Wednesday,
April 30, 1997
New program focuses on future
CHRISTINA MUELLER
Feature Editor
Clackamas will pilot a new auto
collision program in aluminum weld
ing that is intended to become a stan
dard program to premier auto colli
sion training centers across the coun
try.
The program will be designed by
Clackamas instructor Marc Essig and
the Inter-Industry Conference of
Auto Repair (I-CAR). I-CAR is a
national organization established to
provide training for collision repair
technicians.
Essig has been a member of the I-
CAR education foundation board of
trustees for three years.
The aluminum welding training
will be beneficial to students now
and in the future because more and
more vehicles-£re being constructed
with aluminum.
“Aluminuni vehicles are coming
and they're going to hit us like a
bombshell,’’ said Essig.
’
There ardOrrentty twb fully alu
minum cars, the Plymouth Prowler
and the Acura NSX. And there are
40 cars with aluminum components.
“In the 1998 vehicles, even in the
domestic American cars, there will
be more and more aluminum com
ponents. I am estimating that by the
year 2000, you are going to see the
majority of vehicles being made out
of aluminum,” Essig predicted.
More vehicles are being made out
of aluminum because of the many ad
vantages versus steel. Aluminum is
lighter, stronger, it takes less energy
to produce and it’s 100 percent re
cyclable.
“Most body technicians can weld
steel but most of them cannot weld
aluminum at all,” Essig explained.
The new program will differ from
the traditional I-CAR class, which is
a traditional classroom setting. The
aluminum welding program will be
more of a hands on experience.
In addition to the class, Clackamas
will be a test center for the program
which will allow students to become
certified in aluminum welding.
The class and test should begin
next spring.
Essig will be on sabbatical fall
term. He plans to
spend the entire
time working on
completing this
The majority
pilot project.
“This pro
POpUfattOpOj gram is being
strongly endorsed
& world ' I by all of the colli
betfer accept sion industry,
particularly the in
thatW^re
surance industry,
runningout
because they want
to make sure that
of dinosaur
the technicians
blood.
,
have this knowl
edge,” said Essig.
The weld
Marc Essig
ing facilities at
Automotive
Clackamas have
Department
been
"massaged"
Chalrt
equipment-wise in
order to be able to
provide this train
ing in auto collision repair.
Clackamas is currently an I-CAR
test center for steel collision repair.
Most other schools in the country
do not have and are not planning to
get this new program.
“Most people don’t know the alu
minum car is coming. There will be
tremendous changes in the car in the
next three years,” Essig said.
Essig predicts the next cars will be
designed by use. They will be de
signed for one to two people com
muting to and from work. The cars
will get good gas mileage and will
be more economical.
“The majority of the population of
JJ
the world better
accept that we’re
running out of di
nosaur blood,”
said Essig.
According to
Essig, the new
cars
will
be
smaller with alter
native fuel sys
tems, whether al
cohol or solar.
Battery technol
ogy is also be
coming more re An Acura NSX, one of two fully aluminum cars in the United
fined. People can States - the other being a Plymouth Prowler - was donated to the
drive to and from college for use in the aluminum welding program.
work and not have
to charge the bat
tery for -two or
three days.
Essig said. “We have a national cri
iiW-
“Oregon, like most of the west is sis in the collision industry, of not
very dependent upon the vehicle. enough technicians coming into the
Wehavea
We’re not going to see Tri-Mct or field.”
Max Light Rail going to Condon or
The industry is losing 20,000 tech
national crisis
John Day. We’re going to get over nicians a year due to retirement, pro-
in the
the mountain
car,”' ex motions or leaving the profession.
The industry only gains 7000 new
plained Essig.
collision
Essig predicts that mechanics on technicians each year.
industry.
In the past five to six years, the av
the new cars will be easier to learn
than the collision Repair of the cars. erage is five to six job openings for
The next challenge is to see who every student in the Clackamas pro
can get the most horsepower out of gram.
The starting wage for collision re
the smaller engine.
Marc Essig
At the recent I-CAR board meeting pair is $8 to $ 12 per hour, and $30,000
Automotive
Allstate Insurance Company donated potential in three to four years.
Department
Chair
Essig stresses that the collision re
$30,000 to the I-CAR program to
develop new automotive programs. pair field is not limited to men. More
than two dozen women have gone
Aluminum was one of them.
The aluminum welding program through the collision repair program.
will be funded by the tuition costs. Making $40,000 to $60,000 a year is
The cost will pay off when the stu not uncommon for technicians in the
dents leave with knowledge that 99 field.
Essig explains collision repair as “a
percent of the technicians in the in
great career choice which has excep
dustry do not have.
“Due to cutbacks in our education tionally high wages.”
The aluminum welding program, as
systems, particularly in K-12, the ca
reer exploration programs have been well as the changes happening in new
eliminated. Particularly the automo- cars, is guaranteed to change the auto
tive and mechanical programs,” world.
JJ
Estonian Composer to visit Clackamas
JOEL P, SHEMPERT
Staff Writer
Veljo Tormis, an Estonian composer,
who is renowned not only in his native
land but worldwide, will grace
Clackamas with his presence on the
week of Monday, May 5 through Sat
urday, May 10.
Tormis, through the efforts of the
Clackamas Chamber Choir and the
Portland-Tallinn Friendship City Asso
ciation, as well as the Clackamas Cho
rale, the Portland State University
Chamber Choir, the Portland Sym
phonic Choir and the Cleveland High
School Choir, will be flown to the
states. He will be accompanied by con
ductor Hirvo Surva to work with the
choirs, who will be singing some of
his compositions.
Lonnie Cline, conductor for the
Chamber Singers and Clackamas Mu
sic Faculty Member, met Tormis when
the Singers toured in Estonia last year.
“I said that one of my dreams was to
meet Arvo Part and Veljo Tormis... and
Hirvo Surva, who was one of the con
ductors approached Tormis and told
him that there was an American Choir
from Portland ... and that the conduc
tor would like to meet him and just talk
with him. And so he consented to do
that,” said Cline.
They met and talked. It was then that
Cline first sowed the seeds for the event
which is now to take place.
“I also asked him if he would like to
come to the United States and work
with some choirs, and [told him] that
we would like to do a concert in his
honor and in the honor of Estonia.”
Cline related.
This is unprecedented and likely to
be a unique event in Tormis’Tife and
It san
insult to go
to another
country if
you can't
speak their
language.11
Veljo Tormis
Estonian
in the our country’s musical history.
Lonnie Cline explains: “At first he
said no. He said, ‘Why don’t you come
to Finland, and I’ll work with you
there.’ And he said he had already
made it public that he would never
leave Estonia again. And he said that
it’s a problem with the language bar
rier and that he feels that it’s an insult
to go to another country if you can’t
speak their language.”
“So I said that we could have some
body meet him and travel with him as
an interpreter. And we could put him
up in an Estonian home. So I got up
to do something else for a minute and
while I was gone he leaned over to
Hirvo and said, ‘Well, maybe I will
go,”’ Cline said.
The motivation behind this endeavor
is complex. It involves a love for the
music of a man or country. It also in
volves a desire to honor that man and
country, as well as to giving a unique
opportunity to students and listeners.
“We’re negotiating to get a boy so-
See Estonia, page 5
EARN COLLEGE CREDITS
KinderCare'
Preschool & School-Age Activity Leaders
Are you tired of working
weekends,nights, and holidays?
Do you enjoy helping
children learn and grow?
.
,
, .,
'
Are you talented with arts, crafts,
music, sports, or story-tellins?
If so, come talk to us at KinderCare! We have
employment available throughout the Portland community.
- Relaxed dress code
- Flexible schedules
- Friendly & fun environment
|Call Mauri, today, for more information: 635-8982
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
Oregon State System of Higher Education
■
■
■
■
Courses by mail or e-mail
Taught by university professors
Accredited and transferable
Enroll now - set your own pace
Office of Independent Study
1-800*547-8887 ext 4865
or (503) 725-4865
Website: extended.portals.org/istudy
e-mail: xsis@ses.pdx.edu