February 26, 2016
the
advocate Independent Student Voice of MHCC
Volume 51 Issue 19
No more Supreme Court PAGE 2
A plea for O.E.R. PAGE 4
Saints swing back PAGE 8
REINVENTED MAYWOOD CAMPUS HINGES ON BOND MEASURE PAGE 4
Conceptual digital rendering of proposed Maywood campus courtesy of MHCC
MHCC winter production ‘Urinetown’ flush with talent, piss and vinegar
PAGE 5
2 PAGE
OPINION
Editorial
advocate-online.net
Congressional standoff freezes Supreme Court
I
n case you haven’t heard by now, it looks like the U.S. will be functioning (or not) without Supreme Court for the time being. After Justice Antonin Scalia’s untimely death, the Obama administration was tasked with nominating his replacement, as per the Constitution, to be submitted for approval by the Senate judiciary committee in Congress. But all 11 GOP members on that committee, led by Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, recently signed an agreement saying the Republicans would not hear from, meet, or otherwise communicate in any way with a nominee sent by President
Obama, and will simply bide their time until the next presidential term starts in 2017. Egregious, yes; but, shocking, no. As soon as the decision was announced, the rebuttal to criticism from across the aisle was that if the shoe were on the other foot, the Democrats would have done the same thing. And that seems to be the case, as a video of Joe Biden from 1992 was recently republished, where he argues for Congress’s right to deny the president’s nominees. Which makes sense – clearly that check-and-balance right is in place so we don’t have dangerous fringe politicians thrust into such a lauded office: Someone needs to dou-
“That check-andbalance right is in place so we don’t have dangerous fringe politicians thrust into such a lauded office: someone needs to double-check...” ble-check, and be able to say “No.” What doesn’t make sense is saying “No” before you’ve even met the person, or even know his or her
name, for that matter. Also, there is no limit to the number of Supreme Court justices on the panel specified in the constitution. If the majority Republican Congress thought Obama’s nominee tipped the scales so far to the left it wouldn’t work, why wouldn’t they just act to add more justices? The answers are the same ageold tales you’ve heard, if you’ve ever tuned into American media: a lack of bipartisanship, a disconnect with the voters... You could probably name the rest yourself. But the fact that this dysfunction is now routine is scary. Americans have been fed up with the political system for a while, but
maybe that’s just what should happen here. A good compromise leaves everyone angry, and the recent rumblings of Obama nominating a centrist Republican for the opening aren’t as crazy as they may seem. While the Senate Republicans say they’re waiting for a GOP nominee to win the White House, it’s just as likely that a Democratic candidate could get in. And Obama seems to favor neither scenario, since this seems to be on his agenda for lasting changes he hopes to make before leaving office (along with closing Gitmo). All we’re saying is, give peace a chance, especially when it’s least likely.
‘Super-official journalism’: free books on Jefferson
Adam Elwell the advocate
About Thursday of last week, a small brown package made its way onto my desk. It’s not terribly unusual at the Advocate to get mail, but this was a package, probably a foot long, six inches wide and two inches thick.
Inside was... a book on Thomas Jefferson! “Jefferson’s America: The President, the Purchase, and the Explorers Who Transformed a Nation.” I know what you’re thinking – “I don’t give even the slightest bowel movement about this.” But I do – immediately I remembered my journalism instructor from high school, talking about how media outlets used to send free stuff in the hopes of getting a review, stuff like movie tickets, sporting event passes, or books in this case. It doesn’t happen so much now, since it’s harder to stay objective if the home team bought your spot for you. This
was super-official journalism! The Thomas Jefferson people are just dying to get in our paper! So I read it, because it was already in the room, and I’m bad at managing my free time. Disclaimer: Unless you want to read some interesting (or at least I thought so) facts about Thomas Jefferson or the Louisiana Purchase, stop reading now. This column has no other redeeming value. And let me tell you, he was a character. Jefferson was always a man of singular purpose, or obsession, depending on who you ask. During his presidency, he was enamored with the Louisiana Pur-
chase, but from his time spent as secretary of state until his vice presidency, he was typically doing one of two things: feuding with Alexander Hamilton, or farming, which he was really bad at despite how much time he spent writing letters about the subject. He also had a knack for resigning/retiring “for good” from politics several times, which happened after his stints as governor of Virginia, secretary of state, and vice president. The explorers who surveyed the Purchase were downright weird, though. Several attempts at exploration were made before Lewis and
Clark’s voyage, a few of which ran out of funds as soon as they got into Native American territory, since there were some very active brothels there at the time, and these guys bankrupted themselves. The trips into the deep South were an absolute nightmare compared to Lewis and Clark’s journey, in which only one man died on the expedition, from what was most likely appendicitis. That’s all I have for now. If you’re interested, come by Room 1369 and I’ll give you the book when I’m finished.
the advocate Editor-in-Chief Adam Elwell
Sports Editor Clay Vitale
Associate Editor Hayden Hunter
Graphic Designers Ayla Buckner Cody Holcombe
Arts+Entertainment Editor Ivy Davis News Editor Gloria Saepharn
Photo Editor Nick Pelster Opinion Editor Adam Elwell
Public Relations Manager Emily Wintringham
Video Team Members Kristina Dawn
Features Editor Jon Fuccillo
Ad Manager Joseph Frantz
Video Editor Chuck Masi
Copy Editor Quincy Smith Staff Writers Lena Simon Nicole Kaadi
Monique Mallari Konah Nimo Candice Sandland Beau Blunck Jordan Vawter Web Editor Matana McIntire Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst
Front cover by Cody Holcombe
E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Phone: 503-491-7250 www.advocate-online.net #mhccadvocate Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030
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4 PAGE
NEWS
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Maywood Park campus calls for passage of bond Hayden Hunter the advocate
The Maywood Park satellite campus may be considered by many to be MHCC’s “stepchild” facility, but the facts are that it’s a growing academic hub in need of more than a few repairs. Mt. Hood has committed itself to boosting the Maywood community by targeting the aging building in its bond measure effort. If the May 17 ballot measure is successful, a portion of the $125 million bond is reserved for a complete rebuild of the campus, home to 978 students this Winter Term. A little background on our lesser-known branch campus: Maywood was established in 1935 as the St. Rita Catholic grade school, linked to the adjacent St. Rita Catholic Church. In 1973, Mt. Hood purchased and transformed the classroom building and gymnasium into the current Maywood Park campus. It was further renovated and rededicated in September 2000. Maywood now mostly offers vocational studies, along with helping students acquire their GED. If the bond passes, Mt. Hood plans to build a whole new building, to be able to expand available curriculum and offer more courses to help students get their Associate degrees, officials say. The campus center would expand from about 35,000 square feet to 60,000 square foot. Aging issues Beyond the academic upgrades, a new building would eliminate a lot
The current look of Mt. Hood Community College Maywood satellite campus, located in Maywood Park.
of problems. Lupe Pelayo, the Maywood Park site coordinator for MHCC, listed some of the many issues staff and students deal with. “We still heat most of the building with a water system … now we are getting sinkholes every now and then in the parking lot... Maywood is really two buildings put together, and now they are starting to split apart,” Pelayo said. Maywood doesn’t have space for its own facilities department, although there is one person from MHCC’s facilities team in charge of daily maintenance needs. There are additional weekly checkups. Pelayo noted, “(the) Gresham campus does help; we’ve got our budgets, and they do everything they can.” When troubles arise, help needs to come from the main Gresham campus, roughly 10 miles away. For instance, according to Charles George, MHCC facilities department director, employees this past year had
to replace some of the piping and tubes for the 1950s boiler that heats the entire Maywood facility. “A lot of the equipment over there, we have to pay more attention to it, and love and care on it to keep it going until the (proposed) new building gets here,” said George. “If that ‘when’ isn’t in the next year or so, I have to figure out how to sustain the systems that are already in place,” he said. “We are trying to plan smartly for in case it (the bond) is delayed a little bit.” For instance, the boiler will need a backup plan: Mt. Hood would be looking at putting in some smaller, high-efficient boilers to fix the issue until a more permanent solution can be found, he said. Sinking feeling Recurring sinkholes are caused by some pretty outdated construction methods, said Richard Doughty, Mt. Hood vice president of administrative services. “As we understand it, whenever
Photos by Cody Holcolmbe
they started clearing the land they just felled the (existing) trees and then covered them over,” Doughty said. This wasn’t a problem 40 years ago, but now the trees are rotting underneath the campus and causing all sorts of issues. There’s much more. George said Maywood’s “oldschool construction” techniques – no pun intended – are causing additional headaches. While not clear from curbside, Maywood is actually two buildings put together, he said. With the ground shifting underneath, the two buildings are beginning to split apart and become more off-kilter each year. Security issues Public safety at Maywood Park is another concern. Pelayo said the way the current front desk is oriented, it is nigh impossible to see people entering the campus. “Maywood’s campus doesn’t have video (cameras) or a PA system.
Public Safety did give us some walkie-talkies; now we have some point people around the campus with theses walkie talkies,” he said. There are currently no Public Safety officers present at Maywood during the day, while they do patrol the campus in the evenings, Monday through Thursday. Homeless people looking for a warmer place have been known to frequent the campus, Pelayo added. “If you come in early morning, you might find someone sleeping outside.” He said the custodian catches most of them before they get into the school restrooms, but some have been known to use Maywood’s facilities to bathe, and leave all of their leftover debris everywhere. Doughty said he is optimistic the bond will be approved, and the old building replaced. “It’s not ‘if,’ it’s ‘when,’ ” said Doughty. His hope is that with two years of engaging and polling the community, MHCC has a much better chance this time to pass a bond measure than it has in the past.
The City of Maywood Park and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office are connected to the Maywood campus.
Soaring textbook costs drive students to speak up Gloria Saepharn the advocate
The MHCC Board of directors meeting on Feb. 16 saw some emotional moments as students and others advocated for Open Educational Resources, complaining about expensive textbooks. The status of OER options at Mt. Hood was discussed by Heather White, MHCC library technical services coordinator, and humanities instructor David Pontious. White said the cost of textbooks have increased by 82 percent in 10 years, and that 60 percent of students aren’t purchasing their course textbooks. Students took their turn, saying why they weren’t able to buy their textbooks, most commonly stating,
Photo by Gloria Saepharn
MHCC students holding up signs, displaying their concern over textbooks.
“I have to work more than one job to get enough money for my textbooks.” ASG President Seth Albert said one teacher had used OER for his and that made it much easier for students to follow his curriculum. Jim Zordich, board vice
president, said some people may question the integrity of the “free” OER textbooks and whether they can be plagiarized from other textbooks. He said Chemeketa Community College in Salem had created a new art textbook from many other non-
copyrighted art textbooks and had provided materials centered around the OER teaching methodology. In response, White said, “Open Educational Resources would have specialized copyright licenses and can be free, as long as they’re in digital format.” Bond support The board heard a heartfelt speech from Corey Huston, president of the MHCC classified employee association. In a surprise announcement that brought applause, he presented a $6,000 check to support the college’s campaign for the May 17 bond measure attempt. Board members then voted on a formal ballot measure summary required by county elections officials, and discussed small changes in a explanation statement for voters. The
latter 500-word document would be “transparent” and explain more about the bond and its impact, including how a matching state construction grant would help the school. Academic calendars Christie Plinski, MHCC vice president of instruction, recommended approval of future academic calendars. She said Mt. Hood’s are “unique and independent,” as opposed to calendars used in schools around the state. That presents some difficulties, however. Albert, the ASG president, is concerned that some MHCC students may have children in school districts that schedule breaks at a different time than Mt. Hood, and noted other potential conflicts. Ultimately, the board voted approve the calendars for the next three school years, through 2018-19.
February 26, 2016
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE
5
Galactic paintings inspired by early cave art
Matana McIntire the advocate
Howard Neufeld is a retired Mt. Hood art instructor who has come back to display his most recent artwork in the Visual Arts Gallery. He’s one of the three former MHCC faculty members featured in this exhibit, which runs from February 18 through March 17. His journey with art began with painting, and stayed with painting until about 15 years ago when he delved into printmaking, he said. In recent years, he’s come back to his original muse. “It’s one of those things where you just have an itch to do something,” he said on Feb. 18, when the artists came to the gallery to discuss their work. “I had this itch to paint.” The first painting he started was the catalyst that created the current collection hanging in the Visual Arts Gallery. “Cave Painting,” the only square painting among the others, was inspired by early cave art, Neufeld said. It’s almost hard to believe, since the paintings appear
as unmistakingly galactic in nature: bright, fiery oranges like the sun, deep blues like the night sky, and wispy, white spirals that emulate typhoons and nebulas. Neufeld’s theory, however, is that the cave paintings from thousands of years ago are a form of what he calls “imaginative perception,” he said. “This is where you see something that reminds you of something. It doesn’t look like it, but it reminds you,” he said. “There’s a discovery.” For Neufeld, that discovery is the process of every painting. He finds it’s incredibly important to work without intention. He picks the color he likes, he puts it to the canvas, and essentially lets his hand work free. As he describes it himself, that’s the “chaos” to what he calls “chaos and structure.” The board he builds to paint upon is his structure, while whatever patterns come out of the paint is the chaos. A visitor can see that chaos reflected when they view his collection as a whole. Most of the paintings have the same color patterns, and same shapes, but each is different. Neufeld says that’s how
Photos by Chuck Masi
LEFT: Howard Neufeld accepting flowers. RIGHT: Howard Neufeld’s first painting in the collection, “Cave Painting.”
he knows he’s kept the intention out of his work. Nevertheless, intention does rear its head every now and then. He keeps two aspects of his paintings the same, and for a reason: his use of the “golden mean,” (the famed golden ratio of 1 to 1.618) to which all of his paintings adhere; and his use of a solid, soft-blue color, something that shows up in each painting as symbolism of the “human spirituality,” he explained.
Neufeld was very animated while discussing his work, during his visit to the Gallery. As spoke about nearly every aspect of his work, he ran his hands over the surface of each, touching and demonstrating each detail mentioned. He kept coming back to the Cave Wall, saying how this was his cave art. He looked at the structure he built, and he painted what his subconscious saw, he said. Neufeld’s work, alongside that of
the other two faculty artists, Barbara Black and Don Sprague, will be hanging in the Visual Arts Gallery for three more weeks. Coverage on artist Barbara Black and her paintings will be featured in next week’s issue. View the video at: advocate-online.net SUBSCRIBE: @MHCCAdvocate
Theater brings down the house with plungers Quincy Smith the advocate
3/5 on the plunger scale.
There’s nothing like the thrill of live theater: the bright lights in your face, the quick costume changes, the steady hum of your heart buzzing in your chest as you pray to whatever deity you believe in that you don’t forget every line you’ve spent several weeks memorizing. This is a thrill the cast of MHCC’s winter musical, “Urinetown,” was certainly experiencing on Feb. 18, the show’s final rehearsal opened to the cast and crew’s invited audience. The show opens on a man peeing on a wall. Sirens immediately begin to blare, as police officers enter and accost the peeing man, leading him to a chute at the front of the stage. They force him down the chute and glare at him until he begins to conduct the orchestra for the opening number. This was a clever opening to a
show; self-referential and witty, it set the mood for the entire show. The opening number was fun to watch. It exemplified the oppression of poor people in the town, and introduced the concept of Urinetown, a place where offenders of the law were sent to be punished. At some points of the song, the chorus fell out of sync, and failed to enunciate clearly enough to make out the lyrics. In these moments, the song was being whispered, which made me as an audience member just oh-so-curious as to what the lyrics were. The set and costumes were well-done, though frontman Bobby Strong’s costume was incredibly plain. The actor who played Bobby Strong, Austin Peters, came off a bit awkward onstage in the way he held himself. His physicality alone felt more like a nervous actor than a leader of a revolutionary political movement. Peters made up for it with some impressive vocal talent. All in all, the vocals in the cast were not exemplary by any means, with the exception of Jared Marchant as Officer Lockstock, and Hannah Hensley as Hope Cladwell. These two performers saved the show’s vocals, with the booming
deep voice of Marchant and the beautiful soprano tone of Hensley. Act One of the show had a fair share of slip-ups. A few noticeably forgotten lines, a performer onstage in a scene still struggling to put on a costume – but this was the first showing of this production and I wouldn’t expect to see any of these mistakes happen in a later show, once the actors are more comfortable with where they need to be. Soon after intermission there was a great deal of improvement with the energy of the show. It began to feel like the actors had warmed up and became more comfortable getting out there and having fun with it. They had shaken the nervous energy that seemed to be somewhat ever-present in the first act. The highlight of Act Two was the musical number “Run, Freedom, Run!” It was an amazing ensemble song, with strong vocals by Peters and excellent choreography, plus the energy of the chorus matched the plot, really taking you into the world of these characters. Overall, the story was fun, satirical, delightfully self-referential, and the cast and crew did an impressive job with it. This was a show with some hiccups, some flaws,
sure. But it had a lot of heart and it was overall enjoyable to watch. If you haven’t seen it yet, I would recommend it. Final performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (Feb. 26-27), with a matinee performance on Sunday, Feb. 28. BELOW: Penelope Pennywise (Ashley Fray) enforcing public restroom fee hikes.
future Showtimes for
Urinetown
Feb. 26 & 27 at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. Adult: at the door: $15 pre-purchased: $12 Student/Senior/Staff: at the door: $12 pre-purchased: $10
Photo by Chuck Masi
6 PAGE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
advocate-online.net
Portlanders embrace fandom
Photo from web
Gloria Saepharn and Ivy Davis the advocate
What is Wizard World Last weekend, the Oregon Convention Center hosted the Wizard World Portland event for the third straight year, and attracted thousands of visitors – fellow sci-fi lovers and some cosplayers, people dressed up as popular characters from Marvel or DC comics, and video games. Excited children, teenagers and adults laughed happily as they waited their turn to buy their ticket into a fandom paradise. Every aisle was filled with people in awe with those in costume, wanting to take a photo with their favorite character or icon, come to life. Wizard World is all about bringing people with similar interests together and encouraging them to broaden their exposure to similar games, comics and souvenirs. Everyone has a bit of “nerdiness” inside, whether it comes to comics, video games, music, sports or a hobby. When you find other people that enjoy similar topics? I’d like to think that’s exactly what a Wizard World is for: finding people just like you. Media Welcome Reception Prior to the event opening on Feb. 19, there was a party for the media at the Splash Bar, Thursday night in northwest Portland. Attending were special guests including Christian Kane, who stars in “the Librari-
ans;” James Marsters, who played Spike from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer;” and Chris 51, from “Epic Ink.” We were able to interview Marsters and talk about the roles he’s had on “Buffy” and on “Torchwood,” shows he called “subversive.” He explained, “I use to have a theater company in Seattle and Chicago and we were subversive.” After moving to Los Angeles, he had a set goal to “whore” himself out to different acting companies. When he got a job on the set of “Buffy,” he had a realization of “I’m home!” It was subversive to have a female character defending herself, Marsters said. “Torchwood” also brought out this quality, having a ‘blatantly bisexual main character and fighting the thought that gay people can’t be heroes,” he said. A big change in his career was when Marsters played Macbeth in Seattle. “The reason I love acting is because I get to explore a side of myself that you wouldn’t necessarily get to explore in real life,” he said. “Like, given the right circumstances, would you enjoy killing someone? And I got to question myself and I was like, ‘NO! I’m a nice guy, I wouldn’t enjoy it, are you kidding me?’” There are a lot more facets to people then one might realize and Marsters had to play a war-
rior that was proud of killing. For him, that character was the biggest kind of mental shift he had ever had to do for an acting role, he said. “I think that (the experience of playing Macbeth) was probably why I got [the role of] Spike,” he said. MSI’s Eye-Tracking Technology Friday evening, Newegg hosted a special press conference for eye-tracking technology on the new MSI GT72S G Tobii. MSI is calling it the world’s most advanced gaming laptop. The eye-tracking technology works by having a “triple dual lens near-IR illuminators” working in the light and dark. During the press conference, guests were able to use the gaming laptop. Each was able to take a calibrating test for the laptop to scan their eye movements. Two games were offered for guests to play. The first we played was a bubble-popping game with a music beat in the background. The goal was to pop as many gray and red bubbles without hitting red X bubbles. Each player gets one minute to pop as many bubbles as possible using only their eyes. Our scores were 2550 and 780 – we did not beat the highest score (recorded by Newegg representative). The second game was creepy. In a picture screen, different faces would fade into view and disappear after you look at them. This game was not scored; however, we learned by looking away from the screen that there were a total of seven faces that appeared in the picture. Most interesting about the new technology was that when a player squints, the cameras can not track eye movements as well. This was why one of us scored
so low in the bubble-popping game. Smiling, squinting, and laughing along with moving the position of your head can alter the performance of the tech. Despite the minor problems with the eye-tracking technology, it was still a fun, interesting, and useful feature to the MSI GT72S G Tobii. The technology is useful for games such as Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, ArmA III, and Elite Dangerous. Vendors For those familiar with a Comic Con or Leaky Con (harry potter, Wizard World vendors are very similar. Upon walking in the door, the first vendor on site was Weta, the special effects company that worked on “The Hobbit.” The company had a number of special-effects makeup that visitors could have applied on them by Weta’s specialist. Other vendors included artists creating their own comics, fan art, and jewelry. Other vendors sold full-leather made apparel, including jackets, corsets, and skirts. One stand sold mugs that could be refilled as many times as liked. Click It Hot was a stand we actually purchased items from. The vendor sells hot/cold packs, in a number of sizes. By clicking a metal disc in the pouch, a chemical reaction heats the pouch. Boiling the contents until clear makes the pouch go back to normal, and freezing it makes it cold. If you haven’t been to a Wizard World, Comic Con, or Leaky Con, you should go. One doesn’t need to love comic books and video games to like these events – they are entertaining enough, just watching the number of people in good, bad, inappropriate, and awesome costumes.
LEFT: James Marsters and A+E Editor Ivy Davis at the Splash Bar.
Photo by Devin Lux
Aquarius – Crushing raw eggs in your hands might seem wasteful, or just messy, but if you let out a blood-curdling scream while doing so, Mercury is in the perfect alignment so that after, you would feel some sort of Tony Robbins-type of empowered. Pisces – Chain-smoking and drinking coffee is not good for your health, of course, but once in a blue moon it can leave a pleasant, tingly feeling in the back of your head. It’s probably a tumor, but you’ve got bigger stuff to worry about this week, anyway. Aries – The days are getting longer, which any red-blooded American can tell you means it’s time for a good, old-fashioned rope swing. Let’s be real, though – we’re adults now, which means you can wind up your swing by tying that sucker to the bumper of a car. Also, check your blood pressure. Taurus – Bro, it’s like, a plant, how can it be illegal if God made it? You only do it socially, anyway. What’s the harm really? Stop it, stop chewing Khat right now. Gemini – “Yeah, you got some silverware, but are you eating, though?” -NYU avant-garde philosopher-writer Childish Gambino. Words to meditate on. Cancer – What is a boat without a paddle? It’s still a boat, it just won’t go anywhere, and now you’re stuck. Pack a damn paddle, dumb-dumb. Leo – Word from the wise: If you don’t stir Kraft mac & cheese enough, you get powder chunks that break up in your mouth. Get a full eight hours of sleep, because this week is going to be one big surprise powder-chunk. Virgo – Congratulations, your butt is going to look fantastic this week. You should add some subtle hints to your wardrobe to draw attention to it. Try a bag over your head, for starters. Libra – Some beetles have a barbed penis meant to tear up the female’s insides to prevent her from mating with other males in the future. You are a beetle penis, and this week is yours to wreck. Scorpio – You’re going to get a lot of money, and sex, and pizza and happiness. ’Cause, you know, you read satirical horrorscopes in your downtime. I’m sure you’re the type that’s prepared for imminent success. Sagittarius – You’ve scratched and clawed your way to the top, and now is the time. Let the beta office workers know your dominance by playing DJ Khaled’s “All I do is win” whenever they look too comfortable. Capricorn – A random act of kindness goes further than you will ever know. Getting started is the hard part; let us ease your journey along – drop a pizza off at Room 1369. Mushrooms and olives, please. Now’s not the time to be stingy.
SPORTS
February 26, 2016
Fab Five downs Panthers
the advocate
Photo by Jeff Hinds
Jon Fuccillo the advocate
Yet again the Saints men’s basketball team is having internal problems and it showed Wednesday night when the Saints got demolished, 75-55, in Portland against the PCC Panthers. For the second time in two weeks, sophomore guard Jamal Muhammad didn’t suit up due to “breaking team rules,” according to head coach John Hawley. “He has to figure it out,” the coach added. Muhammad wasn’t happy in Kody Kennedy the slightest with the decision of coaches not playing him. He said he and assistant coach ‘Q’ Quarterman had an exchange of words that ended Muhammad’s
night before the game even started. “I look at it like this... I’m a grown man and I’m not going to be disrespected and not have that person expect that I’m going to disrespect them back,” said a frustrated Muhammad. “You have to earn my respect and I will respect you back. And I get it guys are fighting for playing time, but Coach Q disrespected me over wearing the wrong shoot-around shirt, which people have been doing all season long. He has been on me all year about it.” Asked if the two have quashed the beef, Muhammad said, “No. Unless it’s about basketball, I don’t want to talk with him. And I appreciate what he has done for me with coming to the gym with me and helping me out.” Freshman post Duncan Otis broke team rules, as well, in an offthe-court incident. A clearly upset
Hawley gave no details. What’s more, freshman forward Cody Thompson, coming off a season-high 26 points against Southwestern Oregon on Saturday, missed the Portland game with a concussion. “He took a hard shot by that big guy on the Lakers,” said Hawley. “Hopefully he can play Saturday. He was able to do a good workout on the bike in practice. He will be further evaluated.” Thompson said he felt “good” when asked about his status on Thursday. “I am having a noncontact practice today.”
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The Mt. Hood women’s basketball team, also known as the “Fab Five,” spoiled the Portland CC Panthers’ Sophomore Night on Wednesday in Portland, winning 61-56. “It felt awesome to win and to do so on their Sophomore Night,” said Saints sophomore post Madison Weaver, who finished the game with yet another double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds). “We beat them twice (this season).” Sophomore Jesse Morris, a 5-foot-3 Saints guard, notched her first double-double of the season, with 11 points and 11 rebounds. But she also committed seven turnovers in the winning affair, about which she wasn’t too excited. “The double-double did feel good, for sure. I wish I would have had a couple less turnovers, but, oh, well,” Morris said. “We needed another win.” On the season, the Saints are 4-11 in the South Region, and 9-17 overall, with one game left Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Mt. Hood gym – their own Sophomore Night against the No. 1-ranked Lane Titans, who are 14-1, and 27-1 overall. “It would be a great way to end the season, with a huge win over Lane,” said Weaver. “It should be emotional, playing in our last game together.” Weaver and company were proud of keeping Panthers sophomore Shyanne Akles (17.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game) in check, along with Portland sophomore Angelique Williams, leading scorer in the NWAC with 24.3 points per game. The pair still finished with 40 points, but that wasn’t enough for the Panthers to
walk away with a victory. “We prepared well for this game,” said Morris. “They have two very strong players, probably the best players we play in league, and we knew our defense had to be about stopping them... even though they started going to work a little bit on us.” Weaver added, “Delanee (Martin) played really well on (Akles) and Lacey (Weddle) did a great job on Angelique. Those are their top two players, and as a team we did a good job on them.” The Saints led 30-22 at halftime and never looked back, though the Panthers chipped away in the second half. The 5-foot-10-inch Weaver was happy with the team effort in the victory. “Everyone was huge,” she said. “It didn’t seem like people were just blowing everyone else out of the water (but) everyone stepped up and did great.” Martin, a sophomore, led the Saints with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including three made triples. She’s now averaging 15 points. Weddle, a sophomore from Albany, added 11 points while sophomore Alexis Imbler from Milwaukie did her thing on the glass, finishing with 11 rebounds. Coincidentally, it was the eleventh time this season Imbler pulled down at least 10 rebounds or more, including six games in a row. The big difference came from the charity stripe, where the Saints finished 24-of-30, while the Panthers went only 7-for-11. The Saints shot 29 percent from the floor, making those 24 points all the more important. “We really knocked them down and it helped a lot,” said Morris about the free throws.
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Saints short handed, lose easy Jon Fuccillo
The Mt. Hood Saints women’s basketball team, also known as the “Fab Five”, took down the Portland Panthers 61-56 Wednesday night at PCC.
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Saints to ‘take back what’s ours’ Mt. Hood softball seeks fifth NWAC title under head coach Meadow McWhorter
Photos by Kristina Dawn
ABOVE: Outfielder Courtney Cabana gets caught in a rundown during fielding and baserunning drills on Tuesday. ASSORTED RIGHT: Assistant coach Rick McWhorter provides catching instructions, Kayla Byers throws warm-ups from the circle and infielder Hailey Valitski relays a cutoff throw to home.
Clay Vitale
the advocate Once you’ve experienced heartbreak, it toughens you up in the end. Like a deep cut, it may hurt for awhile, but eventually turns into a scar, one to both remind you of the memory and protect you from further harm. One could say it better prepares you for the future, and who doesn’t love a storyline of a fighter falling to the ground, only to get back up and swing? It’s never easy, but with the proper guidance and willpower, it certainly makes for a storybook ending. Saints at work The Mt. Hood Saints softball team embodies that fighter persona, getting knocked down in the NWAC championship game last year and now coming back filled with heart and determination in 2016. And who better to lead the resurgence than 14-year Mt. Hood veteran head coach Meadow McWhorter? She’s been in this situation before, coming off a devastating walk-off grand slam loss in the championship game of 2008, only to bounce back and win the title each of the next three seasons. “If that loss had not happened, I don’t know if we’d have the fuel to win three straight afterward,” said McWhorter. And that’s a valid point. There’s something to be said for playing with a chip on your shoulder, having that drive, that fire to come back better than you were
before, to not be beaten. Sophomore outfielder Courtney Cabana summed up the Mt. Hood team’s goal this year by saying, “We’re here to take back what’s ours.” To get there, the Saints must continue to put in the work that they’ve been doing since winter. Practices are daily, alternating between early mornings and late evenings, while players also get extra reps in the weight room. The weather hasn’t quite afforded them outdoor practices yet, at least not consistently, so they’ve turned the Yoshida Event Center into a multifunctional hitting circuit. “We have three cages we can drop in there, and we’ve been very efficient with the time we’ve had,” said McWhorter. “We do thousands of hitting drill repetitions while trying to create situations to make it as ‘game-like’ as possible in an indoor facility.” The rotating circuits are completed by individual teams of four players, and are designed so that the hitter has to adjust to different eye levels and speeds. A pitcher’s best weapon is her ability to change the batter’s eye – from elevating a pitch right after pounding one in the dirt, to throwing a change-up on the outer half and then blasting a fastball in on the hands. There’s a cage for everything, a visitor noticed on a recent visit. Soft toss, like the live pitching drill, was done behind a pitching screen in rapid-fire fashion. The live batting
cage was thrown by McWhorter throughout practice, who gave the hitters full-speed looks at the dish. The players then use high tees and ankle level cones, both to offer different eye levels to each batter. All of this, after coming in from the playing field, where they ran almost two hours of defensive drills. McWhorter pitched for the Saints prior to her coaching career. Asked about the transition, she said, “I’m going to take the good from the coaches I played for, and how I felt playing for them, and maybe shift the focus to remedying some of the experiences I had. Throughout the years I’ve been learning from my student athletes and assistant coaches I’ve been so lucky to have.” There’s also a life lesson she’s applied to her coaching theory, where she is always growing in her role, never content with the status quo: “The day I stop learning as a coach, is the day I stop coaching”, she adamantly stated. Team building With last year’s sophomores getting a taste of the championship game and a winning atmosphere, their coach has been impressed
with the leadership they’ve instilled on first-year players and transfers. They’ve absorbed the ache that comes from loss and used it to push the others to succeed. That battle-tested mentality isn’t all the Saints have going for them, though. “We’re strong in the circle, very strong offensively and have a lot of tools within our lineup that could lead to a lot of success. It’s all about trying to put the pieces in the right place,” McWhorter said The pieces will need to come together quickly, too, with Mt. Hood traveling to Richland, W a s h . , for its first preseason tournament this weekend. “We’ve been working so hard for so many months to gear up for this weekend, and we have really high expectations for this group,” McWhorter said. While confident in their abilities and skill level, the early games will be a test as the Saints will get their first look at the competition. Hood River native and transfer pitcher Kayla Byers echoes her coach’s sentiment, saying, “We’re more than prepared, and I’ve never seen this many talented players on one team.”
“We have a lot of tools in our lineup that could lead to success.” -Meadow McWhorter Head Coach
Tradition, family, success Middle infielder Hailey Valitski cited Mt. Hood softball as her program of choice based on the team’s legacy, a testament to McWhorter and her staff. The team’s motto puts an emphasis on family, as an abundance of love and devotion flow in their “GratiTuesday” meeting after their work is finished in the gym. On Tuesdays, players huddle in a circle and one by one, turn to the peer to their right, telling them what makes them appreciated, or thanking them for the support they offered. Once finished, they hug that person, who then takes her turn, and so on. On this occasion, the circle barely got half way around before there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The impact McWhorter and the assistant coaches have on these young women is not only apparent, but inspiring. It’s the glue that holds the team together, and the fuel that should propel them to greatness.
Upcoming Schedule Fri. March 4, 1 p.m. @ Blue Mountain Community College Sat. March 5, 12 p.m. @ Walla Walla Community College Sun. March 6, 12 p.m. @ Columbia Basin Community College Sat. March 12, 12 p.m. vs. Centralia Community College Sun. March 13, 12 p.m. vs. Everett Community College