The Advocate, Issue 5, October 21st

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MHCC hosts a televised MMA fight on campus

October 21, 2011

Pumpkin patch and Corn Maze review Part 1

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Freedom of Speech week rights and responsibilities Volume 47, Issue 5

advocate the

www.Advocate-Online.net

photo by Shelby Shwartz/The Advocate

October 15 march was estimated to have drawn more than 3,000 people.

MHCC students join fight to

Occupy Portland

By Shelby Schwartz The Advocate

MHCC students are among those who have become involved with Occupy Portland, the local demonstration that is in peaceful solidarity with Occupy Wall Street Occupy Portland has literally taken over Lownsdale Square in downtown Portland. On Oct.15, Portlanders marched through the city streets, holding signs with phrases such as “99% pissed off” and “Eat the Rich” and advocating for Ron Paul in the 2012 election, all while chanting, “Whose street? Our street!” The various things being protested ranged from the war in Iraq to big banks, with protestors urging people

to close their bank accounts. They also advocated for the 99 percent, meaning 1 percent of the population holds the country’s real wealth and the 99 percent are lower- and middle-class people. MHCC student Cyan Wunderlich has been active on the weekend occupy site. “The cool thing is after we passed the park (Lownsdale) and then went two blocks farther east and circled back, we could still see the tail end,” Wunderlich said about the Oct.15 march. Wunderlich estimated that there were roughly 7,000-10,000 people at an Oct. 6 march and around 3,000 people on Oct. 15. “Basically, our economy is tanking, we are really

unhappy our money doesn’t belong to us and we can’t get jobs because of corporate greed,” Wunderlich said about how the Occupy movement came around. MHCC student Erika Salisbury has been involved with Occupy Portland since the Oct. 6 march. Since then she has been contributing on social networking sites and spreading the word at school. “I asked one of my teachers permission if I could stand up in front of class, right before class started. I did a little speech, saying ‘I want to invite everyone in the class and this is what it is about and it doesn’t matter if you’re left wing or right wing. It’s for everyone.’ I got one student really involved and we’ve been talking a lot.” Salisbury said.

see Occupy page 3

Free speech area on campus open for student expression and opinion Designated areas are open for use, but are rarely used throughout the year by Mike Mata The Advocate

Freedom of speech is known as the language of democracy and many consider it to be a fundamental building block to a free society. However, just as many people would caution that not enough Americans utilize their full rights as outlined in the First Amendment. Oct. 17-23 is Free Speech Week across the United States and the National Communication Association, a major sponsor of Free Speech Week, emphasizes on its website the “need to cultivate in our com-

Mt. Hood Community College

munities the importance of being wellinformed, articulate citizens.” MHCC has a space designated to free speech located in the Main Mall, roughly from cosmetology to under the library. This space protects the free speech and expression of students as long as it doesn’t advocate illegal acts or violence. “All colleges established free speech areas as a way to handle events and activities ensuring that they meet time, place and manner standards,” said Dean of Student Success Robert Cox. Some on campus believe that students are taking full advantage of the free

speech area. “Many times a year I see student clubs hosting a table in the free speech area. Additionally, all ASG candidates campaign in the free speech area during the student election process,” said Cox. “Last year during faculty negotiations, a student-hosted a rally was held in the free speech area,” he added. Political Science instructor Janet Campbell feels differently about the student usage of the free speech area: “No, they don’t really utilize it a lot. There are not a lot of organized events, though they would have to go through

David [Sussman],” she said. Campbell said she feels students utilize their free speech in other ways, though. “I think, in general, there are a lot of discussions and forums that go happen on campus,” said Campbell. She added that there have been a number of groups that have come to the campus to hold debates. Among these groups were debates about evolution vs. intelligent design and gay rights. Campbell also facilitates political forums on campus that feature members of the forensics team, students and faculty members.

see Free page 3 Gresham, Oregon


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