KPC Staff NOTES

Know Your Blower by Mark Jensen

Welcome to the third issue of Know Your Blower. To date I have received no comments or suggestions about the column so I must assume that everyone really enjoys it and is learning lots of good stuff about their blower.

This months column is about voice mail, you know, that nice polite lady that answers your phone calls when you can't. The Meridian Mail lady is on duty 24/7 to prevent missed calls. I hope no one out there has an unhealthy fixation on the Meridian Mail lady because I'm about to burst their bubble. She isn't real! I was shocked when I learned this fact but it explains why she is never in a bad mood and never rude to anybody, even if they press the wrong key fifty times.

To contact the Meridian Mail lady just dial 7000 on your blower, this is your Access number. Or if you have a Message button on your blower just press one of your line buttons followed by the Message button. The nice lady will ask you to Enter your mailbox and a password, from your personal blower you just press the # key for your mailbox. If you are hanging out in the machine shop and want to check your messages you will need to enter your extension followed by the # key. Your voice mail password must be four or more characters followed by the # key. If you forget your password you must call Network Services and have your password reset.

Once you are logged on you can press the following keys:

  • * key for general help
  • 7* for message command help
  • 8* for mailbox command help
  • To listen to your messages press 2 after the Meridian Mail lady tells you the details of your message.
  • To pause your message press # and press 2 to continue
  • After you listen to your message press 76 to delete it
  • Press 83 to end your voice mail session, be sure to say good-by to the Meridian Mail lady.

To check your voice mail from your blower at home just call your number and when its time to leave a message press #81 and then follow the prompts to log in.

Next month I'll delve into some really deep dark secrets in the realm of the Meridian Mail lady.


Career Center News:

Kenai Peninsula Job and Career Fair.
Remember the Kenai Peninsula Job and Career Fair on Saturday March 30, 2002 from 10:00am to 4:00 pm, here on our campus. Many employers from throughout Southcentral Alaska will be accepting applications and resumes for current and future job openings. Employers will also be available to discuss career opportunities with you.

Peninsula employers!
To register your company for the Job Fair, contact Marie at the Peninsula Job Center at 283-2900. There is no registration fee! Registration deadline is March 15, 2002.

You don't have a resume for the Job Fair?
The Career Center can help with you write that employer-grabbing resume - stop by Student Services or call 262-0337 to schedule an appointment.


KPC WELDING SHOP TO GET NEW EQUIPMENT By Laura Faeo

This fall the KPC welding shop will be the first in Alaska to use new high-tech welding hoods for instruction. Called a Power Air Purifying System, it is a relatively new technology combining a standard welding hood with a fresh air supply.

"We've known we needed something like this for a long time, but there hasn't been a good product combining both hood and respirator," said welding instructor Fritz Miller. Using a separate respirator causes glasses to fog up, especially at cold temperature. The new hood not only filters out particulate matter and smoke generated by grinding and arc welding, it also increases productivity because one can see better while working.

"It will make it easier for students to learn welding, and enable people who are sensitive to smoke and dust to do it, " said Miller. He has tested two different models of the hood over the past few months and is impressed with what a difference it makes. "I feel like a heavy smoker who just realized what he's been breathing in for the last twenty years. It's a whole new world." The system has a filter, worn on a belt, which issues 25 times more air than a person normally breathes, blown in under the hood. The hood has a self-darkening lens, and other optional features are available, including a grinding shield and a hardhat.

Miller plans to order 40 of the hoods, which are manufactured by 3M. They will be required equipment for his classes. Funds for purchasing them have been approved by the college, but the bidding process is still going on, so suppliers and total cost are not yet known. Spare parts will be available in the college bookstore.

"We're planning to have these in use for the fall semester, maybe sooner," said Miller. "This is one of the biggest advances in welding technology in years, and we're real excited about getting it in here."

Kenai Peninsula College ©2002