Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2001)
WEdNEsdAy, TI he CI. ac I< amas P rint 2001 Knapp to work on updating, improving college’s image in new job LIESLMUGGLI Managing Editor The college’s new marketing and community relations direc tor is ready to sell his ideas. Geoffrey Knapp has held a va riety of jobs in his field before his arrival at Clackamas. While attending Utica College of Syra cuse University, he knew that he wanted to pursue public rela tions. A couple of journalism classes were required for the PR degree. "Once I got a taste of it [jour nalism], I just absolutely loved it,” he said. Knapp went on to obtain a dual degree and worked at an AM/FM radio station in Lake Placid, New York. His journalism career then took him to Saranac Lake where he was sports editor of the Daily Enterprise. Knapp also did week end coverage of news and sports for WPTZ-TV in Plattsburgh, New York. Knapp then worked as the as sistant director of public rela tions for the Olympic Regional Developmental Authority for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. “I was the director of market ing and public relations for Gore mountain ski area, still working for the Olympic Authorities.” Following that, he worked with CB Sports, an outerwear ski com pany, as the director of the NFL pro line. Knapp sold special Gore- Tex winter wear to all of the NFL teams. After CB abandoned the retail division, Starter took its li cense. Knapp also worked as director of PR and marketing for the New York Islanders American Hockey League affiliate in Troy, New York. When that affiliate switched to the New Jersey Dev ils, he had the opportunity to change the name of the team. “I came up with the name for the New Jersey team, called the Albany River Rats. It was a huge success, with apparel wear sold in Canada with the new logo,” said Knapp. The new logo was a rat attired in hockey uniform. About eight years ago, Knapp started at Albertina Kerr Centers, which is a social service for people with developmental dis abilities and abused and neglected children. Four years later, he accepted a position as community relations manager for AT&T Broadband in Oregon and Southwest Washing ton. Starting at Clackamas this fall with a staff of seven in several dif ferent departments, Knapp over sees publications, community re lations and some of the Web con tent. Knapp wants to make the cam pus more inviting to the general public. “The rationale behind that is because we are funded by the state to a large extent and sup ported by the county. We want to make the campus as accessible and useful for as many people as possible,” said Knapp. Knapp already has plans to in crease publicity of the college next year. “Part of the goal is to utilize some of the mediums that we have at our disposal, like the edu cational cable channel,” said Knapp. Knapp wants to make the channel more useful by putting a schedule of activities on the chan nel for the community so they can be aware of and attend the plays, sporting events and other happen ings on campus. Even pre-re-» corded messages from the college president could be in the channel’s future, along with cov erage of events. There is much more. “ We’re going to be embarking on all the projects that are part of the Bond PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY TAMARA BARRY Geoffrey Knapp, CCC director of marketing and community relations act,” said Knapp. An example would be an update about con struction projects. Another project of Knapp’s is working with the Oregon State Department of Transportation. “State signage on access routes to the Wilsonville, Harmony and main campuses are less than ad equate, so I’m working with ODOT on what it’s going to take to get new signage,” said Knapp. Knapp is enjoying his time at the college. “It’s a great opportunity. There’s a very talented and dedi cated staff here to work with. In comparison to some of my posi tions where you’re stamping out a lot of fires and trying to do new image-building, the image here is great already,” said Knapp. The annual Holiday Craft Fair took place in the Skylight Dining Room in the Community Center on Monday and Tuesday. Numerous craft items were on sale to students, staff and the general public during the two-day event. Items for sale Included Christmas wreaths and swags, some clothing, numerous forms of candles, and other arts and craft goods. Vendors rented tables from Student Activities, with the rental proceeds going to club activities on campus. A couple of clubs were among the vendors participating In the fair. Public Safety outfits unarmed guards in brown to avoid confusion LUKE MAHAN Staff Writer To avoid potential confusion as to who has a gun and who doesn’t, Public Safety has instituted the use of a brown uniform to be worn by the unarmed security officers. The uniforms, which cost $100- $150 per set, were purchased us ing funds from the department’s budget. The only substantial dif ference is the color, which be forehand was blue, the same as police uniforms. The unarmed security officers looked “too much like police,” according Chief of Public Safety Larry Dexheimer. The two types of authority have several characteristics that make them different. For example, the unarmed security officers cannot carry guns, while the commis sioned police officers can. Also, the former are not able to make crime reports, nor can they make official arrests; they can only use citizen’s arrest. (The armed offic ers, who are deputized by the Clackamas County Sheriffs De partment, are permitted to cite people.) However, if qualified, the un armed officers can carry hand cuffs and/or pepper spray. Of those on campus, all but one are qualified to carry these items. Noted Dexheimer, “The training is forthcoming” for the remaining officer so “all will be qualified.” Training will begin for two addi tional guards on Dec. 10. Public Safety would like to increase the staff even further, budget allowing. Another goal is to have a guard working the graveyard shift from midnight to 8 a.m. in order to achieve full 24-hour protection. Increasing the staff, Dexheimer points out, is “always a goal.” Additional action is being taken to further contrast the three police officers from the five unarmed of ficers currently working on cam pus. The light bars atop the ve hicles of the security officers will either be changed or totally re moved so as to comply with state law. (The blue and red lights are not permitted on vehicles other than the proper authorities.) There are also cadets, who are Criminal Justice students, who walk the mall after hours from 6- 10 p.m. Dark jackets and the ab sence of badges are the distin guishing characteristics of these security officers-in-training. Public Safety hopes the changes will clear up confusion between the two types of security on campus. MICHAEL POLLOCK / Clackamas Print Unarmed security officers recently hired by the college will be wearing brown uniforms, as opposed to the blue ones worn by sworn officers, including Chief of Public Safety Larry Dexheimer.
