The Advocate, Issue 5 - October 19th, 2018

Volume 53, Issue 5 OCTOBER 19, 2018 advocate-online.net

Work experience or slave labor?

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KMHD continued PAGE 3

Supermarket Hero returns PAGE 6

SAINTS STRIDING TO SUCCESS

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Conservation Club seeking members PAGE 7

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OPINION EDITORIAL

A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T

DO INTERNSHIPS REALLY SERVE ANY PURPOSE?

I

Should students take the opportunity to participate in them? than that. While unpaid internships, especially, may be unglamorous and exhausting, some studies have shown great benefit to be had from the internship opportunity.

A 2004 survey from West Chester University – of 163 graduating seniors from a East Coast business college – found that those who had completed an internship were more able to find career-oriented employment, but were not more confident in the job decision.

In sum, finding work was easier, even though job satisfaction was not necessarily higher, for those who served internships.

A followup study by West Chester in 2014 aimed to uncover more. Through their survey of the 185 employers of 392 interns enrolled in an unnamed but highly accredited business college, researchers found that not only do those students who have completed an internship prior to graduation find employment easier, they are more likely to be offered full-time positions than their non-intern classmates – even if they only

nternship: What comes to mind when that word is tossed around? Maybe it’s the image of a poor college student working long unpaid hours on top of school and study, or a ditzy girl being rudely told to go get more coffee than she could ever physically carry.

Many times, students discover that what delays their progress in college is the revelation of their true passions in life, forcing them to change their degree path, which may then set them behind in credits.

Can internships help mitigate this? For that matter, just what are internships good for?

First, let’s note what a student internship really is. The University of Iowa defines an internship as structured work experiences, supervised by a professional in that field, that are related to a student’s career goals, and will enhance their academic and personal development. This work can be paid, or unpaid.

By that definition, internships seem like they could be highly beneficial, not quite as grueling as they might seem, and maybe even a chance for students to discover what they love.

However, it goes even further

“

displayed average performance/ skills throughout the course of their internship.

to students with high aspirations.

Regardless, the UNC study also found that internship status could not be a predictor of commitment to a career, knowledge of a vocation, or sureness in choice; nor were friendship opportunities correlated.

It seems, like many things in life, internships prove to be a doubleedged sword.

While they may help graduates find their place in the workforce sooner than their nonintern counterparts, there is no guarantee that these people will be any more confident or satisfied in their vocational decision – even if their starting wages are higher.

At the same time, internships often do provide valuable work experience and self-reflection opportunities. And sometimes, they’re even paid.

Bottom line: Athough they may not truly fulfill a student looking for confidence in pursuit of their career or degree, or prevent having to change degree paths, internships often serve an important function.

They may help reveal to the student that they are not as passionate

...STUDENTS WHO HAD COMPLETED INTERNSHIPS WERE MORE IN TUNE WITH THEIR CAREER DESIRES...”

The study also found that highperforming interns often received higher starting salaries. And it identified a reciprocal relationship between exemplary interns and an employer’s perception of internship programs.

Yet another study out of the University of North Carolina found that students who had completed internships were more in tune with their career desires and the attributes within themselves that could guide them to the right career – or, in other words, their self-concept crystallization.

Through this lens of research, internships can be highly beneficial

about their subject of interest as they previously imagined, a life lesson best served sooner than later.

If given the opportunity, we at the Advocate believe students should pursue an internship experience. It may be somewhat demanding, but the efforts do bear fruit. It is a great chance to make business connections and get familiar with the workload of a potential career, all the while receiving valid work experience to bulk up a résumé.

We want to remind Mt. Hood students of the Career Fair that will be hosted in the Vista dining hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25. MHCC advertises the Fair as a wonderful opportunity to explore job and internship possibilities, or just to get some information about what careers are out there.

Our weekly editorial is designed to explore compelling issues that affect the community we serve. It has no attributed author because it represents the collective voice of the Advocate editorial board.

KMHD CORRECTION In last weeks issue, which covered the KMHD news piece on pages 4 and 5, ASG President Bob Hansen was misquoted stating that he supports bringing KMHD back to Gresham. ASG has not taken a stance on what the Board decision should be. They are focusing on student input and involvement in the decision .

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF MHCC Editor-in-Chief Megan Phelps Associate Editor/ Photo Editor Fletcher Wold Associate Editor/ News Editor Cassie Wilson Sports Editor Jonathan Zacarias

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Opinion Editor Deniqua Adams Arts & Entertainment Editor Mariah Getch Graphic Design Team Sheila Embers Angeles Ramirez Eli Rankin Positions Open Photo Team Shyann Tooke Positions Open

Video Team Andy Carothers Drevsen Shadley Positions Open Copy Editors Hannah Meisenhelder Positions Open Web Editors Positions Open Ad Manager Darcy Hitchcock

Social Media Managers Positions Open Staff Writers Chloe Collins Jennifer Salazar Thomas Fornoff Kurt Larson Positions Open Advisers Dan Ernst Howard Buck

@mhccadvocate

@theadvocateonline

@mhccadvocate Get Involved! Come visit us during our weekly meetings on Monday and Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. in our office, room AC1369.

NEWS

OCTOBER 19, 2018

‘RUSHED’ AND HUSHED: A LOOK INTO KMHD TRANSITION Cassie Wilson the advocate

Average Total Expense Average Earnings Average Savings Balanace

($503K)

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Phone: 503-491-7250 Website: advocate-online.net Mt. Hood Community College Room 1369 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham OR 97030

$441K

$539K

$396K

$420K

$411K

$346K

$414K

$290K

$391K

250K

$454K

($323K)

($322K)

($118K)

($91K) 1996-1998

1998-2000

2000-2002

2002-2004

2004-2006

2006-2008

Graphic by Eli Rankin / the Advocate

This infographic shows averages for every two years of financial records at the station in the 12 years prior to the station leaving in 2008. Average earnings does not include grants which kicked in during the last four years. Information supplied by Susie Jones, former board member.

on more employees (reaching a total of eight at its highest) in hopes of continued growth. This ended up being a financial hit because the new hires weren’t helping to increase the bottom line. In turn, the station started using its reserve funding to keep operating.

In 2008-09 the station cut back to six employees again in an effort to correct its fiscal path, but soon after, the OPB proposal was announced.

Former Mt. Hood music instructor and recent MHCC District Board Chair Susie Jones said the partnership was not necessary.

“I think there was genuine concern that the station was going to start costing the college money because it was spending down its reserves, but clearly a management decision (had been made) to trim personnel, and correct the problem,” Jones said.

“It was not necessary to unload the radio station. It was necessary to correct a management decision,” she said.

In the 12 years leading up to KMHD leaving campus, the station

Cover photo provided by Jeff Hinds (jeffhinds.com)

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($417K) $555K

500K

$273K

This is the second part in an ongoing series on the college’s contract between KMHD and OPB. Since its founding in 1984, KMHD 89.1 FM was located on Mt. Hood Community College’s Gresham campus for 25 years.

That changed in 2008, when the college entered into a management agreement with Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) that moved it to a space out of district in Southwest Portland in 2009.

The question that many keep asking, regarding KMHD’s current and future status, is: Why did KMHD leave in the first place?

SELF-SUPPORTING KMHD operated on campus for 25 years, and history shows that it supported itself financially in its time here.

In a Gresham Outlook newspaper article from March 25, 2009, then-MHCC President John “Ski” Sygielski said, “Transferring KMHD’s operations to OPB is one of the areas where we can reduce costs without compromising a music institution that is important to the college and the community.”

It’s unclear how moving the station could reduce costs when Mt. Hood was not financially supporting KMHD, aside from providing space as it would for any other college program.

There were, however, concerns about management decisions made that had poor results financially as the economy entered the severe 2008 downturn.

For many years, there were consistently six full-time employees at KMHD. That changed in 200405 as managers decided to bring

had a steady, annual average of $417,824 in revenues, consisting of donations, underwriting, and memberships, according to fiscal records provided by Jones. It reported an average $403,769 in annual expenses.

The KMHD reserve funds averaged $304,925 over those 12 years. However, the reserves quickly dwindled as salaries for new employees needed to be paid, and in 2007-08 the fund dropped to $70,897, leading to the decision to cut back on full-time employees.

Jones said the college reacted too hastily.

“If KMHD would’ve been allowed to do their last spring fundraising drive, they would’ve turned the corner and started heading back up again. The reserves would’ve started building again because the revenue was solid,” she said.

RUSHED AND HUSHED DECISIONS Jones said other factors played a role in Mt. Hood handing off the radio station.

“There was some friction at the

station between the employees and the volunteers. It was a little bit hostile,” she said.

Jones explained that the administration often had to step in to help with conflicts because KMHD manager Doug Sweet was not being held accountable for his financial decisions and in resolving personnel issues.

The OPB partnership deal was a rushed decision that didn’t take into consideration the needs of the community that would be affected, Jones said.

“The meetings that took place were behind closed doors. The public was not made aware of this decision until it was pretty much a done deal,” she said. “There was no opportunity for any stakeholders to weigh in on this decision.”

Aside from the pitch about reducing financial costs, Sygielski also said in the same 2009 Outlook newspaper article, “We don’t have a robust internship program currently.”

JD Kiggins, current head of the MHCC broadcasting program, said that wasn’t true.

“For a lot of people (Mt. Hood) is the place they go to find employees,” said Kiggins of local media-related employers. “We have so many alumni who own companies and do hiring and they come to us and they come to us for interns too.”

He said the broadcasting program (within the Integrated Media) continues to have strong connections with Alpha Media, Clear Channel, Entercom, Fox 12 (KPTV), Pacific Coast Crewing, and more.

“Ironically the only place we’ve never really had an intern was at OPB proper,” said Kiggins.

MISUNDERSTOOD With the initial decision being rushed, and the community not being involved, there were a lot of people who thought the station completely went away when it relocated to OPB. There were even misunderstandings about the term of the agreement.

Following the 10-year term of the contract, there’s an automatic five-year renewal if neither party wishes to change anything. Many observers thought that the five-year renewal was in the middle of the 10 years, when in reality, it’s attached onto the end.

That’s why the MHCC Board is working on making a decision about how to move forward.

KMHD did operate on campus for 25 years before being managed by OPB for the past decade. MHCC has always and will continue to hold the license for KMHD, unless there’s a drastic change and/or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) takes the license away.

TO CONTINUE READING, SEE PAGE 7

GET TO KNOW THE ADVOCATE 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.

Opinions Editor Deniqua Adams is studying English Literature, and is an aspiring personal fitness trainer in the Fitness Technology program at MHCC. She strives to help others lose excess fat weight, move closer to optimal health, and stay away from obesity by sharing information about health and fitness. She enjoys writing, studying, and watching YouTube. She recently joined the Advocate team and enjoys participating in producing the newspaper. She believes in a diversity of opinion and feels that today’s focus on political viewpoints is too extreme.

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SPORTS | NEWS

A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T

STANFORD LOSS FORGOTTEN AFTER VERDELL’S WIN

Thomas Fornoff the advocate

Hey diddle diddle, Verdell up the middle, for the win.

Flashback to nearly a month ago, where everyone was questioning decisions made by University of Oregon head football coach Mario Cristobal after a devastating loss against the Stanford Cardinal – some critics going as far to say he is not fit for a head coaching position at any level.

Now check out the evening of Oct. 13, where every Ducks fan is praising Cristobal and the team, completely forgetting the loss three weeks earlier. Amazing what a win can do to change your mind!

But the question remains: Are people just riding the high of the win over a Top-10 team, or are they actually on board with Cristobal?

If fans actually understood the

underlying effects of certain coaching decisions, they would have been on board at the beginning of the season, and would not have questioned the choices made in the Stanford game.

The main decision that received the majority of the criticism was deciding to run the ball on 2ndand-3 with 58 seconds remaining in the game, while up three points. Most people saw it the simple way: Kneel with the ball twice, and the game is over. The only problem, Stanford still had one timeout remaining. Meaning that the first kneel only wastes 1-to-2 seconds. Kneeling again and running off the 40 seconds on the play-clock leaves, roughly, 16 seconds. This would mean Oregon would have to punt the ball away and leave the rest of the game up to Stanford.

Some critics would say it would be better to trust that the Cardinal could not go nearly the length of the field in such a short time with no timeouts remaining. To this, I say I would much rather take matters into my own hands than to leave it up to someone else.

Cristobal instead chose to have the Ducks run the ball. While some might call him crazy, I see a man showing great confidence in his team.

If Verdell gets those 3 yards and just

goes down instead of fighting for extra feet, that’s the game. At that point Oregon could kneel the clock out without any worry.

This decision was the correct decision, even if it did not go as planned. The underlying meaning of that decision is basically Cristobal staring his players in the face and telling them “Hey, I trust you guys. I have 100 percent faith that you boys can do this.” And as players, this is what they want to hear, and why they support their coach so heavily.

After that upsetting loss, chance at redemption came around last Saturday. Playing the No. 7 ranked Washington Huskies, in what was an amazing battle of two great programs, Oregon seemed to just have something extra with them. A chip on their shoulders kept them alert all game long, and they just seemed to be clicking as a single unit.

Enter CJ Verdell, the redshirt freshman running back, looking for redemption from his previous miscue in the Stanford game – for it was he who fumbled on that critical late run. Now, against the Huskies, on 3rd-and-goal from the 6-yard line, in overtime with a chance to win the game, Cristobal called timeout.

Everyone watching knew this was

FISHERIES FISHES Megan Phelps the advocate

Step into the MHCC hatchery on campus and you’ll be met with calming sounds of rushing water flowing through the room that fosters an environment for young fish.

The Mt. Hood Fisheries Department has been receiving fish eggs as part of the STEP (Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program) with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).

For at least the past 20 years the program has been receiving eggs, tending to fingerlings, and then releasing those fish into the Mt. Hood campus pond, according to fisheries instructor Todd Hanna.

For those of you who grew up in Oregon, the STEP program also brought fish into the classrooms at your schools.

Students in the fisheries program here tend to these fish every day, rain or shine, even during holiday breaks. Their goal each year is to have roughly 3,000 fish at an 8-inch length by the middle of May. Measurements are taken every two weeks.

These fish are then subject to urban PA G E 4

fishing events located at the Mt. Hood pond. One will take place 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 20.

This event is hosted by ODFW. Equipment will be lent to people who need it. Children age 11 and younger do not need a fishing license; those ages 12-17 will need a youth license, which cannot be purchased at the event.

Currently the rainbow trout, genetically a type of salmon, are in the “alevin” state, in which each still has the egg yolk below their body, which they use for nutrition.

After the fish are large enough, without the yolk attached, they go into what the fisheries department here calls the “blue ponds,” also known as Canadian troughs, located inside the hatchery building near Mt. Hood’s Southeast Stark Street entrance.

The fish will be checked in a couple weeks (by Halloween) to see if they are ready to be put in the troughs.

The Advocate will be following this process in the fisheries program – stay tuned for more coverage!

Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

Web photo

to draw up some brilliant play that would give Oregon a huge win. This play call? Give Verdell the ball.

Again, this was Cristobal showing absolute faith in his players. As the play unfolded, Verdell received the handoff and ran right up the middle, untouched, for the touchdown and the 30-27 win.

Mayhem inside Autzen Stadium ensued – the running back who was frowned upon weeks prior was now the hero.

Following the victory, video surfaced of Cristobal having to chase down Washington head coach Chris Peterson to shake his hand before

they left the stadium. After which social media blew up and suddenly everyone loved Cristobal and forgot what they said about him just three weeks previously.

In the end, UO fans should have been supporting Cristobal from the beginning and should not have questioned any decisions he made.

But it is great that everyone seems to be on board now.

Thanks to Cristobal and his trust in his players, “Straight ahead for the touchdown! CJ Verdell wins the game for Oregon!” will always ring through the heads of Oregon football fans.

IMAGE MAKERS TURNING HEADS Megan Phelps the advocate

Heads up!

Image Makers, a student club in the MHCC cosmetology program, is currently raising funds for its end-of-year trip to Long Beach, California, to attend the International Salon and Spa Expo (ISSE) taking place Jan. 26-28, 2019.

Hosted by the Professional Beauty Association, this show gives students and licensed professionals the opportunity to learn more about their craft, and have close access to over 300 vendors to purchase supplies and equipment.

According to Brianna Pond, president of Image Makers, the cost per person, which includes ticket cost, travel and accommodations, is roughly $800. Fundraisers throughout the year help contribute to this effort.

A current fundraiser is running through Halloween: Anyone on campus may rent a head on display for $3 per hour and have it sent to accompany a classmate, an instructor’s classroom, or fellow staff member, where the

Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

head stays for a full hour.

The fun is also a learning experience: A mannequin head styling can be counted toward cosmetology students’ graduation requirements, which normally require that they complete two haircuts along with makeup applications.

If you’re interested in contributing to this or sending a fun, spooky-styled mannequin head to someone you know, contact the cosmetology department at 503-491-7192, or ask at the salon in the Main Mall courtyard or at the Student Union front desk, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

OCTOBER 19, 2018

WHEN MUSIC FALLS INTO YOUR ARMS

“

Mariah Getch the advocate

Do you happen to be tall? Well the trombone may be the right fit for you!

Freshman Mt. Hood band program member Gabe BellaFennell started playing the trombone in fifth grade.

Not because of a love for the instrument or a famous trombonist idol, but because his elementary music teacher said his long arms meant the instrument would be perfect for him.

“I didn’t choose trombone for any particular reason... My music teacher wanted me to play because of my arms,” said BellaFennell.

Eight years later he found himself joining MHCC’s symphonic and jazz bands.

High School Experience Gabe attended David Douglas High School and was a member of its wind ensemble, jazz band, pit orchestra, and symphony.

He has been taking lessons since

Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

seventh grade with trombonist Mike Oft (who is a listed private lesson teacher here at MHCC).

Playing as a second-chair

trombone player his senior year, BellaFennell helped the David Douglas wind ensemble take fourth place in the OSAA 6A State

Band Contest and second in the Full Orchestra division. That same year, he decided to branch out with his music experience, learning

I DIDN’T CHOOSE TROMBONE FOR ANY PARTICULAR REASON... MY MUSIC TEACHER WANTED ME TO PLAY BECAUSE OF MY ARMS.”

how to play the euphonium (a brass instrument similar to the trombone) and percussion in the school’s lower-level band classes.

When he’s not practicing, performing, or in rehearsal, Gabe – now 6-foot, 5-inches tall – likes all kinds of outdoors activity, such as rock climbing, hiking, and backpacking, plus reading or playing video games, he said.

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A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T

VENOM ROLLS INTO THEATERS LIKE A ‘TURD IN THE WIND’ Kurt Larson the advocate

I’ll start off by saying that if you went to the movie theater and enjoyed “Venom,” you’re not wrong for liking it, but you should probably still know what’s wrong with it.

In some ways I might even recommend you go see Venom if you’re into playing Mystery Science Theater with your friends.

If you’re looking for Disney Marvel standards of filmmaking, however, you’ll be disappointed, to say the least.

Directed by Scott Fleischer of “Zombieland” fame and starring Tom Hardy, Venom is a Sony Marvel spinoff of the popular Spiderman character, centering

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around reporter Eddie Brock and his relationship with the alien symbiote known as Venom.

Confusingly, however, Spiderman is nowhere to be seen or heard in this alternate universe adaptation of the character, despite Venom’s natural reliance on him for a majority of his character arcs.

In fact, it seems Disney is keeping their prized Spiderman universe far out of Sony’s reach, and with good reason. Venom tends to fall more in line with films such as “Green Lantern” or the first “Ghostrider,” though it slightly outperforms them in terms of quality CGI and visual style.

In other words, it’s the best superhero movie to come out of 2004.

Between Hardy’s nasally, slapstick performance, the twodimensional character arcs, and the pacing of a Slap Chop – not to mention the unnecessary goofy

Web photo

humor, reckless tone, and the plot consistency of a YouTuber’s salary – it can be hard to see the redeeming qualities of this movie.

Those qualities, in my opinion,

being Hardy’s dedicated and rather hilarious performance, and a few chuckle-worthy moments of banter between Venom and Eddie Brock.

Unfortunately, there’s just not much to really enjoy about Venom, aside from the mildly entertaining action and the goofy dialogue.

Speaking of dialogue, this movie could not be trying harder to be hip 2000s cool if it tried. Fleischer goes so far as to have apparently hired Eminem to write the theme song, and is so bold as to still have wailing guitar tracks play every time Hardy attempts to do “cool action” onscreen.

While comic book Venom might embody some of the same goofy humor as the film adaption, this movie does no justice to what real fans of Venom would seem to want.

Its chief problem, among many, is that at the plot’s core, Venom is a Spiderman villain, or anti-hero at best. He relies very heavily on

Spiderman for his primary stories and driving character traits.

Without Spiderman to guide the Venom storyline and for context, there is little that can be done to bring the character to a fresh audience and make him endearing and enjoyable to watch.

All in all, Sony is truly the party to blame for this lackluster movie. Between a tight schedule, a limited budget, poor writing, and aggressive studio interference, Venom was always destined to be a critical nightmare, despite earning its money back in the box office.

With all this in mind, if you really need to waste a couple of hours, or if you just want to decompress and pass the time with a mentally unchallenging movie, then go see this film. Or, better yet, wait till it comes out on Netflix.

Venom gets a 1.5/5.

OPINION | NEWS

OCTOBER 19, 2018

LET’S GO TO SLEEP

The importance of maintaining proper sleeping habits

Deniqua Adams the advocate

Part of a successful lifestyle is getting adequate sleep. The same goes for training programs, weight loss, and general health.

In fact, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, sleep deprivation increases a person’s risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood

pressure, kidney disease, and stroke.

In a study of teenagers cited by the NHLBI, every hour of lost sleep increases one’s odds of being obese. While the study focused on teenagers, these impacts aren’t limited to any single age group. This is in part because a healthy sleep pattern balances one’s “hungry” and “full” hormones – called ghrelin and leptin, respectively – which makes the sleep-deprived individual feel hungrier than their well-rested counterpart.

More so, deep sleep is the time in which your body releases hormones that facilitate the

growth of muscle mass and the

z

z

z

Graphic by Angeles Ramirez / the Advocate

repair of tissues and cells. That means, if you are trying to attain more muscle mass (this is called hypertrophy), it’s crucial to your training program that you get proper sleep.

CONSERVATION CLUB SEEKING MEMBERS Jennifer Salazar the advocate

Each year Mt. Hood offers a variety of clubs to fit diverse student interests, some of which students might not be aware. And new this Fall Term is a Conservation Club, starting from scratch.

Troy Builta, the administrative adviser for the group, has been trying for a long period of time to get the college to approve a Conservation Club. Last year he was able to convince officials and help create the club, with its goal to increase awareness and educate the MHCC community on taking care of the planet.

Second-year student Bobbie Hill, who plans to soon enter Mt. Hood’s fisheries program, is the club president. She said her role is to get students excited about conservation and to “educate people on the need to start saving Mother Earth, because tomorrow might be too late.”

One of the biggest goals the Conservation Club has set is to reduce Mt. Hood’s garbage output by 30 percent. Builta, Hill, and the club plan on reaching their target by raising enough money to remove several campus garbage cans and add more recycling bins in every department.

A big achievement both leaders already are proud of is their involvement in the EcoChallenge.

Photo provided by Troy Builta

In May of 2016, the college did a waste audit, compiling all of the waste produced in a single day. This is the visual representation from that day.

Some students may have already seen posters around the Mt. Hood campus and an explanation of how to get involved in the challenge, organized by the Portland-based Northwest Earth Institute.

The EcoChallenge is a contest schools, businesses and other organizations all over the world are invited to join. Teams of individuals, including MHCC employees and students who make up the “Sustainable Saints,” sign up and create a fast profile, including their school and school email. They then may begin to accept and complete conservation-minded challenges, which are rather broad and can be easy to complete.

Challenges include carpooling;

using reusable water bottles; banning plastic straws; not letting tap water run for too long: The list can go on for a while, but students have the choice to choose the ones they believe they can accomplish.

Builta said, “At the end of the day, we hope that after students finish a challenge they are able to make it into a (personal )habit without even noticing.”

MHCC has won the EcoChallenge the last two years, and as of Tuesday was ranked 11th out of 825 teams competing. This record is something all Mt Hood students and staff can be proud of, and help to build: This year’s contest ends Oct. 24.

As for joining the Conservation

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that adults who only achieved 5.5 hours of sleep per night on average (compared to those who slept 8.5 hours) on a calorierestricted diet – striving for fat loss – lost 55 percent less fat mass (adipose tissue) than their well-rested counterparts.

They also lost 60 percent more of their lean (or “fatfree”) body mass. In the study, all caloric intake was controlled by the researchers, and patients kept careful track of exercise and sleep patterns.

Even if none of this applies to you, dear reader, and you aren’t

striving for fat loss or muscular hypertrophy, you should still consider the effects of sleep on not only your physical health but your mental function, too. As college students, even as college staff and faculty members, our mental facilities are our most important tools, day in and day out.

The NHLBI reports that sleep-deficient individuals are less productive, exhibiting slower reaction times, increased mistakes, and taking longer to complete tasks and activities. Loss of sleep also harms retention (memory) abilities.

Whatever you are striving for, even if that simply means productive daily functioning, it is important that you get proper sleep.

Now, excuse me while I go take a nap.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 The nonexistent student involvement, community confusion about what happened to the station, and lack of KMHD’s presence on campus today has created a disconnect that leaves a lot of present students surprised to learn that an FM station was ever here.

There is certainly less exposure and connection with MHCC, given the station’s distant home base in Southwest Portland.

THEN VS. NOW Prior to the 2008 decision, the broadcasting industry was

Club, anyone interested may sign up. All students must do is go to the Student Union front desk and ask for Hill or Builta. If neither is available, students can leave a note with their contact information so they can be reached.

Builta said he plans for club meetings to be held every first and third Thursday of each month, 2-3 p.m. downstairs in the Facilities Management department conference room, but hours are not yet confirmed.

For any questions about the club, contact troy.builta@mhcc.edu.

in the process of switching from analog to (completely) digital, and technology has only continued to advance.

“The world in the last 10 years is radically different,” said Kiggins.

There’s no physical aspect needed like there was 10 years ago.

Everything can just be a digital file, and everything can be automated.

“We’ve spent 10 years making upgrades” at the Mt. Hood campus, said Kiggins. “We want to make it easy for people to do shows. That’s our role, is to allow people to have that.”

In both the management of the station and in the licensemanagement decision making process, history can help the MHCC board members make an informed decision – no matter what final decision is made.

With that, community input is crucial in this process. The Advocate has an anonymous online survey to allow readers to share your thoughts on what the board should do. The survey will close Wednesday, Oct. 24, at noon.

Next week’s KMHD story will share various responses from the community regarding the current radio station contract process.

PA G E 7

SPORTS

A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T

SAINTS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS PEAKING AT RIGHT MOMENT

Photo by: Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

Jonathan Zacarias the advocate

The Mt. Hood Saints cross country program had a rough start to the season, but is fast picking up the pace.

Several runners set new personal bests when the Saints women and men ran in the Warner Pacific XC Classic, held in Lents Park in Southeast Portland on Oct. 13.

Just weeks ago, MHCC had only four men compete, and no women, in their first scheduled meet, the NWAC Preview at St. Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington – the very same course where they’ll compete for the NWAC championships a month from now.

It was a bummer for the rest of the runners who didn’t get the chance to race and get a feel for that course. But it was a decision from co-head coaches Fernando Fantroy and Kelly Holding to hold out both the men and women.

“We just felt the ladies weren’t quite ready when the first meet came around. At the time, we only had three ladies on the roster,” said Holding. (A team of five is required for team scores to count.)

Meantime, Fantroy said, “The rest of the guys didn’t show up to practice until later in the summer.

So, coach Holding and I felt that they PA G E 8

didn’t have enough training yet.”

Indeed, it wasn’t a pretty meet, as Saints freshman Tyler Tenny finished with a time of 29:06.36 minutes and the rest of the guys – Tim Lottis, Collin Humphreys and Micah Gandara – finished with times of 31:49.93, 32:23.18 and 33:37.63.

Photo provided by Jeff Hinds

Taylor Tenny finding his pace at the beginning of the men’s 8K race.

It wasn’t a great start. Tenny told the Advocate last month that he was excited but also nervous at that first meet. As a freshman, it was his first collegiate meet and his body was accustomed to running 5Ks, not 8K races. He also had mixed emotions because many other NWAC schools were going to be in Lacey, as well as NCAA Division II schools.

Asked what his season goal was,

he said, “If I could get under 28 min- at practice during the summer, they utes that would be really good – and both were coming back from oneget maybe Top 20 (finish) in the year injuries. Alvarez hadn’t incorporated herself into the team until championships.”

Now, with two meets remaining, later that summer.

Tenny has already crushed his time goal, achieved last weekend at the Warner Pacific event. He finished the race with an impressive time of 26:58.30. But he wasn’t the only one that had a great race. The top five Saints men are all under 30 minutes now and looking to cut their marks even more as the NWAC championships are creeping closer.

At Lents, sophomore Dyrrel Francisco finished with a time of 27:40.50. Sophomore Chris Garcia had a great race, too, as he came Photo provided by Jeff Hinds from trailing Emanuel Ibarrah and Christa Anderson leading a pack of Humphreys to finish just in front of runners. Faith Richards hanging on. them with a time of 28:22.0. Ibarrah “We were both a little disapand Humphreys followed at 28:29.30 pointed that we couldn’t go (to the and 28:30.10.

NWAC Preview meet) because it Women coming on The Saints women have been just limits our, like, opportunities to getting the job done, as well. At achieve our goals,” said Hermen.

“Yeah, we first, the team only have five consisted of WE WERE meets total only freshman BOTH A LITTLE and that first Christa Anderis gone,” added son, sophomore DISAPPOINTED THAT Anderson.

Amber Hermen The two and freshman WE COULDN’T GO” listed their Hana Alvarez. goals, going Though Anderson and Herman were the first to be into their first meet: The Charles

“

Bowles Invitational meet held in Salem on Sept. 29. Anderson wanted to run the women’s 5K in under 23 minutes, while Hermen simply wanted to see where she stood.

(Keep in mind that in the collegiate level, men run 8 kilometers, but the women stay at the same 5 kilometers they ran in high school.) Anderson went on to finish with a time of 22:38 and Amber with a time of 25:34.

Last week at the Warner Pacific XC Classic, they improved their times once again. Anderson finished at 21:20.40, crushing her high school personal best of 21:52. Hermen also improved her time, to 23:22.70. Alvarez finished at 22:57.20, nearing her personal best of 22:32.

Coaches Fantroy and Holding have added sophomore Faith Richards and freshman Addison Werner, both from the Saints track and field team, to meet the five-member team minimum to compete at the NWAC Championships. At Lents, Richards had a great race and finished not far behind Anderson with a time of 21:24.90. Werner ran the course in 28:04.20.

The Saints have this weekend off, but continue to prepare for the Mike Hodges Invitational on Oct. 27, set for 11 a.m. at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City.