Page 4
January 25, 2023
Business Directory
Students learning cosmetology at Coffee Creek
Adults in Custody get an
Education at Coffee Creek
Oregon to Fund Pell
Grants and More
DJ Michael Morris
Portland’s Original
KING OF OLD SCHOOL
Disc Jockey & Promotions
Mobile DJ for Any Event
Weddings • Night Clubs •
Family Reunions • Parties of all Kind
(503) 290•8414
DJMIM@yahoo.com
$5.00 TEES
4106 NE Fremont St.
Portland, OR 97212
(503) 327-8885
DouglasLambTattoo@ya h oo.com
DougLifeTattoos
EDDIE LINCOLN
SRES, GRI, & ABR
REAL ESTATE AGENT
CLUBS
FAMILY REUNIONS
SCHOOL CLUBS
BUSINESSES
SCREEN PRINTING
971-570-8214
200704345
CENTURY 21
North Homes Realty
Mobile:
503.789.0861
Office:
503.252.2121
Fax: 503.252.2621
erlinvoln69@hotmail.com
After more than 20 years hiatus, fed-
eral financial aid (Pell Grants) for high-
er education of people in prisons is back
and Portland Community College is at the
center of a state-funded program to help
transition adults in custody back into so-
ciety with the skills they need.
A portion of a $2.8 million Future
Ready Oregon grant to PCC is funding a
pilot program that prepares for the July
2023 reinstatement of Pell Grants for aca-
demically eligible, incarcerated students.
With this state support, the college is
providing four faculty members to teach
at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility
(CCCF) this winter with more faculty to
be added in the spring to ready students.
PCC's grant from Future Ready Ore-
gon is a small component of a statewide
comprehensive $200 million investment
package that supports the education and
training of Oregonians for family-wage
careers with strategic and targeted invest-
ments focused on advancing opportunities
for historically underserved communities
like these women.
The Future Ready Oregon Career Path-
ways Grant is focused on capacity build-
ing, including the pilot program at Coffee
Creek, Integrated Education and Training
(IET) programs in welding and pre-trades
advanced manufacturing, curriculum de-
velopment in several areas, equipment
and contracted services purchases, and
staffing for student success and retention.
“We'll be kicking off the winter quarter
with four class offerings: a writing class and
a study skills class (“College Readiness”) in
the minimum security facility and the same
in the medium security facility," said Lisa
Regan-Vienop, manager of Corrections Ed-
ucation Transitions who has been with the
college for more than 10 years.
“We have a mix of faculty, those who
have worked with corrections before and
those who are new to corrections educa-
tion,” she continued. “We have about 40
students, some of whom are taking both
courses, who have signed up.”
One such experienced member is En-
glish faculty chair and writing instructor
Tara McDowell. She taught previously
at CCCF and said it is one of the most
rewarding experiences she has had in a
classroom in decades of teaching.
“Coffee Creek students are focused and
dedicated; willing to do the hard work that
it takes to truly improve their writing,”
McDowell said. “Nearly all of the CCCF
students I have worked with are genuinely
excited to receive feedback on their work
and often want to discuss and reflect on
their writing process. I believe, for many
college students, the weekly constructive
comments and positive feedback they re-
ceive on their writing projects chip away
at years of negative connotation, which is
all too often associated with writing due
to prior negative experiences in an En-
glish classroom. A little boost in self-es-
teem can make such a positive impact in
all our lives.”
The women in the “College Readiness”
course, which is limited to 15 students,
will learn study skills and essentials like
stress management and time manage-
ment. It's a chance to change their for-
tune around as life on the inside is tough
-- there is no internet access, laptops, and
very limited time on prison phones.
The college is aligned with this holis-
tic effort. A team of enrollment, advising
and financial aid specialists are poised to
meet CCCF student needs. The team also
hopes to visit in person regularly to ensure
equitable access to vital PCC services. In
addition, the program aims to expand of-
ferings for the women by adding math and
health courses in spring as well.
“As a college, it’s our mission to serve
marginalized and underrepresented peo-
ple – and this group has definite access is-
sues," Regan-Vienop said. “Coffee Creek
will have close to 100 adults in custo-
dy, or AICs, released over the next 18
months to the PCC service district. The
college, in partnership with the Depart-
ment of Corrections, is well positioned
to strengthen transitions for AICs re-en-
tering society by creating clear pathways
to the college and promoting continued
education to increase the economic mo-
bility of AICs.”