The Advocate, Issue 01 - Sept. 26, 2016

the

advocate Independent Student Voice of MHCC

Volume 51 Issue 1

September 26, 2016

Vice president positions eliminated PAGE 4

Deliciously affordable tacos PAGE 6

Saints Volleyball has viewers on edge PAGE 7

The back-to-school grind has me day drinking

PAGE 2

General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

OPINION

September 26, 2016

Welcome to a new school year, and look out for changes at MHCC Like a never-ending cliché, the school year has descended upon us students and campus employees.

Although many students have been learning and instructors teaching at Mt. Hood during the summer, most of us students are starting this week.

With a flood of new students coming in, it’s nice to see new faces and to hear new stories about people’s different backgrounds. To those students starting at Mt. Hood for the first time this fall, everything about this campus is brand new.

As for returning students, there have been many changes since early June.

A large amount of staff who seemed to be staples on campus no longer work at MHCC – as we explain in our news story on Page 4. For instance, both Meadow McWhorter, highly successful softball coach and Associated Student Government adviser, and David Sussman, who helped guide student activities, including the ASG, no longer work at Mt. Hood.

The campus suffered some serious vandalism this summer; there were vehicles stolen from campus parking lots. The school completely changed Parking Lot E to better serve disabled students and visitors, a dramatic transformation.

Looking just ahead, Oct. 1 will mark one year since the mass shooting tragedy at Umpqua Community College.

Throughout the school year, there will be a few active shooter drills on the Mt. Hood campus, and the Advocate will share details on how to participate in those in the next few issues.

The summer also saw some drama coming from a powerful group at Mt. Hood – the MHCC District board of education.

This group of publicly elected officials make decisions that impact the entire college population. Most students don’t have the privilege to ever encounter this group, but their education is often the result of board voting on certain issues, such

as tuition increases.

Last school year, the board was collaborating with the college and supporters to pursue a $125 million bond measure, which would help with earthquakeresistant improvements and fund construction of a state-of-the-art industrial technology center on campus. This bond measure failed on the May ballot, however.

During follow-up discussion in the July board meeting, a member of the board named Sonny Yellott, made some statements that were seen as offensive to different races.

He then caught flack for posting offensive political images on his Facebook page.

The local media was present during this particular board meeting to cover the aftermath of the bond’s failure. It was a convenient bonus to have Yellott display a radical attitude different from the majority of the members, handing the media a controversial story.

Yellott is just one of three own backyard. board members running for a Yes, there’s all of the chaos that major political office outside of attaches itself to the beginning Mt. Hood this fall. He is running of a school year. But even when as a Republican candidate for the everything settles, there is much Oregon House of Representatives. more going on at any given Michael Calcagno is running as moment that influences how one an independent candidate for a pursues their education than simply different House seat, and Tamie attending classes.

Arnold is running as a Republican for the state Senate.

Even though many students might not live and work in East County, it is important to know what is going on at the place one “This summer also receives their higher saw some drama education because coming from a that education is usually what sets one powerful group at up for their career.

Mt. Hood.”

With all of the drama happening in national politics this fall, it also is o hot bP important to also be aware of We the issues that take place in our

Hello college stress and day drinking

Ivy Davis

the advocate Six a.m. and the alarm clock screams into my dreams and ruins my summer.

It’s back-to-school time and I’ve got those back-to-school feels, but not the good ones I got in high school.

In high school, I got one month into my summer and wished I had something to do. I begged my mom to let me go to summer school with my sister.

Unfortunately for me, summer school didn’t take 4.0 students.

Now I’m 20, I have bills, I have a job, and a dread of the end of summer. Like many people, I “lived it up” over those short three months of warmth in Oregon. No matter how much I stuffed into those months, I still come back to college with the feeling of “I could’ve done more.” I question why I didn’t hike

four times a week, why I didn’t go to the beach or fly to Mexico.

These last two weeks have been such a transition. I use to work 30plus hours a week and still have time to do something with my day (which meant watching Netflix in bed at the time). Now I’ve dropped my hours, in preparation, signed up for classes, and started the ball rolling for this newspaper. I no longer have that free time to go home and binge eat salami and Cheez-Its in bed.

Most students can relate to my week: Wake up and go to work, then go to school, go home, eat dinner, work on homework for longer than need be (because I procrastinated during the entire

process), and then slip blissfully into sleep – repeat. This schedule would kill most people and quite honestly, I’m surprised it hasn’t done just that to me.

There is a reason for it all, though. We students are just trying to get our degrees and start a career.

We want what the staff and faculty of MHCC already have – jobs… and free time.

There are a few things that keep me going. One, I know someday I’ll have a righteous degree, which will get me a righteous job. Once I have that righteous job I won’t have classes, homework, or news stories to follow up on. Two, winter and spring break. Sure, they won’t last long, but in those short weeks you

can bet your grandma’s dentures I’ll be cozying up to my dog, eating a loaded baked potato in bed. Three, day drinking is still a thing and it sharpens the writing skills, along with my attention span. You may not believe me fully on this, but one time I did a take-home test drunk and got a 98 percent.

The point is no one is ready to go back to college after three amazing months of sunshine in the Northwest and no homework.

However, we are ready to grow up, to pursue our dreams, and to start to live the life we want to – we just have to work and do a little day drinking to get there.

Welcome back, students, staff, and faculty of MHCC.

the advocate Editor-in-Chief Ivy Davis

Sports Editor Position open

Video Editor Ben Peters

Staff Writers Position(s) open

Opinion Editor Greg Leonov

Graphic Designer Svetlana Meshcheryakova

Web Editor Matana McIntire

News Editor Gloria Saepharn

Photo Editor Nick Pelster

Video Team Members Kyle Haussler

Arts+Entertainment Editor Nick Pelster

Public Relations Manager Gloria Saepharn

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Ad Manager Joseph Frantz Copy Editor Position open

Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst

Contact us!

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

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.

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Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board. The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length. Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to advocatt@mhcc.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication to be considered for print. Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

NEWS

advocate-online.net

Cars stolen from Mt. Hood Community College lots Gloria Saepharn the advocate

This past summer, three cars were stolen from MHCC parking lots while students attended class.

Prowlers also were able to look into cars for valuables they would take for themselves.

In August, an informant called the Gresham Police Department (GPD) and tipped it off to a potential suspect. The suspect was then questioned for being in the area (while not enrolled in school) and seemed to be driving a car that fit the description of a vehicle stolen from one of the Mt. Hood lots.

“Since the police talked to the suspect, we haven’t had anymore thefts of vehicles. It makes it look kind of suspicious,” said Wayne Feagle, MHCC Public Safety manager.

Feagle believes that speaking

to the suspect could have stopped additional incidents from happening. “We had three in a row and think that may have – just talking to him, may have prevented him from [continuing to steal cars],” he said.

The suspect wasn’t arrested,

were stolen, but it wasn’t the usual “chop shop” cars.

“It wasn’t normal – we usually get Hondas stolen,” said Feagle. “It was the odd cars, like he tried to steal a pickup truck (and failed) and then went to another one. This was more like he just wanted a ride.”

Graphics by Gloria Saepharn

since authorities didn’t have enough information to press charges against him.

The MHCC crime log doesn’t describe what model of vehicles

The crime log reports that two of the vehicles stolen were recovered and returned to their owners. Since GPD doesn’t always update Public Safety on developments, Feagle didn’t know of the third car’s outcome.

He advises MHCC drivers to not leave shopping bags, electronics or anything of value in their vehicle, especially in plain sight. “Keep everything like it was showroom new,” he said.

He recalled past instances when people would leave their shopping bags with trash in them and thieves would think that they had something of value inside the bags – and then the car windows would be smashed for a bag of trash.

Even if purses were hidden in or under a seat, thieves would still find it and know it was there somehow, Feagle said. It seems to be so common [a habit], that thieves would still bust a window and attempt to find something to steal.

“They’re not busting anyone whose cars are clean,” he said.

Board of Education tackles transit changes Greg Leonov the advocate Mt. Hood Community College’s board of directors met Sept. 14 to discuss new reports on the school’s performance and adopt new policies on its own procedures.

Business Intelligence Manager Sergey Shepelov and Accreditation Director Sheri Mosher presented a Key Performance Indicator report, during which Shepelov shared dashboard information accessible to MHCC board members, faculty and staff.

The dashboard is a tool that measures the college’s success in carrying out its strategic plan, and

generates reports on how Mt. Hood in relation to its enrollment and educational goals.

Shepelov explained that there are two types of Key Performance Indicators. “Mission KPIs confirm that we’ve achieved the purpose of why we exist,” he said. They measure student success and the quality of education.

Operation KPIs “are to insure that we have adequate resources to achieve our mission,” said Shepelov. He used financial sustainability as an example: It’s important for the college to be financially sustainable, but that’s not the reason for the college’s existence.

A large chunk of the meeting was spent exploring the dashboard.

Board members asked questions on how to use it and what types of data could be accessed.

The board then approved a new Head Start policy on gender parity. The program, sited at MHCC, will identify children by the gender they, and their parents wish. Head Start will “use the pronoun of the person’s choice and offer services that acknowledge the person’s needs and expectations” under the new policy, as stated in the board packet.

The change did not spark any debate and was passed within two minutes of being announced.

The board agreed to set aside other proposed policies for more review, including rules on taking college equipment off campus and allowing vaping in designated

smoking areas.

“Be sure to read them,” said Susie Jones, the board chair. “If we would have blindly approved those policies, that would have created all sorts of problems on this campus.”

The board did approve two new subcommittees, to take on serious issues before they then

Web Photo

report to the full board. One was established to consider another general obligation bond measure, and another to explore the Carver model that would make more use of such subcommittees to address policy changes.

Meantime, board member Sonny Yellott – censured by his colleagues in July over some inflammatory remarks – mentioned his concern over “hostile gangbangers” twice during the meeting.

Michael Calcagno discussed talking about TriMet’s plan for a bus rapid transit route, and latest changes for the line to end at the Gresham Transit Center, rather than at MHCC as previously proposed. Board members agreed to send a letter to TriMet to express their disappointment with the plan to exclude Mt. Hood.

The next scheduled board meeting is Oct. 12.

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NEWS

September 26, 2016

Administrators eliminated to satisfy MHCC employees

Gloria Saepharn the advocate

In a big change, the last two Mt. Hood Community College’s vice president positions were eliminated this past summer.

No longer at MHCC are Richard Doughty, vice president of administration; Christie Plinski, vice president of instruction; and Waldon Hagan, executive dean of student development.

Their departures came after President Debbie Derr received more employee feedback on workplace relations and decided to “flatten” the college’s administrative structure in order to improve it, she said.

MHCC also lost longtime softball coach and Associated Student Government adviser, Meadow McWhorter, along with David Sussman, Student Union manager who also worked with ASG and other student activities and student clubs.

Steven Goldsmith, dean of science, engineering and mathematics, also left Mt. Hood.

His duties have been spread, for the short term, to three other current deans.

As for the administrative

shakeup, “It had nothing to do with the people,” Derr said in an interview with the Advocate. “The people are wonderful. It had to do with creating a sense of urgency and addressing what this institution has been calling for, for a long time.”

She explained the college has had a couple of college “climate” surveys over the past few years, one in 2013 and one this year. They were used to determine the environment of Mt. Hood and how employees felt about the status of the administration and other parts of their work.

Derr said the most recent feedback from employees called for more clarity on decisions that are made, as well as transparency with day-to-day and strategic policies.

“We had a lot of feedback about communications and folks not knowing what was going on or thinking something was going if something different was happening,” she said.

In response, Derr established a chief of staff position, by recommendation of Susie Jones, chair of the MHCC District board of education.

The position has been filled, on an interim basis, by Bill Becker, who assisted Derr during her

first year as Mt. Hood president in 2013 and has a long history at MHCC, including serving as interim president. Becker has taken on some oversight duties of Doughty and Plinski, but there’s more to the job.

Derr said the chief of staff role, which she intends to be permanent, requires the individual to work side-by-side with the president

Graphics by Gloria Saepharn

by representing her on and off campus, when the time calls for it. The chief of staff will “take care of the real day-to-day kinds of things,” Derr said.

Example: The ITT Tech Institute is closing (nationwide

and in Oregon), it announced in early September, and Mt. Hood had to quickly take some kind of action, Derr said. She had her hands full with upcoming events, including the start of Fall Term. Becker took the lead on a project by providing support and assistance for the ITT credit transfer fair hosted by Mt. Hood just nine days later, on Sept. 16.

The new role is “so we don’t miss out on opportunities to be in the community, to work with students, to be at the Legislature, because there is another person who will be able to work with and represent the college,” Derr said.

The president’s council has also increased its membership, she explained.

“We’re going to move away from standing committees to action teams, so that people have a clear charge, they get their work done.”

Derr also plans to have students, including those in ASG, be able to able to vote on actions, rather than ASG going to meetings ‘just because.’

Derr said the college isn’t saving any money by eliminating the positions and creating the “action”

committees. But the changes should improve communication and employee satisfaction, she said.

The idea was to flatten the layer of VPs and “to have more people engaged and more energy coming from students, staff and faculty and not from (above),” Derr said. The idea is to provide more staff and faculty members “the authority to make decisions at the appropriate levels,” she said.

Derr said she expects “a year of transition and education” as the changes evolve.

To the president, “it’s addressing the concerns that our employees have brought forward consistently and to say: I hear what you’re saying and I can’t fix it by myself. You guys (employees) have to be willing to make some changes, engage in the process and be part of the fix.”

She said the school has focused on student success, but at some cost: “I think, overall, we’re doing a super job at that, but you also want the people who work here to love their work, to understand why they’re here and the importance of what they do.

“We’re going to fix it. We’re going to make it better,” Derr said.

Board member asked to resign over summer break Joseph Frantz the advocate

Did your summer not quite go as planned? You’re not the only one.

George “Sonny” Yellott, Mt. Hood Community College District board member and Republican candidate for House District 48 in the Oregon Legislature, is in that boat after some of his statements made news repeatedly during the Summer Term.

First, Yellott made disparaging remarks during the July 13 board meeting, where he referenced “illegal immigrants” as the reason MHCC’s recent bond measure failed to pass and for the college’s budget challenges, saying, “Illegal immigration is driving everything out of sight. The the only reason we’re all in this is because of all of these people that are coming in here are illegal.”

Days later, he was found to have posted offensive messages on his personal Facebook account,

including a depiction of President Barack Obama being lynched.

His summer controversy earned him substantial local news coverage across Portland and even garnered some national attention, thanks to political websites like rawstory.com.

For his part, Yellott claims he doesn’t know how the image of our president made it on to his Facebook account. Pleading ignorance has not helped his case, to this point. His is own political party (GOP) has denied any affiliation with Yellott and has gone so far as announcing he should withdraw from the Oregon legislative race.

Preston Mann, Oregon House Republican spokesman, told The Oregonian “George Yellott’s Facebook post is absolutely abhorrent... He should immediately remove the post, withdraw from running for office, and apologize to Oregonians for posting something so blatantly offensive and disgusting.”

When KOIN-6 TV reporter Lisa Balick asked Yellott if he would (quit the MHCC board, his answer was quite simple.

“Will I resign? No! I haven’t done anything wrong...”

For its part, the MHCC board of directors called an executive session on July 19 to discuss Yellott. While the Facebook posts were mentioned, the meeting was officially set to address a formal complaint made against him for his July 13 comments.

Board colleague Michael Calcagno told The Oregonian that during the executive session, both he and other members of the board asked Yellott to resign from the board. Yellott again refused, later telling KOIN-6 the board is being “pretty one-sided about it.”

The board met again July 29, and with Yellott the lone “no” vote, censured him for his comments – the most it can do, by law.

The censure declaration said Yellott’s “repeatedly reprehensible comments reflect upon the

College in Mr. Yellott’s public role as a MHCC District Board member, which egregiously differs from board policy,” the Gresham Outlook newspaper reported.

“Therefore, the MHCC District Board publicly expresses its abhorrence of ongoing comments and formally issues an official reprimand in the form of public censure,” the reprimand said.

Judging by his social media accounts, Yellott has no plans to remove himself from controversy any time soon either. His Facebook page is full of posts that could be construed as racist, sexist, or homophobic.

The Obama-hanging meme has been removed from the page, but there are plenty of other posts including one that says all transgender people have a “psychological disorder” and another claiming that AfricanAmerican slaves were treated better than Irish immigrants in early America.

Yellott’s Twitter feed is

no different. It’s chock full of inaccurate information about Planned Parenthood and abortion, and includes a post from earlier this year that accuses the Black Lives Matter movement of being “devoted to eliminating all human use of land.”

Regardless of Yellott’s statements or the public’s opinion regarding those statements, Yellott will likely serve on the MHCC board for the remainder of his first, four-year term, which runs through June 2017.

Voters could formally recall him as an elected official, but that would require a petition with 2,300 valid signatures from MHCC District voters.

Yellott is up for re-election to the MHCC board in May 2017 – as are Susie Jones and Jim Zordich, the board chair and vice chair.

He ran unopposed in 2013.

Photo by Gloria Saepharn

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

advocate-online.net

Student Union decorated in vivid color Hallucinogenic teas, shamanism, and farming leads to quantum thinking and a new series of art.

Ivy Davis

the advocate Every month, the Fireplace Gallery hosts a new artist. For the next four weeks, the MHCC showplace in the Student Union is hosting a number of large paintings by Portland-area artist Jeff Tao. All of the pieces include a vivid and wide range of colors, with the exception of one.

Four years ago, Tao was in a state of depression when he chose to “step out of my comfort zone.

So, I flew to Peru,” he explains in his artist’s statement. While in Peru, he worked on a permaculture farm and partook in the shaman practices there. It was here that Tao participated in 21 ceremonies within three months. And during the ceremonies Tao drank Ayahausca tea.

Ayahausca tea is a hallucinogenic brew made from Banisteriopsis caapi vines and Psychotria viridis leaves. The tea is used in many religious sacraments and ceremonies.

It is believed that using Ayahausca will help to align one’s inner self

Above: ‘Conjuring Shamans’ as seen in the Student Union.

with philosophies and cosmologies.

Tao now goes by the name Boonanah Maca, derived from his diet while in Peru – bananas and maca (a rootlike plant similar to ginseng). He explains his recent works as “the quantum world of my mind,” and they are just that.

Tao choose to put up one work of his art from before his time in Peru in the Fireplace Gallery. Looking at “Porn Addiction” alongside his other works, you can clearly see the difference in his state of mind.

While most of Tao’s work has vibrant and vivid colors, “Porn Addiction” features more graying colors. A second piece by the artist, “Conjuring Shamans,” reminds me heavily of “Porn Addiction.”

Both pieces include a gray embodiment of a person coming in from the bottom left side of the canvas.

Up close, however, “Shamans” is so much more.

First off, the painting has a vibrant pink background laced with warm colors. An embodiment of a shaman is sprouting from the water. While “Porn Addiction” is more crude and hard, “Shamans” shows a wild, loose womanlike figure. One can see the personal growth in Tao just by looking at these two paintings.

Some of my favorite paintings featured in the gallery are “Flow-

Movies to look out for Lego Batman

Just as the title reads. LEGO will be coming out with an action-packed movie featuring the voice talents of Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis and Michael Cera, The film is scheduled to be released on Feb. 10.

The Wolverine 2

Starring Hugh Jackman, as usual. The plot of this sequel isn’t known but the movie is currently in post-production and will be out late 2017.

Kong: Skull Island

In a plot featuring an army style battle against Kong and featuring star-studded cast, this is going to be one of 2017’s biggest blockbusters.

Beauty and The Beast

“Beauty and The Beast” is without a doubt one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2017. Featuring movie fan favorites Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, the animated Disney classic is all set to come to life.

er Garden,” “The Dawn of PreThough,” and “Kundalini.” Each, along with some others, include “the flower of life” – a symbol made up of evenly-spaced overlapping circles that make up a flowerlike shape. This symbol can be found in many religions and is widely known for being a part of sacred geometry.

“Flower Garden” is made up almost entirely of the flower of life. Around the border of the canvas wraps a snakelike coil in dark greens and purples. In the center of the piece are finely detailed circles in pink and light green. Tao added more detail by including blue and pink centers to the flowerlike shapes. Each piece of the flower of life pattern was given depth using hand-painted highlights and shadows. On the very front layer of the painting are birds and bugs. Though some of these creatures are painted realistically, others have especially bright colors.

Every one of Tao’s paintings is amazingly detailed. Using realism, abstract, patterns, sacred geometry, and brightly contrasting paints, he gives viewers something to look at for hours.

Tao’s art will remain in the Fireplace Gallery through Oct. 27.

Stop by and check out the paintings anytime Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Dawn of Pre-Thought Jeff Tao

Photos by Nick Pelster

Above: Jeff Tao uses realism and abstract art along with bright acrylic paints to create these large canvas pieces. In this piece one can see a clear face from the nose down. Though the eyes are in the right place they seem to be floating in water. Behind: An abstract man holds out the helix-flower in ‘Birth of Masculinity.’

Fast & Furious 8

The eighth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise this might actually be the end. With late main star Paul Walker gone, fans are questioning how writers are going to pick up the pieces for one last run.

Thor: Ragnarok

With filming currently taking place, fans are excited to see Chris Hemsworth as Thor in an action-filled film.

Get a 4-Year Degree Right Here @ the MHCC Campus w/

2 years @ MHCC + 2 years w/ EOU @ MHCC =>4 year Bachelors Degree In Education

Eastern Oregon University @ MHCC since 2004

Contact Margie Webster at 503-491-7000 or above the library in 3308A PA G E 5

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

September 26, 2016

Zesty cheap authentic tacos Ivy Davis

the advocate

Photo by Ivy Davis

Web Photo

Above: Two of the most delicious tacos you will ever have in your life. The tacos come with both a lime wedge and your choice of green or red salsa. Below: The large menu board at Taqueria Santa Cruz featuring some hand written addition to the menu giving the business even more character.

Who out there loves tacos like there is no tomorrow?

My best friend goes out for Taco Bell one-to-three times a week. She doesn’t do this because she’s broke (though that is partially true). She goes to Taco Bell because she’s in love with beef Quesaritos dipped in an extra side of nacho cheese.. and when she’s really hungry, she also gets a Gordita Crunch.

Now I’m not knocking Taco Bell, but if I’m going to eat a taco I want something authentic. I’m talking so greasy I gain 5 pounds and my face breaks out.

I’ve definitely eaten my fair share of five-layer beefy burritos, but I’ve got to say hands-down my favorite tacos and burritos are from Taqueria Santa Cruz.

Yes, your food will take a little bit longer to be cooked – but there’s this magical thing called a telephone that allows you to call in and order ahead of time.

Taqueria Santa Cruz offers a number of things, including tacos,

burritos, quesadillas, huarache, carne asada, chile rellenos, fajitas, and enchiladas, all at affordable prices. My all-time favorite is ordering four chicken tacos for only $5. FOUR tacos. FOUR.

One taco usually lasts about three to four bites of pure joy – which is why I always get four of them.

The tacos come on these small, double-stacked corn tortilla shells.

Inside is a heap of fried up chicken tidbits, along with a mix of diced onions and cilantro. The tacos come with a side of salsa and limes. The best way to eat this is to shovel into your pie hole, taking large gulp-like bites. Four tacos equals four bites.

The tidbits and onions give the tacos a crunch. Squeezed lime juice and salsa add more flavor to the taco giving it a spicy hue. Usually one taco lasts me about three-four bites of pure joy – which is why I always get four of them.

My friend Zack typically gets the Quesadilla Supreme, adding that on occasions he gets a “burrito, but with the quesadilla ingredients and topping.” Zack’s quesadilla was made up of cheese, chicken and steak, cilantro, and a thick sour cream only costing $6. He described his burrito as zesty but juicy, as the chicken, avocado, grease and tomatoes mixed together in his mouth.

Another favorite of mine at the restaurant is its rice bowls.

Though not on the menu, if asked for the rice bowls can be made to your taste. Personally I like to mix my seasoned rice with chicken, cilantro, avocado, and so much

Photo by Ben Moody

One of the finest burritos one could buy from Taqueria. This particular burrito was vegetarian - using avocado as a replacement for meat.

green salsa my head might explode.

This rice bowl dish is only $10.

Though their food is absolutely heavenly, my favorite part about Taqueria Santa Cruz is its bright orange walls! The vibrant walls put a smile on my face for absolutely no reason other than I think, “Damn! Those are bright!” every time I walk in. The walls never get old and surprise you every time you enter the store.

Taqueria Santa Cruz is located at 891 N.E. Hogan Drive, Gresham.

The business is open Monday– Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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SPORTS

advocate-online.net

Volleyball game puts viewers on edge Saints volleyball loses one game, only to win the following night

Photo by Robert Routson

Freshman Ashlyn Huntington (left) and sophomore Courtney Smith (right) dive for the ball after a Grey Harbor slammed the ball over the net. Huntington took the save, passing the volleyball to other team members.

Ivy Davis

the advocate The Mt. Hood volleyball team continued its up-and-down play so far this season, with two wins and two losses in an eight-team tournament hosted by Clackamas Community College on Sept. 17-18.

MHCC beat Clackamas and Wenatchee Valley, 3 games to 0 in each, before falling 3-2 to both Grays Harbor and Linn-Benton.

That pushed the Saints’ record to 11-12 overall, prior to two away matches set for Sept. 23-24 against Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) division rivals Umpqua and Southwestern Oregon.

A few days earlier, the Saints battled on their home court on backto-back nights.

On Sept. 15, Mt. Hood fought hard against Grays Harbor but in the end took the loss. Saints took the first game, 25–21, after a grueling back-and-forth struggle.

The second and third games were also intense. Both teams struggled to edge into the winning position.

Spectators in the stands were on edge, hoping to see their team get the next point. Grays Harbor took both, 26-24 and 25-20.

When it finally came to the fourth game, the Chokers smashed the Saints 25-14, taking the match, 3-1.

First-year Saints head coach Kim Lissinna said afterward, “We had played them earlier this season and beat them so we knew they were a good team. We knew who their big hitters were and had a game plan going into it - unfortunately they played better than us tonight.”

Lissinna said the team would learn, and look past it to get ready for their next game, the following day.

Sure enough, Friday’s contest ended in Saints domination. The Saints won all three games against South Puget Sound, 25-20, 25-11 and 25-15, for a 3-0 win.

“Right now, the season is going a little bit better than I anticipated us doing this early.”

- Kim Lissinna

Saints Volleyball Head Coach For Lissinna, an assistant under Andrew Clifton at Mt. Hood before he took another coaching job this summer, it’s been a quick transition.

“Honestly, right now the season is going a little bit better than I anticipated us doing this early,” she said. The new coach did a lot of late recruiting and didn’t get to see everyone play in person before joining the team, she said.

The team is also made up of a large number of freshman.

Lissinna believes the team

will play even better after hitting NWAC league play, saying that “for some reason, once it really actually matters, the girls tend to play much better.”

This is Lissinna’s first collegiate head coaching job. She describes her new position as “an incredible experience and a great opportunity.”

Being in the program the last two years has “helped a lot with knowing how the school functions and so it’s a little bit less stressful.” Knowing the returning students from last year along with other points of contact in the school and in the NWAC has made her transition easier, too.

So far the new coach’s only “bump in the road” has been hiring an assistant coach late. It was a “little bit longer of a process than I anticipated,” said Lissinna. “I’m really happy with who we ended up hiring [though], she’s a great fit for me and a great fit for the program.”

That new assistant is Ver’leea Hardaway, who played at Washington State University before starting a coaching career.

The next home match for Mt. Hood will be this Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Lane Community College.

Students, staff, and faculty members get into the game for free, and are welcome to come out and support the Saints.

NWAC

Saints sophomore, Jazmayne Williams, was announced the volleyball player of the week by the Northwest Athletic Conference after the Clackamas Tournament

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FEATURES

Mount Hood Community College Campus Map

September 26, 2016

Things that could save your life Graphic by Svetlana Meshcheryakova

Parking

Find parking all around campus.

Lots wrap all the way around the buildings.

St. Helens Bistro

On the far north side of the campus, the Bistro is open the latest for when you need coffee.

Open Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Frida,y 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Readers Cup

Located in the library. Open Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Bookstore

Every student’s main stop for resources. They have textbooks, coffee, and food. Open MondayThursday, 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Bookstore Cafe

Located in the Bookstore. The cafe is open 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every weekday.

Vista Dining

Find an extensive meal menu.

Monday-Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Fridays, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Day Care

A great resource for parents attending MHCC with Head Start/ other eligibility. Open Monday -Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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Computer Lab

Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

Library

Open Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.

US Bank/ATM

Located inside the Bookstore the “only bank on campus” hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The bank also has an ATM open all hours, inside the adjacent hallway in Building 12.

OnPoint ATM

In the Town & Gown Room you can get to this ATM anytime the school is open.

Yoshida Event Center/Gym

The weight room is open noon to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday for staff, students and faculty, as well as Tuesday and Thursday, 6-8 p.m.

Rock Wall

Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Swimming Pool

Monday-Friday, 1:30 to 4 p.m., Monday/Wednesday 7:30 to 9:15 p.m., and Friday, 7:30 to 9:15 p.m.

Barney’s Pantry

Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Planetarium

Shows are generally on the first Tuesday and new, the second Friday of every month. Tuesday shows are at 6 and 7:15 p.m.; Friday shows are at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Bus Stop

A source of transportation for students, the bus stop is on Kane infront of E-lot.

The Advocate

Meetings are from noon to 1 p.m., Mondays and Tuesdays.

We’re in Room 1369. Email us at advocatt@mhcc.edu.