The Advocate, Issue 22, April 05, 2013

Gresham, Oregon | April 5, 2013 | Volume 48, Issue 22

advocate the

The independent student voice of Mt. Hood Community College

www. advocate -online . ne t

Two candidates to take the stage John Tkebuchava The Advocate

The search for a new MHCC president has setted on two final contenders.

A pair of public forums are scheduled for today, featuring two presidential candidates to replace Michael Hay (who will retire in June), after one of three finalists originally named, Suzanne Miles, withdrew her bid for the job.

See “Options” on Page 4

Editorial

Board should consider reopening seach Starting at 12:25 p.m. today in the Visual Arts Theatre, MHCC students, staff and faculty will have to opportunity to meet and speak with the finalists for the Mt. Hood presidency at two forums.

See “Editorial” on Page 2 Graphic by Lauren Bakke/ The Advocate

Sunday night is the last time to add or drop a class with a refund.

MHCC in the finals

fireplace gallery

seed student’s project advances to the final round in national competition

artist paints simplicity without regard for money

page 5

page 6

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Opinion April 5, 2013

awesome or annoying?

Mike Mata The Advocate

The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, the sun is shining and flowers are blooming. I hate it all.

These characteristics are flourishing all around me as I walk around campus —and I can’t help but wish it would all go away.

Thus, as I wander in a haze of allergies and squinting from the unnaturally shining sun, an even cheerier presence asserts itself.

Sunny, an old friend from high school whom I see occasionally around campus, is gamboling in the sunshine with not a care in the world, causing me to itch with annoyance. That, or pollen allergies.

Seeing my evident discomfort that borders on annoyance, Sunny skips over and asks me what’s the matter.

I tell her in no uncertain tone that I’m thoroughly irritated by spring.

“Why?” she asks, incredulous in cuffed Capri pants and gladiator sandals.

“Spring sucks, because out of nowhere, allergies come swarming out, the sun shines in the most inopportune moments, rain

pops out right after, birds never shut up, bees bother the shit out of everyone and stupid people feel the need to spend every minute outside annoying the shit out of me,” I grumpily reply.

This paragon of bright, shiny and carefree young adulthood can only stare in astonishment as I unload my venom about how much I absolutely can’t stand spring in all of its schizophrenic weather and luring of idiots out into the everyday world that they’d otherwise avoid if it were cold and dreary.

“But, it’s pretty,” is the response I get from Sunny.

The supposed beauty of spring is the only answer I get after ranting and raving about the weather changing from obnoxious sunshine and warmth to humid and seemingly incessant downpours; about pollen clogging everything everywhere, causing watery eyes and explosive sneezing; and about the lack of anything to look forward to during spring except the end of spring.

To clarify, spring weather is notoriously inclement. Not to say that sunshine or rain are bad, but to have both, also with humidity and sudden wind gusts in the space of a few hours, is annoying at best, if not downright infuriating. How does one dress for all for seasons in two hours? Answer: one doesn’t.

The supposed beauty of the flowers blooming is lost upon me when my allergies flare up and I can’t see or smell the aforementioned flowers.

Speaking of aforementioned, spring weather seems to bring out a plethora of

dumb people that a combination of cold and rain contrive to keep indoors, leaving the outdoors safe for the rest of us. With the first rays of spring sunshine, they all spill out of their hidey holes: brandishing didgeridoos and reeking of a combination of patchouli and mothballs from the incredibly short shorts they’ve had in storage for the last eight months. They proceed to hop about and generally annoy me with their spritely carelessness.

Every other season has an exciting and enjoyable holiday to savor: Fall has Halloween and Thanksgiving, winter has Christmas, New Year’s, St. Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day and summer has the Fourth of July. Spring has Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day, meaning you get to spend time finding rotting eggs and being nice to your parents. In addition, the breaks from school are much longer in the other seasons, with spring granting a measly week off from school.

As I go to great pains to explain this to an increasingly confused and shocked Sunny, I notice that my face is getting warm and my chest is pounding. It seems that not only do my allergies react to the sudden onslaught of spring in a negative manner, but the rest of me gets exacerbated as well.

This brings the dawning realization that, no matter what I say, Sunny is in happy-golucky flowers-and-sunshine-land.

To this insurmountable wall of happy, I concede that spring has gotten the better of me, as it always does. I look at Sunny twirling in the sunshine and can swear I faintly hear Louis Armstrong in the background warbling, “What a Wonderful World.”

I merely sigh and longingly count the days until summer. Exactly 77 days.

“Why do you like Spring?” ◊ Increased daylight ◊ Prettier scenery ◊ Weather/Outdoor sports ◊ I hate spring

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Editorial: Board should consider options in presidential search continued from page 1

Originally, the college had three finalists who would be participating in the public forums, but on March 20, the MHCC District board announced that one of the candidates, Suzanne Miles, had withdrawn from consideration for the position after coming under further scrutiny in her current role as interim chancellor of Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz.

As for her withdrawal, Dave Shields, who chairs the MHCC district board, said, “We accepted her resignation and are committed (to) moving forward to identify the best president to lead MHCC. “At this time, we do not anticipate expanding the number of finalists beyond the existing two.”

Though both remaining candidates may

very well be qualified for the role of MHCC president, we at The Advocate cannot help but notice the slim options that are being left for the future of the college.

With Miles dropping out, we are now left with basically a heads or tails option. This can be troublesome for a variety of reasons.

With just these two options, we have very little to compare these candidates to, except with one another. And the decision makers often end up picking the lesser of two evils (a phrase you might recognize for its common use when referring to the U.S. presidential election) rather than choosing a person they truly believe is most qualified for that critical position.

As such, we would just like to remind board members that they have more options

besides just deciding to give the go-ahead to either of the two candidates.

One such option would be to re-open the search.

We are already entering the late stages of the search and with current president Michael Hay’s retirement date swiftly approaching (June 30), this option may seem untimely. However, it may be for the best.

We know that the board may feel mounting pressure to make a decision (especially considering several members will be leaving the board or must run for re-election in May), but the college can still simply put a pin on the current finalists and gather at least several additional candidates to beef up the options.

If that would extend the process for

the advocate Co-Editors-in-Chief

News Editor

Reporters

Advisers

John Tkebuchava & Mike Mata

Mike Mata

Jackie Garrity Hayden Hunter Shaun Lutz Aaron Marshall Cameron Miller Kayla Tatum

Howard Buck Dan Ernst Bob Watkins

Associate Editor Kylie Rogers

Living Arts Editor Shelby Schwartz

Assistant Living Arts Editor Danny Perez-Crouse

Opinion Editor Jeff Hannig

Sports Editor John Tkebuchava

Copy Editors Kylie Rogers

Webmaster Logan Scott

Ad Manager Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Photo Editor Jeff Hannig

Photographer Jonathon Long

Graphic Designer Lauren Bakke

E-mail advocatt@mhcc.edu 503-491-7250 (Main) 503-491-7413 (Office) 503-591-6064 (Fax) www.advocate-online.net

Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030

several months past June, so be it. If Hay is unwilling to continue to fill the role for that period, an interim can be found to fill that short amount of time.

It is always better to take your time with impactful decisions such as this one, and choices hastily made are often regretted later on down the road.

Nonetheless, we look forward to attending the public forums today. We hope we will be instilled with enough confidence by both these candidates to feel comfortable with both options and their potential ability to lead MHCC. The forum session for candidate Debra Derr will come first, held at 12:25 p.m., followed by the forum for Jacob Ng, to run 1:20 – 2:05 p.m.

Submissions

The 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.

News

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Faculty, classified contract negotiations open to public Hayden Hunter The Advocate

As the MHCC staff continues to move the 2013-14 budget toward completion in the next few months, contract negotiations with various employee groups continue.

Three contracts are being negotiated: part-time faculty, full-time faculty and classified faculty. Each of these groups has its own contract with its own benefits. Salary and benefits are not yet being discussed. According to Cathy Nichols, classified association president and grants and contracts budget analyst, all the points worked so far are workflow language-related.

Full-time faculty meets every Wednesday from 3 – 5 p.m., usually in the Board Room. During this two-hour stretch, the college is hammering out the details concerning how the full-time faculty will be financially awarded for the period of the new contract.

Sara Williams, president of the faculty association, said, “The full-time faculty meetings are open to everybody. Any-

one can come.”

Classified contract negotiations are also open, and the next session will be 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Board Room.

Nichols was on the team that oversaw the classified contract three years ago, but this is the first time that she is co-chairing the discussions. Brett Nair, a community college consultant from the Oregon Education Association, is co-chairing with her.

Overseeing the part-time faculty negotiations will be Marilyn Pitts, the president of Part-time Faculty and Tutor Association. These will be the only negotiations not open to the public.

Although each contract is unique to its specific group of employees, most agree that they have a common goal. Nichols said, “Each work group is different, but in the end we are all here to see the students succeed.”

Last time the full-time faculty were negotiating their contract, the teachers and the college had trouble working toward agreement and their actions almost resulted in the

teachers going on strike.

During the previous negotiations, the MHCC administration contracted with a labor relations specialist, Randy Stedman, to conduct all negotiations. This time, the college has hired a full-time specialist, Randy Wardlow, to lead the negotiating committee, consisting entirely of MHCC employees.

Williams said the administration paid Stedman around $100,000 for negotiating on its behalf.

According to MHCC Director of Communications Maggie Huffman, the goal of these negotiations is to provide a sustainable and fiscally responsible outcome.

“We want to value our staff for their contributions to student success while being mindful of the college’s budget challenges,” she said.

Huffman said the bargaining is going well and negotiators have been able to make progress towards a professional, respectful, and congenial environment between the college and its associates.

Forensics wins silver sweepstakes at nationals Contributed photo

Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate

The MHCC Forensics Team was awarded the Silver Sweepstakes Award at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament and Convention in St. Louis, Mo. At the tournament held March 13-16, MHCC competed against 88 other schools, both two- and four-year institutions.

Four students – Kim Neal, Elsie Praeger, Ryan Rhodes and Stephanie Saracoo – competed for MHCC. Saracoo is the national champion in After Dinner Speaking and was also awarded second place in Poetry and Prose interpretation.

Saracoo and Rhodes won third place in British Parliamentary debate, while Rhodes was awarded an “Excellent” award in Extemporaneous Speaking.

“We all did amazing, and especially for a community college competing against all of these four-year colleges,” said Praeger, a first-year team member. “I was very impressed with everyone. It was a great experience.”

Saracco found her team’s success “a pleasant surprise” after it failed to place in any events at nationals last year, she said. She said her MHCC coaches teach the team to love what it does, and it shows when it competes.

MHCC also finished fifth in the nation for two-year colleges in the yearlong Season Sweepstakes category at the International Parliamentary Debate Association national tournament.

“We were able to get excellent recognition out there for Mt. Hood,” said Praeger.

Elsie Praeger, Kim Neal, Stephanie Saracco, Ryan Rhoades pose with their awards from the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament and Convention in St. Louis, Mo.

News Briefs District board to discuss Powell-Division Corridor The MHCC District board will meet on Wednesday and receive a presentation for the Respiratory Care Program, an update from the East Metro Economic Alliance and a letter regarding the Powell-Division Corridor.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Board Room following the Johnson Controls Dinner and a tour of the Central Utility Plant in the basement.

The Respiratory Care Program presentation will be by program director Carl Eckrode and program students Aaron Martinez and Paola Kemchan.

A letter in support of the Powell-Division Corridor proposal by the regional Metro governing board will be presented

by Michelle Gregory. The letter supports the call for community planning and development within the cities of Gresham and Portland.

The described corridor covers the distance from OHSU near downtown Portland to the MHCC campus and would re-

sult in improved bus service and “community-based, station area planning from end to end,” according to the board minutes.

MHCC submitted a letter in support of Metro’s fund request from the Federal Transit Admission, submitted in April 2012, that would fund further alternatives analysis. Funds have neither been approved nor rejected, to date.

On Wednesday the board also is due to approve documents such as the Resolution to Award Wayfinding, Head Start readiness goal and the MHCCD Governing Board Budget Report.

It also will act on course fees and Ursula Irwin will present the summer marketing plan update.

The meeting will conclude with the president’s report, followed by public input. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for May 8.

- Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Tuition equity bill A new bill was signed into law Tuesday by Gov, John Kitzhaber that gives in-state tuition to undocumented Oregon high-school graduates, if certain requirements are met In order to receive the tuition, the undocumented students must have been attending school in the country for at least five years, studied at an Oregon high school for three years, have graduated and be making progress to become a permanent U.S. citizen.

- Danny Perez-Crouse

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News

Then there were two

April 5, 2013

Ng

Derr

Options:Candidate pool shrinks Continued from Page 1 The two remaining candidates are Debra Derr and Jacob Ng. The finalists were winnowed from an initial field of 38 job applicants.

According to the MHCC District Board of Education, which announced Miles’ withdrawal on March 20, her withdrawal is due to controversy surrounding her interim chancellor position at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz.

Michael Viera, consultant from the Community College Search Services which MHCC hired to recruit candidates for the position, said, “Most of (the controversy) had to do with the former chancellor of that district who has since retired.” Miles stepped in as interim after the chancellor’s departure, he said.

“She was caught up in a lot of the turmoil,” Viera said.

“Doctor Miles was a very strong candidate for Mt. Hood, and I’m sure that in the future she will continue to be a strong candidate for other president roles,” he said.

Dave Shields, the MHCC board chair, said, “We accepted her resignation and are committed to moving forward to identify the best president to lead MHCC.” Shields said the board is not looking to expand the number of finalists beyond the

remaining two, at this time.

One of the remaining candidates, Derr, is a former MHCC employee, who is now

colleagues in Oregon and is aware of the issues the state and the college now face, besides making frequent visits to her family in

“Doctor Miles was a very strong candidate for Mt. Hood, and I’m sure that in the future she will continue to be a strong candidate for other president roles,” — Michael Viera search consultant president of North Iowa Area Community College.

Derr held numerous positions at the college, including counselor and coordinator of the Special Services Program; associate dean of Advising and Counseling; dean of Career Development Services; and finally, vice president of Student Services.

Derr left the state to work in Wisconsin in 2002. She had worked at MHCC a total of 15 years.

Though Derr says she has been out of the state for many years, she says she has many

Oregon.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Linfield College, a master’s degree in counseling from Portland State University and a doctorate in community college leadership and higher education administration from Oregon State University.

In regards to her experience and what she brings to the table over her rival, Ng, Derr said, “We’ve been very involved in student success and completion initiative. We have been recognized as 14th in the nation

for student success and completion.”

She said they have a similar initiative with (student) completion rates that MHCC and other Oregon colleges have used to sharpen their focus.

“Looking at the Oregon initiative, I could bring some insight in ways we could improve completion,” said Derr.

Ng, who could not be reached for comment by The Advocate, is the chancellor of Student Services at Peralta Community College District, which oversees four schools in urban Oakland, Berkley and Alameda in Northern California.

Ng has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Evangel University in Missouri, as well as a master’s degree in counseling/ clinical psychology from Cal Lutheran University.

The two forums will be held today. Each candidate will open with a five-minute statement, followed by 35 minutes of questions from the audience and a five-minute closing statement.

The forum for Derr will be held first at 12:25 – 1:10 p.m. The forum for Ng will follow, at 1:20 – 2:05 p.m.

On Saturday, the district board will conduct second interviews with both candidates.

Presidential Forums The forum session for candidate Debra Derr will come first, held at 12:25 – 1:10 p.m., followed by the forum for Jacob Ng, to run 1:20 – 2:05 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the Visual Arts Gallery.

PSU to host transfer information events over the next few months Danny Perez-Crouse The Advocate

Portland State University (PSU) will hold three events for transfer students interested in enrolling in the college on April 17, May 16 and June 19.

The event will feature a campus, information on admissions, the academic requirements for attending PSU, information on financial aid and scholarships, information on housing, student health and counseling.

This visit program is not new student orientation and

is not intended to provide individual academic advising or access to course registration. This is just a preview of the college.

The minimum grade-point-average required (as shown on the PSU website) to join PSU is a 2.25, or 2.00 if students present a transferable associate’s degree or an Oregon Transfer Module. You will also need to have completed Writing 121 with at least a C-.

To be admitted as a transfer student, students will need 30 or more transferable quarter credits (20 semester credits). Those with fewer than 30 transferable quarter credits

must meet both the requirements for college transfer and high school students. Official high school and college transcripts must be submitted.

To sign up for the event go to PSU’s website and look under visit PSU, then look for Transfer Open-House and hit the sign-up button.

For individuals who require any special transportation needs or other accommodations in order to participate in the program, contact the Disability Resource Center at least one week in advance, and call 503-725-4150 or 800547-8887, extension 4150.

News

Photo Illustrastion By Danny Perez-Crouse/The Advocate

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Barney VS

Sparky Mt. Hood will face off against Arizona State in the finals of a competition of solutions to global issues.

SEED enters national competition finals Mike Mata The Advocate

MHCC student Glenda Maribel Alfaro Salmeron’s composting project moved Thursday into the final round of a national competition and she now awaits her chance in the spotlight with Bill Clinton and Stephen Colbert in St. Louis Saturday night.

The competition and conference is sponsored by The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU). According to the CGIU website, the annual conference is a meeting place for students, organizations and topic experts to discuss global issues and develop innovative solutions.

Public voting for the final round will close at 11 a.m. Saturday, Portland time. According to MHCC Director of Communications Maggie Huffman, people can vote multiple times from computers, smartphones and tablets.

Salmeron is a second-year Scholarship for Education and Economic Development (SEED) student from Jardines de la Nueva, El Salvador. Her project, Compost Methods to Improve Soil Fertility (CMISF), is based on composting and is designed to help her native community’s soil.

Her project now goes head-to-head with DREAMzone, a project from Arizona State University advocating for tuition equality for undocumented students and educating prospective allies for tuition equality.

The winner of the event will be announced Saturday night and the project’s developer will join Clinton and Colbert onstage for the closing session.

Salmeron said composting is rare in El Salvador, “especially in my community. As Nikki (Gillis, SEED coordinator) said, we are a community of 100 people. It’s a very rural community, very small, so we are not acquainted with it.”

Salmeron’s project gained more Internet votes to beat out a project from Columbia University in the first round, bested another project from Johnson C. Smith University in the second round, and on Thursday defeated University of Oklahoma to advance to the finals.

Salmeron said the composting project would help the soil in her village, which has a claylike texture that creates more puddles than allows it to absorb water in the rain and then cracks in the heat, to better grow fresh produce and crops.

Salmeron is one of eight students from the MHCC SEED program who entered commitment-to-action projects into the CGIU Challenge competition, part of the larger ClintonGlobal Initiatives annual conference. Each project falls into one of four categories: education; peace, human rights and public health; poverty alleviation; and environment and climate change. According to the CGIU, the projects should take place in the schools or communities of the students or around the world, in the case of international students.

Gillis said the projects must be both “something new and needed” in the communities they would take place.

Salmeron added that the projects need to innovate, as well. She said that the CMISF project will “provide bins to 12 families in my community so they can start composting.

I intend to use the concept of composting because it’s still new in my country.” She added that to measure the success

of her project, she will make a survey of the results.

The CGIU determined the best 16 projects and organized them into a “Sweet 16” Internet voting bracket, similar to the NCAA’s “March Madness” basketball tournament.

Salmeron said this would be the first composting project in her community and the success of her project could lead to similar undertaking elsewhere in El Salvador.

Gillis will not attend the events in St. Louis.

“Nope, it’s just for students. I would like to, it’s a pretty amazing conference. The people that are facilitating the different sessions come from all over the world,” Gillis said.

She said different topics discussed at the conference include leadership, women’s issues and marketing.

“Every student that applies to the Clinton conference, no matter what school they’re at, has to make a commitment to action and come up with a pretty significant proposal including a budget, a timeline and measureable outcomes,” Gillis said. “So, our students, using the projects they’ve been developing in the SEED program and here at Mt. Hood, use that project model to apply for this conference.”

The CGIU prohibits using scripts/bots for mass Internet voting. If discovered, the project receiving such votes could be disqualified. developing in the SEED program and here at Mt. Hood, use that project model to apply for this conference,” said Gillis. She added that every student at the conference has a commitment to action.

The CGIU prohibits using scripts/bots for voting and if found, the project receiving the votes could be disqualified.

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6

Living Arts April 5, 2013

Photos by Shelby Schwartz/ The Advocate

First Thursday and MHCC Charter Day celebration

Top: Chuck Redd of the Chuck Redd Trio plays the Vibraphone during the Charter day celebration in the Student Union yesterday.

Bottom: A chocolate cupcake, on the left and a strawberry cupcake, on the right from Gresham’s Bella Cupcakes were available at the Charter day/ First Thursday Celebration, vanilla cupcakes were also available.

Students and staff both current and past gathered in the Student Union for MHCC’s First Thursday music series, which was combined with the celebration of MHCC’s Charter Day. The joint event was held from noon to 1 p.m. and featured chocolate, strawberry and vanilla cupcakes from Gresham’s Bella Cupcake and musical entertainment from “The Chuck Redd Trio.”

The trio included two MHCC alumni, bass player and MHCC math instructor Tim Gilson and pianist Tony Pacini along with Redd on the vibraphone. According to Redd, the vibraphone is a close cousin to the xylophone.

Redd described the style of music as mainstream jazz, adding, “Our music is rooted in the tradition of swing, blues and bossanova.”

The Charter Day Celebration is to recognize when Gov. Tom McCall signed the charter in April 1968, which was two years after the college began enrolling students.

MHCC bookkeeper Mary Burlingame said during the event that Charter Day is a “celebration of the start of the school.”

Archives of the college, featuring the charter itself and magazine articles and pictures from the early years of MHCC, were on display for people to look through.

Representatives from the Strawberry Short Courses were advertising for the Strawberry Short Course Festival, which will take place Saturday, June 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The community event will welcome families to celebrate the strawberry season with short courses and vendors and booths.

For more information on the Strawberry Short Course Festival, visit mhcc.edu/strawberry.

— Shelby Schwartz

New exhibit makes a ho

“My overall message would be to stop an

Living Arts

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ome in the Fireplace Gallery until the end of the month

Contributed Photo

nd smell the flowers, and really appreciate the unappreciated things in life,” - Gabriel Fernandez, Fireplace Gallery artist.

Danny Perez-Crouse The Advocate

When most people look at a chair, they might just see something to cushion their posteriors. However, a Beaverton-based artist sees a story and a reflection of its surroundings.

Gabriel Fernandez is the latest artist to feature his work at the Fireplace Gallery in the Student Union. His current collection is titled “Inside Out”. He got the idea from prolific mid-20th century painter, Edward Hopper, one of his biggest inspirations.

“One of his greatest quotes was that the hardest thing a painter can do is to paint inside and outside the lines,” said Fernandez. “I sort of used that as a jump-off point to challenge myself.”

Fernandez said he has been working on this gallery about six months. His art consists of everyday items like chairs or coffee cups in an isolated environment.

“If you really dice up my work from the past few years, it’s mainly about the indoors and outdoors, and how we relate to those environments,” he said. He is enamored with the simplicity of our environments, which drives his paintings. “I once spent all night just looking at this vintage vinyl chair because I thought of what a great picture it could be and the stories it could tell,” he recalled. He likes to couple these everyday items with big, colorful palettes that he hopes will elicit a good feeling from viewers.

“My overall message would be to stop and smell the flowers, and really appreciate the unappreciated things in life,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez spends a lot of time observing his environment for inspiration. “I will just be walking around, carrying a camera with me and if something strikes me, I’ll take a picture of it,” he said. “I like to pick things that gave a sense of nostalgia from the 50s or 60s, much like the ‘Mad Men’ series.”

For the piece titled “Diner,” Fernandez

The piece above is entitled “Commodore Sink,” and the two on the far left are entitled “gift bag #2” (above) and “Ajax” (below). Fernandez’s work is on display until April 29 in the Fireplace Gallery in the Student Union.

was inspired by a seating area at a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts outlet, and saw the potential for a painting. “When I was looking at this seating arrangement a beam of light came over it and it just looked perfect,” he said. He made various sketches of the picture to get a clearer view of how he wanted it, and then painted it.

Fernandez likes to keep things on the simple side. “There is a rule I live by called ‘K.I.S.S.’ (keep it simple, stupid).” By keeping things simple, Fernandez hopes to give his viewers not only a lovely sight, but also a story behind it, he said. “I’m not really telling

a story, but suggesting one.”

Fernandez is a family man with a wife and two daughters, one who has really taken after him. He said his four-year-old daughter has grown an immense passion for art: “She is more obsessed with it than I ever was.” He also has a full-time job as a social worker at St. Mary’s Home For Boys in Beaverton, working with at-risk teens. “I absolutely love it,” he said.

Even with of all this on his plate, Fernandez finds time to get his painting in. “The kids go to bed around eight and then I will paint for a couple of hours, go to sleep, work till

three, then do it all again,” he said. “I really boil it down to family comes first, then find anytime I can to paint.”

There may be a price tag on his art, but Fernandez said he doesn’t really care about the money. “What I really get from painting is this egotistical need for having something left behind for others to remember me by. I feel like I’m creating my own little life forms, and I just want them to go to a good home,” he said.

Fernandez’s work will be on exhibit in the Fireplace Gallery inside the Student Union until April 29.

Gabriel Fernandez’s exhibit “Inside Out” is on display in the Fireplace Gallery in the Student Union until April 29.

Above is the work titled “Decca #1” and on the right is a piece entitled “Susan’s Kitchen” which is a 2006 piece which Fernandez has sold previously and will not be featured in the show.

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Living Arts April 5, 2013

Review:

re-release makes for milquetoast experience

the day tripper your weekend event planner

today

SE Portland

The hit television series “MythBusters” has brought an exhibition titled, “MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition,” now open at OMSI until Sunday, May 5. There are props from the show and the chance to confront myths with hands-on experiments and mental challenges. Cost is $18 for adults and $13 for youth/ seniors and includes general museum admission. 1945 S.E. Water Ave., Portland.

Today & Sat. 4.6 Twenty Years later, the epic Dinosaur film is re-released in 3D with less than exciting results as the film fails to captivate audience.

Shelby Schwartz The Advocate

T

wenty years after Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur thriller “Jurassic Park” first appeared, Universal Pictures has re-released the 1993 classic in 3D. Generally classified as sci-fi adventure, the movie was a ticking time bomb in the new-age 3D venture and it was only a matter of time before the film made its three-dimensional debut.

For those of you who cannot remember the plot of the film, it takes place on a fictional island off the coast of Costa Rica. A billionaire philanthropist has attempted to create an amusement park of real dinosaurs using dinosaur blood found in a 65 million-yearold mosquito and some frog DNA. Basically, the dinos start reproducing and begin to run rampant around the island as the more vicious creatures attempt to make a meal of the researchers and visiting scientists.

Although not anything special in its re-release, the film does afford an opportunity for young adults who were too young to appreciate the magic of the original when they were wee tots. Many have probably grown up watching it at home with the folks; seeing it on the big screen and in 3D allows viewers to be frightened by that sneaky T-rex all over again.

Yes, you know the velociraptor is going to attack X person at X time, but seeing it in a dark theater on a 20-foot screen gives it a whole

N. Portland

The Portland Winterhawks have advanced to Western Conference semifinals of the Western Hockey League.

Tonight, the Hawks play Game 1 vs. the Spokane Chiefs at 7 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and on Saturday play Game 2 at 7 p.m. in the Rose Garden. Tickets are available at winterhawks.com; the Coliseum is at 1401 N. Wheeler Ave. and the Rose Garden is at 1 Center Court, in Portland.

Tuesday 4.9

SE portland

The David Douglas Historical Society will celebrate the life and heritage of Pacific Northwest explorer David Douglas from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Horner Performing Arts Center at David Douglas High School.

The documentary “Finding David Douglas” will be shown, and there will be the chance to meet the producer/director of the film, Lois Leonard. The evening includes performances by Scottish musicians, singers and dancers. There will be a raffle for a trip to Scotland, prize drawings and more. 1001 S.E. 135th Ave., Portland. new form of “scared the crap out of me.”

The 3D aspects of the movie are not anything to write home about.

Yes, the ticket says 3D and you are given the goofy glasses and the price is slightly more ridiculous than the already outrageous price of a movie, so one is given the illusion that you are going to be watching an entire film in 3D. But when the film starts, there is this long grueling process of waiting for something — anything — to jump out of the bushes and scare the crap out of you. But then you will wait and wait and wait and… well, that’s pretty much it.

The 3D aspects of this film are all but non-existent. There are a few scenes in the beginning that are trying desperately to make the audience feel as if they are in the jungle. Large leaves of a tree jut out of the screen making it look as though we are the ones behind the camera sneaking up behind a group of workers in Costa Rica in

the opening scene. And when the helicopter comes to take Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum’s characters to the island, the helicopter is almost floating through the theater. Other than that, the 3D is pretty disappointing.

So, if you fancy yourself a “Jurassic Park” fan or a Spielberg fan, then go see this. If you haven’t seen the film on the big screen or ever, then I say go for it, and take your 10-year-olds: They’ll love it and won’t realize how much of a rip-off seeing this film in 3D really is. But, if you are expecting anything other than disappointment from the lack of three dimensional objects popping out of the screen and the fact that you have to wear those damned glasses for two hours, then stay at home and pop in the DVD in. Heck, watch the two lackluster sequels while you’re at it.

-The film opens today, is rated PG13 and runs 127 minutes.

Tuesday 4.9

Sw Portland

Today from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. is Second Tuesday at the Oregon Zoo, where visitors can enjoy the wildlife and adventure for a special $4 admission, a monthly event.

Children age 2 and under are free of charge. Those who ride Tri-Met / MAX and show their ticket pay only $2.50 for admission. For more information, see: oregonzoo.org. 4001 S.W. Canyon Road, Portland.

Thurs. 4.11 - Sat. 4.13

N. Portland

The Northwest Quilters 39th Annual Quilt Show, “A Festival of Quilts” will be held at the Portland Expo Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday. The show will feature hundreds of quilts on display, demonstrations, quilt raffles and a guest lecturer, Gyleen Fitzgerald. General admission is $6; pay an additional $5 to attend the lecture. Children age 12 and under are free.

The event is in Exhibit Hall A, 2060 N. Marine Drive, Portland.

9

the advocate

NEXT STEP:

PSU

MEET WITH A PSU ADVISER ON YOUR CAMPUS:

APPLY NOW

FO R SUM M E R AN D FALL 2013 Ready to earn a four-year degree?

Don’t wait! Apply by May 1 to ensure a seamless transfer.

We make it easy: •

•

Over 60% of PSU students enroll with credits from other colleges.

U.S. News & World Report ranks PSU among the top-20 universities nationally for transfer students.

Take the next step. Visit our Virtual Transfer Center for more information and to apply online:

pdx.edu/transferstudent

Wednesday, April 17, 9am to 1pm Academic Center, Rm 2253 Call 503-725-4005 to schedule an appointment

ATTEND A TRANSFER OPEN HOUSE AT PSU These half-day programs include tours of campus and housing, information on financial aid and scholarships, academic and admissions advising, and meetings with faculty and students.

Upcoming dates: April 17, May 16, June 19

Pre-registration required. pdx.edu/admissions/transfer-open-house

10 Sports

April 5, 2013

Photo by Jonathon Long/The Advocate

Saints pitcher throws perfect game over break

Above: Freshman Jacob Thran secures a base in the Saint’s home game on March 30 against Southwestern Oregon Community College.

­­­­­­Shaun Lutz The Advocate

While many students spent their spring break vacationing or relaxing, the Saints baseball team went to work in preparation for the regular season.

MHCC started by taking on the Western Nevada Wildcats. Hoping to challenge themselves by venturing south, they went 1-3 in back-to-back doubleheaders. Facing a team that participated in last year’s NJCAA World Series proved to be tall order, but MHCC played competitive baseball during their entire trip.

The three losses were only decided by eight total runs. In their lone victory of the trip, sophomore Brandon Williams threw a complete game, five-hit shutout, striking out eight Wildcat batters in the process. Although they only provided five hits of their own, RBIs by sophomores Marcus Blackmon, Shea Coates and Ryan Degner proved to be the difference in the 3-0 win.

Falling 15-1 to Columbia Basin in their first game back from Nevada wasn’t ideal, but they bounced back to take the latter end of the doubleheader against the Hawks, winning 10-0.

Traveling to Pendleton the next day to take on Blue Mountain, sophomore Eric Huson threw a perfect game,

shutting out the Timberwolves in nine innings. Huson struck out seven hitters, surrendering only one walk in the 7-0 victory.

The Saints’ offense didn’t skip a beat in game two, hammering Blue Mountain 13-2 en route to a sweep, giving them a 3-1 record over the first weekend of the break. Freshman designated hitter Dakota Farmer led the Saints offensive onslaught with a double and two runs batted in during his 4-for-6 performance.

With the offense being up and down, head coach Bryan Donohue said, “Early in the season, pitching is ahead of hitting, but as the year goes on we’re able to make adjustments faster.”

After shutting down Blue Mountain, MHCC began Southern Region play by facing Southwest Oregon for a doubleheader last weekend, winning both games. In the first game, a five-run seventh inning provided more than enough offense for MHCC to earn a 5-1 victory. The offense was spread out in the second game, as the Saints scored two runs in the first and fourth innings for a 5-2 win to complete the sweep of SWOCC. Taking their five-game winning streak on the road to face Chemeketa, MHCC struck early for three first-inning runs. The offense went stagnant as the Storm scratched and clawed their way to tie it up after the seventh. But starting

the top of the ninth with a leadoff walk, freshman Jon Welborn made his way around the diamond to score the goahead run. Sophomores Myles Richard and Zev Egli were able to lock down Storm hitters in the eighth and ninth innings to secure the 4-3 victory.

The Saints’ six-game winning streak would come to a halt in the second game of their back-to-back contests. Leading 2-1 heading into the bottom half of the fifth inning, the wheels began to come off as the Saints committed two errors in giving up four runs as Chemeketa took a 5-2 win.

“When we’re sharp on the mound, the defense plays well behind us,” said Donohue, noting that quality starts have been a focal point to their 10-6 record thus far into their season.

Looking to bounce back from Tuesday’s loss to Chemeketa, the Saints will host the Lane Titans in a doubleheader Saturday. Lane brings a 4-0 record in Southern Region play (8-8 overall) to Oslund Field.

“They have a few weapons on offense and several quality arms. It should be a competitive matchup and a chance for us to leapfrog them early in the season,” Donohue said.

Games are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday.

The Saints also will play Clackamas Tuesday in Oregon City in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

Saints push through injury pains, excel in fields John Tkebuchava The Advocate

Numerous MHCC track and field athletes had the opportunity to compete at the famed Hayward Field in Eugene and the Saints also participated L & C Invite meet at Lewis and Clark College over spring break, bringing home several first place finishes.

At the Oregon Preview meet March 16 in Eugene, MHCC freshman thrower McKenzie Warren placed fifth in both the hammer throw (46.53 meters) and the discus (39.86 meters) and placed sixth in the shot put with a distance of 12.43 meters.

On the men’s side, MHCC sophomore javelin record holder Tyler Callahan was the highest Saints finisher at the meet, placing fourth (58.44 meters).

Sophomore distance runner Chris Newell placed fifth in the 2000-meter steeplechase (6:16).

At the L & C Invite the following week on March 22-23, Callahan was the winner of the men’s javelin, throwing for 63.81 meters, nearly 10 more meters than the nearest competitor. Callahan also placed fifth in the men’s discus (38.66 meters). Freshman Quinton Cody placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 39.87 meters.

Field events were once again the MHCC women’s team’s strong suit at the meet, Warren placed third in the hammer (45.71 meters), fourth in the shot put (11.98 meters) and third in the discus (42.98 meters). Her sophomore teammate Tori Dixson placed fifth in the discus with a throw of 37.86 meters. Freshman Charlene Manning placed fourth in the high jump (1.48 meters) and tied for second with freshman teammate Carrie Haguewood in the long jump, both of whom jumped for 4.65 meters. Manning also placed third in the 100-meter hurdles (16.05).

The women’s 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of freshman Whitney Warren, sophomore Molly Scoles, freshman Caitlyn Safely and sophomore Christa Collmer, placed second overall, finishing with a time of 4:12.

Collmer was also the winner of the women’s 800-meter (2:20) and placed fourth in the 1500-meter with a time of 4:47.

“We have some really good talent,” said jumping coach Becca Urbany regarding this year’s crop of jumpers. “We’re looking for some big performances.”

In particular, Urbany said the women’s jumps were strong, pointing out athletes such as Manning and Haguewood, both of whom are only freshmen.

Though the MHCC track and field team has had several highlights and recordbreaking marks this season, minor injuries have been plaguing many athletes.

“Almost everyone has shin splints,”

said Urbany, which she attributes to the poor condition of the track that is several decades old.

Urbany said a new resurfaced track would help with the injuries and the team would have to travel less and can compete at home meets, something it is not doing even once this season.

On March 29-30, MHCC was scheduled to host the Mt. Hood Multi Meet, but was cancelled due to insufficient participants, according to head coach Matt Hart. He said that several athletes on the women’s team were looking to compete at the meet, adding that they might participate in other multi-event meets elsewhere.

The Mt. Hood Multi Meet was the only scheduled home meet for the Saints this season.

The Saints travel north this Saturday to Tacoma, Wash., for the Shotwell Classic at the University of Puget Sound.

Sports

the advocate

Sport

SC

entral

Ducks’ run at tourney a sign of things to come

John Tkebuchava The Advocate Whether you’re big on football or basketball, 2013 has been a good year to be an Oregon Duck fan.

On top of the Ducks’ 2013 Fiesta Bowl win against Kansas State, which was one of the best ways to start the 2013 year, in my opinion, the Oregon men’s basketball team surprised just about everyone this year as well, going 28-9 on the season after going on a tear in the NCAA tournament.

Though I, like many oth-

er Oregon fans, I’m sure, was disappointed when the Ducks were unable to come back to win against Louisville last Friday (and honestly, falling into a 24-8 deficit against a team like Louisville is a hole you really can’t make up), I couldn’t help but look back on this season with satisfaction.

With a win over thenNo. 4 Arizona and post-season victories over Oklahoma State and Saint Louis, not to mention not dropping a single game to the Beavers, how can you not be satisfied?

After numerous seasons in recent years being a Pac12 bottom-feeder, this season was the very best you could hope for, and then some.

In fact, this season was topped this century by probably only the 2007 Oregon team, back in the days of Aaron Brooks and Tajuan Porter (when he was still capable of making long range shots that’d make you do a double-

take).

If you recall that season, the Ducks made it to the Elite Eight before dropping the regional final to Florida, who went on to become the national champions that year.

And, just like that year, I

in the 2010-11 season. From the looks of it so far, the move has been one of the school’s better decisions since it hired Chip Kelly, despite Kent’s prior successes.

Though Altman’s first season with the Ducks had a

At that rate, Altman may bring home a national title for the U of O, maybe even before the football team can finally pull it off on the big stage.

Though Kelly has since left Oregon (which has left many a Duck fan in a pan-

“Though Altman’s first season with the Ducks had a humble 21-18 finish, the following year the Ducks went 24-10...” wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Louisville took this year’s title.

After firing Ernie Kent in 2010, Oregon hired Dana Altman as its new coach, starting

humble 21-18 finish, the following year the Ducks went 24-10, making their way to the NIT quarterfinals, and now finished this season with only nine losses.

icked state) to pursue a career in the NFL, Duck supporters can rest assured that the basketball team is in good hands and has its best years still ahead of it.

- Blazers/Winterhawks Schedule - Tonight -

- Sunday -

- Tonight -

Houston Rockets

Dallas Mavericks

Spokane Chiefs

at

at

at

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Winterhawks

7:30 p.m.

6 p.m.

7 p.m.

11

12 Sports

April 5, 2013

Photo by Jonathon Long/The Advocate

Softball drops two games, still leads region

Freshman Kristen Crawford winds up for a pitch against Centrailia March 28. The Saints won both games in the double header, with a 11-0 score for the first game and 7-2 in the second.

Aaron Marshall The Advocate

The Saints’ softball team started its season hot in early March and hasn’t cooled off yet, with a 17-2 record and leading the Southern Region.

“We are pleased with the start of our season. The team has worked hard all year and they continue to work hard,” said head coach Meadow McWhorter.

Southwestern Oregon Community College and Lower Columbia Community College are each three games behind MHCC in the region.

Wenatchee Valley has the best overall record in the NWAACC, at 18-2.

“Wenatchee is always tough. They have a quality program,” said McWhorter.

Over the spring break, the Saints went 7-2, losing their first game of the season 2-1 to Bellevue Community College. The team had one hit the whole game and scored their only run on a passed ball. Sophomore Maycee Abendschein had the team’s only hit in the top of the fourth, hitting a single.

Freshmen pitcher Ann-Marie Guischer finished the game with 12 strikeouts but gave up two runs in the sixth inning to end the game. Guischer had been consistent so far this season with a 1.01 ERA and only giving up 26 hits in nine games. She has a 5-2 record at this point.

“The losses have definitely exposed some of the things we need to work on. Losses are lessons. We use them to get better,” said McWhorter

The team played their first two home games March 28 against Centralia Community College and won both with ease.

“Playing at home is always a bonus because of our incredible fans,” said McWhorter.

On Tuesday, the team traveled to Coos Bay to play Southwestern and suffered its second loss of the season — but managed to come back to win the second game of the doubleheader games.

In the first game, a 3-2 loss, the Saints struggled with their hitting and ended with just five hits while Southwestern had nine. (In contrast, during the double-header with Centralia, MHCC pounded 14 and 12 hits in the two games.) It was close throughout.

After SWOCC scored in the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead, the Saints answered by scoring once in the sixth, but SWOCC scored again in bottom of the sixth to seal the victory.

McWhorter said her team’s mentality is to go day-by-day on what it needs to accomplish. “One day at a time, we control what we can control,” said McWhorter. “We need to continue to focus on the little things.”

On Saturday, the Lady Saints take on Clark Community College in a home doubleheader starting at noon.

Clark is 1-7 and holds the worst record in the Southern Region. But McWhorter warns against a letdown.

“Once you enter league (play), every game is a challenge. We treat every opponent with the same respect, intensity and preparation,” she said.

MHCC track facility likely to get make-over Jeff Hannig The Advocate

The MHCC Track and Field team is looking forward to the running track being resurfaced.

While the track has held up surprisingly well over a 20-year span, it is hard to ignore its uneven surfaces, the reported shin splints track members are having and the fact that MHCC no longer holds meets because of the track’s condition.

The cost to replace the synthetic surface may range anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000, said head track and field coach Matt Hart. If an efficient company were hired, the track could be ripped up and replaced in a month, weather permitting, he said.

The team and coach Hart are excited about getting a new surface, but no one seems to know

just when the work might occur.

Hart said, “I got the impression that it was approved.”

Kim Hyatt, MHCC director of athletics, declined Thursday to comment for this story on any renovation timeline.

On Feb. 5, in an Associated Student Government Finance Council meeting, the athletic programs set aside $150,000 from their contingency funds toward a project to resurface the college track.

Hyatt has said there is an additional $150,000 or so available for a construction project through Facilities Council, which is comprised of various students, faculty and administrators from MHCC. The project proposal will now make its way to the MHCC President’s Executive Cabinet, which would make the final decision.

During the finance council

meetings in January and February when the money was set aside, members of the baseball/ softball team voted in opposition of setting aside the funds, instead hoping to acquire the funds to apply them to their own fields.

“It’s getting to the point where it is not playable,” said Hunter Weiss, a MHCC baseball player who represented the team at the meetings. He said the team had to spend much of its practices in the gym because of poor drainage on the baseball field.

Before the track deteriorated to its current state, MHCC hosted premiere track meets, such as the Oregon Adidas Classic. “The fastest 3000-meter (steeplechase) on American soil was recorded at MHCC (at the meet),” said Hart, adding that he would like to see the track quality viewed at

the top of the spectrum, and not the lower.

Drainage problems, general wear and tear and lack of proper maintenance haven’t helped the track in its most recent 20 years.

Other colleges, such as the University of Oregon, which gives Eugene the nickname “Track Town U.S.A,” replace their surface every two to five years.

Several MHCC track athletes have had the opportunity to compete at the U of O. “It definitely helped,” said Charlene Manning, a hurdler and a jumper for MHCC, about the prime condition of the Oregon track after competing on it.

“I feel like I get a better pop and knee drive,” said Vyncent Espinoza, a long jumper for MHCC. He said the condition of the MHCC surface has been an issue since the third week of school.

Shin splints are a common complaint due to the worn-out surface. There are puddles that accumulate in the corners because the track is so uneven, said Carrie Haguewood, a triple, long and high jumper for MHCC. Kristi Kachel, who runs hurdles, sprints and relays for MHCC, said the team “doesn’t treat the track like trash – it is just general wear and tear – we take care of it.” Kachel said that she wishes that MHCC could hold meets. “Realistically, family and friends can’t come to outof-state meets,” she said.

Jump coach Becca Urbany said of the proposed resurfacing, “our athletes are excited about it, but other athletes in the community will benefit from it, too. I’m excited it’s happening.

It’s due for an upgrade.”