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.