The Advocate Vol. 50 Issue 11 - December 5, 2014

The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College

Dec. 5, 2014

Volume 50, Issue 11

the

advocate STUDYING IN

PARADISE TWO STUDENTS ENJOY

STUDYING ABROAD IN

COSTA RICA Page 6

Culture of excellence Page 3

Basketball steps it up Pages 4-5

Perception’s managment shifts Page 7

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OPINION

December 5, 2014

Editorial | College admission’s outdated affirmative action breeds racism

Graphic by Heather Golan - the advocate

Pursuing diversity is obviously a positive thing, but we have a problem. “Affirmative Action” has unintentionally unleashed a new breed of racism. Though colleges don’t particularly have exclusive motives, choosing whether to admit a student based on their racial background is inherently racist. Not only is it wrong; it’s completely unnecessary. We at The Advocate believe ethnicity is irrelevant when it comes to education. People from all races and creeds are capable of achieving 4.0s, acing SATs, and enrolling in prestigious institutions.

People who are less likely to receive a higher education are those in the lower economic class and in impoverished communities. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly half of all new, low-income high school graduates were enrolled in college in 2012. This group does happen to include more minorities. The thing is, minorities lack the money, not the ideal set of genes. This is why colleges should choose among applicants based on

merit and needs only.

This is the issue with Affirmative Action.

Some students who are not of a particular minority are rejected when the college needs to meet a certain quota of said minority. These students have done everything right for a ticket into a respected college but because they are not the preferred minority, someone else who put in less effort or success gets in instead.

That’s unethical but that isn’t the only problem. If a white male gets rejected from Harvard, he will likely be admitted into another school. While not all of us on The Advocate board believes Affirmative Action is negative (it gives minorities a chance they wouldn’t otherwise have) the real problem is that the policy could be fueling racism.

It was created for a great purpose, to lift the minorities out of crippling economic tragedy and to help overcome devastating racism.

However, times have changed and the crux of disadvantages today stem mostly from economic instabilities. Yet, we are still clinging to our old demon: racism. Affirmative action has outlived its usefulness and is now creating a detriment to society.

It has become racist because it feeds the racial stigma monster. We are basically saying: Blacks are not as likely to go to college, so we need more Black students to look like we’re doing things right. Oh, but we don’t need more Asians, because they will take up too much space reserved for our Hispanic students.

That sounds ridiculous, but it’s happening.

Harvard University has now been sued for capping the amount of Asian-Americans who

can attend. And the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been sued for inappropriate race-based admissions practices.

Saying Blacks or Hispanics are less likely to attend college because they are Black or Hispanic is equivalent to saying they are more likely to commit crime because of their race.

Many of them are jailed because of unjust profiling. The notion that white cops are simply out to shoot any African American they see is ridiculous, as well. These crude types of profiling damage communities and spur anger and riots such as those occurring in Ferguson.

When we separate students by race, we’re pouring everyone’s financial problems, everyone’s disabilities, and everyone’s work ethic into the race bucket. What we need to do is abolish stereotypes and get to the root of the problem, the aforementioned income inequality. Start restoring poor communities. Start saying: “You have a financial barrier, let us help you.” But race has nothing to do with a person’s ability to rise above their hindrances.

Don’t get us wrong: We believe there should be a wide variety of cultural and diverse groups and activities. There should be more sister-school programs. There should be more public outreach events to encourage profiled minorities to step up their game.

But we need to tell people that success lies within themselves, not on their name tag or what they marked on their application. We shouldn’t have to identify our race on college applications, or else people will continue to feel anxious about checking their ethnicity into a box.

would be a woman there with a sign that read the usual: “God bless.” She of course looked chilled to the bone, disheveled, an agonizing look plastered on her face. It didn’t take us long to figure out that the black Mercedes parked on the bottom level of the church parking lot belonged to her. I was furious when I found out. Here are people, taking advantage of our values, using Christian lingo to draw us in, and expecting that because we are presumably holy

people, we are obligated to give to them.

The problem is, I was refusing to ponder any part of the woman’s life besides her car.

Anyone can be afraid that their generosity will go towards drugs, alcohol, or anything that is causing that person to reside on the streets. Anyone can be afraid that the turkey sandwich they just gave will be thrown in the trash. Therefore, those bums don’t deserve our kind acts.

Chat with Barney Designated smoking areas on campus: Yay or Nay? “We want to keep it smokefree.”

Zacchia Windon Student, Nursing major “I am pro smoking areas on campus if they are disposing of cigarette butts properly.

This would mean smokers are able to be given tickets for not complying.”

Kemper Woodruff Student, Broadcast Journalism major “There are health hazards.

I feel like if someone wants to smoke they can do it on their own time...”

Alex Bailey Student Criminal Justice major

chatwithbarney@gmail.com

Giving to love: The soulful giver’s manifesto Emily Wintringham the advocate What bothers me more than panhandlers who abuse donations? It’s that being used as an excuse not to give.

Every Sunday morning when we pulled out of my family’s church driveway, there

the advocate Editor-in-Chief Greg Leonov

Lifestyle Editor Adam Elwell News Editor Hayden Hunter

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Sports Editor Brandon Raleigh

Opinion Editor Emily Wintringham

Copy Editor Hayden Hunter

Video Editor Aurora Angeles

Ad Manager David Ahlson Photo Editor Beka Haugen

Graphic Designer Heather Golan

Reporters Will Darkins Austin Guerrero Hunter Holmes Jon Fuccillo Daphne Martin Jake Swindell Q Quarterman Jacob Young

Advisers Howard Buck, Dan Ernst Bob Watkins 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

Let me tell you this: Though Santa Claus may have found a clever way to cut back finances by only giving presents to “good” children, I tell you, the true holiday spirit is giving even to those who don’t deserve it. That’s what the true story of Christmas is about. It’s about sacrificing, giving, even when we know our love won’t be reciprocated.

Manifesto Continued on page 3

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. Cover graphic by Heather Golan Cover graphic by Heather Golan - the advocate

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NEWS

December 5, 2014 Manifesto Continued from page 2 Sometimes, giving can be dangerous. Working in a soup kitchen is often a safer alternative. Here’s a thought: When we serve soup and bread, we don’t stop and think: “They are probably just abusing the system!” So, why is it different when we have a dollar or a sandwich in the car?

Maybe, just maybe, these people don’t really want our money.

Maybe they crave our attention, a conversation, or a handshake.

Capitalism, wonderful as it is, has instilled in us a fear of community. We don’t realize that we’re too individualistic - but, I digress.

What I mean is, kindness for us has become like working for profit. We give expecting a Hallmark miracle in that person’s life. If nothing comes out of our giving, then we feel regret. I believe that’s the wrong motive. We should give to love, not to be heroes.

These beliefs stem from my own spirituality, but I believe all humanity can resonate with this

giving philosophy.

I leave you with this beautiful quote from Mother Theresa: “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

MHCC aims for ‘excellence’ Hayden Hunter the advocate

The People Strategies Council is another governing structure at Mt. Hood with the purpose of getting faculty and staff more engaged with workplace quality issues.

Paul Wild, co-chairman of the panel, has been meeting with members for two years, discussing ways to improve employee-related problems.

This council has brought forward an all-staff initiative, labeled “Culture of Excellence.” The Culture of Excellence is just that, four aspects, or pillars, intended to help MHCC develop a such a culture.

The first pillar is streamlining operations. In essence, finding any and every way to shorten the amount of time, energy, and cost for just about everything. Task management falls under this umbrella along with time management, job duties, etc.

Pillar No. 2 is the platinum rule. “Treat others as they wish to be treated,” said Wild. It builds off of what everybody considers to be the “Golden Rule” of “treat others how you, yourself want to be treated,” but improves upon it in the hopes of breeding empathy.

The third pillar highlights the importance of change.

“We can’t be looking for the same old, same old, (but) rather how we can improve what we do and how we do it,” said Wild.

The final pillar is to ensure accountability for everyone. It comes from Wild’s philosophy of “what gets measured, gets done.”

Wild’s hope for this initiative is to make everything easier for everybody by adopting the same methodology. However if this Culture of Excellence does not come to full fruition, he said he is willing to adapt. “This is not punitive; we will hold ourselves accountable.”

Starting this Winter Term, faculty and staff will be tasked with attending a class to teach them how to embrace the “Culture” initiative. Each term, one of the principles will be taught, starting with streamlining in January. It is mandatory that each Mt. Hood instructor attend all five classes.

“They will not be lectures, they will be facilitated discussions between peers,” said Wild.

Another initiative that the Peoples Strategies Council undertakes is the Cranberry Short Course Festival, a play off Mt. Hood’s Strawberry Short Course held each spring (strawberries aren’t in style during winter).

This year, the short course is being focused on professional development for faculty members, taking place Dec. 17-18.

According to Wild, feedback from last December’s festival was very good. “The courses were deemed relevant and were recommended to run again next year, especially the Cranberry Bog.” The Bog, set up in the MHCC boardroom, is a place where instructors can get together and see what courses are being offered, as well as pictures from the previous year. There will be hot chocolate and cookies, too. Although there will be some replication of last year’s events, the course lineup has changed.

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SPORTS

December 5, 2014

The greatest thing about the preseason is we’re still learning. I don’t look at our (preseason) record.

It means nothing to me. We’re preparing for the (Southern Region).

Tyler Rose Head coach Web Photo - Saints women’s basketball team

Saints off to a solid start, match last year’s win total Jon Fuccillo the advocate

Given his choice, Tyler Rose and his Mt. Hood women’s basketball team would be 6-0. But after being the laughingstock of the Southern Region last season (and also 2012-13), the squad has turned things around, already tying their win total from last season with a current record of 2-4.

Last season, the Saints finished the year 0-12 in the Southern Region and 2-23 overall. That included 13 straight losses to finish off a lopsided season in coach Rose’s first year as the head coach.

“It’s great to get the confidence for the girls,” Rose said of the two victories. “One of the biggest things we do is (we) don’t compare this year’s team with last year’s team. At

some point we will have to move forward and we’re doing a great job... dealing with it one game at a time.”

The Saints returned home this week after going 0-3 in the Clackamas Thanksgiving Invite in Oregon City. They bounced back Wednesday night with a 55-36 victory over Multnomah University.

The better news was, they were competitive in all three games in Oregon City, losing by slim margins.

The Saints lost 68-61 to the Olympic Community College Rangers on Sunday. That followed a loss to the Clackamas Community College alumni team, 79-68, and a nail-biter defeat by the Pierce Community College Raiders, 71-67, on Nov. 28.

“The greatest thing about the preseason

is we’re still learning,” Rose said. “I don’t look at our (preseason) record. It means nothing to me. We’re preparing for the (Southern Region).

“I told the girls, ‘end results will take care of (themselves),’ ” he said.

The early story for the Saints has been the success of sophomore Marley Yates. The 6-foot, 1-inch forward from Sam Barlow High School is averaging a double-double (11.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per game). The rebounding mark is good for second in the entire NWAC.

“She’s doing things very well,” Rose said of Yates’ performance. “She’s also doing a great job of making plays off the ball and getting others open. She has been such a force with the rebounds.

“She can continue to get better in so many

ways,” he said.

Rose said Mt. Hood’s dogged determination sets the Saints apart from other teams.

“We have no quit in us,” he said. “We have fought and fought and fought. But we have dug ourselves into some holes and haven’t been shooting the ball well. But we have been busting our butts off in games!”

The Saints return to action on Sunday, when they travel to Pendleton to face Blue Mountain Community College.

Up Next: @ Blue Mountain CC Sunday 2 p.m. @ Big Bend CC Dec. 13, 2 p.m.

Lane and Balfour sign with NCAA Divison 1 programs Brandon Raleigh the advocate

The Saints baseball team, which recently finished its fall ball schedule with an impressive 9-1-1 record, has some more exciting news.

Two of its own are taking the next step athletically, as sophomores Tommy Lane and Joe Balfour recently signed NCAA Division 1 scholarships (Lane to Marshall University, and Balfour to San Diego State University).

Lane, an all-league first baseman last year

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for the Saints, recently went on a recruiting visit to Marshall, located in West Virginia.

After a successful campus visit, he signed with the Thundering Herd.

Saints head baseball coach Bryan Donohue is happy for Lane, he said.

“I know he’s really excited about it.

They’re doing good things in their program and they play a great schedule,” Donohue said. “They play in the Conference USA so they’ll be traveling all the way to Texas and the southeast and a lot of other places. It will be a neat experience for him to finish

out his career there.”

Balfour, a transfer from St. Martins University, will come in as both a pitcher and outfielder for the Saints this spring, before he heads for San Diego.

San Diego State’s head coach, Mark Martinez, a friend of Donohue’s, was searching for a guy like Joe, Donohue said. After the two conversed, the rest was history.

“He flew all the way up here just for a few hours to watch Joe throw in a pitching workout. He really liked what he saw,” the Mt. Hood coach said.

“The next week (Martinez) brought him (Balfour) down there on a recruiting visit and he had a great experience. They offered him a good scholarship and he signed with those guys.”

Donohue said the decision could help set the two up for a great year.

“A neat deal, for those guys to have that much interest this early in the year,” he said.

“I think for the two of them it’s really going to help them because they’ve already got their plan for the next level. Now, they can just go have fun and help us win some games.”

the advocate

SPORTS

December 5, 2014

Web photo

Photo by Beka Haugen - the advocate

Saints look to climb ‘staircase’ to success Team ready to take next step behind group of young players Brandon Raleigh the advocate

The Saints men’s basketball team suffered an untimely exit in the 2013-14 season, losing to Chemeketa in an NWAACC championship tournament play-in game. This year, a young group full of new faces looks to push Mt. Hood into the league championship tourney, come March.

A sophomore-heavy team last season, the Saints welcome back four sophomore returners (Kylelle Brown, Oleg Marandyuk, Jason Wallace, and Sterling Anderson) and two redshirt freshmen (Micah Hardeman and Kody Kennedy).

New to the squad this season are 6-foot, 10-inch forward Harris Morgan (Sprague High School); 6-foot guard Jamal Muhammad (Lake Washington HS); 6-foot, 5-inch guard/forward Darrell Henry (Parkrose HS); 6-foot, 8-inch center Brenton Shropshire (Konawaena HS); 6-foot, 4-inch guard/ forward Hunter Roeder (Sam Barlow HS); 6-foot, 1-inch guard Jeremy Brown (South Salem HS); 5-foot, 8-inch guard Mak Hutson (Madison HS); and 6-foot guard Devon Larson (Auburn Riverside HS).

Three games into the young season, the Saints are still working out the kinks, boasting a less than impressive (0-3) preseason record. The three losses were to Wenatchee Valley (73-56), Everett (9179), and Yakima Valley (83-70) community colleges.

“We are still trying to find each other and figure it out. We’re a little bit uncomfortable playing with one another, but we’re getting

better every game,” said Geoff Gibor, the Saints’ six-year head basketball coach. “We’ve been on the short side of wins and losses, but with that being said, we’re taking the proper steps.”

Gibor gave a quick run-through of how the team is handling the facets of the game.

“Defensively we’ve been pretty good for the most part; our transition defense needs to get better. Rebounding the ball we’ve been okay. We can get better though; I think we will.

“I think one of the things that we are starting to get better at is executing on offense. It’s something that we’ve been working on every day and it’s gotten significantly better,” he said. “Our field goal percentage has gone up every game.”

Every year college teams lose players, and in turn have to build new chemistry.

Chemistry is vital in how a team performs in practices and come game time, but this is not an issue for this year’s squad, Gibor said. “There’s a lot of new faces, but we actually have really good team chemistry.”

He continued: “There’s two sides to it: There’s a chemistry part and there’s just the physical aspect of playing together and knowing where everyone is going to be. I would say that they all get along really well.

Great team chemistry.”

While it’s still too early to pinpoint that one “impact player,” Gibor discussed which players are lifting the team through doing the little things. “I really like our sophomores.

They’ve (Brown, Marandyuk, Wallace, Anderson) done a really good job. Those guys

Photo by Beka Haugen - the advocate

(top left) Saints team photo. (top right and above) Men practice before the Fisher’s Tech Invitational at the College of Southern Idaho.

SAINTS IMPACT PLAYERS THROUGH THREE GAMES Oleg Marandyuk (6’3” G/F): 13.0 points, 8.7 rebounds

Harris Morgan (6’10” F):

11.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks

Jamal Muhammad (6’0” G): 10.0 points

Jason Wallace (6’9” PF):

7.3 points and 7.0 rebounds

have done a good job of trying to help lead this team,” he said. “I would say that Kylelle has done a good job in running the team.

Oleg’s done a good job vocally and with his toughness.

And, “the younger guys have done a good job coming in trying to learn,” he said.

Gibor discussed his goals for the long season ahead, “Obviously, we want to continue to get better in the preseason. The goal is to win every game, but if we can continue to get better, that’s what we want.

“We want to build ourselves into league (play). Last year, we saw ourselves go from an 11-2, No. 1 (rank) in the NWAACC preseason team to somebody who lost a play in game and didn’t get into the tournament. We want to make sure that we’re building. We look at it as a staircase, taking the next step every day.”

Up next for the Saints is the Fisher’s Tech Invitational in Twin Falls, Idaho. Late Thursday afternoon (after The Advocate’s press deadline), the Saints took on the “big” and “athletic” Gillette Community College of Wyoming (who average 107 points per game) to start off the tourney.

In the second game, Mt. Hood will play Westwind Prep, out of Phoenix, Ariz. The Saints finish off the Invitational against undefeated “powerhouse” host CSI (College of Southern Idaho).

Gibor sees good things ahead.

“We have a really good upside. I like the potential of the team,” he said. “The schedule doesn’t get any easier. We play a really hard preseason for that exact reason. We want to get better.”

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the advocate

NEWS

December 5, 2014

Students travel abroad to learn language and culture Hayden Hunter the advocate

A group of Mt. Hood students went to San Isidro, Costa Rica, last winter through Mt. Hood’s study abroad program to earn Spanish credits from native speakers and so much more.

“It was one of the most life-changing things I have ever done. I did not come back the same person,” said Carrie Chupp, one of the group members, who is interested in studying journalism.

Some of the students had never traveled before, so going with nearly two dozen fellow students was very helpful. Upon arrival, students were paired with a host family that housed and fed them for the entirety of their stay, said Eryn Wise, another student. Everything Chupp ate was harvested from her host family’s farm, she said.

Living with the host family was a very different experience, said Chupp. “One of the things that was hard to get used to was throwing toilet paper in the trash rather than the toilet.”

Wise said, “I didn’t really experience any culture shocks because I knew ahead of time everything would be different, but, funny story: When I first returned to the States it took me about a week to get used to throwing my

TP in the toilet rather than the trash.”

Another shock for some students was the lagging technology in Costa Rica. People did not have tablets, and were still using flip phones, said Chupp.

“My bedroom only had a bed with a sheet and a table in it,” said Chupp. Where this might seem daunting to students, she viewed it as a humbling experience. “They don’t have tablets or phones over there … you only flush the toilet once a day, unless you poop, the showers are cold, TP goes in the trash so the pipes don’t get clogged, you just have to be such a minimalist about everything … I liked it, though, because it was humbling.”

There was academic value, as well. Wise said, “I studied Spanish and received credits for Spanish 201, 202, 203.”

The students did not need to be advanced Spanish speakers to join the group. Chupp knew little to no Spanish when she decided to go. Others had been learning Spanish for three years. The study abroad program does not refuse students because of their knowledge level.

“All I knew how to say is ‘I don’t understand’ … that changed after my first day,” she said.

She and others didn’t spend all of their time in class learning Spanish. When not studying, they were exploring. “We went on a lot of hikes … you don’t have your phone and when you come home and realize that, you have a

Photos provided by Carrie Chupp

Pictured from left: Carrie Chupp feeding a baby sloth; a typical farm house in Costa Rica. A group of MHCC students spent three months living with host families in San Isidro, Costa Rica. Along with the experience of living in San Isidro, students earned Spanish credits. If students are interested in studying in Costa Rica, they are encouraged to contact Paul Eckhardt at 503-491-7497 or paul.eckhardt@mhcc.edu.

‘What do I do?’ kind of moment.

“My favorite part was the beaches – they were mystical,” she said, comparing them to the beaches of Pandora, from “Avatar”.

To join Mt. Hood’s study abroad program, students must put up nearly five grand of their own money, Chupp noted.

She said it’s really worth it.

“Before Costa Rica, I was scared of speaking in Spanish, I was thrown into the language and had to get over my fear, “Wise said. “When I returned to the States … ( I ) had better success in my 300-level courses learning Spanish than I did in my 100-level courses, and I strongly believe it was because I immersed myself in the language.”

Battle ready to tackle marketing duties for Mt. Hood Hayden Hunter the advocate

Mt. Hood Community College’s new marketing director is on the job, following a long hiring process.

Administrators held a welcoming ceremony for Bruce Battle in the president’s office lobby on Monday, where he was able to meet and greet anyone who stopped by.

Battle has a bachelor’s degree in journal-

ism, with emphasis on public relations, and a master’s degree in public relations. “I have been working in the marketing field for 20 years,” he said.

The biggest thing Battle brings to the table at Mt. Hood is that he has worked in both “old” and “new” media and knows how they both work, he said.

The Director of Marketing position was created this year by President Debbie Derr, to encompass duties of the previous director of

communications and director of community engagements positions.

What this means is that Battle will be in charge of making sure the public view of Mt. Hood is a good image: “I see it as crafting the message that our community sees,” he said.

He said students and staff here make his job really easy. “I just have to show people the great stuff that goes on here,” he said, commenting on the stories of the staff and students. He said he is excited to get in touch with the Mt. Hood

community.

Battle talked briefly about the new marketing plan for MHCC put forward by marketing consultant Kristen Taylor.

With only a brief chance to look over the plan, he said, “There are a lot of things that are good in it, and a few things that I would like to add to it.

“I am thrilled by the opportunity to be here. It seems like a fantastic place with a lot of energy and potential,” he said.

Charman fills Klever’s big shoes for MHCC Foundation Greg Leonov the advocate

The Mt. Hood Community College Foundation has a new development officer named Judi Charman, who replaced Sunny Klever in mid-November.

Charman brings a wealth of experience to the job . She worked for Portland Public Schools’ foundation for nine years, and then worked for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America with Al Sigala, executive director in charge of the Foundation and alumni relations at Mt. Hood.

“When a position opened here, I was eager to get back into education, especially at the

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higher-ed level,” said Charman about coming to work at Mt. Hood. She said she is happy to be working with Sigala again. “We were a great team at Big brothers Big Sisters, and it’s a good working relationship here, too. I think our skills complement each other’s.”

Klever retired after 16 years at Mt. Hood.

Charman had the opportunity to work and develop a friendship with Klever after she arrived in September. “It’s bittersweet because I really liked working with her,” said Charman.

“For the short time we worked together, we really bonded quickly and intensely.”

Klever left behind some “big shoes to fill,” said Charman.

Although Charman is dedicated to edu-

cation fundraising and helping students with available resources for scholarships, she said her real passion is baking. “I’m a trained pastry chef,” said Charman, who previously had a bakery in San Francisco, where she studied at San Francisco City College.

She also attended Le Cordon Rouge in Sausalito, Calif.

Aside from baking and work, Charman enjoys camping on Mount Hood and hiking.

One of her favorite activities is participating in dragon boat races.

Dragon boating consists of “long boats, (with) 22 people paddling on each boat with a caller in the front, (a) tiller in the back,” she explained. “They have a huge dragon head on

them, and you kind of paddle on each side,” she said, describing the sport.

Charman has two children, a daughter, 20, and a son, 18. Both of them are students at the University of Oregon.

During the summers, Charman and her family spend their time camping, and they often visit Vancouver Island in Canada.

The diversity at MHCC and East County in general inspire Charman.

“I’m thrilled to be here, it’s a great staff, and I think that the college is serving... such a diverse population,” she said. “There’s young people, there’s old people, there are all kinds of people here. You can’t pinpoint it here, which is fantastic.”

the advocate

LIFESTYLE

December 5, 2014

Portland area has some dam problems Joseph Frantz

MHCC Business major Guest Contributer Through 12 years in the military I’ve deployed to 11 different countries. I’ve been lucky enough to see and experience many different cultures and regions. I’ve also borne witness to some of the lowest forms of poverty on earth. So imagine my surprise when I discovered people in conditions that rival any third-world country, here in the Portland area. Follow the Columbia River Gorge east and scattered among several large dams you will find what can only be described as shanty towns of Native Americans. All the residents claim to have been displaced by back water created by those dams. That makes this much more than just people living in extreme poverty. Being displaced makes them refugees: Portland’s refugees.

A total of four dams were built on the Columbia River, east of Portland, on the Oregon-Washington border. Their purpose is to generate electricity for the Pacific Northwest.

Construction began in the 1930s and wrapped up in the 1970s. Each time, backwater quickly inundated the area just upstream. The region had been home to countless small Native American fishing communities that relied on the Columbia for sustenance. As the backwater built up, it flooded everything. Whole

While these facilities were meant as a camping and fishing site, they have become permanent. A generation or more later, they are still there.

A federal fact finding report from earlier this year concluded that the Native Americans at these sites were displaced by the dams.

Unfortunately no funding is available for this issue beyond the initial report so any further action would require congressional approval. Given the divisive political climate today there is little chance of any movement on the The real problem today matter during this Congress’s term. The Cois that Portland feels it is lombia River Housing Authority is working with various Native American organizations too hip to help. to help these communities. In the mean time, -Joseph Frantz residents remain at these sites with little hope MHCC Business major for immediate assistance.

When I moved to Portland one of the malater, are still there, calling Lone Pine, Ore., jor draws was the idea of living in a socially conscious community. Instead, I fear I have their home.

While these people might call Lone Pine found myself in another corporate American home, it is not a town. Lone Pine is a fishing city built at the expense of the less fortunate. station created by the federal government to How is it that the modern Rose City of hipcompensate the tribes that lost their homes to pies, hipsters, and hip coffee could exist right The Dalles Dam. It is meant to provide a fish- next to these refugee camps that came to be ing location, but in reality has been inhabited less than 40 years ago? Unlike the Civil Rights by these tribes since its creation. Lone Pine is movement for our parents and grandparents, one of 31 such stations around the four dams, or the problem of slavery from our history each containing nothing more than a fish books, this is happening now, in our commucleaning station, a couple public restrooms nity. The real problem today is that Portland and showers, one dock, and an access road. feels it is too hip to help.

Native American communities were wiped out. No one knows exactly how many villages were destroyed or how many people were displaced; the government did not bother to contact the communities and conduct a count before the waters came. However, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report did note that The Dalles Dam destroyed two entire villages.

Many inhabitants from those villages chose to stay in the area. Those refugees, a generation

Megan Jones steps down from position

T P5 SONGS

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Guess what this week’s theme is? Christmas is coming!

1

PAUL MCCARTNEY | SIMPLY HAVING A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME

2

MICHAEL BUBLE | IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

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After 12 years, Perceptions magazine will have a new editor Adam Elwell the advocate

The office of Megan Jones, managing editor of Perceptions, is lined with little canvases. The one showing a hedgehog puffing on a pipe with pink bubbles, and a picture from a little kid - a hedgehog with yellow spikes stand out the most, however.

“I have a hedgehog,” said Jones. “My niece drew that, of Edith Ann (Jones’ hedgehog), I think. It’s sort of like my personality - big and soft on the inside, but prickly on the outside.”

Perceptions is MHCC’s own literary magazine. It’s published once a year, and according to Jones is “completely done by students. We try to keep it totally in-house.”

Jones, who has been the director for twelve years now, is on her last year of working on the magazine. Collecting submissions, talking to editors, producing ads, are all in a day’s work for Jones, who is also an academic adviser at Mt. Hood.

“The only time it really feels like work is when I have to remind my editors (to com-

plete tasks). It is enjoyable,” she said. “That’s why I’ve stuck with it so long.”

Jones considers the magazine as much a work of art itself, as the content in it, she said, while scanning the art on her own walls and eventually landing back on the hedgehog.

“I think the pipe is mirroring the same thing because when you think of a pipe you think of like a crusty, old man, but then you see the bubbles, so it’s like, ‘Awww, you’re a kid, too,’ ” she concluded.

Hedgehogs and bubbles aside, the magazine stays pretty grounded. This year, it will feature some content from places as far away as China and Russia. Jones said that when she started, her goal, “was to get a lot of people to submit, and to get really awesome work,” and she believes she has succeeded, to some extent. “We are definitely getting better at it.”

Despite Perceptions’ growing weight in the local literary world, Jones stays low-key. “I don’t even know how the word got out, to be honest,” she said with a chuckle.

Jones’ adventures in English at MHCC are coming to an end, though. “I’m leaving

MHCC and Perceptions, which will be super weird for me because I’ve worked here since 1999, in one position or another,” she said.

“The reason is that I’m getting my graduate teaching degree. January through June 2015, I will be completing my full-time student teaching - six weeks with some lucky middle school social studies victims, and then 12 weeks with high school math students,” she explained.

After Jones leaves, writing and philosophy major David Ahlson will take over.

Ahlson said he has big shoes to fill, and that “it’s kind of a loss. Megan has been doing this for 12 years, so it is sad to see her leaving, but at the same time it is good to get some new blood pumping. It’s a little bittersweet.”

He doesn’t doubt the direction Jones is leaving the magazine headed toward, however.

“What I love about is that it is a literary magazine of the arts. I think they mimic each other (life and art), I think it is totally synergistic. They feed off each other,” Ahlson said, giving credit to Jones for this “lasting legacy.”

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS | CHRISTMAS DON’T BE LATE

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BING CROSBY | WHITE CHRISTMAS

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FRANK SINATRA | HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

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