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$îortJanb (Observer
November 13. 2013
From Service to the Classroom I Theweek
Rasheed Wallace Hounded
Portland State
opens Veterans
Resource Center
M. S mith
T he P ortland O bserver
With a growing number of men
and women in the military returning
to civilian life after the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, Portland State
University is looking to accommo­
date them with educational services
and resources.
Home to over 30,000 students,
PSU boasts the highest number of
military veterans of any other school
in the state. Recent numbers show
that there are currently up to 1,100
enrolled vets at the downtown uni­
versity at any time.
This sum m er, the university
opened a Veteran’s Resource Cen­
ter to help the growing number of
military personnel transition to the
classroom with success.
According to Carolina Gonzalez-
Prat, one of the two people who navi­
gate the center’s operations, the pri­
mary function is assisting vets with
the G.I. Bill which provides service­
men and women with a range of ben­
efits, including lower tuition fees.
Gonzales-Prat says that with gov­
ernment shutdown in October, a lot
of military-students’ benefits were
at risk, and reminded both college
officials and former military of the
Review
Former Trailblazer and current Detroit assistant
coach Rasheed Wallace was hounded by TV
reporters during his team ’s visit to Portland Mon­
day. Wallace refused to answer questions about
owing more than a $150,000 in delinquent prop­
erty taxes to Multnomah County on a nearly 9,000
square foot house he owns in southwest Portland.
by D onovan
Cougar Kills Woman
A 36-year-old employee of a wild cat sanctuary in
Sherwood was killed by a cougar on Saturday.
Renee Radziwon-Chapman was reportedly clean­
ing the animal’s cage alone when she was mauled.
The company and state officials are conducting
an investigation.
No Charges on Cogen
Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced Fri­
day that after a “thorough investigation” the Or­
egon Department of Justice did not find any evi­
dence to charge former Multnomah County Chau-
Jeff Cogen with a crime in connection with the affair
he had with former county employee Sonia Manhas.
Nightclub Crowd Shooting
PHOTO BY D onovan M. SM ITH /TH E
P o RTIAN d O b SERVER
Carolina Gonzalez-Prat (left) welcomes a military veteran student and his wife to the
new Veterans Resource Center at Portland State University.
importance of the VRC’s advocacy for them.
She said before the shutdown, you wouldn’t
think twice about the education benefits dis­
appearing, “Like we’ll be fine no matter what.
But the shutdown went two weeks and people
were freaking out. That’s rent for them, that’s
benefits.”
The Veterans Center also sponsors a Col­
lege Success Class for the returning warriors.
The class is more focused on the transition
from being a soildier to a student, something
Gonzalez-Prat who served 5 years in the mili­
tary herself knows is crucial to veterans per­
formance in the classroom.
“Everything ’ s not life or death anymore. So
it’s just kind of shifting your mindset, of how
to interact with people. And asking for help,”
she says of the veterans she serves.
Durieul Ham s, 24, was shot and killed Saturday in
a violent disturbance involving a group of people
outside the relatively new nightclub Fountaine
Bleu at 237 N.E. Broadway near the Rose Quarter.
Two other people were shot, but survived the
incident, police said.
Merkley Leads on Gay Rights
The U.S. Senate approved a bill on Thursday co­
sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., outlaw­
ing job discrimination against gay, bisexual, and
transsexual Americans. President Obama sup­
ports the legislation, but the bill’s chances in the
House may be slim because of opposition by
Republican House Speaker John Boehner.
SERVE WITH US
At Kaiser Permanente, we employ hundreds of veterans across
Oregon and Southwest Washington to improve the health of
communities we serve. We value these men and women fortheir
reliability, adaptability, and passion to excel.
Ken W rig h t, DMD, MPH
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Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired)
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W h e n Dr. W rig h t jo in e d Kaiser P e rm a n e n te N o rth w e s t to le ad o u r D e n ta l C are P rogram , he b ro u g h t an
e xte n sive a n d d is tin g u is h e d m ilita ry c a re e r th a t s p a n n e d m o re th a n 30 years. N o w a re tire d U.S. Navy
c a p ta in , Dr. W rig h t is also a B o a rd C e rtifie d p e r io d o n tis t w h o e a rn e d his D M D and M aste rs in P ublic
H e a lth fro m H a rva rd U n ive rsity. Dr. W rig h t c o m p le te d his re s id e n c y at U n iv e rs ity o f N o rth C a ro lin a
S ch o o l o f D e n tis try in C h a p e l H ill.
Visit kpcareers.org
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