Independent Student Voice of MHCC
Volume 52, Issue 5 OCTOBER 20, 2017 advocate-online.net
Law hangs up texting and driving PAGE 2
Hollywood monsters revealed PAGE 3
No fright at FrightTown PAGE 6
PERALTA EMPHASIZES EQUITY PAGE 4
Skeletal remains found on MHCC campus PAGE 8
2016 FIRST PLACE
General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association
OPINION EDITORIAL
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
UNABLE TO SHUT UP AND DRIVE? FINE $$ Oct. 1 brought a big change, not only for MHCC students, but for all Oregon drivers. House Bill 2597 was passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed by the governor earlier this year, and fixed a huge hole in the existing cell phone law regarding motorists. Basically, before this month, you couldn’t make phone calls or texts from your phone while driving; however, anything else, from watching YouTube, swiping through Tinder, or playing an enthralling round of Clash of Clans, was fair game. So, until now you could do anything on your phone while driving, except making or receiving a phone call or sending text message. With the new bill, you still may use your phone for making calls while behind the wheel, but are very limited. You can use hands-free devices (Bluetooth headsets) and you can also use speakerphone or a voice text app as long as you’re not holding the phone – but you can’t hold the phone as you drive. You also can’t “touch” the phone while you’re driving. You can do a quick swipe left, or a
Editor-in-Chief Matana McIntire Associate Editor News Editor Greg Leonov Co-Arts & Entertainment Editors Ryan Moore Noah Guillen
quick button press to start your music player app, for example, but you can’t hold the phone and scroll through your Facebook or respond to someone via Twitter. If you want or need to use your phone to make a call or text without a hands-free device, or you need to interact with an app in a significant way, such as scrolling through social media or playing a game, you now must pull the vehicle over, and put it in park. You don’t have to turn the car completely off, but you must be pulled over safely – not just stopped at a red light or stop sign. Keep in mind, too, that this new law applies to all electronic d e v i c e s , i n c l u d i n g Graphic by Bethany Lange tablets, cameras, smartwatches and GPS devices such as Garmin or Tom-Tom. You can still use your phone to dial 911 in an emergency situation, but only if you are the only person in the car able to do so. With the new changes, we thought it would be important to let you all know what to expect and to answer some common questions that people might have.
Sports Editor Position Open Graphic Design Team Prisma Flores Jonathan Diaz Quirarte Amy Welch Nicole Meade Bethany Lange Photo Editor Fletcher Wold
Opinion Editor Donovan Sargent
Photo Team Fadi Shahin Andy Carothers
Web Editor Dusty Sargent
Video Team
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Cory Wiese Megan Hayes
Q: CAN I USE A NAVIGATION, MUSIC OR OTHER APP WHILE I’M DRIVING? A: Yes, you can use whatever apps you want to; however, you just can’t be touching the phone or interacting with it in any real way.
Q: CAN I CHECK OUT TWITTER OR FACEBOOK WHILE I’M DRIVING? A: No, you need to pull over before using any app that requires you scrolling through or doing anything more than a quick one-time tap or swipe.
Q: ARE OTHER GPS DEVICES ALL RIGHT TO USE? A: Absolutely, but you have the same restrictions of pulling over to a safe location, and putting your car into park, before picking up the device.
Q: DOES THIS LAW COVER OTHER THINGS, LIKE EATING, PUTTING ON MAKEUP OR DRINKING SODA? A: No, this only covers electronic devices.
Q: CAN I LISTEN TO MUSIC, AUDIOBOOKS, PODCASTS OR OTHER AUDIO ON MY PHONE WHILE I’M DRIVING? A: Sure, but you can’t mess with the phone while you’re driving, so make sure you’re playing it on an app that doesn’t require you to hit buttons to change tracks or make selections and can auto-play on its own without you touching the phone. Q: CAN I TYPE IN A PHONE NUMBER INTO MY CALLING APP, OR AN ADDRESS INTO MY NAVIGATION APP? A: No, you must pull over before typing anything into your phone.
?? Nick Krane Gabriel Donaldson Miguel De La Rosa Ad Managers Megan Phelps Yen Le Social Media Manager Cassie Wilson Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst Staff Writers Antonio Edwards Hanna Benson Summer Frickey Maddy Sanstrum
Q: HOW MUCH OF A FINE IS IT IF I FORGET, AND USE MY PHONE? A: For first-time offenders who break the law but didn’t cause an accident, the presumptive (usual) fine is $260, but, depending on the circumstances, they could face a maximum fine of $1,000. A second-time offender or one who did cause a crash is looking at a presumptive fine of $435, with a max of $2,500. If you mess up for a third (and any subsequent) offense in a 10-year span, you are in for real trouble, with the fine starting at $2,000, and the offense is considered a misdemeanor crime and could mean jail time. To boil things down, this is a
bill that affects anyone with a car and a cell phone. If you’re driving and want to make or receive calls, make sure to get a hands-free device in order to make them. If you want to use your phone for any reason and need to hold or touch it to do so, pull over to a safe place and put your car in park. Some people think of these laws as inconvenient, but they are an important change to help keep people safe. The Oregon Department of Transportation’s Distracted Driving Task Force found that over 4,000 crashes in Oregon just during 2014 were caused by distracted driving. It also found that roughly 75 percent of drivers admitted to driving distracted at some point. Source Articles: http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index. ssf/2017/09/oregons_new_distracted_driving. html http://www.wweek.com/news/2017/09/19/oregon-drivers-are-no-longer-allowed-to-hold-cellphones-while-driving-starting-oct-1/ http://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-distracted-driving-law-cellphones-cars/ http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/ news/2017/09/18/oregon-cell-phone-distracted-driving-law-brings-bigger-fines-jailtime/677565001/ https://cdllife.com/2017/oregons-new-distracted-driving-law-in-effect-october-1st/ http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/ news/2017/09/25/what-you-need-know-oregons-new-distracted-driving-cell-phonelaw/690040001/
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Bethany McCurley Kyle Vanooker Logan Hertner Steven Rousseau Kente Bates
Contact us! E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Phone: 503-491-7250 Website: advocate-online.net Twitter: @MHCCAdvocate Facebook: facebook.com/TheAdvocateOnline Instagram: @MHCCAdvocate #MHCCAdvocate Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030 Room AC1369
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The Advocate encourages readers to share their opinion by letters to the editor and guest columns for publication. All submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and contact information. Contact information will not be printed unless requested. Original copies will not be returned to the author. The Advocate will not print any unsigned submission. Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board. The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length. Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to advocatt@mhcc. edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication to be considered for print. Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.
OPINION
OCTOBER 20, 2017
WEINSTEIN AND OTHERS: HOLLYWOOD IS SICK Dusty Sargent the advocate
“Liar.” “Washed up.” “Crazy.” “Just trying to drum up publicity.” Those are just some of the things people said about Corey Feldman, Elijah Wood, Todd Bridges and Corey Haim for years when they tried to tell people about the pedophilia epidemic in Hollywood. It took something akin to Zeus falling from Mt. Olympus and being exiled from Valhalla, for people to believe something was rotten in the
state of California. On Oct. 5, 2017, everything changed. That morning, the New York Times reported that uber-movie producer Harvey Weinstein had been paying off women who had accused him of sexual harassment for over 20 years. So why did this all take so long to come to light? Sean Hannity of Fox News explained “Everybody in Hollywood knew. This wasn’t a secret.” Well Sean, if everyone knew, why didn’t someone bring this up a long time ago? Why wait until the victim total was at 40? Clearly the victims weren’t ready to speak up, and thankfully they are now. But Sean Hannity and anyone else who knew about this, and said or did nothing. They should be considered just as culpable. You know who else knew? Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, Asia Argento, Cara Delevingne, Claire Forlani, Gwyneth Paltrow, Heather
Graham, Kate Beckinsale, Mira Sorvino, Rose McGowan, and at least 30 other women. They knew, and their lives were forever changed. The scandal has become as epic in scope as many of Weinstein’s movies. Unfortunately for these women,
“Everybody in Hollywood knew. This wasn’t a secret.” – Sean Hannity, Fox News the beginning and middle haven’t been so happy. Let’s hope their ending fares better, and they get some vindication. Just how powerful was Harvey Weinstein? The man launched the careers of Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, many of the aforementioned
women, and way too many others to list. This is a man, so revered in his town that he has literally been thanked as often as God at the Oscars. Three days after the news broke, he was fired from the company he owns and started, at least 40 victims have come out, worldwide Twitter hashtags have spread the word, and dozens of stars, male and female have started to tell their own tales. Maybe we all should have had a hint to his character when he public voiced opposition to filmmaker-and-child rapist Roman Polanski being extradited back to the U.S., even going so far as to allow his company to produce a film that questions whether Polanski’s rape charge should even be a crime. Now do we all begin to believe the Corey Feldmans of the world, who people have just written off as a nut because he acts a bit eccentric?
Maybe he is a bit off, and that may have something to do with his longtime manager molesting his best friend for years. In “An Open Secret”, a 2014 documentary by Amy Berg ripped the lid off of the long history of child sex abuse in Hollywood. Featured among the many horrifying accounts by the child actors in the film was Feldman’s former manager, Martin Weiss. Weiss was convicted of molesting a then-11-year-old boy and continuing for three more years. The man did a whole eight months in jail and 5 years’ probation. He is still in the business. Maybe instead of blaming the victim, and asking “Why didn’t you speak up sooner?” we should be asking, Who is involved? How can we lengthen the statute of limitations in California? And, What else can we do to ease the torture these women and those children have had to endure?
THIS IS NOT OKAY – STANDING WITH SURVIVORS Kente Bates the advocate
Predatory behavior is NOT okay!! In the spirit of the mushrooming Hollywood sex scandals and the various accompanying campaigns, this article is definitely apropos. To break this down is quite complicated in a literal sense, given the emotional ties and fears. Let us break this down even further… in a more relatable sense. How many of us were, perhaps, a victim of, or know/have known of someone being a victim of sexual harassment/ sexual assault/domestic violence? Maybe you were groped, molested, abused or beaten. Predatory behavior is predicated on fear of physical violence that would accompany
noncompliance. On top of that, fear of physical violence often brings shame (which brings a crippling silence) and severe isolation from the victim’s lifeline (family, friends or cherished activities). Yes, it is shameful, deplorable and those guilty of these atrocities in the entertainment community such as the Weinsteins, Afflecks and DeNiros need to be outed, shamed and punished. But how many of us in our everyday lives knew about someone going through the same hellish circumstances, but looked the other way? Whether it was child molestation, rape, abuse, whatever – this is inexcusable. In our modern society, respect for others, especially the weaker ones (whether they be women, children, the elderly) should be paramount. Sadly, equality isn’t extended to those who cannot help or defend themselves. True equality should be afforded to all, regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, religion. A big part of egalitarianism is calling out the offenders, the abusers, the predators among us – the devils we know and the devils and monsters we don’t know. For example, take a good look
at entertainment itself, with its glorification of violence (particularly against minorities, women, LGBTQs and children). In particular, take a good look at music. Music can, has and often been a rallying cry, a call to action and a proper route for the disaffected youth to vent their frustrations against the dominant culture. A good amount of the music outside of the Top 40 hits are laden with misogynistic alliterations, hate, debasement of others and murder. The glorification of violence is wrong. The glorification of rape is wrong. Any form of abuse, whether real or lyrical, is wrong. A person’s body is their own property. People are not toys or devices that others can use up and discard like they are some random piece of garbage. Below are some factoids on domestic violence in partnered couples, both in straight relationships and domestic violence within the LGBTQ community. In heterosexual relationships, domestic violence is still 60 percent male-on-female, 40 percent femaleon-male. A 2010 joint study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Justice finds that more
men are becoming victims of domestic violence, with 40 percent of “extreme violence” victims being male. (saveservices.org/2012/02/ cdc-study-more-men) The following stats are for the LGBTQ community (in correlation to the above factoid): 40 percent of couples in same-sex relationships have experienced, or do experience, domestic violence. The pattern of domestic violence is predictable: the disagreement, the build-up, the violent acts. Then there is a “healing phase.” Then, the cycle starts again. The abused will often adopt a Stockholm Syndrome-type response to a degree, oftentimes being stripped of friends, family, their very identity, to appease/please the abuser. Among the LGBTQ couples that experience domestic violence, all too often there will be threats of “being outed” – to friends, family, employers. This breeds extreme silence, isolation and fear. This is because, even in 2017-18, those who are LGBTQ are still often closeted from friends and family. They have fewer socioeconomic protections and reduced access to the justice system as a whole. LGBTQ victims, as a result, are more reluctant to call out the abuse and will be less likely to seek
help, out of fear of being judged for their lifestyle by the LGBTQ community and society at large. There is still the stigma and the assertion that LGBTQ relationships are doomed from the start since they are thought inherently wrong and dysfunctional by some. With these given facts, what is the answer for this? What can be done about this scourge of violence? In my opinion, it all starts with speaking out and calling out abusers – no matter who they may be. In the aforementioned example of power players in entertainment, the fear of losing a career has kept a near iron-grip of fear that has silenced the abused. Despite the newest (and numerous) allegations, those who have suffered need to continue to speak up. At the end of the day, we are all people under a bright yellow sun. Abuse in any shape or form is not justifiable, and it needs to stop. Do not allow any abuser you may know to get away with any form of abuse. Then and only then we will start to see change and healing in people’s lives. #metoo #metoomen #itsmylife #fightthesilence PA G E 3
NEWS
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
PERALTA HELPING MHCC BE 'STUDENT-READY' Kyle Venooker the advocate
Mt. Hood has a new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Felisciana Peralta, who arrives after a nine-year stint at Clark College in nearby Vancouver. Peralta, who grew up in Sandy, said taking a position at MHCC “is like coming home.” With a background in psychology and ethnic studies and a master’s in education (counseling), her career has been dedicated to helping students, she said. “My dream was to be a high school counselor,” she said. However, once she began working in the schools, she quickly realized that school counselors actually do not provide as much counseling. Working for a high school in Yakima, Washington, she developed a college center to support high school students working to enter college. And after doing that for four years, “I decided I wanted to work in the college setting. “I love the mission of community colleges. Community colleges are openaccess and want to support their community,” said Peralta, two things she said are “very important” to her. Located in the MHCC president’s office, Peralta’s formal job duties are to “guide and advise the college regarding equity and social justice in order to provide an inclusive environment to students and employees,” she said. She defined ‘equity’ as “really looking at our education system to see where people benefit and where there are gaps. “For a long time, the education system
Photo by Fletcher Wold
Felisciana Peralta, new diversity leader for Mt. Hood, previously worked nine years at Clark College.
thought process was to have students to be college-ready. The concept of equity is changing our view to ask (instead) if the college system was student-ready.” The official MHCC position profile states that the director “will lead the development of a vision and effective strategy that champions the importance and value of a diverse and inclusive college environment,” in addition to “engag[ing] faculty, staff and students to build a welcoming and inclusive culture at
the College.” It’s a serious challenge, in that Mt. Hood’s administration and faculty are predominantly white, even as its student population has grown more diverse. Peralta said she’d like “students and employees to have a sense of belonging by MHCC providing an inclusive environment for all to thrive... (a) space that people can feel they can be authentic. “I feel each student and employee should
complete their goal because of us, not despite of us,” she said of the college administration. “I see my role in facilitating the discussion, engaging the community as a whole and keeping an eye on the progress.” The duties of Title IX Coordinator for Mt. Hood also fall under Peralta’s purview. They include investigation of complaints related to gender equity, Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and upholding MHCC’s “Culture of Respect,” including handling harassment and bullying related complaints. When not on the job, Peralta said she is an avid Seattle Seahawks (football) fan, and enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She added that she likes to travel, “and I like to do that often. Right now, I am trying to find a time to visit my friend in China.” As for everyday ways that students can bring about a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society, Peralta suggested that students “be authentic to themselves.” There are many “great resources” at Mt. Hood to learn about diversity, equity and inclusion, whether it’s checking out the Diversity Resource Center or joining a student club, she said. “At MHCC we teach you to use your critical thinking skills. I hope that people would apply that to the conversation around social justice,” she said. “My best advice is to listen intently to others that are different from you.”
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
OCTOBER 20, 2017
‘MEAN GIRL’ MEETS ‘THE PURGE’... AGAIN AND AGAIN ‘Happy Death Day’ puts a horrifying twist on movie ‘Groundhog Day’ Hanna Benson the advocate
3.5 stars out of 5
“Happy Death Day,” a movie released on Oct. 13 (yes, Friday the 13th), feels like a dozen of movies squished into one. It’s sort of “Groundhog Day,” “Mean Girls,” “The Shining,” and “The Purge” rolled together. The excessive repetition of the main character
being killed over and over makes the short, 90-minute film feel like hours. Tree, who is played by Jessica Rothe (one of Emma Stone’s roommates in “La La Land”) is brutally murdered over a dozen times. She wakes up in a guy’s dorm room after each fatality, then tries to piece together who might have the motive to kill her. Problem is, everyone has that motive. Tree, short for Teresa, is the classic “mean girl” who fits perfectly in a stereotypical college sorority. The film includes: (a) the stuck-up sorority queen bee who is always on the back of the main character; (b)
the cute “nerd” who for some reason sees past bad attitudes; (c) the excessively drunk college students who never seem to be doing anything educationally related; and (d) the drink-dumping-over-thehead scene that’s in almost every “standing up to the bully” movie. The perpetrator’s signature disguise is a baby mask that looks like a reject costume from the “Purge” movies, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although you’ve kind of seen this movie in several different versions already, it is worth seeing, but maybe at home instead of in a
theater. It has a mixture of classic murder touches, such as being stabbed in a parking garage, but it also has much more creative attacks, including “death by bong.” The movie has four or five pretty good jump scares, but they aren’t anything compared to recent movies like “Lights Out” or “Don’t Breathe.” “Happy Death Day” will keep you guessing who’s trying to kill the main character, and you really will be surprised to discover who it is. Unfortunately it doesn’t all add up, as the killer’s motives aren’t very “death worthy” to begin with. But,
if you can look past that, it’s a pretty good shocker. What’s nice about this movie (although, a little cliché) is that Tree has a pretty upsetting background that explains why she isn’t the nicest person to be around. It’s good to see why the bully became the bully. The movie seems to have an underlying message besides “don’t be mean.” Whether it was intended or not, it shows the merit in being a better person. Overall, “Happy Death Day” is a decent movie. It may not ever be featured in your DVD collection, but it’s still worth watching.
19 MT. HOOD STUDENTS IN FALL PLAY
Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’ to be performed for children Cassie Wilson the advocate
During November at Mt. Hood, the Children’s Theatre Workshop students will be performing a 40-minute adaptation of “The Jungle Book” – a playful take of a well-known tale. Every fall, the MHCC theatre department puts on a production geared towards children, and stages several performances for elementary school pupils who come to the campus on field trips. In Theater Director Mace Archer’s time at Mt. Hood, the choice has always been a play scripted by Kathryn Schultz Miller. Archer said Schultz Miller “writes really good plays for children.” It’s the first time “The Jungle Book” has been performed here, and it won’t be much like the version many may imagine. “If people come see it, it won’t look anything like the Disney film because the Disney film was the Disney adaptation of [Rudyard] Kipling’s book,” Archer explained. Recognizable faces will still be seen on stage, he said. “The characters are all there, like Shere Khan, Mowgli, and Baloo the bear. They’re all part of the play, but there’s not music, there’s not dancing.
“It is a straight play version for kids,” he said. The cast features the 19 students currently taking the Children’s Theatre Workshop class. “The first two days of the term is when we hold auditions and figure out where everyone fits in,” Archer said. Those students who are “really new” the theatre might get a small part to gain experience, and others might have a larger role, “but everybody gets to be apart of it,” he said. His favorite part of the play process, from start to finish, is watching his students’ growth as they get to know and become their characters, he said. Since all of the characters in “The Jungle Book” are animals, except Mowgli, the actors have to learn an entirely new skill set. The actors “actually have to physically sort of figure out how to move around the stage as these animals that talk to each other and interact, so they’re all really excited and really challenged by that,” he said. In an interesting side note, the MHCC theatre and integrated media departments have teamed to create a project for graphic design students. Archer said Mt. Hood graphic design instructor Dale Gronzo “brought me over as a client who had these plays to produce and then all of the students designed a poster, so actually there’s six or eight versions of a Jungle Book poster.”
Archer’s hope is to display all of the posters in the lobby of the College Theatre while the play is showing, so that all visitors can view some MHCC students’ design work. “The Jungle Book” will open on Monday, Nov. 6 and repeat on
Nov. 8, 13, 15, 17 and 20 – all shows starting at 10:30 a.m. in the College Theatre. These are the field trip days, but Mt. Hood are welcome to fill in the empty seats at those showings. The lone fully public show is Saturday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m.
Admission is $2. Archer takes pride in the low ticket costs, he said. “We continue to do this to try and help families have live cultural experiences out here in East County, and we hope that they’ll take advantage of it,” he said.
comics by amy Illustrated by Amy Welch
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
‘THE WALKING DEAD’ ON THE HORIZON
Cast tease the season premiere
Graphic by Jonathan Diaz Quirarte
Ryan Moore the advocate
Just in time for Halloween, the AMC network is welcoming us back into the critically acclaimed, on-screen realm of the zombie apocalypse that is “The Walking Dead” – at least for those of us caught up through the previous seven seasons. Season 8 premieres on Sunday, Oct. 22, which also marks the 100th episode for the series. This is a
clearly impressive milestone for any television show, and to help recognize the achievement, some of the show’s main cast members were invited to “Entertainment Weekly” for a special cover photo shoot filled with antics, such as Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus shoving red cake into each other’s faces. It’s no doubt the cast of this show is very close, especially given how long many of the members have been working on the show together. The same could be said
about the characters they play. Last year’s season premiere was among one of the most-watched episodes of the entire series, with 17 million Americans checking in to witness the tragic and grotesque resolution to the previous season’s cliffhanger – revealing who would pay the ultimate price to the infamous leader of the Saviors, Negan. Since then, the remaining survivors have endured a season full of grief, misery, and oppression under Negan’s rule. That was until Rick and his people began plotting a way to stand up and ultimately fight back. The finale for Season 7 paved the way for this upcoming campaign by initiating a plot line known in the original comic book series as “All Out War,” which pits Rick and the
neighboring communities against Negan and the Saviors. This explains a lot about the potential direction the show will take this season, as far as the amount of high-intensity showdowns. According to actor Ross Marquand, who plays Aaron on the show, “The first four or five episodes are kind of like little, mini-action films,” making comparisons to the 1988 classic action film “Die Hard.” Unfortunately, during the making of Season 8 the cast and crew suffered a tragic loss when stuntman John Bernecker died after on-set accident, causing production to be suspended temporarily. Nevertheless the whole team finished filming the season in unity, both off- and on-screen. For actress Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne,
Season 8 represents both unity among the survivors and the will to stand together against tyranny. Gurira has also mentioned how these empowering themes are very timely, pointing out comparisons to real-life issues such as the Civil Rights movement. Viewership for the series was down slightly last season, but for the millions still tuning in Season 8 may give the show a chance for an explosive comeback with an abundance of high-octane combat and conflict between all of the key players. If you still have some catching up to do, or if you are willing to embark on binge watching the series in its entirety, all seven seasons of “The Walking Dead” are available to stream on Netflix.
FRIGHTTOWN: ‘THE REAL MONSTERS ARE THE LONG LINES’ Noah Guillen the advocate
3 out of 5 stars
Maybe it is the desensitization speaking, but haunted houses are more of a fun environment than a scary one. The peculiarity of FrightTown is that it really seems to be the best Oregon has to offer for the traditional* haunted house adventure, between its unique three primary attractions and interactive booths. With that, FrightTown feels more like a carnival, and not in a creepy sense. The attraction even looks like a carnival. As soon as guests enter, they are met with bright and colorful lights, concession stands, and animatronic hosts. The “fear” factor is undermined immediately. The actors, dressed in a plethora PA G E 6
Photo by Noah Guillen
of designs, are more playful than intimidating. Void of a select few (medieval monster man is way too into his act) the characters will frolic about and even *shudder*…dab. Often. There was one particular armadillo skeleton monster who I found particularly adorable. Once immersed in one of the many attractions, haunted
house goers will be treated to an abundance of rubber arms and jump scares. The fun, fake blood and eerie animatronic monsters plague the halls that guide guests from room to room, each with their own quirk and host. The actors are fun and committed, so much so that I felt I had let them down or offended them
when un-spooked. The majority of the unease can be attributed to “jump scares.” There is an unfortunate sideeffect to the formula of each exhibit: Guests can quickly adapt. The surprise is lessened as guests learn where to look for the next one, and little is done to mix it up. Still, the exhibits are fun, even if not scary. A notably strong exhibit is Baron Von Goolo’s Museum of Horrors, which offers portions that play with senses. I couldn’t stop smiling through dizzying tunnels and hanging rubber tentacles. Sets establish an out-of-the-ordinary micro-environment that guests are able to be a part of, and though they may not always be convincing, they are certainly exciting. The real monsters are the long lines. Though FrightTown does well to entertain the customers waiting, the line-standing to spookhaving ratio was approximately
30 (minutes)-to-1. It’s hard to fear the exhibits when caught up in the euphoria of no longer standing in line. It is also worth noting that the featured attraction, “Fear the Dark,” which runs an additional $5 (cash), was underwhelming – a problem, as the attraction is intended to be overwhelming by design. If you have ever experienced a power outage in the dead of night and had to stumble through your house or apartment for your phone, only to bump into a side table or two, then you have already experienced “Fear the Dark” – without the added scare of being without your phone. Ultimately, FrightTown is a lot of Halloween-themed fun, with a couple mild spooks. The committed staff and environment offer excitement for a wide range of haunted house-goers. *traditional being a non-fullcontact or specialty Haunted House.
SPORTS
OCTOBER 20, 2017
MLB: ‘AN ATMOSPHERE THAT CAN’T BE BEAT’ Logan Hertner the advocate
Late October. The cold, brisk nights where you might witness a pitching duel, with strikeout after strikeout. Possibly an extra-inning game because no one can score a run, or maybe it’s highscoring night and the bats are rolling with hit after hit, and run after run. Either way, MLB playoff baseball is an atmosphere that can’t be beat. This month, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Washington Nationals in their five-game National League Division Series, three games to two, while the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Arizona Diamondbacks with ease, in three games. The Dodgers and Cubs are now facing off the Championship Series. L.A.
leads the series, 3-1 (as of press time on Thursday), but Chicago hopes to carry the series into the weekend and get into it. Seeing guys like Justin Turner batting an amazing .423 in the postseason for the Dodgers, it’ll be interesting to see if the Cubs can contain him the next couple days and get back to another World Series. Meanwhile, in the American league the Houston Astros conquered the Boston Red Sox in the first round, 3-1, to advance to the ALCS against the New York Yankees, who after being down two games to none rallied to defeat the Cleveland Indians (last year’s World Series runner-up) in Game Five. Houston holds home field advantage in the seven-game series and took a quick two games at
home from the Yankees, both by a 2-1 score in two pitching duels. But back in the Bronx, New York has now won three straight with slugger Aaron Judge finally starting to heat up. The Yankees are looking to once again take a series coming back from a 2-0 deficit. As of Thursday, the Dodgers and Yankees look to be the teams to beat. We could then see another Yankees vs. Dodgers World series. The last time they met was in 1981, when the Dodgers beat the Yankees, 4 games to 2. Historically, the Dodgers and Yankees have met 78 times in their long histories: 65 games total in the World Series alone, and 13 times during the regular season – in interleague play. Imagine: Cody Bellinger, Turner
and Clayton Kershaw battling in the Series against Judge, Didi Gregorius and C.C. Sabathia for the MLB title. Tune in next week for another playoff baseball update. ALCS: New York Yankees at Houston Astros: Game 6, 5 p.m. PDT today, FS1. NLCS: (if necessary) Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers: Game 6, 4 p.m. PDT Saturday, TBS.
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Justin Turner and the Dodgers are one win away from the World Series.
MY VOLLEYBALL ADVENTURE
Discovering how the Saints volleyball team is a family Steven Rousseau the advocate
Everyone has either gone to a game, viewed a game, or heard a game, whether the event was seen on TV or in person, or followed via radio or the internet. It might have been a basketball, football, baseball, or soccer game. These sports are the types of games we attend a lot, whether it’s our friends, kids, or other relatives playing in a game. We often critique the results of the game even after it’s over... this is human nature and important, so we understand how to improve. Then there are the “unusual” sports like, well, take volleyball, for instance. I played it when I was younger but not to really keep score or anything. I played the sport for fun just to have an appreciation and to see what the flavor of the sport was like. But this last Saturday, I went to see my first Mt. Hood volleyball match. It was very nervous but rather exciting adventure because I was
supposed to interview the team. I almost didn’t make it or even attend because the nervousness was kicking in to the point of my making persistent bathroom trips. I wasn’t sure what to expect of myself, how my questions might affect the team in how they would answer, if they would be open and genuine with their answers. Much to my surprise, once I let the team know I’m a first-time viewer and interviewer on the sport for the school paper, the Saints women displayed a lot of cordiality in their personality. I first talked to Head coach Kim Lissinna, and she was very pleasant to talk with and patient. We had a wonderful meal of volleyball conversation, with cordiality as a side dish. She is a really pleasant coach to talk to before and after the game. I recommend that Advocate readers attend a game as she is very approachable. Lissinna let me know the Mt. Hood sophomore players have stepped up their game by showing their freshmen teammates how the game is played. She also named three standouts: sophomore outside blocker Hannah Spears, No. 3; sophomore setter Elisha Levasa, No. and freshman middle blocker Madison Pernick, No. 15. Injuries this year have plagued the team and these three go-getters have improved, and off the court, too. I asked Lissinna about their
academics and some of these athletes are pursuing dreams of engineering, architecture, nursing. Some were encouraged to try sports, since they are unsure of what they want to do. I commend the coach, the college, and the students, since an after-school activity can help with prioritizing ones’ lifestyle and finding a newfound interest. Also, an activity helps keep one out of trouble and to make new friends, too. Now, for the match itself: Mt. Hood vs. the Umpqua Community College Riverhawks. The contest was a little nervewracking. I had the chance to chase the ball down when it went out of play and deliver the ball back so I got in some mini-jogs, three or four when the ball came in my direction… fun!! The score was really different from what I’m used to seeing in basketball, soccer, or even football, mostly on TV. A volleyball team wins by a best three-of-five games, lasting anywhere from 90 to 180 minutes total. The intermissions are 8 minutes in length. And guess who won: The Saints, who took the last three of four games, so a fifth game wasn’t needed. The score was 3-1. Last but not least, I had a chance to talk to the three improved players Lissinna had mentioned. The nerves quickly dissipated, and the three helped ease the interview. They let me know the Saints are one big, happy family when they aren’t on
the court. The players hang out together, provide genuine feedback, and meld together really well. They also let me know the only game they called their least favorite was the Sept. 29 to Chemeketa, 3-1, while their 3-0 win over Clackamas two days earlier was their favorite. As of Thursday, the Saints stood 6-3 in the South Region of the
Northwest Athletic Conference, good for fourth place, and 16-9 overall for the season. Their next South showdown is at Linn-Benton on Wednesday, before they host Lane Community College at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27. There you have it, my volleyball adventure. Graphic by Nicole Meade
advocatt@mhcc.edu PA G E 7
NEWS
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
Breaking News SUSTAIN YOUR SAINTS Remains found at MHCC Kyle Venooker the advocate
MHCC officials confirmed this week that a human corpse had been found on a remote portion of the Gresham campus. Bruce Battle, MHCC director of communications, said that “skeletal remains” were recently found on the eastern edge of the main campus, roughly between Beaver Creek and South Troutdale Road. The scene is far removed from any campus building or parking lot. The Multnomah County Sheriff ’s Office is investigating the discovery. As of press time on Thursday, no further information was available from the Sheriff ’s Office.
'Freakout artist' coming to MHCC
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“Freakout artist” Christopher Carter is performing in the Student Union’s Fireplace Lounge from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The Associated Student Government (ASG) is hosting the free event. The mentalist and illusionist travels to many colleges around the county entertaining and exploring “the mysteries of the mind.” He also invites participants from the audience to demonstrate “the power of illusion.”
– Bethany McCurley
Domestic violence panel Weds. As part of the its Domestic Violence Awareness month series, Mt. Hood’s Public Safety department will host a Gateway Center domestic violence panel discussion in the Town and Gown Room, from 3 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The seminar/workshop is open to all. For more information contact MHCC Public Safety, or email event organizer Cassandra. James@mhcc.edu.
– Bethany McCurley
Winter Term registration open Have you signed up for Winter term? Registration is now open for all students. Log in to my.mhcc.edu to set up your new schedule. Advisers are available to determine what classes to take, and an online degree audit is available through MyMHCC under “Frequently Used Links”. The degree audits lists required classes for students who have declared a designated major or degree.
– Bethany McCurley PA G E 8
The Sustainable Saints defend last year's victory in the EcoChallenge Summer Frickey the advocate
For the second year in a row, MHCC is challenging for first place in the online competition known as The EcoChallenge, intended to promote environmentally friendly habits. This year’s challenge began on Oct. 11 and ends Thursday, Oct. 25, giving participants a two-week period to make as many sustainable life changes as possible. MHCC was introduced to the EcoChallenge in 2016 by Troy Builta, sustainability director for the campus. The Mt. Hood online Sustainable Saints “team” captured first place among hundreds of universities and trade schools from across America and elsewhere in the world, earning thousands of points based on collective acts of sustainability by team members. As of Thursday morning, the Sustainable Saints team again led the pack. The Saints had 245 registered members and accumulated 37,580. If this lead holds until Oct. 25, the school will have another title and $1,500
under our belt, to go toward advancing campus sustainability efforts. It would be quite an impressive repeat performance for Mt. Hood. “We’re definitely not the biggest school competing, but we’re still winning right now,” Builta said. After MHCC’s victory last year, Portland Community College challenged Mt. Hood to a pointbased competition. As of Thursday,
“We are part of the community, and the community is a part of us,” – Troy Builta the Saints had more than doubled PCC’s point total. The Eco-challenges, sponsored by the Portland-based Northwest Earth Institute, are organized into nine categories: food, water, transportation, waste, nature, energy, community, simplicity, and health. Members earn points for each challenge they complete. Initial points come from simply setting up an account; actions such as adding a profile picture or joining M H C C ’s
team are worth less than things like riding a bike to work. By the halfway point of the competition, members of the MHCC team had dedicated their choices towards sustainability in ways such as: traveling 112 miles by carpool, consuming 32 locally sourced meals, replacing 194 light bulbs with energy efficient LED lights, spending 5,265 minutes outdoors, and saving 9 pounds of paper, 855 plastic bottles, and 10,274 gallons of water. But it isn’t just the competition fueling MHCC’s drive to maintain a more sustainable life. In 2008, Mt. Hood added solar panels around campus to encourage reusable energy, and continues to strive for better ways to help the community grow, Builta said. “It’s about the community. We are part of the community, and the community is a part of us,” he said. As the contest nears an end, every point helps. Any Mt. Hood student, staff or faculty member is still welcome to get involved and potentially earn MHCC another win. Individuals can visit ecochallange.org to sign up and join the team, and also invite other students and faculty members to participate as well.