Meeting challenges while building for the future: The 2010 Legislative Session

Olympia had a distinct Clark College feel on Jan. 25 as representatives from the college joined colleagues from community and technical colleges across the state.

In addition to meeting with officials of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), Clark representatives heard from Gov. Chris Gregoire and met with state representatives and senators to discuss legislative priorities against the backdrop of the state's budget situation.

During a morning session, the governor spoke candidly about the challenges facing the state. She made it clear that she believes that an all-cuts budget would be "unjust, unwise, and unfair." She said, "Investing in retraining now is the way to work our way out of the recession."

Throughout the day, Clark College President Bob Knight and Associate Vice President of Planning and Effectiveness Shanda Diehl met with legislators from throughout the college's service district. They shared two key messages:

• Help us maintain open access to students by minimizing budget cuts. 
• Provide the necessary financial aid that our low-income students need to attend college and prepare for new jobs and careers.

Representatives from throughout the college met with legislators during a late afternoon reception. Clark trustees Addison Jacobs, Sherry Parker, and Rhona Sen Hoss were present, as were members of the college's Executive Cabinet and representatives of AHE and WPEA. In addition, 12 students - including ASCC President Ashley Schahfer - were present. They met legislators including Sen. Craig Pridemore as well as Reps. Bruce Chandler, Jamie Herrera, Jim Jacks, and Jim Moeller. Dr. Steven Webb, superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools, was also present to encourage legislative support for education.

The student representatives brought 532 cards - messages to legislators from Clark students encouraging them to reject proposed cuts in funding for need grants, work study and other programs that support students. The cards were given to Representative Deb Wallace, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, to be shared with legislators from throughout Southwest Washington.
 
Knight noted that "when access to our system is limited, we risk losing the high-quality workforce that our state needs to help turn the economy around. If we can hold off additional cuts and ensure that dollars are available for financial aid and worker retraining, we can continue to serve the people who need us most."
 
Diehl said the meetings provided the opportunity to remind legislators that "investing in community colleges will drive our economic recovery now and ensure economic prosperity for the future."

Goal Met: College Goal Sunday gives parents and students tips for meeting college expenses.

"Anything worth doing is not easy to get," said Portland Trail Blazer Jeff Pendergraph to a crowd of more than 800 people attending the fourth annual College Goal Sunday event for Southwest Washington, held Sunday, Jan. 31 in Clark College's O'Connell Sports Center gymnasium. The words may have struck a chord with some of the parents and children gathered there in search of help paying for a college education, a task which is, indeed, not always easy.

That's why there's College Goal Sunday. The daylong event provides information about loans, scholarships and financial aid. This was its first year being held at Clark, but it may not be the last. "Because of the event's success, we have been invited to host again next year," said Karen Driscoll, Clark's director of financial aid. "If we can secure adequate funding from grants and the community, I am sure we will make the commitment."

Driscoll said that one thing that contributed to the event's success was the decision to combine College Goal with College Bound, a program educating parents and students on how to sign up for the College Bound Scholarship (CBS). This scholarship, which students must sign up for during eighth grade, provides eligible students with tuition to Washington state colleges and universities. "By combining two events - College Goal Sunday and College Bound - we gained synergy," said Driscoll. "That increased volunteerism. We were amazed at the number Clarkers who stepped up to volunteer their time and talents."

In addition to Pendergraph's appearance and a performance by the One of a Kind Drumline, guests were welcomed by Driscoll, Clark College President Robert K. Knight, and Lenny Haynes of the College Success Foundation. Vancouver mayor and Clark alumnus Tim Leavitt also attended the event. Afterward, parents and students had the opportunity meet with staff from Clark College, Lower Columbia College, Washington State University Vancouver and the International Air and Hospitality Academy, who volunteered their time and shared admissions and financial aid information from their respective institutions. They also provided one-on-one help with filing the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA), helping to ensure that financial barriers don't keep children from achieving the goal of a college degree.

Future Shocks: Competitors test suspension systems - and outdated stereotypes - at the annual Future Tech auto-repair competition.

Things were revving at the Automotive Technology Building on Clark's main campus on Feb. 4, as more than 40 high school seniors vied to win the annual Future Tech 2010 automotive-service competition.

The event, sponsored by the Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association (MPNCDA), puts contestants through a rigorous, day-long series of tests of their automotive know-how. Schools from as far away as Florence, Ore., sent their top three automotive students to compete in the annual event. "With the economy the way it is now, some schools are told they can't take field trips," said MPNCDA Education Director Lee Hall. "We try to make it as affordable as possible. The schools don't have to pay anything beside the cost of travel and maybe hiring a substitute teacher for the day."

In the next 10 years, jobs for trained automotive service technicians and mechanics are expected to increase by five percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And today's cars aren't like those old 1960s Volkswagens a novice could pull apart and rebuild in a day. That's why Future Tech, which Clark has been hosting for more than a decade, tests students on such varied aspects of auto technology as troubleshooting a car's electrical system, diagnosing another sample car's suspension and steering, and checking for leaks. At one point, contestants had to sit at a table strewn with unlabeled auto parts and identify each by turn. There was also a written test. In the end, the two top scorers from a single school - Jalen Kohen and Jordan Grittman of Hillsboro High - won a free trip to New York City for themselves and their instructor, Glen Campbell, to attend the National Automotive Technology Competition April 6-7.

Hall noted with pleasure that the number of girls participating in Future Tech this year had risen markedly this year. "We have more female contestants this year than we've ever had," he said. "I think we have eight; last year we had two."

Siuslaw High senior Tasha Silva acknowledged that she's in the minority in her auto tech class, but shrugged when asked if that makes things difficult for her. "It's complicated," she said. "Some boys see you and say, 'You're a girl, you don't know anything.' But recently there's been a change. A lot more girls are getting into [the field], and I think the boys are a little afraid of us. It's challenging, but it's fun."