Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 2003)
F eature T he C lackamas P rint * O ctober 22, 2003 * 4 President Johnson: concerned for students' welfare he regrets the strain it has put on stu Johnson offers one final warning dents. for students who must drop a class. “I’m very concerned that in “You would be stunned at the Dr. Joe Johnson, president of Oregon, we’re pricing students out number of students who don’t even Clackamas Community College, has of community college,” said pick up the phone or go to the web always believed in the power of edu-. Johnson. site and drop their classes, then sud cation and dedication. “I’ve worked Through the rising cost of denly they accumulate a humongous hard all my life,” said Johnson. / tuition, Johnson amount of incom As president of CCC, Johnson warns students pletes or Fs and spends a lot of his time inAvhat he against taking on too those are on their "Students need refers to as “the external political much debt with* stu permanent record process,” working with the legisla dent loans that will for ever more to to pay atten ture, commissioners and govern someday need to be tion...it they are come.” ment agencies. He continues to paid back with inter Johnson earned going to school strengthen alliances with businesses, est. He encourages his doctoral degree community organizations, K-12 dis students to focus on they need to do in higher education tricts and four-year colleges. In their studies. from the well... rewards addition to day-to-day administra- “Scholarships University of follow from tional duties, he attends the presi come from grades, California, that." dent’s counsel, cabinet meetings and transferability comes Berkeley; obtained the Board of Education. from grades, employ his master’s degree Last year’s budget deficit was a ment offers come in labor and indus Dr. Joe Johnson top priority for Johnson, who was from grades. trial relations from CCC President able to maintain all faculty members Students need to pay Michigan State through the crisis. attention to the fact University and “What my sense of things now is that if they are going received his bache that the state of Oregon is stabiliz to school they need to lor’s degree from ing, which is a very good thing so do well and there are rewards that the University of the Pacific located we can begin to do some forward follow from that,” said Johnson. in Stockton, Calif., though he has planning,” said Johnson. “Just blowing it off and thinking I never foigotten his roots. Johnson says the tuition increase can get by putting in the minimal From milking cows on his grand is mainly responsible for bringing amount of work can lead to disas father’s dairy farm to putting in 15- the budget back into balance, though ter.” hour days in the melon sheds, Cyndee Mady C o -E ditor -I n -C hief CYNDEE MADY C lackamas P rint Johnson begins third year as President at Clackamas. Johnson has always enjoyed the fruits of his labor. As a young boy, he worked in his family’s drug store along side his father. “They used to turn a box upside down and I would stand on it and run the register.’’said Johnson. Palo Verde College, located in a desert town outside of Pain. Springs, California was Johnson’s first teach ing job. Johnson met his now wife of 30 years at a faculty pool party. “We were all splashing around in the pool at this party and I popped up and there she was and there I was and the rest was history,” said Johnson. Together they share four children from ages 15 to 27, two of whom are currently enrolled in college. Johnson served as a faculty member and administrator in California’s community college sys tem for many years before transfer ring to Clark College in Vancouver, Wash, where he held the position of president for 15 years. Prior to his appointment at CCC, Johnson served as Chancellor and Superintendent of the San Mateo County Community College district in California, overseeing the opera tion of three college campuses. CCC's Middle College provides alternative educational experience Karen Hill F eature E ditor Huddled in a two-room modular located behind Randall Hall are 12 high school students enjoying the comfort and security of a small, carpeted venue, complete with sofa and coffee pot, as they work to earn their high school diplomas and college credits simultaneously. The students are part of a new program called Middle College. The program offers alternative school students a chance to complete high school and earn an Associates of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) degree. The students chosen to start the pilot program are from the Tri- City Alternative Program (TCAP) located on the Harmony campus. "We’re targeting the under-repre sented population,” said Lisa Nielson, Middle College instructor. “[Middle College] is like a small high school that has gotten rid of the definitive border between high school and college. It provides stu dents with work-related experience, college skills and a smooth transition into the college environment, physi cally and socially.” The students meet in the modular together to take the Clackamas Middle College seminar. Psychology 101 and Bridges I, which is a six- credit class that focuses on career choices and life skills. Students also attend a variety of other college classes on campus, varying with the may be a mystery to its participants, degree of their choice and the cours the instructors know who to thank es that accompany that degree. when it comes to paying the expenses. “The goal of our program is to “Middle College is funded by teach these people to be contributing four sources,” said Marks. The adults,” said Brenda Inglis Marks, funding includes PELL grants, an skills development department chair. application for a Charter School, “Each person has a plan specific to The Middle College National them.” Consortium, and an agreement The students’ with the students' future career goals school district, in "This was a include criminal jus which a portion of tice, law, music the school's state great opportu technology, auto money is exchanged nity ana we repair, auto mechan for their student. wanted to take ics and architectural A huge aspect drafting. of the program is the it." For most of the small group experi students, this is a ence. Amy Webb chance of a life “The kids have Student time: a paid edu a chance to bond cation and the with the instructor,” opportunity to said Marks. Students earn a college degree. Abbie Jenck and Amy Webb agree. “I never thought I’d go to col “There is a lot of one-on-one lege,” said Tiffany Friesen, a 17 time and the teachers and staff are year-old student who joined very supportive,” said Jenck. Middle College after attending one “This was a great opportunity and year at TCAP. “Neither of my par we wanted to take it,” Webb added. ents went to college. I’m going to Participants Jeremy Alani and be the first to do something, to Matt Wibbens are thankful for the make something of myself. I don’t opportunity Middle College has know who’s funding this program, offered. “It's a good program. It's but I thank them all!” helping us succeed,” said Alani. When asked for her motivation to “I was never dedicated to school join Middle College, student Kristin before,” admitted Friesen. “This pro Manning replied, “It’s going to be gram pushed me into it. My life is paid for!” totally switched around. I thank God While funding for this program for it.” CORY PRICE C lackamas P rint Instructor Lisa Nielson studies with Middle College student Jeremy Alani. ISAIAH CREEL C lackamas P rint Casey looks to the future in hopes of stable relationship. Acute math tutor proves to the world that he's no square Isaiah Creel T he C lackamas P rint Popular opinion holds that math tutors are essentially overzealous teachers’ pets, each complete with a comically large bow tie, horn rimmed glasses, a pocket protector and a Vulcan-like grasp of logic. Levi Casey, however, isn’t your stereotypical math tutor. This single, 23 year-old Virgo enjoys candle-lit dinners, long walks on the beach and long story problems. He doesn’t wear glass es, and thought only briefly about purchasing a pocket protector. He’s no computer genius, but he is proficient with both the TI 83+ and the TI 89 graphing calculators. “I like intelligent women, but they don’t have to be good at math,” said Casey. “As long as they can recognize the value of it.” Many students are aware of the various tutoring programs offered here at CCC such as the math pro gram Casey is involved in, but many of those same students choose not to take advantage of the tutors. The intimidating visage that first comes to mind at the mention of a tutor is enough to frighten even the most liberal-minded college student, and sadly many go without the help they so desperately need. The common misconception is that tutors in general have some what of a “holier than thou” atti tude towards their fellow students. The truth of the matter is that these tutors are students too, and are just as afraid of you as you are of them. Like Casey, they are just normal people, although perhaps with a slightly better-than-average under standing of the concepts of such daunting topics as the Pythagorean Theorem. They are here to help alleviate some of the stress that comes with the astronomic homework load forced upon the average college student. Math tutors are available Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Casey lovingly refers to Mondays as “the bum rush,” when he helps approximately 20 people throughout the course of the day. The rest of the week is wide open though, so feel free to stop by Streeter Hall for some standard deviation.
