The Advocate, Issue 9 - November 16, 2018

Volume 53, Issue 9 NOVEMBER 16, 2018 advocate-online.net

Time for Christmas music!

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A movie to love?

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Strong chemistry leads to team success PAGE 8

OUR THOUGHTS ON GIVING THANKS

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Democrats look to push agenda PAGE 6

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OPINION EDITORIAL

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

THE BIRTH OF A MODERN FAMILY HOLIDAY

B

ack in the day, when European immigrants first landed in what would become the good ol’ US of A, settlers and natives didn’t really get along.

DARK HISTORY Overall, the two sides feared each other. There was bloodshed on both sides, for in the 1600s and beyond there were many scuffles and raids. In 1609, the Powhatan people staged an attack on the English settlement of Jamestown in hopes of deterring the settlers from making their stay a permanent one.

However, that attack only led to bad blood and a series of exchanged assaults thereafter, which eventually led to the 1622 Jamestown Massacre.

UNLIKELY ALLIANCE Other settlements were not doing much better. Plymouth settlers were starving and sick. The death toll was enormous; nearly half of the population died before the first winter of their stay had ended. They had also had a few minor, but unpleasant run-ins with natives, though they were not violent encounters. In the spring of 1621 the Pilgrim-Wampanoag Peace treaty was signed, and in the fall the “first” Thanksgiving took place.

Bear in mind that the idea of thanksgiving did not emerge from that first intercultural celebration that we learn about in first grade.

Thanksgiving is a Judeo-Christian tradition based heavily in the Old Testament, in which followers give thanks to the Lord for all their good fortune. The fall celebration of 1621 was called thanksgiving because the settlers were giving thanks to God for their bountiful harvest – a festivity likely based on the Judaic tradition of Sukkot – and the good

Graphic by Kevin Garcia De La Vega / the Advocate

prospects of surviving the winter.

If anything, that celebration could be considered the first Thanksgiving holiday. After being taught by Tisqauntum (Squanto) how to plant flourishing maize crops in the spring, the settlers had enough food to last the winter, which of course was cause for celebration. After a few settlers had gone out hunting for fowl, which had yielded enough food for a week, the feast was on. Then 90 natives showed up with venison to add to the feast, which ended up lasting three days. This celebration really set in stone the idea that

the Massachusetts settlers and the native nations of the Wampanoag alliance were at peace.

The peace treaty lasted a little over 50 years.

WHAT IT MEANS TO US In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national thanksgiving to be on the last Thursday of November, due to social pressure and the idea that it could bring the splintering nation together. However, just as it had been done previously, it was the duty of the reigning president to proclaim the day annually. It was not made a formal national

holiday until 1942, when President Franklin Roosevelt announced that Thanksgiving was to be the fourth Thursday of every November.

Now, Thanksgiving, as a holiday, has moved away from its religious roots, and has come to represent family and relationships. This allows individuals from all backgrounds to take part in the national tradition.

For perspective, Airlines for America, an airline trade group, estimates there will be 30.6 million airline passengers during the Thanksgiving travel period this month. Thanksgiving Day is often touted as the busiest travel day of

the year, as people drive and fly home to their families.

What can we take from all this?

Thanksgiving is a day on which we should all put our differences aside and be grateful for all the good things in our life. So remember the natives and the settlers who put their differences aside for 50 years of peace, when politics start to infect the turkey talk. We should all take a moment to be grateful that we aren’t threatened with starvation or deathly illness.

HELP FROM BARNEY To those at Mt. Hood who fear going hungry this Thanksgiving, we’d like to remind students that they are welcome to enjoy a free meal from Barney’s Pantry, located in the Student Union. The pantry is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday-Friday and is available to any student or faculty member who presents a valid MHCC ID. During this holiday about connections, no one should feel lonely or go hungry, which is why Barney’s Pantry is hosting a food and clothing drive. Doctor Abio Ayeliya, Mt. Hood engagement coordinator, said, “We’re collecting a lot, so at least we will have food for students for Thanksgiving.”

We’d also like to invite students and staff to our own small feast from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 20, in the Advocate office, Room 1369 in the Integrated Media building.

Happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at the Advocate!

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.

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 Opinion Editor Deniqua Adams PA G E 2

Arts & Entertainment Editor Mariah Getch

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

CHRISTMAS IS COMING SOON... LET’S BE HAPPY ABOUT IT

Chloe Collins the advocate

It’s finally November, and you know what that means: Christmas is next month!

I know, I skipped over Thanksgiving. You may have seen me around campus sporting a “Twelve Days of Christmas” sweater in the last week or so. If you have, then you know I have been skipping over Thanksgiving since November began.

It isn’t that I don’t love Thanksgiving or appreciate what it stands for. It’s just that there are a lot of good reasons to justify getting into the Christmas spirit early, and I am going to sell you on it.

November marks the beginning of “the holiday season.”

One does not simply think of Thanksgiving without also thinking of Christmas. Consider the words we associate with each separate holiday. Among others, family, gratefulness, and food, come to mind.

Yes, each holiday is special and different. They both deserve equal respect, but why does there have to be a distinct line?

Thanksgiving is beautiful in

that it encourages Americans to remember what we are thankful for. It brings us together with our families. We even make an effort to see the extended family we don’t often see, and that is beautiful.

As far as bringing families together, though, have you ever considered just how many opportunities for family time Christmas presents?

There are so many gingerbread houses to be decorated, nights to drive around looking at Christmas lights, and movies to watch. There’s a tree and stockings to decorate and to hang, and candy canes to eat. People bake together and go out hunting for presents. Parents take their children to get their photo taken with Santa. Some families even volunteer together around Christmas-time.

Thanksgiving provides way less room for activities that are themed specifically to that holiday.

Having an entire month dedicated to a holiday for appreciating what we have also makes you think: Shouldn’t we be showing appreciation all the time, anyway? Shouldn’t everyone strive to be grateful and check in on their family often, without the pressure of a holiday sentiment?

Some people might argue that Thanksgiving deserves a whole month because it is in memory of the original thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans. To that, I say one little holiday in memory of one group of natives that got along with pilgrims does not erase the horror of hundreds of other native peoples who were slaughtered by early colonists in America.

Cover by: Kevin Garcia De La Vega and Eli Rankin / the Advocate

I do get why you would think that the original thanksgiving feast is so important. It’s only been drilled into our heads since kindergarten. Anyway, this article is not about whitewashed history lessons.

Regardless, we don’t really celebrate Thanksgiving for that original feast at all. We celebrate Thanksgiving in the name of family, gratefulness, and

happiness.Speaking of happiness, I don’t know about you guys, but when I see Christmas lights, I get extremely giddy inside. It brings back memories of happiness and childhood. Fond memories make people happy, and I know I cannot be the only one who feels the magic I felt as a child around Christmas-time.

The holiday season brings out emotions in people that they just

.

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On the cover: Barney Bernard, MHCC’s mascot, holding some food partaking in some fall festivities in the leaves.

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can’t get for most of the year. So, to all the self-proclaimed Grinches out there: Let people be joyful for two full months before the year ends. The cheer of others is not going to harm you.

Happy holidays!

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.

Video Team Member

Drevsen Shadley is a second-year Integrated Media student, in the video program. He enjoys video games and movies in his spare time. If you’re curious, his favorite game is “Fallout 3” and his favorite movie right now, and when he was younger, is “Bionicle: Mask of Light.” He hopes one day to be a sound operator.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | NEWS

DETAILED NATURE IN MULTIMEDIA ART Sadie Kline

the advocate The Student Union is a common ground for many things at MHCC, and currently is home to a beautiful art showcase that exhibits some of Heather Haley’s finest pieces.

“The Nature Excerpt” is on display in the Fireplace Gallery, a vivid collection of nature and animal scenes.

While she lives in her home state, Idaho, Haley has had the opportunity to spread her art across different communities and states. She grew up with a strong passion for nature and animals, which translates into her art.

Her inspiration comes from her travels, whether her time in Iceland, in her home state and just being out in nature, even while picking berries, she said.

Photo by Maysee Thao / the Advocate

Haley’s art is distinct because of the keen attention to detail she puts into each of her pieces. She mainly uses three mediums: oil, watercolor and ink. Her favorite is oil, since it has such vivid colors that are true to nature, she said.

When traveling she uses ink and watercolor, as it is easier to pack, however.

Her recommendation to other artists is to “practice all the time, even if you don’t feel like it. This is how you will become better and more skilled as an artist,” she said. “Also, understand the medium that you are working in. If you don’t understand how the medium behaves and works, you will not be happy with your work until you can master that aspect.”

Being an art teacher has helped Haley overcome artist’s blocks, and she is “eager to inspire others,” she said.

She also continues to learn: She said that being able to help others be happy with their work, and watch her students tackle artistic methods so different from hers, allows her to see things from a different perspective.

When she is not painting, Haley is tutoring in math and science, or cooking. She is known for making jams and apple butters, which are sold at holiday markets or craft bazaars.

Haley’s exhibit will remain in the Fireplace Gallery through Nov. 29.

The display is free and open to all visitors, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 5 p.m. on Fridays.

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

GRISWOLD ‘STEPS UP TO THE PLATE’ Cassie Wilson the advocate

Raised in Oregon but living elsewhere for 18 years, Lauren Griswold, who became Mt. Hood’s new marketing and communications director in July, is happy to be back near family and working in a close-knit community.

Griswold grew up in Beaverton, where she attended Beaverton High School while taking health professions classes with the intent of becoming a doctor like her grandfather, a cardiologist. When she started studying more in college, she realized it wasn’t for her.

She switched to studying business, but when that didn’t feel quite right either, she discovered journalism and her passion for public relations, and studied both at Eastern Washington University.

In 2003, she attended a Portland Beavers baseball game that sparked an interest which would shape her future.

“I saw a business woman in a suit standing on the field. She had her headset on, and I was like, ‘I wonder what that job is,’ ” said Griswold.

She later called up the team and asked if they had any internships, but learned they were already full for the season.

“So, I called them every single day I think from January until maybe April. I mean it was maybe every other day, and they finally hired me,” she said.

Besides the minor-league Beavers baseball team, that Portland business operation also operated the Portland Timbers before they stepped up to Major League Soccer play, so Griswold worked for them as well.

THE BASEBALL BUG Her senior year at EWU, she had an internship with Shriners Hospitals for Children in Spokane, and had the opportunity to work with the Seattle Mariners’ nonprofit outreach group, Mariners Care, on an event. She then met their community relations director which led to her internship with the Seattle Mariners major baseball club, and she finished college early to pursue that opportunity.

Soon she traveled to the annual baseball winter meetings, where there are hundreds of job listings nationwide. Applicants drop their résumé in the folder of any positions that interest them, hopeful of getting an interview with this team, or that.

“I was offered a few positions and the one that I selected was in Connecticut, so I started working for the Minnesota Twins’ double-A affiliate in Hartford. I was director of community relations there,” said Griswold.

A year later, the Mariners reached out

to Griswold when an opening emerged, and she went to work for them full-time until deciding to go to graduate school at Arizona State University where she earned a master’s degree in communications studies. She got to work at the Mariners’ spring training facility in nearby Peoria, Arizona, while continuing her education.

She met her husband, Shane, not long before graduating. She got a job through Edelman Public Relations and was soon working with a team on opening over 60 Microsoft retail stores, and also got to work on PR for the launch of Xbox One, as well as Microsoft’s Surface tablet.

After just a year, Griswold returned to Arizona to work at ASU as director of marketing, communications and media relations, and was then promoted to director of creative strategy and implementation.

“

YOU’RE OUR TEAM AND WE’RE HERE TO SHOW AND TELL THE STORY OF HOW AMAZING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ARE.”

Neither she nor Shane were from Arizona, however, and eventually they would decide to move to Oregon to be near Griswold’s family, which meant job hunting. That’s when the Mt. Hood opportunity opened for her.

“I wanted to find a position in higher education where I’d be overseeing marketing and communication in a brand, and I was really fortunate that the stars really aligned for this role here,” said Griswold.

SUPPORTING ‘OUR TEAM’ “What really attracted me to come (to MHCC) is that I would get to know people from all different areas: faculty from all programs, students from all programs, and then staff and leadership who are working from and touching each area of the college.”

Now, Griswold is busy tackling her position, which entails more than just marketing and communications. She’s also the public information officer, meaning that she’s the spokesperson for the college and all media requests go through her. She also oversees the print shop, mail services, and the warehouse.

The Mt. Hood marketing and communications team is putting an emphasis on effectiveness and efficiency

Photo provided by Mt. Hood Community College

Lauren Griswold, MHCC’s director of marketing and communications as of July, comes from a background in professional sports.

through a project management system this year. They’re also working with a creative team of people from throughout the college to build a brand guide, and are doing surveys to make sure that the best messages are reaching the right people in the best ways.

It might sound strange, but working in higher education marketing and communications isn’t much different from the professional sports world, said Griswold. She compares the baseball players to students, faculty, and staff being the talent, with the behind-the-scenes business side of things existing in both fields.

“You’re our team, and we’re here to show and tell the story of how amazing each and every one of you are,” said Griswold, explaining the common thread.

Despite landing in a different career than her high school self planned, there’s similarity to treating people, after all.

“We’re helping people become the best version of themselves. So... I’m doing it in a different way,” she said.

Away from Mt. Hood, Griswold is spending the majority of time with her extended family just as she intended. But the work part of her brain doesn’t always turn off when she leaves, as she’s always thinking about how to keep building and improving.

“I’m constantly looking at advertising and billboards and color palettes and looking at other people’s social media channels. You can find inspiration in anything,” she said.

There still might be medical care in her life, meantime: Shane is currently a student at MHCC, finishing up some prerequisites to apply for nursing school.

“We have a great life. I feel really lucky to be here,” said Griswold.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | OPINION

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

THANKSGIVING: THE MOST PEACEFUL TIME OF YEAR

Mariah Getch the advocate

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends, a peaceful, relaxed gathering of individuals who share a meal and their thankfulness for each other and their lives. Unless, of course, you work in retail.

Most retail workers aren’t truly able to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Because many stores are now open on the holiday, they must work very late into the night and often overnight, into the infamous insanity that is Black Friday.

American ideals and focuses have shifted. People no longer care about truly celebrating their thankfulness, and instead they focus on attaining what they don’t have: frivolous material goods.

Most of the time, the deals aren’t even worth it. The only Black Friday that I have ever worked was last year, and our “sales” were the discount rack of unwanted shoes that we had sitting out for weeks before the holiday.

Additionally, retailers often increase the price of the “sale” product before Black Friday, to make the price cut seem more

prominent. According to the Wall Street Journal, “retailers will slightly increase the ‘normal’ price of an item in the days before their Black Friday sales so that the discounts appear deeper.” In fact, the WSJ reported an 8 percent increase in a fifth of the sale items it tracked before Black Friday, and a 23 percent uptick in the pre-sale prices of toys and tools.

Black Friday often results in companies pushing their employees as hard as they can: long shifts, doubles, insane sales goals, eight-hour gaps in between 12-hour shifts.

It seems as if this insanity will never end. America’s wants seem to only grow as time goes by. This massive, materialistic, free-for-all is an excuse for companies to get richer and for bored citizens to go

Graphic by Eli Rankin / the Advocate

out and spend more than they can afford – but, of course, they can flex with it on Instagram later, so it’s worth it, right?

Really, is waking up at 5 a.m.

or skipping out on the post-meal Thanksgiving chatter worth overpriced, overhyped, “sale” items that hardly deserve to be called a sale?

‘QUEEN’ GETS ROYAL TREATMENT IN NEW MOVIE 4 out of 5 stars

Kurt Larson the advocate

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a biopic about the life and times of the world famous band, Queen, including their formation and conventionshattering lead singer, Freddie Mercury, and his untimely death.

It proves to be as interesting as the famous singer it’s based on, and does a surprisingly good job at covering Freddie’s story from start to finish without losing sight of the rest of

the members of the band.

Once in the hands of “Borat” star Sacha Baron Cohen, the role of the spectacular Mercur y now falls to Rami M a l e k ’s much more s t r i k i n g jawline.

Bryan Singer of X-Men fame directs the film, written by Anthony McCarten.

While the movie centers around Mercury, all the band members get their say and feel just fleshed out enough to bring the actors’ performances to another level.

The dialogue is snappy and embodies the spirit of Freddie’s outrageous personality, giving scenes a fun energy along with just enough information to keep the plot moving.

Malek’s performance proves to be a stunning transformation from his previous roles. It must be said, the man does a fantastic job of playing Queen’s lead singer.

In fact, he does so well you can almost forget about his massive eyes. This is not to say his features detract

from his performance, as he pulls off the look surprisingly well.

Still, Sacha Baron Cohen would’ve definitely made a more convincing facsimile.

The remaining cast turns in wonderful performances. Aidan

“

IF YOU’RE IN THE MOOD FOR A DRAMATIC, FEELGOOD, PERIOD PIECE, THEN I’D SAY SEEING THIS MOVIE IS A MUST...”

Gillen of “Game of Thrones” fame even has a bit part in this movie.

But, above all, Singer manages to capture the power of Queen’s music and Mercury’s incredible life throughout this film, and really leaves the audience with a fantastic sense of inspiration.

Bohemian Rhapsody gives everyone something to love.

As Malek declares in the movie, Queen is about representing the people at the back of the room who don’t feel like they belong. The group is about letting yourself be

outrageous and defying the norm.

And this movie certainly does a good job of leaving you with that feeling after the credits role.

The only relevant criticism I have is with the last 20 minutes of the film – the fact that it’s basically just one long, glorified music video. It’s done well, but I feel as if it could’ve lasted for half as long and nothing would’ve been lost.

While the prevailing tale of Mercury may be one of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, Singer manages to dance around the details of his wild lifestyle with tact, giving it just enough lip service to recognize the realities of his life, but not lingering on it unnecessarily, giving this movie a shockingly family friendly PG-13 rating.

(In fact, Cohen’s departure reportedly centered on his preference to highlight, and not downplay, those rough edges.)

If you’re in the mood for a dramatic, feel-good, period piece, then I’d say seeing this movie is a must, even if Queen isn’t a band you’re necessarily interested in.

Everyone has heard their music, whether they know it or not, and the story of Mercury is fascinating enough to keep you entertained.

Bohemian Rhapsody gets a 4/5.

Graphic Sheila Embers / the Advocate

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NEWS | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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

DEMOCRATS GAIN IN OREGON LEGISLATURE Could bring new taxes, increased education funding

John Persell the advocate

The midterm election Nov. 6 brought resounding victories to Democrats in Oregon, with the party holding the governor’s office as well as winning super-majorities in the Senate and House of the Oregon Legislature.

That could prove significant when it comes to funding for education, including community colleges.

Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, won re-election to a full term, defeating her Republican rival by more than 6 percentage points.

Come January, Democrats also will hold 18 seats out of 30 in the Oregon Senate, after flipping a key seat in the Medford area. The party holds 38 of 60 seats in the Oregon House of Representatives after picking up three new seats this month.

This means Democrats hold super-majorities in both chambers.

A super-majority is three-fifths or more of seats. In Oregon, a supermajority of votes is necessary to pass certain revenue measures, such as new or increased taxes. The path now seems clear – without enough Republican members to block the way – for more Democratic proposals to sail through the Legislature and, with the governor’s signature, become law.

GORSEK PERSPECTIVE For some context on what these super-majorities could mean for education funding, we spoke with Mt. Hood Community College faculty member and state Rep. Chris Gorsek (D-Troutdale).

Gorsek won re-election for a fourth term as representative for District 49, which includes Fairview, Troutdale, and parts of Gresham and East Portland. He teaches geography and criminal justice at MHCC and is a former Portland police officer.

“Quite frankly, I was surprised we got super-majorities in both houses,” Gorsek said. With those victories, he said he and his Democratic colleagues are prepared to tackle long-term, chronic funding problems in the state. To do this, he foresees the Legislature working to ensure all corporations pay their fair share in taxes, he said.

With those super-majorities, Gorsek sees the potential to make big players such as Kroger (which owns Fred Meyer) and Wal-Mart “pay an equitable amount of money into the tax system,” he said.

Gorsek acknowledges that Oregon’s voter initiative and referendum system means a future campaign to undo any such moves by the Legislature is possible. Such campaigns often find financial backing from the same corporations

that prefer low-tax, low-regulation business environments.

But he emphasizes that he would strive to avoid higher taxes on individuals, and ideally would reduce individual taxes if a steady revenue stream is established from new corporate taxes.

Also on Gorsek’s legislative agenda: addressing the lack of complete coverage by the Oregon State Police across the state. In parts of rural eastern and southern Oregon, it takes much longer to get a police response than in Oregon’s more urban areas, due to the distance between towns and homes and the large number of highway miles each officer covers – as well as reductions in local police forces.

Gorsek said he hopes to increase OSP presence and improve response times.

COLLEGE FUNDING HURDLES As for community college funding specifically, the longtime instructor expressed frustration at the current situation.

“Community colleges are extremely important in the mix (of education), and yet we’re almost an afterthought,” Gorsek said. In addition to advocating for more secure funding, he said he aims to raise the visibility of community

colleges in Oregon’s portfolio of educational options.

A significant funding roadblock lies in the Oregon Constitution, however. Gorsek points out that Article XI-G, Section 1(3) of the state constitution requires that any loans a community college receives from the state “be matched by an amount that is at least equal to the amount of the indebtedness.”

If a community college wishes to borrow funds to expand its campus or construct a new building, it first must show it can raise a matching amount through local property taxes (by passing a local bond measure) and tuition. The only exception to this matching requirement is for seismic improvements.

The matching requirement puts certain community colleges at a disadvantage, according to Gorsek.

“The people that are most needy are probably the ones that can’t put the match up,” he notes. While Portland Community College has a very strong tax base due to the high value

of property in Portland, for instance, other schools face very different situations. That includes Mt. Hood.

“We have to make an attempt to fix this,” Gorsek said. “We want to get (the constitution) changed so that it doesn’t require a match.”

He said he hopes holding a super-majority in both chambers will pave the way to a solution. If necessary, the Legislature may refer a constitutional amendment to Oregon’s citizens, he said. “What we have to do is approach voters and talk about the lack of fairness in the system” as it presently operates, he said.

In the meantime, community college stakeholders will closely watch budget and revenue-raising measures passed by the new Democratic super-majorities.

Gorsek does not want to miss the opportunity to bring positive changes. He said he recognizes that “The time is now.”

Graphic by Angeles Ramirez / the Advocate

MHCC SPACE ODDITIES SHOWCASE ‘FAR OUT’ Justin Bower the advocate

Those familiar with Shakespeare and cheesy 2014 romance movies might recognize the phrase, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but in ourselves.”

It’s a stroke of luck that Caesar would make such a statement, as the stars shown in the MHCC Sky Theater on Nov. 6 and 9 were far out, man!

“Space Oddities: Stars that are Stranger than Fiction,” showcased a hand-picked variety of stars that deviate from our known understanding of suns. Neutrons, magnetars, and more bodies floated, incandescent, high above on the domed screen as Mt. PA G E 6

Hood Planetarium director and astrology teacher Pat Hanrahan described properties of the gas clouds.

The screen stretched and warped into stunning star maps, to the delight of the mix of Mt. Hood students, adults, and children in attendance. In short order the presentation spun about, showcasing the chosen beauties to be discussed at length.

Examples of these oddball stars include pulsars, which toss out heaps of additional gas, star clouds that look like elephant heads, and more.

The presentation ended with Eric Idle’s famous tune, “Galaxy Song,” reminding the audience of how absolutely tiny humans are in

this huge world.

Perhaps of concern to those who are normally disinterested in stars comes an intriguing little star collection called WR104.

WR104 is located just around the Sagittarius cluster, and is near constantly rotating.

Inside of WR104 lies a star known as a Wolf-Rayet, signaling a star at the end of its lifespan. And, if WR104 were to supernova, then Earth would be bombarded with gamma radiation at light-speed.

No need to panic too much: According to a 2013 Forbes Magazine article, scientists say this particular star may collapse sometime between tomorrow and... 500,000 years in the future.

Still, before you call in sick

to work on the off chance that tomorrow is the day, you should know that Grant Hill, researcher at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, notes that the gamma rays would reach the Earth almost instantly. Effects of such an event include the possibility of extinction of many animal species, disruption of various food chains, and a 50 percent increase in solar radiation.

Aside from fear, though, the main feeling Hanrahan said he hopes to inspire at the Mt. Hood Planetarium is curiosity, and a continued interested in the stars and the beyond. He hopes that with a focus on the oddball stars, his visitors will be so intrigued they have to continue pondering the

stars days after his presentation.

Shortly after the end of the Space Oddities presentation, a variety of people formed a small line in order to get answers to questions that had been raised by the session. Hanrahan patiently went over each question, delighted by the chance to speak candidly on topics such as black holes.

On Dec. 4 and Dec. 7, Hanrahan will be giving an updated show on the Orion’s Belt cluster of stars, including its close neighbors. All Planetarium shows start at 6 p.m. and end at 7:15. Questions are encouraged.

General admission tickets are $5, but are $2 for MHCC students with valid ID and children under age 17.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | OPINION

NOVEMBER 16, 2018

A SIGHT TO ‘SEA’ IN THEATRE DEPT. Dillon Erwin the advocate

We’ve all seen Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” at some point in our lives, but I doubt you’ve ever seen anything quite like MHCC’s Performing Arts children’s production of the namesake play, written by Katherine Schultz Miller.

Following several special showings for area schoolchildren, Mt. Hood invites a general audience to come see “The Little Mermaid” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, in the College Theatre.

Miller’s version actually tracks the original story, before Disney adapted it into an animated film. You’ll be surprised to know that the little mermaid herself isn’t originally named Ariel; the name in this play is Annabelle.

There are many other fun characters in this children’s play that aren’t in the Disney movie version, as well.

I went to see the production mid-morning on Nov. 9 along with hundreds of children from various grade schools in the Portland area. This was one of the six performances scheduled for school groups.

Excitement filled the room as the show finally began to start. The stage lit up and I was stunned by the magnificent set – colorful strings and cloth hung down from the rafters and were strapped to the ground, giving the illusion of seaweed rising up from the ocean floor. Then out came the actors, dressed in black, using puppets of various sea creatures to make it feel like we all were actually under the sea.

Laughter and the roaring sound of little hands clapping filled the theatre after each scene. The set and costume changes were expertly done and, unknown to the audience, many of the puppet fishes in the sea also portray the humans on land.

After the show, all the children got to say hello to the actors on the way back to their school buses, and I had a chance to speak with Mace Archer, MHCC’s Performing Arts director.

Archer explained that he has produced a children’s production by the same playwright, Miller, for the six years he has been at MHCC. He chooses the plays for the season a year in advance to

secure the rights and to get the word out to any student who might be interested in being a part of the show.

Rehearsals for the play start the first day of Fall Term classes at MHCC in September, unlike normal productions where actors would audition beforehand.

To get into the children’s show, all anyone must do is sign up for the class: (Children’s) Theatre Workshop (TA153D).

Anyone is welcome to be apart of the process of putting together these children’s shows. Even those with littleto-no experience will have a fun time doing it, Archer noted.

If you’re looking for a highquality theater production and a fun time for children, “The Little Mermaid” has its only showing for public audiences on Saturday. Tickets are all $2 and the runtime is 40 minutes.

Also, don’t forget to keep an eye out for MHCC’s upcoming winter production, the well-known musical “The Music Man.” For more information or advance ticket sales call 503-491-7154, or see mhcc.edu/theatreboxoffice.

LET’S START TRAINING

Deniqua Adams the advocate

“Hell yeah, Deniqua,” you say, “I’m ready to get jacked!”

Well, to that I’d say, “Slow down there, partner. A lot goes into training. You can’t just start lifting weights and expect to see good results.” So far, I’ve discussed sleep, nutrition, and goal-setting, all of which are important to your success. Training is progressive, as well – you don’t just start off lifting. Especially so in the gym, you don’t just jump into exercise. Always warm up first.

Warmups prepare the body for exercise by getting your cardiorespiratory system (heart and lungs) and body ready to exercise. Warmups do not necessarily have to be related to the workout to follow. For instance, a person who is lifting weights to increase strength and muscle mass should do cardiorespiratory exercise during their warmup.

For those just beginning, training will be focused on two things – cardiorespiratory and stabilization endurance training – for good reason.

Cardiorespiratory training will continue throughout the course of your training, and should continue throughout the course of life. This is primarily because of the health benefits of cardio exercise, such as improved cardiorespiratory function and regulation of mental health and mood. Cardio exercise in a warmup also helps get blood moving through your body, meaning you will have more endurance for the workout to come, in a sense.

Stabilization training combined with cardiorespiratory training is the baseline for strength training. The goal of stabilization training is to teach your nervous system to use the proper muscles to most efficiently move in a variety of ways. In essence, you take a controlled environment (i.e. the floor, even and steady) and make it unstable (i.e. add a stability ball to a specific exercise). This could be something as simple as hopping on one foot instead of both, or doing a one-legged squat.

Endurance is the ability to perform an action for an extended period of time and is also vital to outcomes.

Without stabilization training, strength training can be more strenuous and even more dangerous, and without cardio training, you may not reap all the health benefits of a program.

Think of training as a tower: Every stage or step builds upon the last.

Cardiorespiratory and stabilization endurance training is the foundation, to support all the work to come.

PA G E 7

SPORTS

DUKE FRESHMEN

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

CROSS COUNTRY FINISHES STRONG

START RED HOT Thomas Fornoff the advocate

The future has arrived.

Duke Blue Devils basketball is now as dominant as ever.

Led by the greatest recruiting class of all time, the Blue Devils have taken over the Associated Press No. 1 ranking and show no signs of slowing down.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski has done what he has done for years and assembled what seems to be an unstoppable roster. Although the starting five this year includes four freshman, which some might say would reflect a critical lack of experience, the team is absolutely monstrous.

It starts with the man who broke the freshman school record for three-pointers in a game, Cam Reddish. Some say Reddish is Durant-esque, as he is a taller guard and is an absolute threat from anywhere on the floor. This showed against Army on Nov. 11, when he sank seven deep ones, helping propel Duke to a 94-72 victory. His stock is already rising, most draft boards putting him within the top five in the 2019 NBA draft.

Next comes the most underrated player on the team, Tre Jones. Most people recognize him or refer to him as the younger brother of 2014-15 Duke point guard Tyus Jones.

But Tre deserves just as much respect as Tyus and deserves to be referred to simply as Tre Jones. He plays the game the right way and sticks to his role. He doesn’t try to do too much and is amazing at setting up his teammates. Through two games so far this season, while being the team’s main ball handler, Jones only has one turnover. This shows that his vision and control is superb, and helps play a huge role in Duke’s early success.

Third up is RJ Barrett, an all-around player who can seemingly score at will in any way possible. Averaging 28 points per game (through Nov. 11), Barrett is as dominant as any player in the nation, and being 6 foot, 7 inches, his rebounds rack up quickly. He’s averaging five a game, as well as four assists. He stuffs the stat sheet with practically every stat that he can come across and in turn helps his draft stock rise to a top-three pick.

Lastly and most certainly not least of the four freshmen is the most well-known player in all of college basketball, Zion Williamson. He is an absolute beast on the floor. Averaging 27.5 points and missing only five shots total in the first two games, the guy is virtually unstoppable. All this season, opposing team game plans will be geared to contain Williamson, since they know there is no actual way of stopping him. There is a reason he is already being compared to LeBron James.

Watching the games thus far, I just do not see any other team standing a chance against this Duke lineup if the stars stay healthy. In a few months, I almost guarantee you will hear the Blue Devils’ names being called in the national championship game.

PA G E 8

The Saints cross country team showing school spirit upon its arrival at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, for the NWAC Championship on Nov. 10.

Jonathan Zacarias the advocate

The Mt. Hood men’s and women’s cross country squads traveled to Lacey, Washington on Nov. 10, and returned from the 2018 NWAC championship with their best team finishes in some time: The men brought home fifth place, and the women placed sixth.

Saints Dyrrel Francisco and Tyler Tenny lead the men’s side, each with a top-20 finish (27:28 and 27:45, respectively, in the 8K race) and Christa Anderson led the women’s side with another personal best, 21:19:20 in the 5K.

Cross country coaches, from left to right: Christine Eckstein, Kelly Holding, Jake Campbell, and Fernando Fantroy.

Co-head coach Fernando Fantroy is proud of the results and this year’s team, saying, “This is a stepping stone to what’s to come.”

The Mt. Hood cross country program is heading in the right direction, as just last season the men finished seventh and the women 10th in the NWACs. And the teams truly seem together after

several seasons of splintering, with low-ranking finishes at the league championships since 2014.

Part of the problem was team chemistry. Since 2014, both the men’s and women’s teams have lacked togetherness, communication, and motivation. Runners on the men’s side focused in individual goals and began having separate training sessions, while the women teams just simply lost their spark. They stayed close, but struggled to have a complete team (a complete roster), season after season.

But things are looking better.

After Fantroy and co-head coach Kelly Holding took control of the program early this year, they told the Advocate back in September, “We know what we’re getting into.”

They understood the state of the cross country program, and they wanted to fix it.

After last week’s NWAC championships, the future is looking bright.

“Being on the team, it’s my favorite team I’ve ever been on,” said Tenny, a freshman at Mt. Hood.

“We have the best coaches, the best teammates.”

Anderson, also a freshman runner, said, “I’m happy here at Mt. Hood. It feels like family being out with the team, and the coaches.”

Tenny’s top-20 finish at Lacey met one of his season goals, and though he finished behind Francisco for the Saints after leading the team the entire season, he’s happy with himself and is already looking forward to greater things in 2019.

Anderson lead the women’s team

Photos provided by Fernando Fantroy

throughout this season and finished strong with one last personal record.

Though it might have been just by a second or so, she feels happy and

Women’s cross country team members, from left to right: Allison Gilliam, Amber Herman, Makenzie Smith, Faith Richards, Christa Anderson, and Hana Alvarez.

was proud of her performance last weekend, she said.

The Saints will have a short rest, as Fantroy is already excited about adding the runners into the Mt. Hood track and field team’s winter training program as it prepares for the spring. Hopes are high for many more personal records and, who knows, maybe even that beloved NWAC title.

Graphic by Eli Rankin / The Advocate