Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1982)
Committee on aging convenes on campus By J. Dana Haynes Of The Print ’ The Oregon delegation to the President’s Conference on I ^"9 me* a* the Iasi Friday • College President John Hakan son, a member of the delegation, said the meeting was held “to form a loose plan for keeping the delegation in contact with the legislature.” Hakanson was one of 2,000 representatives from around the country who at tended President Reagan’s conference on aging, held last January. The Oregon delegation currently stands as the sub committee for Governor Vic Atiyeh’s committee on Aging Services. Walt McGettigan, serves as chairperson of the Aging Services Committee; an appointment made by Gov. Atiyeh. “Clackamas Communa was the first college west c New Jersey to have an RSV1 (Retired Senior Volunteer Pro gram),” Hakanson said. Thi RSVP program was initiated in 1973, and is financed joint ly by the federal government and ■ College. Hakanson’s own center o interest is employment of th elderly. “The aged need to I useful, to deal with other ped pie, to get out of their horfl and to make some money.11 these things can be accompli ed by employing the aged ’ hi said. “With Mr. McGettigan here, we have a more direct ac cess to the governor and the legislation,” Hakanson said. The sub-committee, which is chaired by Clayton Nyberg of Washington County, meets This is one facet of pra quarterly. The next meeting is scheduled for April 1, and will blems faced by the elderly tha the sub-committee is lookiri also be at the College. “I have agreed on behalf into. Hakanson feels that, ■ of the College to accept all the ween the two, cortimittee ani written material that the sub the community colleges) committee receives,” Hakan Oregon’s elderly are betid son said. “We plan to create a’ represented than most. “Oregon has one of the library-type center in our senior center. This will help the sub best community college committee and also be good for systems in the country, in regards to responding to the the county and College.” Care for the aged has needs of the community. Tl GIVING A PRESENTATION on aging, Suzan Hill, aging programs developer «ppalc« been of special interest to Dr. includes the eldery. I think I before the current sub*committee of the Governor’s Aging Services Committee. Hakanson and the College College has a more col Aging Program Coordinator, Judy Smith listens. Staff photo by Duane Hiersche which is why the meeting was prehensive grasp of their pl held on campus, according to blems because it’s someth! we’ve specialized in.” Dr. Hakanson. By Laura Henkes About Life... Watts evaluates pros and cons of diesel and gas It took two months, but Ron Watts finally spotted an opening in his hectic schedule when he could share his exper tise in an area important to all of us. No wonder. As Chairper son of the Automotive Depart ment, Watts is a dynamic leader; anxious to help his students and department in any way. This includes keeping on top of performance com parisons, the ever-changing auto components area, and major technological advances in the automotive industry in general. Next to housing, automobiles will probably be the most expensive single pur chase that most of us will make. In fact, new car prices now equal housing prices of 20-30 years ago. Thus, Watts’ opinion on diesel and gasoline engine comparisons may add some in sight, considering the increas ing availabiltiy of diesel engines in the consumer market. The basic difference bet ween the diesel and gasoline engine is simple: the gasoline uses spark ignition and the diesel utilizes compression. Watts explained, “Diesel uses heat produced by com pressing a large volume of at mosphere into a small area. Then, at the point where they want the ignition to take place...when that extremely small cavity is heated, raw diesel is blown into the area, and ignition takes place.” Gasoline doesn’t require as much pressure (compression ratio). According to Watts, a typical diesel compression compared to gasoline compres sion is 22/1 for diesel and 9/1 for gasoline. “With gasoline you need that spark,” he said. And that means equipment such as spark plugs, distributors, wires, and more. Are there really advan tages in driving a diesel com pared to a gasoline engine? Watts noted that although, the actual cost of diesel is low, the profit structure was already set up. This is why the con sumer cost is high. He pointed out that in Mexico the dif ference in cost of gas and diesel is still very broad. Diesel costs 19 cents a gallon where gasoline sells for 55 cents a gallon. Yet, Watts feels the real advantage in the diesel- propelled automobile today is the “miles that you drive to the gallons of fuel used. This is still a distinct advantage.” He estimated that a full- size car would get 26-28 miles per gallon using diesel. “Right now I am convinced that the only advantage in the diesel game is the miles per gallon,” he said. Watts noted that are a number of negative aspects to the diesel engines. “We hear that tune-ups are less frequent because there are no plugs and points, but we finding out that on most of these diesel engines (Mercedes, Peugeot, Rabbit, Buick or Oldsmobile), there aren’t too many that will be running 100,000 miles without major maintenance,” he ex plained. However, he quickly pointed out that Peterbilt trucks may go 300,000 to 500,000 miles, “but they are different.” ' Watts also stated that “overhauling costs are two to two and one-half times more for a diesel than a gasoline engine. And when you go to the showroom and look at new diesel vehicles,” he added, “you will probably pay $600-$800 more just to be able to buy a vehicle with a diesel.” Many people affiliate diesel engines with a high pollution output. When DEQ checks for opacity the HC (hydrocarbon) and CO (carbon monoxide) count on the diesel come out extremely clean. However, Watts indicated that the NOx (nitrogen oxide) out put (which is_ created by temperature and pressure) is higher on the diesel,--which, he noted, is something the DEQ stations are unable to measure. In comparing total pro bable costs between a compact gasoline and a mid- to full-size diesel automobile, Watts agreed that safety from the standpoint of car size should also be considered. It is not un common to hear of incidents in which compact cars involved in minor accidents can render the car “totaled” in the eyes of the insurance companies. Watts commented that the “technology that has come out of the energy crisis has been positive, but that the spin off for For instance, the sheet metal used in cars from ap proximately 1976 is only half the thickness that it used to be, but is three times as strong. Watts attributes this to the effort to increase fuel consumption. However, after damage has been done, he explained, the metal is “so brittle that when you put a torch to it, it car- bolizes and cracks,” making it difficult to repair. It looks as though the diesel availability will increase in future years. In spite of' California’s attempts to eliminate diesel sales there, the automotive manufacturers are looking at diesel as the answer to the CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) requil ment being imposed by the government. Watts suggested that in the near future the government 1 want their entire product line tc average 19 miles per gallon. ■ get their average up, they 1 saying “let’s make dies« because they will boost our cl porate average fuel econo! index. Mercedes only offers a few that are gasoline now,” I said. Thus, it appears that as a result of the fuel econo! movement, one of the me« important factors in automobd decision making will be tl choice between a diesel al gasoline engine. Sale -17% Coupons- I I $1.70 OFF I I any $5 any $10 I I purchase purchase 1 I I Good thru March 31, 1982 Good thru March 31, 1982 Any customer wearing green thru the 4ft month of March will receive an extra 10% off their purchase. the consumer has been nothing but expense.” page 4 | 85' OFF £_________ _ 655-6238 HPEOPLE-lN-MOTION Z^£L>Z/ACTIVE WEAK A T-SHIRTS L T Southndg« Canttr Oregon Crt, Clackamas Community College I D50 Illuminant, 2 degree observer Density A A A