The Advocate, Issue 27 - May 19th, 2017

the

advocate

Volume 51 Issue 27

May 19, 2017

Independent Student Voice of MHCC

Secretary of State visits campus

Mt. Hood’s G.O. bond fails PAGE 4

College stress could be a pre-existing condition PAGE 5

Artist as important to exhibit as his art PAGE 9

Saints softball and baseball in playoffs

PAGE 6

PAGE 11

2016 FIRST PLACE

General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

OPINION

May 19, 2017

Editorial

Religious fundamentalism’s role at Mt. Hood

T

wo weeks ago, Mt. Hood philosophy instructor Chris Jackson gave a presentation in which he asked a simple question: Should the college hire religious fundamentalists?

His presentation centered around the use of an analogy (as one could reasonably expect from an instructor of philosophy). The analogy went as follows: “If it would make sense, be reasonable, for a person to put an applicant of someone who belongs to a white separatist organization at the bottom of the pile, maybe not hire that person, or at least think that that’s going to be problematic, not fitting in with the values at Mt Hood or any university that I’m aware of, then by analogy maybe it follows that we should think twice about hiring somebody that we know comes from a church where they believe and adhere to the scripture as being the literal word of God.” If that seems a little wordy – again, philosophy instructor.

As far as we at the Advocate can tell, Jackson was saying that if we’d have a problem with a white supremacist teaching at Mt. Hood, should we then have a problem with a religious fundamentalist teaching at Mt. Hood?

Corrections from Issue 26

the advocate

We suppose it boils down to what exactly is meant by “religious fundamentalist.” Jackson cited two scriptural verses: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet,” (Timothy 2:11-12); and

as a woman, or as queer, we highly doubt either of these verses make you feel very good, or valid, or safe.

Specifically the whole “surely be put to death” bit. If you’re walking around campus as an instructor and you’re looking at your female students and your female colleagues thinking this shit, then, yeah, maybe Mt. Hood isn’t the place for you.

Essentially, he’s saying, “I mean, if you wanna teach here and you’re religious, that’s cool, but you can’t be too religious.”

Chris Jackson

Photo by Kyle Venooker

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

(Leviticus 20:13).

Now, if you happen to identify

Maybe college as an institution isn’t for you. In fact, we can think of several “institutions” that would probably be the most beneficial place for you, and for society as a whole.

But who, exactly, is Chris Jackson to decide which religions

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It’s not up to us to say.

But discriminating on the basis of faith seems an awful way to weed out people who go against Mt. Hood’s professed values.

Do we at the Advocate believe MHCC should hire someone who’s a member of the KKK? No. Do we think our college should hire someone who pickets for the viciously anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church? No way – but we should base these decisions on the actions of the individuals in question, and not on their faith, in and of itself.

For to do so would go against the very value Jackson’s analogy is seeking to uphold.

• The voting dates published in the ASG presidential elections ad in last week’s issue were incorrect: the correct voting dates for ASG elections are May 22 to 26.

• In last week’s election coverage, presidential candidate Wakely Wolf stated that ASG receives a budget of $1.2 million. This information is incorrect, the correct budget is $284,310.

Editor-in-Chief Matana McIntire

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are acceptable and which are not?

All right, yes: He’s a philosophy instructor, his career has been dedicated to figuring out how people think what they do and why, and we don’t mean to diminish that or make light of it in any way. As a pure exercise in reason, his analogy is worth considering, and has merit.

That said, the questions Jackson is asking, and the implied actions that would be taken as a result of using his analogies as the basis for hiring practices, are tantamount to religious discrimination. Essentially, he’s saying, “I mean, if you wanna teach here and you’re religious, that’s cool, but you can’t be too religious.”

Where do we draw the line between being religious and being a religious fundamentalist? Jackson defines it as “a church where they believe and adhere to the scripture as being the literal word of God,” but is it really that black-and-white?

Is it possible to believe in God without believing that you need to kill homosexuals?

Is it possible to believe in miracles, in salvation and redemption, without believing that women are inferior?

Is it possible to believe in heaven, without condemning all those who don’t to hell?

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OPINION

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Selective tolerance is just intolerance

Noah Guillen the advocate

The term “tolerance” shouldn’t be ironic. In today’s political and social climate, however, misconceptions have resulted in misunderstanding of the term, and even actions contrary to its initial intent.

The outcome is that individuals who are told to be tolerant are confused about what exactly that entails, and the individuals advocating for tolerance are left unsatisfied by the increasingly muddied mission.

Last month, Ann Coulter, a conservative commentator, canceled a speech she planned on giving at UC

Berkeley, a notably liberal university. Upon news of Coulter’s scheduled speech on campus, threats of legal action and protests from students prompted university staff to advise her against the appearance, due to inadequate security.

Coulter announced the cancellation and noted on Twitter, “I am sorry for free speech crushed by thugs.”

The trouble with situations such as Berkeley is, it’s hypocritical.

Though many progressive individuals would insist that tolerance is a crucial feature, they will often – and usually subconsciously – place limitations and specifications on it. It becomes a point of conflict for individuals who might not understand the concept.

In order to more effectively communicate ideas of tolerance, we have to first refocus the definition. In a simple sense, tolerance is the bare minimum. It’s not a holistic comprehension of differing or opposing ideas; that idea is un-

realistic. If Republicans completely “understood” Democrats, it would stand to reason they would be Democrats. The reality that intelligent individuals can disagree means that disagreement is somewhat logical, and therefore deserves a level of acceptance.

This is tolerance: the accepting of things that you don’t understand, or even agree with.

This is tolerance: the accepting of things that you don’t understand, or even agree with. If individuals who disagree are not accepted, this is intolerance.

In contrast, to be selective about what we do and don’t accept is di-

rectly contrary to tolerance. Coulter is an infamously controversial character in politics, especially to liberal or progressive-minded individuals.

However, to not allow her opinions to be heard is to assume her opinions are invalid entirely, which would require understanding her opinion entirely – a near-impossibility. Tolerance doesn’t require that one understands Coulter’s position, or even remotely supports her position. Rather, tolerance insists an individual simply has to accept and respect that a different opinion exists.

Then, there’s the idea that tolerance can be abused. This idea is complicated. Obviously there is a difference between tolerating a person and tolerating a violent person.

But to be a gatekeeper or enforcer of the rules of tolerance is dangerous. To say a certain belief or lifestyle shouldn’t be tolerated because people of that belief or lifestyle tend to be intolerant is assuming a lot.

Firstly, it’s assuming the belief or

lifestyle is the cause, and not merely a correlation. Secondly, it’s assuming tolerance can’t exist within that belief or lifestyle.

The problem then, with these two primary assumptions, is that the solution is far more demanding, especially for something I previously described as “the bare minimum”.

If tolerance takes abandoning core values or beliefs to achieve, then it’s harder to accept. But tolerance doesn’t demand that: It simply encourages coexistence – not support, nor sacrifice, even.

Changing people entirely isn’t tolerating them, any more than cutting down a tree and fashioning a chair out of it is tolerating nature.

Those on the Berkeley campus should be able to hold their opinions, and also hear other opinions.

If not, these individuals are not supporting a fair playing field for ideas, but rather one that favors their ideas and their purpose, only.

That’s not tolerance; that’s well-meaning prejudice.

Don’t let fear of judgment control your body image

Megan Phelps the advocate

We’ve already had several warm days this spring, most of them resulting in the urge or need to expose some more skin. If you’re a female, you might feel the urge to finally shave off that winter coat of leg hair (or other body hair) you’ve been growing since “no shave November.”

I don’t know about you, but to me it can be such a hassle to shave my legs. It takes time out of my day, and it requires vital tools (which require money) to get the optimal smoothness and shininess to reflect the “ideal” image of an American girl ready to soak up the sun, or be confident enough to wear that sleek dress out to dinner.

I am personally on the fence about shaving or not shaving my legs and underarms. Sometimes I like the feeling and the look of it, but it also can be a hassle to my routine, and I may also be more wasteful if I do decide to shave, consuming/using more water and putting more plastic waste into landfills. I oftentimes care too much about what others think of me.

It’s funny how much of a pressure most of us women have to conform to the image we think we need to look like. The influence may be from media and beauty companies, or just from the herd mentality our society has now that it’s normal for a woman to add shaving into her already extensive beauty routine.

Honestly, how did this trend start? Why is it so normalized? We are mammals, we are meant to have hair on our bodies, it’s growing there for a reason. I know that in other parts of the world this isn’t a normal thing, so why here?

As it turns out, this trend or topic isn’t as recent as one may think. It’s been around for centuries.

Hair removal is said to have been used during the Stone Age where men and women would shave off

Photo by Fadi Shahin

all hair to have an advantage against opponents in battle.

There are several other occurrences in the past where shaving became a norm in culture and society, but, as of late, it just seems to be a marketing ploy to pressure women (and men) to do things to their bodies to seem more attractive.

More recently, social expectations of women’s bodily image shifted when razors became more economical and safe to use.

Another contributor was fashion trends evolving into shorter dresses

and sleeves, to sleeveless gowns and bikini swimsuits, all occurring during or after the 1920s.

Don’t get me wrong: There can be benefits to self-grooming, which can boost confidence. There may also be medical reasons to shave. But, but from what I’ve read, shaving can cause more problems than it solves.

On the male side, there is sometimes a pressure to be “cleanshaven” for a job position. In previous years, men could even be fired for not following protocol.

Now, it seems the requirement is to “look neat,” as in keep your beard

trimmed and clean. In the past, some men even had to go to the doctor and get a prescription for not shaving, since shaving can often cause irritation and ingrown hairs, otherwise known as pseudofolliculitis barbae.

This day and age, we seem to be more relaxed with individual choices each person makes about his or her body. People tend to go “against the grain” now more than ever, which is pretty cool!

Granted, living in the Portland Metro area, there’s emphasis on being “odd” and expressing yourself in unique ways. More frequently you see body positivity, androgyny, and transgender themes being advocated locally, and in our society. It’s good to emphasize personal choice, rather than conform to a box.

Do what you want with your body, do what makes you comfortable in your own skin.

If that is shaving, that’s great; if not, good for you! Just take care of yourself and do drugs responsibly.

(I’m kidding about that, please don’t do drugs, it’s a dark and windy road that leads to a dependence that will be hard for you go overcome.)

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eg Leonov

NEWS

May 19, 2017

Measure 26-190, the G.O. bond, defeated Mt. Hood tax measure slapped down for second time Kyle Venooker and Greg Leonov

Graphic by Donovan Sargent

the advocate

For the second year in a row, voters did not agree to pass a general obligation (GO) bond that would help Mt. Hood Community College pay off debts, make campus security and seismic upgrades, and replace the current applied technology center with a new building.

This year, the college was asking for $75 million, instead of $125 million, but the result was virtually the same: a 55 to 45 percent “no” vote.

According to official county voting results through midday Thursday, 54.7 percent of voters in Multnomah County were against the bond measure; 57.9 percent were against it in Clackamas County; and 57.90 opposed it in Hood River County.

In total, the three counties went against Mt. Hood’s bond by 55.2 percent – nearly identical to last year’s 55.3 percent.

The college has not passed a bond since 1974, making this the sixth failed attempt to obtain a boost from the MHCC District taxpayers.

On Tuesday, election night, college officials held a gathering at Mojave’s in downtown Gresham to recognize the efforts of all participants in Mt. Hood’s bond measure campaign, and to watch voting results on television.

MHCC President Debbie Derr kicked off the event with some words of thanks. “I have to say this was the epitome of grassroots efforts,” she said. “We made a decision through our (District) board to move forward with a bond this May; we made that decision in February. We had very little money left in the piggy from our PAC (political action committees) - Friends of Mt. Hood Community College.”

Derr mentioned some volunteers that helped with bond efforts.

Awards were presented to Aurora and Ed del Val, board member Jim Zordich, and faculty members Cheryl Johnson, Dale Gronso, and David Strohl.

Aurora del Val, got involved with the efforts through the encouragement of her husband, Ed, an MHCC instructor. She had experience with leading a successful voter campaign against Nestle’s proposed water bottling plant in Hood River PA G E 4

County in 2016.

The grassroots aspect of this year’s Mt. Hood bond effort was what sparked Aurora’s interest, she said. “I actually thought, ‘You know, there is a fighting chance,’ people are tired and I think this is an opportunity to energize the base. I think what was unfortunate with last year (the failed 2016 Mt. Hood bond measure) is there were so many big issues people were talking about,” she said.

Looking to learn from Tuesday’s defeat, del Val said she wants to debrief different groups on campus about the most recent efforts.

“I personally would love to have the opportunity to debrief with both the (MHCC) Foundation, and the PAC, and the faculty association, classified (employee association), and with students,” she said. “The fact is, we’re going to go after more bonds, and I would love to just be able to give my input.”

What comes next? John Hamblin, Mt. Hood executive dean of student development, said, “We stay the course. We’ve done a lot of work over the last few years rebuilding and renewing relationships and building new relationships, and that doesn’t stop.”

District board member Kenny Polson had a more specific idea. To better boost support for the bond, the college needs to reach out more to Latino voters, he said.

“If you don’t appeal to the Latinos, they don’t feel like you’ve reached out to them,” Polson said. “Write stuff in Spanish, (then) they feel like you’re reaching out to them – you got those

votes.” He said the Latino community is the strongest minority group when it comes to swaying elections.

Derr said the college will pursue a bond measure again. Newly elected board members Diane McKeel and Annette Mattson have a lot of expe-

rience with similar campaign efforts, she noted.

“I think we’ve got some opportunity to utilize expertise that perhaps we haven’t had before,” said Derr.

Board member Tammie Arnold, who believed that 2017 was too early

for a bond measure re-try, was also disappointed that voters didn’t favor Mt. Hood.

“I was positively hopeful that it would (pass) because our community needs this,” Arnold said. “I’m optimistic that if we have more time to prepare and create a strategy, that we’ll be successful in the future.”

Besides the failure of the bond measure, the look of the MHCC district board was changed by voters.

Political veteran Diane McKeel will be the new representative for Zone 1, earning 66.8 percent of votes, to 31.9 percent for Jack Kondrasuk.

She replaces outgoing MHCC board Chair Susie Jones, who was elected to the Multnomah Education Service District with 63.4 percent of all votes.

Zordich ran unopposed to keep his Zone 2 board seat, earning more than 97 percent of votes.

Annette Mattson will be the new representative for Zone 4, winning 79.4 percent of votes, replacing George ‘Sonny’ Yellott, who won 19 percent.

Celebrate

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

at the induction of new members of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Thursday June 1, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the College Theatre

New members, their families/friends, students and college staff are cordially invited to attend

QUESTIONS? Call our office at 503-491-7020

CONTACT US Rhotheta.officers@mhcc.edu

NEWS

advocate-online.net Photo by Fadi Shahin

Dances for peace help combat nonviolence Donovan Sargent the advocate

On Friday, May 12, Mt. Hood was host to “Peaceful Resolutions: Nonviolence a Choice,” a presentation and conference celebrating nonviolence.

In its fourth year, the conference is meant to give the community a place to converse about some of today’s most difficult topics to broach on a daily basis, including race, social justice and economic diversity.

Put together by TRIO-SSS (Student Support Services) and the

Associated Student Government, the event offered a wide variety of information, guidance, speakers and helpful hints when it comes to making the choice to be nonviolent.

Free to students and open to community members with a $5 suggested donation, the conference had small booths set up around the Student Union with various information and presenters available to answer questions and give information.

Flags and banners posted around the room and around the fireplace clearly represented the intent of the peaceful event and the

The group of students, faculty and community members…began to dance and sway, lifting their arms and spinning around all the while bobbing up and down to the music... coexistence of differing cultures.

One of the day’s highlights was the “dances of universal peace” exercise, led by Michelle Sparks-

Smith and Michael Sheehan.

They started by gathering the willing participants in a large circle, and lead them through a payer-like chant, or mantra, asking the group to repeat phrases tied to peace, nonviolence and harmonious spirit energy.

After the chanting had finished, Sheehan pulled out his guitar and led the group in a Native American song and dance.

The group of students, faculty and community members that had formed a large circle around a lit candle, with Sheehan in the center, began to dance and sway, lifting

their arms and spinning around, all the while bobbing up and down to the music and repeating the phrases he and Sparks-Smith were chanting.

The pair moved through several songs from different cultures, all the while leading the group around the candle in the center, and chanting their prayer-like, melodic hymns.

Several participants remarked how relaxing and “enlightening” the experience was, and said they got more out of the experience than they expected.

Has college burnout become a pre-existing condition?

Noah Guillen the advocate

College students stand to feel the effects of changes to medical coverage under Congress’ proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA) during their time in college.

Namely, threats to students’ mental and physical well-being on and off campus could now be a determining factor in the price and quality of healthcare offered.

As part of the AHCA, depression and symptoms often resulting from sexual assault are now considered pre-existing conditions. Though the Act still guarantees coverage to anyone, states may opt for a waiver of the “essential health benefits” mandate, which assures insurance to individuals who might need more expensive coverage due to their preexisting conditions. Effectively, this allows states to not provide necessary treatment coverage within the plans offered (such as chemotherapy for an

individual/applicant with cancer).

It could be a big deal for college students.

Nicole Gilbertson, an MHCC faculty counselor for 10 years, said “In general, anxiety and depression are the two main reasons people indicate they’re coming into counseling.” On average, about 44 percent of college students actually experience symptoms of depression, according to Healthline.com.

“Labeling depression as a preexisting condition offers a whole other host of issues,” Gilbertson said. “Are people going to be truthful about it? I don’t know if people are going to come forward to get help.”

She said a major hurdle within the mental health field is diagnosing individuals who exhibit symptoms of depression – and that’s pretty important on campus, as 75 percent of students who exhibit symptoms go undiagnosed for the duration of their college stay, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource

Center.

Similar challenges on sexual assault reporting face law enforcement officials. Statistically speaking, 1 in 5 college women will be raped during their college days, with a staggering 90 percent of incidents going unreported, the NSVRC reports. At MHCC, three sexual assaults were reported in 2014, and then none since, sharply contrasting the national trends.

“Often (assault victims) don’t wish to talk about it. It takes a lot to come forward.,” said Gale Blessing, MHCC director of human resources, on the Mt. Hood records. It should also be noted that MHCC has no dorm rooms and a relatively small campus, both of which would help minimalize on-campus assaults.

Given these metrics, the typical college student raises the risk of being included in these state healthcare insurance waivers, especially given that the average age of graduation is 23-25 – just prior to many students’

becoming ineligible for parental insurance coverage.

However, there are two ways to avoid being denied adequate coverage or seeing an increase in premiums when venturing into your own medical insurance. First, you can seek coverage through an employer.

The waiver can only be applied for applicants of the individual insurance market. Medicaid and other government-backed health programs are protected, also.

Secondly, students should avoid being without insurance for more than 63 days. This time frame makes you eligible for the waiver; within this nine-week window, you are protected.

The road to discouraging help for assault victims and students experiencing depression is long and complicated in many states. Any given state has to be able to provide reasonable evidence to earn the right to waive an application of the “essential health benefit” mandate.

So long as students are careful to continue coverage or obtain new coverage from employers or programs, they can expect to retain comparable coverage to what they currently have. If not, students who are victim to the likely threats during their college days could experience discouraging news when seeking independent insurance.

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NEWS

May 19, 2017

Oregon’s only Republican cabinet membe

LEFT to RIGHT: Sec. Richardson speaking with Mt. Hood President Debbie Derr; sitting at The Advocate’s conference table where he took questions from reporters; standing with ASG cabinet members, including President K

On Monday, Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson visite first time he has visited a college campus since he was sworn in Kyle Venooker the advocate

Richardson was first greeted in the Main Mall by representatives from Mt. Hood’s Associated Student Government, who had prepared a welcome banner. From there, he toured the campus, dropping in on Janet Campbell’s International Relations class, meeting with MHCC President Debbie Derr and members of ASG and the Student Organizations Council, and then sitting down with the Advocate staff.

In Campbell’s class, the secretary discussed running an underdog campaign (he’s the first GOP candidate to win a statewide election since 2002), as well as some of the impetus behind getting into politics in the first place: “In 1996, I was reading a biography of Benjamin Franklin, and it just struck me that here was a guy that at 80 years old was PA G E 6

an ambassador to France,” Richardson said.

“He wouldn’t see his wife for years... I was impressed.

“Here was a guy that had essentially divided his life in half: The first 50 years, you take from society. You take your education, you build your family, you have your kids, you build your business... and (then) spend the second half of your life serving, giving back to the community,” he said.

After serving on his local city council, Richardson went on to serve as a state legislator for 12 years in Oregon’s House of Representatives. In 2014, he ran for governor on an anti-corruption platform against Democrat incumbent John Kitzhaber.

Richardson lost the election, and Kitzhaber resigned three months later amid a corruption scandal.

Regarding party politics, Richardson said he thought his position should not be a partisan job.

“I believe that the work that the Secretary of State does should have no effect on party.”

- Dennis Richardson “I believe that the work that the Secretary of State does should have no effect on party,” he said. “For instance... I was able to restore the right to receive a ballot for more than 60,000 registered Oregon voters. (He recently extended the time an inactive voter would remain eligible to vote from five to 10 years.) That is not a ‘Republican’ action.”

Richardson did, however, lament

the degree of party politics present in deliberations in Salem, specifically regarding the controversial Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). “There (are) things that can be done for the future, and there (are) things that can be done to save money, but there’s not the political will to do it, so very little will be done.”

Pension benefits for state employees under PERS are currently critically unfunded, to the tune of $22 billion or $23 billion, according to Richardson. He said the problem will be “solved” in another 25 years when Tier 1 candidates (those employees hired before 1996) “die off,” but “in the meantime, your (Oregon’s) pension payments are viewed like a mortgage: They come off the top of your budget, so you can see a community college get an increase in money but have a decrease in fungible money – money you can actually spend – because so much has to go to the PERS plan.

“This Richa how state which sh “For u picture, w passed (a amount o been fair said. “An make up now our education fees) than As a Board of these “ac were “lik amputate gonna be don’t just cutting.

NEWS

er visits Mt. Hood

The Advocate will LIVE TWEET from the vice presidential and presidential debates. Keep up with your student candidates, their plans, and final voting results. www.advocate-online.net @MHCCadvocate facebook.com/theadvocateonline

Kelly Bernardino and Vice President Santiago Velasco.

Photos by Fadi Shahin

ed Mt. Hood, marking the into office on Dec. 30.

s is not going away.” ardson asked Derr how she felt about e budget discussions were going, to he replied “Not really good. us, when we look at the big budget when the tax cap in the ’90s was a lid on property tax increases), the of property taxes that we receive has rly constant, has not gone up,” Derr nd so state support was supposed to that difference and it hasn’t, and so students actually pay more of their nal expenses (through tuition and n the state.” nonvoting member of the State f Education, the secretary said that cross-the-board” state budget cuts ke a doctor saying we’re gonna e without having a diagnosis, it’s e fatal to the patient... Because you t cut without knowing what you’re

“When I was co-chair (of the Ways and Means Committee (the Legislature’s budgetwriting committee), we passed the K12 budget as the first budget,” helping to protect students from similar threats, he said.

Richardson went on to discuss “areas of waste” in government spending.

“We are in the process of an audit of the Oregon Health Authority, which is asking for 70-some million dollars of additional money.

I think it’s important for the people to know what they’re already spending is being used (on), and where it’s being done efficiently and where there’s room for improvement,” he said. “What I’m finding is that everyone at the agency means well, and it’s very complicated what they’re doing, but there’s a lot of money being burned through under the banner of ‘We’re doing good.’

“But it’s not just enough to do good; (you also have to) do it efficiently.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

advocate-online.net

Constant creator Daniel Work visits Mt. Hood Megan Phelps the advocate

The Advocate recently had the opportunity to talk with Daniel Work, the artist currently being showcased in the Fireplace Gallery inside the Student Union.

Work is a truly active and inspired artist, constantly creating in his studio in industrial downtown Portland. He tries to create every day, and he’s been creating for 30 years now. He holds the arts in high regard and wishes more people would delve into the experience of creating, he said.

“I’m a firm believer that everyone should be doing a little bit of artwork in their life because it’s part of the human condition; I think it’s an important thing for one to experience,” he said. “I think there’s something to (creating art), that people don’t give a lot of to themselves, especially in this technology age now.”

A cool part about this Fireplace exhibit is that Work stayed for the first week the show was up.

He painted, sold small pieces, and visited with students, which isn’t typical of most of the featured artists. Generally, artists like to

let their creations stand alone and remain separate from their pieces; oftentimes, artists can be shy.

“I’ve never been that type,” said Work. “I’m always okay with talking to anybody, I’m fine with painting or drawing with someone watching me. People can watch me paint over my back, I don’t care. I find it more entertaining than annoying. I’m not the shy artist, at all.”

Originally from the Midwest, Work attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio, in 1984-89. He got his big break straight out of college when his good friend, John Chamberlin, helped open up an art gallery for up-andcoming artists, called ROY G BIV (the acronym for the colors of a rainbow).

Tragically, Chamberlin died in a fire shortly after the opening of the gallery. With the encouragement of Work and others, the gallery kept persisting in the name of his friend. Although there is now no mention of him on its website, it’s an interesting backstory to the fairly established art gallery.

“I’m proud to say that gallery is still in existence in Columbus, it’s like 27 or 28 years old now,” Work said.

Photo by Megan Phelps

A selection of small canvases Work was selling during the first week of his exhibit here in the Student Union. There was a mass amount of variety in choices in these small, affordable pieces of his work.

He went on to reminisce about his time in Ohio, summarizing what he had done in the art community.

“I was the art director (at ROY G BIV) for 10 years. I got a lot of experience with other artists, hanging shows, and helping the arts community (during) that time,” he

said.

In 2000, ready for a change, he moved to Portland, and soon fell in love with the city, he said. He has been a member of the Portland Saturday Market for 15 years, he said.

In Columbus, Work said there

was a “little bit of spinning my wheels. So I thought, ‘What could I do in another city?’ And I did (move) and it’s been great.”

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

Jesse Andrews: growth and learning from failure Tyson Gaylor the advocate

Students and faculty alike were treated to another installment of MHCC’s Mouths of Others series on May 11, in which brilliant minds ranging from authors to documentary filmmakers visit to share their work, as well as valuable and inspiring lessons they’ve found to help them reach new heights.

This time the guest speaker was Jesse Andrews, award-winning author and screenwriter best known for his New York Times’ bestseller debut novel, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and the Sundance Film Festival award-winning film adaptation.

He stopped by at Mt. Hood to tell us a little about who he is, what he does, and why and how he does it.

Andrews began the hourlong visit by talking about his start in the industry. “I spent six years after college writing and not getting published, and I wrote two novels in that time and each one

took about two to three years and you’ll never see them because they weren’t published and are, in fact, unpublishable,” he said.

He explained part of the reason his first two novels didn’t exactly take off.

“I was writing and not getting any traction and I really had no idea why,” he said. “I decided that I was going to make this great contribution to literature by liberating it from what I thought was the tyranny of plot – you know, like, ‘story with like stuff happening for a reason in a pleasing way.’ ” As Andrews continued his jovial tirade, he explained ‘plot’ in a comparison unlikely to have ever been made until that moment: “Plot is like the cocaine of literature: It keeps you hooked, but in like a cheap, shitty way.”

He attributed his early lack of success to this very “new school” way of tackling English literature.

His first pair of manuscripts would have characters of absolutely no consequence who just sort of

Photos provided by Tyson Gaylor

LEFT to RIGHT: An autographed page from a copy of Andrew’s book, “Me and Earl and the Dying girl.” Andrews speaking to students on campus on May 11.

appeared and disappeared over the course of the stories, he explained.

Then came the turning point in his career.

“Someone finally came to me and said, ‘What if you were to write, like, a teen book?’ ” he said. That book, as you might imagine, was his first success,

“Me and Earl and The Dying Girl.”

Andrews then treated the audience by reading a pair of sections from a newly finished third novel that’s still being revised. The crowd wasn’t given too many details about this new mysterious work, but was able to hear about a few of the characters and the

world they live in, in which the size of one’s body is directly related to their socioeconomic standing.

To view the full unabridged story, visit: advocate-online.net PA G E 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

May 19, 2017

‘Dear White People’ jumps to the small screen Tyson Gaylor the advocate

5 out of 5 stars

Justin Simien, an up-andcoming young producer, director, and creative mind, is back at it again with his new Netflix series “Dear White People,” which has earned a rare, perfect 100-percent score on the popular rating website Rotten Tomatoes.

His film of the same name earned high marks at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and that success carries straight onto the small screen.

Netflix’s “Dear White People” derives its name from a controversial radio show within the series, in which Samantha, a passionate, young, biracial student, calls attention to issues such as assimilation and appropriation and other racial injustices taking place on the campus of the majority white fictional Ivy-league university in which the show is set.

The show picks up where the movie left off, with racial tensions at a boiling point as news breaks that a group of white students participated in a blackface party on campus. With

Web photos

ABOVE: Characters Reggie (left), Al, Rashid, and Joelle.

RIGHT: Samantha, the main character in “Dear White People,” the Netflix original show.

a “popcorn” storytelling method, in which episodes are presented from a different character’s point of view every time, the individual stories of what followed the night of the infamous party are woven together in a masterfully cohesive and often comical, yet serious, fashion.

The viewpoints and subject matter depicted in each episode are as diverse and complex as the characters that each focuses on.

They range from Lionel, the gay investigative student journalist seeking to shed light on the racially charged issues affecting the students at “Winchester University” while

simultaneously discovering and exploring his own sexuality, to Troy, the son of the university’s first black dean of students, who faces the difficult task of living up to his father’s grandiose expectations even as he attempts to keep tensions at the school from bubbling over.

Like anything in pop culture that tackles difficult-to-hear subjects, Dear White People walks a delicate line trying to get across important ideas while hoping not to alienate any of its audience. While nine times out of 10 the series accomplishes this with much grace, occasionally it falls short. With some characters

being depicted as caricatures of an entire group, it proves that stereotypes and broad over-

generalizations, despite being incorrect, still work their way into popular media and are still used to elicit laughter, even in 2017.

Dear White People confronts the issues faced every day by people of color in America, and dives into the sphere of hot-button social topics in a format easily digestible by the broad viewership that Netflix reflects.

The show has created a rare balance in its no-holds-barred, yet approachable, style – as if the lessons are being taught by someone near and dear – on subjects that range from relatively mild to forced assimilation, to systemic oppression.

With its tough but quirky portrayal of the issues the creators feel Americans need to hear and its powerful and relatable cast, the series is bound to be one that people all over can learn from, and will remember for some time.

Entertaining, but due to be forgotten come 2018 Maddy Sanstrum the advocate

3 out of 5 stars

Arthurian legends have always been a part of our modern society in some form or another, giving a glimpse into a point in time where not many historical writings were created.

Even though some parts may be fiction, others fact, and the rest a mystery, the few books and authors’ accounts that were preserved over the centuries show not only the glamour of battle and noble life, but also the characters’ internal struggles.

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If I had to describe the new movie “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” with only literary examples and analysis, it would definitely have all those described qualities that made Arthurian legends a nearcrucial part of society. Granted, the producers are not accurate in portraying how Arthur came to be among the poor or how Uther Pendragon was killed (the whole movie is incorrect in how Arthur became king essentially), they add flashes of his childhood, after the intro of what being lower class was like in the Middle Ages – which is to say, not pleasant at all.

Inaccuracies aside, the movie is spectacular overall in terms of graphics, with battle scenes including the “mages” and with the legendary sword, Excalibur, and Arthur. Battle scenes with the king

and the sword are slowed down, not only to show the added abilities of Excalibur, but to also show just how badass powerful this sword is.

One interesting thing about the movie is the flashbacks and flashforwards that essentially make up the movie. They’re both powerful and also a nuisance, to some extent. Yes, we get to see Arthur’s life growing up as the adopted son of a prostitute, have in-depth moments with some of the characters, including Uther’s brother, Vortigerm – the current king in the movie – and when they plan attacks on the king’s house.

Other times, it’s more of a distraction when it comes to storytelling with the characters, the main distraction being when Arthur goes to the “dark lands” when two of the mages are arguing if he

should go or not.

Time constraints are understandable, but this movie could easily have had a sequel, at the least. Even a trilogy could be possible if the movie were broken up more, or if there were less flash-forwards/ flashbacks.

Overall, it was a pretty good movie. Would I see it again?

Possibly yes, but even with that I’ll still give it a three-outof-five rating,

because of lack of accuracy and overuse of flashbacks/forwards.

I even had a friend say that the audio timing is off in some of the scenes, however slight it might be.

I still recommend it for those who enjoy a bit of fantasy, action, and Arthurian lore, though, unlike the legend itself, I doubt this movie will stand the test of time.

SPORTS

advocate-online.net

Saints sweep Clackamas, slide into postseason Logan Hertner the advocate

Playoffs?... Yes, we are talking playoffs, people!

Mt. Hood baseball is back in the NWAC championship hunt, and looking to fire on all cylinders at 4 p.m. today in the league’s East super-regional, set in Yakima, Washington.

It’s a double-elimination bracket, and Mt. Hood faces Edmonds Community College first.

If the Saints win, they will then play Yakima Valley Community College at 7 p.m. If they lose, they will play the loser of an EdmondsYakima game in a knockout game, at 1 p.m. Saturday.

In order to move on to the NWAC Championship bracket – featuring the top eight surviving teams, with matchups set in Longview, Washington starting Thursday, May 25 – the Saints must win three games straight, or

Correction on Saints softball from Issue 26

Photo by Davyn Owen

with just one loss along the way. If the Saints do move on, they would play the No. 1 seed from the West Region, host team Lower Columbia.

That’s still a week away, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The Saints finished 15-23 overall on the regular season, with a .500

record of 12-12 in South Region play.

They won their last four straight, sweeping Clackamas Community College on Sunday and Monday, which lifted them into the third spot in the South Region, and into the playoffs. Going from a tight

race last week with Chemeketa, Clark, Southwestern Oregon and Clackamas, Mt. Hood overcame the challenge, and finished strong.

Two of the victories were onerun games that Mt. Hood won, 1-0 and 2-1. It was easy to tell a lot was on the line and that these were big-

time games for both teams, making a late playoff push.

The other two games were not as close, as the bats were a lot better for the Saints, getting them 6-2 and 9-4 wins.

This makes the third consecutive playoff appearance for Mt. Hood, after the Saints were South Region champions the last two years. It will be a tough go-round this time, as both Edmonds (No. 4 seed from the North Region and 29-13 on the season) and Yakima Valley (No. 2 in the East Region, 32-16 on the season) look like a mismatch, on paper, at least.

But the Saints come in on a hot streak, and will take their best shot.

They will hope for a better result against Edmonds, who smoked them 7-0 in the their only meeting this season, back on March 18.

The Saints have not played Yakima this year.

The Advocate swung – and missed – last week when we reported the Saints softball team failed to make the NWAC playoffs (Page 8 in our May 12 issue). In fact, Mt. Hood takes on Southwestern Oregon this morning in their championship tournament opener. The Advocate regrets the error.

Saints softball off to playoffs Jamie George the advocate

The Saints softball team – contrary to what was previously reported here – has made the NWAC playoffs once again this year, and will start in the championship tournament in Spokane, Washington, this morning.

Mt. Hood will take on Southwestern Oregon Community College at 10 a.m., to help kick off the double-elimination tournament.

Reaching the postseason has become something of the norm for Mt. Hood. In fact, school records show the Saints have made the playoffs 22 straight seasons and counting (and winning four titles in the last eight years).

Props, then, to first-year head coach Brittany Hendrickson for keeping the streak alive.

Mt. Hood got into the 16team tournament as one of the seven teams based on RPI – team

rankings based on strength of schedule, taking into account the strength (record) of the teams they beat, and the strength of the teams they lost to.

Being in the South Region of the NWAC, Mt. Hood certainly had a tough schedule – which is why seven of the eight teams in the South reached the playoffs, more than from any other region.

The Saints finished their regular season 10-18 in conference play (18-21 overall), good for only seventh place in the South. But they were ranked 15th among the tournament teams, giving them their shot.

Sophomore infielder Maddy ‘Aus’ Newkirk painted making the playoffs as an opportunity for the Saints to prove how good they are.

“We are motivated to get this fresh start and to prove ourselves,” she said.

Southwestern Oregon is the second-ranked tournament team.

The Saints played the Lakers four times this season and beat them

once, back on April 11. It was a shootout of a game, and the Saints won, 20-18. Mt. Hood fell in the final three contests, getting pounded, 14-0, then playing a couple of tight ones that were each decided by one run, 7-6 and 6-5.

Despite the losses, Mt. Hood clearly showed it can compete with the Lakers and should make a good game out of it today. Newkirk likes her team’s chances.

“If we continue to hit them like we can and have solid pitching, then no worries,” she said.

If the Saints play at the level they have been recently, this is a game they can win. Newkirk believes in the talent they have. She said, “If we can take our first two we will have the momentum and I think we can win it all.”

After all, Mt. Hood has won the NWAC softball championship two of the last three years and would love to make it three of the last four.

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SPORTS

May 19, 2017

These Saints athletes will strive for victory and hope to stand for what Mt. Hood believes in most: to show unity, toughness and class in representing their team.

Traveling to Gresham from all across Oregon and Washington, runners, throwers and leapers will compete at the 2017 NWAC track and field championship meet set for Monday and Tuesday, hosted by MHCC at Earl L. Klapstein Stadium. Here are some of our very own athletes who look to be in the mix on the leaderboards:

MACKENZIE PETTINGILL

JARON BARROW

Shot put

100m dash

10.37

11.80

PR*

Discus Throw 36.31m

PR*

Long Jump 7.06m

PR*

PR*

Triple Jump 14.00m

PR*

DANELLE WOODCOCK

JON SALTER

100m dash

800m run

12.23

2:03.79

PR*

200m dash

1500m run

26.07

4:31.32

PR*

10:30.12

PR*

Shot put

1500m run

15.38m

PR*

PR*

Hammer Throw

5000m run 19:53.85

PR*

BRIAN SALGADO

ERICA VALTKAMP 5:25.33

PR*

3000m steeple

Long Jump 5.46m

PR*

42.00m

PR*

PR*

10,000m run 43:04.57

PR* PR*

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