6
News/Feature
The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, February 21,1996
Child care opportunities provide hope for single parents
Laney Fouse
Staff Writer
For most young college stu
dents, furthering their education
means getting to class everyday
on time, completing all assign
ments, studying for tests and
passing the finals.
For some, getting up every
day can be a challenge. For oth
ers, working around their class
schedules or scheduling classes
around work requires a great deal
of effort.
But, imagine for a moment
you are a single parent; a parent
with a dream. That dream consti
tutes the desire for a better life for
your children. The only way to
achieve your dream is by getting
a college education.
What if you can’t afford child
care? What if in the middle of a
term your baby-sitter decides to
quit? Does this mean you have
to give up your dream. For some
fortunate parents, pursuing their
dream is made possible by the
ASG’s Child Care Scholarship
program.
Cheryl Corrie, child care of
ficer in ASG, along with the help
of Amy Lundy and Rachael
Austen started this program last
year in an effort to help students
with this special need.
The idea came about because
the ASG office was flooded with
questions about child care.
Each year several students
drop out or don’t register for col
lege because of inadequate or
unaffordable child care. The
scholarships enables ASG to buy
time slots at the Family Resource
Center.
Funding comes from several
sources. The college Foundation
Board donates $1,500 and ASG
Photo by Lora Wahrgren
Curious kids at the Family Resource Center child care
program take a break from playtime.
matches these funds.
Fund-raisers are held
throughout each term. These in
clude selling Valentine’s gifts,
candy and holding a barbecue.
Corrie says that plans are
under way for a cup and plant sale
in March, as well as a barbecue.
Another fund-raising activity
includes the sale of popcorn. It is
on sale Monday through Friday
in the ASG office.
“The children from the day
care center gather pennies and
come over to buy popcorn. It’s
so cute. I have pictures of them
coming to buy popcorn and all
you can see are these little arms
reaching up to the counter. You
can’t even see their faces,” said
Corrie.
Her involvement with the
Child Care Scholarship program is
one bom out of personal experi
ence.
“Back in 1986,1 was a stu
Volunteers still needed to
aid in post flood relief
FLOOD HELP from page 1
with the water here. We aren’t
doing anything to it,” said
Wiseman, adding that emer
gency provisions are being
made if the need arises.
“We’ve developed a plan
pending a crises,” said Dean of
College Services Gary Dirrim.
Bottled water has been re
served with an outside firm
along with 60 modified “porta
potties” in case there isn’t
enough water for the flush toi
lets, he said.
The concern over water
stems from the possibility of the
water supply being cut off.
“A big embankment of earth
on Clackamas River Drive is
about to slide down into the in
take tube that provides our wa
ter supply from the Clackamas
River,” stated Dirrim.
He also expressed his con
cern if that happened, not only
would we lose our water supply
but so would Oregon City, West
Linn and Gladstone.
“I hope it will dry out and
solidify. So, pray it won’t rain
for a while,” said Dirrim.
“The National Guard is
ready to build a temporary in
take tube. Their contingency
plan will take a two week period
to complete. A second.intake
tube is already under construc
tion but won’t be done for an
other three to four months,” he
said.
Dirrim mentioned that the
college has water stored and he
has met with the Oregon City
Fire Chief to discuss water needs
in case of fire.
“The welding shop may
have to stop teaching because
sparks from students welding
could start a fire,” he said.
Another outside firm has
contracted in regards to food.
“We may have to prepare
meals elsewhere and have it
brought in. It might be in the
form of sandwiches and may not
be as tasty, but food will be pro
vided,” said Dirrim.
For information on ways to
help, contact one of the follow
ing: Community Flood Clean-up
: Mary Palmer or Peter Bush at
657-7892; Clackamas County
Volunteer Coordinator: Karen
Kasserman at 650-3514 or
Clackamas County Public
Health at 655-8471.
Send clothes and money for
relief activity to the Salvation
Army.
Blood donations are
needed at American Red Cross
at 3131 N. Vancouver Ave. in
Portland.
dent here and a single mother of
five children. Sometimes, I would
have to take my children to class.”
she said. “When I came back here
in 1991,1 realized other parents had
the same problem and no one had
addressed the issue.
“When we first started this
program, it was a short-term goal
and our long-term goal was to
have a facility on campus for stu
dents,” said Corrie. “But now it
looks like the Foundation Board
is taking over the funding next
year. This will enable them to get
grants from the community. More
funding means more grants to be
given out next fall. We’re work
ing on it becoming a regular pro
gram here. Our goal is to double
the number of time slots from
seven to fourteen.”
Student parents wanting to
enter the program must first com
plete a pre-application.
“The application is to make
sure that they are not over-the-
income guidelines set up by YPOP
(Young Parents Opportunity Pro
gram),” Corrie said.
“The actual application [for
placement] comes out about three
weeks after that. Students have
another three weeks to complete
and return that application,” she
added.
Once the Financial Aid office
determines a monetary need for
the student, Corrie and her com
mittee get down to the actual se
lection.
The committee goes through
an elimination process. If the
student’s class schedule and time
allotted at the Family Resource
Center match, the student receives
the scholarship. But, as Corrie
cautions, “Only one child per fam
ily between the ages of 6 weeks
and 5 years- old (about preschool
age) are allowed. Sometimes it’s
really hard when we have to turn
people away. We once had a lady
apply who had twins.”
She feels that those parents
who do get their child into the pro
gram are fortunate.
“The Family Resource Cen
ter has an excellent program. Hiey
are well organized, they have cer
tain hours that they do certain
things. The children are in an en
vironment where they can play
and also learn,” said Corrie.
Currently, time slots are only
available for daytime students.
Corrie hopes to expand the pro
gram next year to include evening
students.
“We usually have anywhere
from 16 to 20 people, including
single fathers, apply for the schol
arships.”
ASG Senator Michelle
Wagner is looking into alternate
daycare centers close to campus.
She hopes to find ones who are
willing to work with students. In
stead of students paying the
whole fee, they could work off
some of the time in exchange for
child care.
One of the responsibilities of
the program is that the parents
write a testimonial on how the pro
gram has helped them.
“I would like to take this op
portunity to thank all those who
make the child care scholarships
possible; without them I could not
remain in school,” one divorced
mother of two writes.
Another recipient shares, “I
would like once again to say a very
big THANK YOU for the scholar
ship help you have granted me. I
would have not been able to con
tinue working toward my certifi
cate without it.”
Corrie feels the scholarship
program is vital to not just the stu
dents but to the community as a
whole.
“If you’re stuck in a minimum
wage job with no future — you
don’t go anywhere,” she added.
Looking forward to graduat
ing this June, she plans on com
ing back in the fall to continue her
education. This time to pursue
studies in office administration.
She’s working to put together a
book of guidelines and recommen
dations for the person who will
step into her position.
Corrie and husband Tom are
the grandparents of two.
“Raising five children (who
are now 15,18,19,21 and 25 years)
was a challenge,” she laughs.
“But, I came back to college to
work on my accounting degree.
Instead of it taking two years, it’s
taken a few years.”
Graf itti a menace on campus
Amy K. Hanson
Managing Editor
Graffiti is often present in any
public place and has been increas
ing around campus.
“It cycles up and down,” said
Kirk Pearson, director of Physical
Plant who added that the amount
of graffiti on campus tends to in
crease at the start of a term as well
as during vacation periods.
“We are very fortunate here
in that we’re not as bad as some
campuses,” Pearson said.
He added that in the last three
to five years graffiti has increased
in amount and severity.
Pearson said that the
restrooms seem to be the prime
target. Most of the damage is done
to the restroom stalls, although
mirrors and counters are being
scratched and carved.
On the first day of classes this
term, the Community Center
restrooms were badly covered in
what appeared to be gang graffiti.
“It’s costly without a doubt,”
Pearson said, adding that the cost
to clean and repaint one stall is
$ 125.This includes the cost of the
paint and contract.
Graffiti artists are rarely
caught. According to Pearson, if
they caught and cited someone,
they would most likely have to pay
for the cleanup, which is costly.
If graffiti has a gang related
appearance, Plant Services calls
Public Safety to examine it. They
then take pictures and send them
the Clackamas County Sheriff’s
Office. From there it is reported to
the Clackamas Interagency Gang
Intelligence, a task force dealing
with gang activity in Clackamas
County.
According to Diana Sheperd,
administrative secretary for Pub
lic Safety, there has been a fair
share of gang grafitti, gang names
and gang type.
Pearson said that they can
take proactive measures to lessen
the effects of graffiti, but that this
too costs money.
“I don’t know what the an
swer is,” Pearson said. “I’ve been
to a seminar or two and there does
not seem to be any one answer.
Everyone agrees that once you let
it go, it’s only going to get worse
and it spreads.”
Sheperd said that ASG has
suggested covering restroom
walls with paper to lessen the dam
age.
Cleaning up graffiti also con
sumes time and materials. Plant
Services has begun waxing the
road signs on campus in order to
make this cleaning task easier.
“I guess I can’t change soci
ety,” said Pearson. “So (I’ve) just
got to deal with it.”
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