AdvocateApril 4, 2014 Volume 49 Issue 22

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The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College

SEED students may be uprootedby Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate

The SEED (Scholarship for Educa-tion and Economic Development) pro-gram, a visible part of MHCC for the last 25 years, could vanish by 2015 along with other SEED programs across the country.

The federal agency that funds SEED, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), recently an-nounced it does not plan to continue funding the SEED program, said Nikki Gillius, Mt. Hood’s SEED coordinator.

The federal money provides full scholarships for international stu-dents, primarily from rural communi-ties, to attend MHCC, living expenses included, for two years.

Should the national funding for SEED vanish, no new students would be arriving at MHCC. Current first-year students (in 2013-14) would be able to finish the program.

“I think it’s important that people know this is not a Mt. Hood thing,” Gil-lius said of the program’s possible de-mise.

She has issued a plea for SEED sup-porters to rally support among Oregon’s

federal lawmakers to save the program. “The efforts that we’re making are

to encourage people to reach out to our senators and representatives,” Gillius said. “Our Oregon reps have all been very supportive.”

Gillius said Sen. Ron Wyden, an Or-egon Democrat, signed a letter to US-AID in support of the SEED program. U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland, also sent a letter of support.

Gillius is urging people to thank Or-egon representatives for their support and share their experiences with SEED.

She described SEED participants as “students that really overcame ob-stacles and gender issues, all kinds of things, to finish high school and then to come here.”

“These students come from back-grounds where paying for a bus to go to the capital city is not in their budget,” she said.

Gillius said the role SEED stu-dents play locally in the community, as well as on the MHCC campus, is enormous.“I can’t even image the void that will be left when the program ends. Our students are involved in clubs, they’re involved in student govern-ment... (they) help students who have

never met someone from Haiti learn a little bit of French or learn a little bit of the history.”

SEED students conduct commu-nity service and participate in intern-ships while at Mt. Hood. But, more important, each student develops a

community action project designed to address a pressing issue in his or her home community and implements it upon returning.

Gillius said the projects are up-lifting, in several ways. “For them to go back... the empowerment that it

shows a community — that things are possible” leaves a lasting mark, she said.

“They are here because they want to be here and this is the chance of a life-time,” she said of the SEED students “I think that energy is felt.”

by Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate

MHCC is home to 37 international students enrolled in the Scholarship for Education and Economic Development (SEED) program.

These students are on full scholarships for two years at MHCC, paid by the U.S. Agency for International Development. During this time the students develop Community Action Plans to isolate issues in their native, developing coun-tries and to figure solutions.

Nine MHCC SEED students traveled to Ari-zona State University during spring break to participate in the Clinton Global Initiative Uni-versity (CGI) conference and Commitments Challenge, founded in 2005 to promote innova-tive solutions to global problems.

MHCC students Raquel Granados and Ariel Rodriguez have secured funding through CGI to make their projects a reality. Eleven MHCC stu-dents submitted projects to CGI this school year.

Granados will develop 22 composting toilets in her home community, La Teja Santa Ana La Paz, in Honduras, starting upon her return there in June.

“The objective is going to be to build a com-posting toilet and then I will improve health,” she said. “The problem is the lack of sanitation.”

Nikki Gillius, SEED coordinator for MHCC, said Granados “comes from a very rural com-munity in Honduras. There are not plumbing or sanitation systems and therefore sewage is es-sentially going into the rivers.”

Rodriguez found a different issue in his com-munity, Agua Caliente, Paravana Chloluteca, also in Honduras: persistent heat.

His project involves planting 3,400 mango trees to cool his community.

“This project is focused on reforestation,

yes, but also it will improve people’s health in my community,” he said. “Many people suffer from hypertension, including my mom.”

He explained how hypertension is affected by environmental factors, including heat. The project also will help improve water quality and help shade the water and keep it from evaporat-ing as quickly.

Rodriguez raised $1,600 in funding for his project through CGI’s online vote-by-donation system where he made it to the top 16 national finalists. His anticipated cost for the project is $1,100, and so he is thrilled and simply plans to enlarge its scope, he said.

“I am very excited to go home. My commu-nity is very proud for me to be in this program and (to) have accomplished all this stuff,” he said. “Also, I am happy to go back to my country with ideas about environmental issues and also with a grant to make possible my project and re-ally implement this idea — environmental pro-tection.”

Granados, too, has won strong support from local residents. “They are very proud of me and very excited, because where I live is just my fam-ily,” she said. “There are 20 houses, but just my family... this is going to be the first project we are going to develop in my community.”

The orchestrating of a project takes time. Students begin developing their projects from the start of their two-year program. They also learn how to write grants. However, fluent Eng-lish is not required to be selected for the SEED program. Ninety-five percent of MHCC SEED students do not know any English when the pro-gram begins, said Gillius.

Students develop projects to change lives

Ariel Rodriguez Raquel GranadosProject: Reducing island heat through mango trees

Community: Agua Caliente, Paravana Chloluteca in Hondruras

Project: Improving sanitation with composting toilets

Community: La Teja Santa Ana La Paz, in Honduras

“I know we don’t have Internet there or any of the technology (available at MHCC), but... I still love my community and I would

never trade it.”SEED Continued on page 6

Sunday is the last day to drop classes with a refund

“This project is focused on re-forestation, yes, but also it will improve people’s health in my

community.”

Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate

Should MHCC have

programs like SEED?

See page 2

Opinion2 April 4, 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

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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

Advisers

Video TeamMelissa Casey

Jared Lichtenberg

Graphic DesignerHeather Golan

Madeline Boyce

Lindsay Frost

Q Quarterman

Brandon Raleigh

Edgar Valencia

Emily Wintringham

Reporters

Opinion EditorDanny Perez-Crouse

Understanding introverts

Editorial: Keep our specialty programs

“The question becomes – is the new edition necessary? Most of the author/

professors I know also are paid a teaching salary by the university and re-

quire students to buy the book that is generating royalties. While I respect

academic independence, I sometimes wonder about the ethics involved in

this situation.” Online comment from Cynthia Ellested on the “‘Why are textbooks so gosh-darn expensive” column.

“If most students buy used books after the first semester (and you sometimes see attrition of 80% to used books) then all that money must be earned on the first sale of the book.

That only happens with the prices you see.”Online comment from Larry Darrel on the “‘Why are textbooks so gosh-darn expensive” column.

by Wally ShrinerGuest Columnist

Symbiosis is a term most often linked to mutualisms, the ecologi-cal relationship where both parties benefit. But it is used by ecologists more broadly to describe many types of interactions where species live closely together, with the ben-efits and costs to each equal or not. Here in India, with her 1.2 billion people, I have seen examples, vivid and tragic, surprising and comic, of living together closely.

Living alongside the millions of people is also a host of other mammals and birds. Cows roam the streets of the most urban envi-ronments, subsisting on handouts from human inhabitants, cared for because of their sacred status — the mutualism codified in scripture.

Dogs are everywhere, too, moving freely and well-feed on the refuse that lines every street. Cats are less seldom seen, more noc-turnal in their feral state, hunting at night on the rats and mice that exist in untold numbers. They too are adapted to live with their hu-man companions, dependent on our lifestyle for their own.

Avian commensals are here as well; most are familiar the world

over, house sparrows and pigeons, but there are also more exotic spe-cies. Raptors such Pariah Kites soar in large numbers above the urban centers of India, hunting above train stations and mosques, temples and city streets.

It is both inspiring and appalling to witness humanity’s community at this scale. Millions of souls making their way through life, smiling and laughing while surrounded by accu-mulating waste, crumbling debris, and the fumes of open fires and com-bustion engines. Humanity living on borrowed time and finite resources and growing in size each day.

Gandhi, revered here still, once said, “Mother earth has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for anybody’s greed.” Traveling in India, bearing witness and projecting forward, it’s hard to imagine that there ever could be enough for all. But here we are, an amazing species, living together closely, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in strife, with com-passion for cows, and taking joy in dogs, laughing and crying. To-gether.

- Wally Shriner is an MHCC biology instructor who is on sabbatical leave in India. His Eye On Nature column appears periodically.

Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate

by Emily Wintringham

(A sabbatical ) Eye on Nature

If ever there was a safe time to label yourself an introvert, now would be the time. Not only is it safe, but it seems to be fighting for the protagonist role in Ameri-can pop culture, especially in the realms of the Internet. In part, this is a good thing; At last society has acknowledged that the quiet, reflective individual has something to offer in a world of bustling social activ-ity. However, being an introvert is often misunderstood and misrepresented in the media.

Susan Cain’s book, “Quiet: The Power Of Introverts” has served as a manifesto for introverts. In the past, and continuing now, introverts have been regarded as un-successful and were forced to act like ex-troverts in order to be successful in their careers. Introverts have been forced out-side of their comfort zones in many cases. Respecting introversion is a good thing, but glorifying introversion has led to it being misunderstood. Though being an introvert is not synonymous to being shy or highly intelligent (at least it shouldn’t be), there is a correlation that I just can’t ignore. You need only to google the Urban Dictionary’s denotation of introverts and extroverts. You’ll find a shocking bias that you probably wouldn’t expect. Introverts are the quiet, reserved, thoughtful, smart

and prudent persons, while extroverts are the loud, brash, superficial jerks. It’s sub-tle, but it’s there. Now, it seems we have flipped our view of temperaments.

Introverts are also being misrepre-sented partly because they are often paired with the fascination of geek culture. Intel-lectuals in western society have been put on a high pedestal for a long time, but this particular wave of intellectual fascination, coupled with a force of introversion pride, is highly intriguing. It is hard to pinpoint, much less write about, because one must draw conclusions based on subtle cues in pop culture’s take on admirable charac-teristics. By subtle, I mean distinct but somehow mysteriously related.

When I was a child, I wore thick, horn-rimmed glasses that consumed half my face. I was spat on for having such an abomination of material on my face, but now, the bigger the rims, the bigger the hip. Stores like Fuego, Hot Topic, and Claire’s like to display the big “hipster” glasses. Glasses have become a symbol for intelligence, something that is be-coming trendier these days. Somehow pop culture likes to equate intelligence with geek culture. Geek is in. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the popular items in the Mt. Hood bookstore, items which are categorized in a link “Geek on” on the MHCC website.

In the last few years, Superman, Spi-derman, Iron Man, Batman, Thor, Cap-tain America, The Green Lantern and X-Men have collectively dominated the box office. Once upon a time many of these were just comic books glued to the fingers of the Geekdom. Game of Thrones, Hun-

ger Games, Dr. Who, Divergent, Star-Wars, Helix, Walking dead; Sci-Fi and Fantasy have been popular before, but both are gaining even more appreciation.

Being an introvert myself, I used to think that because I was an introvert, that meant I was a stereotypical intro-vert. People thought that because I liked to read, I wore glasses, and I spent a ton of time thinking and writing, it was all because of my introverted personality. However, being an introvert has noth-ing to do with likes or dislikes. Further, it really has nothing to do with personality per say. An introvert can even be wild at times— which, given the right setting, I tend to be. The only difference between an introvert and an extrovert is that in-troverts re-energize themselves with solitude or self-contemplation, while ex-troverts on the other hand rely on social stimuli to recharge their batteries.

For some reason pop culture is fas-cinated with introverts, partly because we view the introvert in a plot as the angst-ridden, intelligent person who can muster enough bravery to save the world. Think of characters like Harry Pot-ter, Katniss from the Hunger Games, and Charlie from Perks of Being a Wallflower. It really is a misrepresentation because in reality, an introvert has nothing to do with what books you read, how intelligent you are, how geeky you are, what you look like or even how quiet you are. An extro-vert can have any of those attributes as well. Introversion and extroversion are just a difference in how we rejuvenate and where we spend most our time: in-side ourselves or outside ourselves.

The SEED (Scholarship for Education and Economic Development) program at MHCC unfortunately appears to be com-ing to a close. This is a cruel reminder of how many specialty programs at the school have been under the threat of be-ing cut or diluted, as of late.

So, let’s give a little reminder as to why specialty programs at colleges are so important, and why cutting them is a grave mistake financially and scho-lastically.

To clarify, when we talk about spe-cialty programs, we mean programs or classes that are dedicated to educating students on a topic other than gen-eral education courses (like math or writing), such as music, art, radio and others..“Special” is just an easier way to reference them.

When a school starts to lose these programs, much of its appeal is drained. If the majority of a school’s classes consist of basics like writing, math and general education topics, it’s hard to stand out. You can usually get that type of education anywhere, so people will be more inclined to go to colleges with more eclectic or unique learning oppor-tunities that they can pursue alongside general courses.

For example, there may be a spe-cific program at Mt. Hood that isn’t available at Portland Community Col-lege that appeals to a particular group of students, and vice versa.

It isn’t just good for students who want to major in a specialty program. A student who is majoring in business may want to experiment and take a few music classes. Variety can add a sense of com-fort for students who want to experiment.

While it may seem cost effective to rule out the programs that aren’t rak-ing in a ton of money, it’s a Catch-22. Having an abundance of specialty pro-grams increases enrollment because it can attract a wide range of students

with varying interests, which adds revenue. There is also a coattail effect where students may inform their bud-dies who have similar interests and join them in their academic pursuits.

The addition of and maintaining these programs is very important to a college. The game design program that was integrated here two years ago has given aspiring designers a place to go. The extensive funeral services classes give important training for a niche au-

dience. There is also the nursing pro-gram, fisheries, athletics, etc. The list goes on, and it should stay that way.

Respect and exposure also come with maintaining these programs. A school that has variety and quality in its selection of classes is a reputable one. It also shows that the school cares about growing and developing different in-terests in their curriculum to welcome all kinds of students.

These programs are what dominate

a school’s personality. Would Mt. Hood be the same without the theater pro-gram putting on plays, ASG organizing events or The Advocate delivering hot and fresh news every Friday?

Class diversity and the variety of students they garner at Mt. Hood is, in part, what make this campus special. Let’s preserve the programs we have, develop them further and continue to adopt new ones so Mt. Hood can evolve, not devolve.

In India, all creatures learn to co-exist

April 4, 2014 3News

News Briefs

by Greg Leonov The Advocate

Mt. Hood’s radio station, KMHD2, presents interested students valuable experience in the field of radio broad-casting.

“This program gives people so much opportunity in radio, it’s time-consuming. This is a full-time job,” said Diana Hrysiw, co-host of KMHD2’s sports segment, called Sports Cave.

The station’s main focus is music, said Sports Cave host Ryan Pauli. Mu-sic played on KMHD2 comes from the College Music Journal, a magazine that compiles a weekly list of 200 top hits being played by independent and col-lege radio stations around the nation, according to radio-media.com.

Most of the music on the college 200 playlists can be classified in the al-ternative or indie genres.

“Some (musicians) come local, from your area, and people put them on-air and they chart them, so they keep track of how well they’re doing and albums that do really well and do concerts obviously get more plays,” said Hrysiw about the college 200 play-lists. “A lot of the time they’ll come to the radio stations for interviews.”

Music on KMHD2 is not limited to the alternative genre. The station also plays country, hip-hop, pop, rock, and most other styles, said Pauli.

The station operates on HD radio and is not a commercial station. “We can’t play commercials. We’re non-profit, but we’re not public,” said Matt Hunt, the producer for Sports Cave. “(Most) everything is music, so, ide-ally, people are supposed to come in and do their breaks, as they call them, when the music stops down and you talk about the front sound of the set of songs [you] have played and are com-

ing up.”KMHD2 has brought in many artists

before they became familiar to listeners of commercial pop radio, Hrysiw said. Contemporary icons like Imagine Drag-ons and Macklemore made appearances on KMHD2. “You’re in communication with their record rep and you just talk to them, and if they’re coming to town for a little concert at the Roseland, you just say, ‘Hey, can you get them in here for an interview?’ or sometimes we’ll go to the concert and do the interview there,” Hrysiw said.

“It’s very, very easy because these artists are so small that they want any type of promotion, even if it’s on a college radio station. So, they’re not gonna pull a diva card and be like, ‘Well, what are you gonna do for me?’ ” She said. “They’re asking us, ‘Will you do this for me?’ ”

KMHD2 broadcast focus is music. But the station also takes time every weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to de-liver news headlines every 89 minutes, in brief segments called “89 updates” that last under a minute. KMHD2 also has three different talk shows: Ebony & Ivory, which airs Monday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m.; Underground Bazaar which airs Monday nights from 8 to 10 p.m.; and Sports Cave, which is on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Sports Cave segment covers most prominent sports on the national scene and also high school sports and college sports, according to Hunt and Hrysiw.

Sports Cave personalities will broadcast every MHCC home baseball game, said Pauli, and are planning to also broadcast softball games as soon as they can set up accommodations for their equipment at that venue.

Being on a talk radio segment is no easy task, students say.

“You gotta have a personality

where people want to actually tune in and listen to you,” said Pauli. “Just be-cause you have a microphone doesn’t mean you can whisper. You still have to project your voice and know how to articulate and talk.

“Being able to do public speaking and translate your thoughts to where other people can understand them, I think helps (to) do radio,” he said. “You’ve got to paint the picture with your words on radio, whereas public speaking, you may have (visual aids) and whatnot.”

Since KMHD2 is a nonpublic radio station, its radio personalities have more freedom to voice their opinions than those on most commercial radio outlets. “We could be more honest and opinionated. We’re not just a talking head,” Pauli said.

“When it comes to sports, I think that’s the best way to do it because, if you listen to the radio and you just hear the same opinions all day long, eventu-ally you’re going to either stop listen-ing, or just believe their way,” he said. He’d rather voice his own unique opin-ions rather than repeat and build off the popular opinion: “You’re going to lose your personality and your own thoughts on a topic.”

Broadcasting requires persistence, the radio students note.

“We only have classes two days a week, but we’re here nine, ten hours each of those days. While we don’t have a lot of homework, we have our 89 up-dates to do,” said Hunt. The updates air five days a week, and so students must sometimes create their content from off campus, he said. “There has to be dedication, and if there’s not the dedi-cation you’ll fail.”

To access the station, tune in to 89.1 on HD radio, search for KMHD2 on the TuneIn app, or go online to KMHD2.org.

Putting yourself on the air

Students and staff with questions of why Vladimir Putin, president of Rus-sia, carried out his actions in Ukraine and why the West is “upset about it” can ask questions of political science instructor Janet Campbell Wednesday in the newest edition of the Politcal Fo-rum series

Campbell will give a brief presenta-tion, followed by a question-and-an-swer session, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. in the Bob Scott Room in the MHCC Li-brary.

Campbell describes this presen-tation as an easy way to understand a complex situation with no research re-quired. Liz Milliken, Mt. Hood history instructor, will also be present to pro-vide a historical perspective.

“The more informed people get, the more they can understand things... and the better they feel,” said Campbell.

-Katelyn Hilsenbeck

MHCC business instructor Andy Wong spent the winter term on sabbatical in China and India studying business environments.

On Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Town and Gown Room, he will share his observations as part of Mt. Hood’s Worldview se-ries.

“India Incorporated versus China Incorporated: A Personal Journey,” will be a mix of a travel-ogue and his take on the business aspect.

Firsthand encounters with pol-lution, infrastructure and cultural differences made quite the experi-ence for Wong.

“You hear about a lot of things, but you don’t realize how bad it is until you experience it,” he said.

Wong wanted to stray from

academic research, and instead im-merse himself in each country’s business community to confirm previous perceptions and discover new things.

He chose India because he teaches case studies on India, but had never been to the country.

While China presented a chal-lenging infrastructure 20 years ago, it has improved since. However, India today is in a similar position that China held previously, he said. Some rural areas in China have de-veloped into industrial parks since Wong last visited in 1987.

He also found how prevalent technology is in China now, and how social media would be a useful tool for businesses.

- Katelyn Hilsenbeck

What’s happening with Russia, Ukraine?

The proposed MHCC budget for 2014-2015, to be considered Thurs-day by the district board, includes a request for a $3 per credit tuition hike.

The administration is propos-ing to raise in-state tuition to $92 per credit for 1-18 credits and $46 a credit for more than 18 credits

This month’s meeting, starting at 6 p.m. in the district board room, was moved from its usual Wednes-day spot to Thursday to accommo-date the American Association of

Community Colleges Annual Con-vention.

Outstanding staff Cecilia Pelayo (Adult Basic Skills Administrative Assistant of Instructional),; Jenny Ruelas (Transitions Program Assis-tant); and Sheila McQueen (Work-force Development Specialist) will be recognized and awarded. The MHCC Foundation is awarding each outstanding staff member with a $500 check.

-Greg Leonov

Tuition hike may be in near future; board meeting to hear proposal

Instructor explores China, India, will present his findings

Photo by Carole Riggs - The AdvocateSports Cave co-host Diana Hrysiw (left), and host Ryan Pauli on Wednesday night before their 6 p.m. broadcast.

Living Arts4 April 4, 2014

Couldn’t make it to this month’s planetarium show? Here’s what you missed during Tuesday’s show

Viral Vid of the Week

Disney and Pixar Sings Let It Go

In 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.

For fans of Disney, Pixar and “Frozen,” this video is sure to please. With more than 9 million views in two weeks, this video captures a very talented guy singing the popular “Let It Go” in the spot-on voices of new and old Disney and Pixar characters, including Scar from “The Lion King” and Sebastian from “The Little Mermaid,” among others. Check it

out and search for it on YouTube.

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

ideas!

32

TO BE DETERMINED

Movie Pick:Captain America:

“The Winter Soldier”

Opens today

In theaters everywhere

The second movie in the Captain America franchise is finally here. If you are a

superhero lover, this movie is for you. Starring Chris

Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, this

star-studded cast is sure to deliver. Rated PG-13 for

violence, gunplay and action throughout.

1Author Kim

Stafford book signing

Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m.

Visual Arts Theater

This will be a book sign-ing as well as a speaking

engagement for Stafford.He is the author of “My

Father William Stafford,” a book about his father, one of Oregon’s most celebrated poets. This

event is free and open to all members of the MHCC

community.

TV Pick: Game of Thrones

Sunday, 9 p.m.

HBO

After what seems like for-ever, the extremely popu-lar HBO show returns on

Sunday for its fourth season. The show is based on the se-ries of books by George R.R.

Martin that center on the fantasy lands of the seven

kingdoms, and the wars stirring across the realm. If

you don’t subscribe to HBO, quickly find a friend who

does, because this season will be nothing short of epic.

by Rebecca GaulkeThe Advocate

Tuesday’s Planetarium show, titled “Mars Up-Close and a Lunar Eclipse,” brought viewers into the galaxy to view both the moon and Mars in stunning clarity and detail.

The majority of the show was spent exploring the geography of Mars, while giving sufficient coverage to the up-coming lunar eclipse that comes late on April 14 and continues into the early hours of the morning of the 15th.

Pat Hanrahan, Planetarium direc-tor, said we are in the perfect location in Oregon to see the eclipse for ourselves: “We can see the whole total eclipse… We couldn’t be in a better place.”

A short informational video on lu-nar eclipses from NASA on YouTube was played to explain the science be-hind an eclipse and what we can expect to see as it occurs.

After orbiting the moon using the digital system and learning about eclipses, the full focus of the show shifted to the red planet.

Hanrahan said many observers find Mars to be “a very interesting planet,” since for a long time, there was thought to be life there. He illustrated this by discussing examples of books and movies over the years that play on this concept, such as “War of the Worlds,” by Orson Welles and “Mars Attacks!”

Next came a virtual tour of Mars, which included the views from the North and South Poles, various craters and volcanoes and the Valles Marineris, which is larger than the Grand Canyon.

There are polar ice caps on top of the North Pole, which were clearly evident, but not on the South Pole, as it sits at a higher elevation and there is not enough atmosphere in which to form condensation (with water).

The Gale Crater is a major land-mark on Mars, and was a part of the tour of the planet. It is thought that a long, long time ago, there was a lot of water there. Because of this, NASA’s unmanned Curiosity rover is currently there exploring.

The Opposition of Mars, or when the planet is ”opposite from the sun” (as viewed from Earth) was also a topic of the night. During opposition, Mars will be brightest in the southern sky at midnight.

Olympus Mons is one of Mars’ most famous features, as it is the big-gest volcano on Mars and in the solar system, and is three times the height of Mt. Everest. The base of the volcano alone is the size of Arizona.

The second part of the tour of Mars showed the exact parts where space-craft have previously landed. One such craft, the Pathfinder, is “almost like a little car,” said Hanrahan.

Throughout the tour, the music was particularly enjoyable and the images provided insight into what the planet really looks like.

As usual, the evening ended with the Galaxy Song.

Planetarium shows take place on the first Tuesday of every month. The cost is $2 for the general public and free for students and staff. Show times are at 6:00, 7:15 and 8:30 p.m.

Lunar eclipse happening this month

Spring flowers blooming at MHCC

Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

April 4, 2014 5Living Arts

The Fireplace Gallery will feature the Kathleen Buck’s paintings through April 29. The exhibit is titled “Emerging From Abstracts” and features a variety of colorful pieces, many of them featuring figures as well. Above: “Chardonnay Emerging.” Middle: “Fender Emerging.” Right: “Tidepools.”

Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

FIREPLACE GALLERY FEATURE

Abstract artist inspired by figuresby Greg LeonovThe Advocate

Mt. Hood’s Fireplace Gallery is showcasing art by Kathleen Buck in an exhibit titled “Emerging from Abstracts,” which opened Tuesday and will last through April 29.

Buck describes the essence of her work as “either having figures hidden in or emerging from the abstract. You’ll see abstract strong structure underneath, and then a person or animal or object coming through the abstract.”

“Figures are what really inspire me, because I like having something connected to the background with lots of angles, and lots of movement, and although I can look at a landscape and say ‘That’s pretty,’ it’s almost all just horizontal stripes, and I don’t find that as interesting as the twists and turns of a figure,” she said.

“By ‘figure,’ I mean both people and animals, and maybe occasionally still life, like wine bottles or something. But I really want something that can make dynamic angles so that I can connect it to the background and have a very active,

energetic painting.”Buck said she started out painting

figurative art, which is doing something in the environment, people, animals, or “capturing a moment of time,” but turned in the direction of abstract art because she could make the art more personal.

“A lot of people do sort of start moving (to) abstraction because you get to put more of yourself in the painting. You get to really play with the ‘what-ifs’ and not be constrained by what you actually see,” she said. “It’s sort of a progression, I think, as you get better: You often want to play with becoming a little more abstract.”

Buck discovered her love for art when she was in college at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She was planning on becoming a lawyer or chemist but realized she enjoyed art and decided to go in that direction.

“I did take time out – I mean I gradu-ated, half in art, half in government – went on, got a law degree, practiced law for a little bit, (then) decided I really didn’t like that,” she said. “I wanted to be an artist, so luckily circumstances were such that I could just do it.”

She started doing some sculpting, but quickly moved on to different media. “I think the learning curve of an artist is very steep, so that the thing you really like now, in two years, you’re gonna say ‘I’m way better than that,’ ” she said. She decided to move away from sculpting and focused on painting instead, because she could produce a lot more work in a shorter amount of time “and then get better fast,” she said.

“I started painting in watercolor, and then discovered acrylic, and decided that’s what I really like,” Buck said. “A lot of it is just trial-and-error: ‘What do you re-ally like doing?’ And I find that I can lose myself in my studio for hours just paint-ing, trying to create something that has beauty.”

Throughout her career, Buck has tak-en and continues to take countless work-shops and attends many seminars to build her skills. She takes workshops with art-ists she admires.

Her work is not limited to painting on canvases. A couple of years age, she at-tended a play and enjoyed the acting and story, but didn’t like the set. “I didn’t

think the sets were very good, so I asked if they needed assistance,” she said. Her assistance was accepted and so she is also now a set designer.

“I’ve designed about seven sets, and been stage manager a couple of times. It’s sort of connected because that’s almost like painting in 3-D,” she said. “You’re still trying to make an illusion of a com-pletely new world. You’re just doing it with furniture, instead of with paint. It’s interesting how you can make the illusion of a room without actually having to build a room.”

Buck is a member of a few groups that help her grow as an artist. She is in the Watercolor Society of Oregon, the North-west Watercolor Society as an associate member, and she also is involved in a few critique groups where members advise each other on their art. She is in the Paint-er’s Showcase of Portland, and is engaged with several galleries.

She also co-owns a gallery called “Currents Gallery” in McMinnville.

Buck is online at www.kathleenbuck-art.com, and the gallery is at www.cur-rentsgallery.com.

Career Fair on campus

The Career Fair took place on Tuesday in the gym. Left: Students browse the tables. Right: A student hands her resumé to a prospective employer. Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

News6 April 4, 2014

by Emily WintringhamThe Advocate

MHCC is constantly constructing new ideas and pro-grams to aid students in any way it can. In 2011, a team of academic and financial advisers planned to install an Ori-entation Center to help new students succeed in their first term at Mt. Hood.

“We were discovering that there were a lot of common questions that came up – like how to register and fill out FAFSA (forms) – that a new center that could alleviate, and also (help) answer complex questions, addressed upstairs (Student Services),” said Christy Weigel, Orientation Cen-ter coordinator. “I was part of the team that came up with the idea.”

From its first day of service last Sept. 30 through March 12, the Orientation Center has recorded 2,132 students who have walked in to get help. According to Weigel, one-third of students request help for financial aid, such as filling out FAFSA forms, one-third of students request help with registering for the next term, and one-third need help with a mixture of things such as admissions, applying for graduation, navigating their DARS and the MHCC Book-store.

On average, the Orientation Center assists at least 20 people a day, and as many as 100. It is most busy during the first few days of registration and the start of each new term. “We’d still love to see more,” said Weigel. Ninety-four percent of students register after they’ve visited the Center.

The service has made significant progress over the course of two terms, while leaders say there’s still more coming to help students get the help they need.

“We intend to make online orientation available. That, of course, depends on funding and the IT department,” said Weigel.

As of August 2013, the IT department provided the Ori-entation Center a chat program to allow off-campus users

to connect with the Orientation Center online, according to Eric Leighton, client technologies technician.

The IT department has played a significant role in sup-plying technological services needed in the Orientation Center, since a computer is required for many of the tasks students come to complete there. Becky Gish, a technol-ogy labs assistant, helped organize and design the layout of the center. IT workers designed a space for OC staff to sit and determined how many spaces were needed to fit the amount of students in the room.

The room was designed in such a way that staff could easily move around and help students. This explains why there aren’t narrow rows of computers such as in a typical lab, but, instead, is a wide-open center. The IT department also hooked up the Center with a multi-function printer and Mac computers.

As far as staging events, the Orientation Center hopes to host college information nights, where community members can come and learn the basics of becoming a stu-dent at MHCC. “There are no events going on now; we are just open and here for students scrambling to get things finished,” said Weigel.

The only event currently taking place is FAFSA Fridays, directed by the Financial Aid Department but hosted at the Center.

Overall, the Orientation Center has made a good im-pression on visiting students and also the students who assist the staff there, said Weigel.

“As a student I get to explore new things. I get to look into careers and different possibilities of what I can study,” said Miguel Zacarias, student assistant in the cen-ter.

“It’s good because a lot of people come in unsure of what to do,” said Risa Nguyen, another student assistant. “It’s a lot more comforting for students to have somebody near them when they need them. They feel more secure to do things when there’s someone there, and they’re not completely alone.”

On Thursday, Mt. Hood will host “The Greyness of Fifty Shades of Grey” examining Kink-phobia in Pop Culture, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Town and Gown Room.

Kinkphobia is defined as “a widely accepted prejudice against the practice of power exchange sex” by Jaclyn Friedman and Jes-sica Valenti in their book “Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World With-out Rape.”

Steven Page, ASG wellness coordinator, created this event after meeting Tynan Fox while in California. Fox, a practiced nurse from the east coast, is familiar with discussion of subjects such as kinkphobia and has a cur-rent contract with a Philadelphia school to speak on the subject ev-ery year.

Page organized and planned the upcoming event, manag-ing to secure Fox as the featured speaker. Fox will draw examples from both the book “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James, as well as the movie Pulp Fiction, to relate this subject. The presentation will use props, and there will be a question-and-answer session.

Page wants to appeal to the masses and give people a more open mind toward kinkphobia.

“My goal is to bring in people that are part of the culture, aren’t part of the culture, (or) see the culture as a bad thing,” he said. “Maybe change their view, maybe give them a whole new grounds to look on it upon... (to) bring staff members in who can then take it to their students, and just con-tinue and spread the word.”

His hope is that this will pave the way for other schools to step outside the bounds and try simi-lar, more controversial events.

Please note: This is an educa-tional event dealing with mature and sexual themes, and viewer discretion is advised, said Page.

- Madeline Boyce

Acquaint yourself with MHCC

MHCC session to analyze kinkphobia

Students are asked to apply by SEED coordinators in their various countries. The selection process takes about a year and only 2 to 3 percent of applicants are chosen, said Gillius. She said most stu-dents are from rural communities and indigenous populations.

“It’s a pretty hard process,” Gillius said.

“We are people that don’t know anything about English and we just start to write a grant 13 or 12 months after we get here,” said Rodriquez.

Students have to focus on finding and using resources in their own com-munities while being a great distance away from them. “This is a really huge responsibility, to represent your com-munity and be away from your family, but it’s worth it,” said Rodriguez.

Granados has far exceeded her ex-pectations. “I never thought to come here to the United States to study,” she

said of her SEED application process. “It was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go and I don’t know what’s going to happen,’ ” she said.

Rodriguez said the experience has been special. “Sometimes it’s like you don’t believe it because this is an amaz-ing opportunity. This kind of opportu-nity doesn’t happen very often... The SEED program is really focused on get-ting young men and ladies from rural communities and (to) change their life and the life of their communities.”

Apart from focusing on their proj-ects, Granados said the two Mt. Hood students “learned a little bit of ev-erything, not just in natural resources area, but also in leadership.

“Now I feel like I’m ready for... any job. I can do it,” she said. “You may not know how to do the job, but with the skills you have learned, you can learn how to do it very quickly.”

The value of knowing English is undeniable for these students. “I re-ally consider English as a language of unity,” Rodriguez said. “There are many organizations wanting to help our communities and sometimes it’s very bizarre to find somebody who speaks English to make the connection between this community and this or-ganization. So, that’s just the greatest gift to have — to be able to connect our country.”

Said Granados, “Where I came from, there is just a little tiny school. I know in my community, I won’t speak English because no one will understand me. But you never know what kind of job you will get, so if you have it on your resumé that you speak English, that’s a huge impact.”

Both students urge MHCC students to develop projects of their own.

“It doesn’t matter if you do your

project in your community or not... there are a lot of places that really need your help or someone who can speak up,” Granados said.

Although the pair values the knowledge and experiences they have gained in the United States, including leadership and money management skills, both Rodriquez and Granados said they intend to live permanently back in Honduras.

“I know we don’t have Internet there or any of the technology (avail-able at MHCC), but... I still love my community and I would never trade” it,” Granados said.

Gillius said one of the great things about the SEED program is how the en-rolled students are committed to their home countries.

“It’s good to know there’s educat-ed, positive young people in their com-munities,” she said.

SEED Continued from page 1

International students describe ‘special’ learning experience

Slice of Life

Coffey Anderson performed at the “Coffee with Coffey” event Tuesday in the Main Mall.

Photo by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

April 4, 2014 7Sports

First-year Saints make impact on the track

by Brandon RaleighThe Advocate

The Saints split a pair of one-run games against Lane Community Col-lege Wednesday as the baseball team moved into its spring term schedule.

In the first game of the home dou-bleheader, Mt. Hood suffered a tough 6-5 loss after being up 5-3 going into the eighth inning. Mt. Hood allowed three runs in the eighth, giving up the lead and the game.

Coach Brian Donohue said, “Kind of a tough one to swallow, just because we had it. We made some defensive mis-takes in the infield at some inoppor-

tune times and created a couple rallies for them.”

In the second game, the Saints came back and won in dramatic fash-ion, scoring in the final inning to win 3-2. Donohue had much good to say on the second game. “We competed our butts off and came back from a 2-1 def-icit and found a way to score the win-ning run in the last inning. That was a fun way to finish that one,” he said.

The Saints had compiled a 2-4 record over the break, with wins over Pierce College and Lane. Mt. Hood’s 4-3 win over Lane came after a tough 1-2 loss to the Titans earlier that day. Mt. Hood’s four losses came against Ever-

ett Community College (twice), Tacoma Community College and Lane.

Sixteen games into the season, Saints baseball sits fifth in their divi-sion with a 2-2 record of (5-11 overall).

When discussing how the team has performed this season, Donohue said, “We’ve gotten better the whole time, and played what I believe the toughest preseason.” Donahue listed the team’s defense and pitching as their strong suits. The Saints, who only had eight errors through the first 14 games, have been playing well on the defensive end.

The Saints have been led by the strong play of sophomore shortstop Cole Hamilton, who leads the team

with a .340 batting average. Freshman Nick Gawley leads the Saints with three homers. Gawley also leads the team in RBIs with 13.

Sophomore pitcher Zane Bam-busch leads the team with a 3.27 ERA, while freshman Jake Dahlberg leads the Saints with two wins on the mound.

Donahue has high hopes for this year’s team. “Anything short of win-ning Southern we’d look at as a disap-pointment.” The Saints have won three straight Southern Region champion-ships, and eight of the last nine.

Donahue also listed winning NWAACCs as a goal for the season.

“If we come out and take care of our

end of things — if we throw strikes, we take care of the baseball, we get a few timely hits here and there and find some ways to score runs — we will beat people,” he said. “If we can do those things day in and day out, it will end up turning into a situation that it’s not just going to be a conversation of find-ing ways to win games, but how much were winning games by.”

The Saints face the division-lead-ing Clark Penguins (12-6) today at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Vancouver, and then face them again Saturday for a double-header in Gresham starting at 2 p.m.

by Q QuartermanThe Advocate

Spring is the time when Orego-nians are known to get their running shoes out and begin looking forward to running with no rain — or at least not as much.

For the Mt. Hood track and field teams, this is a hit-and-miss theory. The men’s and women’s teams were busy heading into spring break and had a home meet last week, the Mt. Hood Multi Meet, on Thursday and Friday, in pouring rain and 55 degree temperatures. Freshman Courtney Andre finished third with 3,553 points in the first heptathlon of her collegiate career and sophomore Kristi Kachel placed fifth with 2,938 points.

The teams also competed at the Saints Open March 15 when the Saints unveiled their new track surface at their first home meet in two years with many outstanding performances.

The best performances of the day were by sophomore McKenzie Warren, the NWAACC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for March 20. Warren broke her own school record in the discus with 145’02 and was close to her record in the hammer with a throw of 162’05, beating many athletes from four-year schools. The Lady Saints were also led by fresh-man Marley Yates with her victory in the high jump with a jump of 5’3 ¼, runner-up performances by sophomore Megan Nelson in the javelin (132’11), freshman Xayna Robinson in the triple jump (35’1) and Andre’s third place in the 400-meter hurdles (1:07.74).

The men’s team was led by fresh-man Devon Larson with his cheetah-like quickness. Larson placed second in the 110 hurdles (16.12) and seasoned sophomore Justin Schlaht finished third in the javelin (176’8).

Larson begun running in the fall to prepare for this track season. He said he struggled initially, hating the sys-tem of preparing as a collegiate track athlete.

“I hated the system, then I began to understand and now I see the benefits of

my hard work,” he said. “I felt real light out there.” Larson also competed in the long jump, and men’s 200-meter run.

The men’s 200-meter dash team also did the best of all community col-leges. The team consisted of freshman

Janaree Porter, freshman Auston Burns, freshman Brock Otis and Larson.

The next meet will be Saturday at

the Shotwell Classic at the University of Pudget Sound in Tacoma.

Members of the track team work on their handoffs for relay during practice.Photo by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Saints split match-up against LaneReigning South Region champions look to turn it up in conference play

Get ready to Venture into new territory....

Venture Magazine Look for it in early May

Sports8 April 4, 2014

Softball continues hot streakby Aaron MarshallThe Advocate

The undefeated Mt. Hood softball team ran its win streak to 16 games Tuesday, beat-ing Lower Columbia Community College 11-6 and 4-3.

The Saints (16-0, 2-0) have dominated their competition this season but in this first match-up against a conference opponent, it looked different as the Saints were down in both games and had to come back for the vic-tories. Sophomore Kristen Crawford earned the win in game one after coming in for sophomore Ann-Marie Guischer af-ter she gave up six earned runs in two innings. At that point, the Saints were down 6-1, but then the runs start-ed coming for Mt. Hood.

Every batter in the line-up had a hit for Mt. Hood including freshmen Mercedes Green and Ashlee Mueller, who each had three hits during the game. The Saints had the bats swinging deep as they hit seven home runs, including two from Mueller, two from soph-omore Teauna Hughes and one each from freshmen Kasidee Lemberger, Kelsey Reams and sophomore Laura Lesowske.

Mt. Hood scored once in the bottom of the third and then four times in the bottom of the fifth and eventually added five more runs in the bottom sixth, ending with an 11-6 victory over Lower Columbia (11-3, 0-2).

Head Coach Meadow McWhorter empha-sized the team’s resilience. “We were down 6-1 in the second inning and battled back for the win.”

The second game was a lower-scoring af-fair and it was tight all the way to the end of the game. Mt. Hood scored first in the bot-tom of the first when Reams hit a solo home run. Lower Columbia scored in the second, third and fourth innings, making it 3-1 going into the fifth. After Reams would struck out swinging to lead off the inning, Hughes and Green homered back to back to tie the game at 3 apiece. Lemberger followed with a dou-

ble , forcing the Red Devils to make a pitch-ing change and two defensive substitutions. Mueller, who was red hot in the first game, struck out but then freshman Megan Reed would delivered an RBI single to score Lem-berger from second and give the Saints the 4-3 lead. A flyball hit by sophomore Emma Bird ended the inning and the game finished early after only five innings due to darkness, giving the Saints the win.

During Spring Break, the Saints added six more wins, defeating Centralia College, Grays Harbor Community College, Bellevue College,

Everett Community College, Green River Community College and South Puget Sound Community College at Delta Park on March 22-23. Through the 15 games played, the freshmen have played a huge role offensive-ly. Lemberger leads the team in hits with 29 and has the high-est batting average at .604. Reams leads the

team in at-bats with 55. Hughes leads the team in home runs with eight but Green is close with six. Green and Reed also lead the team in RBIs with 24.

“I am proud of the poise our freshmen show.” McWhorter said. “Our sophomores have done an excellent job of leading by ex-ample. We need to continue to work on the little things: hitting the pitch where it is lo-cated, getting the bunt down, pitchers work-ing and staying ahead, solid defense and most of all, playing our game. Working to get better each day.”

The team will host SW Oregon (17-5, 2-0) Saturday for a doubleheader starting at noon. With Mt. Hood having the best record in the NWAACCs and the only undefeated team, Mc-Whorter’s mindset is to stay humble by focus-ing on the next opponent.

“We play day by day, our wins are behind us and we focus on what’s important: our next opponent,” said McWhorter.“Control our preparation, our attitude and our effort. Play the game the way we have prepared and en-joy the moments we get out on the field, to-gether.”

I am proud of the poise our freshmen show. Our sophomores have done an excellent job of leading by example.

Meadow McWhorterHead coach

Freshman first baseman Megan Reed makes the force-out at first during a Tuesday game against Lower Columbia.Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Jackson’s antics to blame for release

Three-time NFL Pro Bowl receiver De-Sean Jackson was released from his con-tract by the Philadelphia Eagles last Fri-day, just an hour after NJ.com published a new story that described the wide receiv-er’s supposed ties with gang members.

The story posted on the website stated that since 2010, Jackson has been tied to gang members involved in two homicides in Los Angeles, in 2010 and in 2012, respectively. NJ.com also dis-covered that Jackson was also arrested back in 2009 for possession of marijua-na and having illegally tinted windows

on his vehicle. Since the announcement by the

Eagles was made shortly after the story was published, the initial assumption was that Jackson was cut by the team for the gang connections but, just a few days later, clearer reasons on why he was released came out.

The release caught everybody off guard simply because Jackson was coming off a career season in which he set new highs with 82 catches for 1,332 yards and tied his career-best in touch-downs with nine.

His talents on the field have never been in doubt. But it is said that Jackson did cause a lot of headaches for man-agement and coaches in his six years on the team, including his gang-associat-ed background, which seemed to be the last straw for Philadelphia.

Jackson was interviewed by the Los Angeles Police Department concerning

his connection with Theron Shakir, a member of the Crips gang, and also an-other friend who was involved in one of the two homicides.

The detective who interviewed Jack-son in 2011 warned the Eagles of Jackson’s connections to gang members, but man-agement decided to ignore the warning and just one year later signed the wide receiver to a five-year, $48.5 million con-tract extension.

Jackson was under the watch of police again in 2012 when the second homicide was found to have taken place in a building that was owned by a member of his family.

A lot of accusations have been thrown at Jackson, but to this day, no real evidence that he is indeed part of a gang or that he took part in any of the homicides has been found.

Sources close to the Eagles orga-nization say that Jackson’s off-field behavior is what soured management:

things like missed meetings, lack of collaboration with head coach Chip Kelly, and his negative influence on younger players by showing a poor work ethic repeatedly.

Over the last couple of years several red flags about Jackson were ignored by the Eagles until it finally exceeded their tolerance level. The team was desperate in trying to get rid of the wide receiver by trying to trade him for weeks prior to last Friday’s announcement.

Jackson’s free agency lasted only five days, as the Washington Redskins signed him Wednesday to a three-year contract that is worth $24 million, including $16 million in guaranteed money.

The Redskins offense is sure to im-prove with Jackson on the team, after ending last season with the worst re-cord in the NFC (3-13). He will surely help quarterback Robert Griffin III in regaining stats similar to those that

helped him capture the rookie-of-the-year award two seasons ago.

There is no doubt that Jackson is an elite player; his stats from last season back that up. He still has gas in the tank for another couple of good seasons, now as a Redskin. First-year head coach Jay Gruden now has the tricky task to keep the player focused on his career and it wouldn’t surprise anybody if Gruden had serious talks with him regarding his off-field activities at some point.

I judge an athlete based on his per-formances on the field. But, I do see why the Eagles made the decision of cutting Jackson. Having that type of player could hurt any organization’s image, and it is useless working with someone who isn’t willing to listen.

It just shows that no matter how talented a player is, there is more off the field that can hurt his career and reputation.

by Edgar Valencia