2
The
Clackamas Print
WILTON: On funding
Continued from WILTON, Page 1
His and the administration’s
number one priority this year is
increasing enrollment
“Enrollment was down last year,
it was down close to 5 percent and
that does affect our funding,” said
Wilton. “We are all aware of that
and we are all pretty focused on try­
ing to reverse that trend and actually
grow our enrollment”
When Wilton isn’t busy keeping
Clackamas above water financially,
he spends much of his free time
keeping himself afloat while kaya­
king on some of the Northwest’s
finest rivers.
“ft’s really beautiful, and the rap­
ids are really exciting,” he explainol.
“You have a fair amount of control,
and you’re the one that’s driving the
boat basically.”
Even though he goes as far as
White Salmon, Wash., with his wife
and two children, to kayak and hike,
he maintains that one of the best riv­
ers for beginning kayakers is right
here on the Clackamas.
“The run from Barton to Carver
has some rapids, and yet it’s not
anything super difficult” he said,
“hi the winter it’s better because the
levels are up and there are not so
many people.”
Albeit a successful kayaking run
usually only relies on the skills of
the one operating it Wilton is look­
ing forward to being part of a group
again.
‘T’m here, and I want to be a
good team member,” he said. ‘T am
in a learning mode right now.”
ADA: It really helps
Continued from ADA, Page 1
According
to
DRC
Accommodation Specialist Rose
Lefebvre, one of two major advan­
tages of the workstation’s software
packages is that “they have Zoom
Text for people who have low-
vision.” This allows students to
enlarge the text until they can eas­
ily see and read it
‘It really helps,” said Lefebvre.
“We get quite a demand for Zoom
Text ... that’s why we paid for
licensing on all five worksta­
tions.” w
The workstations also feature
Dragon Naturally Speaking -
commonly referred to as “Dragon­
speak” - which helps those who
have difficulty typing or are unable
to type. The student in question
wears a headset and speaks aloud
the words to be written. Dragon
Naturally Speaking “hears” the
student’s words and places them
on the document.
Before creating documents
with Dragon-speak, a student
must first spend time talking to
the program itself so that it may
‘Team” the individual’s unique
inflections, accents and pronunci­
ation. A permanent profile is saved
on the hard drive so that once
“introduced,” Dragon-speak will
“remember” the student.
Each workstation’s computer
features additional software to
assist disabled students with other
challenged, such as programs that
can read text out-loud.
The stations comprise only a
fraction of the creative solutions
offered by DRC.
“Lots of people view disabili­
ties as just physical disabilities,”
said Betsy Pacheco, DRC and
tutoring coordinator. “They don’t
think of things like depression and
anxiety.”
Students interested in learn­
ing more about the Disability
Resource Center, free Tutorial
Services or other accommodations
should visit room CC142 in the
Community Center, located near
the south-eastern entrance. Betsy
Pacheco can be reached at 503-
657-6958, ext 2324.
News
Wednesday, Opt. 10, 2007
FERRA: Protecting
student privacy
Sam Krause
Editor-in-Chief
Little known to the
average community col­
lege yahoo, certain rights go
along wife higher educa­
tion.
Sometimes a student
will be asked to waive
these rights in order to
achieve a goal that ben-
efits him or her. And
sometimes, par­
ents want to know
their kids’ grades to
make sure there is
return on that 18-ye
(and sometimes more)
investment called child-rearing.
Enter stage left the Family
Education Rights and Privacy Act,
or FERPA This handy document,
drafted in 1974, dictates what infor­
mation can and cannot be released by
a college.
FERPA acts as an all-encompass-
ing umbrella to higher education insti­
tutions nationwide. How the law is
interpreted and carried out is deter­
mined by each individual institution
and, therefore, varies.
Clackamas takes a more conserva-
live approach to students’ educational
information, erring on the side of cau­
tion, For instance, some colleg­
es will release information to
a parent if his or her child
is claimed as a depen­
dent - Clackamas
doesnot
In some cases, a
student will be
asked by his or her parent to sign a
release so the parent can keep track of
the student’s progress.
“Helicopter Parents” are a factor.
These are the parents who attempt
to micro-manage their kids’ educa­
tion, sometimes even from across the
country.
Some employers offer tuition reim­
bursement, and they might require
specific educational information for a
student to receive that money. This is
often a reason for signing a release.
‘Tri that release, we specifically
want to know what we are being
authorized to release. So, just by sign­
ing that doesn’t mean we’re obligated
to give everything we know about that
person,” said Diane Drebin, dean of
instructional services.
College staff are allowed to release
certain tidbits of information. This
includes enrollment status, verifica­
tion ofdegree or certificate award, res­
idency (in-state or out-of-state), major
or program and athletic participation.
These types of information are called
student directory information.
Some students don’t want any
information on their record shared.
“If a student wishes to have a
complete restriction on their record
- meaning not even directory infor­
mation can be given - then they file a
request with the registrar and we put
a FERPA restriction on their record,” I
said Drebin. “If someone were to call
and ask about that person, what we
have to say is there is no information
available on that person, and we can’t
say if they’re enrolled or not”
hi some cases, local law enforce­
ment will come to the college with
safety concerns regarding a student I
“Oftentimes we have officers
come in and they have to have a sub­
poena,” said Drebin.
By law, the college has to give the
information, but they also have to tell
the student that his or her records were
subpoenaed within 14 days.
Between the law, overbearing par­
ents and employers, it’s important
to decide how personal educational
records will be handled by the col­
lege.
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Hitz I
Clackamas Print I
Returning soldiers get extra help
Show your Spirit! Celebrate CCC’s
40th Anniversary!
CLACKAMAS
COMNUNIH COLLEGE
FREE 40th Anniversary
binder and spiral *
notebook with
purchase of a
-40th Anniversary
T-shirt! Just bring the
coupon below to the
Bookstore by
October 19,2007.
Clackamas Community College Bookstore
Valid October 10-19,2007
Buy one 40th Anniversary T-shirt and get
an Anniversary binder and a spiral notebook
FREE ( a $4.99 Value)!
* Introducing new Bookstore Hours* *
7:45 am - 5:30 pm^ Monday - Thursday
7:45 am - 3:00 pm Friday
Photo Illustration by Kyle Steele Clackamas Print
Lydia Bashaw
The Clackamas Print
Leaving behind camouflage and
tanks isn’t the hardest part for sol­
diers returning home.
Finding work or returning to
school may be even more difficult
than when they left - but help is
on the way.
Partnering with the Oregon
National Guard, Clackamas is
expecting hundreds of veterans and
their families on campus Nov. 3.
The college will be holding a Job
and Benefits Fair to educate veter­
ans on the opportunities, services
pnd benefits available to them.
Most of the visitors will be
National Guard members read­
justing to life back home. After
serving overseas, when it comes
to locating career and education
opportunities, these soldiers need a
little extra assistance.
The event, though sponsored by
the National Guard and Clackamas,
has brought attention from local
companies and community servic­
es.
According to Dean of Student
Services Bill £uelke, the veterans
will have access to workshops,
information on local benefits and
one-on-one contact with over 40
employers.
“A lot of soldiers are under­
employed or unemployed,” said
Zuelke. “Because they serve over­
seas, they have access to all kinds
of benefits. It’s hard to tell them all
about these benefits.”
With the aid of community
agencies, Clackamas has arranged
to hold numerous workshops on
job skills, using and finding bene­
fits for soldiers. It will also provide
soldiers and their families access to
community and county services.
“A lot of times there are a lot of
benefits for the soldiers, but what
they really need is help for their
kids and spouses,” said Zuelke.
“They don’t get the same ben­
efits.”
The fair, which wi 11 last all day
Saturday, will be held in Gregory
Forum and the Community Center.
All of the college’s resources will
be available, including computers
on which to type resumes, fac­
ulty members to answer questions
about departments and counseling
advisers to help with educational
needs.
“The whole team is chipping
in and getting ready to make this
happen,” said Zuelke. “Everybody
is stepping up. It’s a great thing
we get to do - just to give back
to them for everything they have
done.”