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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 2009)
Clackamas Print online at TheClackamasPrintcom First copy FREE, additional copies ltf Print ma a per since I i udependent, 1 Volume 42, Issue 14 Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 mas Community College, Oregon City, OR Ian enforcement goes up in smoke ale Whitten hu can see them; you can smell them. It’s the Irs who still aren’t using the designated smok- F wept. 15, 2008, the school restricted smoking Jes on campus. According to Administrative lion 409-001 smoking tobacco is prohibited the shelters placed around the campus and arking lots. And, non-smoke tobacco products t be used in any buildings or within 25 feet ing entrances. The penalty for not complying ■$I5 fine for the first offense, and $30 for each ■ent offense. I has not been enough to deter some students r, who can still frequently be seen walking ■campus with a lit cigarette in their hand. ' Me anonymous student said he often will light lie's walking across campus to the parking lot. ■s considered a citable offense; you must be ■ally in the parking lot before you start smok ■■■BSIB i | h S| h £ Robert Crawford Clackamas Print Student Josh Crabb smokes in one of the designated areas. Enforcing these zones has become a challenge. catch many of the violators. There is only one officer on duty on campus at a time. The morning officer patrols from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the night officer is on duty from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. There are also a few cadets who patrol the campus from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., but they are instructed for their own safety not to approach smoking violators. Instead, they are required to notify the on-duty officer. It is also hard to actually catch someone in the act. Even if campus safety is notified of an offense, by the time the officer arrives on the scene, the violator will usually have already finished their cigarette or thrown it out. Campus safety has also created a list for multiple offenders, so when they cite an offender, they will be able to look up how many citations they have previous ly received. That way, they know the correct amount to fine that particular person. Currently, they have to go to the campus safety office to look this information up, but they are in the process of having laptops installed in the patrol cars, so they can look up records on site. .If students receive a citation, they are given the opportunity to appeal it, just like parking citations. TTiey will be reviewed by the same, committee that reviews traffic appeals, and they will be notified if the fine has been reduced or dropped. When asked if the lack of citations being handed out would influence her decision to use the designated smoking areas, student Lucy Stirling said, “It’s the least I can do, but I don’t take (thé smoking ban) seri ously.” Part time staff member Paul Sandmeyer said, “Yeah I’ll continue to use them. They were built for a pur pose, and people should use them regardless of how well they are being monitored.” Dick Ashbaugh, the department chair for campus services who supervises campus safety, noted-that he thinks, “The (smoking ban) program is going well.” And, Kandratieff also added that most students are abiding by the new rules, and that it really takes an equal effort from both the students and the authorities for something like this to really be a success. rmer veteran devotes energy and effort into new life ked through DeJardin Hall, V groups of students waiting »class to start, and into the Is Center where my 2 p.m. } was. Casey Curry was ■here waiting for me, sitting 'a chair looking quite relaxed, ized for being late, and she quite okay. She said she hi at school since 7:15 am. was the first chance she had ■hroughoul the day. Vhi me may prefer a relaxed e to pass through life at, Curry ks to blast through it like a mis- kitli unlimited fuel. lwoman||io has always worked ■ life just wanting to help oth- ers, Curry’s contributions often have been noticed by those around her. “Casey is a wonderful co-worker. She is very helpful and polite,” said her coworker Libby Gibson. A member of the National Guard for 26 years, Curry has only recently left tire military, and is now pursu ing a business degree with a special interest in Training and Development that she gained while in Afghanistan. Although she doesn’t have the “per fect” job chosen yet, she has a real idea of what she wants to do. “I want to work for a compa ny where I can develop training programs and teach them,” Curry explained. Curry’s love for this type of work came about when she was put in charge of teaching a class about how to drive Up Armor Humvees Megan Shaw Clackamas Print a student in the financial aid office. P Guard member of 26 years, is also highly active in yeteran community. furry helps (UAH). Before getting the Humvees, the military was using sports utility vehicles. However, when the need for Up Armor vehicles became apparent and Humvees started rolling into the expansive and rocky country, instruc tors were needed to train drivers on how to safely maneuver the new behemoths. “When we started getting UAHs we had never driven them before,” the mother and military woman said. “We went from three ton cars to 10 ton.” She first taught U.S. troops on the nuances of driving the new vehi cles, but later taught more classes to instructors in the Afghan army, an experience she describes as initially scary. She was the first woman to ever teach in the Afghan army’s Maintenance and Driving program. After overcoming the initial fear, she grew into her new role and it became a highlight of her tour. “I realized I was good at it and I loved it,” Curry said. Curry is not new to being a pio neering female. When she first joined the Guard, women had only been qualifying with weapons for a year. The transitional time seems like it would be fraught with sexism, but out of the six weeks of basic training, Curry said only during the two weeks that everyone was in the class room did sexism really present itself. “It felt good to be part of a chang ing military,” Curry reminisced. The move to join the military seemed like nothing but a normal step to Curry, who for most of her life had wanted to be a police officer. “In my family someone was always in the Army,” she said. She has a cousin in the Air Force; her uncle was in the Navy, as was her father, who was stationed at Hickam Field, Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked during World War II. Now that she is out of the military, Curry is keeping herself busy by being a full time student, while at the same time earning her financial aid through work study. On top of it all, she is president of the Veterans Chib on campus and an integral part of the Veterans Center. The 47-year old veteran is a firm believer in the idea of once a Guard member forever a Guard member, and even though she is busy and seemingly enjoying civilian life, a part of her wants to be back in the faces. “Yeah, I’m retired,” Curry said solemnly. “I miss it I miss it a lot There’s a bond you build even just one weekend a month and I miss that” Working with her boss. Veteran Services Coordinator Sharon Maggard, helping veteran students, as wel 1 as working with tire Veterans Club and Center have helped to quench this longing, but even now, Curry doesn’t know if her retirement from the guard is permanent or not Curry was bom and raised in Oregon, and has always loved the state, but her pet peeve here is the rain, something she rarely had to put up with during her tour in Afghanistan. Her first winter back was a reminder of how rainy Oregon is. “I was miserable, my dogs were CURRY miserable, the house was a mess,” Curry said loathing the long, wet winters the valley brings. Curry was raised in mostly Southern and Eastern Oregon, where she was always able to distinguish the four seasons, as opposed to Northwestern Oregon’s seemingly two seasons, rainy and not so rainy. Although the rain is an annoy ance, the Vets Club president doesn't take Oregon for granted or anything else real ly. Her childhood, where her mother taught her lessons about living with less, and her tour in Afghanistan both taught her the importance of appreciating what you have, and the triviality of complaining about what you don’t have. The lessons she has learned, and her longing to help others, have made Curry a useful part of the Clackamas community, as well as an integral cog, in the advancing wheel of the schools veteran community.
