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
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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
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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.
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