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'King Lear' actors show versatility in 'Godspell' rehearsals
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A&E p. 9
www.advocate-online.net
April 16, 2010
Volume 45, Issue 24
Replacing 'below-grade' electrical equipment may cost up to $2.2 million Ron J. Rambo Jr. The Advocate
The cost to fix MHCC’s power supply infrastructure could range anywhere from $1.7 million to $2.2 million, Portland General Electric officials told the district board Wednesday night. Dale Garcia, a distribution services representative for PGE, said the existing switch gear is corroded, and he and two other representatives outlined a plan to bring MHCC’s 40-plus year-old electrical system up to speed. This presentation was scheduled not long after the April 4 when the entire college was manually shut down due to flooding into the electrical system that could have caused an explosion. “We must make the below-grade equipment abovegrade,” Garcia said. “Replacing the buried conductor conduit, along with material and equipment upgrades, would give the college a potential 50-year power system. This is not a small upgrade. This is a long-term solution to a longterm problem.” Garcia said one single manufacturer providing the equipment, rather using a bevy of different parts, would also increase efficiency. Garcia and Joe Davis, a key customer representative for PGE, explained to the board that MHCC’s current electrical system “did its job. It did it well. But it owes you nothing anymore.” Garcia added he could not guarantee the electrical system would last a minute longer than it already has. Key to the corrosiveness issues and why the problem may have occurred in the first place, Garcia and Davis said, was the way the electrical system was originally installed. Davis and Garcia had photograph slides of the electrical apparatuses that had already been damaged, as well as other parts that were at risk of damage – namely, electrical switch gear that are constantly exposed to the elements. “Your electrical system sits under a steel grate underneath a walkway,” Garcia said. “This grate allows for rain and other debris to pile onto the wiring and other systems.” PGE had a slide showing an underground portion of the system and wires protected by a casing – but entirely covered with leaves. The wires appeared thick with wrapping, but were otherwise exposed to rainfall. “You have to try really, really hard to keep moisture out of an area that presents a hostile problem to equipment that is not designed to be in such an environment,” Garcia said. Board member Duke Shepard asked Garcia if the way the electrical system was built was “exceptionally poor design” or if it was consistent with “how things were built” 40 years ago. “Very consistent,” Garcia said. Board member Brian Freeman suggested a quick fix might then require another part or apparatus to be repaired
Photo by Brett Stanley/The Advocate
MHCC President John Sygielski (left) and Board Relations Assistant June Jacobs (right) listen to the presentation by Portland General Electric representative Dale Garcia about the replacement of the college’s electrical system.
further down the road. Garcia said any minimum repair would require fixing more than one or two parts. “There are certain parts that a worker would have to jump onto in order to fix because they’re underground,” Garcia said, showing slides as examples. “My men would not do some basic repairs on certain equipment because it puts them in a precarious position. They would have 12,000 volts running between their legs. If you spoke to another group that said, ‘Yeah, our crew has no problem fixing that,’ you should question it and wonder why they would do it when PGE wouldn’t. My crews are some of the best men on the continent.” Freeman wondered aloud where the college would get the money for a “minimum” fix of $1.7 million, followed by Shepard. “Our proposal for a fix (on the electrical equipment) came back at the bottom of the list on (community college) rankings for state funding,” Shepard said regarding Oregon
community college maintenance requests. “Other colleges are trying to get money for some new building here or there. Our college genuinely needs a fix.” State Sen. Rod Monroe, who is also a board member, said any campus plan regarding improved facilities is “wishful thinking right now,” but that he would push for additional funding for MHCC. Director of Facilities Management Dick Byers said in an e-mail after the meeting he was not surprised by PGE’s description of the college’s electrical system, and that this was a key reason for asking PGE to give an assessment of the system after being hired in 2008. “The point is that this system is very fragile and just about anything could happen to cause a major or, for that matter, a minor failure,” Byers said. PGE’s presentation ran 40 minutes over the allotted timeframe, and some board members suggested further consideration should be put on next month’s agenda.
Concerns over financial aid disbursements loom as college mulls proposals Brett Stanley The Advocate
Discussions about the MHCC financial aid disbursement process are heating up as proposed changes get closer to implementation. Proposed changes include disbursing aid at a later date, disbursing aid in two payments over the term, and changing the add/drop dates for classes, or a combination of the above. According to MHCC student William York, the proposed changes could jeopardize housing for students who depend on financial aid to pay rent and other bills. According to York, the new changes in aid policy would push back aid disbursements over the summer term, possibly as late as two weeks into the month of October, and would cause students to miss rent and bill payments that were due on the first of the month. York charges that the increased delay in “disbursement drops” would cause some students to face homelessness. “We’re facing homelessness,” said York. “I budget so I can get through from funding date to funding date.” York charges that any increased amount of time between those dates would cause him and other students that live at or
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below the poverty line to go without food and rent. “I don’t think they have adequately described the problem,” said York. Currently, the aid disbursement process can be costly for the college as students who receive aid keep their aid money even if they drop out or do not attend classes. According to financial aid officials, the college is responsible for reimbursing the federal government for all grants and loans disbursed to students that drop out or do not attend classes. In essence, dropouts keep the money disbursed to them, while the college is required to pay back the government whatever amount of money that was handed over to that student. The student is then sent a bill via mail. However, aid officials complain that these students are unable to pay bills that can be in the thousands of dollars and are then sent to collections. Aid officials say that the current disbursement process creates costs to both the students and college, outcomes that can only be changed by altering the current system. Aid officials estimate that by the end of this school year, the cost of repaying these loans will cost Mt. Hood Community
Aid continued on page 4
Index
News p. 12
Opinion
Anderson pitches perfect game in conference opener Sports p. 5
Cars with GPS units being targeted for break-ins News p. 3
Afro-Peruvian jazz musicians to return to MHCC after 3-year absence
News
Music p. 10
Music
Sports A&E
p. 2 p. 3, 4, 12 p. 5-8 p. 9 p. 10-11