theThe independent student voice of

Mt. Hood Community College

page 3

FORENSICS COACH

SNUGGLES CHIHUAHUA

TAKES A BREAK AND

advocate Gresham, O regon | Oc tobe r 12 , 2012 | Vo l ume 48 , I s sue 4

WWW.ADVOCATE -ONL INE .NE T

SWEEPS COUGARS OFF THEIR PAWS AND STILL

VOLLEYBALL

page 4DOMINATES

Empty board seat has fiveapplicants

Breast Cancer AwarenessJohn Tkebuchava

The Advocate

The Mt. Hood Community College Dis-trict board will appoint a new board mem-ber Wednesday to serve the unexpired term of Ralph Yates, whose resignation was effective last month.

Five candidates applied for the position by the Oct. 3 deadline: Catherine Baker, Andre Wang, Paul Capell, Katherine Kralj and James Zordich.

Whoever the board chooses at its 6 p.m. meeting will serve the remainder of Yates’s term. A May 2013 election will determine who will serve a full four-year term.

The candidates answered questions as a part of their application and one of the common stated goals was to provide af-fordable and quality education for MHCC students. Other input came from personal interviews this week with The Advocate.

•

Catherine Baker, a second-year MHCC political science student and an Associated Student Government member, when asked what her reasoning was behind applying for the open position, said, “I thought may-be this is the kind of thing I should go for and since my major is political science and I do want to sit on a board of education (as a part of a career),” she said.

“This would be a great experience for me. Even if I don’t get the seat, I can cam-paign in May,” said Baker.

As for what she would be able to pro-vide the board as a new member, she said, “I feel that I can give the view of the stu-dents more accurately (being a student her-self).”

Asked what she feels the focus of the board should be, Baker said she feels the board currently puts most of its focus on fi nancial issues and politics.

“There needs to be more balance be-tween money and people,” she said.

“I think students are really tired of not having any say and having any voice. I would appreciate the chance to be their voice.”

A nation-wide effort in search of a cure

See “Board” on Page 6

Local MEChA chapter sup-ports and encourages progress and pride in Mexican-Americans

Club Feature:

Katelyn HilsenbeckThe Advocate

The MHCC volleyball team took steps to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with its annual “Dig Pink” match last Friday.

“It seems like it’s grown even more each year,” said head Coach Chelsie Speer.

The team dressed in pink for its match against Clackamas Community College, which they won in three straight sets. They will also be wearing pink Saturday at the Shoreline Crossover Tournament.

The girls showed their support by adding pink bows to their shoes and hair.

“They brought more to it,” said Speer. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been in

place for more than 25 years to promote awareness about breast cancer.

Other organizations in the Portland Metro area are also stepping up to raise awareness. Northwest Personal Training will be hosting the “Girlfriends Half Marathon” Sunday at 9 a.m. in Vancouver., Wash. Registration is accepted until Saturday; the cost is $80.

All of the profi ts will go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Kearney Care Center. For more information on this event, visit www.nwpersonaltraining.com.

A local Gresham orthodontist, Tom Hardin, hopes to bring a smile to a breast cancer survivor’s face.

Until Oct. 16, for every new “like” on the Hardin Orthodontics Facebook page, Hardin Orthodontics will donate $1; matching up to $2,000. They draw a name from a list of breast cancer survivors and the winner will be sent on a weekend getaway.

The Komen Eugene Race for the Cure will be held Oct. 21 starting at Autzen Stadium. The various races will begin between 7:30-9:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.komenoregon.org.

In addition, the National Football League has collaborated with the American Cancer Society. Survivors have been incorporated into the national anthem performances, and pink can be seen on the play-ers and on the sidelines throughout October.

Major League Baseball went to bat against breast cancer last spring on Mother’s Day continuing its tradition since 2006. Players, coaches and umpires sport pink accessories and players even use pink bats.

Even though the event is not in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, MLB has partnered with the Komen organization to help fi nd a cure for breast cancer. Pink merchandise is also available in the “Shop” section of www.mlb.com.

The Susan G. Komen organization encourages breast self-awareness. Talking to your doctor about your family’s health history and your own risk can raise awareness about your risk of developing breast cancer. Mammo-grams are recommended every year starting at age 40. In addition, a clinical breast exam should be scheduled a minimum of every three years begin-ning at age 20.

Self-evaluation is also important in reducing your risk. Notify your doctor if any changes to your breasts occur, such as lumps, swelling or a change in shape or size. A list of what to look for can be found on Komen’s website at www.komenoregon.org.

page 8

advocateadvocate

By now, most people have been asked the question, “Are you registered to vote?” With a major election coming up, pressure to register is intensifying.

So what does one do if not drawn to Re-publican or Democrat?

After listening to the same regurgitated crap spewing from the mouths of presiden-tial candidates year after year, I decided it was time to look at the other options. I had been without a political party most of my voting years, but I was starting to feel like I needed to participate more in the system that has control of my country. I was feel-ing disconnected from those who said they were looking out for “our” best interests —and the only way I can change that is with my vote.

From my searching, I found the Libertar-ian Party, ‘The party of principle’, the third largest political group in the United States. There are other political parties out there as well. The Green Parties of North America

is concerned for the eco-system and world peace, while the Communist Party USA is about putting humans and nature before profi ts. There are others. The Libertarian Party happened to align with my beliefs bet-ter than the others.

This comes from the Libertarian Party preamble: “As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifi ce his or her values for the benefi t of others.”

I have known a lot of great people in my life. Some of them are gay. I can see absolutely no reason why gays should not be able to marry and have the same benefi ts of heterosexuals. It is a waste of my tax money for this issue to even be coming up in the courts, especially as often as it has. The Libertarian view is that it is the individual’s choice, not so-ciety’s. Check.

I believe the people should be in control of their govern-ment, not the other way around. The Libertarian view is that there should be minimum government and maximum freedom. Check.

I believe that a strong coun-try should help out a country in need when that country asks for the help. They hold to the idea of a foreign policy of non-interven-tion. Again, a check.

“We hold that all individu-

als have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose,” from the Libertarian statement of principles.

The thing that has held me to the Liber-tarian party so strongly is the above state-ment. I do not feel anyone else has any right to tell another how to live their life, if that person is not affecting other’s lives due to their actions. Once we are “grown up,” do we really need someone else dictating our lives? I can’t answer for everyone, but I must say that no, I do not need anyone tell-ing me how to live my life.

So this year, when I go to vote, I will be voting for the Libertarian

nominees, Gov. Gary John-son for president and Judge Jim Gray for vice president.

I would encourage any-one who feels unattached

and unrepresented by the two major political parties to look

at the other po-litical parties out there.

A good place to start is www.

greyhawkes.com/ps/parties. html, which has a list of

political par- ties and organizations. To learn more about the Libertarian party, go to www.lp.org.

May the vote be within you.

Co-Editors-in-ChiefJohn Tkebuchava & Mike Mata

Associate EditorKylie Rogers

Living Arts EditorShelby Schwartz

Assistant Living Arts EditorDorothy Ocacio

Opinion EditorJeff Hannig

News EditorMike Mata

Sports EditorJohn Tkebuchava

Copy EditorsKylie Rogers & Dorothy Ocacio

WebmasterLogan Scott

Advertising ManagerJen Ashenberner

Photo EditorJeff Hannig

Mt. Hood Community College26000 SE Stark Street

Gresham, Oregon 97030

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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 refl ect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

the advocateDaniele Caldwell

Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Brandon Kissir

Shaun Lutz

Aaron Marshall

Danny Perez-Crouse

Lisa Sorenson

Kayla Tatum

ReportersTyler Heyl

Jonathon Long

Photographers

Howard Buck

Dan Ernst

Bob Watkins

Advisers

OpinionOct. 12, 20122

Dorothy OcacioThe Advocate

“Which political party do you associate with most?”

Democrat

Republican

Libertarian

Other

Student Feedback:

Free speech zone

www.advocate-online.net

Give us your answer and leave us a comment at:

Everyone should move to their own beat

With parking permits and lines at the ki-osks a thing of the past, the MHCC adminis-tration has instead made it universal for all students to pay to be on campus.

As many of you know, the administra-tion has tacked on the Access Fee in place of the Parking Permit Fee from last year. This move makes it mandatory for all students to pay, not just those parking on campus. The Advocate lauds this action, but wonders why it has taken the administration so long to make this change.

Now, before you start heating up the tar and gathering the feathers to come after us for supporting a fee, let us explain why we champion the Access Fee.

According to the MHCC website, the Access Fee was chosen to replace the Park-ing Permit Fee for two reasons: it’s a more convenient method for students to pay a fee and that the $35 Access Fee will raise more money than the $25 Parking Permit Fee.

In the proposal for the Access Fee from

last year’s budget development, the project-ed net revenue would be between $615,000-$ 1.3 million. The gross revenue projections for the Parking Permit Fee showed $450,000 with $44,000 in projected net revenue. Jen-nifer Dement, director of fi nance & budget, said of the parking permit fee, “I don’t think we were really generating revenue at all.

“Clearly, not as many students bought the permits. I think they (the administra-tion) thought 80 percent of students would buy the permits, but people were parking at the theater or they were parking on cam-pus with no permit and just winging it and if they got caught, they would only have to pay the day permit,” she added.

The implementation of the parking per-mit fee, which was more than $400,000 ac-cording to Dement, included signage and parking permit fee kiosks.

According to the MHCC website, the ki-osks are considering to be repurposed into electronic directions and the signs are going

to be repurposed into wayfi nding signs to help navigation on campus.

According to Director of Safety & Secu-rity Gale Blessing, the Access Fee is instead added on to the bill of every student en-rolled for credit classes at MHCC, whether they’re on campus or taking online classes.

The reason The Advocate supports the Access Fee is that if students are going to be charged for being on campus, the adminis-tration ought to charge all students equally. With the Parking Permit Fee last year, many students were able to dodge paying the fee by parking for free on 17th Street or in the business parking lots across from campus.

So, the lackluster performance of the Parking Permit Fee led to a $10 increase in fees. According to the proposal for the Ac-cess Fee from last year’s budget develop-ment, the revenue of the fee is supposed to broken down into several areas: $60,000 would be used for four more part-time Pub-lic Safety Offi cers on patrol in the parking

lots to cut down on crime; $45,000 for more surveillance cameras; $5,500 for more bik-ing-related equipment on campus such as more locks and racks; and also to subsidize TriMet monthly passes by 10 percent for stu-dents, using approximately $ 4,500.

According to Dement, the rest of the rev-enue will go into the General Fund and be used to support other areas of campus such as infrastructure projects and increased se-curity for online students.

We support the administration’s decision to implement this fee. However we believe the Access Fee would’ve been more effective last year than having the Parking Permit Fee and having to now try and make up for that fee’s less than marvelous performance.

The Administration has taken steps in the right direction. We just hope that this experiment fares better than the parking permits that can still be seen swinging on some cars like pendulous relics of a defunct system.

Editorial: The cost of access to MHCC education

Last week’s results:

News 3the advocate

Shark of a forensics director takes a year off Lisa Sorenson

The Advocate

Shark. Control freak. No-nonsense. Shannon Valdivia, the 5-foot-1-inch di-

rector of the award-winning MHCC foren-sics team, doesn’t deny these words used to describe her. But there came a point last spring when she realized she needed a break.

Valdivia made the decision to take one year off as leader of the school’s highly re-garded debate team. Former assistant Liz Kinnaman is serving as interim director for the 2012-13 academic year, before Valdivia intends to return.

“The only reason I considered (a year off) was because I had Liz as my assistant,” said Valdivia.

With an admitted controlling streak, Valdivia just had to know that if she were to step aside, her replacement could hold the team to the high level of excellence for which it has become known.

After speaking with Michael Dugaw, her mentor and former coach at Lower Co-lumbia College (LCC) in Longview, Wash., Valdivia knew it was time to follow through with her “crazy idea.” Dugaw asked her if she was having fun, or if she was starting to resent her forensics work. Her reply to both questions was “sometimes.”

Dugaw told her to take a break and to not apologize for it.

Valdivia, 41, said serving as forensics

director for more than 10 years has been extremely time-intensive, emotionally and physically exhausting, and required many personal sacrifices.

Those commitments have played a big role in her single status and the fact she has no children, she said.

“It’s hard to explain to someone that they are going to share you with 10-12 students… or explaining why I’m here until 11 p.m. working with (the students) on a week before a tournament,” she said.

All the while, Valdivia had the added burden of caring for her disabled moth-er, who lives with her and is fighting a seventh battle with Non-Hodgkins lym-phoma.

Her mother’s cancer resurfaced about a month after Valdivia made the decision to step down as director.

“The Good Lord must have known something was coming,” said Valdivia.

The cancer helped to validate her choice, but she has mixed emotions about leaving forensics, if only temporarily.

She continues to teach at MHCC and finds it difficult to be around the buzz of the team before a tournament, knowing she’s not in charge. She plans to get away and go to a Washington State football game in Pullman this weekend while the foren-sics team competes at its first tournament at Lewis and Clark College, so she won’t be tempted to coach.

She plans to attend a few of the tour-naments at MHCC, including one against Lower Columbia College, where she began her forensics career and earned her associ-ates degree in speech.

Since relinquishing control, Valdivia has more time for reading, photography and caring for her mother. Asked how she de-stresses, she erupted in laughter and eventually answered with “sleep.”

Valdivia enjoys grabbing a beer with friends and labels herself a “beer snob.”

She also frequently totes around her eight-pound Chihuahua, Chuy, who she

calls her current boyfriend. “He loves me unconditionally and doesn’t give me any crap,” she said.

Although Valdivia has sometimes felt underappreciated and wonders about life if she hadn’t been so devoted to forensics, she has no regrets. Many students have become her extended family, and she’s not good with compliments, anyway, she said.

Her advice to anyone pursuing a career in forensics: “It won’t pay you squat, but the rewards are endless and sometimes you may not know what those rewards are until

Michelle Gregory has been assigned the former duties of the vice president of the Office of College Advancement under a different title.

Cassie McVeety previously was the vice president but left MHCC for a position at Pacific University. Gregory had previously served as executive coor-dinator for Strategic Initiatives and Board Relations and is now the director of Board Relations and Com-munity Development.

In The Advocate’s June issue, it was reported that there was a reorganization of administrative staff in-cluding vice presidents and dean that went into effect July 1.

At the start of the fiscal year, Gregory took on leadership of the College Advancement Office. An-other change that occurred during the same time is

the involvement of the IP department now working within the college advancement department to re-fresh the website and make it more useable for stu-dents and more accessible by the community.

In the future, Gregory said she hopes to develop a capital campaign to address challenges with the fa-cility. Gregory said that since the college was estab-lished in 1966, it has seen considerable wear and tear and she desires to work with the college foundation toward physical plant improvement. In 2016, the col-lege will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the facility, which Gregory said is a huge landmark.

Asked about her thoughts on her new position, Gregory said, “It’s challenging and it’s interesting — and I’m learning lot.”

— Danny Perez-Crouse

Regina Arellano, a Portland State University adviser, will visit the MHCC Advising and Transfer Center Wednesday for one-on-one meetings with stu-dents interested in transferring to PSU.

The meetings will be held in the Advising and Transfer Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

There will be a longer, more in-depth presentation Nov. 20. These are not just for students interested in transferring to PSU, but all students looking to transfer.

Appointment times for Wednesday are listed below along with Arellano’s contact information. Students should contact Arellano ahead for an appointment at reginaa@pdx.edu or by calling 503-725-4005.

The appointment times next week are: 9-9:30 a.m.; 9:45-10:15 a.m.; 10:30-11 a.m.; 11:15-11:30 a.m.; 11:40-12:10 p.m.; and 12:15-12:45 p.m. Each session is reserved for a private one-on-one meeting scheduled beforehand.

— Cameron Miller

Danny Perez-CrouseThe Advocate

Coming from Lane Community College in Eugene, John

Hamblin has taken over as the new manager of admissions, registration and records.

Hamblin replaces Peggy Maas, who retired last summer after 30 years of working for MHCC

At Lane Community College, Hamblin was the director of student enrollment. Hamblin said he enjoyed his time at Lane, adding that he cherishes the experience he gained there and believes it will complement his work at MHCC. He said he will miss the friendships and bonds he made at Lane but plans to make many new ones at MHCC. Hamblin said he has felt very welcomed and supported.

Hamblin said that given the great success the college has had in its history around student success, it was an obvious fit for him.

“Personally and professionally, Mt. Hood Community College feels like a great place where great things can hap-pen. I am excited for this year and the future here at the col-lege,” said Hamblin.

He has been a peer of Maas for the past few years and looked at her as a very successful registrar and viewed her and her work with high regard.

Hamblin said the transition from Eugene to Gresham has been great. He moved to Gresham with his wife, Katie, and his two-year-old son, JJ.

He said they sold their house in Eugene fairly quickly, and besides occasionally getting lost in their new surround-ings, they are excited to be here and feel they are settling in

comfortably. Hamblin is a regular bike commuter. He drove to work

on his first day, which he says was weird, but has rode his bike to Mt. Hood every day since.

Hamblin’s duties as manager of admissions, registra-tions, and records include management of staff and pro-cesses around these areas. He was very enthusiastic about his new position, adding that student services is where he found his true passion.

Hamblin said he has worked very hard to get where he is and attributes much of his success to the help he has re-ceived along the way.

“I value stories and student experiences and I have had and value my own,” said Hamblin. He said he believes he is embarking on his greatest work and is excited for what he and the college can achieve together.

PSU adviser to visit MHCC Gregory takes on new position

News briefs

Photo

by Je

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nning

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Advo

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Former forensics director Shannon Valdivia helps Jared Ramirez, a business transfer student, with an outline for his fi rst speech in Speech 111.

Lane transplant takes over from Maas in Admissions

Oct. 12, 2012

Sports4

Photo

by Lo

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Aaron MarshallThe Advocate

The preseason for the NBA has offi cially started. The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night 93-75. Even though it was an exhibition game and Lakers superstars Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard did not play, the Blazers showed potential with their young team that is not expected to make the playoffs this year but is in a rebuilding stage.

The NBA regular season opens later this month and once again the Blazers have to start with injuries, as guard Elliot Williams tore his Achilles tendon in September in an off-season workout. Last season Wil-liams had to have season-ending surgery after dislo-cating his shoulder. In the year before that, Williams fractured the patella in his right knee. At this point I don’t know if it is the Blazers medical staff, or if the franchise just likes to draft injured players.

It seems like every year the Blazers have a new injury that just magically comes along.

But this is a whole new season, which includes two key rookies, point guard Damian Lillard and center Meyers Leonard.

During Lillard’s time at Weber State University, he suffered a broken foot and was forced to miss the ma-jority of his junior season.

Two years later, Lillard has big expectations from the team, as he has been labeled the Blazers’ point guard of the future.

I believe there is still hope for the Blazers this sea-son as long as the injury curse does not continue.

Rebuilding Blazers hope to stay healthy

Sport SC entral- Upcoming Pre-season Games -

New fi rst year player addi-tions to the Blazer team:

-Guard, #0 Damian Lillard, Weber State University

-Center, #11 Meyers Leon-ard, University of Illinois

-Guard, #5 Will Barton,

University of Memphis

-Forward, #18 Victor Claver,

(Valencia, Spain)

-Forward, #19 Joel Free-

land, (Farham, England)

Shaun LutzThe Advocate

Major League Baseball said goodbye last week to one of the best to play the game — Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves — after 19 years of holding down the hot corner and, for a brief period of time, left fi eld.

It’s rare to fi nd a player who spends a whole career in one uni-form. After a remarkable 2,592 games, Chipper has solidifi ed himself as one of, if not the, great-est Braves player ever, as well as a surefi re Hall of Famer.

Though he struggled with inju-ries late in his career, Jones was a professional in the dugout, and on the fi eld.

Jones was selected fi rst in the 1990 MLB draft, a sign that he would be a Braves staple for years. He was an unselfi sh team mem-ber, moving from third base to left fi eld in the 2002 season so the team could sign Vinny Castilla.

After hamstring injuries cost Castilla his job, Atlanta brought in Mark DeRosa. But as DeRosa struggled, Chipper made his way back to the spot he owned for the better part of his career.

Most players look out for themselves come time to sign a new contract, but Jones went the other direction in 2005 when he, his agent, and the front offi ce re-worked his contract. By taking a paycut he saved the team $15 mil-lion over the next three seasons.

His “team” attitude showed in his play as he broke into the league in 1993. After an ACL tear in 1994 cut short his season, he came back in 1995 to lead the Braves to their fi rst World Series title since 1957 (as the Milwaukee Braves).

Although it was his only World Series ring, Jones holds the Atlanta Braves record for most postseason appearances with 92 games. He was an eight-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, batting title winner in 2008 when he hit .364, and the 1999 league MVP.

His career ended with an early exit during last week’s controver-sial National League Wild Card game. Hitless until his last at bat, he snapped his bat on a squeaker up the middle and beat the throw for a single, a fi tting last hurrah.

Chipper wore two jersey num-bers in his illustrious career, 16 and 10. But his most important number may be 19 — for the number of outstanding, Hall of Fame-worthy years in Atlanta.

So from the rest of the baseball world outside of the southeast United States, thank you, Chipper. We’ll see you in Cooperstown.

Shaun LutzThe Advocate

After its strong earlier performance against divisional opponent Linn-Benton, the Saints volleyball team continued on a roll, sweeping the Clackamas Cougars last Friday in the “Dig Pink” match supporting breast cancer awareness.

Starting divisional play 4-0 is not an easy task, but the Saints followed their hard fought, 5-set victory again the Roadrunners by making quick work of the Cougars. With their sweep (25-22, 25-18, 25-17) of Clacka-mas, they were able to stay undefeated in the Southern Region, and move their overall re-cord to 17-6.

Middle blocker Kylie Kitzmiller had a game-high 14 kills on 29 attempts. Tori Kem-per added 12 kills, and sophomore Kelsey

Merritt added 16 digs during the sweep. Alyssa Hall assisted 22 times, and Morgan Entze 19 times, accounting for more than Clackamas did as a whole team.

The Saints also outblocked the Cougars 5-2, dominating in every category imagin-able.

Taking a brief break from league play, the team will head up to Shoreline, Wash., this weekend for the Shoreline Crossover tourna-ment.

They open against Blue Mountain, taking on a Timberwolves squad that has an over-all record of 27-0, best in the NWAACC to go along with their fi rm lead in the Eastern Re-gion. In their only matchup of the season, the Saints played three close games but lost all to the undefeated Timberwolves (26-24, 25-23, 15-11). Game two of this weekend’s tourna-ment has the Saints

facing the Bellevue Bulldogs. With an 18-6 overall record (6-0 divi-

sional), the Northern Region’s fi rst-place team will be looking to reverse its previous meeting with Mt. Hood, when the Saints won their fi rst home match of the year in four games, after dropping the fi rst (19-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-23).

In their third game of the weekend, Mt. Hood will be pitted against the Tacoma Ti-tans, the third-place team in the Western Re-gion.

The Titans have posted the same overall record as Mt. Hood has (17-6), but the two squads have yet to face each other this season. After this weekend’s tournament, the Saints will head back into league play, welcoming Umpqua to Gresham for a home game next Friday at 6 p.m..

Oct. 15 at Sacramento Kings, 7 p.m.

(not televised)

Tonight at Phoenix Suns, 7 p.m. on Comcast Sports

Network

- New Rookies -

Legendary Braves player will be missed

Saints sweep Cougars, still spotless in leagueBoth Linn-Benton and MHCC wore pink uniforms as a part of the “Dig Pink” match in support of breast cancer awareness. The Saints went on to beat the Cougars (25-22, 25-18, 25-17) bring them up to 4-0 in conference play.

Sports 5the advocate

Aaron MarshallThe Advocate Short on runners rather

than steam, the MHCC cross

ecampus.oregonstate.edu/cc13800-667-1465

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Mt.Hood.indd 1 10/2/12 1:58 PM

Aaron MarshallThe Advocate

Short on runners rath-er than steam, the MHCC cross country team has had it rough in its last two meets this season — running its last meet with incomplete teams — but there may be help on the horizon.

“We are working on getting two more women eligible for the Southern Re-gion Championship and the NWAACC Championship meets,” said cross country coach Matt Hart. “We will have them run as soon as they are eligible.”

With these potential addi-tions, things are looking up for the women’s team.

Asked whether the cross country team has considered cutting meets based on low participation, Hart said the Northwest Athletic Associa-tion of Community Colleges (NWAACC) has made it man-datory that all sport programs reduce the number of compe-titions for each season in an attempt to be more cost ef-fective in the economic times schools are going through.

“With cross country, it is hard on the body to push it hard too often so we don’t necessarily compete every weekend,” he said.

This is the second time in school history that MHCC has not had complete teams. The other year was 2005

“2005 was a challenge be-cause I had just come back into coaching at the college and inherited a program from the previous coach,” said Hart. “I am confi dent that MHCC will fi eld com-plete teams for the men and women this year.”

Though the team is short on runners, Hart said it is not at risk of being cut as a pro-gram.

“Cutting cross country wouldn’t help much as it doesn’t cost much to fi eld the team. Out of the nine ath-letic programs, men’s cross country and women’s cross country combined have al-most half the budget as the next cheapest sport,” Hart said. In some years, MHCC has “had over 20 combined student-athletes for the men’s and women’s cross country teams, all of which need to be full-time students to partici-pate,” he said.

“Low cost of participation plus a potential high roster count equals a profi t to the college,” said Hart.

Since the team is low on numbers, Hart said the team will have to work that much harder.

“I think the low numbers gives them a sense of ur-gency knowing that there is less room for error. On the women’s side, I am confi dent that we will have a complete team for both of our cham-pionship meets. I am proud of the efforts all of our men and women have put forth in practices, competitions and in their schooling,” said Hart. “We have a great group of student-athletes who have a strong desire to improve.”

Any students interested in running on the cross country team should contact Hart at 503-491-7455 or by e-mail at Matt.Hart@mhcc.edu.

The cross country teams will resume their season to-day at the Mike Hodges In-vitational at Clackamas Com-munity College in Oregon City. The meet begins at 3:30 p.m.

“I think the low numbers gives them a sense of urgency knowing that there is less room for error.”

- Matt Hart, cross country coach

Cross country hopes bye-week break can boost rosters

Baseball finishes ‘fall-ball’ at home

Sophomore Hunter Weiss battles in a plate appearance during the Saints last fall ball game of the season against Concordia.

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News6

PreviewDay

Join us 1 p.m. Saturday, October 13

Learn about Academic programs Application processPaying for college Campus life

Find Agenda, directions and RSVP at vancouver.wsu.edu/preview

Ask about the Border Bill—it lets Oregon residents pay in-state tuition.

•Andre Wang, a part-time business law instructor at

MHCC and a self-employed attorney, said he submitted his application after board chairman Dave Shields requested he do so.

Even though Wang is among the applicants, he said he is hesitant about serving on the board because he is a part-time instructor at MHCC.

On his board application, he wrote, “As an employee, I have reservations about serving on the MHCC Board of Education due to the inherent conflict.”

Wang currently serves on six other various boards, in-cluding the board of directors at Adventist Medical Center and the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce.

On his application, Wang wrote that he feels the com-munity resources at MHCC should be put to “wise and judi-cious use.”

•Paul Capell, member of the MHCC Foundation board,

is vice president of West Region Energy Lead at HDR Engi-neering Inc.

As for prior governmental experience, he was also the mayor of Prineville, Ore., from 1997-98. Capell also ran for a position on the district board last year.

Asked what he would be concentrating his efforts on should he be elected, Capell said that although he knows the college is faced with numerous challenges, he wants to “ensure quality education.”

“We need to continue offering affordable and quality education,” he added.

Capell says he is excited at the chance to work on the board at MHCC. “If selected, I am anxious and willing to serve the board,” he said.

•Katherine Kralj, who is recently retired and a former

counselor and student at MHCC, said that if chosen for the board, she is eager at the opportunity “to put time into the things I believe in,” primarily higher education.

Along with being a counselor at MHCC, Kralj has also been a counselor at other colleges and was a counselor at LaSalle High School.

“After being counselor at MHCC, I learned a lot about the college,” said Kralj.

As result of her work as a counselor and dealing with students directly, Kralj says, “I feel like I have a good handle on high school students and their families.”

Like the numerous other applicants, Kralj says she feels her priority as a board member would be to ensure that “community college is available and affordable.”

•James Zordich brings with him experience on numer-

ous other boards, including being a board member of the Southern California Historical Society. He recently served as a member of the Boring Water District Budget Review Com-mittee.

In response to the board application question of what he believes the role of MHCC should be in the community, Zordich wrote, “The principal mission of the college is that of providing an affordable and diversified post-secondary educational experience.”

As for why he applied, Zordich said, “It has been my long-held belief that a person cannot hold the right to criti-cize unless he actively participates in the process of resolu-tion.”

Zordich said he feels the board members should be more visible within the community and public relations need to be improved.

•To be eligible for the board position, applicants had to

be qualified voters in Multnomah County, north Clackamas Country or west Hood River Country and at least 18 years old. The board will review the applications Wednesday night before appointing a new board member.

The Crime Statistics and Se-curity Policies Annual Report for Jan. 1 to Dec. 21, 2011, is available at www.mhcc.edu/CleryRe-port.

The report shows the number of general crimes, hate crimes, and disciplinary statistics for both the Gresham and Bruning Center campuses. The Maywood campus is not included because it does not offer a degree program.

Gale Blessing, director of Safety & Security, said this report is im-portant so that “as students you can decide whether you want to come to MHCC or not.” She add-ed the report helps a student or prospective student determine if the campus is a safe.

The Clery Report is required for all two and four-year colleges to publish. It states Public Safety’s policies as well as their involve-

ment with local and national law enforcement authorities.

In the report, one can find how to report suspicions or crimes. In addition, all crimes are kept on a daily log that can be found under the Public Safety section of the MHCC website.

To receive a copy of the re-port, view the above link or stop by the Public Safety Office.

— Katelyn Hilsenbeck

News Briefs

MHCC’s Political Science Department has broadened its subject material with a fall term seminar about peace and conflict.

This seminar explores peace and conflict through the lens of intercultural communication and political science. Two of the main questions and issues the students will face are “What pre-vents people from resolving conflicts?” and “How do we resolve conflict using non-violent means?”

The seminar began Oct. 3 and continues until Nov. 28. Meetings are held on Wednesdays from 3:30 - 4:20 p.m. in Room AC1610. The facilitators are Campbell and Marilyn Brimo, an intercultural communications instructor.

Students can pick up registration slips if they are interested in taking the seminar for one credit but the seminar is also open for those who just want to attend for fun or extra-credit.

The seminar will also involve reactions to short readings. The weekly meetings consist of short

presentations followed by roundtable discussion of the specific topics being addressed.

“We try to define peace which can simply be the absence of violence, but more so it’s a harmonious environment. Once we define peace, then we dis-cuss how we can achieve that,” said Janet Camp-bell, a political science instructor. Students will also complete a small project that applies principles de-rived from the seminar to a current conflict.

Other seminars offered by the Political Science Department include the “Be An Informed Citizen” series, which highlights the larger political parties in America, as well as “Politics Through Dr. Seuss.” These seminars are known for student involve-ment and participation.

Questions can be addressed to Campbell at Ja-net.Campbell@mhcc.edu or in the Political Science Department.

— Cameron Miller

Political science seminar tackles confl ict resolution

Clery Report sheds light on campus crime

Board: Four of fi ve candidates hail from MHCC Continued from Page 1

Online Exclusive

F or more information on how Public Safety is look-ing to expand their servic-

es on campus, see the story at www.advocate-online.net

the advocate News 7

John Tkebuchava The Advocate

MHCC geography and criminal justice instructor Chris Gorsek, who is also a former police officer and Troutdale City Council member, is aiming for the 49th district State Representative seat in the No-vember general election.

Gorsek also ran for Oregon Senate last year, where he accumulated approximately 18,000 votes in a losing cause -- the winner drew 24,000.

Gorsek, who won the Democratic pri-mary in May, has been spending his summer campaigning and going from door to door throughout the community.

“(Campaigning) has gone very well,” said Gorsek, adding that he’s been meeting with other organizations and setting up endorse-ments with groups like the Working Families Party.

“We’ve had a couple productive fundraisers here in the last couple of weeks, so it’s been going really well,” he said.

Asked whether there has been a common concern for the state among the citizens he’s talked to through-out the summer, Gorsek said, “The thing that came up the most locally is the casino (The Grange). The other two key things are education and the economy.”

In regards to the Grange, Gorsek was skeptical of the claims made by companies tied to the proposed casino on positive effects on the community.

“I don’t support the Grange. I know that they talk about jobs, but what we want are really good living wage jobs. I’m not convinced that that’s what we’ll get,” he said.

In general, job creation is something Gorsek is a major advocate for and says it would be one of his main focuses should he be elected.

Gorsek also says he feels it is important to try and fix and clean up the state’s schools and other in-frastructure, saying a “lot of it is wearing out,” and hopes to tie it all in with job creation.

In response to how he would create these jobs, Gorsek said, “If we were to start a fund where we would slowly start a fund where we slowly but surely work on the worst of these buildings, that would pro-vide good decent construction type jobs.”

“We’re going to have to start working on our in-frastructure more,” he said, referring to roads and bridges as examples.

He said along with the workers needed to physi-cally do the job, you also need someone to provide the supplies and services, so the effect would build up overtime.

Education and all aspects of the finance involved in it is another one of his major concerns.

Gorsek said he is particularly worried for commu-nity colleges because the state is looking more to base funding on degree completion rather than the tradi-tional FTE (Full-Time-Equivalent) head count.

“The problem is com-munity colleges do a lot of things that don’t lend itself to completion,” said Gorsek.

Tuition, which has risen with the decreasing state funding to MHCC, is also something Gorsek says he is worried about.

“I’m concerned about tuition increases, I’m con-cerned about education costs,” said Gorsek, add-ing should he be elected,

he would do anything he could to solve these issues. Gorseks says with a better-educated populace,

companies will be more likely to bring their business-es here as well.

“Good schools prepare students for the real world,” added Gorsek.

“I think it’s the beginning of everything.”Asked why Gorsek feels he would be a good fit

for the role of state representative, Gorsek referred to his background in education, the police force and lo-cal government.

“I think that the jobs I have had immerse you in the real world. With the education background plus that background, that makes me a really good candi-date for understanding the issues that face average people and being sensitive to those issues,” he said.

“I really want to work to make things better for middle-income folks,” said Gorsek.

With the election month creeping just around the corner, Gorsek was asked about his chances. He said, “I feel really good. Our big thing in this district is we have a 14-point democratic registration edge over my opponent and I’m also endorsed by the worker’s fam-ily party and also won the independent primary so I will be running under all three of those.”

Even if he doesn’t claim the seat next month, Gorsek said he may continue to pursue a career in politics.

“I’m definitely interested in continuing looking to work in government. What that would look like, I don’t know, but I would definitely be interested in running again,” said Gorsek.

—Editor’s note: An article on Gorsek’s opponent Matt Wand will appear in next week’s Advocate.

Instructor looks to become a state rep.

Daniele Caldwell The Advocate

Political science instructor Janet Campbell explained beliefs and strategies of the Republican Party Wednesday in the first of a series of political forums at MHCC.

In the forum she took on the role of a partisan conservative. She will portray liberal and third-party voters in two ad-ditional forums scheduled next Wednesday and Oct. 24.

Campbell began her 10-minute presentation by discussing the opinions of three core groups within the Republican Party — religious fundamentalists, modern conservatives and neo-conservatives.

Talking from a Republican viewpoint, she described common be-liefs on several topics including the economic system, the legal system, human nature and freedom. She explained how the legal system as-sumes humans are rational beings — but described how in reality we are reactionary, pleasure seeking and lazy. She said Americans need capitalism “in order to survive in society” because it is incentive for lazy people to get a job and forces us to be productive, and pointed out how “once you own property, you care about it.”

According to Campbell (and supported by the most recent Gallup poll), 28 percent of registered voters in the U.S. are Republicans and 32 percent are Democrats. However, only about 30 percent of eligible adults turn out to vote in national elections, she said.

Of those who consistently do vote, about 20 percent are religious fundamentalists, so Republicans cater to them, she said. This national election is mainly about voter turnout, which is why the Democrats are encouraging more people – the less dedicated voters -- to get out and vote.

“Religious fundamentalists (reliably) vote, number one -- so that’s why any Republican candidate is going to take more of this position than anything else. McCain did it; Mitt Romney’s doing it right now. They vote 100 percent of the time, and they have an audience,” Camp-bell said.

MHCC student Brit Parker said young people are less focused. “People in their 20s don’t feel connected to voting,” he said, mostly because they do not believe that their vote will make a difference.

During follow-up discussion, English instructor Beth Sammons brought up the proposed Wood Village development that appears on Oregon’s election ballot (Measures 82 and 83), “The Grange.” She said promotional commercials barely mention it will be a non-Native American-owned casino, but anti-Grange ads emphasize the complex will be a real, live gambling casino.

Sammons also commented on the large sums of money Republi-cans are spending to prevent voter fraud. Critics accuse the party of trying to suppress voter turnout with tougher rules that could mostly affect Democratic voters.

“It’s not about voter fraud; it’s about making voting harder for Democrats,” Sammons said.

Campbell will take the position of a liberal this Wednesday and that of American third parties, such as libertarians and socialist Democrats, on Oct. 24. All the forums will be 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. in the Bob Scott Room, in the north end of the MHCC library.

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Students trekked across campus during an evacuation drill on Thursday morning. The drill was the second of the week with one being held Wednesday evening. According to a press release sent by Communications Director Maggie Huffman, alarms on the south side of the Gresham campus and the Visual Arts did not activate. MHCC is working with a contractor to address the problem.

Political forum seeks to explain various conservative philosophies

Campus on the move

Living ArtsOct. 12, 2012

8Dorothy Ocacio

The Advocate

“La Union Hace La Fuerza” translated means “Unity Makes Strength”. This is the motto for the MEChA Club, a national orga-nization with campus branches across the country. MHCC has a chapter as well.

MEChA stands for Movimiento Estu-diantil de Aztlán, which means ‘Chican@ Student Movement of Aztlán. The @ refl ects gender neutrality within the organization.

The group promotes higher education, culture and history of Chicano/a students. It began in 1969 as an effort to bring together several organizations with the focus of im-proving the conditions of U.S.-born His-panics. A gathering in Santa Barbara, Calif., brought together members from various groups, which laid down El Plan de Santa Barbara. From this came two important con-tributions; MEChA and Chicano Studies.

Elizabeth Perry, bilingual and culturally diverse student retention coordinator, is the MHCC adviser for MEChA.

“It grew out of that movement,” said Perry about the founding of the organiza-tion. “The type of discrimination, the type of roadblocks that were in students’ ways, were signifi cant.”

Since its formation, MEChA “has been responsible for moving students towards educational excellence, advocating for the rights of students and community involve-ment,” Perry said. “Once you’re a ME-ChAista, really it’s not like an identity that you just have here at Mt. Hood Community College. It’s something you continue to hold

on to, and there are many MEChAistas in their seventies who continue to give back to the community so it’s the idea that the iden-tity is part of you.

“Coming to the college to get your for-mal education, you’re not leaving your com-munity behind. Rather, you’re making an in-vestment in yourself so you can once again invest in the commu-nity,” Perry said.

Agustin Torres is a coordinator for ME-ChA at Portland State University who came out Tuesday to the Club Fair to support the MHCC chapter.

“They (MEChA) want to draw atten-tion” to the lives of Chicano/as in Amer-ica, Torres said. Cul-tural connections, encouragement and assistance to attend college and making Chi-cano/as aware of available opportunities are the club’s goals, Torres said.

Oscar Sanchez joined MEChA this past summer. He enrolled at MHCC last year and is taking general studies. He plans to earn a teaching degree so he can teach high school history.

The MHCC club promotes by word of mouth, with members reaching out to Chicano/a students in the community and

on campus, Sanchez said.There are currently about 15 active mem-

bers, but that number likely will rise as the term progresses, according to Perry.

MEChA organizes events, such as danc-

es, conferences and cultural activities, to promote education and inform students about community issues. Political aware-ness and educational drive are two of the goals that MEChA stresses.

Last week, MEChA sponsored a talk to inform students and community members about the deferred action legislation Presi-dent Obama signed into effect on June 15. The action gives noncitizens between the ages of 15 and 31 who were brought to

America as small children, with no perma-nent resident status, a window to adjust their status temporarily.

MEChA also helps with fi nancial re-sources through active fundraising to create

college scholarships. It is an annual goal, Perry said.

MEChA also will soon host a celebra-tion of “Dia de los Muertos,” or Day of the Dead, a tradition-al holiday in Mexico. The day is typically celebrated Nov. 1, often extending to the 2nd. One day is a dedication for adults, and the next is for children, who have passed. It is a time for friends and family to gather and remember those they have lost.

Date and time for the event, to be held on the MHCC campus, will be decided at MEChA’s next meeting, from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday.

For information on the location of Thurs-day’s meeting, contact the Student Union (formerly named the College Center). Regu-lar club meeting times and locations have not yet been set.

To fi nd out more about the club, contact Elizabeth Perry at Elizabeth.perry@mhcc.edu.

Kylie RogersThe Advocate

“This all sounds like something I’ve heard before,” was my fi rst reac-tion upon hearing the Death Cab for Cutie front man’s debut attempt at a solo album, “Former Lives.”

Ben Gibbard, who is going by Benjamin Gibbard for the upcom-ing album, has a very iconic voice but I don’t think that’s the reason I found “Former Lives” so similar to his work with Death Cab.

Honestly, I was looking forward to an awesome break-up album from Gibbard. Looking at the early Death Cab material, Gibbard writes amazingly miserable songs when he is upset or drunk. Not that I wish ill will upon him, but, seriously: he divorced Zooey Deschanel. The most perfect indie-alternative couple ended. Now where is my break-up al-bum?

There are songs here that touch on relationships but Gibbard won’t spill the beans on who, or what, they’re about.

Just like Death Cab’s music, Gibbard’s solo music does well in the background but still offers pleasant surprises with his lyrical arrange-ment when your ears perk up to listen.

There are some differences between Gibbard’s solo career and Death Cab’s. “Former Lives” offers variety within its own indie/alterna-tive genre with its use of a capella, steel guitar and a mix of instrumenta-tion – including a mariachi piece.

It’s the instrumental variation that makes “Former Lives” stand out to me as something separate from Death Cab, which kind of bums me out. Most side projects or solo adventures turn out to be so different from the main band’s sound and this one is really quite similar. It’s not a bad thing, it fi ts Gibbard’s style, but it still isn’t what I was expecting.

My personal favorite from the album is “Bigger than Love,” on which Gibbard collaborated with Aimee Mann. Their duet is based off of love letters between legendary fl apper couple F. Scott and Zelda Fitzger-ald.

The album maintains good pace throughout. It’s never too fast and it’s not too slow. It’s very mellow and not too show-offy.

“Former Lives” comes out on Tuesday. If you’re looking for a mellow fall ear worm, give it a listen.

your weekly event planner

Friday 10.12

Saturday 10.13

the day tripper

The Portland Tattoo Expo will take place from Friday through Sunday and will feature more than 100 businesses from all over Oregon and several other states who will be available to give patrons tattoos during the Expo. There will also be tattoo contests, and seminars for an extra cost. Other vendors featuring tattoo supplies, magazines and piercing will be in attendance as well. Single day admission is $20 or a three-day pass is $40. It will be open on Friday from 2-10 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. at the Portland Expo Center at 2060 N. Marine Drive Portland.

The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm known for its tulip fest in the spring is also the host of a pumpkin fest during October. Tons of activities for families such as ducky races, horse swings, a paintball gallery, archery, a corn maze, a pumpkin cannon, hay wagon rides, cow train rides, and much more.A “Haunting in the Corn” will take place in the corn maze on Oct. 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27 from 7 - 9:30 p.m. for an extra cost of $7. The farm is located at 33814 S. Meridian Road, Woodburn.It is open everyday in October from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. all days. Admission to the farm is free for ages 4 and under, $6 for ages 5 to 12, and $7 for ages 13 and up.

N PORTLAND

The Hollywood Theater will host screenings of the third season of AMC series “The Walking Dead” which kicks off Oct. 14. The screenings will take place every Sunday at 7 p.m. Screenings are always free and will take place at the Hollywood Theater, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd, Portland.

Sunday 10.14 NE PORTLAND

WOODBURN

Readers Theatre Gresham and The Sandy Actors Theatre will present a one night only perfor-mance of “Vampire Dreams” The actors will be acting with scripts in-hand on a blank stage.

The performance will take place at The Gresham Chapel and Evening Event Center at 257 S.E. Roberts Ave. The performance costs $8.

Monday 10.15 GRESHAM

Review:

Solo project for Gibbard, ‘Former Lives,’ upcoming

Club Feature: MEChA club offers a place for Latinos to inform students about eductaion

A MEChA club member talks to students at the club fair in the main mall on Thursday morning. According to club adviser Elizabeth Perry MEChA is a club that draws attention to the lives of Chicano/as in America.

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