May 17, 2000
Page A6
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Business
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PGE honors diversity and inclusivity
in philosophy and deed
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By the 21” century, the American
w orkforce will include a growing
num ber ofw om en and people o f color.
F o rw ard -th in k in g com panies are
challenged to recruit and retain a
culturally diverse workforce. PGE has
em erged as one o f the leading
businesses nationw ide that honors
diversity in philosophy and deed. On
W ednesday, April 26, PGE organized
the 2000 D iversity Sum m it at the
O regon C o n v e n tio n C enter. C o ­
sponsors o f the event w ere Hewlett
P ack a rd an d P ro v id e n ce H ealth
System. A bout 1,000 people attended
the day-long event.
T he greater intent by PGE and its co­
sponsors w as to invite com panies
and the general public to a sem inar
that w ould help effect changes within
the culture o f their w orkplace to truly
s u p p o r t p e o p le o f d if fe r in g
perspectives, cultures, and ideas.
A highlight o f the sum m it was the
keynote speaker, Les Brown, author
an d te le v is io n p e rs o n a lity . H is
inspiring m essage w as on how an
organization can em brace diversity
to achieve peak perform ance in the
new m illennium . O ther scheduled
speakers w ere national w orkshop
specialists like Peggy Nagae, a former
civil rights attorney w ho represented
th e U .S . g o v e r n m e n t in th e
r e p r o b a tio n c a s e fo r J a p a n e s e
internment cam p survivors, and Anitra
R asm ussen, a senior m em ber o f the
O regon H ouse o f R epresentatives,
20
Diversity Summit
form s. “T hey w ere concerned about
data from the census affecting public
assistance or becom ing inform ation
that w ould be obtained by the Internal
R evenue Service,” Jones said.
She could only speculate on lower
r a te s o f re tu r n fo r H is p a n ic -
A m ericans and Asian-Americans, for
w hich data was unavailable as o f
p re s s tim e . H o w ev er, a b ility to
com prehend the census form was
w ithout a doubt one factor in low er
return rates for these populations.
“ A ny tim e language is a barrier, that
produces a problem ,” Jones said.
M ultnom ah County Com m issioner
S erena C ruz led an effort to boost this
y e a r’s census returns overall, and in
a census tract marked by lower return
rates this year w hich exceeded its
goals.
“T heC om pleteC ount Committee and
an A frican-A m erican subcom m ittee
led a canvass effort in the area with
the lowest turnout in 1990,” Cruz said.
T his census tract includes the area
w est o f N. W illiam s Ave. betw een
A lberta and K illingsw orth. On April
24 a door to door canvass was held to
boost turnout rates in this area that
su c c e e d e d , a c c o rd in g to p u b lic
officials.
“T he com m ittees, w hich the census
( ONI R1BL r tÜ S lQ R i
Rose Festival vendors are required by O regon law to
com plete an application for tem porary food service
license from M ultnomah County Health Department.
A pplications m ust be com pleted tw o w eeks prior to
the event.
The food service license and inspection are m easures
to prevent a possible food-borne illness in the
com m unity. T he H ealth D epartment is able to point
out potential problem s and give helpful suggestions
about serving food to the public.
On the day o f the event, a representative from the Health
D epartm ent will m eet with each food vendor.
During this meeting, the representative will discuss
im portant safety procedures for each operation, inspect
the food stands, and issue each organization serving
food a te m p o rary resta u ran t licen se. For m ore
in formation or to obtai n an appl ¡cat ion for a food service
licen se, co n tact th e M u ltn o m ah C o u n ty H ealth
Department, Environmental Health Section at 988-3400.
HOME FOCUS
an d c o -s p o n s o r o f th e O re g o n
L e g i s la t u r e s ’
D ay
of
A cknow ledgem ent resolution.
S o m e o f th e re a l c h a lle n g e s
b u sin e sse s face are th in g s like
show ing leaders how to identify the
barriers and resistance to diversity
within their organization, and develop
p la n s w h ich in v o lv e th e w h o le
culture, not ju st the Human Resources
d epartm en t. T he 2000 D iv ersity
S um m it ad d re ssed th o se th o rn y
is s u e s a m o n g o th e rs su c h as
A f f ir m a tiv e
A c tio n ,
S exual
O rientation and Hate Crim es.
PGE has taken great m easures in
creating diversity in their em ployee
base, distribution channels, vendor
relationships and customer base. Very
few com panies challenge them selves
in the same way. C om peting in the
global econom y requires changing
your organization internally so that
diversity and inclusivity are com m on
practice. D iversity experts agree that
o r g a n iz a tio n a l in c lu s io n is an
im portant part o fdiversity program s.
A s Arleen Barnett, V ice President o f
H um an Relations at PGE explains, a
diverse w orkplace "has enriched our
team activities, our problem -solving
ability, and our strategic business
initiatives." P G E ’s com m itm ent to
th eir philosophic ideal o f being a
leader in the com m unity by valuing
diversity has been exem plary.
Census 2000 from page 1
o f N orth and N ortheast P ortland
betw een N. Albina, N. Killingsworth,
N o r th e a s t 2 0 lh, a n d N o r th e a s t
Freem ont w ere betw een 40 and 50
percent. D uring C ensus 2000 initial
response rates for the sam e area rose
by approxim ately 10 percent, to 50 or
60 percent, Jones said.
C o n c e r n e d a b o u t th is tr e n d ,
P o rtla n d ’s L ocal C e n su s O ffic e
M anager and sta ff analyzed w hy this
occurred during the last year and a
half. “W e’ve concluded that one thing
that w as very predom inant am ong
A frican-A m ericans w as that they had
a strong lack o f trust in the Federal
G overnm ent,” Jones said.
T hat w as not the only reason African-
A m ericans w eren 't filling" out census
Temporary restaurant licenses required
for food booths at Rose Festival
office has done, have all contributed
to a higher return rate in 2000 than in
1990. W e share the credit for the
increased turnout,” C ruz said.
A ssisting in the effort w as State Rep.
Jo A nn Bow m an, (D-N E Portland,
Dist. 19), w ho was acting in her
c a p a c ity as S ta f f A s s is ta n t to
M ultnom ah County C hair Bev Stein.
“Already w e have exceeded the effect
o f our success. W e’ve exceeded the
target rate o f a 67 percent turn in rate,”
Bowm an said.
“ W h at w e d id w as o rg a n iz e a
subco m m ittee to w ork on doing
o u tre a c h th ro u g h th e r e lig io u s
com m unity. W e partnered through
the A lbina M inisterial A lliance to do
o u tre a c h th ro u g h th e A fric a n -
A m erican com m unity,” C ruz said.
T he effort, w hich took place from
D ecem ber to May, w as to boost
census return rates as o f A pril 1.
U rb a n L e a g u e B o a rd M e m b e r
M argaret Carter, (D-N E Portland),
w ho is running for a seat on the
O regon State Senate, has aided the
effort to boost census returns in the
area o f North and N ortheast Portland
affected by low returns in 1990. She
p a rtic ip a te d in m e e tin g s o f the
A frican-A m erican C oalition on the
Census chaired by B ow m an held
Thursdays at the Lutheran Inner-City
M inistries from 6-8 p.m.
She also participated in this y ea r’s
effort to boost census returns by
going door to door and conducting
the census h erself in that area. C arter
explained A frican-A m ericans in that
area w ere also reluctant to provide
inform ation for fear that it w ould be
used by the Justice System or the
State Em ploym ent D epartment.
“ It’s not going to help me, so why
should I fill it out. Legitim ate or not
legitim ate, th a t’s the w ay m any felt,”
C arter said.
She was not surprised by the feelings
in d ic a te d by m a n y A fr ic a n -
Americans.
“ A frican-A m ericans for years have
not trusted the governm ent because
the governm ent was not favorable
tow ard blacks in this country. The
inform ation on the forms w ould be
potentially detrim ental to them .”
C a rter ex plained that fillin g out
ce n su s form s w as im p o rtan t for
A fric a n A m eric an s b ec au se the
inform ation would help state officials
determ ine the level o f services they
w o u ld rec eiv e , not b ec au se the
governm ent w anted to invade their
privacy.
“ W e have to get an active role in
term s o f the level o f services and the
s e rv ic e n e e d s w e h av e in th is
com m unity,” C arter said.
INSERT CO M M EN TS BY PUBLIC
OFFICIALS
Jones indicated about 900 tem porary
em ployees began census taking in
person as o f April 27 trying to count
all the people in the nation’s housing
units who did not mail back their
C ensus 2000 questionnaires as part
o f the largest peacetim e m obilization
in the nation’s history.
T his so-called non-response follow
up will extend from April 27-July 7,
about 10 weeks. P ortland's Local
Census Office has already hired about
900 tem porary em ployees for the
effort.
“ Each person w ears a badge. If
residents are concerned about the
identity o f the person, they can check
to m ake sure that perso n ’s signature,
w hich is on the back o f their census
badge, matches th e ird riv e r’s license
or identification,” Jones said.
T hose who have the census form
should not send it in, but can still fill
it out, and when the census w orker
com es they can ju st hand it over to
them instead o f being interviewed.
“T hey can also call my office and
v eri fy that the person a tth e d o o ris in
fact a census bureau em ployee."
Concerned citizens may contact Local
Census Bureau M anagerC ynthia M.
Jones at (503) 808-4160.
David Labovitz
SR. Loan Officer
Mortgage Market, INC
L
By D a m p L abovitz .
for T he
P ortland O bserver
A s a loan officer I know w hat you
need to know about hom e loans and
refinancing. In following articles I will
address specific topics that you will
need to know about and questions
that you will w ant to ask regarding
real estate.
T he first key to getting a good hom e
loan that m eets your needs is to ask
questions o f the person w ho you
have chosen to help you with getting
your hom e loan. Secondly, get your
answ ers! If you do not understand
the answ ers to your questions, ask
m ore questions. If your loan officer
uses a bunch o f term s that you are not
fam iliar with, cannot explain things to
your satisfaction, or this person is
reluctant to help you understand your
decisions, m oveon! Your hom e loan
is too im portant in the long run to let
som eone else tell you w hat to do.
Your loan officer is an advisor for you
rather than your decision maker.
Here is a basic starter question for
you. How long do you expect to live
in the hom e? I-year, 3-years, 20-
years? Som etim es it is only a guess
on your part, but it will help you select
the length o f the loan that you need.
In general, the shorter the tim e that
you need the m oney from a bank, the
less you will pay in interest each
month.
Find out how much m oney you have
to w ork with to buy a home. This is
basic to starting the process. You can
use savings and gifted funds from
im m ediate fam ily to help you with
dow n paym ent and closing costs.
M any times this will narrow down the
type o f program that you can go w ith.
How is your credit? Ask you loan
o fficer to get you a free “single
bureau” credit report. Ask fo ra copy.
T his is your business and you should
have a copy. Bew are o f som eone who
will no, share your inform ation with
you! Take the attitude that it is your
business. M ost people know if they
have decent credit, or if they m ight
have a few challenges. That does not
mean that the credit reports show the
facts correctly. You m ust find out
w hat others will read about you. A
good loan officer will help you work
w ith any problem s.
Y ou now have a good place to start.
Find a q uality loan o fficer, ask
questions, get your answ ers, total up
all o f the m oney that you wish to use
for buying a home, and have a look at
youreredit. Remember, it is your loan
for your home, and it is your business.
If you have any questions, call m e at
503/234-5160.
The Oregon Lottery is looking for people to join our winning team.
If you're interested in employment opportunities visit our Web Center:
www.oregonlottery.org
(dick the CAREERS button)
or call our JobLine at 503-5404328.
“I've worked for the Oregon
Lottery since it started and I'm
proud to be part of a state agency
which is considered a leader
throughout the lottery industry.
It is very rewarding to be a
part of a team which has vision,
energy, and determination.”
Adair Heard
Commission/Rules Specialist
Mom March from page 1
“ L e t ’s g e t it on th e b a llo t so
O regonians can finally speak up and
drow n out those people over there,”
Burdick said, addressing a group o f
about 30 protesters w ho stood on
outskirts o f the rally holding signs
that read: “Y ou sh ouldn’t need a
license for freedom," and “Gun control
kills ’
“ T h e B ill o f R ig h ts an d th e
C onstitution are important,” said Ann
S im m ons, 50, o f N ew berg, w ho
I
(
protested by holding a B etsy Ross
flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes. “ I
d o n ’t think people are reading it
anym ore.” Gun control is an issue
that has gotten a lot o f discussion in
O regon, especially after the M ay 2 1,
1998, school shooting in Springfield
Then 15-year-old Kip Kinkel opened
fire on students in the cafeteria o f
T hurston High School, injuring 25
students and killing two.
“ I th in k th is is really th e only
<
cam paign th at’s dealing with the
violence in our com m unity,” said
Carole Scholl, a coordinator with
O regon’s Stop Gun V iolence group _
one o f several groups that sponsored
the march and M easure 99. “ I think
the whole idea o f mothers m arching is
quite incredible,” Scholl said. “These
are the real people w ho have to send
their kids to school and w orry about
ourkids. W eall have responsibilities
to m ake our society better.”
OREGON
LOTTERY
The Oregon Lottery is
committed to having a
diverse work force in
an environment that
encourages personal and
professional development.
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