The Advocate Vol. 49 Issue 2 – Sept 27, 2013

Advocate The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College

Check out our website for videos and more!

www.advocate-online.net September, 27 2013

Volume 49 Issue 2

HVAC replacement could put MHCC out in the

cold

Turn to page 6 to find out if you will need to bundle up Photo illustration by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Profile of the month: Rho Theta leader turns past into speaking inspiration Recognizing deserving students at the recommendation of MHCC staff

by Danny perez-crouse The Advocate

Could you shadow your mother’s schizophrenia, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder – and somehow survive, then thrive in college?

Julie Donaldson, Mt. Hood student and officer for Rho Theta (the international honor society of twoyear colleges), has overcome stiff challenges to get where she is now.

Donaldson has earned the good grades required to qualify for Rho Theta. “I think I have OCD about get-

ting straight As, because I cannot let myself have a B... It’s something I’ve wanted to do since high school, being in an honors society,” she said.

It’s been a long, difficult journey to her current success.

Donaldson says she is sociable now, but back in sixth grade, she was very shy. “I never talked and I used to have so much anxiety,” she said.

During high school, she said she had “migraines every day” and missed around 40 days of school a year.

Despite missing time, she stayed motivated and graduated with a 3.67 grade point average. “I loved high school and I really wanted to do well

academically,” she said.

Life got a little harder when her mother faced serious issues, Donaldson said. “At first, my mom was diagnosed with clinical depression, and then it was later found to be schizophrenia.”

Things worsened, and Donaldson’s life was simply uprooted by her mother’s needs, she said: “No more school and no more work. My hopes and dreams just kind of fell through.”

Her mother got worse, developing intense post-traumatic stress and OCD. Donaldson said her mother couldn’t cook anymore and the two had to remove everything from the house that hinted at their past. “It was all about control,” a major part of her mother’s issues, she said.

Donaldson began to adopt her mother’s habits. She started doing everything with her mother, and did what she did because it made her mother feel better. For instance, “if she didn’t eat, I didn’t eat,” she said.

Her mother gained a fear of food, and could only drink down milk. Donaldson said the two lived off milk, only, for about six months.

Before long, “I was about 68 pounds and my mom was about 70 pounds,” as they suffered malnourishment, she said. More than anything, she remembers being cold.

The pair would travel to the local grocery store every day. “Our pastime would be watching what other

student

Continued on page 3

Julie Donaldson

2013 FirsT plAce

General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

@mhccadvocate

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Opinion

Sept. 27, 2013

Pro/Con: To tip or not to tip Do you always tip, does it depend on the service, or not at all? Here’s what people said:

46% 52% 2%

To see student reactions to tipping, go to our website,

www.advocate-online.net

You want extra money for just doing your job?

by Danny Perez-Crouse The Advocate

I am tired of this social stigma that if you don’t tip, you’re a tightwad jerk.

When I don’t feel like tipping while in a group, people squint and squirm their faces at me like I enjoy recreationally slitting puppies’ throats in front of children.

Yes, I don’t always tip, and I never feel bad about it.

First of all, I don’t enjoy the prospect of not tipping someone. I’m 19 years old, money is tight and I just don’t have the cash to give out to those who are just doing their job. And I know all the arguments against not tipping.

“But Danny, they have a hard job.”

You want to hear about a hard job that’s also in the service industry? Caretakers.

Those workers take care of people for a living - mostly cranky old people. They also have to clean them. Not just their clothes - their bodies - all of it. These are people who don’t get paid much for cleaning wrinkly old private parts, and they probably get crap (or crapped on) while they do it. And you never hear about them getting tipped.

This is one of many jobs that are just as hard, if not more difficult, than being a food server, who never get special treatment.

“But they don’t make that much compared to other jobs.” Most make minimum wage, which puts them in the company of almost every entry-level job in the country. I understand that a business can legally account for tips as a form of payment, but if the tips do not bring the server’s paycheck up to minimum wage, than the employer has to make up the difference (required by the U.S. Department of Labor). And Oregon restaurants aren’t allowed to use tips as a paycheck.

“But I know some servers who really do live on their tips.” Okay, let’s get hypothetical and say they don’t live in Oregon, they don’t get reimbursed and they get paid $2.13 an hour. Yes, that would be a pretty bad job. But, if you actually accepted a job that pays $2.13 with no extra reimbursement, you’re an idiot. I am not going to tip you for making a dumb life decision. My money should not be a supplement for your stupidity.

“But there aren’t any other jobs.”

I just went on craigslist.org and found 10 jobs that all pay minimum wage or greater. And that was just in the service section. There are jobs out there, you just have to look, keep your options open and be persistent.

“But it’s a nice thing to do.” I totally agree. Tipping is a very kind gesture. But it should not be seen as a moral requirement, and you shouldn’t demonize those who don’t because they didn’t have the cash or didn’t like their service.

Now let’s get one thing clear, I will tip if someone has gone outside the parameters of their paycheck and improved my eating experience. But servers should never automatically expect a tip.

If you are in the food service industry and you honestly feel like you deserve extra money, on top of your

My money should not be a supplement for your stupidity paycheck, for just doing your job, you don’t really deserve your job at all. You shouldn’t expect a tip. You should do your job well and treat everyone equally because you’re paid to do so.

There is nothing special or particularly hard about being a server. And if you have ever tampered with a return costumer’s order because he didn’t tip before, you are worse than the people who you feel wronged you.

“I tip if I have the money, but I usually don’t have the money” Student response from tipping pro/con video

Always Depends on the service Not at all

According to a survey of 103 MHCC students.

Let’s appreciate our servers and baristas

by Rebecca Gaulke The Advocate

Living in a country largely centered around the food and entertainment industry, how could you possibly think that tipping isn’t a necessity?

Servers, bartenders and baristas are jobs at which so many people make a living. You might wonder, why choose this route? Why make minimum wage, stand on your feet all day, and deal with some less than pleasant customers?

The answer: Tips.

Servers, bartenders and baristas in Oregon make a modest hourly wage on top of tips, and I believe that if it weren’t for the tips, these workers would be severely underpaid. Keep in mind that I have never personally worked in the food industry, but I do have enough friends and family members in the business to appreciate and acknowledge the importance of tipping.

I could never put up with the antics that these workers regularly face, which makes me respect them even more.

As you might have gathered, tips make up a significant amount of a server’s income. When you don’t tip servers, you are making it harder for them.

A lot of the people you do (or don’t) tip are students themselves, since quite a few of the industry’s workers are college and high school students, working at night and going to school during the day.

Of course, tips are a great motivation for prompt service, constant refills and extra sauces.

A system dependent on tips does have its pitfalls, though. That one certain thing in life applies to tips as well: taxes. The undoing for servers is that they must claim anywhere from 9-12 percent of their tips for taxes, even if you did not tip them. In addition, your server will have to give a small amount of their tips to bussers and expos, and

if you don’t tip them, the amount they have to pay the back of the house comes out of their own pocket. The state of Oregon assumes you are going to tip your server, so shouldn’t you think tipping is a given, too?

Some might say, ‘If it’s so bad, get a better job.’ My response to that is this: I hope you don’t enjoy eating out, because your server is the reason you are able to do so. Yes, it is their choice to work in this industry, but without tips, it may be hard to find anyone that would put up with the finicky demands of customers.

While tipping is an incentive for workers to give good service, it can also be a deterrent for those who don’t care about their customers. You know of whom I speak: those servers who may not be the happiest, or the most experienced. The beauty of tipping is the diner has the option of leaving a loud and clear message: The service sucked, so I’m leaving you less than 20 percent.

But, ask yourself, maybe there is a reason why this server doesn’t want to give me good service: if the server worked hard to give you give service, then receives a poor tip, why would they want to bust their butt for you the next time around?

Now, even if the service is subpar, I don’t believe it is ever okay to not leave ANY tip. Yes, we might be poor college students who don’t have enough money as it is, but chances are, so are the servers. If we don’t have enough money to tip 20 percent on a $10 meal, then we shouldn’t be eating out in the first place. Leaving a smaller tip than you should based on poor service says a lot more than stiffing a server altogether, which might leave only the assumption that you’re simply cheap.

So, let’s appreciate our servers, bartenders and baristas, and tip them.

A waitress once told me, “We always remember the faces that don’t tip.” If you ever intend on returning to a place, consider that the next time you think a tip isn’t important.

Besides, why would you ruffle the feathers of the person that handles your food?

“I usually just give them a penny” Student response from tipping pro/con video

the Advocate Editor-in-Chief Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Living Arts Editor Rebecca Gaulke

Opinion Editor Danny Perez-Crouse

News Editor Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Editorial: Keep it up, ASG It might be early in the year, but we would like to give the ASG (Associated Student Government) folks a pat on the back for their hard work, with a few constructive criticisms.

All of the free activities and food provided for the students this week were great. Welcome Back Week had some really cool stuff that was appealing to students. It’s a lot of effort to get those things planned, organized and supplied, so, good job!

These events really make the community college feel like a community, and send the message that Mt. Hood is a place where you can learn and have fun.

We hope that there are plenty more events to follow.

However, we at The Advocate only knew about the Welcome Back Week schedule of events because we asked for it. We know it’s tough to get information out, especially during the first week of school, but a little blurb on the Mt. Hood website, a poster around campus or a post on the ASG Facebook page could help students stay closer to all the ASG events, and make it easier for us to include them in our Advocate news pages and on Facebook and Twitter.

We know you guys have plenty of special occasions planned ahead (we hope), but you’ve got to get the word out a little better if you want more people to attend these awesome events.

The positivity we’ve seen of ASG is also something to note.

While ASG members have always been very eager to help out, with a smile on their face, it’s still nice to see that hasn’t changed.

During orientation day we saw the new president, Laura Aguon, buzzing about with a joyous attitude, chatting it up with students, faculty and clubs.

We recognize what an important part of the college ASG is, and it’s great to see you all out working so hard. We look forward to collaborating with you throughout the year. Keep it up!

Agree or disagree with our opinions?

Tweet us your thoughts, post on our Facebook or go to our website and comment on an article.

“As a server, if you don’t tip, you’re Satan” Student response to tipping pro/con

Submissions Sports Editor Aaron Marshall

Copy Editor

Reporters

Advisers

Missy Burchell

Howard Buck

Greg Leonov

Dan Ernst Bob Watkins

Rebecca Gaulke

Photo Editor Carole Riggs

Video Team Melissa Casey

Ad Manager

Jared Lichtenberg

Cameron Miller

Lobsang Tenzin

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu 503-491-7250

www.advocate-online.net #mhccadvocate

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

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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.

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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

Sept. 27, 2013

3

Former president leaves behind legacy “He was open and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions.”

“He cared really deeply about the college and all the people.”

Pam Benjamin

Sheri Mosher

by Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate Former MHCC President Robert Silverman, 64, passed away due to health complications in July but left lasting impressions on those who worked with him.

Silverman led Mt. Hood from 2001 to 2007 before accepting the job to lead Victor Valley College in California.

MHCC staff who worked with Silverman, remember him as a man with a gruff exterior but a caring interior.

Sheri Mosher, MHCC director of accreditation,

remembers Silverman as a man with a sense of humor whose bark was worse than his bite.

“He cared really deeply about the college and all the people,” she said. “I often saw him helping people who were the down-andout kind of students or people in the community who needed support.”

Pam Benjamin, executive assistant to current President Debbie Derr, as she was to Silverman said, “He was straightforward, always straight-

forward. I mean, sometimes he put his foot in his mouth, but you always knew where you stood with him.

“He was open and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions and he did make decisions,” she said.

Mosher said Silverman “was really instrumental in having the Bruning Center for Allied Health (Mt. Hood’s second satellite campus) established and promoting and growing our nursing program,” as well as “doing things to help improve succession planning at the college

Robert Silverman MHCC President 2001-2007

Student

Continued from page 1

Dust has settled for Donaldson people bought… People would give us money because they thought we were in need, or on drugs,” Donaldson said.

It wasn’t a money issue, though, just a fear of food.

Donaldson said she and her mother did not shower or have clean clothes for two years. “I didn’t know that would be such a big part of the schizophrenia,” she said.

Life finally turned in the grocery store parking lot. “We had fallen asleep in the car and awoke to the police knocking on our window,” she said. The police were there with social workers, asking if they were okay. “I don’t know why, but we lied and said we were okay.

Thankfully, they didn’t believe us,” she said, answering her silent prayers.

“I don’t know why I couldn’t tell them

that we needed to go to the hospital.”

Donaldson said social workers determined the two were a danger to themselves. They were put on hospital hold for a week, and were committed to treatment by court order. “I was in the hospital for two months. They put food in front of me that I hadn’t had in years,” she said.

While Donaldson passed through various recovery centers, her mother struggled and wound up in the state hospital, she said. More recently, her mother is doing much better, eating more and living in a group home, she said.

Today, Donaldson shares an apartment with her sister, and, after the dust settled, she began school again at Mt. Hood in the fall of 2011.

There have been bumps in the road, including bad panic attacks, she said.

“It got so bad my friend asked me if I had run to class, because I was shaking so much.” Working with counselors on campus has helped, she said, as has going to classes and volunteering, because it kept her busy. She also said her faith in God has greatly helped her through the years.

She’s still undecided on her study major, but has an idea of where she wants to go and is considering early childhood education.

Donaldson also hopes to be a motivational speaker one day and share her compelling story with others, she said.

“My main goal is to be an inspiration to others.”

Student Success Seminars The Learning Success Center, Career Planning and Counseling and AVID are offering opportunities for students to learn tips for being successful. A full schedule of fall term’s seminars can be found at http://www.mhcc.edu/StudentServices. aspx?id=419.

Seminars: noon to 1 p.m.

Maywood Park Campus- 220

Get organized with the perfect binder *The first 13 attendants will receive a free binder

Monday Sept. 30

2:10 to 3 p.m.

AC 2326

Take control of your time Wednesday Oct. 2

1:10 to 2 p.m.

AC 2326

Success with the Ti-83 & 84 Thursday Oct. 3

District board flips agenda order

by Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate The MHCC District board held a special session on Wednesday to review and finalize goals as a followup from its August retreat.

Previously, at the most recent regular board meeting on Sept. 11, members heard a report on Mt. Hood’s Strawberry Short Course event hosted this summer, and a presentation by Rho Theta, the school’s honors society chapter.

Beth Sammons, Rho Theta adviser, was presented with an award

by MHCC President Debbie Derr and Dianne Noriega, board chairwoman, who said the award was “appreciat-

ing all the work you (Sammons) have done for the college... for your students and for Rho Theta.”

The board discussed association assignments among its members and withheld action on Item G, approval to utilize contracts in excess of $150,000.

Board members agreed to accept public presentations and input at the beginning of regular board meetings, a change from previous policy.

Also on Sept. 11, between the executive and regular board sessions, members attended the Gresham Rotary 60th Annual Steak Fry in the Town and Gown Room.

The next regular board meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Oct. 9.

Political forum provides health care information

by Katelyn Hilsenbeck

“’I’ve found that most people don’t actually know they need to legally have health care insurance and they will be fined (if lacking coverage). It’s kind of alarming,” Campbell said.

With major changes in health care There is help available, however. laws fast approaching, Political Science “I don’t think most people realize instructor Janet Campbell will host two that probably everybody at this school informative forums at Mt. Hood on Oct. will qualify for some sort of financial 9 and 10. help with health insur“I’m just going to ance,” Campbell said. do a generic overview of Most individual the law and what people questions can be anneed to do and where Oct. 9 swered by looking the they need to go to do 12:10 to 1 p.m. AC 1502 appropriate state webit,” Campbell said of the Oct. 10 site (in Oregon, covso-called “Obamacare” 4:15 to 5 p.m. Bob Scott eroregon.com) and the federal and state-level Room (library) federal website (www. reforms.

HealthCare.gov), she “It’s a really comsaid, but “a lot of times plicated law, but I’m just Oct. 1 it’s a little more comgoing to focus on what Exchanges/ Marketplaces open fortable to talk to somepeople need to know in Jan. 1 one one-on-one.” the room and the deadMost Americans must obtain insurance Campbell hopes to lines,” Campbell said. have someone on camShe will focus each March 31 Marketplace closes pus who can answer discussion toward that questions on a personal needs of that audience. level, she said.

There also will be a Q&A The October forums session, so if a specific will be helpful for those with or without scenario is not addressed, guests may insurance, she said. get those questions answered.

“People may have insurance, but Campbell said a majority of affected don’t understand what the big deal people is still unaware of the coming about the law is. It’s very difficult these changes. days to get objective information... so She is especially eager for people to this is just an easy way to get it,” she be aware of the approaching deadlines, said. and is trying to get the word out at Mt. Hood.

The Advocate

Forum dates

How to get the most from a job fair Monday Sept. 30

and keep employees here.”

It was upon his recommendation that Mosher returned to school to earn a master’s degree. During his tenure at MHCC, Mosher was the associate and interim director of human resources.

Mosher also remembers Silverman doing what he called “The Big Show” at the annual convocation session to welcome back all school staff each September.

“He always had this knack of putting together something really funny... but the issues were usually significant ones,” Mosher said.

11:10 a.m. to noon

AC 3333

Dates to know

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Living Arts

Sept. 27, 2013

New staff profiLe: 1 of 4

Photojournalism teacher brings photos to life thing is real – everything I man who calls himself “definitely a shoot. I don’t do fiction. goofball. I like to be serious when it’s I don’t enjoy fiction. appropriate, but life’s too short.”

There’s fiction, and Onstott replaces instructor L.E. there’s nonfiction.”

Baskow, former Portland Tribune According to newspaper photo editor who had hired Onstott, fiction is him as a photo intern there. He spent anything that is four years at a daily newspaper in Utah set up or staged. “I before taking over Baskow’s job at the prefer real people, Tribune, when Baskow left to teach at real situations. I reMHCC. ally like the reportAfter turning to freelance work, ing aspect of it, asking Onstott has again followed Baskow’s questions and finding path. He said he’s long wanted to lead out information. a class and to teach photojournalism. It “That information might was his own junior college photojournot be written out in story form, but you nalism course where he “got the bug” can use that information to take better and realized his calling was taking picpictures,” he said. tures, he said.

Onstott plans to share that vision at He’s been shooting ever since.

MHCC, “where students can tell good His first published photo came in the stories,” he college paper, said. “Just the featuring womidea of a story, ens basketball: right?

Un“They made derstanding it really big. I the concepts thought it was of beginning, super cool, I was middle and pretty excited to end.

Tradisee my name in tional story the paper.” structures, but Onstott has using it to tell shot plenty of real stories, sports photos, like real peowhich he enjoys ple,” he said. but finds simple.

Chris Onstott He stress“It’s like, Photojournalism Instructor es the “jourthere’s the acnalist” in photion – Shoot it! tojournalism: You have to know “If I was going where to be, you to do a story on you, I would find out evhave to understand the sport, but just erything there was to know about you. to get in the door, there isn’t really any A picture story has certain components, work,” he said. there’s a start to the story, there’s a Lately, he’s keen on street photogstruggle or a conflict or you overcome raphy, portraits and anything that’s something, then there’s some resolu“quirky and offbeat,” he said. “Every-

a picture story has certain components, there’s a start to the story, there’s a struggle or a conflict.. then there’s some resolution.

Photo by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Christopher Onstott is the new photojournalism teacher. Onstott is a photographer himself, and enjoys taking real life situation photos.

by Greg Leonov The Advocate “I couldn’t imagine doing something if you really don’t enjoy it,” said Christopher Onstott, MHCC’s new photojournalism teacher, who hopes to foster an environment where students

can express deeply personal stories – surprises included – through pictures.

One surprise about Onstott is his tattoo of Winnie the Pooh, floating in a sea of water with a honey pot. A second? He lists black as his favorite color, then notes, “It’s not a color, though.”

Which sort of makes sense for a

TO BE DETERMINED

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

2

1 Teddy Bear Parade

10 a.m., Saturday Historic Downtown Gresham Join the fun! One of Gresham’s biggest yearly events, plus MHCC is one of the parade’s many sponsors.

First Thursday

Miley Music Series Returns Thursday

feat.

Trio Subtonic and Quadraphonnes Student Union Noon-1 p.m.

Go enjoy the grooveoriented sound of Trio Subtonic, with special guests the Quadraphonnes saxophone trio. Prepare yourself for music that will tantalize the ears of a diverse listening group.

tion.

T h e s e are all parts you have to think a b o u t when you’re gonna present the story to someone,” he said.

Without a narrative, there’s no attraction. “You have to create a framework for the audience to care about what you’re presenting to them.

On the side, Onstott enjoys mountaineering. He’s scaled Mount Adams and Mount Hood and plans to climb Mount Rainier next year. While not a devoted outdoorsman, “I like to get out of town sometimes, just kind of leave the camera at home, turn everything off,” he said.

Normally “a news junkie,” though, Onstott reads a lot of newspapers, with an eye for local news. “I typically prefer stuff that isn’t real fluffy. I like news that’s in-depth, goes beneath just the surface.”

As he reads, he expects to be surprised – a response he will emphasize to his photo students at MHCC. Christopher Onstott is online at www.christopheronstott.com and on instagram @christopheronstott

Viral Vid of the Week Miley

There’s a lot to say here. One things for sure: whether or not you agree with her tactics, Miley Cyrus is entertaining to watch (or shake your head at). Here’s what’s still to come:

Miley: The Movement -Wednesday on MTV Saturday Night Live Host/musical guest -Oct. 5 New Album “Bangerz”

-Oct. 8

#hashtag In the mood for a laugh? As part of our new weekly feature, we will show you one awesome video and tell you why you should watch it.

This week, it’s #hashtag with Jimmy Fallon and the oh-so-amazing Justin Timberlake. In the skit from Fallon’s late night show, Timberlake and Fallon make fun of the #hashtag trend and what it has done to the English language. If you are wanting a good 3-minute laugh, check it out on YouTube.

Living Arts

Sept. 27, 2013

5

Fireside gallery FeaTUre

Organic chemistry teacher has passion for art, history David Cordes blends art, chemistry and history all into one by rebecca gaulke The Advocate

David Cordes, an artist who teaches organic chemistry at Pacific University in Forest Grove, says his paintings are “thought provoking.” The many colors, faces and text integrated into each of his pieces will likely make you agree.

“Reflections on Organic Chemistry,” featuring Cordes’ artwork, will be on display in the Fireside Gallery through Oct. 27. The exhibit offers 17 paintings and a wide range of chemistry topics, including posing notable scientists as paintings subject.

Cordes is from New York City, raised in Queens and later living in Brooklyn and Manhattan. He studied history at Hunter College in the city, then moved west and taught high school and junior high school history in the San Francisco Bay Area.

He grew more interested in science and decided to study chemistry in California, before migrating north to Oregon. “I really like the Northwest over all; it’s a glorious place,” he said.

Despite teaching at a private university, Cordes said community colleges hold a special place in his heart. “I had my first chemistry class at a community college in California and it made all the difference in my career. I was very inspired by the people there and by the environment, and I see MHCC as one of those kinds of places,” he said.

Besides his artwork, Cordes is doing research for a new series on alchemy and its history. He enjoys playing the bass and guitar in his spare time, and is learning to play the organ.

His paintings require a lengthy creation process, he said. “What I’ll tend to do is just sketch out kind of an initial picture right on the canvas and gradually work it out from there, consulting organic chemistry text books, history of chemistry books, online resources, maps, as well anything that kind of bears on the story.”

Cordes said he is a “very slow and deliberate kind of painter. The paints are quite thick… you can see that (his work) is very saturated colors, it’s all oil on canvas.”

His love for teaching and chemistry is clear in his paintings, which blend text, portraits and other abstract techniques. Each portrait is unique in the sense that it tells

Photo by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

David Cordes, featured artist in the Fireside Gallery, teaches chemistry at Pacific University and also enjoys history, which shows in his paintings.

a story. “As humans we like stories, we like narratives and we like tragedy and comedy,” he said. “I think you can inject some of those ‘Aha!’ comedic and tragic kind of elements into the stories behind each of the paintings.”

His pieces aren’t meant as teaching aids, he said, but instead are “more meant to represent at least my own impressions about particular characters and themes in organic chemistry.”

One standout story is that of August Wilhelm Hofman, a 19th century Jew who was both beloved and hated at the same time. Anti-semantic groups wanted Hofman removed from the university where he taught, said Cordes, whose portrait features examples of molecules he helped to map.

He hopes someday to display his past and new artwork together in one place, perhaps in a textbook, for use as a learning tool for students.

Cordes has big plans for his future artwork. He would like to pay tribute to Linus Pauling, an Oregonian who won a rare science-related Nobel Prize for “incredible work on the structure of proteins” who also worked against the spread of nuclear weapons, he said. Pauling is one of his favorites because “he was able to bring together the humanities and the sciences. He’s going to be a special subject for a painting.”

That level of enthusiasm is apparent in Cordes’ displayed collection at Mt. Hood, which he describes like this: “(A) number of very colorful, kind of exciting, bright, cheerful, paintings that can get you excited about science, or at least get you to ask some questions about science and ponder some of the early history there.”

These paintings (above, below) show scientists and their accomplishments, including stereochemistry and synthetic chemistry. They will be in the Fireside Gallery through Oct. 27.

For more of The Advocate’s interview with David Cordes, go to our website,

www.advocate-online.net

First planetarium show When?

Tuesday, Oct. 1st

“Wonders of the Fall Sky” 6:30, 7:15 and 8:30 p.m.

Free for students with ID, $2 for the general public Comet ISON, pictured above, is a fall comet that Astronomy Instructor Pat Hanrahan will be photographing and observing.

each show is unique and i always like to cover the current sky...

Moveable things such as the planets and one special comet will be taking up part of my time.

Pat Hanrahan Astronomy Instructor

Current gallery shows at MHCC Visual Arts presents “Diffused Connections” Now through Oct. 17

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News

Sept. 27, 2013

HVAC repairs might bring chills

by Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate

Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Workers remove pieces of the old HVAC system from behind the computer lab with a crane

Mt. Hood students and staff may find themselves needing to bundle up – both indoors and out – to combat the cold as we slide into October and November.

Sections of the main classroom wing will go without central heating until the end of November, while the HVAC system for the Academic Center is undergoing major renovation.

Workers are replacing large fans and other original equipment in the heating and ventilation system that has grown increasingly unreliable and inefficient after up to 48 years of use.

The $4.68 million overhaul started on Aug. 12 and is divided into three phases, by sections of the Academic Center (both upper and lower levels).

Phase I, to be completed this week, included the 1700s building, the campus Library and Planetarium.

Phase II covers classroom buildings from the 1300s to 1500s, the Bookstore and Student Union, and should be finished Oct. 25.

It’s Phase III that might give occupants the shivers. Due to run Oct. 21 to Nov. 27, the work covers the 1000s to 1200s building areas and the 1600s area.

Maggie Huffman, MHCC director of communications, said officials have planned so that lack of heating will not unduly affect students or classes.

Accommodations will be made where possible, and school facilities staff will work with instructors to make their rooms as comfortable as possible.

Orientation Center opening day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Every Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to noon and again 2 to 4 p.m., New Student Advising Workshops will be held inside the Center.

Each Friday, the same workshop will run 10 a.m. to noon.

- Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Evacuation drill MHCC will hold a series of campus-wide evacuation drills on Oct. 9 to help keep students and staff prepared for any threat that would require them to leave all classrooms and offices.

There will be a drill at 2:20p.m. and another at 7 p.m. in the Main Academic Center, Industrial Technology, Visual Arts, Fisheries areas and most of the MHCC grounds. The Physical Education (gym) and Aquatics area will have one drill at 2:45 p.m. and a second at 7:15pm.

Formal evacuation drills have been held at Mt. Hood since 1993. Until then, students were “reluctant to evacuate” said Karen Reynolds, MHCC’s environmental health and safety manager. An alarm simply would sound, and students had no idea of what it meant, she said.

Instead, the current drills follow a system outlined in the Emergency and Safety Procedures Handbook, which is posted on the MHCC website. It can be found by scrolling to the very bottom of the home page, clicking “Intranet,” then on Environmental Health and Safety, leading to the Handbook.

The campus is now equipped with numerous alarms that operate by a “zone system,” according to the handbook. The guidelines say that when an alarm sounds in any location of a certain zone, it means that the whole

years ago, and have basically doubled their anticipated 25-year lifespan. However, they have become fragile and left the campus with hot spots and cold spots, Huffman said.

Huffman said the new system can “sense occupancy of a room and send hot air or cold air there and be more efficient, so we won’t have those hot spots.”

The new equipment is likewise expected to last 25 to 30 years, potentially longer if properly maintained, said Richard Byers, MHCC director of facilities management.

The work is intended to save money, an estimated $4.65 million in reduced energy costs for Mt. Hood over the next 25 years. The new system also should be more environmentally sustainable, and will qualify the college for an Energy Trust of Oregon tax incentive rebate worth about $390,000.

The company installing the fans, industry giant Johnson Controls, has a guaranteed savings policy for the first seven years following installation, Huffman said: If the project savings are not realized, Johnson will pay the difference.

In related changes, MHCC is replacing all overhead lighting poles and lights in the campus parking lots, and some light poles in pedestrian areas. This is factored into the total energy savings anticipated.

“The poles were wood (and) in many cases, rotten,” Huffman said. “The benefit is we are able to operate the lights more efficiently with the use of less electricity (and) able to operate them for a longer period.”

Holiday Jobs Fair

News Briefs The new campus Orientation Center will open its doors on Monday to assist students.

It will offer drop-in services such as help with the MyMHCC portal, financial aid forms, registration for classes, locating textbooks, and applying for graduation.

The center is located in AC 1002, at the far south end of the Main Mall.

Fall hours will be: Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Fri-

During hot days in August and early September, portable fans were used to combat the heat.

“We have plans in place to help people, employees and students, to either heat their areas, to cool their areas or at the very least keep air moving,” Huffman said.

Officials are working with Associated Student Government leaders to brainstorm ideas for distributing T-shirts, sweatshirts – even hot chocolate – to help keep students warm when temperatures drop.

“We hope to have some portable heaters, but we’re not sure about that yet,” Huffman said.

Some classes could even be relocated, based on room conditions.

“Our goal is to help make students and employees as comfortable as possible and hope that everybody understands that in the long run, this is a good project for the college,” she said.

Huffman noted she is not insulated from the project’s impact. “It could get chilly. I may have to buy some fingerless gloves to type!” she said.

She said MHCC facilities leaders initially looked at starting the HVAC work next spring, but further cost analysis and evaluation of existing equipment made it clear the fan replacement was best done immediately.

The lengthy HVAC project is focused largely on switching out six blower fans, each about the size of a delivery truck.

Each will be replaced with between nine and 12 modern fans roughly the size of a stove.

The old fans were installed 45 to 48

zone needs to evacuate “because of the potential for a rapidly spreading fire or contamination.”

Earthquakes also can present a serious hazard.

In any such instance, students, employees and visitors should be on the move.

There are designated areas around the campus perimeter parking lots where students are asked to assemble in case of an alarm, the handbook notes.

Any students in class should stay with that group so that instructors can make sure all are present and accounted for. Disabled individuals are directed to have an “evacuation buddy” to assist them during the incident, the guidelines say.

Meantime, any motorists on campus are urged not to drive through the crowd of people evacuating. It is beneficial to keep congestion in parking lots to a minimum and to keep traffic flowing, so that first responders have a clear path to wherever they need to be, the guidelines say.

The drill continues until a Public Safety Officer or other uniformed official on site announces “All clear!”

Then, all campus activities and courses resume their regular schedules.

- Greg Leonov

The Holiday Jobs Fair will be held 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Tuesday in the Student Union, the first of several employer visits scheduled this school year at MHCC. Businesses due to attend are seeking potential employees for retail, shipping/warehouse, hotel, salon and restaurant work.

Mt. Hood student Kevin Mar-

tinez attended the most recent job fair on campus and found it very helpful, he said.

“I am usually a shy kind of guy and find it hard to approach people, especially potential employers,” Martinez said. “At this job fair, the employers tending the tables made me feel at ease while I was ‘job shopping.’ My experience was great.

“I will definitely be attending Mt. Hood’s next job fair,” he said.

Students are advised to bring with them an updated cover letter or resume, reference letters or anything else an employer might wish to see.

- Missy Burchell

Part-time faculty contract MHCC’s part time faculty association members are now voting on a tentative, four-year contract agreement reached with administration officials.

The proposed agreement is the first breakthrough for three Mt. Hood employee groups who have been bargaining since spring. Contract talks continue for full-time faculty members and for nonteaching classified employees.

Electronic voting by part-time instructors opened on Sept. 18 and

will close Oct. 6. Results will be revealed Oct. 8.

Elements of the tentative pact include an expanded process of due rights for dismissal proceedings against an instructor, and creation of a task force to review the evaluation process for part time faculty and for campus tutors.

There is a proposed sick leave bank, which would allow part-time faculty and tutors to donate paid sick leave to whose leave has been exhausted.

There would be new pay for jury duty served and for someone subpoenaed in connection with official MHCC duties.

Part-time teachers who themselves register for fewer than three course credits per term would have their student access fee waived.

Also at stake in the agreement is a potential 4 percent salary increase for three of four part-time faculty and tutoring employee groups.

- Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Annual campus safety report Reported vehicle theft on the MHCC campus has dropped almost 60 percent over the last two years, thanks in part to efforts of the Public Safety office and Associated Student Government (ASG).

The decrease is noted in the Clery Report for 2012 released to Mt. Hood staff and students on Monday.

The federally required annual report details the crime statistics on and around campus for the year ending Dec. 31, and the security policies utilized by MHCC and the Public Safety office.

Wayne Feagle, MHCC’s manager of public safety, summed up the new data: “Our crimes are down this year. Our car theft is down… we work closely with Gresham (police) and getting their special units out here to help out with car thefts.” He continued by saying, “We had 31 in 2010 and that number is down to 11 in 2012.”

MHCC instituted an access fee in

2012 for all students, which enabled the Public Safety Office to hire four more employees who can patrol the parking lots, Feagle said.

Along with new revenue generated by the parking passes briefly required, then dropped in 2011-12, the fee also paid for more security cameras around campus. The focused locations of these cameras were the main parking lots as well as walkways inside the main campus.

“The first-year (improvement) was cameras in the front parking lot and the second year was internally,” said Feagle. “ASG was part of our (safety) committee that decided where the cameras would be.”

Feagle noted the highest rate of vehicle theft occurs with the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry models, especially the older models. He suggests that owners of those models use “The Club” (or similar steering wheel locking device) to deter possible theft.

Mt. Hood also has improved lighting all over campus by keeping the lights on throughout evenings, including the main walkways and parking lots, Feagle said.

The improvements are reflected in the low numbers in the latest Clery report, he said.

“We are a very safe campus. Our crimes are against property, not people, and we are proud of that,” Feagle said. He hopes to continue the downward crime rate trend, he said.

“We always try to get it lower.

We try to do the best we can and we try to get people to report suspicious activity,” Feagle said.

To obtain a copy of the report, visit the Public Safety Office in room AC2330, or go to this link for a pdf format: http://www.mhcc.edu/ docs/CampusSecurity/CleryReport. pdf.

- Cameron Miller

Sports

Sept. 27, 2013

7

Volleyball squad looking to get in the groove Returning players aim to reclaim title

by Cameron Miller

a freshman setter, placed in the AllTournament team as well as receiving South Region Setter of the Week. Ally Rombach received the South Region Defensive Player of the Week award.

They then defeated four opponents in a row before heading into the Walla Walla Crossover Tournament. Another tournament passed with MHCC earning a 3-2 record losing to Walla Walla and Bellevue.

Keely Siegel received the South Region Offensive Player of the Week Award for week two with 31 combined kills in the three straight victories over Lower Columbia, Pierce, and Bellevue.

Three of the Saints’ six losses thus far have come against Blue Mountain, last year’s champions. The two schools have had a seesaw affair – trading championships since 2010. Meanwhile Mt. Hood has had at least a share of the Southern Region championship in the last four years.

Head coach Chelsie Speer and her team looks to build on their 13-6 record.

They being league play tonight, ranked 2nd in the Southern Region, hosting Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) at 6 p.m. in the gymnasium.

Speer said, “We are excited to start league play, the Southern Region is going to be tough this year – especially Clackamas.” When asked about what the secret ingredient to success is she said, “90% of it at our level is mentality.”

The Advocate The 2012 NWAACC South Region Champions start off the 2013 season in pursuit of their 10th NWAACC Championship.

This year’s team is looking to reclaim the title they won back in 2011.

They will have to rely on their returning players and hope to have better results

We are excited to start league play, the Southern Region is going to be tough this year – especially Clackamas.

Head coach Chelsie Speer this year after finishing 2012 in 4th place in the NWAACC Championship Tournament.

Throughout the first tournament of the season, the Saints ended up 3-2 with its only losses being to Blue Mountain. They left with the same record after finishing the Spokane tournament three weeks ago. Rachel Woodcock,

2013 Volleyball Schedule Sept. 27 MHCC vs. SWOCC Sept. 28 MHCC vs. Umpqua Oct. 2 MHCC @ Chemeketa Oct. 4 MHCC @ Linn-Benton Oct. 11 MHCC @ Clackamas Oct. 18-19 Green River Crossover Tournament Oct. 23 MHCC vs Linn-Benton

Oct. 25-26 Dorian Harris Classic Tournament Nov. 1 MHCC @ Umpqua Nov. 2 MHCC @ SWOCC Nov. 8 MHCC vs Clackamas Nov. 13 MHCC vs Chemeketa Nov. 21-24 NWAACC Championships (Hosted at MHCC)

2013 NWAACC South Region Standings (as of Sept. 26)

1. Clackamas (16-6) 2. MHCC (13-6) 3. Linn-Benton (13-7)

4. Chemeketa (7-9) 5. SWOCC (4-6) 6. Umpqua (2-15)

2013 Volleyball Stats Leaders Hitting % - Shawna Smith - .390 Kills - Shawna Smith 3.5/game Assists - Rachel Woodcock - 7.5/game (pictured)

Rachel was also honored on the AllTournament Team for Week 1’s Spokane Tournament. Head coach Chelsie Speer said, “Rachel stepped it up for her team … she is very athletic and plays all aspects of the game well.”

2013 Cross Country Schedule October 5th-

Charles Bowles Invitation

10:50 a.m.- Bush Park, Salem, OR

October 12th-

Mike Hodges Cross Country Invite

AdvocateTube

10 a.m.- CCC Campus, Oregon City, OR

October 19th-

Lewis and Clark Invitational

11 a.m.- McIver Park- Estacada, OR

October 26th-

Southern Region Championships 11 a.m.- CCC Campus, Oregon City, OR

November 9th-

NWAACC Championship 11 a.m.- Lewisville State Park, Battleground, WA

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Sept. 27, 2013 8 Sports MHCC resurfaces track after nearly two decades

Smooth track a major improvement

by Aaron Marshall The Advocate After nearly 20 years of seeing the MHCC outdoor running track deteriorate, school athletes, staff and faculty can enjoy a smooth run after the track was completely resurfaced this summer.

The project cost $280,000 and was paid for by the college and Associated Student Government (ASG). The track

was closed for nearly three weeks in August for workers to grind and resurface the track.

The renovations came after increasing complaints about the torn-up track, including runners getting shin splints due to the hard, worn surface.

Now, MHCC athletes and their

coaches are raving about the new, improved rubber track.

“It’s nice to be able to use such optimal facilities. The new surface is very performance-friendly in that it is fast, and training-friendly in that it is impact absorbent and easy on the body,” said Matt Hart, MHCC head coach for cross country and track.

Conditions were so poor that MHCC did not host any collegiate meets on campus in the spring and were forced to always travel for meets.

“This year we are back to regular (track) meet schedules. We are going to host our traditional meets this year (2014),” Hart said. “The early meet is called the Saints Open and the later meet is called the Mt. Hood Track & Field Festival.”

The MHCC track was last resurfaced in 1994 and was fairly similar to the new surface now, Hart said.

Hart and others had long lobbied Mt. Hood to renovate the hardened, cracked surface that also quickly formed puddles during rain. Money was often an issue, before the project got the green light this year.

-

Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Left: The resurfaced track will again allow Mt. Hood to hold collegiate meets next spring. Above: MHCC finshed the track upgrade in August.

“Back in the day, our track and our facilities were top-of-the-line and ranked among the best facilities in the Northwest. Twenty years is a long time to expect a track surface to still be safe, functional and current,” he said.

The eight-lane track is open to the entire community, but students, staff and visitors are asked to stay off when

Sport

SC

NFL HEADLINES THIS WEEK New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs - Can the undefeated Chiefs keep their streak alive against the winless Giants? Giants QB Eli Manning is 6th in the league in passing yards with 931 but also leads the NFL in interceptions with eight. Chiefs up-and-coming outside linebacker Justin Houston has made his presence felt in the league so far, leading with 7.5 sacks on the season. This is the Chiefs’ best start since 2003 when they started the season on a nine-game winning streak before losing to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC divisional round playoffs, 38-31. Kansas City was the NFL’s worst team last season with a 2-14 record.

Seattle Seahawks at Houston Texans - Arguably the best team in the league right now, the Seahawks are red-hot and looking to extend their 3-0 record.

Seattle statistically has the best defense in the league, allowing only nine points and 241 total yards a game. The Texans started the season off strong, after a 21-point comeback against the Chargers in Week One but lost dropped their first game last week to the Baltimore Ravens by 22 points. Star running back Arian Foster has struggled this season with just 190 rushing yards on 49 carries.

Going into Week Four last season, Foster had 294 rushing yards on 79 carries.

Houston’s main reciever target, Andre Johnson, once again is dealing with nagging injuries, this time with soreness in his shin. Two of the best defenses in the league will go head-to-head. The Texans won their last game at home against the Tennessee Titans, 24-17 in overtime.

Philadelphia Eagles at Denver Broncos - There could be a legit argument that Peyton Manning is on his way to the best season of his career. The Broncos are looking like favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl with their play so far. Broncos star linebacker Von Miller remains suspended for another three games. The Broncos have won both their home games so far with ease and are still dealing with injuries, including their best secondary defender, Champ Bailey, who has been questionable for weeks with a foot injury. Starting left tackle Ryan Clady is out for the rest of the season with a Lisfranc foot injury.

The Eagles continue to run their fast-pace offense to work with the second-best total output in the league but have had troubles on defense. Eagles have one of the worst defenses in the league, ranked 30th and allowing 28 points and 438 total yards per game. Which high-powered offense will wind up on top?

The Eagles won the last matchup, dating back to 2009, 30-27.

MHCC teams are using it for practice.

Even after the resurfacing, there still are some concerns according to Hart.

“I’m a little worried about the outdated drainage being problematic later in the year. We updated the track but we still have the same drainage system.”

When track meets return in the spring, there also will be an NCAAcertified camera at the finish line to determine split-second results in close races – literally, photo finishes.

“We’ve had the camera for two years, but since we didn’t have any home meets we never used it,” Hart said.

entral College Football Schedule September 28

#2 Oregon Ducks vs.

California Golden Bears 7:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Oregon State Beavers vs.

Colorado Buffaloes 12 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)