thethe

advocateadvocateadvocateFeb. 20, 2015 Volume 50, Issue 18The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College

thethe

f You Tube

MHCC SHAKING NOT BREAKINGMEASURING UP TO SEISMIC ACTIVITY

‘Drowsy’ opens tonight PAGE 5

Saints reach for playoffs PAGE 7

‘Excellence’ for all PAGE 3

PAGE 3

the advocate

OPINION

2

February 20, 2015

Making active shooter safety a priority

chatwithbarney@gmail.com

Chat with BarneyDo you know what

you would need to

do in the event of an

active shooter threat?

“I would find cover. It depends on where you are on campus. Running may not always work. It would work if you were on the opposite side of the campus, but if you were close to the shooter you could get shot.”

Aaron MeyerStudent, General Studies

Like most school shootings, the Reynolds High School shooting last June caught the Mt. Hood community off-guard. We found we were unprepared to face gun violence so close to home, it seemed. That shocking day helped to force MHCC faculty to take active shooter safety seriously. Many loudly spoke up and said, “We need a more effective shooter safety plan.”

The college’s Public Safety department has adopted an emergency-management training mantra to guide anyone in danger during an active shooter threat: Run, hide, or fight.

Our main concern is that Mt. Hood stu-dents and faculty are not trying hard enough to make active shooter safety a priority. We at The Advocate understand that it is now the middle of the term and there’s much schoolwork to be done, but, what if right in the middle of a mid-term exam, a shooter roams through the school

and all of a sudden we hear the dreaded pop of a gun? Would most of us at MHCC be ready?

Without any incentive, there’s no im-mediate desire for many of us to walk into a shooter safety session and learn. We suggest that instructors provide extra credit, pizza, or some sort of incentive – something that might persuade students into going. It’s like writing instructors who give extra credit to those who attend a seminar or reading, but this is differ-ent in the fact that it could save a life.

On another note, passiveness – the “run” or “hide” options – could potentially be deadly. Just like the passiveness to skip out on shoot-er safety information sessions, in the event of an actual shooting we should not all be passive people.

Yes, the information booklet lists fighting as our last option. However, some of us on The Advocate editorial staff believe that if there are

people skilled in tactics and prepared to fight, then they should make fighting their first step during a threatening incident. Those who have the courage and incentive to take care of the problem should have the unalienable right to do so. Also, in order to create a dynamic of cit-izenship instead of civilian-ship, those who are already skilled in fighting should teach those willing to learn.

On the flip side of the coin, people need to be honest with themselves. Trying to be the hero without any real knowledge, plan, or experience in handling an armed intruder can easily result in greater problems, even deaths, than it is worth.

We need to be smart about what we choose. The smart thing, first, is to attend classes, find a clever way to bring more people to those classes, and then know ahead of time how we are going to act if a shooting were to happen.

It all starts with being stuck at home with nothing to do. We move from the couch to the fridge to the bed to the car and then back to the couch.

Television. That’s where the cycle begins. Why are so many people obsessed with

tiny colorful pixels formed into pictures with an audio feed? Most of these motion pictures are drama-based television shows. Most of us can admit we are sadly addicted to some of these dramas. Some of us hide in the closet so that no one will know our addictions. I person-ally am not addicted to “Grey’s Anatomy,” but I will admit to watching more “Barbie” movies than I should have - every Barbie movie.

However, it’s not the drama shows that we get tired of – it’s the commercials. Un-less you’re my father, or have a DVR, then fast-forwarding isn’t an option for all the

drama, non-action scenes, and commercials. So, every time it gets down to the real need-to-know drama, climactic scenes, it goes to commercial. What if a patient from “House” is on the verge of dying? What if Heidi Klum is about to reveal who the winner of “Project Runway” is? I’ll never know what is going to happen, because those commercials make me so angry that I resort to the fridge.

Ah, the fridge, our next stop in this nev-er-ending cycle of winter activities – the thing holds delicious food: raw meat, raw eggs, leftovers that are weeks old. I open it, decide cooking is a terrible idea, and shut the door. Grabbing junk food instead, the next stop is Netflix in bed.

What does Netflix have to give that TV doesn’t, though? The answer is nothing. All of the shows and movies Netflix has to offer are 10 years old and have already been watched: That movie was so yesterday’s two-hour ad-venture, that you had to tell the parents about and so totally ruin the plot for them.

Finding yourself back at the fridge can be depressing. No fast and easy food means driv-ing, or worse: walking. Bundling up for the

wind and Oregon rain, a fast-food run with a max of three dollars to spend is always the way to go. Some of us may find themselves digging into college or car money, but what’s more im-portant at the time? The answer is always your stomach. How can you go to school if you’ve died from starvation?

Driving home from Taco Bell, the next stop in the cycle happens as you see the park or some other exciting, hazardous site. An outdoor adventure stroll follows, until after two minutes, rain soaks through your clothes and your shoes become soggy. The wind won’t stop slapping your now-red face and the brutal conditions of the outdoors stops your adven-ture short. The realization that “it’s too cold for this sh*t” sends you home.

Ten minutes later, you’re back on the couch watching TV.

The inevitable cycle of winter activities

The Advocate encourages readers to share their opinion by letters to the editor and guest columns for publication. All submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and contact information. Contact information will not be printed unless requested. Original copies will not be returned to the author. The Advocate will not print any unsigned submission.

Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board.

The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length.Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to

advocatt@mhcc.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication to be considered for print.

Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

Cover graphic and opinion graphic by Heather Golan - the advocate

Editor-in-Chief

Greg Leonov

Lifestyle Editor

Adam Elwell

News Editor Hayden Hunter

Advisers

Howard Buck, Dan Ernst Bob Watkins E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.eduPhone: 503-491-7250www.advocate-online.net

#mhccadvocate Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030

Sports Editor Brandon Raleigh

Copy Editor

Hayden Hunter

Ad Manager

David Ahlson

Photo Editor

Beka Haugen

Podcast Producer

Jake Swindell

Reporters

David AhlsonWill DarkinsIvy DavisOmar Morante Jake SwindellDavid Teas

Opinion Editor

Emily Wintringham

Video Editor

Aurora AngelesThomas Stewart

Graphic Designer

Heather GolanShawnie Fortune

the advocate

Letter to the Editor:“Hayden, I just read your second installment and it’s wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to track us down and get the details, but thank you even more for caring so much about my dad...not only the work he did but the man he was. Keep up the great writing!”

Gail WoodfordDaughter of Principal Architect Donald Lutes

“I’m running. You can’t aim when a person is running zig-zag unless the shooter is a profes-sional marksman, or he has a 75 percent chance of missing me... I’m not about to die today... I’m ducking, dodging - everything. I’m outta here.”

Kiya HarrisStudent, General Studies

Editorial|

Ivy Davisthe advocate

the advocate

NEWSFebruary 20, 2015

3

Hayden Hunterthe advocate

The recently revealed notebook of the principal architect of the Mt. Hood main campus a half-century ago has helped to reassure MHCC leaders about the school’s chances of riding out a serious earthquake.

According to lengthy descriptions in the notebook of architect Donald Lutes, acquired by current Mt. Hood President Debbie Derr this winter, the Gresham campus is structurally sound when it comes to seismic activity.

Lutes’ notebook includes meticulous details about how the college was built, including the construction materials used in his design of the college layout in 1966.

Jim Zordich, an MHCC District board member and caretaker of Lutes’ notebook, said today’s campus has obvious physical deterioration issues. However, the “seismic uncertainty of the college was put to rest,” Zordich said.

According to language in the notebook, Mt. Hood’s main Academic Center, Industrial Technology and Health/P.E. buildings have a structural-steel superstructure, or core framework, that should protect the college in case of a strong seismic event. Zordich said that, much like the steelwork in a skyscraper, Lutes used I-beams in his design.

I-beams are used as major support trusses in modern construction, to ensure that a structure will be physically sound. However, “steel can fail catastrophically if exposed to heat,” according to wisegeek.com. This makes it necessary to insulate the beams for safety.

But, how much trust can be placed in a book that was written nearly 50 years ago?

This should certainly help: The college last summer hired a company named EMG, an organization that provides engineering and environmental consulting work, and what the firm found seems to back up the notebook’s confident language.

The firm found that the Mt. Hood superstructure was tied together, in the sense

that steel framing from the walls goes up into the roof deck appropriately. MHCC Vice President Rick Doughty said, “That is somewhat unusual for a building built in the ’60s.”

Doughty said EMG also found a structural component going throughout the school’s brick material, most likely (steel) rebar. The combination of a steel superstructure and reinforced concrete makes the Academic Center one of the safest places to be during an earthquake, it turns out.

Said Zordich, “To be honest, I think this is the strongest and probably the most well-built facility, of any facility in Gresham.”

Another company, KPFF Consulting Engineers, will be coming out this year to confirm the findings of both EMG and Lutes’ notebook. Doughty said KPFF will take a section of the Academic Center, “including

the Library,” and verify that it is safe according to FEMA (federal emergency management) seismic standards.

If the apparent good news proves true, the biggest cost in seismic retrofitting would no longer be needed for MHCC. More money from a proposed, publicly funded bond measure in 2016 could go toward other needs, instead.

Doughty explained: “Usually retrofitting your college up to seismic standards costs $30 million. If the heavy lifting has been done (as in Mt. Hood’s case), then it will only be (close to) $5 million.”

This $5 million would go to relatively minor changes, such as securing the roof and bracing pipes. And, Doughty urged the Mt. Hood community to remember that “the Maywood and Bruning centers would also be included in the retrofitting.”

Mt. Hood’s Gresham campus built to survive quakes

Greg Leonovthe advocate

Mt. Hood’s People’s Strategies Council held another introductory session on Wednesday afternoon to tell MHCC employees about the college’s ongoing Culture of Excellence training.

The Council has set 12 such meetings this school year, trying to reach everyone who works at the college.

“Our goal is to reach 100 percent of the employees at Mt. Hood Community College because this is an initiative that is for every employee. It’s not (just for) any one group,” said Paul Wild, co-chairman of the Council.

“The idea is that we’re all in this together, we’re all trying to do the best job we can (and) how can we create the conditions that allow all of us to be as effective as we can working here at Mt. Hood Community College so that we can serve our students, serve the community,

and serve our partners as effectively as possible?” said Wild.

After wrapping up overview sessions for all college employees, Wild plans to create workshops designed to make the four standards of the Culture of Excellence a workplace reality.

The four standards are: “Together, we are with you from start to

finish. Together, we practice the platinum rule - treat others as they wish to be treated. Together, we are always looking to do things better. Together, we hold ourselves accountable.”

Wild said the underlying idea is to have everyone look at their place of work and find out what the standards mean to them and how performance can be improved in order to get closer to reaching those goals.

“Can you figure out what it is that allows you to meet that standard, what gets in the way - stops you from being able to meet that

standard? And, therefore, what can we do to help you be able to achieve the best that you can in those situations?” he said.

Wild gave an example for the first standard. “As an organization, we’re very well organized vertically - we’ve got work units and we all know what we’re doing and we’re all very good at that, but the thing is, students, employees, and community members deal with us horizontally,” he said. “They move (horizontally) through the organization, and so where we sometimes have trouble meeting the standards is in that transition.”

Eventually, the goal is to cultivate improvements and good habits, then spread them across the campus.

“There are always places within the organization that do a great job already. So, how do we figure out what a best practice is, and then how do we make that best practice common throughout the whole organization so we all just kind of raise our game?” Wild

said.It’s up to employees to come up with their

own metrics of how they measure success, based on the progress of working towards the standards, he said.

“We are working really hard to make sure that we’re as effective as possible in how we do our jobs so we can meet the mission of the college,” said Wild.

He hopes to reach 100 percent of the roughly 1,200 people employed at MHCC with the principles of the Culture of Excellence. “We want to make it that folks want to come (to training), but in order for there to be change, one essentially needs to be committed to it,” he said.

Wild said the true purpose of the four standards is to continuously strive to reach them – and not to hound employees. “It’s not punitive; this is all aspirational. We got standards, we’ll never meet the standard, but we’re always trying to do better.”

MHCC’s Culture of Excellence geared to all employees

Photograph from Lutes’ notebook

Graphic by Heather Golan - the advocate

A view of MHCC during its construction in the mid-1960s.

PART 3

the advocate

LIFESTYLE

4

February 20, 2015

Ivy Davisthe advocate

Have you ever been there?In a bathroom stall at Albertsons relieving

your sad digestive system of its burdens. Ex-posing your naked bottom to the unsanitary, questionably used facility, the disgusting por-celain toilet of a public restroom. As you sit there, hoping no one enters the restroom into your personally crafted stench. You knew that dairy would not end well, but there you sit as another human being joins you in the festivi-ties from the next stall over.

This may not be your story, but it’s mine. As a “lactard,” I feel the pain of having a re-stricted diet. Yet there is hope in my life, be-cause I can eat bread. Bread is a wonderful sustenance and I am terribly sad for all those “glutards” in the world. It is a dismal world, in-deed, without bread, pasta, and beer.

The gluten-free world is not kind. Most gluten-free breads are dry, crumbly, and fla-vorless. But, have no fear: Liberated Bakery is here.

Literally, Liberated Bakery is here, in Gresham. The shop’s baked goods are a bless-ing to the glutards. Though I am not glu-ten-free, I know people who are: people who complain a lot about not being able to eat any-thing, and if they can eat, nothing ever tastes good.

If you’ve got one of these friends, take them to Liberated Bakery. It’s the only way to end their bitching. The Bakery makes everything gluten-free, along with making some special dairy-free and vegan goods.

While at Liberated Bakery, I consumed both an Almond Joy cookie, and My Room-mate’s Favorite sandwich. Unlike my normal

self, I was a good person and ate the lunch before the desert. The sandwich was made on fresh, gluten-free flatbread with ham, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, avocado, cream cheese, and a bit more ham squeezed in the middle, creating a two-and-a-half-inch thick sandwich. Though it was difficult to get the sandwich in my mouth, it was worth it. The cheese set my bowels afire, but the bread tast-ed like real bread. That’s right, good-tasting, gluten-free bread. It didn’t even crumble apart. The only thing that fell from the sandwich was the avocado I later licked off my plate. My Roommate’s Favorite was surprisingly deli-cious.

As for that Almond Joy cookie... Sweet Jesus! Actually made from shredded coconut, it makes one wonder if this is really a cook-ie. Liberated Bakery put it all on this cookie – sliced almonds and dribbled chocolate. Say “yum.” “Yum!” Though my opinion could be biased from the fact that I love actual Almond Joys, there were plenty of other sweets and baked goods at the Bakery to explode anyone’s tastebuds.

Following Liberated Bakery on Facebook would mean getting a day-by-day menu of what they have cooking. The baked good menu changes daily for a new surprise in de-licious consumable delights. A glutard’s mouth would water just looking at pictures of sweets they could actually eat.

Eating good food is the important part, even with a restricted diet. I agree with Google on this, Liberated deserves a 4.5. So, for all y’all glutards, lactards, and freaky vegans out there, go enjoy Liberated Bakery.

Liberated Bakery is at 2518 S.E. Burnside

Road in Gresham. Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday

through Saturday. See: liberatedbaking.com.

‘Glutards’ rejoice at Liberated Bakery

Photo by Ivy Davis - the advocate

The Advocate’s predictions for this year’s Oscars

Above photo: “My Roomate’s Favorite,” a cold sandwich on gluten free flatbread with cream cheese in the middle, along with tomatoes, lettuce, and ham. Bottom: interior of Liberated Bakery, a gluten-free bakery at 2518 S.E. Burnside Road in Gresham.

Adam Elwell the advocate

With the 87th Academy Award show be-ing held on Sunday, all those people nomi-nated are holding their breaths, awaiting the decisions of an increasingly senile group of critics.

Lucky for you, though, you don’t have to endure such suspense, as the Advocate has already picked our winners and losers for the big night.

And so… the Oscar goes to:BEST PICTURE – “Birdman” is a shoe-in,

but if the Academy felt like shaking things up a bit, then “Boyhood” would be the curveball to look out for. If voters felt inclined to give it to the actual best picture for some strange rea-

son, then it would be “Foxcatcher,”- everyone in the cast gave an outstanding performance, and the story is a rare, stranger-than-fiction adaption.

BEST DIRECTOR – Richard Linklater for “Boyhood.” Next.

BEST ACTRESS – If you don’t love Juli-anne Moore in “Still Alice,” then you’re just not human. She gave a moving performance as a linguistics professor who suffers from early-onset Alzheimer’s. Not to mention she’s already won this year’s Golden Globes and SAG awards, which are usually pretty good indicators for an Oscar win.

BEST ACTOR – It might sound blasphe-mous, but we expect Eddie Redmayne to take home the award over long-time favorite Mi-chael Keaton. Keaton’s performance was good

in “Birdman,” but Redmayne played a young Stephen Hawking. Let me say that again, just for emphasis: a young Stephen Hawking.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Patri-cia Arquette might as well start writing her acceptance speech. After portraying a mom who wants to do better for her children for 12 years, and taking every notable award this year for best supporting actress already, this one is no contest.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Also a pretty clear outcome: J.K. Simmons for his role in “Whiplash.” You probably remember him best as J. Jonah Jameson in “Spider-Man,” or from Farmers Insurance commercials, but his role in Whiplash makes the comical Jameson look like a sedated kitten. He is legit-imately scary in this role.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – This one is going to be close, no matter who takes it. With “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Boy-hood” and “Birdman” being the frontrunners, it’s hard to choose, but if we had to pick, then it’s “Boyhood,” as it’s definitely the most origi-nal out of the three.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – Our first in-stinct would be “Everything is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” but after the Acade-my snubbed “Selma” for best picture and best director nominations, it would be an awful PR move on its part not to give that film this par-ticular win (for the song “Glory”) – not that it’s not Oscar worthy, because it is.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE – Hon-estly, who cares? Without “The Lego Movie,” this category seems pointless.

the advocate

LIFESTYLE

5

February 20, 2015

EYE OF THE TIGER | SURVIVOR

1

2

SCARFACE (PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT ) | PAUL

ENGEMANN

3

CHARIOTS OF FIRE | VANGELIS4

HEARTS ON FIRE | JOHN CAFFERTY

5

SONGS5T P

Each week the advocate supplies you with our top

five songs for your playlist. Since midterms are rapidly

approaching, here are five songs for your epic

studying montage. Don’t be surprised if you don’t

actually study.

YOU’RE THE BEST | JOE ESPOSITO

Greg Leonovthe advocate

On Wednesday night, I had the good fortune of sitting in on the second dress rehearsal of Mt. Hood Community College Theatre’s production of their winter musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

The play opens with the main character, who we only know as “Man in Chair,” whose name we never learn. Played by freshman Brandon Watkins, the Man plays the part of a narrator in the story who spends his time listening to musical theater and commenting on characters, songs, and scenery.

Its story starts with a senile elderly character named Tottendale (played by Tootsie West) talking to her butler named Underling (played by Michael Tippery), who pushes her refreshment cart around with a squatting walk. They are going back and forth about her dress, and she keeps forgetting that she’s wearing a fancy dress fit for a wedding, or that there’s a wedding in general.

The main plot revolves around the bride-to-be, Janet Van de Graf (Sierra Rickards), a popular actress willing to sacrifice her career to marry Robert Martin (Peter Woodford). As the hour of the wedding approaches, Van de Graf’s stage-show producer, named Mr. Feldzieg (played by Justin Wright) is visited and threatened by some gangsters dressed as pastry chefs (Makayla Kott and Shelby Hansmann) sent by a certain “investor” who does not wish to see Van de Graf leave show business. They give him the ultimatum of preventing Van de Graf from getting married.

To stop the wedding, Feldzieg sends a

womanizing European named Adolpho (Ian Booth) to seduce Van de Graf, but he is manipulated into seducing The Drowsy Chaperone (Merry Bishop) instead. The seduction is followed by a series of events a couple of subplots that end very well for everyone.

The show was spectacular.The actors knew their parts very well,

and worked well together. The relationship between Robert Martin (Woodford) and his best man, George (Luke Swearengin), was very convincing; it’s almost like they could be friends in real life. Swearengin brought a very nice energy to the show with his outgoing stage presence.

Woodford’s portrayal of Martin was justified and convincing. Clearly, Martin is a bit of an egotist, but is genuinely in love with Van de Graf.

The star of the show, without a doubt, is Watkins. As the play progressed, I started to feel like I knew who “Man in Chair” was and I just really felt for the guy.

He projected a very convincing passion for this particular musical and played a very good flamboyant character. At one point, he went on a rant that ended with him talking about throwing his gypsy record against the wall – I couldn’t stifle my laughter, the guy is hilarious. I hope he is cast in similar roles in other productions.

The best singing was done by Rickards

and Bishop. They knew how to project their voices, and to my ears the sounds were flawless. They hit every note, and I didn’t catch a single blunder with the vocal performances.

When performing “Show off,” I got the idea that Van de Graf is a very successful actress, and deserves the attention she receives because she can actually sing on top of bing a very attractive flapper girl.

Bishop’s performance as “The Drowsy Chaperone” was something that would leave a member of the audience far from drowsy. Her attitude and infidelity are aspects that would make the play a bit less suited for children under 13, for instance.

Her performance of “As We Stumble Along” was excellent, and was fun because it didn’t offer Van de Graf any advice to her personal doubts about the wedding, but added to the fun of having a drunken friend.

Another interesting thing about the play is that the tap dancing number performed by Bishop and Swearengin was completely learned for the play. The gentlemen had no tap-dancing experience before that.

I would recommend the play to everyone, but would caution that there are some themes that might not be suitable for young children – namely, Adolpho, the sex addict who was supposed to seduce Van de Graf.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” opens tonight at 7:30 p.m.

Additional showings will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday; 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 27-28; and 2 p.m. on March 1. Tickets are $12 in advance for adults, and $15 at the door. For students, they’re $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Visit mhcc.edu/theatre to purchase tickets.

‘Drowsy’ cast prepares for opener

Photo by Beka Haugen - the advocate“The Drowsy Chaperone” actors Peter Woodford and Luke Swearengin perform “Cold Feet” during Tuesday’s dress rehearsal.

The Drowsy Chaperone: 4/5 stars

Check out THE DROWSY CHAPERONE video at www.advocate-online.net

the advocate

NEWS

6

February 20, 2015

Ivy Davisthe advocate

Everybody was kung-fu fight-E-E-ing ... hea-yah ... and MHCC students were.

Though not as fast as lightning, the Mar-tial Arts Club has come a long ways. Advised by Mike Foulke, who teaches a martial arts course here at Mt. Hood, the club is learning a mixture of grappling techniques

Colton Wishart, club president, said “Half the class is training for a taekwondo tour-nament on Feb. 28 and the other half of the class is rotating through different grappling (techniques).” As a martial arts enthusiast and participant, Wishart said he hopes the club will get more exposure to different types of martial arts.

“The club is going to have guest trainers come in (teaching) all different styles,” Wis-hart said. The club already has a day set up to learn with a pressure points master.

Each session, the club starts with stretch-ing, then moves on to warm ups until mem-bers are ready to learn the lesson for the day. Taylor Johnson, club vice president, said that they practice “different types of fighting arts such as Brazilian and Japanese jiu-jitsu, Greco-Roman wrestling, and no-submission wrestling.” She said the club was planning to dabble in Hapkido, kickboxing, judo, sambo, Muay Thai, along with stick, and dagger.

Club members say there are several rea-sons to embrace martial arts.

“This is a college campus, there are a lot of girls off on their own. The rate of rape and getting robbed is higher for them,” said John-son as she explained Brazilian jiu-jitsu to be defense, mostly on the ground.

Wishart and Johnson discussed the im-portance of self defense, along with their love for martial arts. “When I discovered other fighting arts outside my basis, tae kwon do, I totally fell in love with the arts,” Johnson said.

Along with the different styles, there’s a number of different weapons used, including knives, bo-staffs, and swords. To keep their members safe, the club uses protective gear when sparring. Johnson said the amount of contact sparring depends on where people are ranked or what they are comfortable do-ing.

The Martial Arts Club has a lot to offer: it can help teach anyone multiple ways to de-fend themselves. The club meets from 3:30 to 5 p.m. every Friday, in HPE 114.

MHCC is kung fu fighting

Hayden Hunterthe advocate

Arun Gandhi’s visit to MHCC on Jan. 22 was awesome, but without the help of the Di-versity Resource Center (DRC) and President Debbie Derr it would have been hard to ac-complish.

The memorable event showed the growing impact of the DRC, in only its second full year of operation.

Melinda Bullen, DRC director, said she first brought Arun up in a casual conversation with Derr last summer.

“We were at a potluck... just chatting, hon-estly,” Bullen said. “I was just like, ‘Oh, this is what’s going on in the DRC, and it turns out we have the chance to have Gandhi’s grandson here,’ just going on and on and she stops me, “What!? How do we make this happen?’ ”

Derr felt strongly enough about Gandhi visiting MHCC that she gave it her full sup-port. The DRC ran, managed, and made the event happen, while the college paid for it. “Which I think speaks volumes to our presi-dent and to what she sees as valuable to both the campus and the community,” said Bullen.

“I’m always trying to balance between ‘do I have the money to do the thing that I want to do?’ but now I know there are places of sup-

port here (from which) I can, at least, attempt to get money,” she said.

This year, the DRC was given a budget of $5,000 that it didn’t have at all last year. Its budget for 2015-16 will increase by $3,000.

The DRC’s budget is part of the Mt. Hood student fee money managed by the Associated Student Government (ASG). Aside from some independent funds, the fee dollars cover heri-tage celebrations, speakers, books for the Mt. Hood Library – “whatever it is, that’s how we spend it,” Bullen said.

“The fact is, this is student fees dollars,” she said. “There is a responsibility to that for me, I’m not going to spend it unless it is really in service to students.”

At a peace conference last year, Bullen connected with many nonprofit organizations in search of just such “service.” One of these nonprofits, the World Peace Institute, brings peace laureates to Portland each year, and Gandhi was one of them. From that conversa-tion came an offer to let MHCC host Gandhi for one evening.

Bullen goes to many such events, seeking speakers and other related events that Mt. Hood could host.

MHCC’s “Lunch and Learn” events follow the same concept. They are grant-funded from the National Endowment of Humanities, so

Bullen has to apply for each speaker to present on campus.

“We have expert Oregonians talking about really relevant topics. I’m going to do whatev-er I can to get that on our campus,” she said. The DRC “should be a place that provides the campus opportunities like events, speakers, and workshops that expand our worldviews.

“As a college we should be a sort of the beacon of enlightenment, learning, and expe-rience,” Bullen said. Most students don’t have the ability to drop everything and fly to places like India for that kind of experience. “It’s our responsibility as a college to bring that (Gand-hi) here,” she said.

She also is trying to reach the surrounding community, creating more connections. This builds credibility for the DRC, and the only way the community is going to embrace the DRC is if it knows it is there and it keeps a strong presence, she said.

Bullen is already looking ahead, with the bar raised higher. But with the support of the president’s office and Derr’s “Culture of Excel-lence” effort, she thinks the DRC will be able to bring prominent speakers, personalities, and events to the college for years to come.

“Arun was a different caliber - he carried the name of Gandhi - that’s going to be hard to compete with,” she said.

DRC to continue bringing star speakers

Hayden Hunterthe advocate

Those who attended Wednesday’s meet-ing of the MHCC District board would learn that the college’s primary logo wasn’t trade-marked for a while, and could have been purchased by anyone.

Money and campaign news highlighted the rest of the evening.

First came a presentation for a program called “Future Connect.” The program is ded-icated to helping students thrive in college, starting with providing students with access to a success coach. The success coach can help field any problems the student may have, whether that be financial aid documents, or life decisions. Since last year, the program has seen its numbers increase dramatically, to a current enrollment of 51 students.

Head Start representatives gave an update and assessment of their program.

Then came the Aquatic Center’s annual report. It was noted that last year’s report was not good at all, but the board had expressed high hopes for changes under Tanya Rich-ardson, then-new manager of aquatics and recreation. When it came to updated Aquatic expenditures, board member Bob Coen could only say one thing: “Wow!”

Although the Center’s expenditures are still

higher than its revenue, the board was pleased that Richardson was making headway, com-pared to last year’s performance.

The only final board action was approval of the academic calendar for 2015-16 (a change from the usual two-year cycle).

In her own report, MHCC President Deb-bie Derr told the board how well MLK Jr. Day went for Mt. Hood participants at Concordia University in northeast Portland, then shared exciting news: Mt. Hood will be hosting a sig-nificant community service event for MLK Jr. Day in 2016.

Then came this news: MHCC’s logo – the triple-slice image of the real Mount Hood – that was trademarked on May 23, 2007, had expired on Aug. 22, last summer.

Any citizen could have bought the MHCC logo online for $159, until officials realized the oversight and renewed the trademark, the board was told.

(On a side note, The Advocate was “incred-ibly disappointed” that it missed its chance, said Greg Leonov, editor-in-chief.)

Finally, the number of “open” MHCC Dis-trict board seats has been sliced from four, to two.

Diane Noreiga, current board president, quickly filed to run for another four-year term, in one of two at-large board seats. She remains unopposed, for now, in the special

May 19 election.After talking with both Derr and Noriega,

Coen decided to run for his District 5 board position again. “I had some other commit-ments, but it makes sense for me and the school to run gain,” he said.

That leaves District 3, where current member Todd Sloan, appointed just last year, is still planning on stepping down when his term ends. “I promised that I would fill the gap, but someone else would have to fill the (upcoming four-year) term,” he said.

Mark Callahan, an IT consultant, has filed to run Sloan’s position.

Paul Capell was unable to attend Wednes-day’s board meeting and Thursday’s board retreat. “This is part of my dilemma,” said Ca-pell, by telephone, saying he still hasn’t decid-ed if he will run for re-election in Mt. Hood’s other at-large district. He said he plans to talk with Derr and Noriega soon about his plans.

The deadline for candidates to file in Mult-nomah or Clackamas counties for the May ballot is March 19.

Mt. Hood repurchases its own logo

the advocate

SPORTS

7

February 20, 2015

Brandon Raleighthe advocate

On Wednesday, the Saints men were able to sneak past Portland Community College late to pull out a 69-66 must-win road contest. The victory came on the heels of a tough 80-72 home loss to Lane CC last Saturday.

MHCC started out slow against PCC, struggling to rebound and play clean ball (12 turnovers in the first half alone).

The Panthers were able to outrebound the Saints by eight in the first half and held a sev-en-point lead at the half.

Following a halftime discussion from head coach Geoff Gibor, the Saints came out firing on all cylinders and pounced on the Panthers. Taking control of the game, Mt. Hood outre-bounded Portland by 11 in the second-half, and shot a strong 57% from the field.

The Saints outscored the Panthers by 10 in the second half, to win by a slim, three-point margin.

Freshman guard Jamal Muhammad, who finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, gave his thoughts on the comeback.

“We started off slow and not being as strong with the ball, but at halftime we came in and had a convo about having heart,” he said.

“We came out in the second half with pride

and gave it our all. Putting everything on the floor with no regrets and outworked them in the second-half and came out with the W,” he continued. “It was fun to see that our squad re-ally has heart!”

Gibor was pleased with the win and the fact that the Saints were able to pull out a nar-row victory after all the close losses suffered earlier in the season.

Red-shirt freshman forward Kody Ken-nedy assisted the Saints comeback, scoring 19 points on an impressive 8-for-10 from the field and grabbing six rebounds. Sophomore Jason Wallace added seven points.

With the win over Portland, the Saints now sit in fifth place in the South Region, (5-6 in region play, 8-14 overall).

To make the NWAC playoffs, the Saints must finish at least fourth in the South Re-gion. Umpqua Community College (6-5 in the South, 15-10 overall) currently holds a one-game edge over Mt. Hood.

With just three games remaining, Coach Gibor discussed the importance of the team playing free and not saving anything.

“We just have to do the best we can and I keep telling our guys to play free. Just forget about the last game and whatever good or bad it is, play and have fun,” he said.

“I also tell them not to save anything. Ath-letes sometimes have the tendency to save energy and save things for later that never

comes. We don’t need to save anything,” he said. “We’ve got to put it out there and leave it on the floor.”

The next in the string of must-win games for the Saints comes on Saturday against the Linn-Benton Roadrunners (2-9 in the South, 6-15 overall).

“They’re a pretty good team. Adam Moore, their leading scorer is really good. They’re big. They shoot good,” said Gibor. “They play a lot of zone, we know that. So we have to weath-

er the storm at their place and play with no regrets.”

Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at Linn-Benton Community College.

Chief MHCC rival Clackamas Communi-ty College comes to town next Wednesday, in the Saints’ final home game of the season.

“All we can do is control what we can control,” Gibor said of the impending battles. “Win the next three games and we are in (the NWAC playoffs).”

Saints get much-needed victory in Portland

David Teasthe advocate

The Mt. Hood women’s basketball team traveled to Portland Community College on Wednesday night, looking to end a two-game skid, while Portland was trying to put two wins in a row together.

“We have nothing to lose, so there is no pressure on us,” Saints head coach Tyler Rose had said before the game.

Unfortunately, the Panthers players brought enough pressure on the PCC home court to pound the Saints, 93-65.

The loss gave Mt Hood a 5-19 overall re-cord, 1-9 in the South Region. PCC is now 12-11 overall and 5-4 in the South.

Portland’s sophomore guard, Diamond Bolden, was a force from the beginning of the game. Mt. Hood found itself down by nine points with 11:45 to play in the first half. Bold-en is one of the best players in the NWAC, and her full talents were on display. Mt Hood simply had no answer, as she finished with 31 points, five rebounds, eight assists and a whopping six steals.

The Saints were down 48-31 at halftime. Freshman forward Delanee Martin, who had another terrific game for Mt Hood, was on fire from downtown. She would end up hit-ting 5-of-9 shots from three-point land for the night, to lead the Saints with 19 points. Soph-omore center Marley Yates had 13 points, a quiet game by her standards.

At the 15-minute mark of the second half, it seemed to unravel for Mt Hood. Portland’s shots were falling and the Panthers started trapping Mt. Hood on defense. PCC would ultimately outrebound Mt Hood by 16, and re-cord 13 fewer turnovers than the Saints.

All five of Portland’s starters scored in dou-ble figures.

“We needed to keep them out of the middle of the floor, that’s where they are their deadli-est,” Rose said. “If we get rattled, it goes south quickly.”

The defeat followed another last Saturday, when the Saints hosted Lane Community Col-lege.

Lane was taking the ball inside and draw-ing quick fouls on Mt. Hood’s front court play-ers.

“We had to go to a four-guard offense at times, because of fouls. Our shot selection and being intimidated by their size really hurt us,” Rose said. Lane went on to win, 77-52.

“Our minds were elsewhere,” Rose said. “We had our moments, but there just wasn’t enough of them.”

Mt. Hood was again led by Martin, who

had 17 points, with three three-pointers. Yates had a quiet game with six points. Rose gave credit to Lane’s defense and size. “We couldn’t get Marley the ball in the right places at the right time. Lane did a good job of containing her and keeping her off the glass,” he said.

Lane was led by Jordan Kimbrough, who scored 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.

Saints leave empty-handed, lose third straight

Photo by Beka Haugen - the advocate

Photo by David Teas - the advocate

Portland Community College drives to the basket against Mt. Hood on Jan. 21 in Gresham. On Wednesday night, Mt. Hood defeated PCC, 69-66, in Portland behind Jamal Muhammad’s 22 points.

MEN’S UPCOMING GAMESSATURDAY AWAY LINN - BENTON CC 4 PM

WEDNESDAY HOME CLACKAMAS CC 7:30 PM

FEB. 28 AWAY UMPQUA CC 4 PM

The Saints fell in disappointing fashion to PCC on Wednesday, 93-65, despite Delanee Martin’s 19 points.

the advocate

SPORTS

8

February 20, 2015

Emily Wintringhamthe advocate

The fast and skill-based alternative form of soccer, “futsal,” which originated in Latin America, has a unique dwelling place in the heart of northeast Portland.

Right off Interstate 84 near Northeast 49 Avenue, the award-winning facility Rose City Futsal is home to a culture that “lives and breathes the sport,” as Soccer Stars Program Director Sarah Plymale describes it.

In what used to be an old warehouse, Rose City Futsal came onto the Portland scene in September 2013 by nine families who adored the game.

Along with traditional soccer, the game of futsal is becoming increasingly popular north of the border.

“It’s been insane, seeing the popularity of this place and futsal in general,” Plymale said. “It’s a new concept in America and it’s really taking off in Portland.”

She noted that Portland has a reputation for being soccer-friendly and that futsal is a great option when the weather is too poor to play outside, especially during winter.

Not only is futsal an indoor haven from Portland rains, but Plymale and desk manager Gresham Prehn agree that the quick pace and more frequent scoring appeals especially to the fast culture of Americans who are bored by the “slowness” of soccer.

“I think in 15 years we could have large arenas and it could be one of the biggest sports in America and have its own identity, separate to soccer,” Prehn said.

“(Soccer) players in Spain and other coun-tries are developing younger,” than in the U.S. partly because they play futsal to keep improv-ing year-round, he said.

Plymale agreed: “They (youth American soccer players) get disorientated,” sometimes on large, outdoor pitches. “This is scaled down to their size and because of that, it benefits their development. They get more touches on the ball.”

There are many factors that make futsal a training tool for younger players. The ball itself is denser than an average soccer ball. When dropped, a futsal ball does not bounce more than a half a centimeter off the ground. Though it is heavier, it responds to force more easily. The ball glides more smoothly than a typical ball. In futsal, the ball should not go up in the air very often. Futsal, according to Plymale, is about ball control and technical skills, such as dribbling and passing. This, plus playing 5 vs. 5 instead of the usual 11 vs. 11, produces more skill and confidence in stu-dents, she explained.

Plymale hears a lot from coaches and par-ents of younger soccer players. “They’ll call us and say, ‘The best players on our outdoor team also play futsal so we’d like to sign our child up to play futsal.”

Futsal is the ingenious adaption of soccer to be played on a smaller, hard surface. Juan Carlos Ceriani Gravier, a teacher in Uruguay who developed the game in the 1930s after soccer caught fire there when Uruguay won the World Cup in 1930. Basketball wasn’t very popular, so futsal was played on basketball courts, with smaller-than-usual goals.

Futsal has energy to it that many people enjoy. Josh Visan, a student at MHCC, has played futsal one time at Rose City Futsal and other times with other Rose City Futsal mem-bers.

“Futsal is special to me because it gives me a chance to work on a faster paced, more pre-cise game,” Visan said. “Close-quarter passes and dribbling skills are necessary to play well indoors, as well as outdoors. Honestly, that’s the weakest part of my game, so I really en-joy playing futsal because of the challenge,” he said.

“I love to play while there’s music in the background, too,” Visan said.

Rose City Futsal’s formal programs be-come less active in the summer, but offer more open play when more classes and matches are taken outside to the fields.

Nonetheless, Rose City Futsal has seen thousands of people of all ages come to play the game on its three courts - two turf mini-courts, and one that is a standard 107 feet by 55 feet and has a laminate wood surface.

Being the hub of several soccer/futsal re-lated activities, RCF offers everything from futsal itself, to shopping at the Far Post soccer supply store, to grabbing some beer and grub at Clive’s Public House up the stairs.

RCF even hosts viewing parties for the World Cup events and some of the Portland Timbers matches. RCF will host the women’s World Cup viewing party this summer.

There are three educational programs in the futsal program: Soccer Stars, for training 3-to-6-year-olds; Youth Academy for children ages 6-14; and adult classes, for ages 14 and up.

Currently, there are 550 youths involved in training.

Also, Rose City Futsal will be sending 14 teams to the Northwest Regionals of the U.S. Federation of Futsal.

For more information on Rose City Futsal’s program, visit: rosecityfutsal.com/

An inside look at Portland’s Rose City FutsalPhoto by Emily Wintringham - the advocate

Five facts of futsal 1. Developed by a teacher

in Uruguay in the 1930s

2. Played on hard surfaces or flat turf

3. Quick paced, often to music

4. 5 on 5 players instead of 11 on 11

5. Legends such as Pelé, Messi and Ronaldo played futsal and developed great dribbling and passing skills

Web photo