theThe independent student voice of

Mt. Hood Community College

advocate Gresham, O regon | May 24 , 2013 | Vo l ume 48 , I s sue 29

No Class MoNday for MeMorial day

www.adVOcate -Onl Ine .ne t

Student tutors weigh in on finals prep

Jeff HannigThe Advocate

The Learning Success Center is offering extended hours for students to take advan-tage of for finals.

Jacob East, a tutor in the Learning Suc-cess Center, said a common problem stu-dents who come in for tutoring have is needing to catch up on missed classes.

His answer to this dilemma is for stu-dents to talk to their instructors first. This way they can know exactly what they have missed and what they need to make up. After discussing class needs with their in-structors, East said it was then appropriate to work with tutors.

His advice for students who are feeling overwhelmed is to break it into manage-able chunks, “We’re open on weekends, so theoretically, you’d be able to get more

help,” he said because the center is less busy then.

“I live here,” said one student, Eric Ed-berg.

Edberg said once he found out about the center, “I was up here all the time.” He added that he primarily studies up there and likes that if he has a problem there is either a tutor he can ask or a classmate.

Last term Edberg clocked over 120 hours in the center, a feature the center uses to track the amount of time students are spending in the center. This record is given to the college and helps to fund the program.

Another student, Luba Bakhar, who was studying with her sister Katie, said, “If it didn’t exist [the Learning Success Cen-ter], the college would just crash.”

Katie and Luba said they spend five

plus hours a week, “We spend two and a half hours after math class.” Luba ex-plained what the benefits of the center were, “The teacher runs through it quickly and the tutors go step by step.”

Katie also pointed out that laptops are available in the center as well, a feature she thinks is beneficial if you are taking an on-line class.

A nearby student, Sara Blair, agreed, “It definitely helps [access to the laptops] be-cause I don’t have my own.”

The learning success center also hosts seminars; here are the remaining seminars for this term.

The student success center is located upstairs in the library and open Monday –Thursday: 8:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday: noon – 5:00 p.m., Sunday: 1 – 6 p.m.

This issue was produced by first-year staff members.

district board seats filled

First place general excellence at Oregon newspaper Publishers association

fall registratioN opeN

NWaaCC Coverage

pages 4-5

softball aNd traCk Wrap upsbaseball previeW

Grap

hic by

Jeff

Hann

ig/ Th

e Adv

ocate

Katelyn HilsenbeckThe Advocate

Three new MHCC District Board members will take their seats starting in July, joining one incumbent in winning four-year terms.

As of The Advocate’s press time on Thursday, Susie Jones, Paul Capell and George “Sonny” Yellott were strong front-runners in the May 21 special election in Multnomah and Clackamas counties.

For the Zone Two position, James Zordich was leading Ron Weisdorfer by little less than 200 votes, with nearly 5,900 votes cast.

All mail ballots were due in by Tues-day evening.

Jones, winner of the Zone One seat, said, “I’m pretty excited about it. I’m es-pecially excited as I read more and more about the new president coming in, Deb-ra Derr.

“I like the way she is responding to the questions that are being asked of her and she seems to have her head headed in the right direction,”Jones said. “I think it’s going to be a pleasure working with her for the betterment of the college.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Jones’ vote total was 3,748 to 1,305 votes for her opponent, Sharon Barker.

Capell ran unopposed for the at-large board seat and won at least 94 percent of votes in both Multnomah and Clacka-mas counties. He has served as interim member on the MHCC board since last autumn.

Capell said he was pleased with the results. “I enjoyed my experience to date on the board, working with a quality group of people focused on the education and improvement of Mt. Hood Commu-nity College.”

Yellott, also running unopposed in the race for Zone Four, had captured 94 per-cent of votes counted by Wednesday.

He refused comment to The Advocate Thursday on his election. He cited dis-trust of what he called the “national me-dia” and anyone who may be associated with the “national media,” as well as his reluctance to become involved with what he called the “rigmarole” of the media.

June 3rd – June 6th Mon-Thurs 7:30 am to 9 pm

June 7th Friday 7:30 am to 5 pm

June 8th Saturday 11 am to 6 pm

June 9th Sunday 1 to 7 pm

June 10th- June 12th Monday-Wednesday 7:30 am to 9 pm

June 13 Thursday 7:30 am to 8 pm

June 14 Friday 7:30 am to 5 pm

June 15th and 16 Saturday and Sunday Closed

How to succeed on Tests Monday June 3 2:10 – 3 PM Bob Scott Room

Test Success Strategies Tuesday June 4 12:10 – 1 PM Maywood 220

Coping with Stress Tuesday June 4 2:10 – 3 PM AC2307

Understanding Test Anxiety wednesday June 5 12:10 -1 PM AC2307

How to succeed on Tests Wednesday June 5 1:10 – 2 PM AC2307

Understanding Test Anxiety Thursday June 6 2:10 – 3 PM AC 2307

June:

May:Math Final Success Tuesday May 2 3:10 – 4 PM AC2307

How to succeed on Tests Thursday May 30 1: 10 2 PM AC 2307

Extended Library hours:

Information contributed by Mike Mata

The Learning Success Center provides calm learning environment

OpinionMay 24, 20132

Editor-in-ChiefKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Associate EditorKylie Rogers

Living Arts EditorDanny Perez-Crouse

Assistant Living Arts EditorKayla Tatum

Opinion EditorRebecca Gaulke

News EditorKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Assistant News EditorMike Mata

Sports EditorAaron Marshall

Assistant Sports EditorJohn Tkebuchava

Copy EditorKylie Rogers

Ad ManagerKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Photo EditorJeff Hannig

ReportersShelby SchwartzMarc Lohn-ThomasShaun LutzCameron MillerJacqueline BeattyAlexandrea Brown

PhotographersJonathon Long

Graphic DesignerLauren Bakke

AdvisersHoward BuckDan ErnstBob Watkins

E-mail advocatt@mhcc.edu503-491-7250 (Main)

503-491-7413 (Office)503-591-6064 (Fax)www.advocate-online.net

Mt. Hood Community College26000 SE Stark StreetGresham, Oregon 97030

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

www.advocate-online.net

Kylie RogersThe Advocate

“How do you feel about taking summer classes?”

◊ I wouldn’t◊ Great option to have◊ Very last resort

Editorial: Unemployment for young adults twice the national averageIn a day and age where young adults are presented with

what seems like endless possibilities, a recent study paints a bleak picture of the reality and extreme likelihood of unem-ployment.

According to a study by younginvincibles.com, the un-employment rate in Oregon for 16 to 24-year-olds is at an extremely high 17.8 percent. This is more than double the overall state unemployment rate, reported at 8.2 percent through March. Young Invincibles, who recently released this information, is a national organization committed to amplifying the voices of young Americans and shining the light on issues important to them.

Clearly, young adults in Oregon are struggling to find work. If they do find employment, it’s more than likely part time, a phenomenon only partly explained by high school or college enrollment. According to the study, only 55 percent of young people who have a job are working full time, which is down from 66 percent in 2005.

The Advocate sees unemployment as an obstacle that should be curbed and improved, so we would like to pres-ent some points that may help students at Mt. Hood increase their chances of landing that summer job, or any job in gen-eral.

While some of the following points may seem like mere common sense, some individuals may be clueless in the job

department, so we figured these should be mentioned, re-gardless.

--Patience is important. Even if you don’t get the first job, apply again and again, and eventually you will find your-self a member of the workforce.

--Start looking now, before all the jobs are taken. If you wait until July, chances are much lower and you already wasted a good portion of your summer.

--Take a job even if it’s seasonal, because it could lead to a steady job. Plus, a seasonal job may be your best option since there are more jobs available and you have a better chance of scoring one. Also, if you want to turn that summer job into a year-round position, don’t be afraid to be an overachiever. Be depend-able, volunteer for shifts even on your day off, and don’t be afraid to share new ideas.

--Make friends with the employees. A friend is more like-ly to vouch for you and put in a good word with the boss.

--Dress to impress. Business casual is the way to go. If you make a good first impression based on your appear-

ance, it takes some pressure off. --Check out the Career Planning and Counseling Cen-

ter here at Mt. Hood. It offers one-on-one help with resumé, cover letters and practice interviews.

--Go to as many interviews as you can. This will be help-ful in the future, when you are applying for your dream job. Plus, many interviewers will ask the same questions, so it’s an opportunity to fine tune-your answers.

--Follow up. You should call, go in, whatever it takes. Prove you

want the job, and you are doing something about it. Finding and maintaining a job at a young age can have a

huge impact on job prospects later on in life. Not only does it prove you are stable and dependable, but it’s a chance to build up references and have a striking resumé.

Follow The Advocate’s advice and you’ll have a summer job in no time.

Checked Out Summer Series: part 2 of 4

With summer just around the corner and many minds still stuck in last week’s summer tease, my own brain pondered ways to avoid the heat and wrote a mental sticky note to pick up some more sun-screen.

Being born and raised in Oregon, I am not built for the heat. I thrive in gray skies and light drizzle with a high temperature that does not exceed 67 degrees. While our summer is mild compared to that in other parts of the country, those 80- to high 90-degree days really get to me… Let alone days in the triple digits.

With that said, it becomes very important to know how to cool off.

We all know the go-to locations for relief: the river, the beach and the ice cream shop. The river is a great place to go because it is so close and accessible. My favorite to visit is the Sandy River. A day at the river can be a blast, floating around and enjoying the greenery that makes up the Northwest, but be warned: most rivers don’t have lifeguards on duty and, remember, the Sandy is really snow melt from the mountain and doesn’t get too warm.

Cooling off can be more than just self-satisfying; it can be help-ful, as well. A charity car wash can be fun and beneficial to the com-munity, raising money for a local cause. It also gives you the chance to don your favorite swimwear or summer clothes and play with a hose and cool water all day.

Thinking outside of the box (and getting out of the house) also takes us to… shopping. Most stores are air-conditioned. Go on a hunt for the perfect pair of sandals or the shorts you’ve been aching to buy. Another option would be a window-shopping trip that might be a little kinder to your wallet. Even grocery shopping turns into a refreshing trip. Just make sure to spend a little extra time in the refrigerated section and freezer aisle.

So, pack up a cooler with goodies from your grocery trip, take the morning shift of the car wash fundraiser, then grab some of your favorite buddies and spend the rest of the day treating your Vitamin D deficiency on the banks of your favorite waterfront locale.

Enjoy the sun while it’s here, and don’t forget your sunglasses and sunscreen.

Keeping cool on those steamy summer days

Grap

hic by

Laure

n Bak

ke/T

he Ad

vocat

e

Tips to snag a summer job

3Newsthe advocate

Ask about the

Border Bill—it

lets

Oregon res

idents

pay in-­st

ate tuition

for up to

8 credits

.

Finish your degree at WSU Vancouver

Call. Visit. Apply. vancouver.wsu.edu

Scan the code to hear what transfer students, like Morgan, think about WSU Vancouver. An estimated 400 athletes will take over the

MHCC campus on Monday, Memorial Day, for the Mt. Hood Sprint Triathlon.

The event is a partnership between the MHCC Aquatic Center, ASG, MHCC student clubs and Se-ries 33 Triathlon.

The competition kicks off at 7:30 a.m. with an 875-yard swim in the outdoor pool, followed by a 13.3-mile bicycle race and a 5-kilometer run across the campus and on closed streets, finishing outside the Aquatic Center.

Revenues from registration fees will be split be-tween partners, with a portion donated to a fund for underprivileged MHCC students.

The $60 registration is open through Saturday at: https://www.athletepath.com/mt-hood-sprint-triathlon/2013-05-27. A USA Triathlon li-cense is required; a one-day $12 license is available.

There is an urgent need for volunteers. If in-terested, contact Ken McLarty, the race director, at 503-789-8655.

— Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Triathlon athletes compete at MHCC

The deadline for students to complete GED test-ing currently under way is Dec. 14. Anyone now pursuing a GED must pass all five tests by that date, or existing scores will be voided.

Students must register by Nov. 7 to begin and finish GED testing at MHCC by Dec. 14, before the switch to a new GED test system in January 2014.

Testing schedules for MHCC may be found at www.mhcc.edu/testing.

Currently, GED tests are given in either a com-

puter or paper format, and test takers are required to finish in the format in which they started.

Starting in January, a new version of GED tests will take effect, and be administered solely by com-puter.

Erika Brooke, testing services program assistant for MHCC, said the new GED tests will be similar to the current version, but that scores will not be converted.

— Marc Lohn-Thomas

GED tests are set to expire in December

Starting in the summer term, the new Orienta-tion Center will provide a place for students to find answers to questions they have about MHCC.

The center will open in rooms AC1002 and AC1004, near the concrete “Mountain Fountain” and parking Lot A (beneath/behind the Vista Din-ing Room, on the lower concourse level).

The center is open to all new and returning students, and will have several computers visitors may use to browse and look up information.

Students who need help with registering for classes or finding an instructor may find the an-

swers themselves, or talk to center staff.Center staff can help students with their Free

Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) forms and other necessary steps to get financial aid. They will sit down with students and go over the appro-priate websites to use, and students may complete financial aid forms to submit for MHCC to process.

The center also will offer workshops on finan-cial aid. Students can find information on scholar-ships, grants, work-study programs and jobs.

— Alexandrea Brown

Orientation Center set to open doors next term

News Briefs

Mike MataThe Advocate

With the annual budget on the fast track for completion next month, the MHCC administration is pruning and streamlining its structure.

In a staff email sent out on April 25, President Michael Hay outlined the organizational changes, highlighting three main offices that saw the most revision: the Office of Instruction, Human Resources and Facilities.

Hay wrote, “These decisions were driven by the need to enhance the operating efficiencies and address budget issues,” with reference to the approximate $400,000 in administrative savings needed to contribute 30 percent toward a two-year, schoolwide deficit-reduction effort outlined earlier this year.

Current Vice President of Instruction Christie Plinksi has taken on the responsibilities of former vice president of Student Success and Enroll-ment Management, David Minger. Plinksi’s new title is Vice President of Instruction and Student Services. Ursula Irwin will remain as the associ-ate vice president of Instruction, while Robert Cox assumes the title of associate vice president of Student Services.

In the Human Resources office, Senior Business Analyst Jeff Forbis will take on the duties of the manager of the benefits and payroll posi-tion, as a supervisor of the area.

Human Resources Generalist Travis Brown and Sharon Gattman will take on worker compensation claims and leaves, with regard to federal Family and Medical Leave Act and Oregon Family Leave rules.

Senior Labor Relations Adviser Randy Wardlow will also become the Affirmative Action Officer and will take on oversight of employees with disabilities as outlined in the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

Wardlow, Forbis, Gattman and Brown will all report to Gale Blessing, the director of Human Resources, Labor Relations and Safety.

In Facilities, Director of Facilities Dick Byers will add direct supervi-sion of Grounds and Engineering on campus to his duties. Russ Johnson, the associate director of facilities, will take charge of supervising Custo-dial Services while retaining his role as supervisor of maintenance.

The administrative shuffling is the result of MHCC letting go of Min-ger, formerly vice president of student success and enrollment manage-ment; Luis Jarez, manager of advising, retention and testing services; Debbie Leingang, manager of benefits of and payroll systems; and Lance Belnap, manager of custodial services. Those reductions were announced by Hay in an email sent April 9.

MHCC’s communications director said MHCC students should not experience any processing delays in light of the personnel reductions.

“No, we do not anticipate that these changes will have significant im-pact on students,” said Maggie Huffman by email. She said she expects Mt. Hood employees who “have historically risen to the challenge” to adjust without too much struggle. “We can’t promise a seamless transi-tion, but we will continue to do everything we can,” she said.

Budget cuts result in ad-ministrative shuffle board ‘Hoedown’ brings a local Northwest

country band to campus

Aces Up plays to students in the Student Union during the Hoedown Throwdown event on Wednesday. Other attractions included face painting, BBQ food and free prizes. The event was hosted by Student Activities Board.

Photo

by Je

ff Ha

nnig/

The A

dvoca

te

Sports4May 24, 2013

Aaron MarshallThe Advocate

Coming off a tremendous reg-ular season, Mt. Hood’s softball team took third place during last weekend’s NWAACC champion-ship tournament.

“This season was success-ful. We lost only seven games all season – two of which happened at the tournament. This team has a lot to be proud of,” said head coach Meadow McWhorter.

The Saints were seeded No. 1 in the tournament, held at Delta Park in North Portland, and dominated in their first three games.

First on Friday, the team rolled over Highline Community Col-lege, winning 13-2. The Saints then matched up with Spokane Com-munity College and again had no issues as they won, 8-2.

Advancing again, the team matched up with Southern region rival Clackamas Community Col-lege on Saturday. Scoring two quick runs in the first inning and getting a solo home run in the sixth, the team took care of busi-ness, winning 3-0.

That set up a Sunday show-down with No. 2 seed Wenatchee Valley. For the first time in the tournament, the Saints stumbled, losing 6-1.

Led by their star Division 1-bound pitcher, Hailey Bator, Wenatchee Valley had their way with the Saints. Bator allowed only three hits and struck out 13 batters. The Saints’ only run came from a

seventh-inning home run by May-cee Abendschein.

“Bator is an excellent pitcher,” said McWhorter. “We knew she would be tough and I knew she would be hungry to beat us since we were the team that knocked them into the loser’s bracket last year.”

Despite the Saints’ first loss of the tournament, they still had a chance to meet Wenatchee again in the finals on Monday.

First, they would need to beat Douglas College, which had ad-vanced from the loser’s bracket. Playing late Sunday afternoon, the Saints scored four runs in the third inning after Douglas scored twice in the second inning. It looked like Mt. Hood would come away with the win, until Douglas came back and scored three runs in the sixth inning.

The Saints couldn’t answer, and their season came to an end with the 5-4 loss. Still, Mt. Hood recorded an overall record of 39-7 and had won the Southern region, a strong showing for 2013.

“It is hard to prepare your-self for what could be your last at bat or last inning of your ca-reer and emotion can be high,” said McWhorter, reflecting on the year. “With that, our team was prepared and knew what to expect come tournament time.” While they fell short of the cham-pionship, the Saints won several team and individual honors for the season.

McWhorter was awarded

Southern Region coach of the year and freshman shortstop Teauna Hughes was crowned most valu-able player of the southern region. Freshman ace Ann-Marie Guischer won Southern region pitcher of the year.

Four Saints were named to the Southern Region first team: Hughes, Guischer, freshman pitch-er Kristen Crawford, and catcher

Courtney McCarthy. Four more were chosen to the Southern Re-gion second team: sophomore third baseman Lola Ciu, sopho-more outfielders Heather Jett and Kylee Gaspar, and pitcher/infield-er Maycee Absendschein.

“(Courtney) McCarthy im-proved the most from her fresh-man season to her sophomore sea-son and for this season alone and (Kylee) Gaspar kept getting better

and better,” said McWhorter.Three Saints were named Na-

tional Fast Pitch Coaches Asso-ciation All-Americans: Guischer, McCarthy, and Hughes. McCarthy was chosen for Catcher of the Year by the NFCA.

There were off-field honors, as well. Four Saints were selected to the NWAACC All-Academic Team: Absendschein, Gaspar, Ciu

and sophomore second baseman Kali Van Cleave.

Hughes said the NWAACCs setback couldn’t overshadow the team’s success. “Playing at MHCC has been amazing to say the least. I have made so many memories and have learned so much that I’m excited to see how much more we grow next season,” she said, look-ing forward to 2014.

“We need to make sure we don’t get complacent next year- we need to make sure to still come out with the same fire we have had this season and keep doing the lit-tle things,” she said.

Freshmen pitchers Guischer and Crawford finished the season second and third in earned run av-erage in the NWAACC. Guischer had a 12-5 record, 1.45 ERA and

151 strikeouts in 24 games played. In 23 games, Crawford went 15-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 88 strikeouts.

Hughes led the NWAACC in home runs with 21 and finished third in RBIs with 60.

“I am going to miss the com-petitiveness and the fight of this team,” said McWhorter.

The Saints expect to have 11 re-turning players next season.

Shaun LutzThe Advocate

The Saints baseball team cruised into the postseason NWAACC tournament, which begins Today, with the No. 1 seed out of the Southern region.

The games begin today due to rain on Thursday.

Their eighth regional title in nine years came as result of a 23-7 record against the rest of the South. Mt. Hood won the region by three games over second-place Linn-Ben-ton, the Saints’ opponent for the final two

regular season games last weekend.The Road Runners took the first game,

11-7, but then Mt. Hood salvaged their final home game of the season with a 6-3 victory.

"I believe we met all of our expectations (thus far),” said head coach Bryan Dono-hue. “We had a few rough stretches, but had some really good stretches, too."

Last year, Donohue & Co. advanced all the way to the NWAACC title game and fell just short after an electric ninth-inning rally, losing to Pierce.

"One thing we've learned is when we play well, we'll win. It's a very difficult tour-

nament, but we know that we're capable of beating any other opponent we face," Dono-hue said about the Saints’ tourney chances.

Sophomores Jon Bjorklund and Eric Huson tied for the NWAACC lead in wins by starting pitchers with six victories each. Sophomore Zev Egli posted the most saves in the league, with nine.

Boasting the most wins by starting pitch-ers and the third-best earned run average in the NWAACC, Mt. Hood’s pitchers have been the backbone of a very strong season. Their head coach knows they'll be counted on to deliver again this weekend. "Quality

starts are key. If we can get a quality outing each time, that's huge, along with executing our offensive gameplan.”

The NWAACC tournament began Thurs-day, with the Saints squaring off against the Tacoma Titans, the second-place team from the West region.

"They're a scrappy team that can run, and they're pretty athletic,” said Donohue, gleaning information from scouting reports on Tacoma. “If we minimize mistakes, and can grab a hold of momentum early on, we'll be fine. As long as we stay within ourselves, we'll be okay."

Baseball team heads to NWAACC’s at the top of region

Saints softball finish third at NWAACC’s

Top: 2013 Saints softball team finished their season Sunday with a loss to Douglas College. Above: Saints Freshman Teauna Hughes up to bat in the NWAACC tournament last weekend.

Photo

s by J

onath

an Lo

ng/T

he Ad

vocat

e

Southern Region Coach Of The Year

Meadow McWhorter

Southern Region Pitcher Of The Year

Ann-Marie Guischer

Southern Region MVP

Teauna Hughes

Sports 5the advocate

The results of the 2013 NBA Draft lot-tery were announced Tuesday and the Portland Trail Blazers have landed the 10th pick for next month’s draft.

Some of the top prospects in the draft are University of Kentucky center Ner-lens Noel, Indiana University center Cody Zeller, Kansas University guard Ben McLemore, Georgetown University for-ward Otto Porter and University of Michi-gan guard Trey Burke.

The order of the draft this year for the top 10 picks is: Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 1), followed by the Orlando Magic, Washing-ton Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timber-wolves and the Blazers, at No. 10.

Noel is expected by many observ-ers to go first in the draft. He performed well in his freshman season, showing he is an effective shot blocker and explo-

sive player with exceptional athleticism. He is measured at 6 foot 11 inches with a 7-foot-4-inch “wingspan.” Inside the paint, he showed he can play with either hand and rebound shots. One weaknesses in his game is his very narrow frame, which sometime hinders him from getting good positioning, scouts say. But he can eas-ily make his weaknesses his strength by focusing on getting healthy this summer, rehabilitating after tearing a knee ligament (his ACL) in February, which cut short his season. He also can add some weight, to make him an effective NBA center.

Syracuse University point guard Mi-chael Carter-Williams is projected by some experts to be chosen by Portland on draft day. He stands 6 foot 6 inches and weighs 185 lbs. His size brings a lot to the point guard position, his long strides allow him to cover the court more quickly than a smaller point guard and he has smooth ball handling skills, scouts say. This year he averaged 11.9 points and 7.3 assists per game. A year ago, as a sophomore, his of-fense and leadership led his team to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. Among all top draft prospects, he totaled the most as-sists and steals.

Another prospect mentioned as a pos-sible Blazer pick is Croatian small forward Dario Saric. He stands 6 foot 10 inches, weighs 233 lbs and has a 9-foot reach. At age 19, he is seen by scouts as a top pros-pect because of his versatility: He shoots perimeter shots besides having a strong

inside game. He could be a good addition to a Blazer team lacking many players his size, and would strengthen its defense.

UCLA forward Shabazz Muhammad has been in the discussion of Blazer draft options and a top 10 prospect, but didn’t play as well as many observers had ex-pected at the NBA draft combine held a week ago. Muhammad is 6 foot 6 inches, weighs 221 lbs. and in November, was considered the No. 1 prospect in his class as the college season began. However,

at the combine he failed to show scouts much promise, shooting poorly in drills. He would need to impress in individual workouts for teams to regain his pre-season stature, observers say.

Getting the best players in the draft is the ideal strategy for the Blazers to im-prove. Whoever they choose should be expected to contribute, or even dominate, consistently each night, because last sea-

son consistency is what the team lacked, any hopes for the playoffs.

On the plus side, the Blazers did well at the 2012 draft. They chose Weber State point guard Damian Lillard, who posted an amazing season, participating in the NBA All Star Weekend and earning the Rookie of the Year award. Center Meyers Leonard, from the University of Illinois, also played well at times, showing prom-ise toward the end of the season. His shot selection improved, he was a little more

aggressive and he worked well with the point guards.

Although Blazers missed the play offs this year, they weren’t that far away. That show the team’s potential and how much training is needed this summer to get ready for next season.

The 2013 NBA Draft is on June 27, and will be aired on ESPN starting at 4 p.m. Pa-cific Time.

Blazers will look to be busy in June’s NBA draft

John TkebuchavaThe Advocate

The Saints track and field team secured itself three NWAACC titles this week, at the NWAACC Championship meet that was held at Spokane Community College, and sophomore Tyler Callahan and freshman McKenzie Warren both won the Outstanding Field Athlete awards as well.

The NWAACC titles that MHCC took home included the men’s javelin, won by Callahan who threw for 41.91 me-ters (breaking his own school record again), the women’s hammer throw, won by Warren (50 meters even, also break-ing her own school record) and the women’s 400-meter won by sophomore Molly Scoles (58.55 seconds).

Warren also placed second in the discus with a throw of 43.17 meters.

“(Beierle) went from never doing track to second in NWAACCs,” said Hart.

Overall, as a team, the men’s team placed fourth and the women’s team placed fifth. As has become the norm over the past several years, the Lane Community College Titans took the titles for both men’s and women’s with over 200 points each.

Nonetheless, with a slim roster on both the men’s and women’s side, placing fourth and fifth is nothing to shake your head at.

“We weren’t really that potent with the men. We had some good performers across the board but we just a lot of our men in the winter time (due to injury and eligibility is-sues),” said head coach Mat Hart.

“People flicked out, flaked out and flunked out,” said Hart.

Nonetheless, high performances were had all around, which Hart says is a “testament to how athletic our men are.”

The Saints had several other All-American qualifying

performances at the meet as well, including two third place finishes by sophomore Christa Collmer in the 1500 meter and 800 meter (4:53 and 2:21 accordingly) and sophomore Tori Dixson’s third place finish in the discus with a throw of 39.24 meters.

Freshman Cody Beierle, who according to head coach Matt Hart, this is his first season competing in track and field, placed second in the 800 meters with a time of 1:58, grabbing himself an All-American title as well.

“(Beierle) went from never doing track to second in NWAACCs,” said Hart.

Other notable performances include a sixth place finish by sophomore LT Avants in the 400 meter, 49.55 seconds, fourth place finishes by freshman Cody Quinton in the shot put (11.83 meters) and the discus (45.08 meters) and a fourth place finish by Warren in the shot put (12.47 meters).

The women’s 4x400-meter relay team earned its All-American status at the meet as well, placing third (4:08) with a team consisting of Scoles, Collmer, and freshmen Whitney Warren and Caitlyn Safely.

The Saints could very well have had another NWAACC title this year in the women’s 400-meter hurdles.

Scoles, who went into the meet with the fastest time in the whole conference, tripped over a hurdle on the final turn during the race, and finished in seventh.

“She was bummed and we were a little bummed. She told us her ego got hurt more than her body,” said Hart.

It’s heart wrenching to see how someone loves that event, it breaks your heart when something like that hap-pens,” he said.

According to an all-staff email sent by director of athlet-ics, Kim Hyatt, Callahan’s record breaking throw at the meet puts him in the top 20 in the javelin in the entire country at any level. The throw was 12 feet over his former record.

As for next year, the Saints track and field team will have a lot to look forward to.

“Recruiting is going really well as well. We got some really high ranked individuals in State that have already signed,” said Hart.

Hart said that most of the women’s team will be return-ing as well for next season.

Hart said that on top of having this talent to fall back on with this year’s freshmen, adding the new recruits should give next year’s team the extra strength it will need to perform at a high level.

“Whoever they choose should be expect-ed to contribute, or even dominate, con-sistently each night, because last season consistency is what the team lacked...”

Saints take javelin, 400-meter and hammer throw NWAACC titles

Kayla TatumThe Advocate

Freshman Whiteney Warren

May 24, 2013

News6

Marc Lohn-ThomasThe Advocate

The MHCC Aquatics Center will open an inflatable obstacle course in the 25-yard indoor pool this summer.

The design of the course will be similar to that used in the current television game show “Wipeout,” in which contestants navi-gate a series of obstacles above water. It will include multiple challenges, including swings, slides, and inflatable posts to ma-neuver through.

The course will be available during open recreation times, 1:30 to 4 p.m. and 7:30 to 9:15 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. It also will be available from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on a select number of Saturdays and Sundays.

Donna Ryan, Aquatics Center program coordinator, said the feature should be ready as soon as spring term ends. Pending timely delivery and installation, it is “absolutely our intention to put the course in the water beginning June 17,” she said.

Ryan said the plan is to keep the course in the pool as much as possible, but Center

staff may need to be selective about the days it will be available. Only after the course ar-rives will staff determine if it’s feasible to as-semble and disassemble it for each session.

Visitors will pay $2 to use the course, and must wear a wristband to show they paid.

The idea to add the course came from Steven Hula, MHCC manager of aquatics and recreation, who had been “casting about for ways to make open recreation a little more attractive than a flat pool,” said Ryan. Consistent with budget deficit-reduction ef-forts across campus, the center has tried to

adopt a more self-sufficient funding stream. MHCC paid $36,837 for delivery of ob-

stacle equipment, said Jamie Simms, cam-pus purchasing manager.

To ensure safety, a lifeguard will be sta-tioned at one end of the obstacle course to direct users, Ryan said. A maximum four people will be allowed on the course at one time. More lifeguards will be stationed else-where around the pool.

Scheduled dates the obstacle course will be open can be found at: http://www.mhcc.edu/aquatics/.

Obstacle course makes its summer debut in aquatic center

Dental studentsvisit grade school

Panic alert: bioterrorism drill on campus

Photo

by Je

ff Ha

nnig/

The A

dvoca

teMembers of Gresham Fire and Emergency Services conducted a bioterrorism drill on campus Thursday in parking Lot V. The drill was a scenario where the Portland metro area has been hit by a bioterrorist attack and the local hospitals are overflowing with victims. In this scenario, MHCC becomes a rally point for victims needing medical assistance. In the drill, volunteers simulate being patients while members of Fire and Rescue run their medical procedures before loading the “patients“ onto a LifeFlight helicopter.

Cameron MillerThe Advocate

Nine students from the MHCC Dental Hygiene program visited Alder Elementary School three times this month to provide early, basic hygiene and dental education.

Led by Raye Ann Yapp, program director and in-structor, Mt. Hood partnered with Colgate, which donated more than 1,200 toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste, combined.

Yapp said Alder Elementary, which lies in the Reynolds School District, qualifies as an “I Have a Dream” school, as one of Oregon’s “poorest schools” based on household family income.

Yapp was contacted by Shyvonne Williams, Alder program manager for the state’s “I Have a Dream” nonprofit support group. Williams told her that when nursing students from Linfield College visited the school, they noticed many unmet dental needs among the students.

Yapp said this spring’s goal was to get toothbrush-es and toothpaste in the hands of every student. Fol-lowing the event, MHCC students were able to sup-ply some to the parents and siblings of the pupils, as well.

Yapp said the Dental Hygiene program hopes to continue these events and similar efforts in the com-munity.

the advocate Living Arts 7

the day tripper

your weekend event planner

Saturday 5.25 sw PortlandThe 50th Anniversary Art in the Garden exhibition series at the Portland Japanese Garden will focus on coming together of the East and West. Portland’s Japanese Garden is presenting an exhibition of work by, Isamu Noguchi. This exhibit will be priced $6.75-9.50 and will open at 10am. For more information call (503) 223-1321. Located at 611 SW Kingston Ave.

Saturday 5.25 PSUPortland Farmers Market will be held on park blocks of PSU between SW Montgomery and SW Harrison. The event is free and held all day starting at 8:30am.

Sunday 5.26 SW PortlandAt the Portland Rose City Festival Fair there will be carnival rides, games, interactive exhibits, food and musical entertainment. The fair will be all day 11am-11pm at Tom McCall Waterfront Park1020 S.W. Naito Parkway. Cost is $7 for more information call (503) 232 x 7550.

Monday 5.27 Clackamas The Clackamas Town Center will be having the 13th annual Zumiez Couch Tour from 12:30-7pm. The event will be featuring an interactive festival village with booths and prizes from Neff, Oakley, Sector 9 and Skullcandy, as well as free games and giveaways from Zumiez.

You. Unlimited.

17600 Pacific Highway [Hwy. 43] – 10 miles south of Portland | 503.699.6268

COLLEGE CREDIT.

GET CREDITFOR WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED IN LIFE.

With our Prior Learning Assessment, you can get credit for what you’ve learned and decrease your tuition costs. Proof again that it pays to have a little life experience.

Prior Learning Assessment Info Session | Thurs. June 6, 6:30 - 8 p.m. BP John Administration Building

pla@marylhurst.edu or 503.699.6260 to learn more.

www.marylhurst.edu/pla

CommCollege_5.89x6_PLA.indd 2 12/20/12 2:06 PM

Fast & Furious 6 is well-paced, funny, slick, action packed and very entertaining

Danny Perez-CrouseThe Advocate

A very curious thing is hap-pening with the Fast and Furious films. Most movie series don’t see a revival in the late entries, but “Fast Five” was much better than the previous lackluster install-ments and injected new life that made people excited to see these films again.

So, the question is, does “Fast & Furious 6” keep the momentum going? Heck ya, it does.

In this entry, we follow Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his gang of

ex-criminals as they are roped into helping police Detective Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) capture a man named Shaw (Luke Evans) who is staging massive heists that no one seems to be able to stop. The crew decides to help Hobbs when they see that Dom’s girlfriend, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), who sup-posedly died in the fourth F-and-F entry, is working with him.

The film starts rather awk-wardly with a very corny intro that shows snippets of all of the previ-ous films, followed by the main characters walking side-by-side into the distance. It’s a very weird way to begin and looked like the opening to some action TV show. It’s not a big deal, but is kind of off-putting. Anyway, on to the story.

There is an even more comedic air to this film than the last one, with characters cracking wise all the time. While some jokes fall flat, many deliver some good chuckles and give the film a more light-hearted tone that better suits the over-the-top characters and action.

The pacing has also improved. In the most recent film, there was far too much downtime between action scenes. A little is fine, but the characters and dialogue were not strong enough to carry that dead time between big moments. This has been remedied, with more punctuation of smaller ac-tion scenes to support the bigger set-piece moments.

And how is the action? It’s lu-dicrous, high-octane, adrenaline pumping, speedometer breaking, awesome and very satisfying. There are the Fast and Furious staples of people driving their cars really fast, with cuts of them shift-ing gears and turning their wheels in a very intense manner, but there is so much more. I don’t want to go too in-depth on what kind of massive set-pieces you’ll see, because there are cool surprises that made me think, “Holy crap, that’s awesome.” Trust me, some of the actions scenes are incredible and were followed by a chorus of “Oohs” and “Ahhs” from the au-dience.

The hand-to-hand fight scenes are also much better in this install-ment as they are solidly choreo-graphed and less choppy than in the past. They pack a very brutal and viscerally satisfying feel.

Something the series has al-ways lacked is a palpable or threat-ening villain, but Shaw marks a big improvement. While not highly memorable, he gets the job done, as Evans gives a solid performance.

Johnson has also gotten much more comfortable in the skin of the titular Hobbs, and is the most en-joyable character to watch.

The rest of the cast is just okay. Performances are no better or worse than before, and the same goes for the characters themselves. While the plot does try to solve a lot of the questions from the previ-ous films and offers a few twists, it is still not that great. It’s never bad and can sometimes be enjoyable, but is still a little corny and pre-dictable. If you dug the story and characters in past installments, then hooray for you, but if you haven’t, there is not much to keep you engaged in the lives of the world’s most gorgeous criminals.

Speaking of acting, my main complaint in the film is Vin Diesel. Words can barely escape his mouth now without sounding all garbled and monotone. He is kind of start-ing to get that Sylvester Stallone look going, with the puffy emo-tionless face and rather nasty look-ing biceps. Diesel has become an eyesore amidst the other beautiful cars and people in the film, which wouldn’t be as much of a problem if he didn’t have so much screen time. I am not trying to be vain here, but you look awful, Vinny.

Any faults I mentioned did not stop me from having a great time: “Fast & Furious 6” is well-paced, funny, slick, action packed and is very entertaining.

If you’re a fan of this series, rev up your engines because it may be the best Fast and Furious install-ment so far. And for those who are not too invested in the storyline, but love an entertaining action film, jump in the passenger’s seat for one wild ride.

Review: The best Fast and Furious yet

May 24, 2013

Living Arts8

Ashlin Lewis wins best in show for her painting “The Elephant Inside”

Danny Perez-CrouseThe Advocate

With little over a year of painting expe-rience, one Mt. Hood art student is already earning awards for her pieces.

Ashlin Lewis took home the award for Best in Show at the annual MHCC Visual Arts Student Exhibit on May 16, beating out 149 contestants. “I am really happy and re-ally proud,” she said.

Lewis currently resides in Gresham and is a single mother of two kids and a full-time art major. “I came to Mt. Hood because I knew I wanted to do art,” after avoiding art for a period of time due to costs and not knowing how to approach it, she said.

In 2009 Lewis traveled to India, where she taught children basic hygiene, how to count numbers, the alphabet and other fun-damental life skills.

She used to be a massage practitioner, but when she returned from India the job market had dried up and it felt like the right time to go back to school.

Lewis tried many different art forms before settling on painting. “I did a term of sculpture and ended up really liking it, but I didn’t do anything else with it,” she said. She also tried and enjoyed printmaking, but found it was too process-oriented for her.

Painting came last, and is the art form she has stuck with for the past year-and-a-half. “Painting is just so much more messy and expressive,” she said.

When Lewis first began painting, she had trouble coming up with something to focus on. “You end up throwing away a lot of garbage and then you go, ‘Aha,’ and find that one thing,” she said. “Now it’s the op-posite problem, where I forget them (ideas) before I can get them down.”

Lewis used to do a lot of poetry, but not since transition into painting. However, she said her experience with poetry helped with the content of her paintings. She explained that creating poetry involved finding what the poem was about and what the object was, which trained her well to find the story behind her paintings.

Lewis said she has yet to pinpoint her overall style as an artist, but that the pieces she used in the exhibit all dealt with some form of discovery.

One painting features a moth trapped within a chrysalis. Lewis said that the con-cept behind this painting is that once you transform into something, you can’t go backward: “You can’t progress into a new person and then go back to the person you used to be.”

Another painting is a nude portrait that shows a woman’s skin and flesh being peeled back. “It’s about who you are in-side and that’s why I called it ‘Showing my

hand,’ ” said Lewis. Whether someone understands her per-

sonal message is not crucial, she said. “All I really care about is if there is some kind of interaction. If there isn’t, that’s when you know you failed,” she said. “You would rather someone say they hate something, than to say zero.”

Her titles for an art piece are very ambig-uous, for a reason. She pointed to one paint-ing and said, “That’s called ‘The Elephant Inside,’ not ‘Portrait of myself in a bath-tub’… I don’t think you need to have the artist tell you what to believe, you need your own connection with what you are seeing.”

Lewis said that many people refer to her new passion in life as a simple hob-by. She disputes that. “It’s like, no, that’s not what I am doing,” she said. Rather than just something to kill time, Lewis hopes one day to make a living as an art-ist, selling her paintings in galleries. “I

just want to be a painter. I could see maybe one day incorporating it into teaching, but not anytime soon,” she said.

One of the biggest perks of winning the ‘Best in Show’ for Lewis is the emotional payoff, she said. “It’s definitely a good boost because you think, ‘What am I doing? I have two kids relying on me, so am I doing the right thing? Am I being stupid?’ ”

“Having that recognition is very reassur-ing that this is not a waste of time,” she said.

Student gains recognition for her new passion

A party for the premier of the Perceptions magazine

A celebration for the newest edition of the student-produced magazine, Perceptions, will be held Wednesday at the McMenamins Edgefield Ball-room, beginning at 6 p.m. and open to the public. Perceptions is Mt. Hood’s magazine of arts that features poetry, fiction, non-fiction, art and photography. The evening will start with food and live music, then magazine contribu-tors will read their pieces. There will follow an intermission, during which there will be some short films playing. Food is free, but attendees must purchase their drinks. The music and short films that will be featured in the magazine are avail-able for download, listening and viewing on the magazine’s website: http://www.perceptionsmagazineofthearts.com/. The magazine will be available for purchase on Wednesday, for $15.

- Danny Perez-Crouse

A time for students to relax

An end-of-term “Chill Out” event promoting stress-relief is planned Wednesday in the Main Mall.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will move inside the Vista Dining Room if it is raining that day.

The Chill Out will feature popcorn and games as well as a performance from the band “Eclectic Approach” who has recently performed on the Jim-my Kimmel talk show.

ASG will be giving away items to tie-dye, and students may bring their own items to tie-dye dur-ing the event.

- Shelby Schwartz

Living Arts Briefs

Ashlin Lewis stands beside the painting that won her best in show at the Mt.Hood Visual Arts student exhibit, titled “The Elephant inside”. Below are two other paintings thaat Lewis has displayed in the Visual Arts Gallery . (Left) “Showing My Hand”, and (right) “Forgiving change”.

Photo

s By D

anny

Perez

-Crou

se/Th

e Adv

ocate