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September 18, 2019 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 3 News cont’d from pg 1 “ paid employees. The union also is fight- ing a proposal that would triple the cost of meals for the people who pre- pare them at the Univer- sity of Oregon from $1 to $3 per meal. Workers also want to be paid when universi- ties are closed because of bad weather, while the universities are propos- The union is pushing for a 6.25% cost of living increase spread over two years Sticking points in the negotiations include de- mands for higher cost of living increases and ad- ditional pay step increas- es for workers who are “topped out” at the top of their scale. The union is pushing for a 6.25% cost of living increase spread over two years, said union spokes- man Jay Parasco. The public university bar- gainers want a 4% cost of living increase over the same period. Workers also are ask- ing for an additional pay step at the top for longtime workers and to eliminate the lowest pay step of each salary range in 2020. The uni- versities are proposing a $750 bonus for top-scale workers, but no new step increases for the highest Program ing up to 16 hours of paid time during weather clo- sures — and more at the university president’s discretion. Oregon Public Univer- sities says negotiators are optimistic an agree- ment can be reached. In a statement, Oregon Public Universities said the schools were disap- pointed in the strike au- thorization vote despite a 13.5% wage increase of- fer for the next two-year contract. The schools said the current offer is better than the 2017-2019 con- tract and represents a total wage increase of almost 25 percent over a four-year period. Information from: The Register-Guard, www.reg- isterguard.com cont’d from pg 1 pus, Kapsch said. “The idea was to get therapists based in the school, so that we could meet kids where they are, literally. And then there’s just a lot of flexibility within each campus,” she said. “I’m able to tailor it to what the campus needs.” The need for focused mental health counseling on campuses is only growing: A 2016 study out of John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that adolescents reported a 37% increase in depres- sive episodes from 2004-2014, with teen girls report- ing higher rates. According to a 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center, 70% of teens identified anxi- ety and depression as major issues among their age group. “We have a focus on the mental health aspect and case management stuff, so we can help kids get con- nected to needed social services,” Kapsch said, ex- plaining that the services she and Yoswein offer are separate from those of the academic advisors who also serve RAHS. ““I do feel that RA is on the forefront of prioritizing kids having access to this kind of service. We have a “ We can help kids get connected to needed social services whole range of issues that we work with. We certainly have a fair number of youth who are struggling with anxiety and depression, and those things can be real barriers to academic success. We also address con- flict with peers, conflict with parents or guardians — students are struggling with typical teen difficulties.” Access to counseling is especially important at a time when suicide rates among all ages are on the rise nationwide. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that suicide accounted for more deaths than car accidents among adolescents aged 10 to 14. Quest Center and Bridges to Change Open Region’s First Recovery Housing for LGBT, HIV+ Residents Oregon’s first sober housing focused on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, transgender and non-binary individuals was dedicated last week in Multnomah County. The house, with nine beds and a live-in recovery mentor, opened this spring as Oregon’s first sober housing focused on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, prioritizing transgender and non-binary individuals. It is a joint project of Quest Center for Integrative Health and Bridges to Change, with funding by Multnomah County Mental Health and Addiction Services. Pictured here from left are clients Rich, Danielle Deer, Trent and Mark Rohner in the dining room. Treasurer cont’d from pg 1 after losing a small claims case brought by vice chair Rachelle Dixon, in connection with an April incident that also resulted in Heimesen’s arrest. According to a police report obtained by The Skanner, Heimesen was arrested on a charge of vandalism. The report says Heimesen admitted to throwing away a car seat Dix- on had been storing at the Mult- nomah County Democrats Office in Northeast Portland. Dixon is Black and, upon her election in January of 2017, was one of two African American women to have ever held an exec- utive position for the local party. The first chair, Lakeitha Elliott, resigned in 2013. In a June 2018 interview with The Skanner Dix- on said her optimism about the party had receded somewhat, and she has remained both involved with the local chapter and critical of it. Dixon has told police and The Skanner that Heimesen’s original confrontation with Dixon be- gan with Heimesen confronting Dixon over Facebook posts that were critical of the chapter over disability access issues. In the report, Heimesen acknowledged having confronted Dixon regard- ing the Facebook post. Price told The Skanner that while he first got involved with the Multnomah County Demo- crats a year and a half ago, he took an extended break to travel and deal with his grief as his father “ “I’ve always followed politics. I’ve just noticed that the world seems to be broken and I’m the type of person that wants to fix it,” Price said. After Heimesen’s resignation, friends urged him to run for the The world seems to be broken and I’m the type of person that wants to fix it passed away, so he hasn’t been able to pay close attention to re- cent changes in officership. But he has noticed that the chap- ter is “monolithic,” with a pre- dominantly White member base at meetings, including individu- als who skew toward retirement age, and he’d like to see it diversi- fy and bring in more young peo- ple. Price started a position a few months ago as a revenue and tax specialist, and previously worked for ADP, the payroll software com- pany. He’s previously worked as a tax preparer, having left school a semester shy of an associate’s de- gree in accounting to accept a job, and hopes to finish his associate’s degree and complete a bachelor’s degree in economics soon. “That is a really important part of the position,” Kapsch said. “I want to be connecting with kids that are feeling that way, to make sure we have a culture on our campuses where we can talk about it.” Kapsch said that providing therapy resources to students “eliminates so many barriers to service.” “Kids don’t have to figure out how to get to an office somewhere, there’s no cost, they don’t have to figure out copays,” she said. “I think there’s this belief that mental health services are for people who are really at the end, who are severely depressed. And there’s so much that can be done before someone’s at that point, so if we’re able to connect with kids early on in their struggles, it’s just that much easier for them to get on a good path, rather than waiting until they’re suicid- al.” Research shows that investing in mental health re- source staff can have measurably positive impacts on a school’s culture in general: A 2014 study found that adding a counselor to campus could reduce reports of disruptive student behavior by nearly a third. “I just really love working with adolescents,” Kapsch told The Skanner. “It’s just such a powerful time for brain development in your life, with a lot of opportunity for growth and healing. It’s a time when treasurer position due to his pro- fessional background. Price grew up in Southampton, Virginia, famously the home of Nat Turner’s rebellion, and lived there much of his life, save a stint in the military. He comes from a politically active family: his fa- ther served as sheriff of South- ampton County, and in the local Democratic party and Masonic order. He has two cats – a bonded pair of siblings named Morgan and Mindy – and spends most of his free time watching television or listening to podcasts. “I’m a boring guy, but I think in politics, boring is good,” Price said. Read more at TheSkanner.com PHOTO VIA ORTLANDOIC.ORG gon, Oregon State Uni- versity, Portland State University, the Oregon Institute of Technology, Southern Oregon Uni- versity, Western Oregon University and Eastern Oregon University. A strike would come as classes begin at some of those institutions, in- cluding the University of Oregon. PHOTO BY MOTOYA NAKAMURA COURTESY OF MULTNOMAH COUNTY Strike Rosemary Anderson High School has started a mental health program, with two full-time therapists working at its four campuses. young people are trying to figure out what kind of life they want to create for themselves, so I feel very privileged to help work with young people and help them sort through that. It’s such a privilege to get to sit with a kid when they’re having a really hard time, and see them to start to recognise their own gift and value, and take that and run with it. I really like my job.” RAHS’s Lead the Change mental health initiative is largely funded by personal donations. Representa- tives for RAHS confirmed that an anonymous donor has agreed to match up to $10,000 in contributions to the program. To donate, visit https://bit.ly/2mfVr9P.