Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1978)
Instructor loses job; enrollment drop cited By Happie Thacker Of The Print One of the casualties of the recent drop in the enrollment in the police science department is Durwood Thomas. Thomas, who has been teach ing full-time at the College for four years, was made department chairperson after only six months of full-time employment. "I'm being fired because of a reduction in force (302 students were enrolled in the fall of 1976 compared to 146 students in the fall of 1977) and because I'm the low man on the totem pole," Thomas said. Earl Zinck, the other instruc tor and department chairperson until Thomas took over that po sition, has been here for eight years. "I'm really sorry to go, Thom as said. "I have felt that I have the backing of the fire and po lice community and I felt we had a good working relationship and I hate to leave because of this re lationship." Some of the reasons cited by Thomas for a reduction of stu dents in law enforcement are that some veterans' benefits are run ning out, the job field is satur ated and there has been a reduc tion of crime dramas on televi sion. "This trend is statewide," Thomas said. "I've checked Che- meketa, PCC and Linn-Benton Community College and their law enforcement enrollment is way down, too." Thomas is well qualified to hold a teaching position in law enforcement and may go on to teach elsewhere. He spent 10 years as a sheriff's deputy, five years in the Clackamas County district at torney's office as an investigator, seven years working with juven iles within 52 schools and he has an associates degree in police science from Clark Community College in Washington, a bachelor of science degree in general stud ies—corrections, from Oregon Col lege of Education (OCE) in Mon mouth and a master's degree in education, also from OCE. He is also a graduate of the Federal Narcotics School. "I've enjoyed teaching and the contacts with students," Thomas said. "I think I've got a rapport and a feeling for students. I like students and I like to help them and steer them in the right dir ection." Thomas doesn't feel that de cisions about the hiring and firing of instructors should be made by something as impersonal as a con tract. "I think the people ranking above an instructor should sit in on his classes once in a while and ask for things like a syllabus," he said. "If you've been here one year and are doing the job right and have the respect of your peers and the community then that should be taken into considera tion. I don't care how long some one else has been here, if they're not doing the job. . . that's how the decision should be made." Since being department chair man, Thomas has made several changes in the course require ments and offerings in the pol ice science curriculum. He now requires that students take two terms of English comp osition to improve their writing communications skills as well as a new course in technical report writing in law enforcement. Thomas has also added courses in family crisis intervention, which is taught by a psychologist, a course on violence and agress ion and has modified and ex panded the courses on the Ore gon criminal code, interviewing, statements and interrogation. "Before I came," Thomas said, "they tried to teach the whole Oregon criminal code in 33 hours. I've made that a two- .> term class. "I've done these things to up grade the program and I person ally feel that the sin of growing old is not being able to change with the times. I hope I'm able to change with the times and able to adapt. I have to if I'm go ing to stay in this field," he said. "I'll be working and chang ing things here until the last day I work, which will be June 12," he said. After capping ceremony held here last Saturday, graduate nurse Elden Eichler clowns around with his own version of a cap for graduation. Photo by Lorraine Stratton Therapeutic talks planne Therapeutic touch, emphasizing the "laying-on of hands", will be the subject of a presentation and two-day workshop given by Dr. Delores Krieger, a professor of nursing at New York University School of Education, Health, Nursing and Arts Professions. "Therapeutic Touch as a Professional Health Prcr+ice" will be presented by Krieger at the College on Friday, Feb ruary I7, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and the two-day workshop will be Saturday and Sunday, Feb. I8 andI9. "Therapeutic touch by the "laying- on of hands," looks absurdly simple but is profoundly complex," Krieger said. "The act consists of the simple placing of the hands for about IO to I5 minutes on or close to the body of an ill person by someone who intends to help or to heal that person. "It is an ancient practice, recorded in the hieroglyphics, cuneiform writings, and pictographs of the earliest literate cultures, and it persists to this day," she said. "However, it continues as it has been throughout the centuries: a little-understood enigma of a signally human interaction." Krieger's therapy seeks to create a feeling of curing that physical closeness or touching, like stroking a fevered brow or holding someone's hand, can convey. She rarely touches a patient and keeps her hands about an inch away from a patient's body, she said, "because we're dealing with energy fields that surround the body, and touching isn't necessary, "It is perhaps because touch is sfl primitive that it is so powerful a thera® peutic tool," Krieger said. "For in® stance, one can hardly imagine the most® basic of nursing skills being performed'! without the act of touch." The 54-year-old Krieger, a longtime I student of Eastern philosophy and trans-® cendental thought, said she became in® terested in the "laying-on of hands® about IO years ago when she was intro- I duced to the work of Oskar Estebany | and Dora Kuntz, two prominent healers® They convinced her that what they die® could be done in hospitals, she said. The Friday presentation will be in the I Community Center Mall at the College® Seating is available for 250 and tickets! may be purchased at the door as early! as 6:30 p.m.z Pre-registration is available 1 by calling 656-2631, extension 209. Per- | sons pre-registering must pick their tick-1 ets up by 7:10 p.m. or risk losing those! seats. Admission is $2 general and $1 for CCC students. Krieger will also present a two-dayl workshop on therapeutic touch Satur-'l day and Sunday, Feb. 18 and 19. Regis-1 tration for the workshop is $75 and will I include lunch both days. For registration I information contact Pat Krumm, 656-1 2631, extension 209. The presentation and workshop are 1 sponsored by the College nursing depart- 1 ment and the Oregon Nursing Associa tion, district number 26. Fish story College security officer leaves accepts job with O.C. police The -College's speech sqt will be travelling to Kel Longview, Wash., Feb. Wand for the Lower Columbia Col Fifth Annual Smelt Classic.] TRI-CITY I BO] By Scott Starnes Of The Print Gordon Huiras, once a member of the College's campus security force, has been selected by the Oregon City Police Department as a probationary officer. "I was one of the seven potential officers to be selected by the Ore gon City police department," Huiras Government president and vice- president, during the 1974 to 1976 years, Huiras was involved with agility test." "The remaining 50 percent of campus security for a couple of our scoring was based upon an oral years. interview in front of a board con "Two years ago," Huiras said, sisting of persons appointed by the "I became a reserve in the Oregon civil service," Huiras said. City police department. I was then After the oral interview, nine promoted to reserve sergeant last applicants remained, including year and put in some 500 hours of Huiras, and were then interviewed volunteer work, such as patrolling. by the Oregon City chief of police, The practical experience I received two lieutenants, and the city re has benefited me a great deal," he corder, he said. "Later, we received said. notification from the Oregon City Now that Huirás is a probation- police department if we had been accepted," he said. Huiras placed ary officer on the force, he said that first over the other six officers he would be spending his first year with an experienced officer who appointed to the police force. would act as his trainer.. "I will complete my associate "Sometimes during this year, I degree in criminal justice at the am required to complete a Board end of winter term," Huiras said. of Police Standards and Training According to Huiras, he also, • course (BPST) before I am to be has a general studies degree at the ^rtif^tfstat^g tha^l MOLALLA AVI; "Although, in order to remain in the testing, we all had to pass the said. One hundred forty seven parti cipants took the written examina tion which constituted 50 percent of the test, and was held at Oregon City high school. Out of the 147 reserves being examined, Huiras said, the city civil service, which sponsored the test, eliminated all but 20. "The remaining 20 then pro ceeded to take a physical agility test, which was either pass/fail, but the testing had no bearing on total Col lege. am a certified police officer," Huiras cumulative points," Huiras said. Besides being Associated Student said. Page 2 AT WARNERMILlfl P O BOX ill 1 OREGON CITY,'OH» SEV HARKSON OWNER MANAGER] Pool Pinball I Bowlii Gordon Huirás .... leaves security services 635-2603 Tri-City Baptist Temple College & Career Invites you to attend Bible class with them at 10 a.m. on Sunday 18025 Webster Rd. Gladstone, Oregon Come help chang the world.® Family Bible Hoi 10:00 Church Service 11:00 Baptist Bible Fellowship - Independent Pastor McCormick 655-9326 or 761-7842 Wednesday, February I,I