Committed to Cultural Diversity
November 9. 2005
www.portlandobserver.com
M etro Careers Education
Îlîe ^ Io rtlan h (Observer
S P E C I A L
E D IT
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o m m u n it y
C a l e n d a r
Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner
Brothers on the Move will host
its S"1 annual Pre-Thanksgiving
Dinneron Saturday, Nov. 12 from
11 a .m .to 3 :3 0 p .m .atth eC o m er
Stone Community Church of God
in C h rist at 2 2 1 6 N .E .
Killingsworth St. Free rides are
available during the day. For
more information, call 503-281-
4587.
Multicultural Symposium
Lewis and Clark College presents
the second annual Ray Warren
M ulticultural Sym posium on
W ednesday, Nov. 16 through
Friday, Nov. 18. For more infor­
mation, call 503-768-7051.
Essence Blood Drive
Essence Magazine, a lifestyle
publication for African Ameri­
can women, will partner with the
Red Cross to host a blood drive
at the Portland Donor Center on
3131 N. Vancouver Ave. from 7
a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 19.Formore
information or to make an ap­
pointment, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
Memory Screening
Volunteers of America will offer
free memory screenings on Tues­
day, Nov. 15 in an effort to help
recognize the early stages of
Alzheimer’s Disease. For more
information on a testing center
site, call 503-335-9980 for north
and northeast Portland; 503-232-
4117 for southeast and south­
west Portland; and 503-760-2075
for east county.
Caregiver Resource Fair
A free resource fair for local
caregivers will be held Friday,
Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
the Providence Medical Center’s
Social Room a t4805 N.E. Glisan
St. The fair will feature informa­
tion on in-home assistance, adult
day programs, support organiza­
tions, stress reduction, legal is­
sues and more.
Women in Community
Service
V olunteer m entors are being
sought by Women in Commu­
nity Service to work with incar­
cerated women at the Coffee
Creek Correctional Facility. Men­
tors provide support and encour­
agement for women transitioning
from prison back into the commu­
nity. Volunteers must be females,
age 24 and up. For more informa­
tion, call 503-570-6614.
Swimming Lessons
Portland Parks and Recreation
offers swimming lessons for all
ages and skill levels year round at
the Columbia, Dishman, MLC,
Mt. Scott and Southwest Com ­
munity Center pools. For rates
and information, call 503-823-
5130.
Sewing for YWCA
Y W C A ’s W om en O ffenders
R ehabilitation, T raining and
Help Program is accepting d o ­
nations o f fabric and sew ing
m achines in good w orking co n ­
dition for the Clark County Jail’s
work center. D onations can be
dropped off at the YW CA Clark
County on 3609 Main St. in
V ancouver. For more inform a­
tion, call 360-906-9153.
Kenton Firehouse Art Sale
Fine gifts o f ceram ics, fiber art,
jew elry and other handcrafted
arts and crafts will be available
during the second annual art
sale Saturday, Dec. 3 from 11
a.m. to 8 p.m. at the H istoric
Kenton Firehouse, 8 105 N. Bran­
don Ave.
years
—
Career
Bound
Portland's public
administrator
helps shape city
by L ee P erlman
T he P ortland O bserver
Paul Scarlet came to Portland 16
years ago, and liked what he saw. Now
he is helping to run the city.
Scarlet was named interim director
of the Portland Bureau of Development
Services last July. He is in charge of the
Permit Center, which issues permits for
buildings, remodeling and improvement
projects.
The bureau handles inspections and
plan checks, responds to complaints
about building and zoning code viola­
tions, and reviews zone change re­
quests and other land use processes.
The city agency employs about 300
people.
“W e’re responsible for ensuring that
construction codes are met, ensuring
safety, and maintaining the livability of
the community,” Scarlet says.
He succeeded Ty Kovatch, who took
the job temporarily on leave from being
head of staff for commissioner Randy
Leonard. The last permanent director
was Ray Kerridge, who left in Febru­
ary. Leonard's office is in the process
of selecting a permanent director. Scar­
let hopes to be a candidate for the job.
He has already instituted some
changes in response to complaints that
the bureau is too bureaucratic because
photo by
M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
Pau! Scarlet manages city regulations as interim director o f the Portland Bureau o f Development Services.
of the many hoops permit seekers are
required to jump through which discour­
age development and up the price of
construction in Portland.
“Sometimes this is a perception rather
than a reality,” Scarlet says, and he has
posted more information on the bureau
website. However, he adds, “One thing
we’ve learned is that one size doesn’t fit
all.”
The pitfalls to working with the gov­
ernment can especially be hard for small
jobs and small developers. For them, the
bureau has provided for some small jobs
to be done over a single counter, rather
than have applicants make their way
through half a dozen different processes.
If applicants have all their information
in order and need no help or review,
there is a fast track process. There is
also a new Small Business Assistance
Program. Finally, for those who can’t
visit the center during normal working
hours, officials have extended the hours
of operation on Thursdays until 7:30
continued
on page B4
PCC Fights to Make College Affordable
Financial aid cuts
could increase
student debt
K atherine B lackmore
T he P ortland O bserver
In the upcoming months, Congress
will make a decision toward the largest
budget cut to student aid programs ever.
If passed, the proposal could see an
average college student’s debt increase
by $5,800, totaling $34.7 billion in added
college loans across the nation over the
next five years.
Congress is also proposing separate
legislation called “Budget Reconcilia­
tion” to cut more than $9 billion from
student aid. This will add more fees and
take away the ability to consolidate
college loans.
Students at Portland Community
College campuses are petitioning to
stop the process and keep education
affordable.
“The federal government has to be a
national leader in education, especially
at the community college level,” said
Algie Gatewood, president of PCC
Cascade. “You don’t want to cut the
future of America, you want to make it
brighter, not dim it.”
Gatewood urges students to recog-
by
photo by
K atherine B lackmorf / T hf . P ortland O bserver
Stephen Ingram, nursing student at PCC Cascade, signs an online petition
against federal cuts to college financial aid.
nize, even with budget cuts, the pro-
“It’s not OK tocut financial aid, but at
grams that still exist to help them finan- the same time, there are a number of
cially through college.
opportunities for students to finance their
education,” Gatewood said. “The dol­
lars are there, but students don’t get
connected to them.”
Why? Partly because the paperwork
involved in filing for FAFSA (Free Ap­
plication for Federal Student Aid)can be
as intimidating as doing taxes for the first
time. Personal information like income
levels and social security numbers can
make the task seem invading and cum ­
bersome.
“ By looking at that stack of papers, I
just thought it was a waste of time," said
Ibeth Hernandez, program board chair
for PCC Cascade Associated Students.
“It’s already hard enough for students to
get financial aid. If this passes, it'll dis­
courage a lot of people from applying. A
lot of students are afraid to look for
money - it’s like hitting wall.”
Gatewood, however, is optimistic and
is not expecting a drop in attendance at
PCC Cascade if federal financial aid is
cut. One event he’s hoping will encour­
age students is Financial Aid Day, to be
held on Saturday, Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. at PCC campuses around Port­
land.
Last year, at least 300 students came
to the event at the Cascade campus to
receive help filling out paperwork and
finding money toward their education.
“We need to have educated people in
continued
on page US
Diverse Workforce
N e tw o r k in g
at Fred Meyer
Strives to be community
employer o f choice
Local career professionals
put their networking skills
to the test during the recent
grand opening o f the
expanded offices fo r PCRI.
See inside, page B6
•Tcommunity service
I
See inside, page B7