The Advocate, Issue 19 - Mar. 10, 2017

the

advocate

Volume 51 Issue 19

March 10, 2017

Independent Student Voice of MHCC

Calcagno focuses on home issues PAGE 3

In-depth review of new game, ‘Night in the Woods’ PAGE 5

Tibbs a positive vocal leader for Saints PAGE 8

PAGE 2

From drug addiction to honor society

2016 FIRST PLACE

PAGE 4

General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

OPINION

March 10, 2017

Editorial

Zuckerberg manifesto may deserve thumbs down

Facebook’s lackluster algorithims have left users stuck in their own political echo chamber: Will its solutions help and will Mark Zuckerberg follow through?

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acebook, the 13-yearold social media giant recently reported to have 1.86 billion users worldwide, is one of, if not the largest media platform distributing information on the planet.

That number has increased roughly 17 percent a year and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of its growth slowing down.

Users are responsible for the content they post, but what responsibility does Facebook have for the information that’s been posted, and what can – and should – they do when someone posts intentionally false or illegal information or materials to their Facebook account?

Recently Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and CEO, tried to answer some of these questions. He released a manifesto, a nearly 5,500-word proclamation on his own social media site, touting the benefits of building a global community and addressing Facebook’s position on “fake” news and so-called “echo chambers” or “filter bubbles” in our news consumption.

The essay discusses how Facebook and its users should go about helping people “see a more complete picture, not just alternate perspectives.” Zuckerberg makes it seem like the only way for a person

providing fair and/or unbiased news to everyone?

A few years back, in a 2012 letter to potential investors, he wrote “People sharing more – even if just with their close friends or families – creates a more open culture and leads to a better understanding of the lives and perspectives of others.” He went on to say that Facebook relationships expose users to a greater number of diverse perspectives.

Not only is that not necessarily true, but having an attitude like this has lead to claims Facebook’s algorithms leave users only receiving news and information that echo their own beliefs.

That, as well as current bad press in connection to the recent presidential election and dismay over a glut of widely shared fake news.

In his manifesto, Zuckerberg bragged “we’ve seen (that) the candidate Graphic by Prisma Flores with the largest material, whether that’s an extremely and most engaged following on conservative website such as Facebook usually wins.” He went Breitbart news, a liberal-leaning on to compare social media to newspaper such as the New York the television of the 1960s as the Times, or a friend telling you primary, driving medium for civic what they saw happening at the debate.

The major difference in 2017, store, needs to be accurate to be however, is that information considered news.

News is fact, not fiction. If it’s on television and traditional journalism outlets like newspapers not true, it’s not news.

How much of this premise and magazines have ramifications if Zuckerberg laid out is just lip they give blatantly false, misleading, service, and how committed is or illegal information. Facebook, he to making sure Facebook is meanwhile, doesn’t have any

to have an informed decision is to have a “range of perspectives,” saying, “We must be careful how we do this.”

Indeed, research shows that some of the most obvious ideas, like showing people an article from the opposite perspective, actually deepen polarization by framing other perspectives as foreign.

We as users and consumers are at least partially responsible for our media diet. We should be careful about what news and information we consume, and how much weight and credibility we give to that material.

However, the source of the

In a recent proclamation, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, tries to reassure Web Photo users fake news will be suppressed.

penalty to keep its users honest or to make sure everyone only posts proper materials, beyond at best saying ‘Stop it, or we will delete your account – well, at least until you make a new one!’

Our mistrust of Facebook’s promises to stop fake news posts may be valid, especially considering more recent news. Reportedly, Facebook was informed by the BBC that child pornography was being shared on their site. BBC sent Facebook more than 100 pictures, and links to the accounts of users sharing child porn.

Instead of removing the material, yanking the pages, and turning over the users to police, Facebook ran to the police, and lodged a complaint against the BBC. The BBC had used Facebook’s own tools, and even after finding the 100 images and reporting them, found 82 still remaining when it

later checked on the situation.

Obviously Facebook, and some concerned users, urge against the corporation self-imposing regulations that are too strict, worrying the site will turn into a “police state” and arguing that people are always entitled to their opinions.

However, much harm can be done when people can freely purport information as true. This is nothing new; this is why we have libel laws, because saying false things about individuals, groups, or even companies or countries, is damaging. Since the founding of the U.S. we have had some form of libel laws on the books to help protect individuals and their reputations.

To view the full unabridged story, visit: advocate-online.net

the advocate Editor-in-Chief Gloria Saepharn

Sports Editor Jamie George

Video Editor Open Position

Associate Editor, Arts & Entertainment Editor Matana McIntire

Graphic Design Team Prisma Flores Seneca Maxwell

Ad Managers Joseph Frantz Carlena Ascensio

Photo Editor Open Position

Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst

Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor Megan Phelps News Editor Kyle Venooker Opinion Editor Donovan Sargent PA G E 2

Assistant Photo Editor Davyn Owen Photo Team Porcha Hesselgesser Alex Crull Fadi Shahin

Staff Writers Greg Leonov Brody Mathews Maddy Sanstrum Glenn Dyer Logan Hertner Maegan Willhite

Erik Walters Ryan Moore Monique Mallari Cover photo/design by Prisma Flores

Contact us!

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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.

NEWS

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Faculty members earn tenure Greg Leonov & Kyle Venooker the advocate

During Wednesday’s board meeting, Mt. Hood’s district board of directors voted to grant tenure to six instructors, approve sabbatical for 11 others and approve the Head Start program operating budget for the 2017-18 school year.

There also was a lengthy presentation on MHCC’s Salmon Safe and rainwater runoff retrofitting plans, given by Mt. Hood’s director of facilities, Charles George, and partners from Metro and other organizations.

George noted that Mt. Hood is the nation’s first community college to achieve Salmon Safe certification, but much more work remains to be done on the campus.

Faculty members that were formerly given tenure at Mt. Hood (and were honored in a separate reception) were: • Aylin Bunk from the ESLENL/Adult Basic Skills Department; • Scott Plinski, ABE-GED/ Adult Basic Skills; • Theatre Artistic Director

Mace Archer from the Visual and Performing Arts Department; • English and composition instructor Andrew Gurevich from the Humanities Department; • Joshua Stratman from the P.E. Department; and • Keith Knight from the Machine Tool Technology/ Applied Technology Department.

The faculty members were lauded for their “professional integrity and unwavering dedication to developing coursework that challenges and enlightens students,” and others were noted for their leadership roles, both at the college and in the community.

While not a guarantee of employment, tenure provides academic and due process protection for instructors and makes it markedly harder to terminate their employment. That can include protection against potential layoffs, a not-so-distant possibility given Oregon’s large budget deficit that could trim college budgets.

Also on Wednesday, part-time faculty association leader Marilyn

Pitts took time to discuss Oregon Senate Bill 196, which would give part-time faculty benefits coverage based on hours worked.

Board member Jim Zordich announced that he has filed for reelection this spring for the Zone 2 position. He shared that he has secured endorsements from the classified employees association, the part-time faculty tutors association, Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis, Fairview Mayor Ted Tosterud, Troutdale Mayor Casey Ryan, State Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, State Rep. Carla Piluso, and MHCC instructor and state Rep. Chris Gorsek.

“I filed this Monday, and as they say at the asylum, I am fully committed,” he said.

Board members will meet again Saturday to hold a daylong retreat.

The session begins at 9 a.m. in the boardroom with a discussion on the MHCC general obligation bond measure proposed for the May 16 special election.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 12.

The board will first convene as Mt. Hood’s formal Budget Committee at 6 p.m.

Barney’s Briefs ASG Food Drive

Mt. Hood’s ASG is running another food drive it has labeled the “Punger Games,” which will run through March 17. The food drive is an interdepartmental contest. Donations will be weighed in pounds and winners will get a pizza party. Donations are accepted in boxes located in department offices.

-Greg Leonov

Police chief to give safety presentation Gresham’s new police chief, Robin Sells, will be speaking at Mt. Hood on Tuesday, March 14. She will give a live safety presentation, and will address questions and concerns from attendees. Mt. Hood’s ASG, Public Safety, and its Title IX teams will host the talk in the Town & Gown Room (Rm 2059).

-Greg Leonov

DRC features exhibit on Cuba The Diversity Resource Center, located in the Student Union, has staged its featured exhibit for the month of March. The exhibit is tilted “Cuba: Change, Challenge, and Courage,” made by MHCC employee Laura Lyons. It features black-and-white photographs from a recent research excursion to Cuba, as well as writings. Today (March 10) the DRC will host a discussion and Q & A session from 2 to 3 p.m. with Lyons, on the topic of her research and experience in the country.

-Megan Phelps

Six months in Salem, Calcagno resigns from position Greg Leonov the advocate

At-large MHCC District board member Michael Calcagno recently stepped down from his intriguing, but demanding, day job in Salem.

Calcagno, who owns a small video production and media business, resigned from his position as communications director for Oregon’s newly elected secretary of state, Dennis Richardson, a Republican.

During Richardson’s 2016 campaign for office, Calcagno’s company, Calcagno Media Video Production, was hired to make promotional videos. After Richardson’s win in November, Calcagno was offered the communications director job.

“I stayed on with his campaign, producing videos until the day before the election,” he said. “Dennis and I built a good relationship during those campaign months and in November, after the victory, he offered me that position to serve.”

The job in Richardson’s office, inside the Capitol building, was not guaranteed.

“I basically said, ‘Well, I sort of need a firm commitment that this is going to be a long-term position,’” said Calcagno. “The answer that came back, was basically, ‘These positions are appointed positions, so they are transitional in nature.’ ” Calcagno committed six months to the job, choosing to commute rather than move to Salem. Playing a role was a newborn child, he added.

During his brief time at the Capitol, Calcagno said he worked to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of his department.

Oregonians hadn’t elected a Republican secretary of state for over 40 years, he noted, leaving an opportunity.

“Over those 40 years, when you don’t have that natural transition of leadership (between political parties), I don’t think you’re going to fully maximize the effectiveness of your operation,” he said.

As an example, he explained that the Secretary’s office releases rather lengthy audit reports. “I’m pretty sure there’s only a handful of people who are reading every single page of that 40-page report,” he said – so his

goal was to present those reports in more reader- friendly ways.

As a publicly elected, voting member of the MHCC board, Calcagno had to make sure his communications director job didn’t pose a conflict of interest.

“You have to look at the four divisions that Dennis (Richardson) oversees,” said Calcagno. “He oversees elections, audits, corporations, and archives.”

Elections and audits posed potential conflicts of interest, he explained.

“I made a full disclosure to Dennis when I came into the office: ‘I have this role, (have) been duly elected, I don’t intend to resign, I want you to be aware in case there’s ever a conflict that arises,’ he told Richardson. If Mt. Hood was ever audited by the Secretary of State’s office, Calcagno would have had to recuse himself from that process, for example.

Once on the job, Calcagno realized how difficult it was “to change the culture of state government,” he said. “It’s really hard to change those institutions because there is so much that is culturally ingrained and then there are so many

structural hindrances to innovation and efficiency.”

Last year, even as he teamed up with GOP candidate Richardson, Calcagno ran as an Independent Party candidate for the Oregon House District 50 seat, but lost to the incumbent, a Democrat.

Presently, he said he has no further political ambitions. His focus is his business and his family, and serving on the MHCC board.

His current term runs through

Web Photo from the Portland Tribune

Michael Calcagno

May 2019.

A critic of the college’s 2016 measure try a year ago, he said supports Mt. Hood’s bond efforts this time. “I support the bond; I want the bond to pass. If this community doesn’t support the college, we won’t be able to catalyze the change we all want to see,” he said.

He said he also hopes more individuals would get involved in their communities.

“All I hope is that people run for school board, not just (Mt. Hood’s district board), but in general,” he said. Whether it’s running for office, starting an action committee, creating a petition or an initiative, or volunteering on bond efforts, “I hope people decide to prioritize that engagement,” he said.

To contact Calcagno call his office at: 503866-7124 PA G E 3

NEWS

March 10, 2017

Passionate student stronger from hardships Kyle Venooker

“I’m going to show my children that anyone can reach their dreams; all it takes is hard work and determination.”

the advocate

It’s been nearly three weeks since Mt. Hood student Brenna Schmidt started working for the office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon. The job is the result of both hard work, and hard times.

An MHCC student since the spring of 2015, Schmidt is pursuing a career in public relations.

She currently is a public relations officer for Rho Theta, Mt. Hood’s honor student group, with plans to complete her transfer degree and pursue a bachelor’s degree in communications, with a minor in advertising, at Portland State University.

After that, she wants “to represent a politician or nonprofit

“Thanks to MHCC, I am a strong, independent woman with values and morals, and most importantly, I am a great mother.”

-Schmidt

MHCC student

-Brenna Schmidt MHCC student

Photo provided by Brenna Schmidt

LEFT TO RIGHT: Rho Theta members, Ariel Jeffreys, Brenna Schmidt, and Mt. Hood Community College mascot, Barney the St. Bernard, at the Yoshida Event Center (MHCC gymnasium), in Gresham.

organization that shares my ideologies” to push for “positive global change,” she said.

Why the job with Merkley?

Schmidt said she wanted to work for the progressive senator because he “shares my vision in bettering the world in which we live,” she said.

She hopes to “use my education, strengths and passion” to help create and promote “positive stories... in order to prevail in a positive change.

“I’m going to show my children that anyone can reach their dreams;

all it takes is hard work and determination,” she said.

Schmidt has learned firsthand the value of hard work. The daughter of two alcoholic parents, she “turned to the streets and did whatever I had to, to survive,” she said. “With so much mental damage (and) no role model or coping techniques, I dropped out of school and became an addict myself by the time I was 16. I continued in my addiction for the next eight years.

“During this time I gave birth to

the best things that ever happened to me, my two children. I didn’t want them to go through what I went through as a child, so I knew I had to change my life,” she said.

Schmidt went into treatment, joined peer counsel and then started her own Narcotics Anonymous meeting called “Getting Out of Our Own Way.” Her motivation was to break a destructive “generational cycle” for her own children and other children in the community, she said.

After three years of successful sobriety, Schmidt decided it was time to get an education. Despite

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having never passed a class in high school, and feeling daunted because she “only had a GED,” she was delighted to find that “every time, if I put in the work not only would I pass my classes, I would get a 4.0 GPA!” she said.

Mt. Hood as an institution has been a huge force for change in her life.

“I didn’t even have goals before attending here. I was once broken and had no guidance or support,” Schmidt said. “Thanks to MHCC I am a strong, independent woman with values and morals, and most importantly, I am a great mother.”

“I am one of the most driven women you will ever meet. This is because I know I can accomplish anything; all I have to do is work for it and I am willing to work for what I believe in and what I want out of life.”

That translates to being busy “almost every minute of every day,” she said, including taking her children to OMSI, the park or the zoo, in between being a full-time student, helping Rho Theta and her internship with Merkley’s office.

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PA G E 4

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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‘Divided’ themes in Ed Sheeran’s new release Megan Phelps the advocate

So, Ed Sheeran has come out with his latest album, titled “Divide.” He painted the icy blue cover himself at a friend’s art studio, something he disclosed in a radio interview.

Personally, I think his single “Shape of You” is fairly catchy and it makes me want to dance, though I know not everyone may feel the same way. There is an array of vibes in this album.

There are upbeat songs such as “What Do I Know?” which tends to make me want to tap my feet and hum the lyrics.

He does have several romantic songs reminiscent to his single “Thinking Out Loud” from his previous album “X” with the message of lifetime love and companionship, which hits me right in the feels! This emotional impact is found in the song titled “Perfect,” one of my favorites from the album. Other examples include “Hearts Don’t Break Around Here” and “How Would You Feel (Paean).”

Interesting tidbit, the latter track almost didn’t make it on

the album. Luckily, Sheeran asked his girlfriend what her favorite song was and she told him, “You forgot it existed.”

The song was created by Sheeran before his girl was traveling back to New York for her job, and wrote it spontaneously as something for her to listen to on her trip. Another tidbit: paean means a song of praise or triumph. How sweet!

There are tones of heartbreak in the album, as well, in the songs “Dive” and “Happier.” These are typical of the artist’s main subject matter here – that is, mixed emotions – but the whole album is not like this, which is refreshing. There seems to be a sense of love ending and new love beginning and lasting, which, as a sucker for passionate, committed love, really appeals to me.

Warning: If you want to stay away from songs that will make you cry at the loss of your mother, don’t listen to “Supermarket Flowers”!

There also are instrumental and lyrical aspects of songs that

are more related to Sheeran’s heritage. A lot of the album’s inspiration comes from Sheeran’s past and family life, rather than just the typical heartbreak theme.

You will get more of a range in the deluxe version of the album, which has 16 tracks, compared to the standard version with only 12.

Overall, it’s a decent album which follows the artist’s typical acoustic instrumental style. I recommend giving it a listen while you work on assignments or study for finals week. The deluxe album can be found on Spotify if you’re interested in giving it a try before possibly purchasing the Sheeran’s latest produced sounds.

DIVIDE

Graphic by Seneca Maxwell

‘Night in the Woods’ shows pride in imperfections Brandon Czel the advocate

Life’s not perfect.

Those three words grossly simplify a feeling that often plagues us as we reach adulthood, only to find out that it’s not quite how we imagined it as children.

For millennials especially, that realization has been quite jarring in that we’ve entered into a world of uncertainty during the period of our lives where finding our direction in life is already a difficult process.

There’s a feeling that comes with that process that many of us have come to call nostalgia as our generation has a penchant for going back to the cartoons or the games we watched and played as children, often in an attempt to revisit our pasts which were perhaps happier and simpler than what we experience in the here and now.

There is no narrative that I have read, watched or played that has ever quite captured that fear of the present as well as “Night in the Woods” has. While not necessarily perfect, this recent release by Infinite Falls combines an excellent narrative along with simple, yet beautiful, art and a mellow soundtrack to take the player on a platforming adventure that uniquely weaves subtle psychological horror into the sliceof-life story genre.

At the very heart of Night and the Woods and its strengths lies the story of Mae Borowski, who after

Web photos

TOP: Promotional poster for the game. BOTTOM: Mae (right) sitting behind a register with another character.

dropping out of college returns to her hometown, Possum Springs, in an attempt to escape from a life she failed to come to terms with.

Upon her return, she discovers that both the town and her friends had changed significantly during her two-year absence. To complicate things further, Mae and her friends

discover a freshly severed arm outside their favorite diner shortly after a day of catching up.

From here, the story progresses day by day, as the player guides Mae through interacting with the people of Possum Springs and discovering the town’s secrets. It’s the interaction with the game’s characters where

the game really shines. Despite being cartoon animals, the people of Possum Springs often feel more true-to-life than the average character in more realistic-looking narratives. Both the major, and even many of the minor, characters are developed to a point where Mae’s conversations with them not only build those characters, but also Mae herself. Whether they’re sharing their thoughts on life or awkwardly stumbling through a humorous conversation, Mae and the people around her will often leave the player thinking or laughing about what they have to say.

Through a combination of both humor and tragedy, the ongoing story creates a bittersweet sensation that is further strengthened by the art and music that surround it.

What makes the art direction of Night in the Woods strong despite its simplicity is that it lends itself to the narrative it portrays. The decision to stylize the game’s characters as childishly drawn animals was bold, but it pays off in that allows for their stories to stand out more due to the major contrast of heavy topics like death or emotional trauma to a light and simple art direction.

Moreover, the game’s use of fall colors and a subdued evening sky create a subtly beautiful setting in which the characters reside.

The only area where the game’s visuals fall short is their stability.

Even though the game’s graphics are simple, edges of characters and

objects can occasionally become noticeably jagged and cause brief lag spikes. In the grand scheme of things, these are only minor gripes, as the graphics remain consistently stable for the most part.

Given how easily scenes like the town skyline from a rooftop, rolling hills in the country, or even just the setting sun pouring light into an empty room can lure the player into settling down for a moment to relax and listen to a location’s song, the graphics in this game certainly achieve what they set out to do in working to compliment the narrative, despite their flaws.

Just as important to those moments, though, are the songs themselves.

Each location in Night in the Woods has its own song on the soundtrack, and just like its art direction, the game’s music strengthens the emotions being conveyed in any given scene.

Primarily consisting of ambient guitar and piano, the bulk of the game’s soundtrack borders around melancholy, gravitating towards uplifting or mournful when it needs to. What makes the soundtrack special is that it hits a perfect balance, avoiding a sense of overbearing while still remaining noticeable as an important part of any scene.

>> To continue reading our review on ‘Night in the Woods’, turn to page 6.

PA G E 5

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

March 10, 2017

‘Woods’ benefits from great ‘Logan,’ a true legend soundtrack and relatable characters Latest addition to series >> Continued from page 5

Many of the game’s dream sequences are, without a doubt, made memorable by songs that the player themselves has to piece together while navigating Mae’s subconscious.

Infinite Falls has achieved something special with the music of Night in the Woods, to the point where muting it is like halving the game’s experience as a whole.

The player’s role in this experience primarily consists navigating Mae through Possum Springs and her nightmares by jumping up buildings and walking across powerlines.

During conversation, much of Mae’s decisions and dialogue are left up to the player. Both of these aspects of gameplay lend to the game’s replayability, as there are many secret locations that can easily be missed and decisions that open and close entire portions of the game.

To further make things interesting, the player gets to take part in many of the strange situations that Mae and her friend, Gregg, get into. These can range from the two attempting to throw pierogis into each other’s mouths to poking at each other’s hands in a supposed knife duel. Sections like these not only add variety to gameplay, but also help bring out the game’s sense of humor to break up scenes that would be entirely serious otherwise.

On top of those, an optional dungeon crawler mini-game called Demontower is also available on Mae’s laptop, in-game. While it is somewhat buggy, the mini-game can be quite fun for the player who is used to more difficult and fasterpaced games.

One feature of Night in the Woods that players may find somewhat irritating at first is the fact that the game only has one save file that is constantly being automatically updated to the player’s actions.

This means that mistakes can’t be changed until another playthrough, but that’s actually the point of why the game saves this way. It adds to the game by making it more of a real-time experience as opposed to encouraging the player to constantly reload and fixate over trying to do everything right. Part of the message behind Night in the Woods’ story is that it’s okay to make mistakes in life, and interestingly its mechanics also follow that philosophy.

If there’s one word that could be used to sum up what makes the game truly great, that word would be “chemistry.”

With the narrative as a base, Infinite Falls added just the right ingredients through the game’s art, music, and gameplay in just the right way so that the final product is a game that tells a story sincerely and

encourages players to make their own conclusions about its meaning.

It evokes laughter, sadness, thought, and most importantly, a sense of empathy for its characters.

In an age where many characters enter and leave our screens without ever making an impression on us, eliciting emotion from a viewer is an achievement in itself. Night in the Woods isn’t perfect, but as it likes to point out, nothing really is. That being said, the game easily earns 4 out of 5 stars and maybe even 4.5 stars, assuming that its technical faults are someday patched.

For the player who’s thorough and takes his/her time, a single playthrough of Night in the Woods will take about 20 hours.

Experiencing everything it has to offer in another playthrough may bump that up to about 30 hours total, making the game well worth its $20 release price. A faster player will finish it in closer to about six hours, and should probably wait for it to go on sale if they only plan on playing it once.

Either way, Night in the Woods is a must for anyone who has ever questioned their existence or purpose in the world, or those who are simply looking for a game that tells a meaningful story.

meets expectations Maegan Willhite the advocate

5/5 star rating

Imagine what life would be like with mutant powers: The whole world would want to control and harness them.

That is what Logan and his gang were going through. Logan, in his old age, is as carefree as ever. My personal favorite moment in the movie is when Logan realizes that he truly does care about the other mutants. He’s exactly how Professor Xavier told him he would become: a true leader.

This beautifully told continuation of Logan’s journey is directed by James Mangold. Logan (Hugh Jackman) and his crew, Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Laura (Dafne Keen) are being hunted by a corporation trying to harness the mutant power.

With a 17-year span of the Wolverine character, Logan (Jackman), has been a household name for millions of eager viewers for the next installment of the story.

And for all those 17 years, each and

every one of those movies have been action packed and left the viewers for wanting more.

In this storyline, Logan and Professor Xavier bond throughout the movie, Xavier’s health is declining and there is a sense of parenthood between the two of them, looking out for Laura.

This movie, however, had some plot holes. There was a time gap that the writers or the director didn’t explain very well. For example, they were hiding out in a town in Mexico, but how did they get there?

Other than those few issues, the movie was satisfactory in the action and adventure department.

Since its release a week ago, viewers seem to agree: The box office gross proceeds quickly reached $90 million.

The movie was produced by Marvel Studios, and is rated R for mature viewers, for intense violence and graphic language – with good reason.

I think that any fan of the Xmen films would feel this film to be a bit of a closure piece. I rate this movie 5 stars out of 5 for delicate CGI detail and quick-paced choreography. Marvel has yet again made a marvelous installment of the Xmen series.

Matana McIntire

Matana: your Arts & Entertainment Editor stayed because of the cool people.

Who are you? (One sentence that describes you.)

I’m a really moody, forgetful, but cool-as-all-heck friend? I don’t know; this one is hard...

WHAT: Favorite TV show?

Hands down, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” I think I’ve watched every episode about five times now?

What made you want to join The Advocate? Favorite movie?

I originally joined The Advocate in Fall Term 2015 to improve my writing. I’ve always aspired to being a novelist someday, so when I decided to enroll in Mt. Hood, I knew I wanted to explore different writing styles to beef up my own writing. After that, I

PA G E 6

“Pride & Prejudice”

Favorite food?

Let’s be honest, it’s pizza.

Favorite thing to do in your free time?

Watch “Whose Line is it

Anyway” and play Jackbox games with my friends.

Have there been any differences between what you thought about journalism before you started writing for the newspaper, and now?

Like I’m sure many other people think, I thought journalism was all drab, boring writing. Since joining the Advocate, I’ve realized that it’s so much more than that.

We incorporate a lot of variety in art, design, photography, and story content. Since becoming A&E editor, I’ve certainly tested my boundaries as far as content is concerned. If you’re willing to put in

the work, you could be interviewing a local, up-and-coming musician.

Which is awesome, guys!

a huge reason why we are seeing more and more ideas come to fruition (also, see: the internet).

Do you feel that the entertainment world is growing, changing, or shrinking? If so, how?

Favorite person you’ve interviewed for the paper?

Oh man, ohhhh man. So, I actually love pop culture! It’s completely fascinating to me, especially how our world revolves and changes around it. I think it’s always changing, always growing.

In 2014, there were over 400 scripted shows aired, largely in part due to streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime video, and Hulu. This, in addition to the wide accessibility of high-quality video equipment for cheaper prices, is

Probably Matteo Neivert, one of the painting instructors at Mt. Hood.

He got hired over the summer, so as Arts and Entertainment editor, I interviewed him back in October.

It ended up being a two-hour interview, if I recall correctly, and in general was a pretty awesome conversation.

Your biases?

Well, I’m definitely biased towards people who love to watch “Rick and Morty.” Those are my people. You’re my people if you love Rick and Morty.

SPORTS

advocate-online.net

Saints women push through tough season Jamie George the advocate

The Saints women’s season wrapped up Saturday with a loss to Southwestern Oregon, 74-61.

As those who follow the team know, it hasn’t been an easy year.

The Saints finished last in the NWAC South division with a record of 2-14, and went 7-21 overall.

And part of what made the season so discouraging was how well they started the season. They began 4-1, and looked like a team that could be playoff bound, much like the Mt. Hood men.

The team headed into December and picked up a few losses. The Saints’ winter break started, and due to repeated poor weather they had to cancel practices and reschedule games. Missing the practices definitely hurt the young, freshman-heavy team, while other teams in towns that didn’t see much snow or ice got valuable court time. Rescheduled games were moved to scheduled practice days. And even more days were affected, because the team practices lighter than usual just before game day to make sure players are fully rested.

Mt. Hood also saw an onslaught of injuries. Most of the season, the Saints struggled to keep more than six players healthy at once.

Of course, losing games can’t solely be blamed on these factors, but they certainly played a huge role.

Despite all that, the Mt. Hood women found enjoyment during the long season. Every game they walked on the court with their heads held high, and even in defeat they walked off the court with their chins in the air. They knew they were giving their all, and that was all that mattered. Sure, they would have enjoyed winning, but this just

Photo by Davyn Owen

Jessica Parker scored a season-high 22 points against Big Bend on Dec. 17.

wasn’t that season, so they made the best of it.

Freshman point guard Brooke Plecker said, “I think the best moments for me was just hanging with the girls. They are a great bunch and we had some great laughs together.”

Plecker noted an early high point: the Saints’ opening game.

“Basketball-wise, I think it would be when we beat Peninsula in preseason,” she said. “We knew we were a young team coming in and we would face lots of challenges with our size and age. Peninsula has a great history and we knew they would be a tough team. It was like looking at giants when they walked in, but in the end ’Hood came out winning (62-61). I think that game really gave us the push and confidence we needed and made us believe in ourselves a bit more.”

Plecker said she learned a lot from the season. “(My b)iggest takeaway was overcoming adversity and

practicing mental toughness,” she said. “A lot can get you down in a competitive atmosphere... we had a lot come at us that we weren’t expecting. It takes a moment where you decide: Are you going to just keep getting beat down or are you going to do something about it?

Some days were really tough mentally and physically but us girls kept showing up and pushing through, which taught me a lot,” she said.

Freshman forward Chloe Cummins had very similar feelings on how the team grew this season.

“I think personally and as a team, we learned how to deal with adversity through all the struggles we had,” Cummins said. “From injuries, to losing players off of our roster, and even personal life struggles – we had to manage to keep going, no matter what, and it made us stronger individuals.”

Freshman point guard Jessica

PAC 12 Tournament Bracket

Parker couldn’t chose one best part of the season, but she recalled the positive push from head coach John Hawley: “After our games when coach told us he was proud of us – that feeling was something you can’t beat.”

For his part, Hawley said that pride was well-earned.

“They’re a super group of young ladies. They came to practice every day no matter what; whether there was five of them or six of them, it didn’t matter,” he said. “They came ever day ready to work and learn.”

The team did manage to have a lot of fun this year. Plecker told of the time Parker had the whole team laughing in the gym: “She sagged her pants, pulled up her socks high, and untucked her jersey... (it) made her look like a tiny gangster. Then (she) proceeded to shoot a granny (style) half-court shot. That made us all die of laughter.”

Plecker singled out two payers

who worked especially hard this season, like much of the team did.

“I’d give it to Jess (Parker) or Nyah (Curtis),” she said. “Jess always gives 100 percent in practice and games. Even if energy was lacking everywhere else you could see her put it all on her back and carry it all.

But I have to give credit to Nyah as well. This girl isn’t the biggest and all year she worked her butt off down low facing some literal giants.

“She gave all the effort she could and it shows in her character and her game.” Plecker said.

Parker summed up the season for Mt. Hood in perfect words. She said the biggest lesson was “is either you like it or you love it, because when you love it you don’t care about the winning and losing, you care about improvement and what you learn.

“Our biggest takeaway was the character it built in us girls to be faced with adversity... and still be able to finish the season proud.”

If you missed it...

The Dallas Cowboys released veteran quarterback Tony Romo yesterday. The move came as little surprise, considering Dak Prescott was phenomenal in his rookie campaign. The question is, who’s going to pick him up?

Because if Romo can stay healthy, that team might be a contender.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ recent signing of 7-foot center Andrew Bogut was expected to help take them to a new level for this year’s playoffs. He was going to bring a defensive presence down low. Unfortunately for Cleveland, he went down with a broken leg just 57 seconds into his first game with them Monday. He is now out for the season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell Tuesday to the Portland Trail Blazers, 126-121, despite Russell Westbrook going off for 58 points. It was his career high, coming on 21-for-39 shooting. He added nine assists, three rebounds and three steals to the phenomenal night that ended in a narrow homecourt loss.

-Jamie George

Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook

* Results through Wednesday’s games

Web photo

PA G E 7

SPORTS

March 10, 2017

Profile

Tibbs brings passion and excitment to the court Brody Mathews the advocate

John Tibbs is not just your average freshman member of the men’s basketball team at Mt. Hood – and that’s great for the Saints.

Although Tibbs’ scoring stats are not the greatest, the 23-year-old leads his team in important ways.

He manages to get the ball to his scorers and as a result is ninth in the NWAC in assists per game this season. He has 113 on the year, for a 4.35 average.

“I love to find Elijah (Fuller) and Payton (Fullmer) on the wings.

They’re spot-up shooters, they usually don’t miss,” said the 5-foot 9-inch point guard.

While he continues to work on his shooting, Tibbs has always been a facilitator and knows that his strong point is passing and focuses on that skill. “In practice I’ve been working on reading (defenses), as in making the right decisions… I mainly work on the right reads so that we can be successful,” he said.

Tibbs’ maturity makes him stand

out in other ways, too.

He is a very vocal leader during games and in practice. “I make sure everybody is on the same page, make sure no one takes days off,” he said., “I am ‘the voice’ in practice.”

Tibbs sees himself as the Saints’ emotional leader. “I feel that if I’m not in that type of mood, they’re not gonna follow me, they’re not gonna be in that type of mood,” he said of his teammates. “I like to stay positive the whole time, it’s kinda natural, to be honest. I’ve always been the silliest (in my family).”

There’s nothing silly about his work ethic, though. He has always enjoyed putting in hard work in practice so he can see it pay off in the future. “The grind, honestly, to get better – I love that I can get better every single day, and I bring it 100 percent every day,” he explained.

Tibbs grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and attended Eldorado High School. He said he heard about Saints head coach John Hawley from a friend and decided to come out and play for him, and has not regretted his decision.

“The knack that (Hawley) has for the game, the love; he really wants us to win,” he said, describing his coach. “He stepped it up from the beginning. We were slacking and then, as we see that we need to start winning more games... he really piped down and started (leading) some defensive practices.”

While only a freshman at Mt. Hood, Tibbs is the oldest member of the team and has insight few others have. “I have the most experience on the team, and I am the older one of the group, so I bring a lot of leadership and wisdom,” he said.

Immediately after high school, Tibbs went to New Mexico Junior College where he played one year of basketball before taking a break from school. When he was 21 he had a son, Midas – a unique name, with a unique story behind it.

“I like a lot of Greek Mythology, so I took it from one of the past kings: He’s like, everything you touch turns to gold... the story behind that is it’s kind of a curse though, too, because everything you touch turns to gold,” he explained.

“I see it as making proper decisions in life, so that’s why I named him that.”

Midas is living back in Las Vegas with his mother, while Tibbs continues his schooling here in the Northwest. It was a hard decision for him to leave his son, but one he knows was the best for the both of them. “I thought of it as, (leaving Midas behind) would be an opportunity for him too,” he said.

After his college playing days are over, Tibbs would like to pursue his degree in accounting and hopefully stick around basketball, he said.

He would like to either keep playing basketball or become a coach, sharing his joy of the game.

“I would love to coach my son,” he said. “I’d love to bring him up around it, too.”

John Tibbs Ninth in the NWAC in assists per game.

Photo by Davyn Owen

Mt. Hood men streak into the playoffs Jamie George the advocate

The Mt. Hood men defied the odds and reached the NWAC basketball playoffs, after all.

Finishing fourth in the South division, the Saints were scheduled to play North division winner Shoreline on Thursday night (following Advocate press time) in the first round of the 16-team NWAC championship tournament, hosted

by Everett Community College.

Three weeks ago, Mt. Hood was just two games back of the fourth and final playoff spot. But it seemed unlikely, at best, that they would reach the NWACs. They were coming off back-to-back losses to Chemeketa and Umpqua on Feb. 8-11. The Saints were 4-7 in division play and sat in eighth place in the South.

To make the playoffs, the Saints were going to need to play perfect.

The season was on the line and for some sophomores, these might be the last real games they’d ever get to play.

And yet, sophomore forward Luke Anderson was like much of the team, still positive they could pull it off.

PA G E 8

Photo by Davyn Owen

Elijah Fuller has been key on offense, averaging just shy of 12 points per game.

On Feb. 12 he said, “We can’t worry about our last game or winning all five at once. We just have to win one at a time, and I think we can do that.”

It seemed overly optimistic. (I get it, when it comes to believing in your own team, it’s easy to be optimistic. Heck, every season I believe the Rams might find a way to sneak into the NFL playoffs: talk about op-

timism!).

Despite the unlikelihood, the Saints pushed on, and Feb. 15 they topped Clackamas. The win was huge, bringing them to within one game of the playoff spot and it came over a top rival. Still, Mt. Hood hadn’t won more than two games in a row since Dec. 3, back during the preseason.

Next up, the Saints notched a victory over Lane. They still trailed fourth by one game. Linn-Benton would be their next victim; but again, they sat one game back.

Finally on Sophomore Night, March 1, Mt. Hood would jump into a fourth-place tie, with a win over Portland. And then Saturday they clinched the playoff spot by beating Southwestern Oregon, 75-62.

Saints head coach John Hawley knew they had it them to make the playoffs, even after a choppy season marked by snow- and ice-caused delays and schedule changes.

“I knew we were capable of playing the way we ended the season,” back in rhythm, he said. “I’m just ecstatic for them. (The playoffs are) not an opportunity that comes around all the time.”

Over the five-game stretch run, sophomore forward Cody Thompson was dominant for Mt. Hood. He averaged 18.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He said he was just happy the Saints made it to the NWACs, after a rough season a year ago.

“It is kinda surreal that we won five straight and made ‘selection

Sunday’ ” for the NWAC, Thompson said. “It feels great to make playoffs after the way last year went.”

Anderson led the team in rebounding with 8.8 per game, and averaged 11 points during the five games. He said, “It feels great to know that all of our work has paid off. But we aren’t satisfied yet, we feel that we still have more to prove.

“It is pretty crazy for us to have to win our last five to be in this position,” Anderson continued. “But maybe that’s what we needed, our backs up against the wall to show what we can really do.”

Saints shooting guard Elijah Fuller contributed 10.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game during the winning steak.

The question now becomes, can the Saints (15-11 overall, 9-7 in the NWAC South play) keep their hot streak alive through the double-elimination tournament? They were set to find out in the opening matchup with Shoreline on Thursday.

Said Mt. Hood point guard John Tibbs, “It feels like we were destined to be here.”