The Advocate, Issue 15 - Feb. 2, 2018 by The Advocate

Independent Student Voice of MHCC

Volume 52, Issue 15 FEBRUARY 2, 2018 advocate-online.net

Sex Ed taught too late PAGE 4

Female anthems PAGE 6

Saints and Cougars face off for playoffs PAGE 8

AMERICAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SEX PROBLEM PAGE 2

MeToo issues resonate at Mt. Hood PAGE 2 - 6

2016 FIRST PLACE

General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

OPINION EDITORIAL

merica has a problem when it comes to talking about sex. Or, at the very least, we have a serious problem when it comes to how we talk about sex. From a very early age, discussions about sex are hushed, embarrassing, riddled with euphemisms. Our parents have the “birds and the bees” talk with us, a sit-down, “We’re going to talk about sex now” conversation that often leaves young people deeply uncomfortable and more than a little confused. And that’s it! Parents dust off their hands, satisfied that their work is done, and outsource the bulk of the sexual education we receive as young people to schools, the media, and our peers. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. has spent over $2 billion on abstinence-only sex ed programs in the past 35 years. While we are seeing a cultural shift in that, especially under the Obama administration, the Trump administration’s proposed 2018 federal budget allocates $271 million over the next four years toward “Extend[ing] Abstinence Education and Personal Responsibility Education Program[s]”. [https://www.whitehouse.gov/ sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/ budget/fy2018/budget.pdf] We certainly don’t get to see healthy depictions of sexual activity in movies because the Motion Pictures Association of America slaps an R-rating on any film that exceeds outdated, Victorian notions of what’s appropriate viewing material for young people. (Murder? Sure. Drug Use? Go For It! Nudity?

Editor-in-Chief Matana McIntire Associate Editor/ News Editor Greg Leonov Associate News Editor & Copy Editor Bethany McCurley

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SEX AND PIZZA: Not in my fucking theater.) And yet we’re constantly bombarded by images of what we “should” look like, how we can revamp ourselves to be desirable to the other sex, how to maximize our sex appeal, and how to commodify ourselves to fit that cultural narrative. According to a recent New York Times article, “On average, children are getting their first smartphones around age 10.” Though it’s difficult

to guide us on healthy sexual norms, look no further than our own president, who dismissed grabbing a woman by her pussy because he was rich as “locker-room talk.” As lewd and as crass as his comment is, to a certain degree the president is right. Talking about women like that is par for the course in male groups. Push for real change So, to recap: our parents won’t talk to us about sex, so we have to

anyone who promotes rape culture, off the hook. As a person, you are always held responsible for your actions, regardless of the cultural influences that led to your actions.) How, then, can we change it? Hashtags like #MeToo and #TimesUP have been taking social media by storm since accusations of sexual assault by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein blew up last October. Though hardly the first time women have spoken out about

consent is sexy to get solid statistics on how much of the internet is dedicated to pornography (statistics range from 4 to 30 percent), pretty much anyone can attest that it’s pretty easy to find porn online if you want to. How much of what we know about sex is learned about from porn, as opposed to from interpersonal sexual encounters? And as far as trusting our peers

Arts & Entertainment Editor Ryan Moore Associate Arts & Entertainment/ Social Media Manager Cassie Wilson Opinion Editor Kyle Venooker

learn what sex is from underfunded school programs, media that give us a warped, commodified view of what sex is supposed to be, and a culture which actively promotes disrespect, if not outright harassment or worse. If you’re wondering why people use words like “rape culture,” this is why. (Of course, the above is not in any way intended to let rapists or

Web Editor Position Open Sports Editor Jonathan Zacarias Graphic Design Team Prisma Flores Amy Welch Nicole Meade Bethany Lange Sheila Embers

Graphic by Nicole Meade

America’s culturally permissive attitude toward sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape, this particular iteration of the struggle for equality has taken on a decidedly different, confessional aspect to it. Celebrities, icons, everyday people: Men and women from all walks of life have been coming forward and sharing their stories of sexual assault and the impact it’s had on

Photo Editor Fletcher Wold Photo Team Fadi Shahin Andy Carothers Video Team

Cory Wiese Megan Hayes Nick Krane

their lives. Though the voices have predominately been those of women, men have spoken out as well, both on their own experiences with sexual assault and as allies, in support of the movement. But is it enough? Can a hashtag and two simple words really change a cultural model which has been entrenched and reinforced for millennia? No, it’s not. And, yes it can. Reset on romance At the #MeToo march on Jan. 20 in downtown Portland, dozens of people came forward to talk about their experiences with sexual assault. What was remarkable was how many men and women prefaced their stories with, “I didn’t intend on speaking today, but…” Abuse, rape, sexual assault, harassment: These all take place, and are allowed to continue, under a cover of silence. How long did Weinstein perpetrate completely inexcusable behavior? How many years did gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar abuse the girls he was in charge of guiding? As long as victims remain silent, people who commit sexual assault will continue to commit sexual assault. So, what else can we do, aside from coming forward and sharing our stories? What if we aren’t victims, but still want to have a hand in shaping a better world? By changing the way we think. We need to reframe consent as sexy – not just necessary. We need to completely overhaul the way that we, collectively and as individuals, think about sex. And so, it is with great pleasure that we at the Advocate would like

Gabriel Donaldson Miguel De La Rosa Ad Managers Megan Phelps Yen Le Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst

EDITORIAL OPINION

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

CHOOSE YOUR TOPPINGS to give you, the reader, the gift of pizza. As Al Vernacchio, sexual educator, says in his TED talk, “Sex Needs a New Metaphor,” the dominant cultural metaphor that Americans use when they talk about sex is baseball. First base, second base, scoring, pitchers, catchers – these are all sexual euphemisms that most people understand and internalize. But how does this affect how we think about sex? Vernacchio highlights several of the problems with the baseball metaphor, and while we’re not going to go into all of them here (though we highly recommend watching his entire TED talk!), some of the key ones are: - There are winners in baseball (and that means there are losers) - There is a time to play baseball; once the game starts, you need to finish - You can’t just stop at a base because you feel like it - You keep track of your statistics and compare them with other players With such a transactional, outcome-oriented way of looking at and discussing sex comes a distorted way of having sex. It places a lot of societal and cultural pressure on sexual activity, and equates the amount of sex that we have (or don’t have) with social value. This is problematic in so many ways, for women and for men. (If you’d like a more in-depth analysis of this idea, we highly recommend taking a Women and

Staff Writers Hanna Benson Maddy Sanstrum Logan Hertner Kente Bates Cover photos & design Fletcher Wold

Gender Studies course.) Shared tastes Now, bearing all that in mind, repeat these words: Sex is Like Pizza. When do we want pizza? We want it when we’re hungry.

eating pizza by yourself is great! You don’t have to dress fancy or even leave your couch, and you get to choose exactly what

to share pizza. So how do you do that? Do you open up your robe and waggle a slice of pizza at someone, like Louis C.K.? Do you chase them around your room with a slice, trying to pick olives off and stick them in someone’s mouth like Aziz? No way! That’s gross. The best way to find out if someone wants to eat pizza is:

Graphic by Sheila Embers

We check in with ourselves, sense a physical desire, and choose whether or not we want to act on that desire. Step two? Figure out if we want to eat pizza with someone else, or if we want to dine alone. Sometimes

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you want on it. But it’s also nice, sometimes,

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YOU ASK THEM! It becomes a conversation, instead of an implied competition. Also, if someone doesn’t want to eat pizza, are you going to get mad? Are you going to call them a pizzatease? Of course not – sometimes you just don’t feel like pizza, that’s all. And sometimes, people can start a piece of pizza and realize that they didn’t really want pizza, after all.

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And that’s okay! Because, after all, the point of eating pizza is not to finish: It is for everyone eating pizza to enjoy themselves. REPEAT: THE PURPOSE OF PIZZA IS MUTUAL SATISFACTION. So, once you’ve established that someone does, in fact, want to eat pizza with you, what’s the next question you ask? “What do you like on your pizza?” Again, the emphasis is on communication and conversation, on discussing the likes and dislikes of everyone involved. You might be anti-pineapple, only to find out that your partner will only eat pizza with pineapple on it. Maybe that’s a deal breaker, so you find a partner who prefers olives. Or maybe you decide to try a bite of your partner’s pineapple pizza and discover that you actually really like it, and the only reason you talked shit about pineapple was because of some meme you saw on 9gag. Whatever the case, an open discussion of likes and dislikes will only enrich the pizza-eating process for everyone. Is it kind of silly? Of course. Is it going to fix the toxic dumpster fire that is American culture overnight? If only. But what this approach can do is change the way you think about sex, and talk about sex, because societies and cultures are made up of individuals. Individuals create them, individuals enforce or reject cultural trends, and individuals have the responsibility to choose what kind of culture they want to have.

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OPINION

me too

Call 911 in case of emergency Sexual assault resource center 503-640-5311 Multnomah County crisis line [24 hr] 503-988-4888 Call for Safety (Portland Women's Crisis Line) 1-888-235-5333 or 503-255-5333 The Q Center – LGBTQ Community Center 503-234-7837 Oregon Crime Victims Assistance 1-800-503-7983 Stalking/Restraining order, Multnomah Co. 503-988-3022

#METOO AT MT. HOOD: WE NEED YOUR HELP Do you have a #MeToo story? Would you like to join the conversation? The Advocate will continue to report on the issues around the #MeToo movement, and we want your input. Responses can be about, but are not limited to, the following queries:

How should we address consent in personal/sexual relationships? Any specific incident as an MHCC student or employee? Feel free to participate in the Advocate’s conversation, using one of these options: Email the Advocate: advocatt@mhcc.edu Reach us on our Facebook page: facebook. com/TheAdvocateOnline Submit a formal Letter to the Editor: All submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and information. All submissions due Tuesdays at 5 p.m. PA G E 4

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STRONG WOMEN ARE TARGETED, TOO Kim Sharer

MHCC Classified Association President I’ve seen what harassment can do to a strong woman. It’s a myth that only weak women are targets of sexual harassment. Society took away the power for women to have a voice, and there was no place to turn for help. We stayed silent. We are trusted to take care of children, but we are not trusted to tell the truth about harassment in the workplace. There are consequences to telling the truth that women aren’t willing to face because they need a job to take care of their family and pay their bills. We remain silent. Women have not advocated for each other for many reasons. There are only so many positions in a company, and men have most upper-level positions. You have to be part of the good ol’ boys club to get ahead, so you overlook the bad behavior. You stay silent. Just because you were not harassed, does not mean your co-worker is lying about their experience. The truth is that sexual harassers and predators don’t harass everyone, so please stop blaming the victim.

To hear stories coming out now, and see that women are believed, is encouraging. We don’t want to be silenced anymore. There should be due process for everyone, but the scale still seems to tip in favor of men, because we have a long way to go as a society. If everyone told their stories, if women supported each other, the scale could tip on the side of justice and fairness for women. My friend on campus is starting to laugh and smile again. She has wounds, but you don’t see them on the outside. They’re on the inside and take longer to heal. Please don’t be silent anymore, let your voices be heard.

CONSENT 101: Sex education must be taught earlier in life Eric Barnes

MHCC Public Safety intern Criminal Justice major at PSU The problem of sexual assault on college campuses and the “me too” movement around the country remains a persistent issue for students. The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE Act) was implemented in July 2015, which mandated colleges and universities to give sexual violence and harassment prevention training to new students and employees. This type of required education is a good step in a positive direction, but does it truly affect a student’s behavior? For example, many of the universities and colleges use online training modules in sexual assault prevention to fulfill their CSVEA requirement. I remember taking a similar training module

my first year at Portland State. The university required you to complete the module and short quiz in order for you to have access to class registration. I personally did not receive much from the module, and from what I gathered, other students have found similar online training ineffective on campuses. Was the online training ineffective because of how it was being presented, or how the student was receiving it? Implementing sexual assault education for first-year college students (mainly 18-year-olds) may be too late in having a true impact on an individual’s behavior. Understanding the true meaning of consent doesn’t occur after a one-hour online course during a student’s first year of college. Many of those students have had relationships or sexual encounters during high school. They may have

developed a different meaning of what consent between two individuals looks like. The “No Means No” campaign appeared to be a promising start but lacked a crucial variable that may occur. If an individual is unable to say “no,” whether it be from alcohol or other circumstances, has consent been given? Absolutely not: The lack of saying “no” to sexual advances does not replace the conscious “yes” and agreement towards the advances. Intervention in high schools to educate students on sexual assault prevention and consent must be implemented in order to curb future actions a student may take in college.

TO CONTINUE READING, SEE ‘CONSENT’ PAGE 7

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FEBRUARY 2, 2018

CROWDED CONCERTS CAN CAUSE CONCERN

Music events may enable abuse Cassie Wilson the advocate

Sexual harassment at concerts is all too common, and the loudness and chaos of live music have allowed a lot of instances of assault to fly under the radar, until now. The #MeToo movement is bringing past experiences to the forefront and putting artists and concert goers on high alert to keep everyone safe and comfortable. Women getting groped in the crowd is one of the most common forms of sexual assault at concerts. At one show, a friend of mine was wearing a crop top, and a stranger grabbed her side before quickly disappearing into the sea of people. Others have experienced this in tightly packed general admission crowds where it’s easy to get trapped, and where men suddenly think it’s okay to press themselves up against women’s backs in a sexual manner. There are also a lot of cases of women being inappropriately touched while crowd surfing. Artists on stage have a better view of what’s happening in the crowd, so many bands keep an eye out for people who may be unsafe. One example of this came from Sam Carter, vocalist of the UK metal band Architects. He saw a man grab at a crowd surfer’s breast, and when the song finished Carter furiously ranted about how that behavior is completely unacceptable, as seen in a viral video of the incident. Carter concluded with, “It is not your fucking body, and you do not fucking grab at someone. Not at my fucking show.” Similarly, at another concert, Brendan Ekstrom, guitarist for the rock band Circa Survive, saw a man trying to flirt with and forcibly kiss a woman in the crowd, and asked security to check on the situation. Wh e n

security didn’t understand what Ekstrom was trying to point out, he left the stage during the band’s set to try to resolve it, but then couldn’t find the people he had seen. While sexual harassment and assault most commonly happen between crowd members at shows, another element to this discussion includes fans making artists uncomfortable. Last year, a man jumped on stage and assaulted indie-rock band Alvvays’ vocalist/guitarist Molly Rankin by attempting to kiss her while she was performing. Even more common than instances like that are the actions of fans in the front row at general admission concerts, where the crowd is pressed up against the stage. In 2017, there were a lot of times where I saw young female fans trying to grab the legs, arms, and even genitals of band members until it got so excessive and uncomfortable that they had to be called out and humiliated by the band so they would stop. In other cases, people of the same demographics were yelling inappropriate things at band members who were at least ten years older than them. Sometimes fans directly yell sexual advances, call men “daddy,” or shout the always uncomfortable, “I want to have your babies.” Other times this harassment comes in the form of the crowd chanting for band members to strip when they mention that it’s warm on stage. All of these things make most performers visibly uncomfortable, yet so many people forget that it’s wrong because of the mental separation between fans and their idols. The reality is that artists are just people too, and should be treated as such. The other angle on sexual harassment and assault at concerts is the most controversial – musicians making fans uncomfortable. When these instances of sexual assault, coercion, and much more come to light, victims are often immediately shut down by fans of the musician who are in denial that their “fave” would ever do such a thing, because they had a normal interaction with them in the past. These situations usually happen as a result of artists abusing their positions of power, and manipulating adoring fans (often those who are underage) into performing sexual acts, and sending nude photographs or videos. When it comes down to it, sexual assault and harassment are constantly happening at concerts. Along with not allowing abusive, manipulative artists to have a platform, bystander intervention is one of the key ways to keeping concerts a safe place. It’s up to each and every one of us to speak up if we see someone in an unsafe or uncomfortable situation.

be LISTEN the TO light VICTIMS I’ve been writing this story for months. Writing it in my head, over and over. Here’s the short version. Please keep in mind. This is my story. My experience, not yours. I was there. You were not. It was just an ordinary day, until it wasn’t. A student walks into my office. Her face is flat, devoid of emotion. She is traumatized. What is happening? Slowly, she begins to speak. I am listening, really listening. Suddenly, I am traumatized. Traumatized by her pain. There are rules. Rules about reporting sexual harassment. I follow the rules. I report what I have heard from the student. I also report what I have experienced. I am confident that the student will be protected. That I will be protected. I am wrong. So very wrong. And so it begins. Almost immediately. Whispers, disparaging remarks, shunning, hostility, untruths, And on and on, and on. A victim has now become the villain. Please stop. Stop shaming. Stop villainizing. Stop defaming. Instead, Start believing. Start supporting. Start empowering. I am confused. I am angry. I am sad. I am tired. And, I am not the person I used to be. But, I AM STRONG. Pam Kuretich be | the light

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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RAISING THE VOICES OF EMPOWERED WOMEN Title

Artist

Run The World (Girls)

Beyoncé