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TV review: Terra Nova, Pan Am and New Girl
October 7, 2011
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Diversity Resource Center still in the works
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Student Resource Guide
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Volume 47, Issue 3
www.Advocate-Online.net
Students have more options for textbooks than they know by Shelby Schwartz and Jill-Marie Gavin The Advocate
Classes have started, financial aid money has been distributed on schedule and yet many students have put off buying textbooks because of the cost. The average student pays over a hundred dollars for books and supplies every term and they only get a portion of that money back, through book buybacks or textbook tradeoffs. The MHCC bookstore has several options to purchase books. They currently offer rental books, new and used books, loose leaf books [with three hole punches that can be inserted into a three-ring binder for reduced cost] and eight titles of eBooks. “EBooks are something the industry is going towards so they are now selling a few selections of eBooks,” said MHCC bookstore manager Julie Godat. The bookstore has recently started selling the Toshiba Thrive tablet, which can be used as an e-Reader. “In the last year we have had a lot of people ask for eBooks,” Godat said, adding that the bookstore has 234 of 800 book titles available for rent. Godat also said the prices students pay at a college bookstore depend on the net price of the book. The prices for book buyers will be the same for all institu-
tions and then a price margin will be added. The price margin is the money that the bookstore makes off of the sale of the book. The percent of added price margin is determined by the price of the book. According to Pauker, the MHCC bookstore sets their profit margin, and each margin varies by institution. For more than three years the added price margin has been 25 percent. Mt Hood Community College offers other resources than in store purchase of new and used text books and eBooks. The college has also created an online system similar to many school’s on campus book trades. The MHCC bookstore’s student trade option is located online. The textbook tradeoff is a solution for students to buy and sell books to other students and set their own prices. To access this service from my.mhcc.edu click the “Student life” tab and under that section it is accessible from the “Textbook Tradeoff” link. Those looking to sell a book should select “Want to Sell,” and those looking to buy should click, “Want to Buy.” Also available for students is the option to post a flier for a book on the bulletin board located in the entrance of the library on campus. Other community colleges in the area, including Clark Community College and Portland Community
College, have student government offices facilitate their own textbook trading and buying systems that help students obtain cash and still get a good deal by offering a student buy and sell option. At both colleges the trade takes place at an on campus location. At PCC Cascade the students are directed to a basement where there are posted lists of books and their student-designated prices. The student service cost for the book exchange is $1 per person, each student can sell up to eight books. Clackamas Community College, according to Student Life and Leadership Adviser Michelle Baker, has been operating since before she started there 11 years ago. Their exchange is open through the second week of classes in fall, winter, and spring term. The exchange is closed during the summer term. MHCC currently does not have a student-run or student-government-run service for buying and selling textbooks on campus. Associated Student Government President Jackie Altamirano said: “We have something planned for winter term, it will be called “Book Swap” it will be on a Saturday before the term starts. The future exchange will be before the term begins and again after the term ends.
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Clackamas Community College MT. Hood Portland Community Clackamas College Cascade Community College Community College MT. Hood Portland Community Community College College Cascade
$67.70 $64.35 $56.35 $177.75 $177.70 $173.05 Average price for Writing 121 Textbook
Average price for Biology 101 Textbook
MHCC interim president faces financial aid and budget challenges by Jill-Marie Gavin The Advocate
Michael Hay had barely begun his term as interim president of Mt. Hood Community College this summer before facing his first major challenge: dealing with problems in the distribution of financial aid. Students were having to wait longer than usual for funds. Hay said it was “definitely a challenge” but that the college has improved the system significantly since the problems arose. To address the problem, Hay said the Financial Aid Office added more full-time and part-time employees and borrowed workers from other departments to meet the need. He also said financial aid still has a ways to go. Hay did say that timely submission of materials by students is critical and those who applied on time got
Mt. Hood Community College
their aid on time, with some exceptions. Asked how the rest of his summer has been in his new position, Hay said the summer term, when some believe the campus turns into a ghost town, was actually a very lively time for Mt. Hood. With 8,000-plus students on campus, he said it provided a good start in his new position. And, according to Hay, as of the first Monday of fall classes there was about 11,500 students registered. Hay said this is about dead even with last years enrollment, and in fact we are up 1.3 percent in full time equivalent students. This is contrary to projections of the board last year which stated enrollment would be down. Regarding the operation of on-campus services, Hay said his background in retail gives him a dislike for lines. He said the bookstore is much more tolerable this year
and if lines are moving, people are more likely to be happy than if they are at a standstill. His aspirations have not been limited to recovering from blunders of past leaders. Hay said he chooses not to look into the past to see what needs to be fixed but would rather look ahead to see what can be achieved. He said he would like his talent pool — college faculty and staff — to help him reach individual students and help them achieve their aspirations. Hay said, “I want the college to be student-centric and I appreciate all the students who have decided to attend MHCC, because I know they could have gone somewhere else.” His goals for education are to cater to student expectations and specific needs for future employment.
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Gresham, Oregon
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Editorial
Are you aware of textbook buying options? Every year we hear the same complaints from students, “my text books are too expensive!” Every year we also hear a minority voice counter this complaint, “I bought my book used online for half price.” This may cause one to wonder if the bookstore prices are so unreasonable, why students are ignoring the discounted alternative. Convenience may be a partial answer. It is important to take into account that financial aid charge is available at the beginning of the term before disbursement, but some do choose to forgo having a book at the beginning of the term and dedicate time to catching up later in the interest of saving money. Many of the same voices crying out against unreasonable prices are the ones settling for one outlet of sale. Students at other colleges have taken initiative to find a way to help each other save money. Clackamas Community College and Portland Community College student government offices have devised their own systems that help students hold on to their precious and scarce resources by offering a web of inter-student book sales. It you are wondering why hasn’t anyone at Mt. Hood Community College ventured outside of the tired library bulletin board and implemented a similar system? Then don’t fret coming winter term MHCC’s Associated Student Government will start what is called a “Book Swap” which will allow stu-
dents to set their own prices and buy, sell and trade with other MHCC students. ASG will facilitate the event and offer a place for students to do this before and after the term. Outside of this future system that will soon be set into place there are also various options available online to save money. There are book-renting sites and sites that sell used books at a fraction of the bookstore price. These sites include but are not limited to Amazon and Powell’s, which are local favorites; Students may want to try a Tablet computer or an eReader to help cut the costs of books as well. Although with some textbooks they have so much data that they cannot fit onto an eReader and must be loaded onto a laptop or a computer, which for some may defeat the purpose of an eReader, which is to provide books in a compact piece of equipment. Some alternatives will not work for buying textbooks outside of the campus bookstore as some books are specific or custom for one college or another so there little chance that a student will be able to find it on Amazon or another book retailer. Whether you decide to buy an eReader, look at websites or bookstores that sell used books or stick to buying in the campus bookstore. There are many options for purchasing textbooks, but students need to do their research before purchasing so they may get the most bang for their buck.
Hispanic heritage month:
Heritage is not a cause for celebration, but it should be by Mike Mata The Advocate
Starting Sept. 15 and going through Oct. 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, which started back in 1968, a month of significance for the largest minority in the U.S. As a part of the aforementioned minority, it would be natural that I join in the festivities and celebration of a very bright and diverse culture. But I don’t. I honestly didn’t find out about Hispanic Heritage Month until last year. It was never a priority for me because I’ve hardly ever identified as Hispanic. Or Latino. Or even Mexican. Yet, I am all of those things. You see, I’m half Mexican and half Sicilian and I was not raised in what one might consider a typical Mexican-American upbringing. I never spoke Spanish, either at home or at school, because English is my first and, currently, only language. My mother, who is the second generation of our family to be born in the U.S., brought me up in what anyone would consider to be typical white middle class suburbia. My friends, who were almost all white, would refer to me as “whitewashed” because I fit none of the stereotypes of Mexicans. For all intents and purposes, I’m white with a nice year-round olive tan. To celebrate what little festivity I feel towards my heritage, I generally: look at paintings by Frida Kahlo and Diego Riviera, listen to The Mars Volta and watch “La Bamba”. These pinpoints of culture hold value to me because they showcase the brighter points of Hispanics in the last couple of hundred years. I also make a habit of seeking out the best Mexican food I can. No Taco Bell or Del Taco here, I’m talk-
ing taking a leap of faith and eating at the mobile taco trucks. It’s definitely a risk, but the food tastes great. Once a year, I’ll also make a pilgrimage to the waterfront during Cinco de Mayo, but I do my upmost to get my authentic food and split. But with all the stereotyping and passive discrimination I’ve heard heaped on Mexicans, while at times holding a kernel of truth, has always made me uncomfortable; partly because I’m part Mexican and many of the people who’ve said disparaging things about Mexicans seem to forget that. Also because I sometimes agree with them. I think it is important for immigrants to speak English, to make an effort to learn the customs and to incorporate American culture into their own. Not to strip away their identity, but to make life easier for them and their families in a new country. My point to all this personal rambling? Diversity increasingly comes in new and, dare I say, diverse forms. I may be ethnically different from the majority of people, yet the way I act is in line with the ethnic majority, the white folks. Growing up, I wasn’t aware that I was any different. Yet, as I became older and more aware, I noticed differences. I noted that while walking down the street, holding hands with a white girl, I would get sidelong, almost disapproving, glances from some people. Nothing was ever said, but hey, actions speak louder than words. But the stereotypes go both ways. When running a register at work, I would have Mexicans form up in my line expecting me to speak Spanish to them. And when I didn’t, they were confused or upset. But I could still understand what they were saying, not all of it nice. To bring it back around to my original point, diversity is important to recognize, but it’s equally important to recognize that diversity is not just looking different. It’s about the culture you live and the lifestyle you choose.
the advocate Editor-in-Chief Jill-Marie Gavin
Assistant Associate Editors John Tkebuchava & Mike Mata
Sports Editor Chanel Hill
Living Arts Editor David Gambill
Assistant Living Arts Editor Kylie Rogers
Columbus day is an inappropriate holiday by Jill-Marie Gavin The Advocate
Columbus day, a federal holiday tracing back to 1937, is this Monday. Why is it still a holiday? Ignoring the fact that Columbus mistreated the locals of a new land, the history is often misrepresented by elementary school teacher’s nation-wide. He didn’t even “discover” America. Columbus may have sparked the European invasion of already existing civilizations on pre-discovered land but he didn’t land in today’s United States. He actually landed somewhere in the present day Caribbean islands initially and later he visited present day Cuba. Another reason we shouldn’t be celebrating him is simple, he doesn’t deserve it. Paying homage to a man who stumbled upon an unknown land and exploited its indigenous people is disrespectful to natives of any continent. In the thirties all the way up to the seventies it’s clear why this type of holiday would be celebrated without question, but in our modern times you would think that common sense would point out the obvious problem with its federal status. If Hitler were an American would we still have his name on our Mt. Hood Community College planner pages? Many groups have moved to abolish this holiday to no avail. Instead of trying to erase it, because if it disappears then no one will ever know the injustice of its existence to begin with, we should transform it into something that can begin to heal the hard feelings that still exist among Native communities towards Europeans and European descendents. Minorities everywhere hear that they should just get over the ill deeds of the past because dwelling on these things just bring negativity. I’ve heard many times that I’ve heard time and time again that Native Americans are complaining about the hardships of long gone ancestors and they should let it go because they’re no longer affected. Present day Natives are still dealing with the aftershock of the mistreatment embedded in their family trees. So instead of telling members of a “previously” oppressed race to just get over it, why not extend a helping hand and offer a solution that will help heal the bitterness that still looms in many households. To fix a problem one must first admit there is a problem. Anyone from Alcohol Anonymous can testify that denial is the hardest stage to move through. Admitting this holiday is a problem will allow the general public to move forward. But, instead of erasing the existence of this day, we as a nation can show we acknowledge Columbus Day was a mistake to begin with by transforming it into something positive. This would show the people affected by this historical tyrant the respect they deserve. This idea has been around some time and hasn’t yet been actualized, but that doesn’t keep people from turning Columbus Day into a family day to educate and remember the victims of this land. So until a movement can gain enough momentum to officially change the name of this federal holiday, please dedicate Monday, and all remaining Columbus Days, to paying homage to people who fell at the blade of a greedy invader, rather than praise the man holding the sword. Submissions
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Photo by John Tkebuchava/The Advocate
Michael Hay went on a campus-walk Oct. 5 to stop by the most trafficked spots on campus, such as the bookstore to check line length and make sure his staff was doing well.
He said the college needs to look ahead and think about the future of their programs, such as organizational health, and consider all of the room for improvement in the quickly evolving fields. “Students can now expect to hold anywhere from seven to nine careers in their lifetime,” said Hay, “and MHCC needs to carry relevant programs that resonate with today and tomorrow. Today is a much more transient world and the college should be catering to that.” Hay said it is important to come up with new products for the customers, the students, and add new twists on already existing products. He wants to focus on efficient expansion and contraction: expansion of programs that are working and contraction of programs that are not yielding desired effects. Hay also mentioned types of cutting edge programs he would like to see on campus. He said he is excited of the indicated direction that health informatics and the gaming program project for the college. Hay said it is more than just the cool factor that they give but also the progressive aspect that he appreciates He said he understands budget limitations and went into detail about the challenges faced by the college caused by legislative changes in fund disbursement to public educational institutions. Hay said the old method paid community colleges based on enrollment but newly implemented laws will be result-based. He said according to new laws, the state will change the education funding criteria. Now eligibility for funds will require the college to increase completion of degrees to 50 percent, Hay said. He also said this has caused him to push staff to create plans with students on how to plot a path to success. The new requirements are based on economic good for Oregon, which includes employment rate, Hay said. He said the reasoning for this is to prove that students are
getting degrees and then getting jobs where employers appreciate their work. The second requirement, Hay said, is community interface, which has not been defined how it will be measured but will include how many registered voters in the immediate area there are. It also includes the crime rate of the area and how active the community is in outreach and public aid. Hay said this system would drastically change the percentage of state funding the college receives each year. After Hay talked about the budget woes of the college, he said that working at MHCC has been great and it has been a positive change in his life and is a pretty noble profession. He said his job has been engaging and has made him felt connected and involved with the community. Concerning hiring a permanent president, Hay said the district board will make definitive hiring criteria available by late October or early November and it will then begin the hiring process. Hay said he intends to apply for the position. The position was opened up by the departure of former college president John Sygielski, who decided to step down last year after three years on the job. Sygielski now holds a similar post in Harrisburg, Penn. Hay was selected as his temporary replacement. Hay has been at the college for three years and that helped him apply for the temporary position. Hay previously served as the vice president of technology but before heading to MHCC he worked two jobs in the same field, working for three years with Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco as executive of client and platform engineering. Before working for Kaiser Hay was the senior director of network infrastructures at Gap, Inc. Hay graduated from the University of Southern California and before that was a community college graduate in Santa Barbara, Calif.
After a year of effort the diversity council is stuck at a stand still by John Tkebuchava The Advocate
The Associated Student Government and the Diversity Council have kicked off the new school year by advocating a new diversity focus for MHCC. The “Diversity Resource Center” is one project in particular that ASG has supporting. The diversity center is something that ASG and the Diversity Council have had in the works for over a year now and made significant steps last year by drafting numerous proposals to provide funding and space for the center. “It really picked up steam after winter term,” said Bryan Ardell, who was a member of last year’s Diversity
A new possibility changes everything. WARNERPACIFIC.EDU PORTLAND, OR
Council and one of the founders of the center idea. “Once winter term hit, direction crystallized clearly,” he said. William Miller, who is the ASG director of diversity, said that though nothing has yet been confirmed and it is unknown when a center might open, they will continue to discuss the plan as the year progresses. As to the purposes of the center and what it would provide students, Ardell said, “Initially, it was to provide a safe place for underrepresented students to relax. Now we think it will also be a resource hub for them to utilize.” “We’re hoping to have some place on campus where people of any ethnicity can feel comfortable,” he said. Ardell was personally fond of that aspect. “As of the majority, I would like to expand my knowledge of other groups and cultures.” Miller said, “It would allow them to come in and get resources and information in regards to diversity on campus and have an open library to access diversity information.” “We’re all diverse and it’s important to include and not exclude,” said Miller. To keep the ball rolling from last year’s progress, Ardell, who drafted many of the proposals, said a new proposal could be presented by the end of the term. If the diversity center is to be created, Miller said they’re thinking it would be open once a week.
Ardell is not a part of the Diversity Council, though he was asked to be the new director of diversity; he accepted at first but was later forced to step down due to time constraints. Nonetheless, Ardell remains a helping hand in hopes to make the diversity center a reality. “I’m just a passionate volunteer,” Ardell said. “Its something we’re all really passionate about.” “Hopefully by the end of the term we can make a new proposal with new revisions,” said Ardell. Finding space for the potential Diversity Resource Center has been one of the issues ASG and the Diversity Council have had problems with when proposing the idea. “In order to make space, we have to make compromises with our other spaces,” said Ardell. “Last year our goal was to have a space (for the center) but unfortunately that didn’t come to fruition. But we did make a lot of networks (with people) and make a lot of allies,” said Ardell. In response to when he thinks the diversity center can be successfully created, Ardell said, “I would say our goal is always this year. To get this done as soon as we can,” though he added that there are always uncertainties. “I almost feel like the college owes it (the center) to students,” said Ardell, “They owe it to provide students with something that really highlights and glorifies the special and amazingly diverse student body.” In regard to who he would hope to see at the center, Williams said, “Everyone. I want to see everyone coming.”
‘Is college worth it?’ discussion Wednesday The first political forum of the year will discuss “Is Education Worth It?” next Thursday. The panel consisting of three MHCC faculty members and two forensic students will speak for five minutes each followed by comments and questions from the audience. The forum is open to MHCC staff, students, faculty, administration and community members. Political science instructor Janet Campbell came
to MHCC in 1991 and began the forums in 2000 to a sense of community between staff and students. Range of turnout for the forums may span from five to 40 people. The forum will take place 3:10 to 4 p.m. Oct. 13 in the Bob Scott room in the library. The next forum will discuss whether free speech applies to social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter.
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Oct. 7, 2011
Fall TV Off Campus Review
Your weekly reason to stand up and hit the streets
Oct. 10 ASG will hold a Club Fair from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Main Mall. This year’s fair will be Halloween-themed. Active clubs will at the fair giving information about their organizations.
Oct. 11 Club Fair from noon to 1 p.m. in the Main Mall
Oct. 12 Club Fair from noon to 1 p.m. in the Main Mall Student Success Seminars, “Choosing A Major,” to be held in the Career Planning and Counseling Center, Room AC1152.
by Laura Knudson the Advocate
The Advocate reviews three new shows available now It’s that time of year again. Fall brings the traditional morning scramble to get to class on time, you scowl at the rain on your drive home from work and the inevitable homework looms in the back of your mind. But at the end of the day, all you want to do is plop down in front of the television with a cup of hot chocolate and give your brain a rest. Those looking for a TV escape will be happy to know that The Advocate has sifted through and evaluated some of the fall premieres.
Oct. 13 The Portland Blind Café will be offering the first of three nights of dinners in complete darkness. The vegan meals will take place at the Tabor Space of Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5441 Belmont Ave. Check in is 6:30 p.m. with seating at 7 p.m. Tickets for each dinner are $35 for students with ID and must be purchased in advance. The three-course diner will be accompanied by live music. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.theblindcafe.com.
Oct. 14 Taste over 50 varieties of apples at the Portland Nursery “Apple Tasting October 2011,” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will also be held Oct. 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23. The Portland Nursery is located at 5050 SE Stark, Portland. This event is free.
“Pan Am” glamorizes the life of stewardesses in the 1960s. The ladies are the face of a prosperous America. With everything from the plane to the people being clean and pristine, “Pan Am” presents a polished visual of the 1960s where every character seems to be on top of the world. But intertwined in this portrayal of the jet age there lies jealousy, secrets and affairs. These aspects however do not darken the mood that is confident and adventurous. The characters are beautiful, as seen through their many slow motion group walks through the airport; the women are nearly talking Barbie dolls subject to weight checks and required to wear a girdle. This seems to be the only downside of their profession since they get to see the world.
The plot of the pilot episode takes its time to unravel, offering flashbacks into the lives of the characters. It is becoming evident that the women cannot escape much – even 30,000 feet up. Thus far, “Pan Am” is like “Desperate Housewives” in the air, only with less scandal. All the women seem to have a secret. The pilot episode gives glimpses of Maggie (Christina Ricci) as being exceptionally smart and almost ill-fitted for her stewardess job. Another is runaway bride Laura (Margo Robbie) flying alongside her sister Kate (Kelli Garner) who is apparently working for some government on secret missions through her job. It is possible that may frame the plot for the season. Now let’s get one thing straight: “Pan Am” is no “Mad Men.” It takes a different tone and gives a positive out-
look on the time period and corny dialogue an face emotions. Overall, “Pan Am appealing setting and in contrast to today’s If only we had jazzy ’ playing as we strutte street. The show depic of the second-wave f girls in the show as a “ be interesting to see th characters become mo picks up speed. “Pan Am” airs 10 p
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A Users Guide For those looking to mix things up this fall with a quirky new sitcom, or just have nothing better to do, invest some time into “New Girl.” It tells the classic tale of Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) who walks in on her cheating boyfriend and finds herself in need of a new place. She answers a craigslist apartment ad posted by three bonehead dudes who agree after discovering her BFF (Best Friend Forever) is a model. However, Jess isn’t like your normal brokenhearted, hot mess of a girl. Jess is a nerdy teacher regularly sporting blackrimmed glasses. She stays positive (after some therapy involving watching “Dirty Dancing” seven times a day while sobbing), and is ready to get back out in the dating world. Luckily, she lives with three guys who appear to know nothing about women but can hopefully still help her break her socially awkward habits. Her crazy behavior involves narrating her every move through song. And we aren’t talking about a sweet sounding cover for “Sugar Town.” Her roommates range from Schmidt (Max Green-
field), a wannabe ladies man, to Lamorne Morris (Winston Bishop), who goes by “Coach,” backed up by Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) who suffered a “recent” break up six months prior. The three clash due to an extreme difference in personalities and it can be expected that Coach will only stop yelling long enough for Schmidt to put money in the apartment “douche bag” jar. All seem slightly put off by Jess’s weirdness, yet find her lovable. Upon Jess moving in, in the first episode the four become instantly buddy-buddy while adjusting to the new living situation and each other. The guys help Jess find a rebound but, at the conclusion of the pilot, honorably leave what they think to be the party of the year to go meet her after she is stood up. This touching display of brotherly love sets up a series where the guys will probably learn as much from Jess as she does from them. If you laugh easily and can get past the annoying theme song that Jess repeats throughout the show, then “New Girl” is a must-see sitcom. The show airs 9 p.m. Tuesdays on FOX.
d, overdoing it with some weak nd so far sticking to sur-
m” has an d lifestyle s society. ’60s music ed down the cts the beginning feminism, labeling the “new breed of women.” It will he direction the show takes as the ore developed and the story line
p.m. Sundays on ABC.
The year is 2149 and Earth has long been in an economic crisis. The air is toxic, the view of the sky long forgotten, and even an orange is rare to find. A lucky few have been recruited or win a random drawing get the chance to leave Earth and start anew in Terra Nova, 85 million years in the past. After serving two years in jail, main character Jim Shannon (Jason O’Mara) escapes from jail and meets his family just in time to enter the “time stream” that will take them to Terra Nova.
The family endures small struggles like adjusting to sunlight, real food and new jobs. The oldest daughter is your typical intelligent student. The son Josh is, of course, mad at Jim for going to jail for two years and becomes rebellious and disobedient. While skipping Orientation, Josh meets up with a group of local teens headed by a brave independent girl who lures him into the jungle to swim and drink. Conflict strikes once they are “OTG” (outside the gates). Gasp! They come across “6ers” – travelers to Terra Nova from the 6th pil-
grimage who rebelled. Vicious dinosaurs called Slashers then attack the teens. Terra Nova resembles “Lost” and “Jurassic Park,” yet has a “family sticks together” air about it. It’s no “Avatar” but the graphics seem to get the job done. Many mysteries are introduced, including strange markings on the rocks outside the perimeter of the camp. The commander of Terra Nova also has a missing son and both people and dinosaurs pose a threat. Paradise doesn’t seem so sweet anymore. Terra Nova airs 8 p.m. Mondays on FOX.
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Saint’s volleyball team must get vocal Photo by Mike Mata/The Advocate
Sophomore Demi Belshe cheering on her team while giving high-fives to teammate, freshman Kelsey Merritt at practice Wednesday night.
By Chanel Hill The Advocate
All the cheers, chants and yells roaring from the MHCC gymnasium at Wednesday night’s volleyball practice proved one thing. The Saints volleyball team has the lip service on the court to get the job done. Something head coach Chelsie Speer says has not carried into matches, and has largely contributed to recent losses. “We didn’t play as a team, there was no communicating, and there was a lot of people looking around and not doing their jobs,” said head coach Chelsie Speer Wednesday, referring to the Saints recent loss to the Oregon Tech Owls October, 4. The Saints fell to the Owls in three straight games (25-21, 25-23, 25-16), after a close second game where the Saints lead by five points. But, a lack of communication and momentum allowed for a quick comeback for the Owls that bled into an easy game three victory and a match loss for the Saints.
With a roster of six returners, experience on the court is not an issue for the Saints. But, recent player injuries and position changes has caused the team, at times to stay in their own heads and panic when under pressure said Speer. “They are going into panic mode when things don’t go right,” she added. Something Speer says may be a symptom of the Saints second place finish in last season’s NWAACC tournament. “I think the reminder of that can get in the way for the sophomores. To get so close and not take it, the girls don’t want to feel that again and they are worried about where they are going to end, and aren’t playing one match at a time.” said Speer. September 30, the Saints faced the Linn-Benton Roadrunner’s on the road and fell to the Roadrunner’s for the second time this season, losing the match in threestraight games (25-20,25-21,25-12). Again, a lack of communication on the floor proved a factor with the Saints who dropped momentum in game
three. “It’s one of those strange things, the girls will be vocal at every practice leading up to a match. But once they are on the court and drop the first two games, it’s like there is a lack of fight,” said Speer. Despite the loss the Saints showed effort with sophomore Devan Belshe and freshmen Casi Johnson leading the offense with eight-match kills each. The Saints are currently tied with the Clackamas Cougars in the number two seed position in the Southern region with a 3-1 record, and a 13-3 overall record going into tonight’s game against the Cougars who are 3-1 in the Southern region with an 18-10 overall record. The Saints, who have faced early season adversity, will head to Clackamas tonight with communication being the key objective for success in the Cougar’s house. “This team needs to somehow keep that mental toughness and learn what being resilient really means. They need to calm down and take it a little at a time,” said Speer. The Saints’ match against the Cougars tonight will start at 7 p.m.
Cross country works to eliminate off season rust By John Tkebuchava The Advocate
After nearly two weeks out from competitions, the MHCC cross country team was thrown right back in the fray Saturday at the Charles Bowles Invitational in Salem, where several athletes broke personal lifetime records. Among the standouts included sophomore Gabriela Diaz, who broke her personal best with a time of 19:30 in the women’s 5K race, their first 5K of the season, and was also the MHCC team’s highest finisher, racing her way into 74th place of the 223 participants. Freshman Christa Collmer was not far behind Diaz, finishing in 20:33. “I have been doing decent in my races, but I want to break 19 minutes in the race and hope to do so soon,” said Diaz. “I think the girls are doing well this year. They are all pushing themselves to better themselves and have come far since the beginning of the season. I think we will do well at NWAACCs this year,” she said. On the men’s side, they once again ran the standard 8K race and although very few managed to beat their previous bests, head coach Matt Hart was by no means put off by the performance. “On the guys side, we were consistent
with our other meet,” said Hart, even with the slower times. Asked whether the difficulty of the course may have been a factor, Hart rejected that as a potential cause saying, “There’s some hills, but that’s cross country.” “They’re still at another level than last year. They’re just still discovering what level they’re at. They need to start believing that they can be there,” Hart said. “But they ran well, I wouldn’t say it was a bad race. They stayed consistent. They just need to compete as aggressively as they do in practice,” he said. Freshman Kyle Williams seemed to have a similar perspective. “The course was pretty tough but I think it had more to do with confidence since a few of us did better than the Sundodger (the season’s first meet in Seattle) so it’s hard to say,” he said. As for the women’s team overall, Hart said their performance was promising. “All three of our top girls PR’d,” said Hart. “Christa never did cross country before. She was a track girl,” he said about Collmer. Hart said there is still some practice ahead, adding, “We’re still working on some fitness with some other women.” Sophomore Chris Newell was the top
Photo contributed by Matt Hart
Sophomore Gabriela Diaz competing in the women’s 5k at the Charles Bowles Invitational in Salem.
finisher on the men’s side with a time of 26:49 followed by sophomores Jonathon Butcher, 27:03, Donnie Coulson, 27:33, Wes Hughes, 28:41, and freshmen Kyle Williams, 29:51, and Robert Hanke, 31:21. Diaz was the top finisher on the women’s side with a time of 19:30, followed by freshman Collmer, 20:33, sophomores Jennifer Tina (20:51) and Andrea Beseda (22:29) and freshmen Molly Scoles, 23:50, Mariah Crumpler, 24:02, Katie Brokaw, 25:17 and Bianca Jimenez, 25:21. Asked where he thinks his teams stand in the conference, especially with the NWAACC preview meet Thursday in
Everett (results unavailable at press time), Hart said, “It doesn’t matter where our teams are, as long as we improve.” “We’ve only had two races, so in terms of where we’re at in our conference, its hard to judge,” he said. “I am very excited to run at Everett since it will be where NWAACCs will be held. This way I know what to expect when the most important race comes,” said Diaz. “I think we’ll be more competitive at a conference meet,” said Williams. The cross country team will head to Clackamas Community College for the annual Mike Hodges Invitational meet Oct. 14.
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MHCC Gresham campus held evacuation drills Oct. 5
Photo by Riley Hinds/ The Advocate
Students were asked to leave their class rooms and move 300 ft. away from the nearest building. Once at 11:10 a.m. and again once at 7 p.m. on the main campus
Textbooks:
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The Book Swap will happen in the College Center, Altimirano said. She also mentioned, students will set their own prices, and there will be no fee paid by Students to ASG, only students to students, ASG’s role will be to facilitate and provide refreshments. Instead of paying high bookstore prices on campus students can review online resources or personal connections. Amazon.com or other reliable websites may make pur-
chasing an eReader to upload textbooks more simple and less costly than the bookstore. Borrowing or buying from a friend could also be an unreviewed option. Other options students may explore are looking on Craigslist, or posting on Facebook or Twitter. After the term ends in order to make money for the following term or just to have on hand the bookstore does offer one solution for students seeking quick cash.
During finals week the bookstore offers book buyback for students. The MHCC bookstore buyback is only available at the end of every term and during the first week of classes. According to MHCC bookstore Book buyer Carol Pauker, the bookstore offers 50 percent of the price of a new or used book back to the student if the book is going back on the shelf in the MHCC bookstore. “We have a third party company that buys books nationally; they pay 30% to nothing for textbooks,” Pauker said. However, if a third party buys the book, a student can receive less than 50 percent of the book’s price, Pauker said. Pauker also said that there must be a demand for the book, if she only sold two she cannot buy back 40, buying back also depends on what edition teachers are using.
Public Safety publishes typo online On September 30, the Mt. Hood Community College Public Safety office released a crime statistics report under a mistaken name. The name of the report and on the MHCC website and in The Advocate news brief was the Clergy report. The name of the national report is actually the Clery report. By Oct. 1 the report must be made public record. The report may be found at the edited url www.mhcc.edu/CleryReport.
photo by Mario Rubio /The Advocate
Public Safety ready to ticket
Parking permit kiosks now at MHCC by John Tkebuchava The Advocate
After issues with the parking permit kiosks on the first day of permit enforcement, Oct. 5, MHCC decided to delay enforcement and started to hand out citations for infractions yesterday instead. Maggie Huffman, the director of communications, said that problems with the kiosks were due to an apparent “bug”. Huffman said that the problem arose when MHCC initially planned to install machines that had been used by Portland State University, but then realized the machines would not come in on time. “When it appeared that
PSU’s new machines would not arrive in time for us to install their recycled machines, we ordered new machines. The new machines were delivered to the Gresham campus last week and installed on Oct. 3. The machines were de-bugged Tuesday and Wednesday and put into operation Thursday morning,” said Huffman in an email. The kiosks dispense only day passes for $3 and the machines accept both cash and card. One thing that should be noted is the kiosks only except exact change, for example, students can not pay with a $5 bill). There are two kiosks installed at the Health and Physical Educations building and near the flag poles.
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Student Resources Food Banks Crossroads Cupboard 2407 NE 102nd Ave. Portland, Or. 503-257-9345 -Offers food boxes for families and individuals, call for distribution days Sno-Cap/Rockwood Church 17805 SE Stark St. Portland, Or. 97233 503-674-8785
Clothing Closests Anawim 19626 NE Glisan St. Gresham, Or. 503-888-4453 Francis Center 6535 SE 82nd Ave. Portland, Or. 97266 503-775-6784 -Free clothing for those that qualify.
The Department of Health and Human Services
Dental and Health Services -Discount and sliding scale dental services MHCC Dental Clinic 26000 SE Stark St. Gresham, Or. 97030 503-491-7176 -Offers free healthcare to all unisured Oregonians under 19 Oregon Healthy Kids www.oregonhealthykids.gov 1-877-314-5678
For Students with/ Children, Gresham Branch 912 NE Kelly Ave. Gresham, Or. 97030 503-491-1979 Pregnancy Resource Center 104 NW 11th St. Gresham, Or. 97030 503-666-6527
Pet Services
Gresham Branch 912 NE Kelly Ave. Gresham, Or. 97030 503-491-1979
Oregon Humane Society 1067 NE Columbia Blvd. Portland, Or. 97211 503-285-7722 Ext. 211
-Employment Related Day Care -Temporary Assistance For Need Families -Domestic Violence Grants
-Free spay neuter and pet food for homeless and needy pet owners, call for details
Scholarship Week Oct. 10 Get help with applying for scholarships and recieve info about Foundation scholarships. 2-3pm in the Jazz Cafe: AC 2059
Oct. 11 Meet with members of Rho Theta for a Q & A on in-house and outside scholarship opportunities. 3-4pm in Town and Gown: AC 2057
Oct. 12
Oct.13
Learn how and when to apply for Oregon Student Assistance Commision (OSAC) scholarships. 12-1:30pm in the Jazz Cafe.
MHCC’s Elisabeth Perry teaches you how to write a personal statement for your scholarship.