ASCC S&A Fee Budget on March 15. The $1.6 million budget consists of services and activities fees that students pay in addition to their tuition. The budget, which funds programs, services and clubs, increases funding for 10 programs and decreases funding for eight programs. Funding for 14 programs will remain the same. The proposed budget is $77,646 more than last year’s. The committee members faced $1.87 million in requests and allocated $1.6 million. The Counseling Health Center, Theatre program and French program will receive more funding this year, while several other programs will experience cutbacks. The committee includes Ilana Brown,

tatives appointed by the ASCC president. The committee held public meetings between December and March to discuss program. serve the most students,” Brown said. The Counseling Health Center, which received an additional $65,176, helps a lot of students, Brown said. The Theatre program will receive $4,454 more next year. Theatre director pay new storage fees and adjust wages for the state’s new minimum wage increase. The newly funded French program will receive $21,327. The proposed budget decreases

ATHLETICS $386,745

OTHER $603,150

24% 38% TOTAL $1,603,121

COUNSELING HEALTH CENTER $138,733

9% 6%

5% THE INDEPENDENT $77,978

11%

THEATRE $113,403

STUDENT ENRICHMENT $101,663

STUDENT LIFE $181,449

Information provided by the proposed 2013-2014 ASCC Services and Activities Fees Budget. (Graphic by Margherita Nicotra/The Independent)

funding for several programs, includLearning program. Carson Legree said she fears this proposed budget cut will result in fewer hours of operation. “Although we were told that this cut was made because we weren’t visible enough, this cut will make us less visible,” Legree said. “People don’t understand that it’s just as important to have an art gallery.”

The Service Learning program, which requires funds for traveling to community service events, faces a $6,390 cut. “Service Learning has always been on the chopping block,” said Sarah Learning program. “It’s just one of those things that people don’t see as being valuable.” About $20,000 in unallocated funds are left over this year for those who wish additional funding.

appealed the proposed budget on April 18, Brown said. the budget before sending it to the Clark proval. Brown said that she expects the

Contact Brittany Koontz at b.koontz@students.clark.edu Contact Robert Berman at r.berman@students.clark.edu advertisement

Artists “Construct” Different Realities Archer Gallery exhibit mixes abstraction and concreteness

“Running Line -- Object One” by Josh Smith is one of the pieces displayed in the Archer Gallery’s “Construct” exhibit. (Aleksi Lepisto/The Independent)

Brittany Koontz Staff Reporter Opening night at the latest Archer Gallery exhibit was an evening of mixing perception with reality. “Construct” focuses on the relationship between abstraction and concreteness, gallery director Carson Legree said. The exhibit features work by new-age contemporary artists Josh Smith, Jordan Tull and David Corbett. It also displays art by James Archer, the gallery’s namesake, to honor the exhibit’s 35th anniversary. During the reception, guests had the opportunity to view the art, speak with the artists, contemplate new-age contemporary art and enjoy the refreshments. Legree said she was excited about the featured art. “They all have a contemporary and space-age sensitivity,” Legree said. “I think it has a very architectural sensibility.” is the Art Student Annual, which will feature student artwork from the past year. Legree said she chose to display work from these modern art by mixing architecture with engineering to create pieces that are both two- and three-dimensional. Jordan Tull’s series, “Particle Event(cq),” is a mix of LCD animations created with a drafting program, paired with 3-D prints. “What can be more interesting than controlling perception?” Tull asked. “There are visceral differences that are perceived. That’s imaginary. That’s not real.” Tull produced the LCD animation by creating more than 2,000 frames and 20GB of data.

“More time was spent waiting on technology than actually making up my mind,” Tull said. The “Particle Event” was form- and content-driven, Tull said. Part of his inspiration came from exploring resolution and particle interference with perception. His sole purpose was to “manipulate aesthetics,” he said. Archer’s work, on the other hand, had no preconceptions behind it. “I think people should get what they want out of it. I have no intentions,” Tull said. Clark student Evelyn Thompson attended the reception after hearing about the event in her art class. “The pieces fooled me,” Thompson said. “I think they’re very innovative.” After viewing David Corbett’s “Trace,” made with wood, glue, ink and paper, Thompson said she understood the meaning behind the description that Corbett had pegged for his art: disturbing. “It’s like there’s a monster attacking it. It changes depending on the angle it’s seen from,” Thompson said. Legree said there’s value in attending the exhibit for everyone. “One of the most important things that this exhibit can give to students is knowledge,” Legree said. “If you’re heading off to a four-year university, you’re going to need to know some contemporary art.” Her goal is that students will see this exhibit and be intrigued by the more digital time-based unit. “Construct” is open until May 2 and free to the public.

“Construct” artist David Corbett’s wife was one of the show’s attendees, along with a young art enthusiast from their neighborhood. (Courtesy Erin Merrill)

BackPASS Available Ezekiel Brouhard Staff Reporter Students can purchase an ID and bus pass combination, called a BackPASS, for $8 at the Since Fall quarter, the price of the BackPASS dropped from $21 to $8. There are currently 500 passes left, according to Samantha Lelo, program Multicultural Student Affairs. The BackPASS was subsidized by money from the services and activities contingency fund, ASCC Finance Director Ilana Brown said. Contingency funds pay one-time program expenses, such as traveling or purchasing equipment, for currently funded student programs. Lelo said she submitted the proposal for lowering the price of the BackPASS because it serves more students than many other programs. The BackPASS is valid for the entire quarter and allows students to ride C-Tran buses anywhere in Vancouver.

Contact Ezekiel Brouhard at e.brouhard@students.clark.edu Contact Brittany Koontz at b.koontz@students.clark.edu

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ees r t y r Cher

CENTER -

require guests to enter through an

Coverage by: Aleksi Lepisto and Evan Jones Photo Editor and Copy Editor RIGHT - International student Maho

Taiko drummer Michelle Fujii performs

BOTTOM - The festival ended to as “taiko” -- Japanese for drum

The Independent)

TOP - Portland Taiko’s Toru Watanabe performs a dance that represents “tessenjutsu,” the art

Lepisto/The Independent)

Summer Job And Internship Fair

Jonah’s Allies

Career Services hosts first annual event May 7

New club shines light on bullying Kat Vela Staff Reporter

Clark students browse through racks of professional attire available at the ninth annual Clothing Closet in Gaiser Hall last week. The event was part of Career Days, a four-day series hosted by Career Services. (Aleksi Lepisto/The Independent)

Corrine Murphy Staff Reporter Do you want to land a summer job or internship? Clark College is here to help. Clark’s Career Services is hosting its May 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center. The fair is designed to help students jobs and temporary employment, according to Sarah Weinberger, Clark College employer relations and job developer. “Bring a small stack of resumes and dress professionally,” Weinberger said. She also recommended bringing a work portfolio, which is a compilation of past work and achievements. Career Services hopes the event will attract at least 20 companies, including tions, outdoor programs and summer camps. ers are currently registered, including CampusPoint, DiscoverOrg and Labor Ready. CampusPoint provides free services to students and recent graduates to help them connect with employers. DiscoverOrg is a privately-owned

updated IT market information database to the top technology marketers, according to the company’s website. DiscoverOrg is hiring sales, marketing and client services positions. Labor Ready employs people for general labor and skilled trades. for blue-collar industries,” Labor Ready branch manager Kelly Marchel said. Labor Ready is looking to hire 20 employees who will earn around $80 to

$120 per day, Marchel said. Labor Ready may appeal to those who don’t want to commit to working year-round. “We love students who need summer jobs,” Marchel said. Employment at Labor Ready can last from one day to all summer. Many employers want to hire workers who have soft skills, including a strong work ethic, positive attitude and a desire to learn, according to Marchel. Career Services offers several free resources to students and community members, such as Student Success Workshops jobs and succeed in school. “I had never done my resume before, and having that resource available was really helpful,” work-study student Tanya Germanova said. Student Success Workshops provide helpful information to students and job-seekers alike, including the Career Exploration, Co-op Internship Information and Budgeting Basics workshops, Weinberger said.

Contact Corrine Murphy at c.murphy5@students.clark.edu

Are you a victim of bullying? Have you ever needed a hand and had nowhere to turn? Well that is about to change. Clark student Elizabeth Swanson formed a newly chartered club called Jonah’s Allies Club. The club caters to victims of bullying and those who want to help spread the word about bullying and its negative effects. “Anti-bullying is something that I have always been passionate about,” Swanson said. “I think that it’s an important movement for people to get involved in. People just think that it stops after high school, but it doesn’t. It’s still a prevalent issue that I think needs to be addressed more.” The club aims to raise awareness about bullying and help victims in the community. Swanson plans to talk with middle and high school students about the negative effects and consequences of bullying. The club’s name, Jonah’s Allies, was inspired by the popular YouTube video posted in 2011 by Jonah Mowry, a victim of bullying. The video has been viewed over 10 million times. Clark student Oscar Beltran was bullied in high school. “It affected my grades and my social life, and caused emotional and psychological problems,” he said. Beltran said that he received phone calls by people who said that he wasn’t needed and he should kill himself. He also received threats to beat him up. Beltran soon started to believe what he was told. Clark psychology instructor Jennifer Leaver said victims of bullying suffer academically as well as physically and

Elizabeth Swanson heads the newly formed Jonah’s Allies Club, which focuses on anti-bullying, a term that coincides with legislation in 49 states. (Aleksi Lepisto/The Independent)

emotionally. “You tend to see anxiety, depression, and the lack of desire to go to school which can then impact their academic achievement,” Leaver said. “This can further impact life later.” Leaver said victims of bullying have problems with their social lives, health and Swanson said learning to recognize the signs of bullying is the key to stopping is a big thing,” she said. a public service announcement in her Small Group Communication class for the Jonah’s Allies Club. She is also working on advertising to promote the new club.

Contact Kat Vela at k.vela@students.clark.edu

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Penguins Vault To Victory

Penguins Play For Fun

Clark offers recreational sports to students, staff

Athletes soar to regional championship

Tj Pruneda Staff Reporter Do you want to get back into sports? Now you can by participating in Clark College’s intramural sports program in the O’Connell Sports Complex. Garet Studer, director of the intramural sports program, wants to bring a structured and organized format to intramural sports, which are usually played for recreation. “In the past, we have had intramurals,” Studer said. “But it was more of an open-gym format where you show up and play.” In February, Studer surveyed students on which sports they would like to play at Clark College and the best times to play. According to the survey, the most popular sports were basketball, fouron-four volleyball and seven-on-seven indoor soccer. “It was hard to come up with times because we have one gym and have six hours of P.E. classes with athletics, then intramurals,” said Studer, who is trying to partner with Washington State University Vancouver for additional space. All students, staff and faculty at Clark College are allowed to play. The registration fees are $5 for individuals and $40 for teams. Players must submit payment and a completed registration

Kevin Pettit is one pole-vaulter being coached by former athlete Chris Barkley, who (Aleksi Lepisto/The Independent)

Bogdan Goncharuk and Holland Roberts women’s pole vault events, respectively. Both team members have high hopes for a successful season. “I think we’re pretty good,” Roberts said. “We’ve had a lot of obstacles to get over.” One of the team’s greatest obstacles was when former pole-vaulting coach James Carr resigned earlier in the season. The coach’s resignation raised uncertainty about how well the team would perform. Team member Chris Barkley volunteered to coach the pole-vaulters after Carr’s resignation, which made him ineligible to compete. “It was very nice of him,” Roberts said. “He has been vaulting all his life and would have been the best on our team.” Clark’s pole-vaulters face another

meets left in the season, including the NWAACC championship on May 20-21 at Spokane Community College. “I’m hoping to be among the top fall-throughs in our league,” Goncharuk have big goals.” The track team practices daily at Hudson Bay High School McLoughlin Boulevard across from Clark’s main campus.

Contact Michael Lusk at campuseditor@students.clark.edu

TRACK & FIELD UPCOMING COMPETITIONS April 29 - 30

The Penguins vaulted to two of the top three spots at the John Knight Twilight meet on April 12 at Western Oregon University in Salem.

large obstacle: their regular practice area has no place to pole-vault. The pole-vaulters must travel to Oregon City every Monday and Wednesday to practice at the Willamette Striders Track Club. The team has continued to thrive nonetheless. Goncharuk ranks seventh overall in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges with a vault of 14 feet, 5 ¼ inches. Roberts vaulted 9 feet 2 ¼ inches at the meet, jumping her to sixth place overall in the NWAACC.

NWAACC Multi Championship

May 3

Eugene Gresham

May 4 May 11

Southern Region Championship

Spokane

May 20

NWAACC Championship

Spokane

Michael Lusk Campus Editor

center. To keep the games fair, varsity athletes must wait a full year after their last season before they can play their sports, Studer said. However, they’re allowed to play in the other intramural sports. “I want to get more people to participate and advance intramurals to more sports,” said supervisor Chris Andrews. Andrews said his role is making sure players follow the rules and stay safe. Supervisor Adam Wahl hopes the intramural sports program will promote “I am tired of seeing the same people work out every quarter. I want to use intramurals to help people get to the Studer wants to give out T-shirts as prizes to allure students and staff to join to program. “To most people it sounds students have a shirt then people will want to play to win the shirt,” he said. The O’Connell Sports Complex is located on Clark College’s main campus.

Contact Tj Pruneda at t.pruneda@students.clark.edu

Softball Team Stuck In A Rut

Coach Ty Singleton pushes players to focus on future games

Evan Blatnik Sports Editor “If a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing your grandmother with her teeth out,” said George Brett, retired Major League Baseball All-Star. If Brett knows what he’s talking about, Clark softball players have been kissing their toothless grannies a great deal this season, with 16 straight losses before a 10-5 victory over Grays Harbor on Saturday, followed by two more losses on Sunday. The Penguins dropped a game 14-13 against Treasure Valley College and another 10-1 against Columbia Basin College. “The losses go deep,” Penguins coach Ty Singleton said. “Still the players haven’t given up on the season and this is the time to show what kind of character they have.” The coach added, “Character is committing yourself to the team and to work hard.” Singleton tried changing the team’s lineup and liked what he saw from starting shortstop Kat Vela, who had two doubles and an RBI against Clackamas, champions of the 2012 Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

After losing to Clackamas, Karlee the Penguins, said, “It’s frustrating for everybody. You can tell that our spirits are down right now and losing is one thing but getting 10-runned is another.” When players got down on themselves during the games, Kammer told them, “It’s not going to help the team. Everybody has bad days, but try to make the best of it.” With the Penguins stuck in a game of spin-the-bottle with granny, they’re still optimistic about winning again in the remaining 10 games of the season. Plus, they won’t face Clackamas until their last game on May 11. What does an optimistic coach say to his players when they continue to lose? Singleton tells them, “Focus on the next pitch, the next inning. Focus on the now.”

Contact Evan Blatnik at sportseditor@students.clark.edu

TOP LEFT Clark is struggling after a strong showing against South Puget Sound early. The Penguins were on a 16-game skid before beating Grays Harbor April 20. (Aleksi Lepisto/The Independent) TOP RIGHT Catcher Paige Amery is averaging .364 batting for the 2-18 Penguins this season. (Aleksi Lepisto/ The Independent) BOTTOM RIGHT Karlee Kammer is disappointed with the team’s performance. Although the Penguins batting average is .291, they have been unable to stop the offensive surges by their opponents. (Aleksi Lepisto/The Independent)

SOFTBALL UPCOMING GAMES April 27

Lower Columbia College

Longview

May 1

Mt. Hood Community College

Vancouver

May 4

Southwestern Oregon Community College

Vancouver

May 7

Chemeketa Community College

Salem

May 11

Clackamas Community College

Clackamas

BASEBALL UPCOMING GAMES April 27

Grays Harbor College

Vancouver

April 28

Grays Harbor College

Aberdeen

May 4

Centralia College

Centralia

May 5

Centralia College

Vancouver

May 10

Pierce College

Lakewood

May 11

Pierce College

Vancouver