The Advocate, Issue 23 - Apr. 21, 2017

the

advocate

Volume 51 Issue 23

April 21, 2017

Independent Student Voice of MHCC

High school diploma may require a civics test PAGE 2

Board of Education approves fee increase PAGE 3

First comedy at MHCC since Archer arrived PAGE 8

Flying ‘beats sitting in an office cubicle’ Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DAMN.’ reviewed

PAGE 7

PAGE 5

2016 FIRST PLACE

General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

OPINION

April 21, 2017

Editorial

Oregon schools trying to be more civic-minded

W

hat does it mean to be an American? It seems if you ask 20 people that question, you’ll get 20 different answers.

This appears to be a matter that is up for debate for a lot of people, and it’s a topic that evokes in many people a passion as deep as any other.

People hold their patriotic beliefs alongside those of their religion, and morality, in that special place in their heart, which is what tends to make the topic so volatile.

Now, Oregon may be taking steps to make sure that everyone, whether they were born in the U.S. or not, has the base foundation of knowledge about America and its patriotism, to build their own beliefs.

Oregon legislators are currently debating the new bill 1038, which if passed in Salem, would require that each Oregon student, regardless of their nationality of birth, citizenship status, or immigration status, take a civics test in order to be eligible to receive a high school diploma.

Last year Colorado proposed a similar bill, but so far has met with little success.

The exam would consist of 20 multiple-choice questions, chosen at random, from the same list of questions given to immigrants who formally apply for U.S. citizenship.

This would mean that every student would be required to know at least basic information about the country before they are considered educated enough to obtain their high school diploma.

There are several things that this could mean for Oregon students.First, this would ensure that we don’t require anything from an incoming citizen that we don’t require from our own citizens. Just as you wouldn’t expect to start a new job knowing more than the current employees, new American citizens shouldn’t be expected to know more about this country than its homegrown citizens.

It’s unfair to ask anyone to do, know, say or believe anything and not hold ourselves as a society to the same standards.

Secondly, as a country we seem to have had a regrettable decline in our civics classes.

Many of us didn’t have a required civics, or even American history, class in high school, so we

didn’t have a mandate to learn this basic and essential information. We need to make sure all of our students know where we come from, what our government means, and what our government consists of.

Otherwise, how are they supposed to grow into well-informed and productive members of society who can make proper choices? Such as when they go to the ballot box and cast votes, which is such an essential part of being an American, or a part of any democracy.

Thirdly, Oregon needs to do this to show the rest of the country and the world that America practices what we preach, and we make everyone know what we expect immigrants to know.

The most recent study done by PISA – The Program for Interna-

tional Student Assessment – has ranked the U.S. in a 38-country study as 17th in the world in reading skills, 22nd in science, and an abysmal 32nd in mathematics.

These heartbreaking statistics are showing that our children aren’t learning what they need, and any addition to their education should be encouraged and applauded. And, if it teaches them about their homeland and history, then it’s all the better.

Granted civics is not one of those categories in the survey, but knowledge breeds knowledge, learning is never a bad thing.

Let’s actually make America great, and we can do that, at least in part, by making this the land of the free, home of the brave, and ideally, home of the well-informed and civic-minded young person.

Letter to the Editor: Be aware of sexual assaults Campus Community, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year’s theme, “Engaging New Voices,” builds on the idea that we are stronger together, and that new college and community members are needed to expand sexual assault prevention efforts. We can all help this generation foster attitudes that promote healthy relationships.

Nearly 1 in 5 women and one in 71 men are victims of sexual assault (Black et al., 2011: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, published by the federal CDC). We all have a role to play in preventing sexual violence

in our community. Our actions, big and small, have a ripple effect on those we teach, guide, and influence.

From modeling healthy behavior to addressing inappropriate conduct, everyone can make a difference.

Changing beliefs that contribute to sexual violence starts with believing survivors of sexual violence when they share their stories. You can help by calling out victim-blaming comments or rape jokes if you see them online. Remind those around you that sexual assault is never the fault of the survivor/ victim. Seemingly small actions like this make a critical impact.

Get engaged this April. Join your

Associated Student Government officer, Grant Turner, as he hosts “Take Back the Night” on Wednesday (April 26) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the MHCC Gresham campus Main Mall.

Light refreshments and free T-shirts for the first 100 students will be provided. Please register, using the link on the MHCC Facebook page or contact Turner at asgdpscs@mhcc.edu. for more information.

Attend the free, award-winning performance of “Formless” by PDX Contemporary Ballet, expressing personal empowerment through dance. The group will be hosted by

the MHCC Theatre Department at 7 p.m. Thursday (April 27) in Room 2147.

Help us by embracing your role in ending sexual assault and gender violence. Learn more about how you can use your voice to change the culture at www.nsvrc.org/saam.

We challenge each of you to get involved to be the difference.

- Grant Turner ASG Director Of Safety & Sustainability and the MHCC Title IX team.

-Cherilyn Nederhiser lead Public Safety officer for MHCC.

Do you have an opinion on this topic or another?

Send us your opinion and thoughts to: Advocatt@mhcc.edu.

For more information, view the requirements in the gray box below.

the advocate Editor-in-Chief Gloria Saepharn Associate Editor, Arts & Entertainment Editor Matana McIntire Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor Megan Phelps News Editor Kyle Venooker Assistant News Editor Greg Leonov

Assistant Sports Editor Logan Hertner

Ad Team Yen Le

Graphic Design Team Prisma Flores Seneca Maxwell

Web Manager Dusty Sargent

Photo Editor Open Position Assistant Photo Editor Davyn Owen

Opinion Editor Donovan Sargent

Photo Team Alex Crull Fadi Shahin Jessica Mitchell Porcha Hesselgesser

Sports Editor Open Position

Video Team Elizabeth Nguyen

Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst Staff Writers Jamie George Brody Mathews Maddy Sanstrum Glenn Dyer Maegan Willhite Erik Walters Ryan Moore Noah Guillen Sebastien Oaks

Cover Design By Prisma Flores Cover Photo By Alex Crull Contact us!

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Phone: 503-491-7250 Website: advocate-online.net Twitter: @MHCCAdvocate Facebook: facebook.com/TheAdvocateOnline Instagram: @MHCCAdvocate #MHCCAdvocate Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030 Room AC1369

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.

NEWS

advocate-online.net

Board approves tuition, student fees increase Kyle Venooker the advocate

T

he MHCC District Board of Education approved a new tuition hike and an increase in student fees on April 12, in response to an expected operating budget shortfall.

The tuition increase is a modest one, comparatively: Students at the University of Oregon and Portland State University have in recent

al-hundred dollar increase for new, incoming students.

The adopted increase would not affect students who are currently enrolled, however, provided they meet certain guidelines.

In September 2015, the board voted on a tuition freeze, presented as the school’s “Tuition Pledge.” According to Mt Hood’s website, the Pledge guarantees the current $94 rate to students who first enrolled by spring 2016 and who continue

New Mt. Hood Community College students face less of a tuition increase in 2017-18, compared to University of Oregon and Portland State University.

weeks seen increases of about 9 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively.

Mt. Hood’s increase for 2017-18 comes in at 4.3 percent, raising per-credit hour tuition rates from $94 to $98/credit hour.

Still, with many MHCC degree programs requiring at least 90 credits, this comes out to a sever-

to maintain a GPA of 2.0, enroll in at least one course each term (for at least three out of four terms each consecutive academic year), and filed a formal education plan with the school by June 2016.

Debbie Derr, Mt. Hood president, said other changes will be needed to fix the college’s current

budget troubles. They include shedding more employee positions.

“One thing the past has taught us is that we cannot continue to do the same things the same way and expect our financial situation to improve,” Derr told the board. Board policy dictates that a minimum of 5 percent of the total annual operating budget be reserved, and yet the $70.3 million budget approved on April 12 sets aside only 4 percent to the contingency fund, which is $675,000 short of the board-dictated minimum.

Derr outlined a plan to restore these reserves over the next two years, which includes a review of the Mt Hood’s hospitality program, whereby the currently vacant (department head) position “will not be filled for one year, and... will be reviewed with the 2018-19 fiscal year,” she said.

She also said there would be a reorganization of the Intensive English for College and Careers coursework, including combining “reading and writing courses for international and non-native English speaking people;” an early retirement incentive, dropping the eligible age for MHCC employees 55 years; and an “ongoing review of staff positions to explore possibilities to consolidate workload and create efficiencies resulting in a need for fewer or redesigned positions.”

The District board also ap-

proved an increase in student fees, up $0.50, which will raise projected revenue for student activities by $90,000. Student activity fees fund a wide variety of student programs, such as “ASG (Associated Student Government), all co-curricular activities such as the Advocate, Rho Theta, the forensics department, Venture (magazine), KMHD2, Perceptions (magazine), and then all the clubs, and then athletic teams and outside athletics which includes intramural athletics,” according to Anna Mar, ASG finance director.

This is the first time MHCC student activity fees have been raised in 10 years, a decision that Mar described as “very difficult.”

The Student Finance Council put together the increase because “(Given the) decrease in enrollment, an increase in cost of living which also includes cost of all the services, contracts, food and everything else, we were not able to fund activities at the current level,” said Mar. “We had to make significant cuts to our programs, as (it) is, and without the increase we would have to cut out several,” she said. “We would have had to make cuts that would basically make programs unsustainable.” She said that cutting programs “isn’t in the best interest of students.”

The expected revenue increase won’t fund any expansion of programs, but instead is more a stopgap measure to ensure program solven-

“One thing the past has taught us is that we cannot continue to do the same things the same way and expect our financial situation to improve.”

-Debra Derr President, Mt Hood Community College cy, with more proposed fee increases in the future, Mar noted.

“There will be a proposal for another increase next year. It’s a three-year plan: 50 cents this year, and then 25 cents the following year, and then 25 cents the following year again, and each year it will have to be voted on by the Board of Education,” she said.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to eventually expand the programming, but really the budget that we have right now (is) kind of stripped to the bones and the bare minimum.

It’s the best we can do with the very minimal funding we have.”

New enrollment software coming to Mt Hood Kyle Venooker the advocate

J

ohn Hamblin, executive dean of student development, presented the college’s new web enrollment software, Navigate, to the MHCC District board during its meeting on April 12.

Developed by the Washington, D.C.-based Education Advisory Board (EAB), the software aims to “(streamline) processes and (provide) a more simplified checklist that is real-time for what steps a student needs to complete to get started.” In essence, Navigate seeks to eliminate barriers preventing students from getting to the first day of class after they click “apply” on a school’s website.

EAB did a complete review of Mt. Hood’s application process,

both online and through in-person “secret shops.”

As things now stand, only 50 percent of students who apply to Mt Hood continue through to the enrollment process, compared with the national average of 65 percent.

Hamblin said he hopes this software will help boost that number, and preliminary results look good: The sample that EAB ran with the college showed around 65 percent of students applying continuing past the initial hurdles typically encountered.

(These results are only preliminary; the program hasn’t officially rolled out, and it will take some time to collect the hard data, Hamblin said.)

Some of EAB’s recommendations include a tool utilizing the Gunning Fogg Index, which “you can use

Only 50 percent of students who apply to Mt. Hood continue through to the enrollment process, compared with the national average of 65 percent. to run your text from a website through a service that evaluates the reading comprehension level of your page,” Hamblin explained. The tool

found that some of the wording used on Mt Hood’s website was rated too complex, so changes are likely to occur there.

EAB also assisted the college in “identifying spots where students got stuck and needed more support,” according to Hamblin: “The secret shoppers visited four different offices to partially complete the enrollment process. (While) they were blown away by how kind everyone was, the reality was they had to stop by four different places and still didn’t complete” the enrollment process, he said.

Navigate’s software will also include “scheduling appointments with advisers, building academic plans with a live schedule and oneclick registration” and will help potential students who are unsure of what their college careers are going

to look like get a better handle on what program they want to take and what classes they want to enroll in, Hamblin said.

“We were able to purchase the Navigate platform for a reduced cost as we are their first client with the Jenzabar student information system,” said Hamblin. Mt. Hood used a state grant to cover most of the cost, which knocked the program’s $100,000-plus price tag down to a much more manageable $15,000, he said.

While it’s entirely too early to see how Navigate will fare when actually put into play, school leaders are hopeful making initial enrollment smoother can assist in student retention and also help budgeting, scheduling and ensuring complete funding of school programs.

PA G E 3

NEWS

April 21, 2017

Zordich runs unopposed, markets GO bond Greg Leonov the advocate

T

he MHCC District board member representing Zone 2 is Jim Zordich, running unopposed on the May 16 ballot to keep his seat.

Lack of a rival has allowed him to spend his time promoting Mt. Hood’s proposed $75 million general obligation bond, also on the May ballot. “Not having competition means I can focus on the bond and not have to worry about the campaign,” he said.

Zordich has been interviewed by numerous publications, but each has concerned the bond, he said.

“This is the first interview I have done as a candidate,” he said when speaking to the Advocate.

His district – which extends from southeast Gresham through Damascus, Boring and Sandy in Clackamas County – was not supportive of last May’s $125 million bond measure. In fact, there was a 2-to-1 “no” vote, accounting for a 3,000-vote swing against the measure.

“North Clackamas County has been apathetic because there is no

Jim Zordich

apparent conscious association with Mt. Hood Community College, even though... last year, we had a total of 1,500 Sandy High School graduates enrolled” at MHCC, Zordich said.

He’s got a better feeling this time.

“I feel very optimistic about the bond. I think that the interest that has been expressed, particularly by the faculty and their guidance and development of the signage that we’ve putting out around the community has been fun,” he said.

In his candidate’s statement for both the Multnomah and Clackamas counties voter’s pamphlets, Zordich dedicated space to market the bond, rather than himself.

Since the Centennial and David Douglas school districts have existing bonds that might compete (in the minds of taxpayers/voters) with MHCC’s proposed measure, Mt. Hood board members have been meeting with officials in MHCC’s district to get endorsements from those school boards.

“What I want to see established is a cohesive relationship between the K-12 schools that have CTE programs and provide the necessary carryover into our programming, which can result in a certificate or even an AA degree,” said Zordich.

One such CTE program at Mt. Hood is the newly launched Mechatronics program which recently received $300,000 from the MHCC Foundation. “We will now be able to buy the instructional modules that will make that program practical,” said Zordich.

If the bond measure passes, the current Applied Technology center (Building 18, on the east side of the main academic center) will be replaced with a new facility.

Besides the proposed new center, the bond has gained support “because the continuation of Mt. Hood Community College as a

viable institution in this area is important to the k-12 boards,” said Zordich.

Mt. Hood also offers high school students the important “College Now” program, which saves them thousands of dollars every year.

College Now “allows advanced enrollment in college level programs while the student is still in high school… it gives them an avenue or a jump-step forward” if they choose to pursue higher education at MHCC or elsewhere, Zordich said.

GO bond money also would cover the cost of seismically upgrading the MHCC library and gymnasium (Yoshida Event Center).

“The library is extraordinarily vulnerable,” Zordich said. “...(N)ot that I want to frighten anyone, but the library was built as an evolving structure and Charles’s (Charles George, Mt. Hood director of facilities management) big concern about that is that support columns do not necessarily register to columns below, so that there isn’t a straight line passage of load down to a foundation,” he said.

The gymnasium is designated as a community-wide emergency and

Hospitality Management Program

relief center in case of a disaster, and so plays a critical role.

Improved security is also addressed by the bond. “After the Umpqua Community College active shooter situation, we had realized and come to grips with the fact that we cannot lock this campus down.

We have 250 exterior doors, which all have to be locked manually,” said Zordich.

The bond would pay for a digital locking system that can remotely lock down the entire campus, or sections of the campus, he said.

Repaying current MHCC outstanding debt is also a priority.

The college pays $2.5 million annually to creditors, said Zordich.

The proposed bond would cost taxpayers who own property valued at $200,000 approximately $50 in property taxes annually.

“In our first 50 years, we have served one million students, and that’s an incredible number in and of itself,” said Zordich. “I could just go on and on and on about the imaginations of the college and how it evolved and what roadblocks we’ve had in the past, but we’re looking forward to the next 50 years.”

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PA G E 4

FEATURE

advocate-online.net

Mt. Hood business instructor takes to the sky

Delcy Palk doubles as a flight instructor at Troutdale airport

Kyle Venooker and Matana McIntire the advocate

Delcy Palk, a business instructor at MHCC, doubles as a flight instructor at Gorge Winds Aviation at the Troutdale Airport.

A U.S. Air Force veteran, Palk learned how to fly at the local airport about 20 years ago. Despite her six and-a-half years with the USAF, she didn’t learn to fly there.

“Never flew in the military; too short,” she joked as she explained her off-campus job. “I wanted to fly, (and) civil airplanes have a lot more latitude in the size a pilot can be.”

Her veteran benefits did help to pay for her training, however.

Palk actually spends most of her days at the airport, teaching her online business classes during her “down” time.

Asked what she enjoys about flying, Palk quipped that “it beats sitting in traffic all day– between 3:30 and 6:30 you can see all the traffic on the I-5 and I-205 and you’re like, ‘I’m so lucky I’m up here!’ ” Palk adds that many students feel the same way. And she sees several hundred new students at the airport each year.

“We’re getting a lot, lately.

“You can see people on the ground... so next time you see a little airplane, wave!”

- Delcy Palk The aviation industry as a whole is really booming right now for regional operators like Horizon or Alaska… smaller regionals (airlines) and air cargo guys are hiring bigtime, sucking people up left and right,” she said.

Palk attributes the demand to shifting buying habits. “With everything being ordered online you’ve got to ship it somehow, and drones can’t do that yet!”

Though the controls of a small aircraft may look complex and overwhelming to the untrained eye, the flight instructor insists that “after the first two or three times, you remember where everything is at.”

The required flying hours in order to solo and earn a pilot’s license is 40 hours. “After 40 hours

Photos by Alex Crull

ABOVE: A candid shot of Palk discussing her love of flying.

RIGHT: A close up of planes at the Gorge Wind Aviation airport.

it becomes second nature,” she said, while conceding that this isn’t exactly a cheap endeavor.

“Private pilot’s licenses... cost between $5,000 and $7,000” although that “depends how fast you learn,” Palk said. “Obviously, the faster you learn the cheaper it is, but it’s not like you pay it all up front, you pay it as you go, over three or four months.”

Palk encourages students who are interested in learning how to fly, or even just want to take a plane ride, to head to the Troutdale

airport nearby for a discovery flight, which starts at $86 per hour.

She enjoys the discovery flights, she said, because “You can see people on the ground. When you

fly over the college you can see people walking on the campus and everything.

“So, next time you see a little airplane, wave!”

Respecting personal identity choices amongst others From 1951 to 1955, renowned journalist Edward R. Murrow hosted “This brief essays about their personal philosophies, values, and core beliefs Public Radio resurrected the essay series and again invited Americans about their core beliefs. This year, the Advocate also invites anyone Jake Enemark MHCC Integrated Media student If you know about the color wheel, then you know that red, blue, and yellow are the primary colors and that green, orange, and purple are the secondary colors.

And when these colors want to go lighter or darker, they add white or black. We call black to green “dark green,” and we call white to blue “light blue.” But when red wants to go lighter? We call it “pink.”

Why does light red suddenly conjure up the name “pink”? Did

light red want to be called “pink”?

How would it have asked us, if it did? This brings up something I truly believe in: We should call someone whatever they want to be called, and respect it.

When I was growing up, I had problems with name-calling, like most kids, but all that went away (eventually). Yet it was replaced with another problem: My name, “Jakob,” turned into something I didn’t want to be called. The sound didn’t feel like who I was; the two syllables pierced my ears in hateful disgust, which people would call

I Believe,” a daily radio show where individuals read that shaped their daily actions. In 2005, National of all ages and perspectives to write brief essays in the MHCC community to contribute the same.

“being triggered.” So, I asked people to call me Jake instead, and it seemed that was that. But when my mom wanted to get my last name changed in court to my stepdad’s last name, Enemark, I got excited to think that I could change my first name, too. I asked her, and she defensively argued that Jakob was simply the name I’d been given. I responded hatefully that her choices had also given me the last name “Miller.”

Yeah, I was mad because she didn’t respect my decision to choose what I was called – in effect,

to determine my own identity.

Over time, I’ve learned not to be triggered about my name so often (even though the trigger still brews, deep within me). My mother named me Jakob when I was born, because she thought I looked like a Jakob, and she thought spelling it with a “K” made more sense (it does).

So, what’s in a name? Names are identities, ways of recognizing ourselves as well as identifying ourselves. Wanting to be called Jake is just a respect thing, my way of choosing who I am.

Now, I think it’s a little late to switch pink to light red, and I also think court isn’t fun enough to make me want to change my first name on paper. But I’m happy with how people respect my decision to go by Jake, and I will respect what others want to be called as well. If you want to be called “Jeff” instead of “Jeffery,” no problem. If you want to be called “Mike” instead of “Megan,” easy. And if you want to be called “pink” instead of “light red,” sure. Go you.

PA G E 5

SPORTS

April 21, 2017

Saints lose lead, slip Saints on hot streak after to 13-12 after split sweeping Lakers twice Lindhorst and Williams combined for six of the team’s 11 the advocate RBIs. In Game Two, Mt. Hood sent On Saturday, the Mt. Hood softball team split its two home Cheyenne Vance to the mound games against Clark Community to start the game. She went five College. In Game One, the Saints innings, allowing just four hits were rolling, winning 11-3. and one run. Heading into the Game Two was a nail-biter that sixth, the Saints held a 3-1 lead. saw Clark come from two runs Karli Butler brought Mt. Hood’s behind in the sixth inning, to first run of the game in with a sacrifice fly in the first. In the win 4-3.

The split left Mt. Hood at fourth Grace Helyer launched a 13-12 overall and 5-9 in South solo home run, for a 2-1 lead, and Region play, good for sixth place in the fifth, Lexi Patino added in the South, through Thursday. an RBI single, scoring Meagan Bratcher.

With the Saints leading 3-1, they called on Byron, the winning pitcher in Game One, to finish the contest. Against the first batter she faced she got ahead in the count, no balls and two strikes, before giving up a solo home run. A few batters later, with runners on second and third base with two outs, the Penguins came up with their biggest hit of the day, a two-run double.

Two batters later Byron would get the Saints out of the inning, but the damage was already done, as Mt. Hood trailed 4-3.

-Sammie Byron “Seeing a pitcher for (six) Saints pitcher innings you adjust to them and what they are throwing,” Byron said afterward. “So, when I went Saints pitcher Sammie Byron in the second game, I had to mix was on the mound in the opener. things up and try to get them off She pitched a strong, complete balance” – which almost worked game, allowing just five hits and as she wanted.

In the top of the seventh three runs while striking out four. After the game she said, “I inning, she put the Clark batters just came out knowing that they down in order.

The Saints would get just one were a good team and knew that we had to be on the top of our runner on in the seventh and game. We came out with lots failed to bring across the needed of energy and fire and having tying run.

On Tuesday, Mt. Hood’s my team behind me helps get scheduled doubleheader against through games.”

Through three innings, Lower Columbia Community Mt. Hood led 6-1, thanks to a College at home was postponed four-run third inning. Madelyn due to wet field conditions.

On Saturday, the Saints travel Lindhorst brought in three of those runs with a key bases- to Longview, Washington, loaded double. In the top of the to take on Lower Columbia fifth, Clark pulled within three Community College in a runs, until the Saints’ Jazmayne doubleheader that starts at 9 a.m.

Williams hit a solo home run to extend the lead to 7-3.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Saints added four more runs to notch the runaway victory.

Jamie George

Seeing a pitcher for (six) innings you adjust to them and what they are throwing.”

PA G E 6

Logan Hertner the advocate

The Mt. Hood Saints rode momentum from a dramatic comeback to push their baseball win streak to four, with two doubleheader sweeps of Southwestern Oregon Community College on Monday and Tuesday.

Due to weather and field conditions, the Saints played their “home” games at the George Fox University field in Newberg.

It wasn’t looking good against the Lakers in the first game on Monday. Mt. Hood batted in the bottom of the ninth inning, trailing 11-8.

But three hits, an intentional walk, hit-by-pitch and passed ball later, the Saints scored a walkoff win, with a one-out, two-run single by Jason Garcia.

In Game Two, Saints starter Ryne Lopez tossed a gem, allowing just one hit, one walk and striking out four, in a 4-0 shutout win.

In the first of the two games Tuesday, the Saints also started out hot. They scored one run in each

of the first two innings and then adding two more in the third to give them an early 4-0 lead.

The game would turn into an extra-inning thriller, however.

Still trailing Mt. Hood 4-1 in the seventh inning, the Lakers rallied off of three straight walks. Relief pitcher Hunter Bruno replaced Sam Menegat, who gave up the walks, and he gave up a run-scoring single before the big blow, a three-run single by Lakers shortstop Justin Bennett that gave SWOCC a 5-4 lead.

Mt. Hood’s deficit was shortlived, though. In the eighth, rightfielder Thomas Lampkin lead off the inning with a double and advanced to third by swiping a bag.

He then scored on a hit by Saints DH Beau Crouch to tie the game.

The ninth and 10th innings passed without a serious scoring threat.

The 11th inning is where the excitement and fun began, for the Saints.

After the Lakers went three up, three down in their half of the inning, Mt. Hood’s leadoff batter,

Garcia, was hit by a pitch. So was the next batter, third baseman Dru Fitz. After a fly-out by Jace McKinney, the Saints’ second baseman, left fielder Michael Copeland reached on a costly error by the Lakers’ second baseman, to load the bases.

Up came Lampkin, batting in the cleanup spot, already 3 for 5 with an RBI on the day. He swung and took a pitch deep enough to the outfield that let Garcia tag up and score from third to give the Saints the 6-5 victory.

The second game wasn’t nearly as exciting. The Lakers scored one run in the first inning, then Mt. Hood exploded and the bats went crazy. The Saints scored one run in the fifth and seven runs in the sixth to give them a 8-1 lead, that turned into an 8-2 win.

The win streak lifted Mt. Hood to 7-5 in the South Region, good for third place, and 10-16 overall.

The Saints are scheduled for a home doubleheader today against Linn-Benton, with games at 4 and 7 p.m., before the two teams travel to Albany to play twice on Saturday.

? g n i t i r w d n i m ’t Don

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

advocate-online.net

Kendrick Lamar’s Lamar's new album

is ‘DAMN.’ good

Web Photos

Noah Guillen the advocate

5 out of 5 stars

It’s going to be an aggressive few years.

Music is cathartic and empowering. The trouble with the last decade, arguably, has been a dearth of purpose. Music has been more about “feelings” and sentiment than unabashed political drive or aggression.

That is, until the 2016 elections. The details are more appropriately discussed on other outlets and forums, but for the purpose of this review, I’ll summarize the effect on the musical entertainment industry: People are pissed.

Musicians who have been dormant are dusting off their “angry eyes.” Nine Inch Nails released the EP “Not the Actual Events,” and attacks the world for allowing our current state. Arcade Fire released “I Give You Power” with proceeds being forwarded to the ACLU, then later announce a new album estimated to be released this spring. More recently, East Coast rapper Joey Bada$$ releases “All Amerikkkan Bada$$,” an aggressive and straightforward call to arms of sorts for anyone “with the guts.”

So, it should go without saying that swarms of anticipation would engulf Compton-native rapper Kendrick Lamar upon his announcement of new material.

Like leaning in for the pope’s take on a trending controversy, Lamar’s followers eagerly rallied around April 14 (well, first on the 7th). No one was ready for his response, though.

“To the spiritual, my spirit do no better…” You don’t know that you knew it going into it, but you did. In retrospect, it’s right there, right on the cover art:“Damn.”

Big, daunting, anticlimactic, and tired, that’s “Damn.” Lamar’s unflattering portrait says it all, with his beat-down expression – King Kunta’s caving. The theme is bleak and bold. It’s hopeless, real simple and plain, except for one glimmering breath of bittersweet solace to close his fourth studio album.

But, let’s start at the beginning.

The opening of Damn. is a two-minute short story titled “BLOOD.” The “song” describes going to help a seemingly blind woman and getting shot, instead. Blood, at the risk of sounding reductive, is life. Life, at the risk of sounding grim, is trying to help and instead paying for it. Not bleak enough for you? The next few songs follow suit.

“DNA.”, “FEEL.”, and my personal favorite, “ELEMENT.,” detail a history of war and violence inherent to human nature.

It’s fun. The production and edits echo Lamar’s earlier works on “Good Kid Bad City,” with simplistic and forward beats to compete with his loud, unapologetic lyrics. “…I just kill **** ’cause it’s in my DNA,” and so forth. From here, he ventures into qualities of an individual, and values. In “LOVE.,” “LOYALTY.,” and “PRIDE.,” he begins to elaborates on the factors that compel the aspects of our nature. These songs can be far more subtle than the earlier portion of the album, with “LOVE” having more in common with Drake’s work (possibly a weak link in the album).

It’s a detailed display of humanity, and it uses a very pessimistic light. The hopelessness asserts itself in a culmination of experience in “FEAR.,” where the album begins its closing remarks. Lamar details his crippling concerns in life, even mentioning prior themes such as “love,” “humbleness,” and even his own DNA. Contrary to the content, the tone of the song is sluggish and subtle, with some moments even seeming lazy. By this time, if you listen, I’m sure you will agree – you’re worn out and tired. It’s all around: the violence and the struggle.

There’s an exhaustion to this song that sobers the sense of urgency to a reality. In this reality, the world is against potential, and good will, and proactivity. “I’ll prolly die ’cause that’s what you do when you’re

17,” he reflects. The overwhelming apathy towards current political powers manifest not because of purposelessness, but simply because Kendrick Lamar is tired.

The truth is, Lamar’s been pedaling empathy since his first studio album, “Section .80.” His attempt to connect with the world and create an understanding of culture and conviction failed following 2015’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” with Trump being elected shortly after. He’s been subjected to prejudice and poverty; everyone else is just catching on.

So what does Lamar have to offer victims of adversity? “DUCKWORTH.” The closing track – reminiscent of Gorillaz’s anecdotal “Fire Coming Out of a Monkey’s Head”– tells a bleak story about two men who were supposed to live one life and led another, instead. In the end? Lamar becomes the greatest thing to happen to rap in the last 10 years (sorry, ‘50’ fans). The story is as bleak as the rest of the album, but ends, against all odds, as an almost touching story of redemption (in its own way).

The reality is that the world is terrible, and arguably getting worse. The whole album drills this into existence with relentless lines on hate and lust.

This is jarring for fans who sought political promise and proactivity from Kung Fu Kenny. The only hope offered is a somber “something will come of this”type response, through a cesspool of “this.”

It’s not To Pimp a Butterfly; it’s not conceptual; it’s not organized.

At times this album seems remorsefully unhinged, like Lamar’s doing something he doesn’t want to but feels he needs to. The passion pushes reality to the foreground: “…thought that K-Dot real life was the same life they see on TV, huh?”

There’s truth to Sounwave’s tweet, which prompted rumors (now debunked) of a direct follow-up to Damn., stating “But what if I told you…that’s not the official version.” A reference (and picture to follow) from Matrix. Though maybe not the best example, the Matrix is ultimately a story about choosing the beauty of reality, in all of its flaws and fractures.

Kendrick Lamar offers a healthy dose of reality, whether you chose it or not.

Fireplace Gallery artist David Wilson talks about his artwork Maegan Willhite the advocate

This month, the MHCC Fireplace Gallery presents the work of David Wilson, a Salem artist. Wilson taught for 15 years as a professor of art; now, he is the gallery director for Bush Barn Art Center in Salem.

The Advocate asked Wilson about his work and his art.

• How is the Gallery Director life treating you? Are there some good days, bad days?

“This is a fantastic job, in which my job is 100 percent art each day. It is unlike any other career I’ve had,” Wilson said with a chuckle.

“It’s completely about presenting artists, collaborating with artists, as well as coordinating with artists and it’s a rewarding job.”

• Would you mind elaborating how you create a new piece of art?

“Each artist has their own method for working. And mine, I guess... might be a little unorthodox, where you know each day I’ll be creating a sketch or jotting down ideas and then working in that method while I’m working in either the gallery job or while I was a professor of art. You know those types of careers kind of occupy most of your time, and then your artmaking time fits in around it.”

It takes Wilson about a month or two to make small art pieces, he said. It takes a week to gather all of the supplies he needs to get started.

• One piece stands out in the Mt. Hood exhibit: “Once the Wagon Broke, the Easterners Saw No Romance in the West.” Can you tell me a little bit about this piece, and where your inspiration came from?

“Well, my inspiration comes from appreciating and being just an outright fan of classic movies. And I also love the creativity of some of the early silent movie stars and the artistry of their own work. The visual part of the pieces have a major influence from classic movie posters that are designed.”

• Do you have any advice for young artists?

“Yes, one is to embrace any opportunity to show your work when you can, because exhibiting your work is the most important form of validation for yourself as an artist, whether it’s in a community show, a coffee house show, a professional gallery or whatever it should be. Always take the opportunity up and then figure out how you’re going to make it work, later.”

Wilson’s art is available to visitors 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, through April 27.

PA G E 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

April 21, 2017

Theatre director shooting for the stars in classic comedy Maddy Sanstrum the advocate

Money can’t buy love or happiness, but it can buy tickets for MHCC’s spring theater production, “You Can’t Take it with You,” produced by George Kaufman and Moss Hart.

Having seen the film adaptation directed by Frank Capra, I’m really excited to see how the Mt. Hood group will put everything together.

Set in 1930, the story follows Grandpa Vanderhof and his eccentric family who dance (rather terribly), write, make fireworks, and overall live to be happy. The only relatively normal one is his granddaughter, Alice, who becomes engaged to Tony Kirby, the son of a business tycoon.

“You have someone who’s in the regular culture who’s very well behaved, meeting up with someone who is in this crazy family,” said director of the MHCC production, theatre instructor Mace Archer.

“So, it’s kind of a love story to see if they’re going to be able to work it out.”

It’s also going to be interesting

Photos by Elizabeth Nguyen

LEFT: Mace Archer (left) speaking with actors Laurel Strobel and Brett Parsons as they run through lines on stage.

RIGHT: Archer (above, pointing) directing the student actors as they run through a scene around the table.

to see since the play will take place in Mt. Hood’s Studio Theatre, just across the Main Mall from the Student Union. Since the venue has only 80 seats, Archer’s hope is that the show’s six-day run will sell out.

Apart from that however, the real challenge is to set up the small space to portray the story.

“At its height, we have about 14 people on stage, and so we’ve done it more on the lines on how you might see it in a small theater in Chicago,” said Archer. The small setup will bring a challenge for the

overall look and flow of the play.

Personally, I’m curious how they’ll put together scenes that take place where some of the family member’s make the fireworks and test them in the basement.

One of the challenges with the play isn’t the space or even the actors, but the recent production in local high schools such as in Sandy and Gresham. Archer isn’t worried about this, though, since it is one of the most produced plays in America. “It’s such a well-liked play that it’s not that people will say,

‘Oh, they’re doing “You Can’t Take it with You” and go, ‘‘Oh, I’ve seen that,’ ” he said. “I think they’ll say (instead), ‘I love that play!’ ” Indeed, I’ve seen it before and can’t wait to see it live in action, so there’s got to be some truth to that, right?

It’ll also be the first outright comedy Archer’s directed since coming to MHCC. True, there have been elements of comedy in the past, but most of the productions were satirical and had a little bit of an edge. It’ll also be a challenge

to the actors since “plays aren’t quite written like this anymore,” he noted, mostly because of the play on words and jokes that can either crack up an audience or not elicit a response at all.

Archer said his hope for this show is that, by learning how to present this style of work, the Mt. Hood actors “become more sophisticated with that style of comedy.”

Opening night will be Friday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. The shows runs on May 13 and May 18-20 at the same time, and there will be a 2 p.m. performance on May 14.

Advance tickets for Mt. Hood students/staff and seniors are $5.

At the door, they are $7, $10 for general audience members.

Get a bang for your buck and enjoy the show!

Visit our website, or visit youtube.com/MHCCAdvocate, to view the video.

Bringing light to a dark subject in a spectacular way Sandy Actors Theatre portrays the stuggles of accepting death Maddy Sanstrum the advocate

4 out of 5 stars

For those who can’t wait for the upcoming MHCC theater production “You Can’t Take It With You” starting on May 12, the Sandy Actors Theatre (SAT) has one final weekend for its showing of “The Shadow Box,” written by Michael Cristopher and directed by Steve Koeppen. Tickets are $15 for students, with shows at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Based off the book “On Death and Dying,” the setting takes place over the course of 24 hours on the grounds of a large hospital – revolving around three cottages used as a last resort for terminally ill patients. In these cottages, three different persons’ stories are told: Joe (Mark Beaudet), a loving father and husband; Brian (Duke PA G E 8

Murrdodge), who lives every minute to the fullest, no matter what; and Felicity (Laura Reeves), who wants nothing more than to see her daughter, despite her dementia.

Through these three and those around them, the real story is told as the characters struggle with the stages of grief.

One thing that adds to the play was the stage’s intimacy with the audience, since there’s not a lot of space to begin with. Another factor is the setup, in which all of the three houses are on the set, and in the second half of the show all the actors can be seen – eating, dancing, crying, everything.

Scenes with the interviewer (played by Jim Laproe) seem cramped, though, despite the freedom they are given to move around in. I understand that these scenes are not major in terms of stagecraft, but in terms of meaning and understanding they’re highly crucial to the story. If the props could have been brought in and taken away, I don’t believe it would

take much away.

In terms of characters, they are all spectacular to the very end, each portraying some stage of grief.

Beverly comes to Brian’s cottage is out of convenience, and also not wanting to see him when he gets worse. When he meets her, he tells her about the books, poems, short stories, and even autobiographies he has written, including paintings he did when he was prescribed a medication that messed with his eyesight.

Mark, however, remains skeptical and cold to her until the Flyer design by Jay Hash two end up fighting, Mark revealing From the productions flyer, an alternative how desperately he doesn’t want portrayal of the concept of loss.

Brian to die.

Felicity’s trials, however, from Some are more prominent than others, such as Joe’s wife, Maggie the perspective of her oldest (Anita Clark), who simply refuses daughter, Agnes (Tracy Grant), are to believe that her husband is the saddest and most psychological dying. All of the scenes with them as well. In order to try and keep and their son, Steve (Nathan Hale), her mother happy and lucid, are outside of the cottage on and Agnes writes fictional letters from around the porch because she does her long-dead sister, Claire, who supposedly is traveling to visit not want go inside.

Some of the best lines and story, them. The interviewer confronts in my opinion, however, come from her about this and why her mother Brian, his “friend,” Mark (Scott has lasted so long in her treatments, Caster), and his ex-wife, Beverly but Agnes continues to write the (Meghan Daaboul). The reason letters.

It’s only at the end that she begins to wonder if she should tell her mother the truth about Claire.

Normally, I don’t cry with sad stuff. I’ve read all the “Hunger Games” books and “The Book Thief,” and have seen “Dead Poets Society,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” and “My Dog Skip” with misty eyes at the most. Walking out of the SAT and back to my car, however, I couldn’t hold the tears back anymore.

Then again, death and dying are facts of life that everyone must face on their own and in their own way.

The reason it hit home for me was because of someone I know who lost their grandmother back in January to Leukemia. She was a great lady who was always learning and trying to help in the community, and knowing she’s gone still stings for both of us a little.

Therefore, I encourage you to go see the show before it’s too late.

There’s only so much time we have, so why not live in the moment?