Monthly Archives: August 2011
Wednesday, Aug. 31
Fort Steilacoom, Puyallup
Fall deferred tuition is due today. Fall classes start Sept. 21.
Welcome to Pierce, new students!
Friday, Aug. 26
Fort Steilacoom, Puyallup
Both colleges close at noon on Fridays in the summer.
Here’s to a great weekend full of sunshine, adventure, and relaxation! That’s what summer breaks are for!
Fall classes start Sept. 21.
Construction heats up in August
It may be summer break, but construction at Pierce College takes no vacations. Summer is one of the busiest times of year for Pierce College Fort Steilacoom and Puyallup. It’s a key time to make repairs, ramp up construction projects, and ready the colleges for the return of students in September.
Here’s a look at the August projects at both colleges:
Pierce Fort Steilacoom
• At the Cascade building, crews are replacing the exterior walls around the south wing and making revisions to the entrances to Dental Hygiene and Veterinary Technology. New sidewalks, landscaping, and lighting in that area will be coming soon.
•Also in the Cascade building, offices are moving as areas are renovated. For example, some administrative offices are moving from the second to the third floor, and Student Programs and Veterans Services are expected to move to the Sunrise building for about a year while that area of the Cascade building undergoes dramatic renovation. (Correction: The Student Veteran Center is moving to the Sunrise building, not the Veterans Services office. Sorry for the confusion. Big thanks to Vickie for helping us out on this!)
• Several areas of damaged paving along the bus route through campus will be repaired next month. Traffic may be disrupted during this time, but paving should be finished before the start of fall quarter Sept. 21.
Pierce Puyallup
• The wood bridge at the main entrance to the Arts and Allied Health is now being replaced with a concrete bridge, which will be less slippery in wet or freezing weather.
Thursday, Aug. 25
Fort Steilacoom, Puyallup
Expect sunny skies and temperatures around 80 today. Perfect summer break weather! Have fun!
Fall quarter classes start Sept. 21.
Pierce Puyallup welcomes new (four-legged) student
Katy Jo and trainer Kathy Short will be together about a year.
One of the newest students at Pierce Puyallup is working towards a professional/technical certificate you won’t find in any college catalog.
Katy Jo, a 10-week old black Lab puppy, is training to be a guide dog with the help of Kathy Short, a Pierce student who also works in the registration office. Almost everywhere Kathy goes, Katy Jo goes, too. It’s a 24-hour, 7-day commitment for Kathy, who dedicates most of her time to teaching Katy Jo everything she’ll need to help someone with sight impairments or physical disabilities.
“My one-year sacrifice is 12 years or longer of someone having freedom, independence, and mobility,” Kathy said. “When I think of it that way, it doesn’t seem like much at all.”
Katy Jo is ready to take on the world, but she'll start at Pierce Puyallup.
Katy Jo is Kathy’s 11th guide puppy. Her previous dog, Hubert, a yellow Lab, was a bit of a celebrity on campus. Hubert helped out in the registration office and accompanied Kathy to all of her classes. By the time he left Kathy earlier this year, Pierce students and employees were quite attached. In fact, without Hubert by her side Kathy can often travel incognito.
“Most of the staff don’t think I look the same without a dog,” said Kathy. “They sometimes don’t recognize me.”
Hubert is now living with a family in Lakewood near Pierce Fort Steilacoom. Because of fear issues, he couldn’t be placed with a disabled person. The standards necessary for guide dogs are so stringent and exacting, it’s very rare for one to make it all the way through. Kathy so far has had three of her dogs placed with people with disabilities.
She has high hopes for Katy Jo.
You can find Katy Jo and Kathy in the registration office at Pierce Puyallup. Stop by and bark hello! See more photos of Kathy and Katy Jo on the Pierce College Facebook page.
Wednesday, Aug. 24
Fort Steilacoom
It’s summer break! Woohoo! Classes start Sept. 21.
Puyallup
Did someone say “summer break?” We have that, too! See you Sept. 21!
Pierce paints Tacoma beautiful
The Pierce team celebrates another Paint Tacoma Beautiful project.
A work group from Pierce College gave a downtown Tacoma home a much-need makeover as part of the annual Paint Tacoma Beautiful program.
The last weekend in July, a dedicated team of Pierce employees washed, scraped, and painted a home for a needy family.
Pierce has participated in the annual event for the last several years. This year, the effort was organized by professors Jo Geron, Katy Olsen, and Stephen Bridgeford.
See more pictures from the event on the Pierce College Facebook page.
Tuesday, Aug. 23
Fort Steilacoom
No activities scheduled.
Puyallup
No activities scheduled.
Monday, Aug. 22
Fort Steilacoom
No activities scheduled.
Puyallup
No activities scheduled.
Friday, Aug. 19
Pierce College Puyallup and Fort Steilacoom close at noon on Fridays.
Fort Steilacoom
No activities scheduled.
Puyallup
No activities scheduled.
