The Advocate, Issue 26 - May 11th, 2017

the

advocate

Volume 51 Issue 26

May 12, 2017

Independent Student Voice of MHCC

MHCC’s bond would benefit the college PAGE 2

Track coach loses cancer battle

PAGE 6

Saints softball falls shy of playoffs PAGE 7

Wolf vs. Peterman: ASG candidates square off PAGE 4

Portland events you should know about

PAGE 8

2016 FIRST PLACE

General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

OPINION

May 12, 2017

Editorial

Mt. Hood bond leaves us stirred not shaken

V

oters who live in the greater reach of Mt. Hood Community College have an important, and impactful decision due next week,

by Tuesday the 16th.

The MHCC District board has placed a $75 million general obligation or “GO” bond on the May special election ballot.

The college celebrated its 50th anniversary last year and, as with any group of aging buildings, there are things that need to be done to ensure the campus is renovated and up-to-code as it should be.

This tax measure is to help obtain money (outside of raising tuition rates and other tools to fund Mt. Hood’s annual operating costs) that would do a lot for the school: Make overdue repairs, improve security systems, and better protect its buildings against earthquake damage. The measure also would fund construction of a new Applied Technology classroom building.

As things stand, Mt. Hood is paying off debts that it has accrued over the past several decades.

While those debts have helped the college become the remarkable school it has become, they cost the school about $800,000 per year in interest payments alone.

Nearly a million dollars that the school could be putting to much better use on anything from salaries for teachers and faculty to improving student programs could be saved by voters passing this bond measure.

The college has not passed a GO bond since 1974, and is eagerly looking for help to meet

the future and improve its current infrastructure.

What will determine voters’ choice?

First, let’s go over the cost to the average taxpayer in the sprawling Mt. Hood district (reaching from the Parkrose neighborhood and East Portland to Cascade Locks, Boring and Sandy), and what they could expect to pay.

The estimated tax rate for the bond measure, 26-190 on the ballot, would be $23 per $100,000 of assessed property value. That would be $46 for a house worth $200,000 – a rough average for home assessments in East Multnomah County, say college officials (not to be confused with sales market value, they add).

That’s in the first year: The ratepayer cost gradually decreases as total property values increase, over the 20-plus years of the bond.

Okay, so the average homeowner in the MHCC district would have to pay less than $50 per year, or about $4 per month.

The school isn’t asking a lot, we believe. When the school asks for this money, though, we must ask ourselves, Why do they really need it?

According to Mt. Hood, most of the money would go to update many of the college’s buildings, which were constructed in the early 1970s.

While the MHCC District “has done a heroic effort in keeping the buildings operational, time is slowly catching up with them,” proponents of the bond state.

It is time to modernize, upgrade and prepare for the future,” they

continue, and we at the Advocate agree.

The average voter might ask why the school needs this money right now.

The answer seems to be twofold. First, the Oregon Legislature has offered an $8 million match to MHCC, saying that if the school can come up with $8 million of its own bond money, the state will pay that amount. But that offer won’t last much longer, and if so, that’s a big amount of money that MHCC District taxpayers may need to cover down the road.

Secondly, it’s an issue of room.

When the school was originally designed and built in the ’70s, it was made to serve approximately 5,000 students. Now, however, Mt. Hood sees 25,000 or more students in an average year.

The average student has a lot to gain too, because an influx of bond money would free up operating dollars currently used for infrastructure and repairs to be used instead on things like new programs and events.

What assurance do voters have that the money will go where the school says?

Built into the bond is the requirement that the money can’t go toward salaries for staff or faculty. There also would be a citizen committee overseeing the bond money, and providing periodic financial audits.

Why should voters in area neighborhoods want to help MHCC if no one in their household currently attends? Because of the large financial impact the school makes on our surrounding area.

The college boosts our local economy in several ways: It trains employees to be ready for a competitive workforce and to be able to offer better services to customers and employers alike.

In its most recent Economic Impact Report, the college directly put $92.3 million into the local economy in goods, services and value added, along with an overall impact of nearly $700 million when factoring in success of students, alumni and jobs created – in or beyond the greater Gresham-East County area. All this, in a single year.

“We need to support our school which has done so much to support us.”

If the bond measure doesn’t pass, what does that mean for the school? These improvements still have to be made.

The MHCC Library still needs to have earthquake-resistance upgrades done, the classrooms are still going to need to be changed and we’re still going to need a new applied technology building.

If the school doesn’t get the money, future students might see increases in their tuition, and we might see a cut in both current school programs like clubs, organizations and even the advocate itself, and a cut in funding for faculty with the school possibly letting some teachers go.

In closing, MHCC offers a lot to its surrounding community, and is

doing the best with the buildings, classrooms and infrastructure that are available, even though they were all designed for a much smaller student body.

It is not asking a lot of the community, at only around $4 a month, and with the $8 million state match, it’s important that this measure be passed this year so the school can take advantage of that, rather than asking for more from local taxpayers later.

As students, we have to keep in mind how Mt. Hood has opened doors for us all, in supporting immigrants, in supporting people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford secondary education.

Above all, Mt. Hood is giving this community a place that can make our lives, and the lives of future students, better.

We need to support our school which has done so much to support us. We at the Advocate wholeheartedly support this bond measure. We think it’s potentially a great thing for MHCC, and we hope that all of you reading agree.

YOUR OPINION

MATTERS Share your side, utilize your voice. Submit your thoughts to:

Advocatt@mhcc.edu.

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

the advocate Editor-in-Chief Gloria Saepharn

Sports Editor Open Position

Associate Editor, Arts & Entertainment Editor Matana McIntire Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor Megan Phelps

Assistant Sports Editor Logan Hertner

News Editor Kyle Venooker Assistant News Editor Greg Leonov Opinion Editor Donovan Sargent Page 2

Graphic Design Team Prisma Flores Seneca Maxwell Photo Editor Open Position Assistant Photo Editor Davyn Owen Photo Team Alex Crull Fadi Shahin Jessica Mitchell

Porcha Hesselgesser Video Team Elizabeth Nguyen Ad Team Yen Le Web Editor Dusty Sargent

Glenn Dyer Maegan Willhite Ryan Moore Noah Guillen Sebastien Oaks Tyson Gaylor Contact us!

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Phone: 503-491-7250 Website: advocate-online.net

Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst

Twitter: @MHCCAdvocate Facebook: facebook.com/TheAdvocateOnline Instagram: @MHCCAdvocate #MHCCAdvocate

Staff Writers Jamie George Brody Mathews Maddy Sanstrum

Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030 Room AC1369

Cover Design By Prisma Flores

Cover Photos by Porcha Hesselgesser

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.

OPINION

advocate-online.net

Rags to reality and why charity begins at home

Dusty Sargent the advocate With more billionaires in the world this year than ever, the conversation eventually turns to,

“What happens when they pass away?” More and more often, that question results in a single word: “Charity”. It seems more often that the self-made billionaires have decided to leave their children with either very little, or nothing altogether.

Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Kevin O’Leary are among those trying to end dynastic wealth by not giving it to future generations. But just giving it all away – is this a good thing? Let’s take a look, shall we?

Warren Buffet, along with the Gates family, is at the forefront of what has been dubbed the Giving Pledge. His take on the whole

situation is, “I want to give my kids just enough so that they would feel that they could do anything, but not so much that they would feel like doing nothing.”

Now while it isn’t up to me, I can at least speculate as to how I think it could all play out.

According to the Williams Group, as many as 70 percent of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation, and then a Holy Crap!-inducing 90 percent by the third. So, score one for leaving it to charity, because at least then it will (presumably) do some good.

O’Leary (a Canadian businessman) is a case that

fascinates me, because while he is as self-made as the rest of the people mentioned so far, he did get a leg up in the form of a $10,000 loan from his mother.

He has set up trusts so his children and all their descendants will never worry about educational costs, but none will see a single dollar in living expenses after they graduate. Gates and Buffett have similar setups with their children.

The problem, in my opinion, lies with these children growing up in situations (save the Buffett family; he still lives in his first, 30ish-thousand-dollar home in Omaha, Nebraska) where they

have never known a life outside of private jets, and extravagance.

They have never seen a struggle to pay a bill, and may not even know what it’s like. They come from a world of unlimited access, being able to walk up to a complete stranger (and in all fairness, many of them, and their parents, have done so) and with a couple phone calls and a swipe of an Amex black card, change that person’s entire life without noticing a hit to their account.

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

ADVERTISING

National Teacher Shortage Casts Shadow Over Oregon: Creates Premier Job Opportunities Press Release For people wanting a secure, well-paying, satisfying career, a job in education definitely represents a possibility worth considering. For the last several years there has been a growing shortage of elementary and secondary school teachers nationally, a trend that seems likely to continue as Baby Boomers reach retirement age. And, Oregon has not escaped the impacts of this trend. There is a looming shortage of teachers and therein jobs to be had.

Within the Greater Portland area, somewhere between 900 and 1000 teachers reach retirement age every year. And while those individuals will not necessarily automatically retire, the shortage of teachers in the state of Oregon is expected to become acute over the next 5-10 years. According to Federal Title II reports, 4,203 Oregon students were enrolled in teacher preparation programs with 2,221 completing the program in 2008-09. The most recent report from 2012-13 showed only 1,891 students enrolled with 1,672 completing the program. Of particular demand will be teachers credentialed to teach science, math, Spanish, special education, and English as a second language and bilingual education, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Additionally, Oregon schools also will experience a shortage of speech pathologists and nurses, the federal agency said.

Of the small number of programs in Oregon preparing teachers, the most intimate and cost effective is likely Eastern Oregon University at the Mount Hood Community College campus in Gresham. Students can finish 120 of the 180 credits required to become a teacher at MHCC and finish the remaining 60 at the EOU onsite operation in just 6 terms.

Students from Washington and Idaho do not have to pay out-ofstate tuition.

“Our students are well prepared for assimilation into this market,” said Dr. Brandon Monroe, who leads the program for Eastern Oregon University on the Mount Hood Community College campus. “Our cohort program is very popular with students,” Monroe added. “Our students leave feeling they were part of a family effort.”

For more information about the EOU at MHCC program, please contact Dr. Brandon Monroe at bmonroe@eou.edu or Margie at 503-491-7000.

Sources: http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/TchHires1.asp?RptYear=2015-16&TheRpt=TchHires&Submit=1 http://komonews.com/news/ local/in-oregon-teacher-shortage-schools-recruit-professionals-to-teach-11-21-2015 http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2014/01/oregon_ schools_short_on_teache.html PA G E 3

NEWS

May 12, 2017

The Advocate will LIVE TWEET from the vice presidential and presidential debates. Keep up with your student candidates, their plans, and final voting results.

ASG

Peterman and VP M

• Improve student success program • Work to survey th identify where bo a whole can impr • Streamline stude services: bill state class registration information.

www.advocate-online.net @MHCCadvocate facebook.com/theadvocateonline

Finance senator pla

“We can definitely use the m

to get up to speed.”

Peterman also touched on som the advocate traits he would bring. “Another thing The ASG presidential race is in full swing, have to be pretty mature and able to pr with polls opening in less than two weeks and solve and delegate with people, and it’s been easy for me to get what people ar campaigning officially under way.

PonyBoy Peterman, a longtime native of and interpret that properly.

“I value it. I put v the Gresham area and biology the individual,” he sai major at Mt. Hood, was more A recurring than excited to talk about his Peterman hit was goals and aspirations, as well as of communication some of the greatest concerns “centralization” of A currently facing our school. other departments as Peterman is currently the major issues fac a senator with the ASG Hood.

(Associated Student “I’ve heard the v Government) at MHCC. a lot of faculty. The His running mate is Corey wants more collabo Mcintosh.

Photos by Porcha Hesselgesser he said. “One exam “I have been a senator now for the year, and I’ve learned a PonyBoy Peterman our events people c doing a lot more to lot, and I’ve learned that there’s the marketing dep a lot of room for improvement,” he said. “Basically I think that I have the for the school. They meet individuals b know(-how) about what it takes. I was aren’t acquainted with what the depar Senator of Finance, so I’ve seen the numbers, about.”

He discussed the need for the stud I’ve seen the logistics, and I’ve seen what we have a way for their voices to truly b are capable of.

“I think that I can help enable people to be through continuing increase in ed successful, be that ASG people or just students costs.

“What we do have control over in general. That’s my goal,” he said. While there is no experience required for the ASG ASG) is how our student fees are bei president job, he added, “I think that if you and how much they are. We can de weren’t on ASG you would need a lot of time use the money we have better,” he

Tyson Gaylor

PA G E 4

NEWS

advocate-online.net

G PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Mcintosh want to :

Wolf and VP Sanamane want to :

retention through student ms on campus. he student body and oth ASG and the campus as prove. ents’ access to online ements, library resources, n, and club and sports

• Obtain better opportunities for all students by working with local community and county.

• Reach out to the community to build new sponsors and show our need of funding.

• Work to provide more student jobs on campus, housing opportunities for our homeless students.

• Increased funding for our clubs and organizations on campus.

*

*Paraphrased from both candidates’ official Declaration of Candidacy statements. To read the full declarations, visit our website at advocate-online.net.

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personally don’t think we need more money at all. I’ve seen so many ways that it has been misused this year… We can do a lot more to spend the money we have better.”

Peterman said he would like to focus on “increase(d) awareness of academic success services” on campus, and exploring a movement to “transfer to Open Educational Resources, which is basically open-sourced textbooks,” something he said was already accomplished at schools such as PCC. Another major focus, which he called his “big, visionary goal” is to improve student retention – keeping students enrolled at MHCC – which he believes “will be accomplished through the success services.”

Peterman said he’d love to gain the experience of being ASG president, getting “personal fulfillment” from the job. “I think service leadership is a big part of what I want and giving to the community that I’m a part of” is a main motivation, he said.

As for what he might find difficult, he said, “Probably delegating, like keeping to my goals and really grinding it out every day.

People like to fall off at the end; like, they got this one big idea and then after that’s over and they make it they’re like ‘Now we can relax,’ but I think the whole (presidential) term is an opportunity to get great things done.”

He summed up his candidacy: “I have my own goals but we are a community of individuals and collectively we can accomplish way more than I could ever accomplish.”

Giving a voice to every student

Wolf aims to bring new perspectives to ASG together” as a community, and that the college needs to “find more sponsors,” as the advocate well.

“As we can see, the funding (for programs Wakely Wolf is running with Kannezcia and students clubs) is just not there,” he said.

Sanamane on his ticket for ASG president.

Wolf is currently attending Mt. Hood “A lot of that has been the (Oregon state) to earn an associate’s degree in science, and government cutting back” college funding, he intends to transfer to PSU. After that, he said said. But he also noted that “ASG (Associated Student Government) gets he would “love to transfer to $1.2 million... (you) wonder, a research position at OHSU” ‘Well, where does the money where he could be involved in go, and how is it being used?’ epidemiology.

I think there’s a demand for “I really believe we only a leadership position here.” have one life, and part of my Wolf said he sees another Buddhist background is really problem at MHCC that isn’t making sure we can do the budget-related: “(A) lot of most with it, so for me, I’d like students may be a little more to work with (battling) diseases afraid to come to school, for impoverished nations.” from immigrant Wolf said he’s running for Photos by Porcha Hesselgesser being families, especially after ASG president because he feels Wakely Wolf Trump was elected, so like “there’s a voice that’s not seeing that there’s all these being heard here on campus; there are a lot of different types of students, different backgrounds... their needs need to and I don’t believe that all of their needs are be met” along with their voices being heard, he said. “So, I hope I can represent that.” being met,” he said.

He also said he would like to reform A father, Wolf said that he represents a variety of types of students. “Having different the college’s Head Start program, run in backgrounds, being low-income, being a a federally backed facility on campus that parent, having an immigrant family, means “promotes school readiness of children under those are things where I can relate with other five from low-income families,” according to students” who encounter some of the same its website.

Wolf said that while “it’s a great circumstances, he said.

Wolf said that “we really need to come program...I’d like to see it (be) more beneficial

Kyle Venooker

(to MHCC) students.” With respect to “daycare with the Head Start program, I know that a lot of the parents here, they’re just not getting their needs met. The program isn’t large enough, I know there’s definitely a wait list, and there’s just other problems.”

Student clubs and campus organizations are funded by Student Activity Fees, a source of revenue separate from tuition paid for classes. Funds raised by the fees are disbursed by the Student Finance Council, and support a wide variety of student groups.

“I wish there was more concern about ASG,” said Wolf. “I wish the clubs and organizations on campus were stronger.

There’s definitely a lack of that, and we can see it all over, even on Facebook you see a lot of inactive clubs, and you’re wondering, ‘Well, what happened to these people? Why aren’t these clubs still going?”

He said that as ASG president he would plan on “partnering up with some of the partners we’ve had in the past, along with creating new sponsors for our school” to bring in more funding. He would “plan on going to these board meetings, and showing our community that there is a need for (better distribution of funds), because it might be something that the community doesn’t realize,” he said. “It’s not just about supporting the students, it’s about helping them support their families that they have.”

PA G E 5

NEWS

May 12, 2017

Mt. Hood coach loses Lunasco lands ‘dream job’ battle with brain tumor

Kyle Venooker

Web photo/mhcc.edu

the advocate

On Tuesday morning, MHCC track and field coach Doug Bowman, 64, passed away at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland after battling brain cancer for a year.

A faculty member since 2012, as well as an alumnus of Mt. Hood, Bowman had served as head coach since 2014. Under his tutelage, over 100 athletes went on to track and field programs at numerous four-year universities, school officials said.

A coach for almost 40 years and a father of six (and grandfather of 16), Bowman had a profound impact on many student athletes. In the school’s press release, MHCC Athletic Director Kim Hyatt said that “Coach Bowman’s dedication to his team was amazing. His love and knowledge of track and field, and his commitment to passing that on to the next generation of athletes, made him an

outstanding coach and human being. He will be missed dearly.”

In an interview with the Advocate published last year, (http://www.advocate-online.net/sports/saints-coach-doing-just-fine-after-being-hospitalized-with-glioblastoma-11698/), Bowman discussed his health troubles and the response he felt.

“He said the biggest lesson from this draining situation was how much the community cared for his health and well-being,” wrote Advocate reporter Jon Fuccillo. “ ‘I can feel everyone around me that is thinking about me. I know it sounds crazy, but I can really feel them reaching out to me. I don’t know who they are, but I can feel them. The feeling is, you’re not alone in this,’ ” Bowman told Fuccillo.

In a Facebook post, Bowman’s wife of 14 years, Cheryl, said the family would wait until after finals week at Mt. Hood to have a memorial, as Bowman always wanted students to focus on their studies.

Students who wish to express their condolences, meantime, can reach out to the Athletic Department (use the MHCC address of 26000 SE Stark St., Gresham, Oregon, 97030 and “Attention: Athletics Department”).

With heavy hearts, the Saints team is competing Saturday in the NWAC Southern Region Championships at Lane Community College.

Mt. Hood is set to host the full NWAC Championship meet here in Gresham, on May 22-23.

Greg Leonov the advocate

For over a month now, newly hired Diversity Resource Center (DRC) Coordinator Gaby Lunasco has been meeting MHCC students and learning the responsibilities of her job.

She called her position at the DRC a “dream job” she wasn’t expecting to land when she initially applied.

“I was called for the interview and I was lucky enough to get the job offer,” she said. “I’ve been through a whole year of applying for jobs and nothing had happened to come of it,” and so she didn’t have high hopes at first.

Upon arriving for her work at Mt. Hood, Lunasco envisioned working with a very diverse group of students. “For me, diversity really goes beyond just race and ethnicity to include veteran status, disability status, socioeconomic status,” she said.

“I had a very different idea about East County in my head, so I am amazed and pleasantly surprised of the diversity of students that I see walking around campus.” She explained the area’s demographics have radically shifted during the 15 years she was away from Oregon.

She considers her new duties a “dream” because she spent her undergraduate college years in ethnic studies and sociology coursework, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences degree, and a Master’s Degree in adult education and training.

The DRC job “just kind of blends all of those things together and I get the opportunity to do that (train and educate adults).”

Lunasco first discovered she was interested in sociology when she was a teenager.

“In high school, I was kind of on the verge of

getting in a lot of trouble,” she said. “I took sociology with this (favorite) instructor… and once I learned about what sociology was and how that kind of interacted with ethnic studies and all of that… it really got me thinking about, the broader reasons (of) why I was in a position that I was in.”

She then studied at the University of Oregon for four years, but almost flunked out, then left without graduating, she said. She worked various jobs for a while before going to Hawaii, where she met her husband, Travis. She finished her studies at Hawaii Pacific University, graduating with a social science degree.

Lunasco said she hopes to be at Mt. Hood for a long while. “I really think Photo by Greg Leonov it’s an awesome time to be here. I think there’s a lot of energy building and I really do like working with the students that I’ve met so far,” she said.

During the summer, Lunasco said she wants to create “an integrated plan for student life and the DRC.” This would include partnerships with faculty and various academic departments to host events and build programs that celebrate diversity.

“I really want them (students) to know that this is their space. That if they have questions, or needs, or concerns around diversity, inclusion, equity, (or) even understanding what those terms mean – I would love to know that,” she said.

Currently, the DRC has a student advisory council that holds meetings at 1 p.m. Thursdays in its room, located at the south end (rear) of the Student Union, behind the Fireplace Gallery.

May’s Board meeting: honors, open-sourced text and layoffs Greg Leonov the advocate

The Mt. Hood District board of education on Wednesday convened as the school’s budget committee and approved an operating budget for next year, after which it conducted regular board business.

MHCC President Debbie Derr recognized two Rho Theta students for an All-Star Academic Team recognition. Having won scholarships sponsored by Coca Cola, students Brenna Schmidt and Dang Dinh were presented with certificates and MHCC memorabilia.

“This is sort of the culmination of celebrations for these two students, and we’re very proud of them,” said Derr. “Both of our students moved forward to the national competition, and both received honors. They were among 1,800 applicants for PA G E 6

these awards, which Phi Theta Kappa honor society administers.”

Led by Al Sigala, MHCC Foundation executive director, Foundation leaders presented their annual report to the board. At the Foundation’s annual auction held April 15, $286,000 was raised. A special computer system was set up to keep in contact with alumni and keep them updated on events and news.

Foundation President McKenzie Tucker also talked about the simplified process of selecting students for scholarships. “We moved the entire scholarship process under the realm of the Foundation, and we did that by hiring our alumni outreach and scholarship specialist whose name is Marci,” said Tucker.

“We made it so much more effective and efficient and competitive with other colleges.”

Sigala talked about unused Foundation scholarship funds, where leaders had to evaluate their scholarship process. They worked on making the process easier for students, including better online applications.

Mt. Hood math instructors Nick Churra and Jack Green presented an open educational resource (OER) option for students they worked on during their sabbaticals. They created a digital, interactive math book in which students can plug equations and automatically see what happens when equations are graphed.

Churra and Green said they wanted to make it so that students work on figuring out the basics of their math principles outside of class, and then apply those principles to more difficult situations when in class. Green compared the current

(poor) approach of mathematics education to building a car: He said instructors teach their students everything that is needed to be known about a single wheel, but students are expected to build a whole car outside of class.

Derr then presented Green with an award of recognition from Stanford University. The award recognized the connection he made with a former student who had moved on to Stanford.

Gaveling in again as the budget committee to receive public input for the 2017-18 budget (there was none), board members got a review from MHCC budget manager Jennifer DeMent, then voted unanimously to approve it (as the regular board).

Soon after, Corey Houston, president of the classified union at MHCC, expressed regret and concern

for the $277 million budget plan.

“In here, somewhere, are our values,” Houston said. “Line by line, you can peruse through and see those values, but for some of us, in there are our colleagues and our co-workers. And some of those colleagues and co-workers aren’t going to be here next month because of decisions that were made in this document,” he said.

“For me, one of the things that pops out in addition to the loss of colleagues is the line item for student employment from every department on this campus, and I would say that there are employees sitting in this room that make more in a year than this college budgets for student employment.”

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

SPORTS

Saints lose seventh straight, big weekend ahead Logan Hertner the advocate

The Saints baseball team controls its own destiny this weekend, playing its final four scheduled NWAC games against lower-ranked Clackamas Community College.

Unfortunately, Mt. Hood comes in with a seven-game losing streak.

The Saints took it on the nose last weekend, dropping four straight to Lane Community College. They lost two on Titan Field in Eugene on May 12, by scores of 6-3 and 7-4.

The next day, playing at Sandy High School, the Saints lost two more, 5-1 and 4-0.

Next came a chance Wednesday to inch a bit higher in the super-tight South Region race for an NWAC playoff spot: Mt. Hood and LinnBenton resumed play from a game suspended on April 30, picking up in the top of the seventh inning, tied at 6.

Two weeks ago, the Saints had exploded for six runs in their half of the fifth inning, batting through the entire order, to wipe out a 5-0 deficit.

Now, it was gut-check time at Oslund Field when the game was resumed Wednesday. Both teams got runners on base in both the seventh and eighth innings, but those rallies died without a run.

In the top of the ninth, however, Mt. Hood pitcher Aaron Clift hit the Roadrunners’ leadoff batter, Josh Congdon, with a pitch. The next man up, Damon Peters, then doubled to left: Bad news for the

Saints, as now there were runners on second and third with no outs.

On a 2-1 count on batter Caleb Smith, there was a passed ball, and Congdon scored from third to give Linn-Benton the lead. Smith struck out looking, but Hunter Bruno was subbed in for the Saints on the mound after Clift threw four straight balls and walked another batter. Bruno made quick work of the Roadrunners, as he only threw three pitches and got himself a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

But the damage was done. After Jace McKinney drew a one-out walk for the Saints, Lane pitcher Trevor Wells got Thomas Lampkin to fly out and Gavin Henderson to ground out, and the game was over, 7-6.

The critical loss dropped Mt. Hood into a third-place tie with Chemeketa and Clark, all with 8-12 South records. Right behind at 7-13 are Clackamas and Southwestern Oregon. Which means all five teams are in the running, still, for just two playoff slots.

It helps the Saints that Clark now has to play division winner Lane (195 South, 29-9 overall) four times, and Chemeketa faces SWOCC. But the Saints could really use a sweep over Clackamas at home Friday, with games at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., before they play two more in Oregon City against the Cougars on Saturday, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

With a few more clutch hits and good pitching, Mt. Hood (1123 overall) could still make the postseason.

Softball concludes season Web Photo

Jamie George the advocate Despite the Saints softball team picking up two wins over Grays Harbor on Tuesday, their season will come to an end today, having fallen short of the NWAC playoffs.

It’s a harsh reality for a program that has competed in the last three NWAC championship finals and won two of them, in 2014 and 2016.

But those were under head coach Meadow McWhorter, who now runs the NCAA Division I Portland State squad.

This season at MHCC, new coach Brittany Hendrickson led the team and it certainly had its ups and downs. Early in conference play the Saints struggled, getting a very slow 1-7 start. Unfortunately for Mt. Hood, the sputtering start was too much to turn around. Since then, the team has gone 9-8 in conference play, bringing them to a 10-15 record, which places them second-to-last in the South Region.

The only team the Saints lead is the Grays Harbor Chokers, who have yet to pick up a win in the South all season.

Mt. Hood was able to enjoy pounding that team on Tuesday, in

a doubleheader played in Aberdeen, Washington.

In the opener, the Saints blasted 17 hits (and took advantage of 10 Grays Harbor errors) and poured it on with a 20-3 win that came in only five innings, thanks to the NWAC 10-run mercy rule. MHCC also took Game 2, after catcher Grace Helyer came through with a two-run double in the fourth inning for the final runs in a 7-2 victory.

In no way are the Saints the secondworst team in the league, however.

Depending on today’s results, Mt. Hood could finish in the middle of the pack in the South Region.

They stand just a half-game back of Chemeketa, which sits in fifth place.

Still, it’s hard not to look at this season as disappointing, since Mt. Hood has become known for their softball excellence.

What’s key to remember about this season is it’s the first year under a new coach. And with that comes a lot of changes, for better or worse. It doesn’t in anyway mean the program is in trouble, it simply means the Saints didn’t reach the playoffs this year. Hendrickson proved with the team’s more recent play the Saints can compete with any team in this league. Just a month ago, they

defeated the top team in the South, Southwestern Oregon (currently 21-4 in conference play).

Against those same Lakers, the Saints will have three opportunities to prove they can compete with them (there’s one makeup game, plus doubleheader, scheduled). It’s another chance to showcase just how strong Mt. Hood has been in the last few weeks.

Leading the recent surge have been a pair of freshman, which signals the Saints appear to be on the right course. Helyer stands out as one a key player, as she sits fifth in the NWAC in home runs, with 13.

She’s also leading the team in batting average, at .402, and leads the team in RBIs with 42. Shortstop Makiah Johnson is another first-year player who has killed it this season. She’s third on the team in batting average at .400,, third on the team in home runs with three, and third on the team in RBIs, with 28.

If the Saints can count on Heyler and Johnson coming back next season, they definitely have solid cornerstones for the team to build around and return to the playoff chase.

PA G E 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

May 12, 2017

EVENTS IN PORTLAND MAY 2017

MUSIC

COMEDY

ST. JOHNS BIZZARE

NEVER SHOUT NEVER

CURIOUS COMEDY

ST. JOHNS PLAZA JUNE 13 10 A.M. FREE

HAWTHORNE THEATRE MAY 16, 7 P.M. $20-23

CURIOUS COMEDY THEATER MAY18, 9:30 P.M. FREE

BOOKS

MUSIC

FOOD AND DRINK

THE MINIMALISTS:

EMEL

ALADDIN THEATER MAY 13, 7:30 P.M. $26-86

NEWARK THEATRE MAY 15, 7:30 P.M. $21-31

CASCADE SOUR FLOWER FEST

RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY

COMEDY

VISUAL ARTS

THE MOTHER OF ALL PROTESTS

SINCERITY IS GROSS

MT. TABOR ART WALK

PSU PARK BLOCKS MAY 14, 2 P.M.

THE SLIDE INN MAY14, 7:30 P.M.

MT. TABOR PARK MAY 20-21, 10 A.M. FREE

MUSIC

LESS IS NOW

PLAYGROUND

CASCADE BREWING BARREL HOUSE

MAY 18-21, FREE

Julliard graduate shares tips for spicing up jazz performance Maddy Sanstrum the advocate

Last Saturday, May 6, MHCC hosted the 39th Annual Northwest Jazz Band Festival, in which middle- and high school students came to compete, jazz clinics were held, and guest artist Dominick Farinacci spoke and preformed with Mt. Hood’s own Jazz Ensemble.

Apart from the variety of ages competing, it was hard to ignore the fact the festival was going on in various places, two of them being the Visual Arts Theatre and the College Theatre. Granted, I couldn’t stay for the whole shebang, but it was long enough to swing in and go back in time a bit. From instrumental duets, to solos, larger groups and even vocalists, the music was spectacular.

The highlight of the day, however, was definitely Farinacci’s performance as he played trumpet with the Jazz Ensemble that afternoon, along with his clinic which built on solos in the form of the blues, being the most basic form of jazz.

Then again, playing jazz on the fly can be both easy and hard.

“A couple comments from the clinicians earlier talked about using just a few notes PA G E 8

to really build a solo,” Farinacci said. “Some of the greatest artists in terms of simplicity (and) using a couple notes, (built) an entire solo” around their songs.

“C Jam Blues… one of the most famous songs in the history of jazz, is built on two notes. So, if Duke Ellington can do that, we can all kinda do that,” he said.

The main point in Farinacci’s clinic was that – for the blues – a good way to begin try a solo was to “say something, say it again, and say something different,” a he put it. It’s hard to describe music in words, but the on-thespot examples he and the students produced made it easy to understand. He played a more advanced example with the help of some of the students, blowing the audience away.

Farinacci also stressed the importance of active listening when it came to understanding music. “When you’re listening to something, you’re listening to it on the level of really enjoying something, and ultimately the stuff we love most really moves us,” he said.

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

Charming, dysfunctional, madcap foray into comedic love Ryan Moore the advocate

The MHCC theatre department is opening its spring play, “You Can’t Take it with You,” this weekend, and I got the opportunity to sit in while the cast and crew did a run-through of the show. The play tells the story of a girl named Alice Sycamore who is from a very wacky, eccentric family who falls in love with Tony Kirby, the son of a Wall Street company executive.

While the two are very much in love, Alice doubts whether Tony’s family would be able to get along with the antics of her family, considering that the Kirby family is of a strict, conservative background.

The Sycamores are certainly the opposite, as they are much more of a diverse, freethinking family whose philosophy values an unrestricted way of living life.

Audiences will get to know each unique family member, and the comedic way they all communicate with one another. At the helm of the numerous atypical personalities in the household is Martin Vanderhof, who is more commonly referred to as Grandpa.

His character best embodies the values of the Sycamore family, seeing as he was once a successful businessman, but decided to

leave his job solely to relax and enjoy life.

The crowd can also look forward to watching distinctly humorous characters such as Boris Kolenkhov, a Russian who escaped to America before the Russian revolution and expresses his concerns for world politics with his unmistakable accent.

For many of the Sycamore family members, their main goal is to make sure everyone is happy, no matter what it is they do.

The original play premiered back in 1936, and has since become a very popular comedy in the theater community.

Given the time of its release, the work reflects the Great Depression era of the United States, and the plot includes plenty of references to the setting. Viewers will immediately be transported to the historical period through the detail of the set, the props, and the music. From their first glance, they will notice the old-fashioned furniture, typewriter, printing press, and the definitive dining room setup, all of which the characters interact with throughout the show.

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

COMEDY

COMMUNITY

FUNNY HUMANS VS. THE WHEEL

PORTLAND ROSE FESTIVAL

PORTLAND'S PROM

HELIUM COMEDY CLUB MAY 24, 8 P.M. $12

MAY 26 - JUNE 11

STAR THEATER MAY 27, 9 P.M. $15-20

VISUAL ARTS

RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY

FOOD AND DRINK

COMMUNITY

STOP FACISM: CHRIS HEDGES SPEAKS IN PORTLAND

MEMORIAL WEEKEND IN WINE COUNTRY

COMMUNITY

VISUAL ARTS

VISUAL ARTS

CRAFTY WONDERLAND SPRING ART + CRAFT MARKET

VANPORT MOSAIC FESTIVAL

THE ART OF THE BRICK

VARIOUS LOCATIONS MAY 26-29

(ENDS) OMSI MAY 29, $5.50-19.75

RAW: PORTLAND PRESENTS VERSE ROSELAND MAY 23, 7 P.M. $22-30

OREGON CONVENTION CENTER

MAY 20, 11 A.M. FREE

ALADDIN THEATER MAY 26, 7 P.M. $20

MAY 27-29 VARIOUS LOCATIONS