The Advocate, Issue 20, March 8, 2013

Gresham, Oregon | March 8, 2013 | Volume 48, Issue 20

0101010101010101010101010101101010101010101010101010101011010101010101010101101 The independent student voice of 0100101010101010101010101010101010101010110101010110101010101011001010101010101 Mt. Hood Community College 0101010101010101010101010100101010101010100101010101010101010101010101010101010 1101010101010101001101010101010101010101010101010101010101010010101010101010101 0101010101001010101011010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 1010010101010101001010101010101010101010101010101010101010010101010101010101010 1010101001010110101010100101101010101010101010101010101010100101010101010101010 1010101010101010101010101010010101011001010101010101010101010101010101010100110 www. advocate-online . ne t 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010100101010101010101010101010101001

advocate the

FBI agent brings the hacker problem to MHCC Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate

dearly, Slinkard said.

Password problems He emphasized the vulnerability of the password system, as well as users’ unfortunate tendency to create very simple pass-

words and avoid changing them.

“If you want to get rich, invent something that’s actually affordable and usable (for added security), besides passwords,” he said.

Passwords are typically weak with re-

gard to their length, complexity and reuse, he said. He recommends increasing length and complexity by use of special characters.

“It’s kind of a broken system right now,”

See “Hackers” on Page 3

Victim of distracted driving presents in Student Union

Photo by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate

A cyber crime expert warns online users to be constantly vigilant against increasing threats.

“If I have control of your e-mail, I have control of your life,” said Portland FBI Special Agent Phil Slinkard during his presentation on campus Monday.

The MHCC cyber security program hosted the event for its students, as well as community members, in Room AC1271.

Slinkard spoke about taking precautions for online use, cyber security trends, and success tips for entering the professional field.

“We (users) think we know everything and we think we know what we’re doing and we’ll engage in risky behavior,” he said.

“So, sometimes you can be your own worst enemy.”

He described larger trends on the local and national levels, including the different types of cyber attacks, such as advance persistent threat, “hacktivism” and social engineering.

“Right now our (FBI) No. 1 priority is counter-terrorism, followed by counterintelligence, followed by cyber. In the near future we expect to see that change,” he said.

“The government is starting to wake up to the fact that we’re losing the cyber war, we’re losing the cyber fight,” he said.

Even small battles can cost individuals

Tyler Presnell was in a car accident that changed his life. After spending more of the last two years in high school in a hospital than in a classroom, Presnell had racked up outstanding hospital bills, lost a best friend and was on the verge of suicide. “I spent the last of the $32,000 I had skydiving in Molalla hoping my parachute would fail,” he said in his speech.

Presnell said in an interview after his presentation, “I quit feeling sorry for myself. The word ‘why’ just brings a lot of drama, so I stopped asking why and started asking ‘what’ – ‘what can I do with my life?’ ” After his story was repeatedly rejected by state DMVs and schools because “it didn’t make sense and I was all over the place,” Presnell said, he made a Youtube video telling his story. That video was viewed just 26 times, leaving him devastated, he said in his speech. Fortunately, one of those viewers was powerful enough to fly him to Washington, D.C., to speak. “After that, everyone wanted to hear my story,” he said.

His main message at MHCC: “There are a lot of things we can do to better our civilization, but it starts with one (you).”

Cybersecurity

Visual Arts Gallery

Track update

more information on how MHCC’s new program is tackling Internet security

Artist bases work on the LACK of quiet

Thrower Mckenzie warren breaks two school records

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Opinion March 8, 2013

Editorial: Whatever the method, put in the study time For everyone who isn’t blessed with a photographic memory, there is studying. And if you absolutely have to stay on the honor roll, it is been said by academics across America that you devote three hours of study per credit you’re are enrolled.

So, if you are taking 15 credits, you better be studying 45 hours a week. Is that possible? Do people do that? We don’t think so. However, finals are real and they are coming up quickly and wanted to encourage MHCC students to start studying sooner than later. To do this we talked to students and the program assistant at the learning success center, Mike Hein.

Most of the students we talked to you are probably a lot like you.

They don’t study all the material covered in class that day. A trend we noticed in our interviews and within our own habits was studying what we don’t understand as it is covered in class. Although, it seems every student admitted to procrastinating and having to cram just before finals.

“I use flash cards and will eat while I’m studying; food motivates me,” said Jazmon Lawrence, a dental hygiene student. “If I do take a break it’s because I’m frustrated, but I’ll keep going because if I stop I won’t go back to it.” The learning success center is always something we investigate when writing a story about student study habits. “I’ve been there once,” Lawrence said, adding that “[LLC] helped to confirm answers.” She thinks it’s “pretty good” and that there’s plenty of help available.

Jeremy Zimmerman, a computer science major, “was thrown out of high school” when he was a sophomore and got his GED “a week later.” Hs said he has developed study habits since then: Note tak-

ing, looking for italic, underlined and boldface type, and using the process of reading once, highlighting and reading with highlights are all techniques that help him stay on top of his work. Zimmerman also said he likes to network; through class or Skype he said, “study groups help.”

Another science student, Layla a pre-med student, said candidly that she gives up if she doesn’t understand something, but will go to the learning success center (tutoring center) for help if she really needs it.

Mike Hein, the program assistant to the learning success center, said students don’t have to wait until the last week and a half to get help. There are two tutors in the morning, a max of 14 in the afternoon and “it tapers off to four at the end of the day,” said Hein. Unfortunately, there are fewer tutors on hand during their busiest times of the term because the tutors are studying for their own finals.

“I try to maintain a full staff but that’s not always practical,” he said. There are anywhere from 65 – 70 tutors on staff. The center is open Monday – Friday 8 – 4.

The LSC is offering two seminars at four times that may help you if you have waited until the last minute to study and are feeling faint from your weeks of procrastination. “How to succeed in tests” is offered on 3/12 from 1:10 – 2:00 p.m. in the Bob Scott room and on 3/13 from 12:10 – 1:00 p.m. in AC2307. “Understanding Test Anxiety” is offered on 3/13 from 1:10 – 2:00 p.m. and on 4/14 at 2:10 – 3:00 p.m.

Don’t end up becoming a political hypocrite

Mike Mata The Advocate

One of the most embarrassing things to experience has to be getting caught in the act of hypocrisy – leading someone on with the pretense of one belief, moral or ethic and actually believing in another.

This is more prevalent nowadays as the majority of society flocks to the Internet blogs and political talk shows for their news.

This results in people only getting a myopic view of the political spectrum and, usually, only a view that is similar to their own.

Thus, with increasingly polarized political views that are not as well informed, it becomes more embarrassing when one is “outed” for having political beliefs contrary to their political label.

A key example to this is the back of a car I saw recently that had seemingly opposing bumper stickers: one had a picture of Obama on it and said, “Does this ass make my car look big?” and the other said, “Legalize the Constitution.”

On the surface this seems to be, at the

least, not in conflict if not downright supportive of one another, as the former sticker declares the owner of the car as a political conservative and the latter sticker as a statement of support for the basis of the U.S government. However, upon deeper examination of the most famous part of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, it seems that the two statements are indeed at odds.

The Bill of Rights, and therefore the Constitution, are provisions by the U.S. government that guarantee a set of liberal and progressive ideas. Among these ideas are that citizens of this country are entitled to freedom of speech and religion, the right to bear arms, trial by jury and the due process of law and protection from excessive bail.

However, this apparently conservative fellow is praising a liberal and progressive set of ideas, which on the surface seems odd.

Maybe another example would be helpful. This one is personal, involving my father. He was raised as a conservative by his parents and has professed a loyalty to conservative ideals. However, when engaged in political discussion, my father unknowingly seems to hold more liberal ideas, at least with regard to issues such as elimination of tax cuts for the über-wealthy and implementing gun control laws. However, if I were to tell him that these are liberal stand-bys, he would still claim that he’s conservative.

So, in the interest of having a more, pun unintended, politically correct populace, I have devised a few suggestions.

The first and foremost would be for peo-

ple to reach their political beliefs and political label on their own. Instead of looking for a narrow niche of beliefs and ideas, people ought to expose themselves to myriad different ideas and choose the ones that appeal to them. If I had a dollar for everyone I’ve met that believed in only certain ideas, beliefs or morals because their parents or elders influenced them, I’d be a rich man.

That leads to my next suggestion: Don’t let other people dictate what you believe in.

I realize the inherent irony of me telling you not to listen to what other people tell you to do or believe, but bear with me, here. The idea behind this parallels my aforementioned suggestion in that you should be solely responsible for your beliefs, morals and ethics.

My last suggestion is more of a call to action. I charge you, dear readers, to immerse yourself in a bevy of new ideas. Okay, maybe not immerse – but, take some time to read a blog about an opposing idea to your own and stop to consider those advocates’ point of view and their arguments. Even if you aren’t persuaded, at the very least you’ll be more educated on the matter.

I hope that my musings and suggestions will ring a bell or elucidate a light bulb in your minds. The world is full of diverse and interesting ideas, most of which are at your fingertips with the help of the Internet.

I merely ask you to try out some different ideas or beliefs for a change, and see where your head is after that. You might be surprised at what you find.

the advocate Co-Editors-in-Chief

News Editor

Reporters

Advisers

John Tkebuchava & Mike Mata

Mike Mata

Jackie Garrity Hayden Hunter Shaun Lutz Aaron Marshall Cameron Miller Kayla Tatum

Howard Buck Dan Ernst Bob Watkins

Associate Editor Kylie Rogers

Living Arts Editor Shelby Schwartz

Assistant Living Arts Editor Danny Perez-Crouse

Opinion Editor Jeff Hannig

Sports Editor John Tkebuchava

Copy Editors Kylie Rogers

Webmaster Logan Scott

Ad Manager Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Photo Editor Jeff Hannig

Photographer Jonathon Long

Graphic Designer Lauren Bakke

E-mail advocatt@mhcc.edu 503-491-7250 (Main) 503-491-7413 (Office) 503-591-6064 (Fax) www.advocate-online.net

Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030

“Which subject do you study for the most?” ◊ History ◊ Mathematics ◊ Science/Health ◊ English/Literature ◊ Foreign Language

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Submissions

The Advocate encourages readers to share their opinion by letters to the editor and guest columns for publication. All submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and contact information.

Contact information will not be printed unless requested. Original copies will not be returned to the author. The Advocate will not print any unsigned submission.

Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board.

The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length.

Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to advocatt@mhcc.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication to be considered for print.

Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

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News 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 Insight from 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 an FBI agent 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 Continued from Page 1 1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010 0101101010101010101101010101010101010101010101010101010011010101010101010101010101010101010100 the advocate

FBI agent clues MHCC’s Cyber Security program into the myriad of Internet security problems

is taking the first letter of each word of a quote with some personal importance, followed by some numbers and something that changes based on the website’s URL. As for “secret” security questions, Slinkard recommends never using correct answers. If you’re worried you might forget an intentional false answer, instead insert an extra easy-to-remember phrase with said Slinkard of the password process, and each correct answer to throw off would-be thoughtless repetition. “I do not reuse any hackers, he said. password on any website.”

Hacker pathways Slinkard illustrated how easy it can be Slinkard described other pathways used to hack into personal accounts. Using a free to commit cyber crimes. online tool to crack passwords, one man, PDF readers, Java, Adobe Flash and ReadMatt Weir, cracked 68 percent of his own passwords, he said. And, Weir “wasn’t doing er are the current frontrunners in vulnerabilanything that was really gee-whiz,” he said. ity for online users, he said. The majority of Slinkard said an average 7.2-character malware is targeted at Microsoft computers password can be cracked inside three min- running Internet Explorer, he said.

He recommends accepting and opening utes, and that just 1 percent of user passe-mails in only plain text, due to the vulnerwords contain a special character (which is ability of other components. strongly urged). ”If you send me an e-mail that doesn’t He recommends that each e-mail password should be “totally unique” and com- have a text component, I won’t be able to plex, since many other accounts reset and can read it, because that’s all I accept,” he said.

Malware may exist in third-party applibe accessed with it. Further, he recommends cations more than others, because these are the password used for financial purposes be completely different, as well as on websites not usually updated as frequently as operating systems. That’s because users must visit used for shopping online.

A method he uses to create passwords the website to download updates and newer versions.

Mobile malware Malware also threatens mobile devices, lurking in areas such as applications.

Slinkard recommended checking which areas of users’ phone apps require access to other personal data. He gave an example of a tuner for an instrument requesting access to his contacts and email.

Malware in apps can particularly affect Android phones, because there is no doublechecking of apps, he said.

In iPhones, Slinkard said the IOS system is not infallible and malware has been found in apps related to Instagram and other applications.

Other malware that robs users of small amounts of money may have affected millions of users and therefore have accumulated a large amount of money, he said.

Bot networks – robot programs planted into computer networks – are the type of attacks that cause the most money damage.

Bot networks can be used in a denial of service attacks, when someone attacks a company’s server causing it to shut down, leaving customers frustrated.

They are to blame for the majority of denial of service attacks, cracking of encryption, the origin of most spam and theft of financial data. Programs that fall into this category include Jabberzeus and Torpig.

USB drives provide a dramatic means of “human engineering” (or espionage crime), Slinkard said. To gain access to a company’s network, a hacker might plant USB drives containing malware throughout the business in hopes of workers plugging them in and spreading the virus.

Such social “engineering” does not require great technical skill but is the hardest to counter because it preys on human emotions and low vigilance, Slinkard said.

Phishing and spam As for spam and phishing e-mails, Slinkard said the best thing users can do “is don’t open it, never reply back to them.” A lot of the time the “unsubscribe” link is just to verify there is a real user there, he said. He recommends that users report phishing emails to the IT department of their business.

At Mt. Hood, students and employees may send spam to spam@mhcc.edu to be evaluated by the campus IT department.

Slinkard has served in the field for the FBI in the Portland area for 11 years. He has an undergraduate degree in biomedical science and genetics and a master’s degree in information systems.

He offered advice to MHCC students eager to join the cyber security profession: In order to excel, they must have the “geek drive,” he said.

Cyber Security instructors bring in FBI expertise The Advocate

The cyber security program invited FBI Special Agent Phil Slinkard to share his expertise on hacking and security issues with students on Monday.

“The No. 1 problem is the people using their computers and clicking on everything,” said Wayne Machuca, MHCC instructor who leads the school’s first-year cyber security program. This often occurs with spam and phishing emails that Slinkard discussed.

Paul Morris, cyber security instructor and program leader, said, “These (are) guys that come in and have a different voice for our students to hear to and say ‘gosh, this is what we’re learning, they’re right,’” of the guest speakers they host.

Machuca said they host speakers to make sure their program is relevant to different aspects of cyber security. Each speak-

grees to their name. “We want to give our students that edge,” he said.

A Virginia school, Prince George Community College, has provided curriculm for some courses at MHCC through the Cyber Watch West program.

“We added some Cyber Watch courses to give it some functionality and some structure, and then, to put some real beef on the bones, we created original classes,” Machuca said.

The two instructors also are working to obtain two-year certification from the Center for Academic Excellence, which would help place MHCC atop the list for potential future grant money.

Machuca and Morris are adapting the program based on knowledge from their professional speakers and their advising committee. Their focus is to better prepare students to protect small- to medium-size business networks.

Photo by Katelyn Hilsenbeck/The Advocate

Katelyn Hilsenbeck

The sign for the FBI presentation on Monday in room Ac1271 in the Information Technology buildling.

er provides guidance for the program on that aspect.

“We want to make sure our students have exposure to as many of these as possible,” said Machuca.“There’s so much going on, so you can’t know everything, so what you do is rely on industry professionals.”

Machuca’s goal is to train students capable of supportting the online community by

understanding technology and its abilities.

He joined Slinkard in encouraging intelligent use of the internet and taking proper security measures.

Machuca said that when creating the MHCC program two years ago, administrators found data that show people with both certifications and associate degrees have an employment edge over people with only de-

4 MHCC aims to generate enrollment, attendance News

Cameron Miller The Advocate

Photo by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate

MHCC is seeking to make changes during the 2013 summer term that will encourage higher attendance and develop greater enrollment.

The college has seen a plateau in enrollment since a surge beginning in the 2007-08 school year. This surge brought attendance to almost 40,000 students and the college has held steady near the 34,000-to-35,000 range since. David Minger, the vice president of Student Success and Enrollment Services, said, “Let’s take a fall term: 2012. If we count all kinds of courses, we had a head count of 34,262. We can compare that with the fall term in 2011 and we had a head count of 35,419.”

Minger said, “Based on the trend over the last year, we are looking at being down in enrollment by about 2 percent

this year. We are hoping to hold steady and improve a little bit in the spring.”

According to Minger, the major efforts are being placed in the 2013 summer term where class availability for more students is the headline topic. Minger said that the Office of Instruction is making efforts to make more courses available at different times for more students. He also added that the preliminary goal is to achieve about 10 percent increase in enrollment, but this number is “tentative.”

The college is hoping an increase in summer enrollment will have an overflowing effect on the enrollment numbers in the subsequent terms. Minger said, “If we can achieve 10 percent, then we would hope those students would stay for the fall and winter terms as well.”

Among the efforts this year for increased enrollment, Minger also said that the school is looking to put more classes online. “The goal is that as long as we have an unmet

March 8, 2013

need for education in the district, we want to figure out more ways to get education to more students,” he said.

In comparison to other Oregon colleges, Minger said that the rumors are that on average schools are down in enrollment this year. They could be in the 5-10 percent range, whereas MHCC has not dropped below 2 percent.

If the corrective actions do bring in more students, there is a possibility, according to Minger, of adding more staff. He also added that along with the idea of adding more college staff, the college has focused on bringing in new programs centered around retention, assisting a wider variety of students, and encouraging them to strive for completion.

Minger said, “We’ve expanded our veteran assistance because we are growing in veteran enrollment. In some cases we may need to bring on more staff, we found that we needed to expand the financial aid office to get people their financial aid as soon as they need it.”

ASG Student Finance Forum Students Ryan Riffe (far left), Brandon Anton (not pictured), and Maria Parker talk to Jonathon Gates, ASG director of finance. The group of students came to the finance forum because, “we have a friend in student government who said we should come,” said Anton.

Specifically, Anton wanted to know “where the money is coming from and how it is spent,” he said. Students who attended the forum benefited from having Gates on hand to field questions and to clarify budget decisions.

Holding up the approved budget, Anton conceded, “This requires knowledge I don’t have; a lot of the information is obscure.”

Riffe had similar concerns. He came to the forum to find out “what student government’s role was, and what power they had to make change.”

News Briefs Electric cars zoom around campus For anyone interested in watching full-size electric cars compete, the MHCC campus will host an Electric Propulsion Race on Saturday.

The official “Electrathon America” event features the work of local high school students, and will run 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lower parking lots (J-P) at MHCC. According to an email by MHCC Automotive Technology Instructor Jerry Lyons, “The electric cars are designed and built by teams of high school students from around the state.”

MHCC is co-sponsor of the event, with Centennial High School.

Gresham Ford will bring new Ford hybrid vehicles for display, and test drives.

Centennial High School metal shop teacher Mark Watts said, “There’s been a lot of work being put into this and I’m excited to watch the electrical cars and… the work the students have been put in.

“It’s an hourlong race and the cars run on two batteries, so if the car dies, you cannot race again until the next race, which is April 13 in Hood River,” he said.

Following the race, awards will be presented at 12:15 p.m. in the MHCC Automobile Technology lab.

— Aaron Marshall

ASG hosts live forums on their Facebook Associated Student Government (ASG) President William Miller and Vice President Antonio Guerrero will host a live online forum Monday on their Facebook page.

There will be two live forum times: 10-11 a.m. and 1 -2 p.m.

The forums will cover what ASG has been working on for winter term, their accomplishments and other current projects.

Each Forum will be on the Facebook page for Guerrero and Miller, www.facebook.com/williamandantontio.

According to a flyer about the forums, Miller and Guerrero encourage any and everyone to “tune-in.”

— Mike Mata

News

the advocate

Photos by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate

Distracted Driving event shows consequences to students

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From top left: Distracted Driver Awareness week kicked off on Monday. Student Activity Board members were calling for students to pledge not to drive distracted, announced distracted driving facts and offered students to experience “drunk driving goggles.” The Toyota Tacoma that was in the exhibit in the Main Mall crashed when the driver, who had a blood-alcohol level two times over the legal limit, swerved into a pole. The driver did not survive the crash.

MHCC staff to be presented awards at upcoming board meeting John Tkebuchava The Advocate

Three MHCC staff members will be presented with the 2013 Outstanding Support Staff Awards and Michael Viera of the Community College Search Services will provide a presidential search update at next week’s district board meeting.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Town and Gown room.

The three employees to be honored are Natalie Wright, a Distance Learning professional development facilitator; Brenda Wise, a science lab coordinator; and Vicki LundmarkTrujillo, an Industrial Technology administrative assistant.

Following that ceremony, Spanish instructor Paul Eckhardt and two students will be make a presentation on the language department’s study abroad program.

Students have the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica where they stay with host families and study Spanish at SEPA School. The students will spend six weeks

in Costa Rica and can earn a full year’s Spanish credits.

Next, Bill Farver, MHCC vice president of college services, Jennifer DeMent, director of finances, and Richard Byers of Facilities Management will discuss a potential contract extension with Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) that would incorporate several new measures to save an additional $10.3 million in energy costs on campus.

The district board will convene before the regular meeting at 5 p.m. for an executive session to consider matters of employment.

Want information at your fingertips? www.advocate-online.net Provides access to articles and online specific content when you want it.

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Living Arts March 8, 2013

Photos by Logan Scott/ The Advocate

Visual arts gallery hosts serene exhibit until March 28 Danny Perez-Crouse The Advocate

Tara Burkhardt’s exhibit “Quiet: Being Within,” will be on display in the visual arts gallery until March 28. The piece shown on the right and in the above photo is Burkhardt’s work entitled “Threshold”, is oil on canvas and was completed in 2011.

various artists so she could get a good grasp on how to reasonably price her own. “It’s a fine balance. You don’t want to over-price your art, but you don’t want to undersell it,” she said.

Burkhardt shared some of the highs and lows she feels when creating a painting.

“Sometimes it feels like a journey, and you almost get this euphoric sense of pleasure because everything is clicking, but on other days, it can feel like everything is failing,” she said. “The biggest challenge is knowing when a painting is done, when you can’t add anything else to your project.”

She noted that getting something that isn’t normally associated with paintings to resonate with the viewer is a challenge. “ ‘Quiet’ is a hard thing to define.

Your noise tolerance may vary from mine,” she said.

However, after two years of work on these pieces, Burkhardt said she is quite satisfied with the result.

“I feel complete in the work that I was trying to achieve, and was able to get my point across. You can’t beat yourself up if someone sees your work differently than how you meant it to be seen, because indi-

vidual perception is one of the beauties of art,” she added. “Once you put it out there, it’s not yours anymore.”

Visitors can see Burkhardt’s paintings in the Visual Arts Gallery until March 28.

For more info on her background and work, check her website at taraburkhardt. com.

Photos by Logan Scott/ The Advocate

A Portland-based artist hopes everyone can experience a quiet moment while viewing her paintings.

Tara Burkhardt is the latest artist to feature her work at MHCC in a solo show at the Visual Arts Gallery. She has been drawing her whole life but is primarily a painter, and has painted professionally for eight years. Burkhardt said she knew she wanted to be an artist since she was a child. She received her fine arts bachelor’s degree in Painting from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) in 2010.

Her show is titled “Quiet: Being Within,” and consists entirely of oil paintings.

Burkhardt was inspired to focus on the idea of quiet after being disoriented by how loud and busy our culture has become. She aims to give the people looking at her paintings a “quiet moment” in a stressful and rushed world. This is where you are focused on one thing, at peace and not letting outside forces disturb you, she explains — just what she felt while creating these paintings.

The work in this exhibit is a bit of a departure for Burkhardt, as she usually does more colorful paintings. “I wanted to switch my medium up,” she said. She describes her overall style as minimalistic and aims to capture human experiences in her paintings.

One painting features a section gently erased from the rest, aptly named “Erase.”

Another features a set of intertwined cubes with a light gray backdrop, titled “Focus.”

Some of Burkhardt’s paintings are for sale, and putting a price tag on her work was very difficult, she said. She did a lot of research on other paintings and talked to

Jazz band concert

The Jazz band hosted their end of term concert on Wednesday evening in the College Theater.

Living Arts

the advocate

Photos by Jeff Hannig/ The Advocate

Japanese culture

7

MHCC students, RICE club and Japanese club members came together with the exchange students from Ryukoku University in Japan to learn about Japanese cultures and traditions on Tuesday afternoon in the Student Union.

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Apply today.

ecampus.oregonstate.edu/cc13 800-667-1465 MtHood_201303_6.1x8.indd 2

Auditions for MHCC’s student-directed spring production, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” will be help at 4 p.m. on March 12 and 13 in the studio theater.

Those interested in auditioning can attend either the Tuesday or Wednesday session. Callbacks will be on Thursday the 14.

Those auditioning will not be asked to prepare a monologue, but will be asked to read from the play, participate in team building exercises and perhaps demonstrate improv skills, said student director Caitlynn Didlick.

Didlick seeks to match roles to actors able “to make the character their own.”

Her advice to hopefuls would be to wear comfortable clothing and to “read the play, know the characters and be comfortable with the play,” and to “connect with their fellow actors,” she said.

“Don’t just read the lines off the page,” she said. She wants actors to flesh out each character. “I want people to be able to connect to the characters. I want to see women take on the role of Ms. Ratched and maybe find a deeper meaning for why she’s like that.”

This will be Didlick’s first time directing a play. Alex Giorgi will be her assistant director for the show.

Didlick directed a re-enactment of the “Ed Sullivan Show” during high school, and said it was good preparation.

She decided to apply for the director job because, “I just really wanted to be a part of the play,” she said. “I just thought I’d take the directing class and see how that went.”

During MHCC’s winter production of “RENT,” she was an ensemble member in what was her first musical production. This is her first year at MHCC to pursue a theater major after attending both Oregon State and the University of Oregon previously.

“I am more actress than director, but I’m trying out the director (role),” Didlick said. “I like trying out new things and being on the move, so it’s been good for me.”

Didlick has not seen the “Cuckoo” play, and so will not be influenced by other directors’ decisions she said.

The spring production will run at 7:30 p.m. on May 9-11 and May 16-18 in the MHCC studio theater.

- Katelyn Hilsenbeck 2/20/13 8:41 AM

8

Living Arts March 8, 2013

Review:

WWII drama aims high, misses mark

the day tripper your weekly event planner

Friday 3.8

Nw Portland

The “Pancakes and Booze Art Show” will be held tonight at Urban Studio. The event will feature more than 75 artists and an all-you-can-eat pancake bar (free with $5 admission), body painting and a DJ set. The event will start at 8 p.m. and go until around 1 a.m. and is 21+. 935 N.W. Davis St., Portland.

Fri. 3.8 - Sun. 3.10

NE Portland

The Portland Oregon Women’s Film Fest will be taking place through Sunday at the Hollywood Theater. The festival will feature more than 80 films made by women from around the world. Show times and ticket prices vary and are available on the powfest. com or the hollywoodtheatre.org websites. 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd., Portland.

Saturday 3.9

Mike Mata

SE Portland

OMSI will be holding a brain fair today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fair is free, although those wanting to access other parts of OMSI must pay the normal museum admission. The fair will wrap up OHSU’s brain awareness season and will include such things as interactive exhibits, real human brains, crafts, demonstrations, prizes, and feature OHSU neuroscientists explaining their research. 1945 S.E. Water Ave., Portland.

Sat. 3.9 & Sun. 3.10

“Emperor” romantic subplot takes away from the focus of Japanese war criminals and the fate of Hirohito

NE Portland

The Bricks Cascade exhibition will be held today at the Oregon Convention Center. The convention will feature thousands of artistic models created out of LEGOS by adult LEGO enthusiasts from around the world. The convention will be held today from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and tomorrow between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Admission is $8 per person, $28 for a family of four or five and children 3 and under are free. 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Portland.

Tuesday 3.12 MHCC The City of Gresham will be holding the 2013 State of the City address tonight in the College Theater on campus. Mayor Shane Bemis will be giving an address of the accomplishments of the past year and presenting the challenges and opportunities for the year ahead. It will start at 7 p.m. and go until around 9 p.m. Mt. Hood Community College Theater, 26000 S.E. Stark St., Gresham.

The Advocate

Be prepared for a slight amount of disappointment, World War II buffs, when purchasing tickets to the newest WWII drama, “Emperor.”

“Emperor,” which comes out Friday after running at the Toronto Film Festival last September, is about the American-led Allied occupation of Japan following the latter’s surrender and the subsequent end of WWII – specifically, the beginning of the war crimes trials that determine the innocence or guilt of the Japanese emperor.

The movie stars Tommy Lee Jones as U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Command for the Allied Powers, and Matthew Fox as Gen. Bonner Fellers, an expert on Japan and protégé to MacArthur.

The plot begins with real footage of bombings of Japan in the final days of the war and with narration by Fox as Fellers on the Japanese devotion to its Emperor Hirohito (played by Takataro Katatoka) and how he led his people to surrender in order to save their lives.

From there, the movie transitions into the airplane carrying MacArthur and his staff officers as they travel to Tokyo to begin the occupation and reconstruction of Japan. Jones plays MacArthur to the hilt, as enigmatic and, at times, crass, full of folksy bluster and a “who-gives-a-shit” attitude towards politicians.

Fox’s Fellers is, in contrast, a focused and gritty psychology ex-

pert trying to round up a group of Japanese leaders that are wanted for war crimes while trying to discover how much involvement Hirohito had in the go-to-war decision whilst simultaneously trying to locate an old beau, Aya (played

by Eriko Hatsune) who was in Japan during the ruthless bombing raids by the Allies. As often as Fellers is portrayed as being determined and inexhaustible, there is also an underlying pain and passion in regards to Aya and her unknown fate.

The movie’s main plot of regarding the Japanese war criminals and the fate of Hirohito make an interesting movie but what keeps it from being a truly great war drama is the sub-plot involving Aya’s and Feller’s relationship.

As often the audience gets to see stoic Japanese politicians devolve into puddles of sappy devotion to Hirohito, they get to see flashbacks from the 1930s of Fellers and Aya frolicking around some college campus in America. These scenes try to add a layer of emotional texture to the otherwise dry military drama but only end up imparting a cheesy romance instead.

The only really valuable flashbacks are when Fellers is on a military assignment in Japan before the war begins in order to write a report on the psychological aspects of the Japanese military. In these scenes, the audience gets to see the swelling tide of nationalism in Japan and the xenophobic brainwashing by the militaristic politicians in power. Also in these flashbacks, Fellers and Aya meet

with Aya’s uncle, General Kajima (played by Toshiyuki Nishida) who explains to Fellers how Japanese society and Japan’s military work.

The movie ends, as one might expect with any kind of plot that involves conspiracy and investigation, with a twist in one story thread while at the same time, the other thread is getting bludgeoned out.

The cinematography in “Emperor” is at times extremely elegant, which underlines and alludes to the perceived elegance of the upper classes in Japan and their manicured gardens and shockingly Victorian modes of dress. Just as much, though, there are crushing scenes of a distraught populace in a demolished country looking at their new occupiers with a mixture of fear, distaste and hope. In this sense, the film is enjoyable for the variety and detail in scenery.

The film is also good for the information it imparts, adding a face to an event that most Americans don’t tend to think about, especially given our country’s recent international history: how a mostly American force helped to rebuild, restructure and reform a country that was more than two millennia old into a functional, modern democracy. Sound familiar?

For anyone interested in seeing how this particular time in world history played out, “Emperor,” would be a shoo-in. However, be prepared to swallow the inevitable bile at seeing Fox ludicrously playing a young college student trying to woo a foreign student. Really, choke it down.

9

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10 Sports Photo by Jeff Hanning/TheAdvocate

March 8, 2013

Freshman thrower breaks two school records at the ‘Ice Breaker’ meet John Tkebuchava The Advocate

Above: The softball team praticing in the gym with the bad weather preventing them from being outside.

Softball team starts March off undefeated Road trip continues as team plays in Oregon and Washington this weekend Aaron Marshall The Advocate

The MHCC softball team started its pre-season strong, going 4-0 last weekend with wins over Yakima Valley Community College, Spokane Community College, Wenatchee Valley Community College and Blue Mountain Community College.

“We executed well at the plate, we kept hitters off balance and played well on defense,” said head coach Meadow McWhorter.

The team started against Blue Mountain and won 5-4. The Saints batted in three runs in the fifth inning, after trailing 4-2, and played well throughout the rest of the game to keep the lead. The three other games were won easily by MHCC, including a 13-4 victory over Yakima Valley.

“I expect big things out of our offense this year. We have tremendous power but we need to be aggressive, yet disciplined, at the plate,” McWhorter. “We have to hit the pitches we want to hit, not the pitches our opposition wants us to hit.”

The team had 14 hits in the opener against Blue Mountain. Freshman infielder Teauna Hughes had hits in all four at-bats, including a home run. Sophomore infielders Lola Ciu and Courtney McCarthy each had two hits in four at-bats. Winning pitcher Ann-Marie Guischer finished with a 2.33 ERA after allowing seven hits and four runs in four innings pitched.

In their second game, the Saints defeated Spokane, 10-2, scoring twice in the third and the sixth innings, and six more runs in the seventh. Offense was strong throughout the lineup as the team totaled 12 hits. Outfielder Maycee Abendschein knocked a three-run home run and finished with four RBIs. Kali Van Cleave, Bianca Hankcock, McCarthy and

Ciu all had multiple hits. Freshman pitcher Kristen Crawford ended with a 0.50 ERA in seven innings pitched allowing two runs and five hits, with three strikeouts.

The Saints must play hard and smart, their coach said.

“We will continue to work on staying aggressive at the plate, hitting the ball where it is pitched, communication on defense and controlling what we can control,” said McWhorter.

The team is ranked third in the pre-season coaches poll, with Wenatchee Valley and Clackamas Community College ahead of them.

In all of her years leading the Saints, McWhorter said this year’s team stands out.

“This is one of the most driven teams I have ever coached,” said McWhorter.

In their third game, MHCC beat Wenatchee Valley 4-0, scoring two runs in each the fourth and fifth innings. The Saints had 10 hits; McCarthy had three hits in three at-bats.

Hughes homered again and had two RBIs. Abendschein added two hits in three at-bats. Crawford finished the shutout, allowing three hits and striking out four in seven innings.

The Saints look to continue their hot start today through Sunday.

They have three road games against Blue Mountain Community College, Walla Walla Community College and Columbia Basin Community College.

“This is a big weekend for Mt. Hood softball: six games in three days,” said McWhorter. “Going on the road to play three quality programs will be a good test for us. I am looking forward to this team continuing to come together, play for each other and leave it all on the field.”

Today’s game starts at 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday’s games start at noon.

Two MHCC track and field records fell Saturday — one that stood for 30 years — as the Saints opened up their season at the Eric Anderson Icebreaker in McMinnville.

Freshman McKenzie Warren, the 2012 Oregon state champion in the shot put competing in her first college track and field meet, broke both the MHCC hammer throw and discus throw records.

Warren placed first in the discus (44.24 meters), second in the hammer throw (48.04 meters) and second in the shot put (12.35 meters).

The old hammer throw record was set in 1998

by Suzy Hiderman, and the former discus record was set in 1983 by Carrie Burgher.

Though Warren quickly made history as a Saint, head coach Matt Hart said he expects her only to progress further as the season unfolds.

“We are quite confident she will continue to improve as well,” said Hart.

In the Saints’ men’s first outing, sophomore Chris Newell placed second in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase (10:02). The men’s 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of freshman Cody Beierle, sophomore LT Avants and freshmen Eric Nelson and Caleb Coe, placed second (3:29). Sophomore Chris Un, who ran unattached at the meet due to eligibility issues, was the winner of the triple jump (13.78 meters).

In the throws, freshman Cody Quinton finished third in the discus with a mark of 40.18 me-

ters. In the men’s javelin, sophomore Tyler Callahan, the current MHCC record holder who sat out last season for medical reasons, returned this year in full health, throwing for 57.45 meters to win the event.

On the women’s side, sophomore Christa Collmer was the winner of the women’s 800-meter race (2:24) and placed second in the 1500-meter (5:05). Freshman Charlene Manning placed third in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. Sophomore Molly Scoles placed second in the 400-meter race (1:01), with teammate Whitney Warren finishing in fourth (1:02).

The women’s 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of Scoles, Warren, Collmer and freshman Caitlyn Safely, who were the 2012 200-meter Oregon state champion, placed third with a time of 4:14.

Freshman Kristi Kachel placed third in the long jump (4.95 meters). Sophomore Tori Dixson, who was the 2012 NWAACC shot put champion, took fourth in the discus (37.55 meters).

With numerous top finishers in throwing events, the Saints are looking to mirror the success of last season’s field event athletes.

Hart was not the least surprised by the talent displayed at the meet. “I knew we would be very strong in those events,” he said.

The track and field team’s next meet will be held at Lewis and Clark College at the L & C Invite, on March 22-23. On March 16, qualified athletes will compete in the Oregon Preview meet at the University of Oregon.

Sports

the advocate

Sport

SC

11

entral

Timbers coach is turning Portland into ‘Porterland’

Cameron Miller The Advocate The Portland Timbers opened the 2013 season with a 3-3 draw on Sunday with a critical two-goal second half comeback against the New York Red Bulls.

While the result was a disappoint-

tivation and passion. In the past two seasons they have been known to allow goals both very early and late in games.

Last year they managed only one victory on the road, in 17 tries. They also were proven susceptible to teams outpossessing them, outshooting them and being tougher down the stretch in many matches.

In the first contest of 2013, almost all these deficiencies had vanished. The three goals allowed Sunday were all related to defensive breakdowns between new and old players who had never played together. Other than those mistakes, they had twice as many shots on goal and 63% possession of the ball, and allowed no goals in the second half.

This is the reason why the Timbers brought on their new head coach: a new

The combination of veteran leaders, talented young players and a desire to win is what’s need to propel the Timbers to greatness in the next few seasons. ment of sorts for their fans, the Timbers showed promise through a difficult first match.

They showed a new toughness, mo-

playing style, new mindset and a new beginning. With critics claiming that the Timbers have almost no chance to make the playoffs this year, the players an-

swered with a tough draw against one of the better teams in the league.

The Timbers Army featured a revamped sign that points to the future of the club. The old sign that simply read “Portland” in large plain, individual letters now spells “Porterland.”

If the players can commit to the coach, his playing style and his passion, there is more than hope that this team can go far.

In previous seasons the Timbers organization was committed to one or two high-caliber players and hoped they would fit the style of play, as well as their new home. With both players (Kenny Cooper and Kris Boyd) falling short of expectations, they soon departed, leaving the Timbers in disappointment.

Cooper and Boyd displayed behavior frustrating for the Timbers fans and staff alike. Consistently, their effort would decrease further and further into the match and the worse chances were of Portland winning, the more the two seemed not to care.

The most recent high-profile acquisitions made by the Timbers add not only veteran leadership, but experience in some of the foremost leagues in the world. It seems they might have finally found players who are dedicated and driven to win. These players are foreigners Diego Valeri, Mikael Silvestre and Frederic Piquionne, as well as

Ryan Johnson, whom they acquired in a trade from MLS rival Toronto FC. The combination of veteran leaders, talented young players and a desire to win is what’s needed to propel the Timbers to greatness in the next few seasons.

Porter is happy to take on the role of head coach and is optimistic for the team. After a preseason match last month, he said, “We’re trying to create a new legacy here. If we play like we (just) did, we are going to win a lot of games this year.”

Timber’s mascot, ‘Timber Joey’.

- Blazers/Men’s College Basketball -

- Blazers -

- Beavers -

- Ducks -

Portland Trail Blazers at San Antonio Spurs

Oregon St. at Colorado

Oregon

Today at 5:30 p.m.

Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

at

Utah

12 Sports

March 8, 2013

Photos by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate

Saints men only drop one game at opening tournament The men’s baseball team started off their season full throttle, kicking off with a 3-1 record. Next week the Saints will be taking on the national powerhouse in Western Nevada College Saints freshman Zane Bambusch pitching during MHCC’s game against the Edmonds Tritons on Sunday.

Shaun Lutz The Advocate

In their first outing since last year’s runnerup finish at the NWAACC tournament, MHCC’s baseball team didn’t disappoint.

Going 3-1 over the weekend in doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday versus the Edmonds Tritons gave the Saints a bright outlook for the season.

The first game finished 7-5 in favor of the Tritons, who capitalized on a five-run fifth inning and held their lead until game’s end.

Saints freshman first baseman Dakota Farmer drove a ball out of the park and freshman Logan Grindy contributed a 4-for-5 day at the plate, but their performances

weren’t enough to bring MHCC back.

MHCC sophomore Eric Huson started the game on the mound and pitched four and two-thirds innings, allowing five earned runs while striking out three Triton batters.

Huson earned a no-decision, while freshman pitcher Ian Ence took the loss, giving up the deciding run late in Saturday’s first game, his only run allowed in three innings of work.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Saints rallied from a 4-1 deficit after seven innings.

Piling on five runs in the bottom of eighth, MHCC took a lead they wouldn’t give up, to win 6-4.

Sophomore Jon Bjorklund tossed

six solid innings, punching out six Edmonds hitters while giving up one earned and one unearned run in his time on the bump.

Freshman Michael McCall would finish the final three innings on the rubber to earn the win for the Saints, allowing two earned runs while striking out three.

Sophomore catcher Marcus Blackmon led the Saint offense, hitting 2-for-3 and driving in one run.

Blackmon was one of six MHCC hitters with an RBI; the others were Grindy, sophomore Hunter Weiss, and freshmen Kendall Main, Cole Hamilton and Jon Wellborn.

Sunday’s action brought home two wins for MHCC as they were able to sweep the doubleheader.

Game One was a high-scoring af-

fair, and a 10-7 Saint victory.

Transfer Brandon Williams started the game for MHCC, allowing six runs (three unearned) in four and a third innings pitched with five strikeouts.

After Mt. Hood took a threerun lead in the second inning, the offense poured in for both squads.

Edmonds scored five in the top of the fifth to take a 6-3 lead.

But, the Saints scored two each in the sixth and seventh innings to seize the advantage.

Freshman Zane Bambusch relieved Williams for three and two-thirds innings, only allowing one run and gaining the win. Bambusch set the stage for freshman Joe Piercey to come in for the save.

Game Two Sunday was a true

pitcher’s duel, as the only run of the game came on an RBI single in the first inning by Saints’ sophomore outfielder Shea Coates. Clint Burris, the right-handed freshman starter, went six strong innings, recording nine K’s and giving up no runs in the 1-0 MHCC win.

Freshman Myles Richard came in for his first save of the season, striking out one Triton batter in his only inning of work.

Taking their 3-1 record south, the Saints will head to Nevada next week for a pair of doubleheaders, on March 15 and 16.

They will play national powerhouse Western Nevada College, former home of one of MLB’s bright young stars, Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals.