AdvocateMay 23, 2014 Volume 49 Issue 29

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2013 FIRST PLACE General excellence

Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College

Saints are champions

Read the story: page 8See the photo gallery: Facebook

by Greg LeonovThe Advocate

A group of MHCC students feel that 554 out of ap-proximately 10,000 enrolled for Spring term are a vastly insufficient number to choose student body representa-tives who direct the spending of a $1 million budget that comes from student activity fees.

Mt. Hood’s recent spring elections for 2014-15 As-sociated Student Government (ASG) leadership attracted 554 total votes, 218 of which went to the winner, presi-dent-elect Alma Pacheco, and her running mate, Cristian Urzua.

That amounts to about 5.54 percent participation in the voting.

Three students – Beka Haugen, Michael Potts and David Sause – say the student body needs far more rep-resentation in ASG voting. They have started a petition for immediate recall of Pacheco and Urzua and to stage an election where the student body is more fully represent-ed. They also claim ASG didn’t follow its current election rules this spring.

“It states in the petition that it rescinds the current student election until a better system is established,” said Potts.

“I mean, when the ASG sets up the election, and the majority of the (eligible) voters didn’t vote, like, (95 per-cent) of the students didn’t vote, it shows that the elec-tion is a giant failure,” said Sause.

More MHCC voters “should know what our student body gets to do,” said Sause, regarding ASG’s activities. “Especially if they’re using a million dollars – that’s huge. If, as students, we have a body like that that gets to use a million dollars, I think we should be able to get better (voter) representation than that.”

“It seems so small,” said Potts about the low voter turnout. “If ASG elections are what we’re beginning our year on, as far as ASG outreach – it seems very small and underrepresented.”

To date, Haugen, Potts, and Sause have gathered close to 400 signatures.

Meadow McWhorter, Mt. Hood’s student events coor-dinator who supervises the elections committee, said the college’s voter turnout is usually higher when there are more tickets (president and vice-president paired teams) to vote for.

Last year’s election attracted 957 votes, with five tickets to vote for. In 2012, 1,086 students voted on seven tickets, while in 2011 there were 501 votes cast between three tickets, according to records supplied by McWhort-er.

“The more tickets you have, certainly, the more votes you have,” McWhorter said. She called this month’s vot-ing “very comparable to years past.”

Current ASG President Laura Aguon said that 500 votes is a big deal, in reality.

“Five hundred students voting is huge because even in the United States, it’s hard to get people to vote, and the fact that we got 500 students on our campus — (which) has such a commuter lifestyle... such a commuter culture — I think it’s a great thing because that’s 500 stu-dents (who) expressed their voice.”

Potts also claims the 2014 elections weren’t conduct-ed under ASG’s bylaws. “I’d like to see the bylaws either followed, or get changed, ’cause apparently they weren’t used last time.”

ASG’s bylaws state that “Polls should remain open for a week” with “week” being undefined. The polls in this month’s election opened Monday, May 5 at 12:01 a.m. and closed at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, making the polls open for four days. Voting was conducted online, where each student entered their ID number and birthdate, then clicked on the desired ticket.

ASG election under scrutiny

ElectionContinued on page 3

MHCC is closed Monday for Memorial Day

by Katelyn HilsenbeckThe Advocate

MHCC administration has selected Richard Doughty as the lone finalist for the open position of Vice President of Administrative Services.

Doughty spoke to Mt. Hood staff, students and community members in two open forums held on Wednesday. At-tendees were urged to fill out an evalu-ation form. He was selected from among 22 job candidates, school officials said.

This full-time position has been va-cant since 2011. A part-time employee, Bill Farver, held the job on an interim ba-sis for nearly three years until he retired in January.

To fill the void, Bill Becker is current-ly serving as a temporary fiscal adviser for Mt. Hood President Debbie Derr. His contract expires at the end of June.

School officials anticipate meeting filling the position in time to meet their targeted July 1 start date. A hiring deci-sion would be needed in the next few weeks.

Doughty is currently the associate di-rector for administration and operations at the University of California, Davis, specifically its California National Pri-mate Research Center, near Sacramento.

His prior experience includes time as as-sociate director for administration at Or-egon Health Science University’s (OHSU) west campus (also home to a primate fa-cility). He also is a certified management accountant.

During the second forum, Doughty emphasized the important of commu-nication, collaboration and discussion to come up with “good, eloquent solutions.

“For leadership it’s extremely im-portant for us to be able to communicate well, where we are at accurately… and also communicate in the area of ‘What is it that our finances support?’ ” he said.

In order to enhance that commu-nication at different institutions, he has brought in faculty in from different groups once a month to administrative meetings to represent the importance of their departments.

Doughty said he believes in the power of errors.

“The best way we learn is error and error correction,” he told the audience. “I’m happy to admit an error. I’m happy to apologize for an error.”

DoughtyContinued on page 6

Finalist selected for admin position

Above: Saints rejoice and shower themselves with sparkling cider after their NWAACC win on Monday. Right: Morgan Entze reacts after cider was poured over her headPhotos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Opinion2 May 23, 2014

Editor-in-ChiefKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Living Arts EditorRebecca Gaulke

Opinion EditorDanny Perez-Crouse

News EditorKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Sports EditorAaron Marshall

Copy EditorRebecca Gaulke

Photo EditorCarole Riggs

Ad ManagerCameron Miller

Mt. Hood Community College26000 SE Stark Street

Gresham, Oregon 97030

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu

www.advocate-online.net #mhccadvocate

503-491-7250

SubmissionsThe 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

Howard Buck

Dan Ernst

Bob Watkins

AdvisersEditor-in-ChiefKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Living Arts EditorRebecca Gaulke

News EditorKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Assistant News EditorGreg Leonov

Sports EditorAaron Marshall

Copy EditorRebecca Gaulke

Photo EditorCarole Riggs

Ad ManagerCameron Miller

Mt. Hood Community College26000 SE Stark Street

Gresham, Oregon 97030

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu

www.advocate-online.net #mhccadvocate

Phone: 503-491-7250

SubmissionsThe 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

Howard Buck, Dan Ernst Bob Watkins

AdvisersMadeline Boyce

Hayden Hunter

Brandon Raleigh

Edgar Valencia

Emily Wintringham

Reporters

Video TeamMelissa Casey

Tyler Cornelison

Jared Lichtenberg

Graphic DesignerHeather Golan

Opinion EditorDanny Perez-Crouse

PhotographerMindy Clark

“The top of the list for me... “actually.” Nothing more irritating than someone who uses that word in every sentence. It assumes I don’t trust the speaker. In fact, I do trust the speaker, right up

until they repeatedly use that word! It has become an obsession in America and indicates there is a serious education problem in this

country.”Online comment from Ken on “Filler words you have to stop saying” editorial

The art of constructive criticism

Editorial: Let’s improve online classes

Mastering constructive criticism is paramount in any and every workplace or social environment

Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate

by Danny Perez-CrouseThe Advocate

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

This quote from Winston Churchill drives home the importance of criti-cism. Those in the position of criticiz-ing others, however, can easily forget the importance of how to properly de-liver it.

Mastering constructive criticism is paramount in any and every work-place or social environment, mainly because we hate criticism in general. It sends every nerve-ending on the fritz if somebody gives us an honest or brutal opinion. Even if you were to be

critiqued in a perfectly eloquent and re-spectable manner, there would still be a part of you wincing in anger that you did something wrong.

It’s true that many people need to get a thicker skin and deal with the fact that they aren’t doing something right, but we can all massage our criti-cal methods. I’m no master in the art, but just like everybody, I’ve been in the critical hot seat plenty of times and have experienced criticism that has ei-ther enriched or hurt me.

The reason I emphasize construc-tive criticism is because regular criti-cism can sometimes be pointless or arbitrary. Someone may not like some-thing because it doesn’t adhere to their personal preferences, rather than being objective in quality. To them I would say, basically, if you don’t have any-thing meaningful to add, then don’t say anything at all.

Constructive criticism goes deeper into why you have an issue with some-thing and how that issue can be re-solved. It’s meant to improve the out-

come, and not just point out the flaws. The problem is, many people don’t

see criticism as a time to help some-body or nurture their growth process. They see it as an opportunity to make someone look like an idiot, while get-ting off on their ego. This can result in the person turning someone’s fault into their own educational sermon. We critics can also jump the gun. Many times people fail to see a minor error as

a short lapse in judgment. When giving your two cents —

make it short, sweet and don’t beat around the bush. Just say what some-one did wrong, and how they can im-prove that. Try to balance out the criti-cism with some positives. Tough love can be good, but don’t totally demoral-ize someone. I’m not saying you should

pad every problem with a compliment, but people need some type of uplifting comment in the midst of overwhelming negatives to give them a starting point.

Delivery is a huge part of helping people accept criticism. If you come off snappy and condescending, people are going to focus less on what they did wrong and how much of a jerk you are. Obviously, when somebody has really messed up they deserve a good

licking, but it should be saved for spe-cial occasions. It’s also easy to be too nice. You can be taken less seriously if you don’t have any authority or agen-cy in your voice, whatsoever. Most importantly, you need to really sell the fact that you care and want to im-prove something or someone through your disposition.

Johannes Kepler, a noted 16th cen-tury mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, once said, “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intel-ligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.”

There was a former instructor of mine who could deliver criticism like he was diffusing a bomb. When he would critique a paper of mine, all of his points seemed logical and fair. It felt like he was trying to help me write a better paper rather than merely pointing out the flaws. He also delivered them in a stern yet compassionate manner that made the criticism easier to swallow and respect. I took everything he said seriously, but always knew it was com-ing from a place of compassion. I value his opinion greatly and wish he could review all of my work.

This is the kind of person those in leadership positions should aspire to be. If you express your thoughts hon-estly, thoughtfully and with a desire to push somebody forward, your opinion will be revered and sought out.

To see student reactions to the gay marriage ban being lifted, go to our website, www.advocate-online.net

Online classes: Who doesn’t love them? You get to work from the com-fort of your home and schedule every-thing on your own terms. However, the price to actually enroll in these classes has been wreaking havoc on our wal-lets. And we aren’t too fond of Black-board, either.

There is a $55 technology fee for ev-ery online class at MHCC, on top of the regular tuition. This may not seem like a big deal, at first, but once you start piling on the classes, it adds up.

It can be quite befuddling as to how these classes are actually more ex-pensive than a physical class. Online classes aren’t using up Mt. Hood space or materials; teachers don’t have to be in one place for over an hour, constant-ly interacting with students; and the classes don’t use Mt. Hood equipment like projectors or computers. They also don’t require printing materials, such as handouts or tests.

We understand there is some jus-tification as to why online classes have such large tech fees. There are licens-ing fees for the Blackb0ard interface, teachers need to be taught on how to set up and maintain their classes (on-line), and Internet servers need to be maintained, among other things.

Regardless of whatever reasons warrant the wallet-gouging tech fee, we still think avenues should be sought in order to make the online classes less costly. There are schools, like the Uni-versity of Oregon, that also use Black-board, but have lower tech fees.

In checking with the distance learning office, we were told that other software options for hosting online classes are always being researched. Ultimately, we learned, software con-tracts are an MHCC District board deci-

sion and it’s not an easy thing to switch from one service to the other, given the many nuances. Still, it’s not impossible to change direction.

We should take a serious look at some other options. Blackboard is ser-viceable, but we’ve had our fair share of issues with the program. Bugs, like missing links in lessons, have resulted in some of us having to skip entire sec-tions of the class. Discussions can be a pain depending on the teacher’s set-tings. Some don’t allow you to edit your submission, so if you made a pretty blatant error, you’re stuck with it. Also, the messaging system and the way in which classes are laid out can be unin-tuitive.

It may be a smidge petty to com-plain about having these opportunities funneled through a program with some minor irritations. We are extremely grateful that we have the option of tak-ing classes online, but, if there were a superior program that could also be more cost-effective, it would be a “win-win,” right? Blackboard has also been with the school for good chunk of time, so it might be time to make the change.

We spend enough money on class-es, books and all the other academic ex-penses that come with college. It would be a welcome financial aid if the online classes went down in price, and if we had a more attractive portal to those classes.

We should take a serious look at some other options

Four-day elections have been going on for a number of years, it turns out. “Since I have taken over the elections, and even before I have been involved in the elec-tions process, they’ve always been open for four business days,” said McWhorter. “It might be some-thing that our student senate could look into — having it open for five business days.”

To change a bylaw, members of the ASG senate have to go through a time-consuming process, one that lasts up to two weeks, Aguon said.

May 23, 2014 3News

by Katelyn HilsenbeckThe Advocate

The only collegiate fisheries pro-gram in Oregon trains 32 MHCC stu-dents each year how to conduct both hatchery and field work.

The second year of the program is predominately hatchery centered: Students receive as many as 7,000 rainbow trout eggs in September and nurture them to the legal catch size of 8 inches.

The 2,500 fish that made the cut this Spring were released into the Mt. Hood pond on May 14.

Young HeadStart students who helped care for the fish throughout the school year were on hand, said Marla Chaney, fisheries instructor: “They sprinkle feed into the fish, they get splashed and scream like crazy,” she said.

The fish will likely leave the pond at the hands of children; the annual Youth Fishing Day at Mt. Hood Pond is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mt. Hood’s hatchery uses 95 per-cent re-use water (recycled on campus after cleaning). The water is recondi-tioned by adding oxygen and removing excess ammonia and fecal matter from the fish.

Chaney said, “It’s excellent expe-rience for the students because water rights and water usage are becoming such a big deal. It’s really great (that) this is a water re-use facility.”

Although Chaney’s own special-ty is hatchery, “We’re trying not to do just the hatchery side,” she said. “We’re trying to be a really balanced fisheries program and do the field side.”

Chaney said that in her three years at MHCC, the job has never been bor-ing. “It’s exciting to have had 20 years working in a practical manner in hatcheries in Alaska and Oregon and trying to give that knowledge to a whole new crop of fisheries techni-cians,” she said.

Students’ first year is filled with field trips, led by instructor Todd Han-na.

Because the students are exposed to both hatchery and field work, “You can decide where you want to go with the degree,” said Alexis Toney, sec-ond-year student pursuing the hatch-ery side.

Toney had been seeking a degree in forestry at Central Oregon Com-munity College, until students made a field trip to a hatchery research center. She got hooked, and when researching programs, found that Mt. Hood “was one of the best ones,” she said.

“There’s a ton of hands-on activi-ties,” said second-year student John Paul Viviano, who is pursuing the field side of fisheries.

Students also learn to work with tools in a class called “building main-tenance.”

“It’s a great tool to get them a job,” said Chaney. She emphasized the importance of understanding plumb-ing in order to enter the fisheries pro-fession.

Graduates from Mt. Hood’s two-year program are qualified to work in fisheries with their associate of ap-plied science degree. They qualify for a hatchery technician I position in both the Oregon and Washington depart-ments of fish and wildlife.

In Washington, MHCC graduates

also can work as a scientific techni-cian, and in Oregon, as an experimen-tal biological aide.

“There’s probably 70 percent of the hatchery employees (for Oregon DFW) (who) went through the Mt. Hood program here,” said Chaney.

Chaney said the fisheries program operates at just the right size, for now.

“We don’t want to increase the enrollment too much more, because we don’t want to put out too many people,” she said. “Right now we’re in sync with the amount of jobs that are happening.”

Her students say it’s a great match for their needs.

“I was looking for a community college in the area and I saw that (Mt. Hood) had a fisheries program,” said Viviano. “I kind of lucked out, to be honest. I didn’t realize it was such a good fisheries program. The instruc-tors are super knowledgable. They have a ton of experience.”

As part of their second-year cur-riculum, each MHCC student must complete an individual project. Toney studied the Mollala River and exam-ined the habitat for winter steelhead; Viviano measured the ratio of preda-tory and nonpredatory macro-inver-tebrates in four streams in the region.

Viviano is picking up a summer job as Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, while Toney has several job prospects and may be heading for the coast.

For anyone interested in joining the fisheries program, Chaney rec-ommends volunteering at a hatchery or regional fish and wildlife facility first to make sure the fisheries field is something they would like to pursue.

Fisheries students nurture 2,500 rainbow trout from September to May

by Madeline BoyceThe Advocate

A new, weekly meditation group at MHCC will meet every Thursday in the Diversity Re-source Center (AC 1050) from 2 to 3 p.m.

“Whether it’s work stress or personal stress… life is stressful,” said Heather White, library technical services coordi-nator. This was the reason she and Bran-don Roberts, a human resources general-ist, decided to create a meditation group on campus. In the past there have been a few meditation groups offered to faculty members, but this is the first meditation group made available to both faculty and students.

White and Roberts have experience meditating: “I think we both are sort of ‘regular’ practitioners of meditation,” said

Roberts, “(but) we’re just going to lead the group.” The Mt. Hood group is breath-fo-cused at the moment, though if attendees wish to share other meditation practices they are more than welcome. This breath-focused standpoint includes walking med-itation. Though there are many different types of walking meditation, in this case it is a practice of coordinating your breathing with your steps and feet.

“Whether they have experience or not, (people) can just show up and just be led,” White said of the meetings. “The goal is to get a different quality of awareness, at least for this one hour on campus, regard-less of our backgrounds.”

One session has already been held, and White and Roberts plan to continue the meditation group through the summer, possibly spending some Thursday medita-

tions outdoors.MHCC employees are encouraged to use

their wellness time (maximum 90 minutes of wellness work release per week) or their lunch hour. A Wellness Activity Approval form must be completed by the employee before using their wellness time.

The meditation group has been em-braced by the school. Melinda Bullen, Di-versity Resource Center coordinator, said, “Having students, faculty, and staff come together for meditation practice in the DRC is another excellent example of how different ideas, practices, and cultural ex-periences have a home on Mt. Hood’s cam-pus.”

The meditation sessions will begin promptly at 2:05 p.m. It is asked that no one enter the meditation after 2 p.m. since that may disturb those already present.

Relieve stress through meditation ElectionContinued from page 1

ASG has no process to recall elections

Potts said the senate should respond, however necessary, to the petitioners’ complaints.

“It’s kind of in (the) sen-ate’s hands to figure out what needs to happen from here,” said Potts. “Essentially, we slapped a petition on their table asking for a recall of the candi-date. I don’t know if they offi-cially have a process for that.

“They basically have to go back to the students and decide what they want to do. It’s not really my place to speak for the entire student body. I just know they signed a petition that we put forward,” he said.

McWhorter said that “cur-rently there is nothing in our ASG bylaws that would recall an election.”

Aguon said she hopes the petition is the result of a gen-uine concern, meanwhile. “I hope that the students that are doing this are doing it out of making sure that this is the best thing that is for students and comes from a good place,” she said.

“I wish that they were at the forefront in getting the elec-tions committee better ideas rather than this, because this (creates) a lot of division (be-tween) ASG and the student population.” If the petitioners were “100 percent (engaged) in the beginning, we wouldn’t have this issue now,” she said.

McWhorter encourages the students to join ASG, if change is what they seek.

“I certainly would encour-age the students that feel pas-sionate about a recall or what-not to apply to be a part of ASG and get involved to be a part of the change that they’d like to see,” she said.

Glen Murray and Jacob Loftis, both second year fisheries students release rainbow trout in Mt. Hood’s pond.

Photo contributed by Christopher Taylor

Living Arts4 May 23, 2014

Things You Do At A Wedding That’d Be Creepy Anywhere

ElseIn the mood for a laugh? As part of our weekly

feature, we will show you one awesome video and tell you why you should watch it.

BuzzFeed presents this wedding-themed video that actually makes perfect sense: Plenty of things done at a wedding are pretty weird, like trusting

kids with valuables and having “you”-themed food. With over one million views in just two days, you should search for this one and see the list of the other typical things that are done at a wedding

that would be weird in everyday life.

Looking for something to do? Check out our revamped weekly calendar for some fun

ideas!

32

TO BE DETERMINED

Dave Chappelle

Showtimes all weekend, times

vary

Helium Comedy Club, 1510 S.E. Ninth Ave.,

Portland

If you are a fan of Dave Chappelle, tickets are $55 and may be available at

seatengine.com depend-ing on availability, or if you call 888-64-FUNNY. For a

complete list of shows and times and for more informa-

tion, visit helium comedy.com.

1Techno Glow

Show

Wednesday, June 4, 7 to 11 p.m.

MHCC Gym

This end-of-the-term party is a great way for students to kick off summer and celebrate with

friends. There will be glow sticks, a photo booth, face

painting and more. There will also be a Pre-Glow Party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. prior to the event in the Main Mall. Both

events are free.

Annual Youth Fishing Day

Saturday

MHCC Pond

This yearly event is free for children age 17 and under, but teenagers ages 14-17 will need to purchase a juvenile license

for $9 from The Oregon Depart-ment of Fish and Wildlife. Tools needed to fish will be provided

on a first-come, first-served basis.

Viral Vid of the Week

by Greg LeonovThe Advocate

Mt. Hood’s Student Exhibit continues in the Vi-sual Arts Gallery through June 5.

The exhibit features paintings, ceramics, sculp-tures and pieces done with other mediums completed during the current school year.

Art major Ashley Le Gore has a number of pieces on display, her top pick being a mermaid sculpture she worked on during fall term. “The mermaid has been the most challenging piece that I’ve worked on ever, so it’s definitely my favorite,” she said.

She started work on the mermaid in Nathan Orosco’s sculpture class and in a few independent study classes.

The biggest challenge was its design, she said. “I was going by the seat of my pants in the beginning, but then, once I took the design class (with Mary Girsch), I realized that design-wise, it’s something that needed to be changed, so I ended up having to do things like cut off her arm and remake it and change some of the design of her body.”

It was important for Le Gore to be satisfied with the piece. “It was either ‘Do it right, or get it done right away,’ and I was like, ‘I might as well take the time to do it right,’ ” she said.

Le Gore also has two woodcut prints on display that she did in Georganne Watters’s printmaking class. “It’s very time consuming, but a great process to learn how to do,” she said.

One is a horse “that’s a black-and-white design, so I made the design and then printed it,” she said. The second is a goldfish, a reduction print that Le Gore described as a process where “you carve away, after you print… and so it took a long time because there’s a lot of colors in it.”

Le Gore also has a ceramic vase that is a glossy “tree stump that has baby faces growing out of it,” she said. The vase was made in an independent study class with ceramics instructor Joe Davis.

Before she realized art was pulling her in, Le Gore was attending Mt. Hood to study nursing, after being a veterinary technician for 20 years. “After a couple of terms, I decided to give that up [and] become an art major because that was my calling.

“It helps to have four really inspirational teachers (Davis, Girsch, Orosco and Watters) that... really took me under their wing and guided me,” she said. “Mt. Hood is really lucky to have those teachers.”

Having ideas for her art pop up during sleep is how Le Gore knows she found her true calling, she said. “I think when you start getting woken up in the middle of the night with ideas about a piece that won’t let you sleep, and you have to get up and sketch that out and figure that out or work on that piece, then you know you’re on the right track.”

Veteran potter Zina Starr has four different pieces of work on display. There is a piece that consists of four separate parts sculpted out of cast glass, a cast glass sculpture, and two different ceramic pieces.

Starr’s personal favorite is a piece with four com-ponents that depict different elements: wind, water, fire and earth. “My concept of the spirit totem is kinda like the Native American totem — it’s an ob-ject that has the essence and spirit, so these are all elementals,” Starr said about the mystical influence of her work.

“I’m looking at them as modern artifacts, tak-ing the concepts of my primitive ancestry, looking at them and saying ‘Okay, if I was (around) back then, what would I make now? How would I do it?’

“Maybe back in the day, I would have done it out of clay, but these are modern artifacts,” said Starr about mixing her heritage with modern items.

Starr’s second piece is a glass sculpture of a fern sprouting, which she titled “Awakenings.”

“Ferns are some of the first (native plants) to awaken — they uncurl, and it’s so very Pacific North-west. Having been a recent transplant here, I love the Pacific Northwest. So, fertile-heads, it’s the awaken-ing of spring after a long damp winter,” she said.

She also has some ceramic pieces that were class assignments; one is a ceramic head, another is a piece she calls “The House of Four Directions.”

Starr was a potter for three decades-plus, and did a variety of different work with ceramics. “I’ve been a production potter and a functional potter, I’ve been a architectural ceramist, and I’ve done sculpture, as well. And then I ran out of things to do in clay, so I said ‘Mmm, I think I’ll take a sculpture class,’ ” she said.

Her decision to take Orosco’s sculpture class has paid off, she said.

“After 35 years of looking at things a certain way — I said I played in the mud for 35 years — (now) I’m doing something completely different,” she said. “The material lends itself to different ways of think-ing, and I think it is the most exciting of the arts.”

Taking time to ‘get it right,’ ‘awaken senses’

VISUAL ARTS GALLERY FEATURE: PART TWO

Photo by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

The Visual Arts Gallery is open through June 5, featuring the artwork of students in the visual arts de-partment from throughout the school year. Top: Ashley La Gore’s mermaid piece, “Thes-salonike.” Left: Zina Starr’s glass pieces titled “Spirit To-tems – Modern Artifacts.”

May 23, 2014 5Living Arts

‘Heidi’ channels feminist idealsby Greg LeonovThe Advocate

Sierra Rickards hopes to project the struggles of women artists and wishes to change the portrayal of women in art through her performance in Mt. Hood’s student directed production of “The Heidi Chronicles.”

Rickards is playing the part of Heidi Holland, the protagonist in the play. “She’s an art historian, and an essay-ist and a feminist,” said Rickards. “She is just really focusing on representing women in the art world where (they weren’t) as represented at the time, and still actually (aren’t) represented as fully as women would like to be.”

Rickards auditioned for the part after her friend Shelby Jones was cho-sen to direct the play. Rickards said that she cried while reading one of the monologues in the play, and ended up getting the part.

“I just didn’t necessarily think that

I had the acting chops for it, or I was the right look for Heidi,” said Rickards. “I’m of a really ethnic background (and) ethnicity wasn’t as prominent in

the wealthier circles during that time, so I was like, ‘Probably gonna be a girl who is not ethnic’ ” she said of her chances to win the role.

The similarities between Heidi’s and Rickards’s personalities are not missed by Rickards. “It’s creepy, how well I connect to her. A lot of the things that she says, I feel directly correlate to my life. She’s very passionate about art, as am I,” she said. “I’m kind of, like, big on female artwork, and her re-lationship with her friends, I find that I have friends similar to her friends in the show.”

There are differences between Heidi and Rickards that the actress has to overcome. “I have to work on being more vulnerable because I tend to shove all my emotions down,” said Rickards. “With Heidi, it’s very impor-tant that I feel everything that happens to her and really go into how I feel as a person about certain things.”

Rickards said that there is a scene

in the play where Heidi has a four-page monologue that is something women would universally relate to. “It’s just interesting because it’s the type of monologue that every female can con-nect to if they think of it in the way it’s supposed to be thought of.

“That was really difficult — to just let myself feel all of that emotion, ’cause it’s stuff you don’t wanna think about,” she said. “There’s always some sort of competition between women anywhere, whether you’re not directly competing with them — that’s what (the) monologue is about and realizing that, basically as a woman, you’re al-ways competing.

The scene packs a punch, Rickards said.

“It’s crazy how much feeling is be-hind it, ’cause you just end up crying. Figuring out how to deal with my emo-tions, (at a) level that I can still act with feeling like that — it’s really difficult,” she said.

Allowing herself to display emo-tions in a very open way is a challenge for Rickards. “I won’t talk about how I’m really feeling. I mean, I’m a girl — there’s always subtext, but you just have to fight it and be like ‘Uh, you need to talk about how I feel about life,’ and that’s definitely a struggle being a woman, because you are taught to keep everything very in check.”

Rickards wants people to see the show so they will understand that they will eventually reach their desired goals, even though there are hardships.

“I think that’s really inspirational as a woman to realize that even if you are constantly losing, or you may not feel like you’re the best, or you may feel like it’s a whole competition with a ton of people, and you feel like you’re never gonna win, there’s always a chance that you’re going to find your goals and meet your goals in life — even if they don’t turn out like you expected (them) to.”

Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate

Sierra Rickards

Opens Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre, and continues May 30 and 31. Tickets available at mhcc.edu/theatre and cost $5

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Slice of lifeDoughtyContinued from page 1

VP of administrative services finalist talks about experience

Right: ASG President Laura Aguon hands a doughnut to president elect Alma Pacheco while exchanging smiles. Above: ASG’s C3 Clothing, Community, and Consciousness event in front of Bookstore. Bottom left: Graduating students borrowing gowns from ASG. Bottom right: Ballroom Thieves performing in Main Mall last Wednesday.

Doughty explained that he has been responsible for programs with budgets in the $50 million range and that MHCC would be a step up in scope.

Given Mt. Hood’s objective to put a tax bond measure on the public ballot in May 2016, Doughty was asked about any bond experience.

He responded that he has none: That is something “I would have to dig in and learn,” he said.

The question did not come up as Doughty was screened by the MHCC search team.

“It was not one of the questions we had asked in the interview,” said Corey Huston, Mt. Hood science lab coordi-nator and vice president of the Classi-fied Employees Association who served on the school’s hiring committee.

Huston said he did not think Doughty’s lack of bond experience “was seen as a direct reason... to not bring him forward.”

At the forum, Doughty was asked how he would approach employee lay-offs. He recommended distributing the (reshaped job) responsibilities to mul-tiple people and redefining positions.

He acknowledged it’s tough to sig-nificantly cut a college budget, as Mt. Hood has done this spring, “without touching personnel.”

In case more layoffs are needed, he said he believes in pre-notifications, notifications and then providing an appropriate information packet for the affected parties.

Doughty was questioned on his ex-perience with facilities or food services, and said he has overseen food services operations and construction work.

When planning maintenance, he told the audience, evaluating the ex-pected lifespan of each building com-ponent and creating a schedule is key. When that anticipated date comes near, it is critical to have the compo-nent evaluated before doing any fur-ther repairs, he said.

When new projects are being planned, Doughty said he has brought on a construction consultant to create accurate bids.

During a fiscal crunch, he said he is happy to say ‘No’ to requests that would endanger the finances of the institution. However, he said any good request will be considered, in due time.

Although Doughty has never worked on a labor negotiations team, he has had staff members serve who provided “good insights” into negotia-tions, he said.

Huston said all VP candidates under consideration were asked to describe their experience working in a union environment (such as at Mt. Hood).

“Personally, it’s nice to have someone who has a little more (man-agement) experience, but he’s worked in environments where unions are present and contracts have been ne-gotiated and he has worked and imple-mented the results of those contracts,” said Huston.

He said that Doughy “was one of the candidates who had a large breadth of experience. He had a lot of the direct reports from facilities, human resourc-es, and all the areas that the current VP position would receive.

“I think that that was a key factor,”said Huston.

Doughty said he sees himself as a good fit for MHCC.

“My tool set seems to be very ap-plicable here,” he said.

Doughty has a bachelor’s degree in business administration finance from the University of Oregon and a mas-ter’s degree in communication studies from Portland State University.

His wife is an educator in the Bea-verton School District. He said both have a commitment to the Portland area. His wife intends to retire from the school district, and Doughty intends to retire from the whichever institution next hires him.

Photos by Carole Riggs, bottom left by Greg Leonov - The Advocate

May 23, 2014 7Sports

by Brandon RaleighThe Advocate

The Saints baseball team (19-23 overall, 16-14 South Region) finished off the year strong with two wins over Chemeketa Com-munity College last Friday.

Game one was an exciting 3-2 victory, as sophomore Jake Azevedo hit a walk-off single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Azevedo finished with two hits and the winning RBI in four at-bats. Sophomore Logan Grindy also added two hits and an RBI in four at-bats.

Mt. Hood also won the second game of the double-header, 3-2. The Saints were able to score three runs on four hits. Freshman Connor Newell stepped up on the offensive end for Mt. Hood, with two hits and an RBI in two at-bats.

Head Coach Bryan Donohue spoke on the importance of ending the year with the double-header sweep.

“We knew it was our last day and for our guys to play that well and get a walk-off hit in the ninth in the first game, and then come out in the second game and win another one-run game, it was fun,” Donohue said.

“We had an opportunity to finish the year on a five-game win streak. We had an opportunity to finish league play with a win-ning record. We had an opportunity to prove to ourselves that we’re a pretty good base-ball team.

“It was important for our freshman too, to have days like that, for us to have the positive days that we had... because those are the days they can look back on and use

as reminders as to what it’s supposed to look like,” Donohue said.

With the wins over the Storm, Mt. Hood ended the year on five-game roll, and cinched a winning record in the South.

“The season didn’t start how we wanted, but we grinded and fought,” said sophomore shortstop Cole Hamilton. “And we gave ourselves chances to make the (NWAACC playoff) tournament. Obvi-ously, it didn’t end how we wanted, but the younger guys really started to buy into things and you could see a lot of improve-ment towards the end.

“I wouldn’t call the season a disappoint-ment. We made a lot of great memories and friendships have formed that will last a long time. Hopefully they (returning freshman players) can translate how we played late, into next season,” Hamilton said.

Donohue said his team showed a lot, and learned a lot, this spring.

“When we were solid on the mound, when we executed offensively, when guys stepped up when we needed them, there wasn’t anybody that I thought we were out-matched (by),” he said. “For our young guys, the experience they gained this year was just huge. I don’t know if we would have gained as much experience for next year had we just waltzed through league play. You learn a lot about the game and what you need to do, what you need to work on, what you need to be good at.

“When you have a bunch of tough breaks like we did, it just teaches our guys the im-portance of taking care of the little things,” he said.

Photo by Carole Riggs- The Advocate

The Saints concluded the year on five game winning steak in double header sweep against Chemeketa Community College May 16.

Baseball ends season on win streak

by Edgar ValenciaThe Advocate

The Saints track and field team emptied the gas tank one last time, and Mt. Hood athletes finished the season with their heads held high after a note-worthy performance in the NWAACC champion-ship meet, held on Monday and Tuesday.

After two fierce days of competition in Spo-kane, the women’s team finished in fourth place, with 115 points, just 15 points short of third-place Clackamas Community College. The men’s team finished in seventh position with 36 points, falling just short of sixth place, by only six points.

“The NWAACC Championships is the meet ev-ery athlete wants to peak (at) as far as their per-formances. (We) did that at both the Southern Regional Championships as well at the NWAACC Championships,” said Mt. Hood head coach Doug Bowman.

Once again, sophomore McKenzie Warren swept the throws, just like she has been doing for most of the season. She took home three titles as she finished first in the shot put (13.29 meters), discus (43.73 meters) and hammer (46.57 meters). She won the “Field Athlete of the Meet” award and left no question on why she deserved it, as she earned 30 points for MHCC.

Three Saints finished in decent positions in the 200-meter dash, as sophomore Caitlyn Safley ran for fifth place (26.22 seconds), freshman Marley Yates came in seventh (26.51) and sophomore Kristi Kachel came right behind, in eighth place (27.39).

Safley finished second in the 400-meter run (57.90), while freshman Shanice Lakes came in third (58.01).

Long-distance runners also made their appear-ance in the scoring sheet. Freshman Emily Trosino placed eighth in the 5,000-meter run (19.49.06), while freshman Kim Smith ran for eighth place in the 10,000-meters (46.48.14).

Freshman Courtney Andre had a memorable meet, finishing fourth in both the 100-meter high hurdles (15.31) and the 400-meter high hurdles

(64.36). Andre also joined Safley, Kachel and Yates in

the 4 x 100-meter (48.73 seconds) and Safley, Lakes and Yates in the 4 x 400-meter relay (4:04:37), helping Mt. Hood earn fourth place in each.

In other field events, Yates leaped for third in the high jump (1.68 meters), while her teammates, freshman Xayna Robinson (1.63 meters) and soph-omore Carrie Haguewood (1.53 meters), finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

Robinson also finished sixth in the triple jump (10.79 meters), while Lakes barely outjumped her for fifth (11.01 meters).

Lakes also threw for 11th place in the shot put (10.87 meters).

Sophomore Lihau Perreira had a personal best in the javelin, as she threw for 39.28 meters, fin-ishing fifth. Another sophomore, Megan Nelson, finished in eighth with 38.22 meters, while fresh-man Rachael Woodcock finished 12th, with 32.48 meters.

“Overall the MHCC women were great and I, as well as the coaching staff, are very proud of them,” said Bowman.

The men’s team also saw several strong per-formers give it their all one last time, which trans-lated to good results.

The top point-getter for the Saints men was freshman Tyler Jackson, who had a big meet, fin-ishing second in the shot put with a personal best throw of 14.4 meters. He recorded another personal record in the discus, at 43.99 meters, finishing in fourth place.

Long distance runner freshman Brandon Ra-leigh had a good meet as he finished fifth in the 1,500-meters (4.06.71), and 11th in the 5,000-me-ter run (16.30.89).

In the 4 x 100 meter relay, the Saints earned the sixth position (44.16) and they came in seventh in the 4 x 400 meter relay (3.29.54).

Freshman Josh Visan jumped for seventh place in the pole vault with 4.02 meters and also threw for 11th in the javelin, with 49.82 meters.

Sophomore Justin Schlaht earned seventh place in the hammer throw (42.29 meters) and seventh in the javelin (54.91 meters).

Bowman said he was happy with the Saints’ showing in Spokane.

“This championship meet is the ending of a year’s hard work, and it showed,” said Bowman, eager to recruit more athletes to wear the red and black next season. “MHCC track and field (has) great athletes who want to not only improve their performances, but also want (to), and have, repre-sented Mt. Hood and our community well.”

He also thanked parents, spectators, friends and MHCC students “for supporting these out-standing athletes” throughout the season.

Track and field shines at NWAACCs

Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Left: Sophomore Kristi Kachel participating in the high jump. Kachel finished fifth in the 100-meter dash, eighth in the 200-meter dash and tenth the long jump during NWAACCs. Above: Freshman Josh Visan attempting the pole vault. Visan finished seventh in pole vault during NWAACCs.

Sports8 May 23, 2014

Mercedes drives Saints to titleGreen’s three-run homer powers Mt. Hood past Clackamas to clinch fourth NWAACC championship in six seasons

Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Left: The team waits for freshman catcher Mercedes Green as she crosses home plate after hitting a three-run home run in the fourth inning that gave the Saints a 3-2 lead and would ultimately give them a 4-2 victory to win the NWAACC championship. Above right: The team celebrates with sparkling cider after winning the championship. Below right: The players first react to the go-ahead home run.

I can’t even put into words what this team means to me. We shared something so special

Meadow McWhorterHead coach

by Aaron MarshallThe Advocate

After 10 months of hard work and dedica-tion, the Saints softball team’s ultimate goal be-came a reality on Monday when they won the 2014 NWAACC championship, with a come-from-be-hind 4-2 win over Clackamas Community college.

Mt. Hood won the title three straight years from 2009-2011, making this their fourth cham-pionship in six seasons, all under head coach Meadow McWhorter.

The Saints (40-3, 17-3) were clearly the best team in the NWAACC all season long, and it showed during the four-day championship tour-nament, played at Delta Park in north Portland.

“As a coach, it is the best feeling to watch your team grow throughout the season and be able to have that ‘moment,’ ” said McWhorter.

“All of the titles have been special, but this one, for me, was extra special because I got to ex-perience it with my dad (Ricky McWhorter, added as assistant coach this year),” she said.

From the first day of the tourney last Friday, the Saints showed they were determined to bring home the title, thumping Grays Harbor Commu-nity College, 16-1, in the opening round. Mt. Hood kept its performance level up in the next round, beating Spokane Community College, 6-1.

On Saturday, Mt. Hood defeated Walla Walla Community College, 7-1. They then beat their big-gest rival, Clackamas, 2-1, in a tense semi-final showdown. The Saints won in the botttom of the seventh inning, on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by freshman SheaLee Lindsey.

After clinching their spot in the championship game, the Saints waited to see who their opponent would be. And, after winning the losers bracket by defeating Treasure Valley, 8-3, earlier on Monday, Clackamas advanced to one final shot at Mt. Hood.

Mt. Hood and the Cougars met six times in

2014, and the Saints won the series, 4-2. Which also happen to be the final score of the final match-up.

The Cougars started off hot, scoring two runs in the second and third innings, making it 2-0. The momentum was in Clackamas’s favor until the bottom of the fourth inning, when freshman catcher Mercedes Green hit a 3-run home run over the centerfield fence, giving the Saints a boost of confidence and the lead for good.

“It was a game-changing moment, you could feel the momentum shift,” McWhorter said. “Mercedes was due for a clutch hit. I am so proud of her.”

Mt. Hood took control for the reminder of the game, adding an insurance run when sophomore Morgan Entze hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Sophomore Kristen Crawford earned her 20th win of the season, pitching a complete game and giving up the two earned runs and striking out five.

She got the last two outs in dramatic fashion: Spanier dove to catch a line drive hit by one of the Cougars, then doubled off a runner at first base, setting off the Saints’ celebration.

McWhorter gave the Cougars, who handed Mt. Hood two of their three losses in 2014, credit for playing tough.

“I have a lot of respect for the Clackamas soft-ball program. They are coached well and play the game with a lot of heart,” said McWhorter.

As the team celebrated its championship to-gether, more individual and group accomplish-ments were recognized.

Crawford finished tied for the most wins in the NWAACC (20), and finished first in conference with the lowest ERA (1.45).

Sophomore pitcher Ann-Marie Guischer fin-ished right behind Crawford, with 17 wins, going 17-1 on the year with a 1.93 ERA. She also was third in conference with 143 strikeouts.

For the Mt. Hood offense, freshman Kasidee Lemberger finished fourth in NWAACC with a .497 batting average, a team high. Sophomore Teauna Hughes finished sixth best in NWAACC, batting .481. Hughes also finished fifth in home runs, with 14, and third in the conference with 63 RBIs.

Several Saints were awarded this season for their efforts, on and off the field.

Hughes was named tournament MVP, and Crawford, Guischer, and freshmen Lindsey and Chelsea Spanier joined her on the all-tournament team.

Crawford, Hughes and Lemberger were named NFCA NWAACC All-Americans. McWhorter and her coaching staff, Amanda Bunch and Ricky Mc-Whorter were named NWAACC coaching staff of the year. McWhorter was named NWAACC coach of the year and South Region coach of the year.

Crawford was named South Region pitcher of the year and Hughes was awarded South Region MVP for a second straight season.

Guischer and Lemberger were named to the NWAACC first-team all-league roster. Spanier, Green and sophomores Emma Bird and Morgan Entze were named to second team.

McWhorter said her group of players moved her, at an important time.

“This group of young women have changed my life. At a time when I questioned how much lon-ger I wanted to coach, this team came along and changed everything,” the coach said. “They in-spired me to be the best coach I can be.”

Off the field, sophomores (in athletic eligibil-ity) Jordyn Anderson, Bird, Crawford, Hughes, Ni-cole Kellams and Laura Lesowske were named to the NWAACC all-academic team, each earning a GPA of 3.25 or better.

It was surely a memorable year for Mt. Hood, and there could be another in 2015.

McWhorter continues her dominance as a head coach, improving her career coaching record to 395-127. Kim Hyatt, MHCC athletic director, called her an inspiring leader whose “incredible pro-gram... has created excitement within the college community” and has drawn attention to Saints athletics “beyond the scoreboard.”

With a championship team, one might expect most of the players to be leaving, having used up their eligibility, but Mt. Hood has had an impres-sive group of freshmen this season, ready to step up.

Lemberger led the team in at-bats, hits and doubles. Lindsey was right behind, with 144 at-bats and a team-high 16 stolen bases. After Hughes, Green was Mt. Hood’s top power hitter with 10 home runs and the one that ultimately won the Saints their championship. Spanier was up there, too, with nine home runs, and Kelsey Reams and Ashlee Mueller were close by, each hit-ting seven home runs.

The departing sophomores truly left a mark at

Mt. Hood.In their two years with the Saints, top play-

ers Crawford, Guischer and Hughes all made huge contributions to the program with their play. Hughes’ 35 home runs, 115 runs, 124 hits and 123 RBIs in two seasons show why she was named MVP in back-to-back seasons, and why she will be playing at the next level, at Boise State University, next year.

“It is rare for us to have a player like Teauna Hughes. She is one of most reliable student ath-letes I have coached,” said McWhorter. “She plays the game with so much passion, will run through a wall to make the play, and plays the game so self-lessly.”

Arguably forming the best pitching duo in the NWAACC the past two seasons were Port-land State-bound Crawford and Oregon Institute of Technology-bound Guischer, who have been a great 1-2 punch both years. Finishing with career records of 35-3, 175 strikeouts (Crawford) and 29-6, 294 strikeouts (Guischer), both women leave their mark with the program.

“They are salt (and) pepper. The perfect com-bo. Ann-Marie is the strikeout pitcher, Kristen is the pitcher who uses her defense,” said McWhort-er. “They both grew so much from their freshmen seasons. It’s that ownership of their pitching that will make them great at the next level.”

Ending the season at 40-3, Mt. Hood had its best record ever since the program started, in 1996. McWhorter’s motto of “ Tradition. Family. Success” shows, as the 2014 Saints softball team are now NWAACC champions.

“I can’t even put into words what this team means to me. We shared something so special,” said McWhorter.

“I am so grateful to experience the moments, the laughs, the tears that I did with this group. They will forever be my family.”

A year to rememberFeb. 28 Mt. Hood defeats Olympic Community College, 12-3, for its �rst win of the season.

April 9 Saints shut out Clark College, 17-0, for their 20th win in a row.

April 28 Mt. Hood’s 29-game win streak comes to an end, with 5-2 loss at Clackamas. Longest win streak in program history.

May 3 Saints shut out Clark College, 22-0.

May 11 Sophomore Day: Mt. Hood defeats Clackamas 5-1 in Game One to clinch South Region title.

May 16-19 Saints go undefeated in NWAACC tournament as they beat Grays Harbor, 16-1; Spokane, 6-1; Walla Walla, 7-1; Clackamas, 2-1; and Clackamas again, 4-2, in the �nal to win 4th NWAACC championship in 6 years.

Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate