The Advocate, Issue 6 - Oct. 23, 2015

October 23, 2015

the

advocate Independent Student Voice of MHCC

Volume 51 Issue 6

Argus loses funding PAGE 2

Haunted reviews PAGE 5

Special Olympics PAGE 7

Fans delight at Portland Retro Gaming Convention Page 4

Forensics takes first among community colleges

7th overall P. 3

2 PAGE

OPINION

advocate-online.net

Editorial

Argus should not have funding cut, despite editorial It’s easy to take the Advocate for granted; almost everyone on our staff does. But an incident occurred recently that made our team rethink our roles as publishers.

The Wesleyan Argus is a campus newspaper in Middletown, Conn., about twice the size of the Advocate. You might have heard about it via national media, after the paper published an editorial on Oct. 16 condemning the Black Lives Matter movement as a front for an anti-police organization. This was in no uncertain terms, either: The editorial went so far as to call the Black Lives Movement “not legitimate, or, at the very least, hypocritical.” For the

full article, go here: wesleyanargus. com/2015/09/14/of-race-and-sex/ Before we go any further, we would like to make very clear that the Advocate does not support, and won’t apologize for, hate speech, and recognizes that often the scope of societal problems is larger than that of our own daily lives, which can make the problems hard to understand, if we have yet to walk a mile in the other group’s shoes.

The issue we’re addressing though, is the Wesleyan University student government’s decision to cut over 57 percent of the Argus’ annual funding. The actual resolution orders that the newspaper’s $30,000

budget will be reduced to $13,000, and the other $17,000 used for work studies to create other publications throughout the campus.

This sends the message to campus newspapers everywhere: Depart from orthodoxy at the risk of your own budget.

While the Advocate does not endorse hate speech, we tolerate it, in theory. For example, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to picture this happening to a rural publication, where an extremely pro-Black Lives Matter editorial could upset the student government there. It is a common trend in history to initially degrade and hate some

of the best humanitarian trends that we now view as integral to society.

Which is not to say that this is the case for this editorial, just that the student body’s reaction makes it more daunting for stories that are potentially beneficial to society, yet unaccepted at the time by the general public.

Social critic Noam Chomsky said it best: “If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”

Keep in mind, this is all happening via a school newspaper, a publication to inform readers at a place where they go to learn and exchange ideas. If we run into a bad idea in a

campus publication, shouldn’t we correct it within the same civil discourse?

We have more superficial, personal reasons, too, for our support.

Most university newspapers only employ an editorial staff for two years; the staffers’ first two years are typically spent paying dues as a staff reporter.

Yes, there is clearly a lot that went wrong at the Argus that caused this trouble, but this budget reduction was a clumsy, permanent solution to a temporary problem. And the incident here is stemming from the current short-term staff, not the paper’s infrastructure.

Dissenting opinions on the merits of fan fiction I love it... look it up now

Matana McIntire the advocate

I love fan fiction. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I suggest looking it up. You may find very interesting (and some shocking) results, but if you’re truly fascinated in figuring out what this community is about, it’s worth further investigation.

Now, the ‘why’ is what you’re looking for here: Why do I love fan fiction? There are many reasons.

The biggest one is that I’m a writer, specifically of fiction, and there are many benefits to participating in this community. And Emily is right, there is a certain level of obsession that goes into reading and writing fan fiction, but I see it this way: Obsession can be another word for exploration.

Usually fan fiction is charac-

ter-centric, meaning that fans will take a beloved character and add to or change his or her story or circumstance. So in this way, fan fiction can actually be a pretty cool exercise in character development, because you literally will read every version of that character – from “Dear lord, I hope I never write my character like that,” to “How in the hell can I write my character like that?” And there are more benefits from the writing perspective, such as peer editing, exposure to different writing styles, and even developing an eye for poor writing (you really hone this skill, let me tell you).

Also, fan fiction is just fun, man. Imagine pulling Rick from “The Walking Dead” and putting his character in a universe where he’s rebound dating Kourtney Kardashian after her breakup with Scott Disick – hilarious, right? Fan fiction writers explore these type of scenarios all day long, and it’s pretty darn cool. I always stick to the belief that if a lot of people are collaborating in a creative activity such as this, we should support it. Kudos to them!

Recommended fan fictions:

1.

“Luminosity”

by Alicorn - Twilight fan fiction where Bella isn’t stupid, and Edward isn’t a stalker.

2.

“The Paradigm of Uncertainty”

by Lori Harry Potter fan fiction set nine years after the last book, following Hermione on a new journey.

3.

“The Spaces Between” by Min Daae Thor/Marvel fan fiction following Loki as he travels through alternate universes of his life.

My brain’s too small...

Emily Wintringham the advocate

I know I’m probably the only person on the planet who loathes fan fiction. So, spare me the insults – even though I probably deserve them.

Actually, loathing probably isn’t the right word for it since I’m sufficiently apathetic to most of the popular fan fiction stuff and nearly everything on Tumblr. The only thing I actually loathe is the sexualization of things that were made/written for children. Can you not ruin my childhood, please and thanks? I’ll appreciate that. Moving on... the underlying problem I see with fan fiction is obsession. I know as humans we are inclined to obsess over things, but as I age, I keep having to throw away some things I have an obsession for. Maybe this is just me, but my cranial capacity isn’t large enough to hold everything I adore and everything I need to know to “pay my bills”, so to speak.

Fan fiction, glorious as it is, doesn’t help with that transition.

“But fan fiction is my hobby…” I’m not saying you can’t enjoy it. I’m just saying in my case, I already like poetry. If I delved into poetry fan fiction (if it exists) I may overstimulate my brain and I’ll eventually misplace the folder: “Why the Four Quartets are so important to me.”

My greatest fear is that I’ll go so deep into theoretical land and I’ll lose what’s important in the actual novel or poem. I could always go back, but I really just don’t have the time nor space in my brain. I like to remember things. I don’t like being amused and then suddenly have some sort of amnesia where I don’t remember the last thing about I read before. That happens everytime I get lost on YouTube, and I hate it.

However, I don’t really think fan fiction in itself is terrible. I’m pretty sure, just like music, I’d like some of it. Obsession is really what scares me, thus why I don’t even want to go near it. With Aspergers and all, it’s the last thing I need. Fan fiction is just not for everyone.

the advocate Editor-in-Chief Adam Elwell Arts+Entertainment Editor Ivy Davis News Editor Gloria Saepharn Sports Editor Clay Vitale

Graphic Designers Ayla Buckner Cody Holcombe Gabrielle Madewell Photo Editor Nick Pelster Opinion Editor Adam Elwell

Public Relations Manager Emily Wintringham

Copy Editor Quincy Smith

Features Editor Jon Fuccillo

Staff Writers Isaiah Alder Nicole Kaadi Karianne Morley Konah Nimo

Video Editors Ben Baxter Chuck Masi Thomas Stewart

Web Editor Matana McIntire

Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Phone: 503-491-7250 www.advocate-online.net #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. 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.

NEWS

October 23, 2015

PAGE PAGE

Domestic abuse: more beds can help survivors Matana McIntire the advocate

On Wednesday, Oct. 14, MHCC hosted a free forum on domestic violence from the law enforcement perspective. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Chris Gorsek, a Mt. Hood criminal justice instructor, formatted his presentation just as he would a lecture: aactive participationwith the use of questions, handouts and pop-culture references.

Gorsek broke down the realities of domestic abuse and how law enforcement face those realities every day when dealing with domestic abuse calls. He said law

officers are still adapting tohow they deal with domestic abuse, as it has only recently become something that police handle.

“It was always just a family issue; now, as society has begun to recognize the truth behind it, law enforcement and other public service programs are struggling to adapt,” he said.

Gorsek said it takes time for the public service infrastructure to build up in order to deal with domestic violence and how it reacts to the changing tide seen in society – particularly in terms of law enforcement. Police officers went through a sort of trial-anderror period in the late twentieth

century when dealing with domestic violence, he said. In recent years, it’s become better, but there’s still room for much improvement. He spoke of the complexity and often hindering nature of domestic violence calls, mentioning how even today it’s hard to change the fact that police presence isn’t always conductive to helping a victim out of a dangerous situation. He focused attention, also, on other public services such as crisis shelters, where an increase in resources could be the missing puzzle piece to making police response more effective.

Gorsek spoke highly of Bradley Angle, an organization rooted in Portland that provides a wide range

of essential services to survivors of domestic violence. Bradley Angle was one of the first emergency shelters in the country and the first domestic violence shelter on the West Coast when it opened in 1975.

Other shelters in the area include the Raphael House in Southeast Portland, West Women’s and Children’s (near the city center) and Clackamas Women’s Services.

However, resources available for survivors are limited. With as few as four domestic abuse emergency shelters in the Portland metro area and a limited amount of beds in each, some survivors may not find a bed available in their time of need.

It’s an even harder task if there are

MHCC Forensics wins first at debate Gloria Saepharn the advocate

MHCC’s Forensics team went to the Lewis & Clark Steve Hunt Classic on Oct. 9-11, where they competed against 47 other college teams – including universities from 11 other states.

Mt. Hood won first place in the Community College division.

In team scoring and for individual events, they placed fourth and seventh in the competition, respectively.. Among the schools that competed were Utah State, Boise State, University of Washington and Western Wyoming Community College.

First-year Mt. Hood competitor Maggie Mick said, “I was a little nervous to start out with, because it was my first college tournament.

My team and coaches were really supportive.”

MHCC Blood Drive MHCC’s annual Blood Drive will happen on Monday, Oct. 26, in the Jazz Café – located in the library. This Associated Student Government- sponsored event is open to those who are eligible to give blood. Donors must be in good general health and feeling well (can perform normal activities and any condition is being treated and under

PHOTO FROM ADVOCATE ARCHIVES

Head speech coach Shannon Valdivia preparing for the next event.

MHCC’s Director of Forensics Shannon Valdivia, who coaches the group, said, “We’re going to be a younger team this year with some strong veterans to lead us. I’m looking forward to seeing what our Novices (first-year competitors) do at Lower Columbia College in about three weeks – they’re a great group.”

Several Saints did well in their

control, including diabetes), be at least 17 years-old and weigh at least 110 pounds.

The American Red Cross, conducting the drive, is the largest single supplier of blood and blood products in the United States.

To schedule an appointment or for more information, visit: redcrossblood.org – Sponsor Code:

Used Book Sale 2015

‘Tis the season to splurge on books.

Multnomah County’s “Friends of the Library” group is holding its fall used book sale starting today, and running through Monday, at the

individual events at the Steve Hunt Classic. Eva Sanchez placed fourth in Junior Extemporaneous, sixth in Open Prose and seventh in Junior Impromptu. Basil Hawley placed fifth in Junior Extemporaneous and third in Open Communication Analysis. Lea Bauley-Gabriel placed seventh in Novice Impromptu and Karasalla Fale placed third in Open Poetry and second in Open Impromptu. Sanchez and Fale both ranked well in the Senior IPDA Debate – Sanchez earned a seventhplace top speaker award and Fale was a quarterfinalist.

During the weekend of Oct. 1718, four members of the Forensics team debated at the Biggest Little City Classic tournament in Reno, Nev. Logan Clark and Basil Hawley were quarterfinalists in the Open NPDA Debate. NPDA Debate is known as the National Parliamentary Debate Association –

parliamentary debate is a format in which tournament officials assign a new topic every round. After the topic is announced, two teams have a preparation time; when the debate begins, the teams have a standard time limit for each remark.

“It was our first chance to hit some schools from out of our region and to bring (first-places) home in events normally dominated by fouryear schools like UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University and San Jose State (and) made me happy,” Valdivia said.

In individual events, Fale earned a third place in Open Communication Analysis, Logan Clark earned first place in After Dinner Speaking and Top Novice in Programmed Oral Interpretation and Hawley was first in Open Communication Analysis and fourth in Open Prose Interpretation.

DoubleTree Hotel exhibit hall, at 1000 N.E. Multnomah St. Sales open to the general public will run 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, when all used books will be marked 50 percent off.

The festivities kick off on Friday with a members-only presale, from 6 to 9 p.m. To join Friends of the Library at the door, membership is $10 for basic/individual and $15 for a family. Collector’s Corner also will take place on Friday and Saturday nights.

It’s easy to get to the hotel – it’s

located across the street from the Lloyd Center MAX station. Parking is $3 at the voucher.

For more information, visit: friends-library. org and click, “Fall Used Book Sale 2015.”

- Nutshells

by Emily Wintringham

3

children involved.

Gorsek was adamant on improving these resources as he spoke on the shelter situation in the Portland metro area.

“What we need to do, first off, is continue to put pressure politically to get more beds,” he said. He emphasized a handout distributed before the presentation began: a how-to list on supporting the organizations that get survivors back on their feet.

As the seminar ended, Gorsek closed on a powerful note, stressing the importance of support – not only as far as public services go, but within day-to-day life and in oneon-one scenarios.

Board of Education update Gloria Saepharn the advocate

The MHCC Board of directors met on Wednesday and agreed to work on posting audio recordings of all public sessions where anyone unable to attend can access them.

Audio files might be made available by year’s end, followed by live-video streaming of board meetings in the near future.

Associated Student Government representatives spoke about Domestic Violence Awareness Month and what Mt. Hood students and faculty can do to be more aware of violent situations and how people should handle such cases.

After a briefing from Christie Plinski, Vice President of Instruction, the board approved the addition of two new degree/ certification programs at MHCC. The first is an Associate of Applied Science degree program in Engineering, which will consist of coursework already offered in the engineering transfer, engineering technology, mathematics, science and writing departments.

The Basic Healthcare certificate will be a three-term study program, with the first two terms offering students courses geared to the particular health profession they are most interested in.

MHCC President Debbie Derr spoke about the college’s proposed general obligation bond and her desire to see it approved next year.

4 PAGE

NEWS

advocate-online.net

Emotions ‘topped-out’ at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo Thomas Stewart the advocate The Portland Retro Gaming Convention: It’s where you can discover the rarest vintage games, find the best merchandise, see the most beautiful cosplays and have a good time. With school always pouring stress on you, an event like this was the perfect occasion to lowering your stress.

When I entered the gaming convention, the first thing that caught my eyes were the massive horde of arcade games dating from 1980 to today. Old arcade games, classic pinball, a station for a war on Battlefront 2 and the World Championship of Tetris were all offered. There were 165 choices of arcade games, plus games that were being worked on by young game designers trying to make it big.

My favorite was the Battlefront 2 with the setup of 12 v. 12 – it was hard not to laugh and enjoy the day.

Another thing that made a presence in the Gaming Convention were the cosplayers. The amount of cosplayers weren’t as big as I expected, but the quality made up for the quantity. The Halo cosplay was especially detailed and impressive – armored-up, guns out and ready to pose.

They even had a kiosk that was selling the sci-fi credentials.

Halo was my favorite part, but there were still a lot of mindblowing cosplays that would make you question the reality we live in.

One side of the building had the games, and the other had vendors selling merchandise.

Walking around the merchant side was like a voyage into a new world. I wanted

everything – there were vintage video games, cosplay gear, poster, clothes with cool video game designs and just a lot of awesome miscellaneous gear.

There was even a kiosk with weedcoated merchandise that probably brought in some customers who were looking for “something else.”

The Advocate even brought back a souvenir that glows in the dark.

It was sad when we left this entertainment, but we had to call it a day. If you hear about this event coming next year, don’t miss it. It was definitely a weekend to remember – it eased my stress levels and then brought me back down to the real world.

Gamers find common ground in PDX Gloria Saepharn the advocate The Portland Retro Gaming Expo attracted hundreds of people last weekend. The doors opened at 9 a.m. on Saturday for those who had presale badges – an hour before the main show floor opened to the general public. It was exciting to see how pumped attendees were to get into the expo. When we walked through the main doors, 90s music hit us and brought us back to earlier times in the technological age. Arcade games, computer setups and vendors covered the floor, and in the corner there would be a daylong qualifying event for the Tetris World Championships on Saturday. There were a large amount of arcade games that included Donkey Kong, pinball, Pacman, Pacwoman, Galaga

and so much more.

The wide range of people who enjoy playing video games is generally from arcade games to modern console or computer gaming.

DJ Switch is a Clackamas Community College alumnus and said that the Portland expo had been growing every year, moving from the Crowne Plaza to DoubleTree hotels, and finally to the Oregon Convention Center. The show also does a charity event in Kelso, Wash., that raises money for a local group there.

When I spoke to Modest Medusa creator and Mt. Hood alumnus Jake Richmond he said, “MHCC is where I got my start as an artist and I met a lot of artists there.” He and others agreed this year’s Expo had the most attendees, to date.

Near the Tetris area, there

were beanie chairs and ‘regular’ chairs and tables. There weren’t people sitting and resting during the first couple of hours, but once it hit 11 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, most of the tables were filled with gamed-out attendees. When people walked around gaming areas, they wouldn’t be noticed – especially since arcaders and gamers were so focused on playing their free entertainment.

The Tetris World Championship Qualifiers began at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Throughout the day, attendees young and old played Tetris Blitz in Tetris’ area, located in front of the competitors table.

Those who wanted to qualify or compete were able to, since Sunday would be the actual

championship competition day.

The PS4 Tetris tournaments were on the side of the Tetris area and every competition/ tournament was free-to-play or to “compete,” in this case.

People were able to come and go; when it came to the Tetris area, some lingered as they watched their friends and family play. On Sunday, organizers put out chairs for those who wanted to sit and observe the championships.

Sunday, the finals came down to two people: Jonas Neubauer and “Quaid.”

Neubauer has competed in the Classic Tetris World Tournament since it began in 2010.

During the first two rounds, Quaid “topped-out” and his chances of winning looked grim.

But he became determined to win and barely won the third round. He finally topped-out during the fourth round, partly because a public announcement caught him off-guard and he couldn’t concentrate.Neubauer surpassed his score, around 355,000, and became a fivetime CTWC first-place winner.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

October 23, 2015

PAGE

5

Advocate ventures for haunted house reviews Ivy Davis

the advocate Every year, the Jehovah Witnesses turn off their porch lights and the small children of the world dress up like their new favorite TV char-

acter. Parents get ready for a night of children high on sugar. Teenagers ponder whether they’re too old to put on a costume, and if the candy is even going to be good. Adults over 21 dress a little risqué and drink a little more than they should. Pump-

kins show up everywhere, in a white girl’s coffee, outside every grocery store, and, my personal favorite – in pie.

Every year, Halloween comes and for basically everyone too old to trick-or-treat and too young to buy

alcohol, this means haunted houses. The nice thing about haunted houses is that they are basically run throughout all of October. Haunts also come in a wide variety. This variety of haunts is nice, because some people like to bring their chil-

dren, while others want to be actually scared. (gratuitous, does it really paint an image better than simply saying they were terrified?)

Here are some of the Advocate’s haunt reviews!

House of Shadows

Haunted Ghost Town

the advocate

the advocate

Ivy Davis

3.75/5 on the haunted house scale.

Gresham is the home of The House of Shadows, one of my personal favorites. This haunt is not for anyone who is easily scared or has children. Why, you ask? Because it is full-contact, you must be 18 or over, and you have to give a camera two thumbs-up before entering, twice.

After buying tickets, you enter and exit a bus, along with a couple shipping crates.

A cute touch of the entrance line is a smoking stripper. The actress for this position gets to smoke real cigarettes (obviously picking the right spot outside), while dancing in a cage. The most notable thing about her, though, is that she has nothing on the Golden Dragon dancers, meaning she is not hot and doesn’t have pink eye. After the stripper you end up in another ship crate, waiting to enter the actual haunt.

Before entering the haunt, people are lined up and, for the second time, have to double thumbs-up the camera. The group in front of my own was made up of six people at first, but while waiting for our turn to enter, four of their members came running out of the door.

After checking the House of Shadows Facebook page for their Terror Tally, I learned “17 people couldn’t make it past the front door” and “153

House of Shadows event photo.

couldn’t make it through.” Telling you now – my group made it all the way through.

Upon entering the House of Shadows you find their signature saw man – spoiler – he’s at the front every year. Like any haunt, it’s basically a maze with no dead-ends.

There are some exciting parts when you can’t get past certain areas due to very persistent and freaky actors. At one point my best friend was picked up and forced into a box. This was not a surprise to me, due to the fact that it had happened to me the past two years I’ve gone – gotta love boxes. My friend later told me she had to walk through a haunt area by herself.

During one point in the haunt, I was thankful for zipper pockets. Before entering we were told to not bring in anything. I’m telling you, don’t bring in anything. No cell phones, wallets, keys, or money – you will lose it. Though I lost none of these, I almost lost my shoe.

Thankfully I wasn’t one of the 14 people who did lose a shoe.

According to the Terror Tally Facebook post, 41 pieces of clothing were lost, the fourteen shoes, five earrings, 13 cell phones, 27 people wet their pants, four were scared shitless literally, two people vomited, and two fainted. This haunted house has definitely been my favorite scare for the past two years, and it’s right here in Gresham.

Photo from Web

Ivy Davis

3/5 on the haunted house scale.

The Haunted Ghost Town is a haunt located on Northeast 122nd Avenue in Portland at Rossi Farms.

This haunt is one more for the family. Though the entry is $30 ($25 if purchased online), the Ghost Town ticket is worth it. Unlike many haunts, you don’t just walk through and leave. This haunt hosts three mazes and two boardwalk-like ar-

One of the few scarecrows in the Wicked Hallows and Harvest area of the Haunted Ghost Town.

Background photo: “Grins” from Boinxs Retribution in the mineshafts of the Haunted Ghost Town.

eas, along with an area to sit, talk, and eat food from vendors. It also allows customers to walk through the haunts as many times as they please, which is awesome.

The first haunt, a walk-through, was called “Ghost Town,” themed as an old Western town. In previous years that I’ve gone to this haunt the Ghost Town has been the only attraction here. Last year, it had a theme that added an evil circus into play. This year the Town was completely different – some things were re-organized while others were new. This walk-through wasn’t all that scary, but a good haunt for kids 12 and up.

“Farm House” is another walk-through haunt here. This one is just like it sounds - a farmhouse complete with “Mama” and all.

The haunt walks you through every room of the farmhouse house past Mama and all of her crazy hillbilly kids. One of the more gross parts of this haunt was when my group was forced to eat “Mama’s cooking.” Not realizing what it was, my boyfriend willingly went for the food. Please don’t make the same mistake he did!

The next place we walked through was “Boinx Retribution.”

This area was more of a alley way, minus the boardwalk. In Boinx Retribution there are two clowns known as Grins and Messy. These clowns proved to be my favorite part. Not only were the tons of girls running away funny, but the characters part proved both silly and frightening.

After walking past Boinx Retribution, we came upon “Harvest” and “Wicked Hallow’s.” Harvest was a bit boring, with two actors patrolling a monumental pumpkin stack. Wicked Hallow’s was a slightly more exciting, walking past a few dead bodies and a lot of witches.

Besides the fun in getting to go past and through all of these areas, I also found a few of the vendors pretty great. For the first time in my life I had fried Oreos, which are a lot tastier then one would think. The vendors also included a beer garden and kettle corn stand. Best of all, though, was the German bratwurst I had from Urban German – they are to die for.

In all, the Ghost Town wasn’t that scary of a haunt, unless you’re afraid of clowns, but still a great place to go, hang out, and eat some bratwurst.

Brandon Treadway, owner of Fearworks Productions and the Ghost Town, with his resident clowns “Grins” and “Messy.”

Photos by Nick Pelster

6 PAGE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

advocate-online.net

AHS: Hotel kills season 5 premiere

Matana McIntire the advocate

4.5/5 on the AHS scale!

Lady Gaga’s speaking voice is amazing, every bit a part of her image as her avant-garde style choices.

I’ve always enjoyed it, how sultry and soft it sounds as she speaks low in her New York accent. So, when I heard her chill-inducing murmur of, “And you didn’t feel like going out tonight,” while lying in a pool of blood, embraced in the arms of her lover (Matt

Bomer), I knew it was going to be a good season.

“American Horror Story: Hotel” (AHS) has come just in time to usher in the Halloween season, and we’re two episodes into the fifth installment of the series. Say what you may about past seasons, but Season Five seems to be a new era in AHS, if the addition of superstar style icon Lady Gaga is anything to go off.

I’ll get to the point for some of you – it’s definitely fullon horror this season, and lots of it, so it may not be for every-

one. When preparing to watch the first episode, be aware that there is a lot of depiction of drug use, sexual violence, and a huge – check – huge amount of blood. Fair warning.

The show is set in the Hotel Cortez, a garishly grand hotel in the midst of downtown Los Angeles. It’s outwardly eclectic from the get-go, featuring our favorite recurring actors as washed-out transients who call the Cortez their home. The story follows Detective John Lowe (Wes Bentley) as he investigates connected murders that lead him to Room 64. However, it seems as though the show is really about the Countess (Gaga). Visually, as well as her influence in every aspect of the show, she and her impeccable style seem to be the center of the show. I won’t spoil too much, as spoilers are a capital offense these days, but I’ll tell you what I can.

The costumes are amazing.

It’s clear how fabulous Lady Gaga looks, but the costumes department really knocked it out of the park this season, for each cast member. Sometimes, clothing is

just a reflection of the character created, but on AHS, the costumes are an integral part in expressing who each character is and seem to be chosen with great thought, which makes me want to do back flips through the room.

I mean, you don’t even have to follow the plot to enjoy the show – there are enough pretty clothes and action-packed gore to keep your eyes occupied. And yes, all you ladies hankering for answers, Evan Peters has stuck around for Season Five. Rejoice!

I really enjoyed the start of this season. It seems to have a lot of potential. Let’s hope it doesn’t go down burning, like past seasons. I give the start of this season 4.5/5 on the AHS scale.

In the spirit of the Halloween season, check out other horror and supernatural-themed shows airing this fall: “Scream Queens,” Tuesday at 8 p.m. on FOX; “iZombie,” Tuesday at 9 p.m. on CW; “Grimm” premieres on Friday, Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. on NBC.

Left: Countess Elizabeth, caretaker of the Hotel, with her three children.

Ivy Davis

the advocate The Fear PDX Located at 5413 N.E. Columbia Blvd. in Portland. This haunt is $20 to see all five of their attractions.

13th Door Located at 3855 S.W. Murray Blvd. in Beaverton. This haunt is only $15 but gives you the option to buy a VIP pass, putting you at the front of the line.

Carlton’s Haunted Halloween This haunt is PG13 and cost $10 plus two cans’ donation to the food bank. This haunt is located at 230 S Pine

St., Carlton, Ore., 97111.

Fear Asylum The Fear Asylum is a haunt located in Milwaukie at 13121 S.E. McLoughlin Blvd.

This haunt offers “lights out” shows and a spooky carnival for kids. Admission is $15 for adults, with a $2 off option if you bring two cans of food.

Milburn’s Haunted Manor Located at 11503 Broadacres Road Northeast in Hubbard, Ore., this haunt offers two attractions. Each attraction is $10 unless you purchase the dual pass, giving you access to both haunts for $15.

Four Horsemen

This haunt offers three main attractions, and a fourth attraction. Admission to see the three main areas is $20, $25 if you add in the fourth attraction, and $7 if you only wish to visit the fourth attraction. It is located at 17402 N.E. Delfel Road in Ridgefield, Wash.

The Doll Asylum This event is more of a museum walk-through. A family opens its door to a walkthrough, museum-like event showcasing over 1,000 dolls.

Online, the family notes it “cannot guarantee your safety or mind or spirit, but we will have cookies.” The event is free, but the family will be

happy to take any new dolls you have to donate. Location: 6315 N. Michigan, Portland.

Find more info at http://www. dollasylum.com/#!visitors/ c1adp Haunted Pub Tour This tour walks participants through old Portland and tells the horror stories of the city’s past, in the 1800s.

The tour takes guest through two pubs and the Merchant Hotel. Find more information at http://beerquestpdx.com/ pubcrawl/ Pumpkin Fest On the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, this event hosts a number of events for the price of $7. One can hunt zombies,

shoot cannons, and there will be lots of family friendly activities, at 33814 S. Meridian Road, in Woodburn, Ore. Zombie Walk Dress up like zombies and visit the Pioneer Square in Portland from 2 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Howloween at the Zoo Every year the Oregon Zoo hosts this event, letting families dress up, and trick-ortreaters can learn about wildlife. The event will be all day on Oct. 31.

Left to Right: Four Horsemen attraction, Zombie Walk, the Doll Asylum, hay barrel at Pumpkin Fest, and Howloween at the Zoo. Photos from Web

SPORTS

October 23, 2015

PAGE

MHCC hosts Special Olympics

Upcoming regional Special Olympic events:

Web photo

Emily Wintringham the advocate

This Sunday, Oct. 25, MHCC’s Aquatics Center will host the 2015 Special Olympics regional Aquatics Competition. Admission is free and the event kicks off at 10 a.m., continuing through the afternoon.

Serving Oregon since 1972, the Special Olympics provide individuals with intellectual special needs training to compete at a high standard.

“Each person has a ‘chance to be celebrated’ for their talents,” according to Mark Hanken, senior vice president of sports for the Oregon group. “Participants gain selfconfidence, acceptance and respect.

They develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics participants, and the community,” he said.

Currently, the Oregon Special Olympics serve around 12,000

individuals and hold fall, winter and spring sports competition at the regional level. This season, tournaments include volleyball, soccer, bowling and aquatics (bowling will be the only sport omitted from state competition).

The Special Olympics is an annual event, but practices, coaching and training occurs throughout the year.

“We are so proud to partner with Mt. Hood Community College each year for this annual regional swim meet. The continuity of having a ‘home’ at MHCC is something our competitors really enjoy.”

- Mark Hanken, Senior VP of Sports Attendance is always free for these events and is greatly encouraged.

According to Hanken, attendees are often one of the ways that people

become involved as coaches, serve as volunteers and keep up with the program. He said that in many cases, attending Special Olympics is a lifechanging experience.

“Many of our volunteers were spectators when they saw the talent, the true sportsmanship and the genuine joy. It’s hard to walk away and not come back,” he said.

As for the venue at MHCC, Hanken has only good things to say.

“We are so proud to partner with Mt. Hood Community College each year for this annual regional swim meet. We are also fortunate to work with MHCC to host our regional track meet every June. These great venues enable us to provide highquality experiences for our athletes, coaches, volunteers and supporters each year.

“The continuity of having a ‘home’ at Mt. Hood Community College is something that our competitors really enjoy," he said.

Stay tuned to the Advocate for a Special Olympics follow-up, where we will introduce you to some of the

MHCC SPORTS INSIDER Liberos lack in size, not in heart defensive position since its addition to all levels of volleyball in 1999. The position was created to bring more excitement to the game by keeping plays alive longer, which is why the libero is typically in the game at all times.

It’s also the only position not limited by rules of rotation, except liberos are prohibited from playing in the front row as a hitter. They’re also interchangable – while only one is allowed to play at a time, coaches may sub in one libero for another.

The libero is usually the smallest on the team, but traditionally the feistiest. These parameters perfectly define the Saints’ current liberos, Hunter Sterkel and Courtney Smith. Sterkel and Smith have plenty of similarities that help bring the two closer than most tandems. Both are 5-feet, 2-inch who hail from the Eugene

Hunter Sterkel

area. They played against each other in high school, providing them with a foundation of camaraderie before knowing they’d play on the same side in college – which sounds like an advantage, if you ask me.

It might seem like Sterkel and Smith live the perfect libero life, but few collegiate athletes get by without having to persevere through the tough times. Both players suffered early-season concussions and have recovered to come back and help the Saints.

Courtney Smith

November 22 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Soccer at Providence Park 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Volleyball at THPRD Athletic Center Directions to the Aquatic Center can be found on MHCC’s website and as follows: From I-84 take Exit 17 and follow the frontage road. Turn right onto 257th Avenue/Kane Drive, and continue south past Stark Street, to 17th Street and turn left. Take the first left after the soccer field and then left again into the Aquatic Center parking lot.

Mt. Hood Co nf e Score recaps from Oct. 16 Clackamas def Gresham 34-7

-Cougars climb to 6-1, leaving the Gophers buried at 0-7

Central CatholiC def Barlow 30-14

-Rams remain unbeaten in conference, Bruins 3-4 overall

ep e Pr

The libero is usually the best passer whose purpose is to add ball control so the rest of the team can effectively run the offense. The libero needs to be able to dig well on defense and get a hand on every ball in order to keep the play alive. It’s been a

Isaiah Alder - the advocate

great athletes competing.

They include Elizabeth Bostrom, 44, freestyle swimmer and skier and winner of the Athlete Les Swab Pride and Performance award. She will be doing the 100-meter Freestyle, 200-meter Freestyle and the 4 x 50-meter Freestyle Relay, swimming the anchor leg at this weekend’s regional meet.

Another is Meagan Paxton, 36, another Les Schwab Pride and Performance award winner. She has attended in Special Olympics World Games three times: She competed in gymnastics in 1995, swimming in 1999, and cross country skiing, in 2005. At the MHCC regional competition she will be doing the 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter individual medley, and the 4 x 50-meter medley relay, swimming the backstroke leg.

Bostrom and Paxton are two of four people to be included in next week’s coverage of the Special Olympics by the Advocate.

November 21 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Aquatics at Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation District (THPRD) Aquatic Center 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Soccer at Providence Park and Lincoln High School 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Volleyball 7 to 8:30 p.m. - Games ceremonies at Providence Park

nc re

Have you ever been at a volleyball game, and wondered why one player on each team is wearing a different colored jersey than the others? I used to be confused, too. Those players are known as “liberos,” which are defensive specialists with no attack responsibilities.

7

Centennial def David Douglas 43-13 -The Scots fall to 1-6 while the Eagles soar at 5-2

Mt. CitY def Reynolds 63-14 H o o d Oregon -Pioneers discover 5-2 mark in rout of 3-4 Raiders Conference standings conference show a clear play in line dividing the top and recent years, bottom of the class. Local prep a 37-game football has been largely competitive putting with only two games remaining in win streak at risk against the 6-1 the regular season. Oregon City has Cavaliers in Clackamas Meanwhile, rocketed up the rankings, catching the Reynolds Raiders visit Sam Barlow fire and winning five straight games to take on the Bruins as both schools after beginning the year 0-2. They’ve look to go to 4-4 overall. Struggling positioned themselves in 6A football’s David Douglas hosts winless Gresham Top 5 in the Portland metro area and to round out the slate, with only pride will travel to take on Centennial, on the line. also 5-2. Central Catholic has simply -Clay Vitale dominated in

8 PAGE

SPORTS

advocate-online.net

Men’s basketball

Top, left to right: Assistant coach Que Quarterman directs players during a drill; sophomore Brenton Shrosphire pulls up for a shot; freshman Canyon Dwyre practices his handle; freshman Trent Baker listens to directions for a drill.

Hawley looks to guide the Saints back on track

Bottom, left to right: Sophomore Jamal Muhammad dribbles into the paint; Brenton Shrosphire goes up for a layup while fellow team mate Jeremy Brown watches; Muhammad shoots from the 3-point line; freshman Wes Persinger takes a break after a pickup game.

Photos by Jon Fuccillo

Jon Fuccillo the advocate

F

irst-year men’s basketball head coach John Hawley looked as if he was still playing ball for Eastern Oregon University as he busted his tail throughout the Saints’ practice Tuesday afternoon.

This isn’t Hawley’s first rodeo coaching basketball, though most of his experience comes from the high-school level. The soon-to-be 60-year-old has been coaching for over 30 years and has the Saints program excited.

Hawley replaces Geoff Gibor, who left Hawley the program last spring to follow other professional opportunities.

When Gibor left, he said, “The program is in good hands with Coach Hawley taking over. He will do Muhammad just fine.”

Prior to coming to Mt. Hood, Hawley served as the athletic director at Centennial High School and volunteered for the Saints men’s team during the 2013-2014 campaign.

Now, he said he feels his squad is ready for the regular season, which begins Nov. 20 when the Saints travel to Auburn, Wash., to square off with Green River Community College.

Before that, Mt. Hood will compete in the annual Clackamas Community College Jamboree on Halloween day. Game times and schedules weren’t available at press time.

During practice, the new coach emphasized better all-around team defense, but knows it’s too early to tell where his team stands on both ends of the floor.

Hands-on approach As he ran back and forth down the court, he yelled words of wisdom to the players on his 13-man active roster, plus two redshirt freshmen.

His eyes lit up and sparkled as his team executed its X’s and O’s.

Hawley said he would love to be even more hands-on, but, due to injury, he has to tame himself and limit how much he pushes the envelope. “If my knee was okay, I would be (playing more),” he said between breaths. “I’m supposed to have an operation on my knee, but I’m waiting it out for a while.”

The intense, bald coach spoke with a southern twang with his players during a break. Throughout practice he yelled out, “We got to be

able to do the little things.”

He said the Saints have plenty of versatile scorers, and are sharing the ball “but we really need to work on our defense.”

Hawley couldn’t be more excited to have South Region all-star Jamal Muhammad, a sophomore from Lake Washington High School in the Seattle area, back in action.

The combo guard returns after leading Mt. Hood with 19.5 points per game, good for fourth place in the NWAC in 2014-15. He also averaged 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per contest. The Saints finished with a 9-5 record, good for fourth in the region, while going 13-15 overall.

Muhammad, who is being recruited by Oregon State University, Portland State University, University of Portland, Western Oregon University, among other schools, to finish his college career, is working more on his passing game this season. He said the scoring will come

naturally when his number is called upon.

“I want to average anywhere from six to eight assists a game this season,” said Muhammad. “I’ve been studying (NBA) guys like Rajon Rondo, old school Steve Nash and Jason Kidd... Russell Westbrook. And when it comes to defense, I’ve been watching video on guys like Tony Allen. I want to be a lock-down defender, too.”

Improved chemistry Third-year assistant coach Que Quarterman said the team’s vibe is much better this season, and players like Muhammad agree. “This year, Coach Hawley did a good job with recruiting two talented guys at each position,” said Quarterman. “Last year we didn’t have as much depth.”

Muhammad was quick to cite “great chemistry” when describing the Saints and teammates being on the same page, and believing this team can do some real damage this season if things can click on all cylinders.

“Last season we had too many guys worrying about minutes and

getting their buckets,” he said.

“This year everyone is getting along and trying to help one another get better and sometimes we have to scream at one another to help get back on track.”

Muhammad added, “I’m just trying to be the best player I can and help my team win as much as possible. That’s why I am putting up 500 shots before each practice and really worked a lot with coach Que last season.”

Quarterman said he expects a lot from 6-foot, 6-inch freshman wing Cody Thompson from North Valley High School in Grants Pass, along with a couple of other freshmen from the nearby area. “I’m looking for big things from Cody, along with freshmen Duncan Otis (6-foot, 6-inches from Sam Barlow High School) and Canyon Dwyre (also 6-foot, 6 inches from Sandy High). I’m expecting those freshmen to have an immediate impact on this team.”

Muhammad is eager to get on the court, though he said he’s more locked into scouting at the upcoming Jamboree.

“I’m not too worried about the scrimmage,” he said. “I’m more focused on watching all of the games in between ours to see other teams’ tendencies and how our team matches up with them. I think we are really going to surprise some people this season.”

The Saints play their first home game on Jan. 6 when they square off with South Region foe Clark Community College.