December 6, 2005
NEWSCrematory program gets certification
After 2 1/2 years, Mesa Community College is now offering a crematory certificate called the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) certificate for those enrolled in the mortuary science classes.
Some of the classes in the mortuary science department include Embalming, Funeral Services, History and Sociology of Funeral Services, Mortuary Administration, and Restorative Art.
CANA has been around since 1913 and sanctions all aspects of the mortuary science department as well. It was created to promote the modern and safe way of dealing with dead human bodies. It is composed of 1,200 members of cemeteries, cremationists, funeral directors, industry suppliers and consultants. When it was first created, cremations were only for the wealthy and well-educated.
“Arizona was one of the first states to require the CANA certificate to practice (performing cremations) in Arizona,” said Tom Taggart, director of the Mortuary Science department.
Mesa Community College is the only community college in the nation that is offering this certificate.
On Aug. 23, the first class of 31 students started their journey to obtain the CANA Certificate.
Donna Backhaus, the coordinator of the mortuary science department, said MCC has been trying to include cremation into the mortuary science curriculum for a long time.
Students acquiring the CANA certificate are interested in working in the field of cremating, Backhaus continued. In these classes, students will learn the principles of combustion and learn to operate the equipments used to perform a cremation.
The CANA certificate is recognized anywhere within the United States. It can be obtained by first completing the prerequisites to get into the mortuary science program; which includes passing several math and English courses and many other classes with a GPA of 2.5 or better. Upon completion of the mortuary science program, students may obtain the CANA certificate by taking a CANA sanctioned test and receiving approval of the CANA board.
It started in March of 2004, when a crematory in Noble, Ga., went on trial for forging the cremations of 334 bodies. Concerned by this practice, Arizona was the first state to create a law requiring crematories to have the CANA certificate before cremations are permitted.
“This is going to be big, and the plan is to offer three classes a semester,” Taggart said.
Volume 43, Issue 7. Today is
photo by Amanda Smith