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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2011)
2 The Clackamas Print Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 newsed@clackamas. edu Innovator o f midnight welding hired full-time By Isaac Soper The Clackamas Print Isaac Soper The Clackamas Print Nov. 21, beloved welding instructor and Clackamas C om m unity College alumnus John Phelps finished submitting his paper work co become a full-time instructor at the <»llege. | “[Phelps] absolutely puts students first and cares deeply about their success, so m uch so, that he sacrifices m uch o f his own time, he will com e early stay lace, w ork with them over the phone, do whatever it takes to help students be successful in learning skills arid attaining knowledge and ultimately getting Jobs,” said Scott Giltz, dean o f tech health occupations workforce (TH O W ). Bor approximately six years, Phelps has worked as a part-time instructor on cam pus. His employment started w hen he was approached by the department chair six years ago to teach a sum m er class, in which he accepted. ‘ H e is a really good teacher,” said welding student Artem Kot. T hough he is a welding instructor, Phelps hasn’t always been interested in welding. In 2002, Phelps had applied for a plum bing apprenticeship; rather he was p ut on. a wait ing list. Phelps had the idea to take some welding courses at Clackamas to try and get a higher num ber on the list w hen he applied again later. “W hat happened is, I got here and I started having run. T h e people here were like no one else I’d ever met. T hey were really genuine and sincerely cared. It became addictive, actually. I wanted to be here; I’d go to w ork and I would look forward to coming to class after work,” said Phelps. Three'years ago, Phelps founded a “mid night welding course” o n campus. “T he mid night welding class everybody’s enjoyed solid enrollment, in something that you wouldn’t think would be attractive to anyone fiom a time standpoint,” said Giltz. T h e course meets either two or four times during the week for the entire term, fiom 10 pun. to 2 a.m. “It’s a lot o f fun because that’s the type o f people you get in that class which makes it really fun to teach and really fun to take, because you have someone who’s there who’s serious,” said Phelps. Phelps is not only a prom oter o f the weld ing department; he is also a great supporter and promoter o f the college and its entire staff “I think we have one o f m e best programs in the state; I love the college in general. I am very fond o f the staff here, campus-wide. I’m a graduate o f our program, so it took m e four years to get m y two year associate degree, going at it part-time. Along the way [during] those four years, I m et a lot o f people,” said Phelps. “I m ade a lot o f friends along the way” Phelps wants students to know about the welding departm ent and to know that there are other classes than just “welding” including plasma cutting and blacksmithing a course that is n ot readily available at m ost colleges. According to Phelps, every step o f the blacksmithing process takes great skill,' including the form in which one swings the smiths ham m er down to the location o f each blow m ade on the red hot steel. According to Phelps, the welding depart m ent is one o f the m ost utilized buildings o n campus, being used by staff and students seven days a week. O n e o f the reasons for the success o f the department is that Phelps, along with his colleagues, are attempting to save funds within their program by using more sustainable practices. T he scrap metal left over fiom projects is recycled and some o f the metal, particularly aluminum, that the welding department uses, is donated fiom local businesses, in which Phelps and all o f his colleagues are very thankful for. “I think I got the best job in the world. I love helping people,” said Phelps. M a tt Wylie, a welding and automotive student, practices his aluminum welding skills inside one o f the student built welding stations. ELECTION: College offers to help state fix unclear’ guidelines Continued from Page 1 W h e n T ru esd ell w as still c o n te s tin g th e ru lin g , she sta te d i n a re c e n t C ollege C o u n c il m e e tin g th a t th ere w ere 36 agen cies h av in g th e sam é issue w ith clarity o n violations. B u t acco rd in g to A n d rea C a n tu -S c h o m u s , th e c o m m u n ic a tio n s d irecto r fo r th e S ecretary o f S tate, th e O re g o n electio n s office fin ed 2 9 peo p le for b reak in g th e electio n law since 2 0 0 6 . Six o f th e p eo p le fin ed challenged th e ruling. Several issues in th e investigator’s re p o rt left th e th ree seeking clarification o n m a n y th in g s. A cco rd in g to P aulson, o n e issue arose w h en th e y w ere given a large m ajo r ity o f th e evidence used i n th e P o rtla n d P u b lic Schools in v estigation w h en th ey h a d asked fo r th e ir ow n. T h e re w ere also o th e r clarificatiori issues su ch as th e b allo t title b ein g d eclared im p artial a n d th e lack o f ex p lan atio n o n d o c u m e n ts th a t th e in v estig ato r review ed. “I t’s also im p o rta n t h o w th e c o u n ty elections d ivision accepts th e b allo t tid e . T h e y p o st it fo r seven days to ensure th a t i f th ere is an y o n e w h o objects to th e lan guage in th ere. T h e elections division a n d b o n d c o u n cil also review it,” said Truesdell. “I t d irecd y says, ‘T h e b allo t tid e does Staff- 77ie Clackamas Print aims to report the news in an honest, unbiased and professional manner. Content published in The Print is not screened or subject to censorship. 19600 Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045 n o t m e e t th e factors to be a n im p artial d o c u m e n t.’ T h a t’s th e language th e y used th a t I T o u n d to be very u n clear/’ said P arini, w hose jo b d u rin g th e M a y b o n d w as in overseeing arid co o rd in a tin g b o n d in fo rm a tio n . “S peaking fo r m yself, I fo u n d it a b it u n fair because w e w ere d e p e n d in g o n th o se m aterials to keep us p o in te d in th e rig h t d ire c tio n alo n g w ith in fo rm a tio n received fro m th e co m p lian ce officer h e rse lf”- T h e re p o rt also states th a t m o st o f th e docum ents, have th e sam e issues, as a p o st card th a t P arini se n t for co m p lian ce advice earlier in th e year. A m o n g th e factors sta te d are th e balance o f factual in fo rm a tio n , th e to n e o f th e d o c u m e n t a n d th e usé o f th e w o rd s “w ill” a n d “need.” “T h o se are som e o f th e factors th a t lead to th e accusation th a t w e w ere vio latin g th e law a n d I have to say th a t w e d o n t agree w ith th a t. B ecause th o se are n o t fac to rs th a t w e fo u n d in th e O R S law,” said P arini. “We w ere w o rk in g very h a rd to stay w ith in co m p lian ce b u t th e guidelines [from th e election’s office] are subjective - th e y suggest. A n d th a t is w h ere w e g o t in to som e areas o f grey.” A cco rd in g to T ruesdell, th e S ecretary o f S tate’s office a n d th e electio n d ivision w ill Editors Editor-in-Chief: Brian Baldwin Copy Editor: Katherine Suydam News Editor: Patty Salazar Arts&Culture Editor: Mandie Gavitt . Sports Editor: John William Howard Photo Editor: Hillary Cole Web Editor: Anna Axelson Design Editor: James Duncan Ad Manager: Brad Heineke d ra ft a set o f guidelines for th e ir ad m in is trativ e rules, w ith o r w ith o u t a n advisory g ro u p , a n d w ill sen d a co p y to P aulson, P arini a n d h e rse lf to be review ed a n d a d d suggestions to: D e p e n d in g o n th e division, th e ro u g h d ra ft o f th e rules w ill b e o p e n fo r a certain a m o u n t o f tim e before th e y are finalized. T h e feedback th a t th e y w o u ld sen d b ack w o u ld be h o w th e guidelines w o u ld have p e rta in e d to th e m as in d iv id u als ra th e r th a n a w hole. “W e’re g o in g to h elp fix these guidelines so th a t th ere is n o ro o m fo r areas o f grey so w e are very clear, even in term s o f sim ple details like ‘w ill’, ‘n e e d ’ a n d sh o u ld ,’” said P arini. T h e college has n o t y e t m ad e a n y p lans t o go fo r a n o th e r bond, m easure so o n b u t doesn’t dism iss th a t th e re w ill b e o n e so o n since th e sam e issues a ro u n d ca m p u s still n e e d to be resolved. “T h o se n eeds still exist a n d w e are,trying to address th e m in d ifferen t ways 'because th a t Is w h a t w e h av e to do. E q u ip m e n t still has to b e p u rch ase d a n d som e o f th e electrical panels still have to be d ealt w ith; so w e’ll b e d ealing w ith th o se th ro u g h tire o p e ra tin g b u d g e t/ said T ruesdell. T h e election division cu rre n tly h as n o t d rafted a n y guidelines fo r review. Writers & Photographers Dachabre Dixon Robby Morrison Matt Senn Isaac Soper Chris Taylor Adviser: Melissa Jones 503-594-6266 Production Assistants Dan Bailey Mollie Berry Joshua Dillen Tyler Eheler Járonte Goldsby Telicia Juliano Hicham Kerkour Ellen Niles Fred Ramsey Emily Rask Mireille Soper follow us on twitter @ClackamasPrint Contact Information chiefed@clackamas.edu copyed@clackamas.edu newsed@clackamas.edu aced@ciackamas.edu sportsed@ciackamas.edu photoed@clackamas.edu admgr@ciackamas.edu webeditor@clackamas.edu
