Feature
Kyllo supervises student programs
‘...an educator more than anything else’
by Lyn Marie Thompson
Photo Editor
Paul Kyllo, Student Programs
Specialist here at Clackamas
Community College, is responsi
ble for making sure that student
clubs are functioning and
organized; is an advisor to stu
dent government, the programm-
ing/entertainment council, and is
the main advisor to the entertain
ment coordinator. But those are
just his official responsibilities.
“My other responsibilites are
being friend, father, brother, and
confessor. Any of the functions
that go along with helping people
get through the experience of stu
dent government or student life
here at Clackamas. Whatever it
takes to help people have a better
experience,” says Kyllo. “Some
of the faculty and staff don’t
have any idea what I do. And I’m
sure many of the students don’t
know what I do. I’m sure they
think I’m just a big student who
never grew up.”
When asked to decribe exactly
what it is that he does do, Kyllo
said, “I am a liason, or a cross
between the students, staff, and
faculty.” Kyllo is a “people”
person, and his background
shows it as well as does his cur
rent position.
A graduate of Canby Union
High School from the class of
’75, Kyllo was involved in all
possible clubs and activities. “I
didn’t know how to say ‘no.’ My
senior year, I held the record for
most pictures and names in the
yearbook, of course, being on the
yearbook staff didn’t hurt.”
From Canby high, he went to
Clackamas Community College
where he avoided getting involved
in activities, concentrating on his
education. He enjoyed math and
His dedication to people
shows through in his personal
life as well. While at WOSC,
Kyllo met his wife, Joyce. Her
boyfriend at the time told her
not to have anything to do with
him, but she did. They dated for
decided to use it as a profession.
“I wanted to take the fear out of
math, to put it into terms that
people can understnd, to make it
fun,” he says. Kyllo said that the
human element had been left out
of math education, and that it is
crucial. “That’s the key to what I
wanted to do, where I wanted to
go. I decided I wanted to be a
math teacher. I’d faced enough
math teachers that I didn’t think
knew what they were doing in
high school. I was going to go out
and save high school sophomores
in Algebra from a life of
boredom and drudgery. I was go
ing to be their salvation.” He
graduated from Clackamas with
an associates degree in math and
went on to WOSC.
was going to go out
and save high school
sophomores in Algebra
from a life of boredom and
drudgery. **
There he ran for the student
body office of Chairman of Stu
dent Senate, and won, beating
his competitor who had been at
the college two years longer
than he had. “Suddenly I was
embroiled in student politics on
the collegiate level,” says Kyllo.
Once again, he began working
with people. An advisor of his
recommended that he go into
student services rather than be
ing the world’s greatest math
teacher. But he wasn’t yet con
vinced.
He graduated from WOSC in
*79 and tried his hand at various
‘7 love to watch old
movies and read mystery
stories. I grew up reading
Sherlock Holmes. ”
five years before marrying, and
during that time they lived in
separate states. Once a month
one of them would drive to meet
the other, he in Washington,
her in Salem. “Long distance
romances take a lot of work,
and a lot of miles, and a lot of
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
phone calls,” says Kyllo.
Being the active person he is, I
and commuting to Salem daily,
doesn’t leave much free activity I
Paul Kyllo, enjoying his job as Student Programs Specialist
Photo by Lyn Thompson
odd jobs, as Oregon hired only From Corvallis, he moved to
two math teachers that year, Palousse and served as
and he wasn’t one of them. He Washington State’s Program
eventually began working as Advisor for Student Activities
assistant to the acting director for a year. “I was always out of
of student activities and college my office, talking to people. At
center at WOSC and found his one point, I was the only one
niche in life.
who knew every ASG senator,
Kyllo went to graduate school so I became the unofficial ad-
at OSU, became the advisor to visor for student government
MUPC (memorial union pro- and the judicial board,” com-
grams council) and to the stu- ments Kyllo.
dent government. He also held
After ten months in
the
glorious
title
of Washington, Kyllo moved to
“housemother” for the frater- Salem where he tutored math
nity Phi Kappa Psi, yet another for two years and was campaign
position dealing directly with manager for one house of
people. Kyllo obtained a representatives candiditate, and
Masters Degree in Education in for several school elections. He
College Student Services Ad- then came to work at
ministration.
Clackamas.
time for Kyllo, but when he does
have the time, “I love to watch
did movies and read mystery
stories. I grew up reading
Sherlock Holmes. Of all fictional
characters, he influenced me the
most. He was an expert in
everything.” Kyllo has tried to
keep his interests as diverse as
possible, hard sciences, social
sciences, arts and letters, a smat
tering of everything. “As a
result,” he says, “I’m a wicked
trivial pursuit player. And it
makes finding a common ground
with people a lot easier.”
Basically, Kyllo has spent his
life finding out about himself,
now he helps teach students
about theihselves. “If I had to be
described as anything, I’d like to
be rememberedas an educator
more than anything else.”
Performance major impressed with program
by Lyn Marie Thompson
“Bogas” and has played at the
Beavercreek Cafe and at
Brian Casey is a second year Gleineden Beach. The band has
music major here at Clackamas, followers in Lincoln City,
and like most of the students in Depoe Bay, and Newport. The
the music program, he is doing leader of the band is from
the program proud.
Beavercreek, but the band
At 20 years of age, Casey is rehearses in a Beaverton studio.
already in a local band called
Casey is currently a music
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performance major, but says again,” comments Casey.
that he is looking around for v Currently, Casey is a student
varying degrees. He graduated and a lab assistant, “basically a
from Central High School in general gopher, organizing the
Monmouth where he says he did (music) library, preparing for
well academically until “I events such as the jazz festival,
‘found’ music. Unfortunately, doing paperwork, and coor
school became secondary to my dinating performances,” says
music. I’d like to do better, I Casey.
know I’m capable of it, but my
music is the number one priori
ty.”
During his junior and senior
years in high school, he played
in a bar band four to seven
nights a week, keeping him
from spending time on
schoolwork, but it has paid off
in his musical career.
Casey plays baritone horn,
piano, and electric bass, but his
major instrument is the bass. In
high school he and some friends
put together a garage band.
After high school, Casey toured
for a year, visiting Idaho,
Nevada, Colorado, Montana,
and Wyoming. “Evanston,
Wyoming had a really nice bar,
and Nevada was a blast. The
casinos were a total experience.
Once you’ve been bitten by the
road bug, it never gets out of
your system. I’d like to torn*
Casey says he plans to attend!
Clackamas again next year
because “the music quality here!
is fabulous for a community
college. The instructor and the I
music program itself could only!
be equaled, never surpassed!
anywhere else. The instructors!
are active in booking gigs here. I
In this business, 70 percent of
your success rate is from who!
you know.”
“The music quality here «
fabulous for a community!
college. The instructor and!
the music program itselj
could only be equaled!
never surpassed anywhere
else. ”
His goals for the future are “to
spend all of my time playing and
performing music how I want to
do it. The ideal is to play a styk
that combines styles so it can’t b<
pigeon holed into a category. I
want to keep a musical integrity
and not succumb to commercial
demands.”
Clackamas Community Collego