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.