Volume 51 Issue 9

Nove

mbe

r 13,

201

5

Independent Student Voice of MHCCthe

“Packed,” “Confusing,” and “Tremendous” Wordstock 2015, PAGE 8

PAGE 2

Saints find silver lining PAGE 4

A dress for everyonePAGE 6

Don’t Stress

42 years inthe making: the long road to the latest MHCC bond measurePAGE 5 ?

Bond gets passed Vietnam War ends A gallon of gas = $1.19 Windows 1.0 released

The macarena hits airwaves

“Pocohantas” debuts. Children everywhere rejoice

Jennifer Lopez wears infamous ‘Grammys’ dress

“Batman Begins” comes out in theaters

TV show “Glee” airs

Bond fails twice.Bond fails.

Bond fails.

advocateadvocate

OPINIONPAGE a d v o c a t e - o n l i n e . n e t2Editorial

Editor-in-ChiefAdam Elwell

Associate EditorHayden Hunter

Arts+Entertainment EditorIvy Davis

News Editor Gloria Saepharn

Sports Editor Clay Vitale

Graphic Designers Ayla BucknerCody Holcombe

Photo Editor Nick Pelster

Opinion Editor Adam Elwell

Public Relations Manager Emily Wintringham

Features EditorJon Fuccillo

Video Editor Chuck Masi

Video Team Members

Ben BaxterThomas Stewart

Ad ManagerJoseph Frantz

Copy Editor Quincy Smith

Staff WritersIsaiah Alder

Nicole KaadiMonique MallariJoshua Mc LaughlinKonah Nimo

Web EditorMatana McIntire

AdvisersHoward BuckDan Ernst

Front cover byAyla Buckner and Cody Holcombe

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.

the advocate

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.eduPhone: 503-491-7250www.advocate-online.net#mhccadvocate Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030

District voting approaches quicker than you think

Do yourself a favor: get weird to avoid stressAdam Elwellthe advocate

If there’s one thing that managing a campus newspaper has taught me, it’s that effective stress management does not have to abide by convention, and most of the time, it shouldn’t, since breaking from convention is soothing in itself most of the time.

So here’s a list of my favorite just-don’t-wreck-anything-near-

you-right-now techniques, in no apparent order.

For like a DEFCON 5-level stress session, I would recommend some angry filing; the more menial, the better. Alphabetizing is the best. Slam papers if you want; it’s not gonna work. Watch out for paper cuts, though, as they could leave you more stressed than when you started.

I read this one in a book on Yoga briefly, my friend tells me I’m doing it wrong, but he owns books on yoga, so I’ve been doing it like this anyway: Putting the pad of your thumb under your right nostril, inhale with your left nostril until your lungs are full. Then switch your thumb to your left nostril, and exhale with your right, until your lungs are empty. Then inhale again

with your right and exhale with your left, using the same method.

Push-ups are fun. Hear me out, though: This one is sort of a last ditch attempt, if all other methods fail. Plus, they can have the added bonus of using swear words to punctuate each push-up, and you’re definitely going to be too tired to care about what was bugging you before, if you do it right.

If you have a little time, alternate the most metal and least metal music you enjoy, slowly adding more mellow music until that is all you’re listening to.

Personally I enjoy Behemoth or iwrestledabearonce for the brutal end of the spectrum, and Tycho or Bob Marley for the other. Another option is just really, really bad music, like the stuff you enjoyed in

seventh grade. It’s tough to be self-deprecating and pissed-off at once.

If you have to get stuff done right now, B-vitamins and green-coffee bean extract give you more energy for longer and less crash than if you chug an energy drink.

Stress balls are fun, too. But

what is even more fun is drawing your coworkers’ faces on them, and if you have two you can use them to cushion your knuckles while doing

push-ups.This next method I’m about

to tell you is for trained screw-ups only: attempt it at your own risk.

With a lit cigarette grasped loosely in your mouth so that some oxygen can get in through the corners of your mouth, stand with your legs shoulder-length apart and inhale through your mouth while raising your arms straight out from your sides overhead until your lungs are full, then exhale while putting your arms down, and, Ta-da! You’re as calm as a Hindu cow.

Just beware, you’re going to have to fight the urge to re-evaluate your life ten minutes later.

Those are just a few of my favorites, and I made it through this column using only three of them, so I guess they’re not totally broken.

MHCC has tried four times to pass a general obligation bond to grant the school money since 1974. Will 2016 be the year it finally happens?

“I always say, if every single stu-dent voted, we probably would pass the levy,” said MHCC President Debbie Derr in an interview with The Advocate during the first year of her tenure at Mt. Hood. Those words make sense now more than ever, as the MHCC Board of direc-tors is gearing for a final push to pass the general obligation bond Derr was referring to, before its expected public vote in May 2016.

As Mt. Hood approaches that date, our bond proposal becomes especially important due to MHCC’s rocky financial standing. We don’t think we have to sell any students

on why MHCC is a good thing, since you’re already here, but it’s easy to see how some voters towards the edges of the district wonder how a community college actually benefits their community, especially if they have never attended or used one of Mt. Hood’s facilities themselves.

Community colleges in general actually tend to have a positive im-pact on their surrounding economic area, via community programs and creating jobs. In Mt. Hood’s case, that’s an estimated 12,000-job im-pact, plus better education for over 25,000 students per year. This was a big selling point during a failed bond

measure the school attempted in 1995, but that measure drowned in the midst of a GOP-driven anti-tax movement.

If something improves the econ-omy, isn’t it worth doing even at the cost of higher taxes, simply from a

fiscal standpoint? We’re pretty sure everyone would agree, and we don’t think too many of the voters are against education, somehow – just that they don’t have enough infor-mation readily available at the mo-

“ If every single student voted, we probably would pass the levy.”

-Debbie DerrMHCC President

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned... its that effective stress-management does not have to abide by convention.”

ment to make an educated decision, in most cases.

It may sound ridiculously facile, but simply talking about the bond is one of the quickest and most effec-tive ways to get the word out. After all, when was the last time you saw a TV ad for a local politician and immediately started learning more about them?

As an MHCC student, you’ve seen firsthand how a communi-ty college benefits our area. And, you’ve heard it before, but it’s more important than you would believe to not forget to vote.

SPORTS PAGEPAGEN o v e m b e r 1 3 , 2 0 1 5 3Central Catholic looks to “three-peat” state title

Saints compete in NWAC Cross Country Championship

Clay Vitalethe advocate

As October came and went, so did the regular season for high school football throughout Oregon. November brings the 6A division state championship playoffs, initially featuring five teams from the Mt. Hood Conference.

The 32 teams seeded began tournament play the weekend of Nov. 6, with Central Catholic headlining the conference as a No. 5 seed. Oregon City followed at No. 11, Clackamas at No. 12, Centennial at No. 15 and lastly Sam Barlow, coming in at No. 29. Centennial lost to No. 18 Tigard, 34-22, in the opening round, however, and No. 4 seed Sheldon knocked out Barlow, 63-21.

The Pioneers of Oregon City advanced as they defeated No. 22 Southridge, 53-15, as did the Clackamas Cavaliers, beating No. 21 South Medford, 35-21. The Rams of Central Catholic look to defend their state title and win a third straight crown, and had a promising start, dispatching No. 28 McNary, 42-21.

The second round of 16 starts today and continues through Saturday evening. It matches the Rams against the division rival Cavaliers at Hillsboro Stadium, simply by design of their rankings. The Pioneers will travel to South Salem to take on the sixth-ranked Saxons.

To say Central Catholic has had a good run would be an understatement. The Rams began their playoff winning streak in 2013, eliminating Jesuit in the championship by a score of 38-28. The next season, they stretched their streak to eight games after pulverizing eventual second place winner Tigard 49-nil. Now they look to record their 10th win in their last 10 tournament games when Clackamas comes to town.

The Rams’ title defense will end up having to go through The “Belle of the Ball” in this year’s playoffs: the same Jesuit Crusaders they defeated in 2013. This time though, Jesuit is the top ranked school in the tournament, and has buzz-sawed through opponents with relative ease. The Crusaders are undefeated on the season and have swept the Player of the Year awards in the Metro league. Crusader running back and Offensive Player of the Year Jason Talley will not be easy to contain through the tournament. The 6-foot-3-inch senior uses all

215 pounds to punish defenses, to the tune of 1,556 yards and 28 touchdowns on the year – all while playing very little in the second half of blowout victories. Defensive back Jordan Happle won Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second year in a row, leading a Jesuit defense that allowed only 80 points in league play this season. Oh, and Happle is a first-team all-league selection at wide receiver, also for the second consecutive year.

The Rams do have the No. 11 ranked prep athlete in the country on their side, La’Mar Winston. Winston is a dual positioned threat on both sides of the ball, and is committed to the University of Oregon next year.

Central Catholic lost to the Crusaders 27-14 back on Sept. 4, and there’s no promise of a rematch with the possibility only existing in the semifinal round of four. The Rams would have to go through Clackamas before potentially handling the winner of No. 4 seed Sheldon vs. No. 20 Sunset. Jesuit hosts Westview this weekend, then would look to take on the winner of the intriguing matchup of No. 9 Beaverton at No. 8 Tualatin. It’s a long shot, but it could happen.

In the end, it may not matter. Jesuit has the ability to score at will and limit opposing offenses to three-and-out drives. Their “powerhouse” reputation will live up to the hype, and the state title will be theirs to lose.

Rams face uphill battle in Oregon 6A Championships; can Jesuit be beaten?

Staff predicts tournament game winners and eventual State Champion: Jesuit Crusaders

Web photo

Map showcasing the race track the athletes will run on this Saturday. Both men and women start at point A - the women cut straight across from B to C to complete the 5k. The men run up and around, turning their race into the standard 8k

Men’s course

Women’s course

Clay Vitalethe advocate

The Mt. Hood Cross Country men and women compete in the NWAC Championships on Saturday at Lewisville Park in Battle Ground, Wash. The event hosted by Clark College will draw to a close the 2015 season and crown conference champions.

Head coach Jim Satterfield’s goal in the championship event is for his runners to compete to the best of their abilities and improve upon previous results. All he can ask of his teams is an amount of work ethic and commitment this level demands. The women’s side, led by Leah Norquist, should field a complete team required to officially place, while the men’s squad, featuring Jonny Zacarius, Luke Lowe and Jacob Barnett, looks to cap a year of developing.

Coach Satterfield could not say enough about his runners, praising their efforts in both practice and competition. The helping hand from a couple of softball players to round out the women’s team has given it a big boost, as well, certainly lifting the program’s outlook in the short term. “It takes years to develop as runners, and some of the runners we have are as advanced as any others in this league,” said Satterfield – which puts the efforts of Reeghan Lehnert and Hailey Valitski in perspective. Neither had run cross country before lending a hand to the squad late this season.

Hopefully the weather is kept at bay, giving way to clear skies and dry ground on Saturday. The last Preview meet at Lewisville turned hazardous after heavy rainfall, and the Saints’ coach raved about his competitors’ finish times. One of the more improved runners since his start

at Mt. Hood, Lowe ran consistent times regardless of the elements. “While most people who ran that same venue weeks prior were faster, they were slower when facing the elements this time around, but not Luke,” Satterfield said.

This is just an example of the Saints’ dedication bringing improved results, and that’s all the coach is asking for.

SPORTSPAGE a d v o c a t e - o n l i n e . n e t4

Less than an hour before Mt. Hood’s match against the NWAC’s No. 1-ranked Chemeketa Storm on Tuesday, head volleyball coach Andrew Clifton sat alone on the Saints’ bench in the Mt. Hood

gymnasium in deep thought, just as he always does.

Saints bid farewell to sophomores, season ends

Saints sophomores Acacia Kaaa, Samantha Anderson, Kaitlin Howard, Samantha Douglas, and Madison Weaver werehonored before Tuesday’s match against Chemeketa Community College in the Mt. Hood gymnasium.

Photos by Nick Pelster

Sophomore Samantha Anderson played in her last match as a Saint in the Mt. Hood gymnaisum in a season finale match with Chemeketa.

With their coach intently staring off into space, the team prepared for its final match of the season. There he sat, his hands burried into his cheeks before quickly coming alive once his pondering was interrupted.

“I’m like this before each match,” said the anxious coach. “Just counting down the time... This is a big match and a lot of preparation happens in volleyball, more so than many other sports.”

The Saints went on to lose their finale in three straight sets (25-10, 25-17, 25-14). Despite the loss, and finishing the season with a record of 3-9 in the South Region and 11-22 overall in the conference, they still have reason to believe the program is headed in the right direction.

Sophomore and Beaverton native Madison Weaver is a two-sport athlete at Mt. Hood, playing both volleyball and basketball. She

said her team had no reason to hang its heads, and thought it battled harder than last year. The program had higher expectations though, especially after posting similar results last season.

This followed the 2013 campaign, which saw the Saints go 10-0 in the South, and 27-8 in conference play under the guidance of former head coach Chelsie Speer, who then departed for Walla Walla Community College.

In his two seasons in Gresham, Clifton and his Saints have gone 6-16 in the South, and 24-51 overall, but seemed to be finding their “mojo,” as the coach would say, on-and-off during the 2015 schedule.

“This season was all about redeeming ourselves from last year and I believe we did, although our record doesn’t necessarily show it,” said Weaver. “We had a much better

season. We had really high goals that seemed tangible at the time. We saw what the competition looked liked, and the teams in the NWAC got a lot better this year, but so did we.

“I have all the confidence in the world that next season the team will do great things,” she said.

Prior to the match, Mt. Hood’s athletic department honored the five sophomores playing their last Saints match: Weaver, Acacia Kaaa, Samantha Anderson, Kaitlin Howard, and Samantha Douglas were handed gifts, including flowers, to celebrate Sophomore Night. Family, friends and other fans in attendance cheered loud and proud for the group, including Kaaa’s family, who flew all the way to Gresham from Honolulu, Hawaii, to watch their daughter in her final game.

Once the match started, the focus shifted and it was back to business as usual. The matchup itself didn’t bode well for the hosting Saints, facing the scorching hot Storm, who finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record in the South, and 36-2 overall.

Clifton had a hard time fighting back frustration with a mix of emotions running across his face throughout the entirety of the match. In a text message earlier on Tuesday, he wrote, “I a m feeling good about our chances tonight.”

After the match Clifton reflected on the long grind of a season and said he was proud of his team for the way the way they “battled” throughout the year.

“All season, they’ve given it their all,” said Clifton. “It’s just unfortunate to get some of those injuries this season.”

Weaver declined the notion that her team was on upset alert. Rather, the middle blocker said, the Saints wanted to prove to themselves they could hang, win or lose.

“The main focus of this last (match) was not to upset Chemeketa, but to play hard and leave everything we had out on the court,” she said. “If we came out with a win, that would’ve been great, but leaving all we had out there was what was really important and I think we did that.”

Storm sophomore Katrina Zens had the Saints falling all over the court. Mt. Hood had a hard time responding to the power arm of the 6-foot, 1-inch outside hitter, who finished with 14 kills, many of which had the small crowd on its feet in excitement. That didn’t stop the Saints from competing through the final point.

Zens said her team was amped on finishing the season in league with a perfect record, but she also credited the Saints and the way they battled.

“I felt great. My team was fired up and ready to end the regular

season with a big win,” said Zens. “I feel that Mt. Hood kept up with us and fought until the end.”

Weaver said the team held it together pretty well after the match.

“It was emotional because that was the last time this team would ever step out on the court together - the last time some of us would ever step onto a volleyball court again,” said Weaver. “Some will move on to play at a four-year (college), but others are moving on from the sport to focus on other dreams.”

More than anything, she said, her coach made her teammates, whom she refers to as “family,” better individuals, both on and off the court. “Coach Clifton didn’t just make me a better player but a better person. I grew a lot mentally,” said Weaver. “There were life lessons to be learned from both seasons, and those lessons I can take into the real world when I don’t have volleyball anymore.”

Clifton said it hasn’t quite settled in that his first recruiting class will be moving on next year - that the season is already over.

“Samantha Anderson was my first recruit, and I have built relationships with all of them,” said Clifton on his sophomores departing. “It hasn’t quite sank in because it’s only Fall. At least I still get to see them throughout the school year.”

Jon Fuccillothe advocate

“If we came out with a win, that would’ve been great, but leaving all we had out there was what was really important and I think we did that.” -Madison Weaver

Saints sophomore volleyball player

Joshua Mc Laughlinthe advocate

Next spring could bring a piv-otal change to the future of MHCC, along with the surrounding commu-nity and its students.

The school continues to plan a general obligation bond proposal to voters across the Mt. Hood Com-munity College service district, to the tune of $125 million, that would be included in the May 2016 special election ballot.

Six months out from May, spe-cific goals and strategies for the bond measure are beginning to firm up.

Economic Impact

Mt. Hood supporters plan to sell voters on the significant economic footprint of Mt. Hood on the entire

surrounding community. They have narrowed the list of improvements the bond would pay for. And they are closer to kicking off the fundrais-ing and marketing campaign neces-sary to seal the first successful bond vote in decades.

MHCC has seen successful bonds won by many Oregon schools in re-

cent years, including Portland Com-munity College, Columbia Gorge Community College, and Clackamas Community College. The last time that MHCC got voters’ approval was back in 1974, for $6.3 million (about $29 million when adjusted for in-flation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), when the college was built to hold less than 10,000 students.

That was 41 years ago, and the college has since grown to serve more than 25,000 students each year – causing many infrastructure, safety, and security concerns. With a successful bond issue, Mt. Hood officials say they will finally be able to address these issues accordingly.

A Time of Persuasion

The college will first need to

convince voters to increase their property taxes, and plans to empha-size its impact on the greater Port-land-Gresham economy. To help, it hired the data research group Eco-nomic Modeling Specialists Interna-tional to extract the information it hopes will make its case.

The EMSI report explains how in 2013-14, the total payroll and spending amounts for MHCC, plus the personal spending of current students and alumni, generated about $752 million across college’s service district.

That economic impact – more than 1 percent of the district’s to-tal gross regional product – is the equivalent of creating nearly 12,000 jobs, the report said.

In other words, the bond would provide the additional capital neces-sary to invest in improving the envi-ronment in which students come to learn at Mt. Hood. This would bring in more students, which would in turn produce alumni, thereby fur-ther boosting the GRP in years ahead.

Proposed Projects

Mt. Hood leaders have sharp-ened the list of projects the bond money would fund.

They include a proposed Work-force and Applied Technology Cen-ter on the main Gresham campus, and a complete rebuild of the aging Maywood Park satellite campus into an improved version where students could “fully complete their education for an Associate’s Degree on that campus,” said Bruce Battle, MHCC marketing director. Currently, May-wood Park offers mostly Adult Basic Education courses.

Classroom space expansion, en-hanced security technology in case of lockdowns, as well as seismic sup-port upgrades are other important items targeted, should the bond be approved, Battle said.

What’s more, the bond mon-ey would help pay off existing debt Mt. Hood has built up by needing to borrow money to keep the campus running for decades without any successful bond measures.

All of these upgrades, while am-bitious, need serious promotion and marketing to reach the voting pub-lic.

Once the MHCC Board of di-rectors gives official approval for a bond measure – the board is expect-ed to act in January – the “Friends of Mt. Hood” political action commit-tee, and will lead the campaign.

The PAC hopes to spend

NEWS PAGE 5A long time coming: the new bond measure

N o v e m b e r 1 3 , 2 0 1 5

ecampus.oregonstate.edu/cc16 800-667-1465

Want to distinguish yourself? Enroll online with Oregon State University and work toward your four-year degree while enrolled at MHCC. Choose from 20 bachelor’s programs, including business, natural resources and Spanish. OSU Ecampus is ranked fifth nationally for online education—and that reputation for excellence will help you stand out on the road to success.

Winter classes start Jan. 4, so apply today.

Earn a top-ranked degree

O N L I N E

be your BEST

20 undergraduate degrees online

900+ classes available

online

What will the

BONDdo for students?more classroom space

enhanced security

technology

bring the community more jobs

improve our local

economy

support seismic upgrades

$200,000 or more on some combi-nation of direct mail, media adver-tising, signs and phone-calling to reach voters, under the leadership of Paige Richardson, a consultant hired by MHCC, said Al Sigala, head of the college Foundation and Alumni Re-lations departments.

Local residents interested in sup-porting this important endeavor can help in a few key ways. Those who have not registered to vote yet can do so online, by going to sos.oregon.gov or by visiting their local DMV.

By late November, students, par-ents, faculty, and others should be able to access a “General Obligation Bond FAQ’s” page on MHCC’s web-site.

To read the entire EMSI report, visit: webapps.mhcc.edu/files/im-pact.pdf

“Six months out from May, specific goals and strategies for the bond measure are beginning to firm up...”

Ivy Davisthe advocate

What to know about Bernie Dexter? Well, it’s a person and a place. Bernie Dexter the woman is a makeup and hair artist, a pin-up model, and a designer. Bernie Dexter the place is a local dress shop at 130 N. Main Ave. in downtown Gresh-am. The dress shop is filled with all of Dexter’s designs and is bringing smiles to women across Gresham.

Important to know about Dexter is that she was inspired by her moth-er, a burlesque dancer, along with tap dancing and the “love of her life,” Levi Dexter (a rockabilly revival protagonist.) All of these things to-gether, along with Dexter’s talent in makeup and hair, have inspired her

fashion designs. Walking into the dress

shop, for a woman, is like walking into a candy store, for a kid. There are so many different styles of dresses, along with top and skirt combos and pants. Not only is there a variety of dresses, the patterns and print of the clothing ranges from cherries, plaids, bee prints and flo-ral patterns to garden paint-ings. The style of her clothing is set in the late 1940s and early 50s with

a rockabilly-type look. One could spend hours looking through the different clothing options.

There are always ladies at the counter to help anyone who walks in. The first thing the

ladies will tell you is that “You don’t have to buy

anything; just come in, play dress up

with us, and have fun.”

Jen, one of the s h o p

assistants, told us her fa-

vorite part of the job is seeing people

smile.Another key point the store

has is that it “has a dress for ev-ery size.” Searching for the right size is sometimes difficult but

with the help of a shop assistant you can find your size easily.

After a couple rounds though the dressing rooms a customer is sure to have found many lovable outfits. The only problem I’ve found with the dresses is that they can be spen-dy. For some, this may mean leaving with only one dress, while for others it may cause no problems – besides finding more room in their closet, that is.

Though Bernie Dexter does mostly dresses, the shop also has a variety of other items. On one wall is a few swimsuits, all cut in a 50s-style look. A second wall holds a diverse collection of hats and jewelry. In the shop I even found one men’s shirt – and the assistant assured that the men’s Atomic Shirt was only the first of many.

The storefront is absolutely lovely, along with the dresses inside. I am excited to see where the store will go with i’s rockabilly fashion. I definitely would recommend any lady looking for a dress to go there.

Bernie Dexter is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.

PAGE a d v o c a t e - o n l i n e . n e t6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Power of object is evident in MHCC’s Visual Art Gallery

Bernie Dexter brings 40s style back

Joshua McLaughlinthe advocate

From the studio that brought us the life-consuming, relationship-de-stroying, and social-life-erasing world of Skyrim, comes Bethesda’s long-anticipated Fallout 4. It’s been just over seven years since the re-lease of its predecessor, and the im-provements and additions made to the game are significant, to say the least.

The game begins in a new, but familiar, pre-war Boston in the ret-ro-futuristic year of 2077. A rem-iniscent threat of an atomic bomb is upon the human race, where the only hope of survival is ducking down into a safety bunker called Vault 111. Unlike in Fallout 3, the overall time spent in the vault is kept to a minimum, and the story’s character is brought to the beloved sandbox world to begin exploring and looting within the first hour of playing. The new world is packed with a staggering attention to de-tail; there are even beautiful, blue skies now and then to enjoy. Every single surface in the game is given a personality, it seems, and even the raindrops on the windows are an appreciated touch.

During the earliest enemy en-counters, a friendly reunion with the “Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting

System” (VATS) comes into play. It’s easy to get carried away using this feature, so it’s nice to see that shooting enemies without it has gotten significantly more stream-lined and much more interactive than it was in previous games.

One of the more involved changes is the addition of work-benches, where players can use almost anything they find in the field to upgrade their weapons and armor. Everything from pencils to duct tape are worth their weight in gold for weapon customizing, which inevitably leads to agonizing decisions that determine what stays and what goes.

Probably the most influential difference is the addition of com-panions. They are useful in battle, especially low-level combat, pro-viding somewhat of an easier time defeating some of the early enemies. There are several companions en-countered throughout the game, and all come along with their own pros and cons (some even have quest-altering perks to them).

Having only the most minor of drawbacks – the realism of the char-acters still needs some work, for in-stance – Bethesda’s newest creation is wonderfully executed, and fans will spend hours upon endless hours playing this game. It is filled with every bit of charm that made Fallout 3 a critical success, and has all of the potential to replace its predecessor as the Fallout game of choice.

Nicole Kaadithe advocate

When it comes to art, anything is possible – as shown from the work of four artists now displayed in the MHCC Visual Arts Gallery.

Showing this month are select-ed pieces of glass/steel, jewelry, clay, and mixed media arranged in an eye-grabbing fashion. The main theme of “The Power of Object” is not the work, however, but the art-ists themselves: each is an art techni-cian, most of them from the MHCC campus.

Jen Fuller is a self-taught glass artist from Portland who now works with steel sculpture.

“Glass is a wonderful medium. It’s very transparent like humanity, but at the same time it can be really strong and resilient,” she said. “Steel is an awesome juxtaposition and it is important to have as a structure. I learned to weld a couple years ago. I really like how the materials pair together.”

Fuller said she never originally thought about going into welding, but about four years ago was in-troduced to her friend and mentor Steve Tomlin, a 72-year-old metal artist. She asked him collaborate with her on a project for the city of Portland. He told her she could do it

and gave her a two-day workshop on welding. She has been incorpo-rating the two mediums since.

Being a technician keeps Fuller in her “zone of genius,” she said. Her teaching has been enjoyable. “I really love my field. The education format is new to me and I really love the inspiration and enthusiasm of the students.”

The art chosen for the gallery ex-hibit is her most current work, each piece making some statement. Yet Fuller said she wants to let visitors have their own perspective of what that statement is to them.

Nes Demirdag is a sculpture technician for MHCC. She had al-ways had a fascination with clay and the workings and science behind it, she said.

As a young adult in Turkey, Demirdag studied to work in clays

and other raw materials, before she moved to America. She said she likes her job at Mt. Hood, which allows her to work with the medium that she loves and allows time and cre-ativity for the artist in her to thrive. Her displayed ceramics work shows the basic progression of the clay at an elemental level and possibilities.

The Mt. Hood Visual Arts Fac-ulty Exhibit runs through Nov. 20.

The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Outshines predecessors

Left: Bernie Dexter in one of her de-signs. Above:one rack of many dresses at Bernie Dexter downtown Gresham.

Photo by Matana McIntire

Photos by Nick Pelster

Watch the video: Bernie Dexterclothes review at:youtube.com/MHCCAdvocate

Photo from web

Photo from web

5/5 on thefallout scale

Top: Nes Demirdags art; $10 each. Below: Jen Fullers steel and glass sculpture.

NEWS PAGEN o v e m b e r 1 3 , 2 0 1 5 7

IMPACT YOUR CAREER

MARYLHURST graduates have been making an impact on our community since 1893. They launched businesses, got jobs that supported their families, advocated for social change and simply made Portland and beyond a better place.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN. Earn your bachelor’s from Marylhurst and join the ranks of thousands who are making an impact on the world around us.

Start as early as this winter. APPLY TODAY.

COMPLETE YOUR BACHELOR’S DEGREE AT MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY

APPLIED LIBERAL ARTS AND BUSINESS PROGRAMS

ArtBusiness & LeadershipBusiness Management* CommunicationCultural StudiesEnglish Literature*Human StudiesInterdisciplinary StudiesInterior DesignMedia and Film StudiesMusicMusic TherapyPsychologyPublic RelationsReal Estate Studies* ScienceSocial Sciences

* Programs offered online or with a mix of occassional campus sessions combined with online instruction.

MARYLHURST.EDU/MHCC

EASY CREDIT TRANSFERWe admit students each term (fall, winter, spring and summer) so you have four opportunities each year to get started. Plus, we are geared toward community college students wanting to complete their degrees by offering transfer-credit pathways and partnerships with many area community colleges in the northwest. Connect with our Office of Admissions to get your FREE transfer credit evaluation: 503-699-6268 or admissions@marylhurst.edu.

SCHOLARSHIP FOR PHI THETA KAPPA MEMBERSMarylhurst offers Phi Theta Kappa (community college honors society members) a renewable annual scholarship of $3,000 for students enrolled full time. Prorated amounts are available for students attending less than full time. Connect with our Office of Admissions to learn more: 503-699-6268 or admissions@marylhurst.edu.

Accessible campus (even has free parking) that is 10 minutes south of Portland and a half hour from Mt. Hood CC campus.

Flexible schedule options with many courses offered in the evenings, online or on the weekends.

BRANDON HOGGANSCommunity college transfer student and 2015 Marylhurst Psychology graduate

ASMHCC student life app experiences surge in usersEmily Wintringhamthe advocate

The Student Life App, formerly OohLala, underwent some remodeling over the summer. And Mt. Hood’s Associated Student Government has been quite pleased with how it has been utilized so far.

“We are excited about the momentum behind the app and we are always looking for feedback on ways to make the app more useful and beneficial to our MHCC students,” said Meadow McWhorter, ASG adviser.

The number of registered users peaked on Sept. 13. As of late, there are 1,315 students registered. App activity hit its highest in the month of September. It dropped in October but had regained some momentum by Nov. 1.

Since the app was launched in January 2014, there have been approximately 4,700 event views, 1,000 events scheduled, 1,689 social connections and over 58,000 campus activity postings. The app currently has 387 likes on Facebook and 282 followers on Twitter.

The Student Life App main page has two basic features. Under the student life category, students can search groups and clubs, follow the MHCC Twitter feed, and get information on events and services on campus. Under Campus Information, students can access a map, find out more about courses, and have access to important links.

Students have been able to use the Student Life App for many purposes. In October, many students submitted entries in the Fall Photo Contest. The App has a social media component similar to Facebook where students can “heart” a post, make friends, and share media. Student Life displays the weather on the main page, which may be helpful this time of year.

“People post more than just textbook sales, which is what they were doing last year. That was a problem,” said Seth Albert, ASG president. He credits the photo contests for giving the students a different impression of the app, which for many has become more personal.

Sydney LaVoie, an MHCC student, is positive about the app’s social aspect. “It’s easy to find students and ask them for help,” she said. One thing LaVoie suggests is to update the clubs.

Bridget McBride, director of communications for ASG, said many updates will be made to help with

those kinds of problems.“What we’re working on is

training all the departments on how to update their information,” McBride said. ASG is making Facebook and Twitter updates a priority, as well, “so that everyone has access to current information,” she said. “The majority of information is current.”

As described above, the Student Life App peaked in mid-September. According to McBride, this year’s Welcome Week lended to the success of user-ship. By making a download, students would get an opportunity to win prizes. “We’re probably going to do a couple events like that to get students to join the app, one for each term,” she said.

NEWSPAGE a d v o c a t e - o n l i n e . n e t8

Gloria Saepharnthe Advocate

After a two-year hiatus, Word-stock rebooted at the Portland Art Museum on Saturday, Nov. 7, with thousands of visitors in attendance for the 10th occurance of the public literary event.

The wet, rainy weather didn’t stop visitors from waiting in line to listen to and observe presenters in front of the First Congregational United Church of Christ. The wait in front of the church ranged from a half-hour to an hour, depending on the schedule or presenter inside.

When visitors first arrived and purchased their tickets, they received a booklet with a list pre-sentations, information about the

event and more. There were also signs explaining the confusing “pop-up events” around the mu-seum. Pop-up events were pre-sentations that had readings or musical performances throughout the Museum galleries and the out-door sculpture gardens. Volunteers guided people to the proper areas, although some were noticeably confused about where or what building had a certain performance in the new venue.

This year, the Literary Arts, a nonprofit organization, partnered with Wordstock for the first time. Amanda Bullock, festival & events manager at Literary Arts, said, “I was excited by the enthusiasm in our community for an event like this. Portland is ready for a world-

class book festival.”Bullock spoke about how proud

she was of the revamped Word-stock. “This was a new festival in many, many ways and year one (this year’s partnership) was a tre-mendous success,” she said. “From attendees to authors to exhibitors to volunteers to the food carts, it was a great day. We accomplished our goal to create an unforgettable book festival. It could only happen here in Portland,” she said.

Most presentations drew packed crowds, which forced vis-itors to choose between who or what they wanted to watch. Each hour consisted of four presenta-tions at each of the four stages: the Cole Haan Stage, OPB Stage, Mc-Menamins Stage and the Oregon

Community Foundation Stage. Families, couples and single attend-ees looked around in wonder and awe at the large venue and didn’t seem to mind the crowd.

The Oregon Public Broadcast-ing (OPB) Stage was packed full of people at noon, forcing people from onto the main floor into the upper observing area. It was eeri-ly quiet in the OPB area, since the radio crew was live-broadcasting OPB’s “State of Wonder” show. The presentation consisted of au-thors Ursula K. Le Guin, Patterson Hood, Willy Vlautin, Patrick de-Witt and Michael Hurley.

Standing in the observer’s area was tough for someone who was shorter than those who arrived there earlier. If people were tired of

sitting for a large amount of time and wanted to go outside to relax away from the large crowds, they were able to.

Visitors were able to relax at a beer garden and talk to strangers about books, artists or whatever crossed their mind. Many people smiled at the thought of books be-ing spoken about or read – some people even brought a small stack of books home with them.

The gift shop had quite a few people roaming the room and browsing items as they laughed and smiled with their friends or oth-er visitors. Some people proudly made friends at this event, as they clicked on certain topics and smiled as it the rain sprinkled down on their heads.

Hayden Hunter and Thomas Stewartthe advocate

Lock your doors and make sure your windows are rolled up: Mt Hood has new resident car thieves making rounds in the parking lots.

According to an email sent by MHCC Manager of Public Safety Wayne Feagle last week, the main Gresham campus suffered three vehicle break-ins on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The cars were parked in lots J and M, located on the north side of the school, near the tunnel walk-way. Items stolen from the vehicles include a necklace, loose change and stereo equipment.

Witnesses reported two Cau-casian suspects, one male and one female. The man was 20-30 years old, with a smaller build – close to 5 foot, 6 inches, Feagle said in the email. The woman was 30-40 years old, with long, curly, brown hair.

The two were last seen speed-ing toward the Stark Street gate in a white, four-door sedan with tint-ed windows and a dented passen-ger-side door. Witnesses thought the car “may have been lowered” or “may have been a Chevy Malibu,” Feagle said.

As if one disturbance were not enough, an MHCC maintenance employee on Nov. 4 observed a man in a gray hoodie and long blue

shorts looking into car windows and pulling on door handles. The man was seen getting into a two-door 1990 Gold Buick Regal with the Oregon license plate 533 FTX.

Moments later, a Public Safety officer watched the same vehicle back out of a parking spot in Lot M. The black-haired, light-brown complected suspect was between 6 foot and 6 feet, 1 inch and weighs about 175 pounds, the officer re-ported.

Public Safety and local law offi-cers are actively working to identify and apprehend all the suspects, but welcome any assistance from stu-dents or employees.

“We need your help to prevent future thefts. As a community, we rely on each other to watch for and report suspicious activity and to prevent crimes of opportunity,” said Feagle.

With no patterns to follow, thieves prowling the MHCC lots have been going after easy targets – such as people who haven’t locked their car doors.

This is bad news for students who come late and forget to lock them. Reminder: when you leave your car, make sure the doors are locked, because it’s likely these thieves will return.

“If you keep anything in your car, don’t make it visible,” said Jeff Spurley, MHCC Public Safety of-ficer. If students see anything, it’s

best not to confront the thieves, because they might be carrying a weapon. Instead, if students see anything, they should “call Public Safety,” he said.

“Most of the time, I’ve found that it’s not one individual – it’s usually people working together in teams,” Spurley said of the car prowler(s). That has proven for more efficient break-ins and clean getaways, mak-ing it harder for Public Safety to catch the thieves, he said.

Public Safety has put out a couple of Bolos (“be on the look-out” alerts) for cars that they think might belong to the culprits, but haven’t received information re-cently. The office has taken several steps but also urges a more active, aware campus community.

If anything seems out of the or-dinary, don’t hesitate to call Public Safety – you might end up saving someone’s items from being stolen. It’s better being safe than sorry.

In case of an emergency, call Public Safety at 503-491-7911.

For a non-emergency, call 503-491-7310.

The Oregon Promise: free school for 2016 and beyond

Adam Elwellthe advocate

The “Oregon Promise,” also known as Oregon Senate Bill 81, is a recently passed law that would allocate an initial $10 million to cover tuition costs for Oregon stu-dents who attend state community colleges immediately after graduat-ing from high school. Some of the nomenclature is confusing, so we compiled a list of frequently asked questions surrounding the bill.

Q: Who is eligible for the Ore-gon Promise?

A: Anyone who has lived in Or-egon for at least a year, received a high school diploma or an equiv-alent degree and had at least a 2.5 GPA during high school, can be el-igible if they enroll in a community college within six months of gradu-ating, maintain a 2.5 GPA or high-

er while enrolled, and complete a FAFSA for each academic year.

The law comes into effect with the 2016-17 school year (next sum-mer).

Q: How does the Oregon Prom-ise interact with other grants?

A: The maximum grant possi-ble is approximately $4,900. Grants are reduced by the amount of any other state or federal aid received by an eligible student, stopping at a minimum of $1,000 annual sup-port for full-time students (pr-rat-ed if taking fewer than 12 credit hours per term).

Q: How do I apply?A: Trick question: You can’t,

yet. The law says students will be asked to sign up online, but there is no website for the application pro-cess at the moment.

Web Photo, kptv.comHigh school seniors can await funding from recent Oregon Legislature.

MHCC campus car break-ins

Web Photo

Wordstock 2015 impresses literature enthusiasts

Hosted by Literary Arts, visitors delight at Wordstock as they walk between presentations. Visitors asked questions when they were unsure where certain presenters were located. With the help of volunteers, guests roamed their way around the Portland Art Museum on Nov. 7.

Photos by Matana Mcintire