The Clackamas print., October 01, 2022, Page 5, Image 5

5
____________ NEWS
Power takes power
COLLEGE BOARD APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR
STORY BY ETHAN M. ROGERS
NEWS EDITOR
Karin Power was sworn in to an
appointed position as a director on
the Clackamas Community College
Board of Education on Sept. 21,
2022.
Power takes the position vacated
by Greg Chaimov, who left the board
position early in order to spend
more time with his grandchild in
Vancouver, Washington.
Power edged' out applicant
Deb Barnes, who teaches media
and communications at North
Clackamas School District, largely
due to her legal and legislative
experience.
As a lawyer and former
Democratic representative to the
state legislature for Milwaukie’s
District 41, Power brings with her
the experience and skills that the
board once relied on Chaimov, also
a lawyer, to provide.
Though the board - position is
new for Power, she was active in
the college’s Summer Connections
event. That stood out to CCC
President Tim Cook, who lent his
voice in support of Power When
asked by the board for input.
“I appreciate the conversation,”
Cook said. “I think I saw the same
things you saw after last week. Both
are very, very talented and, I think,
really care also about the college. (I
was) really impressed with the work
they had done. Cut to the chase, I
think Karin Power’s past legislative
background would be really helpftil
for us.”
Power will hold office until June
30, 2023. She is eligible to run for a
four-year term on the board during
the May 2023 election cycle.
Cook said Power has “been
engaged in other work with us, she’s
worked with us a little on some
childcare issues and some other
things moving forward.”
“It is just an unexpected gift to
have this board vacancy,” Power said
during her interview with the board.
“Over the last couple of years, I have
The Clackamas Print--------
Karin Power is sworn in to the Clackamas Community College Board.
Photo by Ethan M. Rogers,
been working most especially on
access to childcare as a workforce
issue, as an education barrier, as
an underinvestment in the littiest
kids in a way that really holds .back
women, moms, from being able to
participate in die workforce.
“It’s importantfor board members
to be out in the community and
representing
broad
sections,”
Power said in her interview, “not
just their district but at events and
seeing what, folks are experiencing,
listening to the barriers to education,
so you’re being mindful - not just
delivering high quality, affordable
education for folks, but are they able
to get there? And, if not, how can
we figure out how to help them get
there? And then, once they’re there,
be successful?”
Power is concerned with barriers
to opportunity such as food
insecurity and housing insecurity
- all the external factors that most
people take for granted but which
can stifle a person’s ability to grow
and learn through education.
“I think of community colleges
like I do our libraries,” she said. “I
wish they were also free, but that is
not where we are.”
For Power, its about “finding
people where they are,” she said,
“helping them to see pathways to
whatever success means for them.
That might be a couple classes here
and there to learn a new skill. It
might be a new career pathway. It
might be more credits to get ready
for college as a high-school student.”
Power decided not to seek re-
election to the state legislature, along
with two other female legislators,
due to a lack of childcare.
“I would love to see more support
in the entire pipeline of career
development around affordable
childcare,”. Power said, “it is the
linchpin that we are missing in
helping people be able to go to
school, look for work, have kids
have stable places to learn and play
when they’re little and frankly lift
people out of poverty. That, to me,
would be a meaningful success.”
th e cla cka m a sp rin t.co m
COOK, fro m page 4
“Students need opportunities to get together and
connect,” Cook said. “They might have liked online
because it was more convenient, but they really
missed being together.”
Convenience, connections, caring and community.
These are the watchwords of the new campus model.
“If I’m having my classes online, or some of them
online, are there places on campus I can pop in and
do that? Are there other reasons for me.to come here
and be engaged that way?” Cook said. “Students and
staff have said we need more of these spaces where
we can just pop in and can get this done.”
Cook spoke of the new collaborative spaces, small
one- and two-person rooms, available on campus for
student use.
People also are often surprised by the basic needs
challenges many CCC students experience while
trying to earn a degree, according to Cook.
In a 2019 survey of CCC students, almost 600 of
respondents had experienced basic needs insecurity.
That means they weren’t sure how they were going
to eat, pay a bill or have a place to sleep.
“Almost half experienced housing insecurity in the
past year?’ Cook said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean
homelessness. It means that they, for a time, might
have had to miss a rent payment, might have had to
do some couch surfing or had to figure out some way
to live, that wasn’t secure in their own housing.” ,
Twenty percent of CCC students experienced
homelessness in the last year, he said.
“This is provocative,” Cook said, “so I’m saying it
Wherever I canUWe’re looking at affordable housing.
We’re really trying to figure out - how do we help be
part of the solution with some of the housing issues
and the affordable housing issues.
“This isn’t new. PCC is doing it right now. Columbia
Gorge just opened one. Some of the other rural
community colleges have been doing this for a while,
and so we’re exploring that pretty seriously.”
He also said that a lack of childcare remains one of
the biggest barriers for CCC students.
“We’ve had a childcare program, a training
program for years. We just this last year started
offering it entirely in Spanish,” Cook said. “This is
another area that we’re really trying to think about
what size we need to be because it also helps us
inform what, types of facilities and buildings that
we’re needing as we move forward.”
People often ask Cook if the brick and mortar
campus is going away.
“I would argue that we’re always going to be
here, and we’re always going to have a place in this
community,” Cook said. “I run every weekend on
campus. People are walking their dogs, people are
connecting. It’s a place where people come together,
and we pride ourselves on being a welcoming place.
“I say it every presentation,” he said, “community’s
our middle name. We take this really seriously. Being
involved with all of you, with our community, is
really important to us as we do this work”
O ctober 2022