The Advocate, Issue 6, October 26, 2012

Gresham, Oregon | October 26, 2012 | Volume 48, Issue 6

advocate the

The independent student voice of Mt. Hood Community College

WWW. ADVO CATE -O NLI NE . NE T

A house divided: Op-Ed columns on Measure 80, Page 3

First year volleyball player shows off game face, Page 12

Top left photo by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate Bottom photo by Jonathon Long/The Advocate

THE ADVOCATE HAS A NEW

WEBSITE

READ | COMMENT | SHARE

Cosmetology heads into Halloween with a spooky style, Page 8

MHCC starts on

PHASE ONE OF CAMPUS MAKEOVER page 4

TAKE A TOUR THROUGH PORTLAND’S

EERIE PAST page 6

2

Opinion

Last week, Gresham, where I have lived I find myself thinking, if this horrible act my entire life, was shocked by some fright- happened to Heichel, only a year older than ening news.

I am, could the same fate await me or someWe learned that Whitney Heichel, a one I’m close to?

21-year-old Starbucks barista, was murI consider myself to be a cynical person dered by her neighbor, Jonathan Holt, who but my thoughts about this tragedy have has confessed to authorities. made me feel sad. When I found out that The story that she was Heichel was missing, I was not cynical about her missing initially broke on Oct. 16. She was missing only a few outcome. Instead I felt hours before her car was found hope. I hoped for days in the parking lot of the Wood that she would come Village Wal-Mart after she had home safe. I am sad for failed to show up for her 7 a.m. her and her family but shift at Starbucks.

I still hope that things Gresham Police were will get better. This sense searching for the young womof hope comes from the an for three days when clues community support that lead them to discover her body has followed.

Shelby Schwartz at Larch Mountain, shortly I have been very imThe Advocate after Holt was arrested and pressed by the local recharged with aggravated mursponse over the loss of such a young person in such a horrific mander.

What has happened has shaken our com- ner.

This past Monday, all Gresham Dutch munity. I am more on edge than ever. Normally I would feel perfectly comfortable Bros. coffee stands, plus a few Southeast going places by myself, but I now find my- Portland locations, donated 50 percent of self looking at my neighbors in a new light, their proceeds that day to the Heichel famlooking at people on the street differently, ily. Seven stands that participated raised and wondering if I’m safe, if my co-workers, more than $12,000 in sales and donations.

Several other small coffee stands have run friends and family are safe.

Guest Column:

Photo by Shelby Schwartz/ The Advocate

Heichel tragedy causes skepticism about own safety

Oct. 26, 2012

Numerous people have left flowers, candles and photos outside of the starbucks on Burnside, in memorial of Whitney Heichel.

specials during the week where they also will donate a portion of sales. The Gresham Starbucks where Heichel worked at in the Oregon Trail Shopping Center on Burnside has donated all tips to her family, and was staffed by baristas from different stores for several days after the loss of Heichel to allow her former colleagues to recover.

I find it comforting that even with such a sad loss, the community has come together

to help this family and the friends and coworkers in their time of need.

This death has had a major impact on this town and surrounding communities.

While a tragedy, her death will hopefully be a thing that stays with people for years to come.

We’ve learned that we’re not as safe as we might think, but also there is a lot of support in times of need and we may move on with a renewed sense of community in our homes and work places.

Four heads exploded, ‘Looper’

Jeremy Likens

President of the Science Club

The MHCC Mad Scientists club went to see the movie “Looper” last Friday to provide a review from a scientific perspective, to check out some of the technologies on display and their basis in science.

“Looper” takes place in the year 2044.

Time travel won’t be invented for another 30 years. Once it arrives, it’s quickly outlawed and only crime syndicates use it in secret.

New technology makes it nearly impossible to murder someone and dispose of the body, so the syndicates send their victims back to the past. They arrive bound and with a bag over their head, and are immediately killed and disposed of by a hired gun, a “Looper.”

The main character is Joe Simmons (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a Looper. He’s simply making a buck until he can retire and live the good life. His plans undergo a cataclysmic shift when his older self (Bruce Willis) is sent back to be killed by him. Everything goes wrong for young Joe when his older self escapes, leaving both Joes being hunted by the syndicate.

The backdrop is a dystopian future, but new technologies are all around. They include super-thin folding phones, hover bikes, the fuel systems for cars, the guns and, of course, time travel. We also see some people who have genetically gained the ability

of telekinesis.

Ultra-thin folding screens such as those seen in “Looper” do exist now, but not at the consumer level. The latest screens in smart phones are called AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) screens. They are flexible and can be bent or folded. The changes have been modest, but there’s much more to come. Actually, the biggest barrier fully folding phones is battery technology.

We’ll need much smaller batteries before we see any Looper-style phone.

As for cars of the future, things look a lot different in 2044. The cars have solar panels and hoses attached to the gas tank that snake around the vehicle to other locations. This alludes to the reality of peak oil we face now, the fact Earth has only so much oil and it’s not all easily accessible, even as world demand grows. Obviously, the cars in “Looper” no longer run on oil, but on solar along with what we believe is a hydrogen fuel cell system jury-rigged to supply what is most likely an electric car. These are alternative fuel technologies already being pursued in the automotive industry, as oil becomes more scarce and costly.

Cars may remain ubiquitous, but the most important aspect of the movie is time travel. Current thinking on time travel tends to deem it impossible. Still, there are possibilities left open with the Theory of Relativ-

ity that space and time could be bent in such a way that it may be possible. Also, it should be noted that time travel is possible in a limited sense not usually explored in books and movies. The faster an object is moving, the slower its time moves relative to the time passing for objects around it. In this way, it is possible to travel into the future, but not the past.

This aside, time travel presents unique problems here, in that the entire movie could cease to exist simply by someone travelling to the past before the movie started and killing off our main character. The movie suggests this would be a very bad thing, but doesn’t go any further. We are to assume that time is “elastic” and will try to return to the shape it already was when any changes occur. Even though time travel a la “Looper” appears to not be possible, it still makes for a fun movie and a great plot device.

We immensely enjoyed the movie, both from a scientific and personal perspective.

It was a fast-paced ride that never lost our attention, with great acting and a plot set against an intriguing future. Our only complaints would be about time travel as mentioned above, and that the ending could have come a minute or two sooner. We wholeheartedly recommend “Looper”! Just be careful not to leave any brain fragments on the chair if your head does explode.

“Will you be voting in favor of Measure 80?”

yes no undecided

www.advocate-online.net

the advocate Co-Editors-in-Chief

Sports Editor

Reporters

John Tkebuchava & Mike Mata

John Tkebuchava

Photographers

Daniele Caldwell

Tyler Heyl

Associate Editor

Copy Editors

Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Jonathon Long

Kylie Rogers

Kylie Rogers & Dorothy Ocacio

Living Arts Editor

Webmaster

Shelby Schwartz

Logan Scott

Assistant Living Arts Editor

Advertising Manager

Dorothy Ocacio

Jen Ashenberner

Opinion Editor

Photo Editor

Jeff Hannig

Jeff Hannig

News Editor Mike Mata

Brandon Kissir Shaun Lutz Aaron Marshall Cameron Miller Danny Perez-Crouse Lisa Sorenson Kayla Tatum

Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst Bob Watkins

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

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

Submissions

The Advocate encourages readers to share their opinion by letters to the editor and guest columns for publication. All submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and contact information.

Contact information will not be printed unless requested. Original copies will not be returned to the author. The Advocate will not print any unsigned submission.

Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board.

The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length.

Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to advocatt@mhcc.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication to be considered for print.

Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

Opinion

the advocate

Measure 80:

3

Regulate cannabis like liquor. Restore agricultural hemp.

Marijuana should be an equivalent to alcohol

Yay

Weed. Mary Jane. Pot, cannabis, ganja, grass, doobie and blunt. prospect of increased revenue for the state.

Aka marijuana.

The measure, if passed, would create the Oregon Cannabis CommisThese words may bring many different images and emotions; how- sion (OCC), whose duties would include licensing qualified marijuana ever, they may soon become synonymous with “legal.” growers, processors and packagers, licensing stores to sell both regular For those who may not have been following election news, Or- and medical marijuana, setting retail prices, collecting license fees and egon has cannabis on the ballot with Measure regulating quantity and retailers, among other aspects of mari80, which would legalize its cultivation and juana production and sales. use by adults 21 and older.

The money from the sales would first go to reimburse three A quick drive down Sandy Boulevard different aspects of the fledgling industry: the OCC, the Attorshows that Oregonians have a high interney General’s office for the costs of enforcing and defending est in this particular pasttime, with medithe measure’s actions, and a 15 percent return for the licensed cal marijuana offices and dispensaries on retailers. almost every block.

A nonpartisan fiscal review that appears in the Nov. 6 OrDetractors have cited minors getting egon Voters’ Pamphlet estimates the state would expend aphold of it as a negative against the measure. proximately $22 million each year on the OCC – same as annual Anyone who has gone through a public high current liquor control costs. school can attest to the anecdotal fact that miHowever, the revenue brought in from the sale of marijuana Mike Mata nors can get their hands on marijuana regardless would be distributed as follows: 90 percent to the state general The Advocate of its legal status. fund, 7 percent to the Department of Human Resources to fund Proponents look to the oft-lauded stoner Promdrug-treatment programs, 1 percent to fund a hemp committee ised Land of Amsterdam, where the sale and use of marijuana is legal in for Oregon, 1 percent to promote biodiesel based on hemp and 1 percent to special “coffee shops,” as long as it is sold in amounts that don’t exceed fund public school-sponsored drug education programs. five grams and only to customers age 18 and older and that the shops don’t In other words, Measure 80 would turn marijuana into an equivalent advertise or cause a nuisance. for alcohol and tobacco. It will be heavily regulated by the state, illegal for The reason I’m in favor of passing Measure 80 is the regulation and the minors and provide much-needed revenue for the state.

“Proponents look to the oft-lauded stoner Promised Land of Amsterdam,”

Legalizing marijuana will have consequences Green is a color that is very commonly associated with Oregon go buy it from a store whenever if they for more reasons than one. For one we are known for being environ- have the cash. As such, marijuana use mentalists. But we are also infamously known for our allegedly high among minors may become that much amount of marijuana users. more prevalent.

This November, Oregon voters have the opportunity to take some Though I obviously may have of the “infamy” out of marijuana with Meamy issues with Measure 80, which would legalize its use and culsure 80, I’m not exactly tivation by adults. against the idea either.

I’m sure by now that you’ve heard to no The “war on drugs” is end the positives the state would reap if such obviously not worka law were passed, especially with it being a ing. Decriminalizing popular topic in speech and writing classes, possession and use of but something you almost never seem to hear marijuana is a step in are some of the negatives. the right direction in An example of such would be in a study that regard. We need last year by the Society for Neuroscience rethe police spending vealed that use of marijuana by adolescents chasing dangerous John Tkebuchava can lead to long-lasting effects on brain develcriminals, not potThe Advocate opment. The research shows that people who smokers. start using marijuana at a young age have In the end, while I more cognitive shortfalls, such as difficulties on being attentive. don’t believe Measure 80 may be Now, I know what you’re thinking, but marijuana would still be a bad thing for Oregon, as a journalillegal to be used by minors, right? My point is that with Measure 80 ist, I believe in a better-informed sociwill be much more accessible to minors as a result, even if the use of ety. This measure most certainly will do marijuana may still be illegal for them. After all, how do minors get ac- some good, but you are lying to yourself cess to alcohol? Aside from the occasional fake I.D. user, someone who if you think that that’s all it will do. is not a minor will get it for them.

So whether you vote for or against And if marijuana is legalized, potential smokers no longer have to this measure this November, make sure look to their dealers to provide them with what they need, but can just you understand all the consequences, good or bad.

Nay

“ This measure most certainly will do some good, but you are lying to yourself if you think that that’s all it will do. “

Corrections:

1. In the Oct. 19 story titled, “ASG registers 711 new voters on campus, beat goal mark,” the quotes attributed to ASG President William Miller should have been attributed to Director of State and Federal Affairs Laura Aguon. The Advocate regrets this mistake.

2. The Cross Country photo on Page 8 of the Oct. 19 issue was credited to Cameron Miller. Jonathon Long took the photograph.

The Advocate regrets this mistake.

4

News Oct. 26, 2012

Campus improvements for looks and convenience Facilities and the Way-finding Committee work towards sprucing up the campus and helping students navigate around.

Cameron Miller The Advocate

By mid-November, MHCC Facilities Management and the Way-Finding Committee both expect to complete the first stage of a project to beautify the campus and to help guide students.

The school has acted in recent years to make the MHCC experience more student-friendly. The new student orientation has expanded and helped more students each year and the latest enhancements are the new signs.

In the last few weeks, new red-and-white signs have been posted on the corners of classrooms facing the courtyards and corridors. There are also signs going up at the campus entrances.

Several trees have been removed from existing planters to make way for new trees or flowers to be transplanted.

One project already underway is the construction of new wooden decks and planters just east of the Student Union, directly above the campus utility plant. They should serve as a temporary fix to help prevent rainwater from leaking into the building, which has caused electrical damage.

The estimated cost to build these decks is $24,700. The cost of renovating the planter boxes on campus is around $6,000.

Richard Byers, MHCC director of facilities management, said that the school has hoped to address these changes for years. Financial setbacks delayed action, however. Costly electrical damage required changes and allowed

new alterations around campus, he said.

Byers said future renovation plans include tackling the irrigation system. “It’s a game of priorities,” Byers said, “You have your budget, for your school, your vehicle, your living quarters, whether you have heat, what you eat.”

Given the school’s funding and mechanical problems, the current renovations were among the best immediate options, Byers said.

The Advocate

Next Friday, Nov. 2, the MHCC Funeral Service Education division will host an Oregon Funeral Directors Association (OFDA) Crematory Training & Certification session at the Gresham campus.

There’s a $95 entrance fee, which includes all funeral directors, according to an event flyer.

The gathering is said to serve as a “convenient continuing education opportunity for registered apprentices, licensed funeral directors and embalmers in the Northwest.”

Between MHCC students, licensed funeral directors and apprentices, attendance might reach 30 persons.

The event is set for seven hours, the second half focused on more dense material, ending with some hands-on learning.

seen throughout the campus and are broken down into several areas, clarifying directions for students.

While the project costs might seem high, past proposals were costprohibitive, officials said.

Laurie Miller, the co-chair of the school’s way-finding committee, has been working with Deb France of Oh Planning + Design. They’ve set a plan that should be cost-effective by re-using re-purposing old signs while maintaining an interchangeable design for the future, Miller said.

Miller said school surveys in recent years documented signage concerns.

“Way-finding was by far the number one complaint every time,” she said.

A guide to helping students aound campus with the new signage.

Cremation certification allows students to expand career path Brandon Kissir

The current upgrades seem small in comparison to an estimated $500,000 price tag for completing all proposed way-finding changes.

Stage One of the way finding improvements will cost about $200,000 and will include signs for the entrances, campus drives, parking lots, and specific destinations.

Stage Two would cost an estimated $300,000 and include larger signs, such as building numbers visible from the parking lot.

Older MHCC signs for classrooms were small, dark, and hard to understand. The new way-finding signs are larger, brighter, and more easily understood. They feature the ‘MHCC red’

Second-year students enrolled in the MHCC funeral services program are expected to attend. The session will feature five or six funeral directors.

Doug Ferrin, MHCC program director, is coordinating the session but won’t teach any segments. He expects about 20 students to attend, about half of them firstyear students, he said.

Jack Trumbull is a funeral home and crematory owner due to speak at the event.

The meeting “focuses on two methods of body disposition, embalming and burial,” said Trumbull. “This seminar will focus primarily on cremation, which will further the education of these students.”

Trumbull described the allure of his profession, and of the event.

“Disposition is an extremely prevalent part of our society, and this is an opportunity for these students to get a leg up,” he said.

Public Safety offers more than campus patrol Danny Perez-Crouse The Advocate

While the Public Safety department works mostly to provide a safe campus, it offers additional useful help that might go unnoticed by students, such as first aid and other emergency services.

Gale Blessing, MHCC director of safety and security, described the assistance that campus safety officers can provide to students.

They are trained in a variety of law enforcement related procedures, in administering CPR and use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

For persons who don’t feel safe walking to class late at night or who perhaps fear unsavory characters, Public Safety offers safety escorts to lead them from building to building or to their vehicle.

Public Safety staff is available to meet with individual students and employees to discuss specific safety concerns on campus, and to develop a personal safety plan.

This includes persons who have obtained restraining or stalking orders.

Students locked out of their car or who find a dead battery may call Public Safety to

come start the battery or unlock the vehicle.

Public Safety officers are a uniformed presence on the Gresham campus 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Public Safety has several goals and plans for improvement, Blessing said. The department hopes to raise safety awareness for students and employees with targeted newspaper articles, emails, signage and flyers aimed at reducing theft. It wants to expand information on its web page, including safety tips, and is looking to add more security cameras around campus.

The department also offers student internships and student project options, Blessing said. These opportunities benefit both the students and the college, she said.

The department continues to collaborate with Gresham police and fire departments, the FBI and other local law enforcement agencies to respond to emergencies, she said.

To call Public Service for non-emergencies, dial 503-491-7310.

For emergencies, call 503-491-7911.

For a list of services or questions, go to www.mhcc.edu and look for crime awareness/campus security, listed under “student services.”

News

the advocate

Political forum: big vs little government On Wednesday, MHCC political science instructor Janet Campbell discussed “what it means to be a Libertarian or Socialist Democrat” in the most recent political forum.

Campbell contrasted beliefs and opinions between Libertarians and Socialist Democrats. She explained how Libertarians have a minimal view of government, want as little regulation as possible and believe people should not be taxed on many things and that people within communities can take care of the poor.

They wish to privatize schools and to fund fire departments and police on their own time and dime.

Campbell contrasted these views with the exact opposite stance taken by Socialist Democrats. They believe that the government should regulate more things and require citizens to pay taxes on basic economic necessities such as childcare, food, and healthcare in order to guarantee them for all people, no matter who their family is or where in the U.S. they were born.

—Daniele Caldwell

“It’s really against my sense of rights to force me to pay through national safety nets for the choices of other people. We’ll do that on a voluntary basis.”

— Campbell as a Libertarian “Does one person need $3 billion at the cost of someone starving in the street? I just think it’s inhuman.”

— Campbell as a Socialist Democrat

5

Diversity resource center entering final stages, hiring to begin soon Mike Mata The Advocate

The next step for the implementation of a Diversity Resource Center (DRC) at MHCC is around the corner with the hiring of coordinator.

Associated Student Government (ASG) has long held a flame for the DRC, according to ASG President William Miller.

“Last year it was pushed even more and talked about even more,” said Miller, who last year helped lead a strong push to establish the center.

“It’s great to see the end result come to fruition in just the next few months,” he said. ASG hopes to see the DRC fully functional in the beginning of the Winter term, he said.

The next major step would be the new hire.

“I envision someone who is very open-minded, someone who is respectful, someone who understands, someone who has a background in multiculturalism or diversity of some sort, someone who really values students and the success of students and the college,” said Miller of his ideal coordinator candidate.

“I envision a well-rounded individual,” he said.

The hiring process is in the ASG’s court, with Miller and Vice President Antonio Guerrero giving input on the job description proposal and then handing it to the rest of the leadership team. The proposal will then go to Human Resources (HR), where once any changes are made, it will be posted and the hiring process will begin.

Once there are applicants, potential coordinators will have to be approved through ASG as well

as HR. The remodeling of the Lake Room into the DRC will take place once a coordinator is hired, Miller said. The makeover will include new paint, new office furniture, computers, a TV and projector, as well as books and films relating to other cultures.

The DRC was approved by students in the Finance Council last February and was proposed by ASG. The intent is to help students from all walks of life learn about available opportunities, how to use different books and other learning resources to take advantage of various scholarships and to learn about other cultures. Miller said it would be a safe space for all students regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and such.

“It would be the best place on campus, other than the library, to go and gather info and resources, because we’re looking to have books and films and computers along with coordinator to help you,” Miller said. “It’ll be a great place to go.”

The DRC coordinator will take the lead in the effort and work with ASG through the group’s multicultural programs coordinator and director of diversity.

Miller said he expects the DRC teaming with the various cultural clubs and student on campus to produce events.

“I would imagine various different groups of students on campus and I would envision they work together to produce great work instead of flying solo,” he said. Faculty and staff also will have the option to attend cultural competency workshops through the DRC.

“It would be the best place on campus, other than the library, to go and gather info and resources, because we’re looking to have books and films and computers along with coordinator to help you,” — William Miller ASG President

Agilegrad calls it quits after two years Danny Perez-Crouse The Advocate

Agilegrad, a degree monitoring software initiated two years ago, is being discontinued at MHCC effective Nov. 1. Students are urged to make sure they preserve their records by Wednesday.

Agilegrad is a third-party software tool for online advising, degree planning, and class scheduling.

After review by the college community and an open bid process in 2010, the program was selected for use on a pilot basis, to run 24 months that spanned three academic years.

The pilot expanded in 2011-12 to include all MHCC study programs. That year, student use exceeded 12,000 log-ins. Students liked aspects of the software such as the web interface and easy communication with advisers, said David Minger, vice president of student enrollment services.

However, certain problems emerged. After the expansion, students sometimes got inaccurate course recommendations.

“We analyzed that problem and found that before we can pursue online automated advising, the college must upgrade and integrate certain key processes and

systems,” Minger said. “That integration is what we are working on this academic year and, probably, next (year).”

Because it was a pilot, Agilegrad came at a discounted price. Cost for the three-year span was $73,000.

It’s important that any student who made an educational plan in Agilegrad should log on by Wednesday and e-mail him-/herself the Agilegrad educational plan, MInger said.

The student may then compare that plan with the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) report and discuss both the Agilegrad plan and DARS report with an adviser to find any discrepancies.

“This is important because after the Agilegrad contract expires on Oct. 31, web links will be removed and students will no longer be able to access Agilegrad,” Minger said.

Online advising remains part of the college strategy to meet advising needs.

Minger said, “We want students to have the convenience of being served online 24/7 for routine advising, and thereby help staff and faculty advisers be more available for complex advising needs and relationship building.”

6

Living Arts Oct. 26, 2012

Photo by Jeff Hannig/ The Advocate

Photos by Kylie Rogers/The Advocate

A new kind of Hallow

Beyond Bizzare Tour guide Melanie tells the story of the tail-less ghost cat that haunts a Portland hotel during a walking tour of oldtown, downtown Portland and parts of the Underground tunnels.

Beyond Bizarre Walking Tour: Portland Jeff Hannig

covered in a layer of soot and the room was noticeably colder than the last.

I carefully bowed to avoid the ceiling pipes and followed the bobbing flashlights that soon sent shadows of chair legs dancing around a small brick lined room. The chairs were ortland Walking Tour’s Beyond Bizarre tour started outside Old Town Pizza. I old, wiry wood with braided backings and arranged in a circle. We all sat down and Melanie began telling us about Nina. showed up with a camera and was given a sticker by the group’s guide, Melanie.

Nina was sold into slavery back when there were 14 men to every one woman in Port“If you forget my name, just think of how your hands get when you eat waterland. melon,” was the first thing she said to the group.

“She worked and died in this room,” said Melanie. I looked at the walls and the lights “Melanie,” she said after a confused silence and started handing out what I thought were exploring the corners and ceilings and saw flashes of history. There was history trapped garage door openers but turned out to be electromagnetic field detectors (EMFs). in this unused space. This room hadn’t been conThe EMFs were light, plasverted into a place to store empty kegs or an artic coffins, which fit in your cade – it’s still Nina’s room – and that’s when I hand. For anyone who has started to feel vulnerable. I wasn’t scared yet, not seen a ghost hunter but there was no longer a cushion of protection. show, EMFs help detect All of a sudden I no longer felt like I was in the spirits. basement of a pizza shop. I felt like something All nine of us equipped could happen. with our EMF’s barged Throughout the tour I had this feeling. Bethrough the Old Town Pizyond the historical facts and opportunity to za dining room and down a check out Portland’s historical architecture, stairwell to begin our tour. there were parts of this tour where I was leThe basement had a low gitimately scared. Parts where I was short of ceiling and was lined with breath and hesitant to look around corners. At even lower hanging pipes. one point a group member and I were trying There were stones chipped to communicate with Nina. I didn’t feel silly or and rounded at the corners, like I was pretending – I was hoping to talk to stacked in wide pillars supNina – and I think that is the most important porting the building. Melathing I have to say about this tour. The Portland nie explained a tunnel that Walking Tour’s Beyond Bizarre Tour will take had been blocked off in the you to incredibly, almost museum-like, well1970s for two reasons: vapreserved areas around Portland, accompanied grants were making them by convincing stories that will set you up for their homes and the tunThe Beyond Bizarre tour starts and ends at the Old Town Pizza. With tours starting at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. having a good time if you are up for it. If you nels connected competing are a skeptic, this tour might not be for you. For businesses.

Before then, the tunnels served as escape routes for gamblers and partiers in the Prohibi- me, I suspended my belief and experienced moments where I felt like I was in the past and tion era. Some tunnels were used for water overflow, some as Shanghai tunnels; trap doors because of that, I had a few genuine moments of cold, unexplainable fear. were set up all over town where either drunks or women were sent down to be sold into To buy tickets for the beyond bizarre walking tour visit: slavery (needs fix-hb). www.portlandwalkingtours.com.

The immediate room we were in, the one with the tunnel, looked a lot like the basement Tickets for the tours starting at 7 p.m. are $20 for Adults, $17 for seniors or storage facility for a pizza shop. I was beginning to become a little skeptical. The history (65+) and youth (11-17), children under 11 are $9. of the tunnels and the architecture that Melanie was giving was great, but I was expecting a haunted tour.

Tours starting at 10 p.m. are for 18 and over only Beyond was a room that required flashlights. I did not get a flashlight – there were not and cost anywhere from $21.99-29.00 enough. The first thing I saw was an old easy chair. It was right in front of what looked like It is recommended that you buy your tickets ahead of time, because space a giant brick oven. I am guessing now that it was the building’s furnace. Everything was is limited and tours sell out fast.

The Advocate

Photo by Jeff Hannig/ The Advocate

P

Living Arts

the advocate

7

ween Adventure The spooky side of McMenamins Edgefield Kylie Rogers The Advocate

Photos by Mike Mata/ The Advocate

Top: Bottles of house wines are on display in the winery at Edgefield, which used to be the infirmary.

Bottom: A mural on the second floor stairwell of the McMenamins hotel, where Berliner had an energy walk through her chest when she was celebrating her birthday.

The grand buildings and elegant gardens of McMenamins Edgefield don’t leave one with the impression of anything less than opulence, but look a little deeper into the property’s past and you might find something that gives you the chills.

According to McMenamins’ Marketing Writer/ Editor, Kerry Beeaker, Edgefield doesn’t confirm or deny its possibility of being haunted.

“It’s kinda up to people’s personal preferences or if they’re open to it or not,” said Beeaker about the paranormal activity of the main lodge and surrounding properties.

Edgefield began as Multnomah County’s poor farm in 1911. “People who had lost their jobs or hit economic troubles could come here and earn their stay, so food and housing, basically. A lot of people were in a bad point in their lives but were able to come here and either stay here until their death, unfortunately, or get back on their feet and head back out,” Beeaker said.

According to Edgefield’s history page on the McMenamins website, residents of the poor farm who stayed after the economic boom of World War II were either too old or unable to leave the property, resulting in its transition to a nursing home.

For the guests who experience the paranormal activity of the poor farm turned nursing home turned hotel, Edgefield keeps a log at the front desk where patrons of the hotel can write down their supernatural experiences. A quick flip through the ghost log shows that a lot of activity happens in room 215, the entire second floor, the third floor and around the winery.

Room 215 is the one most requested at the hotel, “because it’s had the most paranormal activity, if you will,” Beeaker said.

“It might be a lot of power of suggestion or maybe the power of a Hammerhead or two, but, who knows. When they were renovating the property there was lots of paraphernalia found on the ground,” such as animal bones and a pentagram that Beeaker attributes to the possibility of kids messing around. “But the legend has stuck,” she added.

“We did have a McMenamins-style exorcism of sorts when the building was open, where they would walk through with the bagpipes, hence the artwork (on the exterior of room doors), burning incense and singing fun songs, to kind of excise any negative emotions or spirits,” she said.

From a marketing perspective, “I wouldn’t say that we use it to draw people in but we kinda have fun with it,” Beeaker said. “It’s such a subjective science. We have a historical side that we like to focus on more so than the speculative side.”

Alison Berliner, a McMenamins employee of three and a half years, works as a wine server. The winery previously served as the poor house infirmary. Berliner said she has been open to seeing things since high school. And, she said, Edgefield is definitely haunted.

“I have seen a nurse in the hallway upstairs (from the winery) and it was 11 o’clock in the morning,” she said.

“I was just walking with a bucket and I saw this 60s (styled woman), I could tell she had a little hat on. I could tell she had pantyhose on, that’s how clear she was. And she was just walking and you couldn’t see keys but it looked like she was holding keys and she was coming this way and she kinda turned and she looked like she was going to open a door and then just vanished,” Berliner said about the full apparition she described as “obviously a nurse.”

Beeaker confirmed that there is an infirmary link. “I’m sure it’s fact, that we did have people pass away in this area when it was still a poor farm,” she said.

Berliner has had multiple experiences on the Edgefield property. One was with a large, dark shadow figure in the Black Rabbit bar who “does not have a good energy,” which played a role in her request to work back in the winery again.

Berliner said she has also been walked through by an entity on the property during her own stay in the hotel.

“I was walking on the west end, in between the second and Alison Berliner third floor. I had had a couple of glasses of wine, I’ll admit that. It was my birthday. I was walking in where the mural of them handing the residents their sheets and stuff is, and I was really deep in thought about what these people must have gone through and how they felt, and right as I was thinking that, I didn’t see anything, but this energy went right through my chest. Took my breath completely away. I actually started hyperventilating. I was like ‘Oh my God, did it leave me?’ and I started shaking my hands and was like ‘Oh God, please let it be out of my body.’ I couldn’t tell,” she said.

Another McMenamins employee had a story to share, though he declined to share his name. “I definitely heard something in the brewery one time, like six years ago. A long time ago. But I was mashing in at 5 in the morning so I got there first. The rafters up there, there is nothing up there in the rafters. I was the only one there and I could hear someone dropping something and then rolling it down the rafters.

And there’s really not a floor up there, so. Kinda weird. So I just turned the radio on and I didn’t go look,” he said.

Experiences with the paranormal were hit and miss among staff. Beeaker, who isn’t open to the paranormal, has not experienced anything supernatural and she is not alone.

If you’re brave enough to make your own adventure or want to try your luck at getting a stay worthy of the ghost log, Edgefield is located at 2126 S.W. Halsey St. in Troutdale. Rates vary by season but start at $30 for a hostel bed and go up to $175 for a family room.

For more, go to www.mcmenamins.com/ Edgefield or call 503- 669-8610.

8

Living Arts Oct. 26, 2012

Annual mannequin fundraiser to take off Photo by Jeff Hannig/ The Advocate

A head done up by the Cosmetology and Image Makers club will be available for rent as part of the Halloween fundraiser.

Shelby Schwartz The Advocate

Mannequin heads decorated as scary characters will be popping up around campus on Wednesday as MHCC cosmetology students and the Image Makers club rent them out as part of a fundraiser.

Students use leftover mannequin heads to create spooky Halloween looks for hair and make up and then allow students and staff to pay to have one delivered to a person of their choice on Halloween.

Kati Miller, a second-year cosmetology student and Image Makers president said, “We kinda just started it because we always get weird looks just walking around campus.

Just holding random heads and Halloween is always kind of a big deal for us because it’s fun to do the hairstyles and the makeup and everything for it, and we have all these heads that go to no use once people graduate, so they just donate them.”

Miller said the haunted heads fundraiser began about three years ago.

“It’s $2 an hour per rental and they’ll be delivered. We have girls that will be running around the college like chickens with their

heads cut off, giving people heads,” she said.

People can begin Monday to order the heads through the salon.

The money is being raised to pay for lodging at a Bellevue, Wash., hair show next spring. A year ago, “the hotel we stayed at was kind of an iffy place, so we’re really working on raising enough money to be somewhere where we’re comfortable with boarding our girls,” Miller said.

All cosmetology students are encouraged to participate in decorating heads. It’s not a requirement, “but it’s a fun thing to do,” Miller said. The time needed to decorate one head “depends on what you’re doing,” she said.

The heads are available for rent only on Halloween day, to help reduce stress on participants. The heads may be delivered only on campus, because students must be able to use them again.

Miller said she hopes there will be at least 15 heads rotate on campus this year, slightly more than last year, when a row was featured in front of the salon.

The Haunted Heads fundraiser works “because people are weird and they like to creep people out,” Miller said. “It’s the same basic

Portland’s Paranormal League of America investigates the unknown

the day tripper your weekly event planner

Dorothy Ocacio

Friday 10.26 - Saturday 10.27 SE Portland Clinton Street Theater will show scary movies tonight and tomorrow night. The “Scare-a-thon” featuring the films ‘Some Guy Who Kills People,’ ‘Repo: The Genetic Opera,’ and ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ is for all ages. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 for “Some Guy” and “Repo,” $10 for “Rocky,” or $18 for all three. The theater is located at 2522 S.E. Clinton St., Portland. Advance tickets can be obtained at www. cstpdx.com. Call 503-238-5588 for more information.

Monday 10.29

MHCC

Today in the visual arts gallery there will be two free one-man-shows presented by ASG, the English Department and the Modern languages Department. Tim Mooney will be performing both “Lot o’ Shakespeare!” from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and “Moliere than Thou!” from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Tuesday 10.30

MHCC

There will be a reception in the Visual Arts Gallery for the “Art of the Potter” display from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. This is the chance to meet the artists and talk with them. Over 20 artists are showing their works in the gallery. This event is free.

Wednesday 10.31

MHCC

“Halloween Fear Factor” will be happening in the Vista Dining Room from noon to 2 p.m. There are three main events planned for the day: touch boxes, onion and garlic bob and the main event, which will be a sampling of foods from different cultures while blindfolded. One of the main prizes will be a $100 gift certificate to Gustav’s. To volunteer as a contestant, contact ASG @ 503-491-7224.

Thursday 11.1

principle of sending somebody a dozen roses on Valentines day to tell them you love them, on Halloween it’s ‘Hey, thinking about you, let me send you this head.’ ” There is no accompanying card, which keeps the head anonymous and “more of a surprise thing,” she said.

Aside from the heads, another service the cosmetology students provide is makeup application for any occasion – including Halloween events. The application costs $3.50 and students receive a 10 percent discount.

The mannequins are important tool for cosmetology students, Miller said. For a while, at least.

“Throughout the program we do haircuts on them, we do hairstyles, we have different ethnic hair and synthetic hair to practice braiding on. ” Miller said “By the time that people graduate either they just don’t want the heads anymore and there’s still a little bit of hair left so one of us can use it to finish our haircuts on or use for this kind of thing, we have a few we use for facial practice.”

“A lot of us will use them for target practice after we are done. There’s all kinds of interesting pictures on Facebook,” Miller said.

MHCC

The First Thursday event for November will feature music from the group “Soulmates” for the ongoing concert series. The concert will be in the Student Union from noon to 1 p.m.

The Advocate

Based in Portland, the Paranormal League of America (PLA) hunts ghosts in the area, and has also gone all over the West Coast and as far as Canada, Mexico and Europe for investigations.

Dave Galvan, a PLA leader who claims he talks to the dead, has been investigating paranormal activity since 2002. In 2008, he joined with three previously existing paranormal investigating agencies: PDX Ghost Research, Nationwide Ghost Hunters, and Pacific Coast Spirit Seeker.

Galvan is the founder and director of the combined force that call themselves the PLA. Galvan said the group is presently on hiatus due to various occurrences in the members’ lives.

“I had a personal experience that led me to want to find answers,” Galvan said.

People often contact PLA by phone or email and talk about their own experiences. When Galvan talks to them, he said the “stories they tell me are generally the same: strange sounds, seeing things, hearing voices, etc.

“I listen to them, and they always say the same thing, ‘You’re gonna think I’m crazy...’

That’s how I know it’s legit,” Galvan said.

“Then, I go out with Zoe,” he continued, “a member of the group who is a very powerful sensitive, and we do a walk-through.”

A “sensitive” is someone highly attuned to extra-sensory or paranormal conditions, a person who can sense, or feel, things not of this world.

“Nothing major, just walk around the place and see what we are up against. Sometimes, Zoe is able to get rid of what’s there,” said Galvan. “If not, we schedule an overnighter.”

Whether the uninvited guests are poltergeists or demons, the team has dealt with both.

“When that happens, we return at night with the full team, and we set up our equipment, which includes cameras and thermostats, etc.,” he said.

The team uses modern electronic record-

ing equipment, but no Ouija boards or tarot cards. Many paranormal websites and televisions claim that nighttime is the best time to get strong readings for ghostly activity.

PLA has investigated the Taboo Video and the Tiger Bar in downtown Portland after being contacted about paranormal problems.

Both places are atop of the Shanghai underground tunnels that are so infamous. “(Then we) investigate the place with an eye on the hotspots,” Galvan said.

Hotspots are the places with high levels of “paranormal energies,” he explained.

There is no charge for PLA’s services. All the members are volunteers. Their main purpose is to help those experiencing paranormal activities and demonic disturbances. Everyone on the crew has had some kind of experience with the unknown. It is this common factor that brought the team together.

“I met Zoe at a job I used to have,” Galvan said. “Her daughter, Allanna, is also a member. Chris and Peter, a husband and wife, I met online when I needed to find more members.

Asked about freaky incidents, he said, “No, it’s not like it is in the TV shows.

“There was one time when I was in a house in Oregon City that had a demonic presence.

I was reading the Catholic Rights of exorcism when I heard a knocking three times on a wall across the home,” said Galvan. “I was the only one in the house at the time.”

“It did kind of weird me out,” he confessed.

In 2009, Galvan successfully published “Paranormal League of America Presents: Researching America’s Haunted Locations; A Paranormal History.” The book covers the country’s top 20 haunted locations, giving the history of each along with their haunting details.

In the book, Galvan takes a good hard look at the evidence and whether a place can truly be considered haunted, or if there is just a ploy to make money.

Galvan also operates UTXVision.com, a website with video of an investigation.

For more information or to contact a ghost hunter, go to www.paranormalleagueofamerica.org.

News

the advocate

Photo by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate

Students give blood during an on campus blood drive

9

The Red Cross was on campus on Oct. 21 and 22 for the annual fall blood drive.

(Pictured right) Tyler Epperly is a Funeral Services alumni who graduated last June.

Epperly has been donating blood for 10 years and has donated blood 21 times, six of which have been at MHCC including what he donated on Oct. 22.

Hazardous weather prompts safety concerns District Board appoints Lisa Sorenson The Advocate

To stay up-to-date with MHCC schedule changes due to inclement weather, you can now receive push notifications for Android from FlashAlert, a free service that provides access to emergency messages from participating organizations.

“Register at FlashAlert and monitor multiple communication channels for updated information (during inclement weather),” said Maggie Huffman, MHCC communications director.

Reliable sources for latest information on potential schedule changes include: the MHCC homepage (mchh.edu); the phone greeting at 503-491-6422; local TV and radio broadcasts; and FlashAlert notifications.

You can subscribe at flashalert.net to receive new messages about MHCC via text messages, emails, tweets, or push notifications (new this year). Push notifications are messages sent directly to your smartphone, and are more reliable than text messages in emergency.

According to Huffman, the owner of FlashAlert is discouraging the use of text notifications because the service can be slow. If an individual would like to opt for text notifications, they are still available “as long as the student realizes it’s very unreliable,” said Huffman.

To receive push notifications, download the free

FlashAlert Messenger application, currently available for Android and soon in the iTunes app store. Information with this service is updated every half hour, so if any changes have been submitted, an alert will soon follow via your preferred message delivery.

Details on how to register for FlashAlert, and on other inclement weather/emergency information, are posted on the updated MHCC web page; from the homepage, click on the “Quicklinks” drop down menu, then click on “Inclement Weather”.

When hazardous conditions are predicted, campus safety employees will thoroughly inspect the MHCC grounds. If conditions are found to be unsafe, they work with facilities staff and the school president to decide if a closure or delayed start is needed. The information is then passed on to the Public Information Officer (PIO), responsible for communicating any schedule changes to the public.

“Our No. 1 concern is safety,” said Huffman, the school’s main PIO. Huffman said she tries to get the word out to all sources as swiftly as possible. In the event of a schedule change, she will immediately update local news stations, the MHCC website, the telephone message line, and FlashAlert. She aims to have updates posted by 5:30 a.m. on the day affected.

Campus gates will remain locked until 30 minutes prior to scheduled opening time, and only classes that start on or after that time will be in session.

new member during Sunday meeting Kylie Rogers The Advocate

The MHCC District Board appointed Paul Capell as new interim member with a unanimous vote during a rare Sunday morning meeting.

An open meeting was held after a 9 a.m. executive session and allowed the board to vote in Capell before its next scheduled regular meeting Nov. 14.

Capell is due to be sworn in at that time, filling the board vacancy left when Ralph Yates resigned, effective last month. Capell must run for public election in May to retain the seat.

The board had originally planned to select a new member during its regular meeting on Oct. 17, also preceded by an executive session.

“The quality of the individuals that applied for the position, the number and their experience and their dedication is very amazing,” said board Chairman Dave Shields on Sunday. “It shows that Mt. Hood Community College has an important job and important impact on the community.”

A separate motion to make a unanimous vote was made by board member Brian Freeman.

“I made my motion on the basis on my review of the resumes, finding all the candidates to be well qualified. I made this motion on the basis on the candidate that I thought was best fitted and prepared to handle the heavy chores that we expect in the next nine months,” Freeman said.

Capell, who ran for a board position last year, is a member of the MHCC Foundation board and vice president at a local engineering firm.

He also served as mayor of Prineville, Ore., in 1997-98, which drew praise from board member Rod Monroe.

“We’re in the process of trying to find a new president and that’s the most important thing that any board does, is to hire a president,” Monroe said. “His (Capell’s) resume tells me that he’s had experience as a mayor and in other ways that will enable him to directly and immediately cause an impact on the process of selecting a president.”

Board member Diane Noriega said, “We have a broad diversity of strengths at the present time and Paul certainly will contribute another perspective to the board that will be extremely helpful. His business background, his experience with budgets, his experience with collective bargaining, are all going to bring very positive strengths.”

10 Sports

Oct. 26, 2012

Volleyball win streak remains unbroken Shaun Lutz The Advocate

The wins keep on rolling in for the Saints volleyball team.

With two home games last weekend, MHCC looked to solidify itself as the class of the Southern Region.

First up was visiting Umpqua, and the Saints didn’t falter. They swept the Riverhawks (25-23, 25-18, 25-21). The Saints moved to 6-0 after Friday’s victory. They converted 41 kills on 117 attempts, including 10 each from freshman Lihau Perreira and sophomore Maycee Abendschein, as well as 12 kills by freshman Tori Kemper, and outblocked their opponent 9.5 to 3.

On Saturday, the Lakers of Southwest Oregon came to town looking to knock MHCC off its tracks. But as they’ve done all year the Saints took care of business, in a stellar performance.

Another sweep (25-9, 25-13, 25-16) further secured the Saints’ position at the top of their region. Kemper poured in 19 of MHCC’s 45 kills throughout the match, and sophomore Kelsey Merritt added 13 digs en route to their dominant victory over SWOCC. Freshman Kaycie Kitzmiller and sophomore Alyssa Hall combined for 35 of the team’s 45 assists on the evening.

25-12, 25-23).

“It was a good team win,” said head coach Chelsie Speer. It was the second victory this season over Linn-Benton for MHCC. “Lihau Perreira, Kelsey Merritt, and Kylie Kitzmiller all played very well for us tonight,” she said.

The next task at hand is the annual Halloween tournament hosted by MHCC, this weekend’s Dorian-Harris Classic.

Teams include Columbia Basin, Chemeketa, Clackamas, Edmonds, Highline, Olympic, Pierce, Shoreline, Umpqua, Whatcom, Walla Walla, and, of course, the host Saints.

Speer said Walla Walla and Highline will be “good to face, tough competition” with the NWAACC’s league playoffs right around the corner. “We try to live in the moment. We’ll reference NWAACC’s throughout the year, but we take it one game at a time,” she said.

The Saints face off with Whatcom at 2 p.m. today, then Pierce at 6 p.m.

“We try to live in the moment. We’ll reference NWAACC’s throughout the year, but we take it one game at a time.”

Chelsie Speer, volleyball coach On Wednesday, Linn-Benton arrived in town as the only team conceivably threatening MHCCs chance at another Southern region title. The Saints took on the 5-1 Road Runners in a showdown between the South’s top two squads.

The match took four sets, but MHCC came out on top yet again (25-18, 18-25,

- Saints Volleyball Schedule 10/26-27 Dorian Harris Classic Tournament @Home All day.

■ 11/2 Clackamas CC @ Oregon City 7 p.m.

■

■ 11/7 Chemeketa @ Salem, Ore. 7 p.m.

■ 11/15-18 NWAACCs @ Home All day.

Even with playoff, BCS rankings need reworking

John Tkebuchava The Advocate

For the second week in a row after the Bowl Championship Series rankings have come out, the Oregon Ducks have steadily fallen from second only to the Alabama Crimson Tide, to third behind the Florida Gators, and now, once again, down to fourth place with the rise of Kansas State.

The new rating was met with a lot of outrage amongst Oregon fans. After all, why should the Ducks ever fall in rankings if they’ve remained perfect thus far?

Personally, I have no issue with Florida being ahead of Oregon.

That’s not to say I don’t think the Ducks are playing well. It’s just that if you beat a fourth-ranked LSU and are unbeaten yourself, and then go on to demolish a top-10 team in South Carolina, 44 to 11, you’ve earned your way to at

least second rank.

The real issue is when you have a Kansas St. team passing up the Ducks when their only quality win is against then-sixth-ranked Oklahoma. And, no, beating an obviously overrated West Virginia (which got embarrassed in a 48-14 loss to Texas Tech) is not a quality win.

Don’t get me wrong, the Sooners are a great team. But thinking about things logically: how does narrowly beating a sixth Oklahoma 24-19 prove that Kansas St. is the better team then second-ranked Oregon? It doesn’t.

In general, it’s these sorts of instances why college football fans find themselves groaning every Sunday as soon as the BCS rankings come out and scratch their heads in disbelief at some of the ridiculous computer ratings used in the process.

The fact that we are using computers that don’t watch the game themselves should be worrisome enough, but when you have the Sagarin ratings, one of the computer rankings used in the BCS poll, putting two-loss teams such as Texas A&M in the top 10, while pushing lossless teams like Oregon St. and Ohio St. out, it can be frustrating.

Lucky for us, with the BCS presidents approving a four-team play-off system last June, this atrocious system of

essentially voting in the national champion will become a thing of the past.

The bad news is we have to wait until the 2015 season.

That’s going to be two more years after this season of “imaginary” national championships and deserving teams left in the cold just because they might call the Northwest home, as opposed to the deep South.

Two more years of “you’re not good enough” without even getting the opportunity to prove yourself.

Even when we do move on to the four-team playoff, we’re still going to be stuck with the BCS ranking system, which will no doubt cause even more conflict as teams battle for the coveted top four ranks.

That’s why as fans, it should be our duty to continue pushing the BCS and the NCAA into expanding the playoffs till we get to a sensible 16-team playoff and play the game as it should be: Where no team gets the short end of the stick, even if they might not have the letters “SEC” painted on their fields.

But given the ineffective system we’re stuck with currently, it will have to do.

Because I know that even if Oregon isn’t the team to rise as national champion that 2015 season, I will sigh in relief.

Blazer fans to prepare for a rebuilding season Aaron Marshall The Advocate

Four months after LeBron James and the Miami Heat won the title, the NBA tips off a new regular season this Tuesday.

Lots of things have happened this off-season including Steve Nash and Dwight Howard joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Ray Allen joining the Miami Heat and Jeremy “Linsanity” Lin joining the Houston Rockets. The Western Conference looks even stronger this year and it will be interesting to see how the Trail Blazers will play this season.

The Blazers are a whole new team compared to last season including their new marketing motto “New Team New Dream”.

When they open on Wednesday vs. the Lakers, all eyes will be on how they can match up with one of the best teams in the league.

During the preseason, the team looked more energized and fast-paced compared to last season under former coach Nate McMillian who ran a slower offense. But the Blazers do not have a lot of depth, especially at point guard. Besides Damian Lillard, they do not have anyone playing at a consistent level.

Second-year Blazer Nolan Smith has played both point guard and shooting guard but he is not reliable in either role. Bringing in veteran Ronnie Price helps, but does not fill in the hole they have as a solid back up.

The Blazers have a lot of young players and their oldest is forward Jared Jefferies, who is 30 years old. They recently have been known as a young team waiting to build its way up like the Oklahoma City Thunder, who drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka. Now the Thunder, who play in the same division as Portland, are arguably the best team in the Western Conference.

The young Blazers team has potential; they just need more consistency from their roster and especially their bench. Personally, I think the team would fit better with big man J.J. Hickson coming off the bench for the spark that they need but the 6 foot 9 inch forward is now the starting center.

The Blazers have too many role players and not enough game-changers. LaMarcus Aldridge is no doubt their best player and an All-Star, but he can only go so far by himself.

He needs consistent help from his teammates.

This year guard Wesley Matthews and small forward Nicolas Batum, both veterans, are expected to play better and contribute every game any way possible.

As the roster looks right now, the sixth man is forward Luke Babbit, who has been inconsistent his whole career. I am confused as to why he is still with the team.

Usually, rebuilding takes time. We will have to wait and see how this team turns out in this already powerful conference. It is a new era with a new coach and new rookies.

Best-case scenario, I see Portland making the playoffs in the eighth seed, but that’s pushing it. All things will come in due time.

Sports

the advocate

11

Cross country puts together full teams before Southern Regions John Tkebuchava The Advocate

Photo by Jonathon Long/ The Advocate

Christa Collmer has led the womenʼs team every meet.

Managing to tag two more runners onto the women’s squad, the MHCC cross country team featured its first complete teams of the season at last Friday’s Beaver Classic.

Even with the newbies on the team, head coach Matt Hart said the squads’ performance met his expectations.

“I was very pleased with how all of our individuals performed. It was a wet, grassy course making it a bit slower than normal but we had individuals win personal battles with other competitors,” said Hart.

Among 122 runners racing in the men’s 8k, freshmen runners Vlad Ishenin placed 80th, 27:42, Alex Seymour in 84th, 27:49, and Nathan Geiter in 102nd, 28:49. They were followed by sophomore Brian Hoglund in 110th, 29:25, and LT Avants in 115th, 30:26.

In a race also featuring more than 100 runners, the women’s team, who ran a 6k instead of the usual 5k, were paced by sophomore Christa Collmer, who again lead the pack in 43rd, 24:01, followed by freshman Monica Amaro in 77th, 25:50, and

sophomore Molly Scoles in 83rd, 28:19. Finishing close together were freshmen newcomers Katie Brashear, 88th (34:08), and Prisma Flores, 89th (34:13).

“It is nice to have full men’s and women’s teams to represent our college,” said Hart of the restocked squads. Besides being able to place as a team at meets, the additional members are a boost in other ways, he said. “It is helpful to have additional people during training sessions,” he said.

With only three returning runners on the entire team, Hart hopes to convince many current freshmen to run again next year.

“I hope our men and women have a good experience this season and will continue to run this spring in track and next fall for cross country. We are also anticipating a surge of recruiting this year where we will add a new crop of talented and goaldriven” runners, he said.

The distance squad on the MHCC track and field team, which draws heavily from the cross country teams, also should benefit from the influx.

“I would like to see all of our cross country individuals compete in track this spring,” said Hart.

As the season winds down, the MHCC cross country team has two meets remaining. On Saturday, the Saints will compete in the Southern Region Championships hosted by Lane Community College in Eugene.

After the Southerns, the Saints will enjoy their second bye week until Nov. 10, when they head north for the NWAACC Championship meet at Spokane Community College.

“As always, I would like all of our men and women compete to the best of their abilities and not hold themselves back by being too cautious. I think our teams have an opportunity to have their best performances of the year,” said Hart of the two meets.

Unlike track and field, where participants must qualify for NWAACC for events at the Southern Region meet, the entire cross country team will participate in the NWAACC championship this year.

Each NWAACC squad may enter up to seven cross country competitors for all men’s and women’s events, Hart explained. “Because we only have five individuals for each program, we will be taking both (complete) teams to the NWAACC Championships.”

SC Sport�����entral How far can the Ducks and Beavers go?

This Sunday the newest Bowl Championship Series standings were released with Oregon being fourth and Oregon State seventh. The Ducks continue to get no love in the standings, dropping again after they were third last week. I suppose the standings do not matter much until December when the season ends and we can see which top teams have lost or have stayed undefeated.

Last week, Oregon defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils 43-21 and the Beavers won their game against the Utah Utes 21-7.

I am surprisingly excited for the Nov. 24 Civil War game this year as the Beavers are good this season.

They have not had a winning season since 2009. Now they are undefeated 6-0, as are the Ducks at 7-0. The whole state of Oregon should be proud. The OSU defense has been elite and is the reason they have done so well, including senior cornerback Jordan Poyer, who has five interceptions in six games.

The Beavers were expected to flop again this year, but they have proven the doubters wrong.

The Ducks were expected to be one of the better teams in the country and they have proven it, week in and week out. In early January I expect them to go against Alabama in Miami for the national championship. I predict the Beavers will continue to play well but the run will end eventually. If all goes well, they could be in Pasadena on New Years day in the Rose Bowl, but they still have to play Stanford and, of course, Oregon in late November. Nonetheless, Beaver fans should be proud of their team.

-Aaron Marshall

- Upcoming Games - College Football Oregon State Beavers AT Washington Huskies, 7:15 p.m.

(Pac-12 Network) on Oct. 27

- MLB World Series San Francisco Giants AT Detroit Tigers, 5 p.m. (FOX Network) on Oct. 27

- Blazers Portland Trail Blazers VS Los Angeles Lakers, 7:30 p.m.

(KGW-TV) on Oct. 31

12 Sports

Oct. 26, 2012

Photos by Logan Scott and John Tkebuchava/The Advocate

Player uses aggressive attitude on court to succeed

Freshman Lihau Perreira, number eight in the above photos, has helped bring the MHCC volleyball team to an impressive 22-9 overall record and undefeated in Southern Region conference play.

MHCC volleyball player Lihau Perreira

Freshman volleyball player Lihau Perreira, who has played the sport since 11 years old, is second in total kills this season for the Saints with 51

Shaun Lutz The Advocate

B

eing aggressive is frowned upon in most walks of life.

Aggressive drivers are often ticketed and/or arrested, aggressive children are put in timeouts, among other results of personal aggression. However, freshman Lihau Perreira uses hers on the volleyball court.

“I don’t like smiling at the opponent,” said Perreira, a business student in her first year at MHCC. “I would definitely say I’m aggressive.”

Playing club volleyball since she was 11 years old, the sport has been a significant part of her life.

Perreira also played volleyball in high school where she was a four year starter at Sam Barlow High School, helping those teams go to three quarterfinal appearances, and a second round exit her junior year.

Now she brings her talents to MHCC and continues to dominate as a starter member of the Saints.

Beyond just her own participation

in the sport, Perreira comes from a family of players as well.

“Both my parents were volleyball coaches,” she said, adding, “that’s how I got started playing.”

She played two years under the coaching of her father during her time spent in club ball.

Off the court, Perreira shows a bit of a softer side.

She enjoys singing and playing her guitar, which she has been playing for five years now.

On the court, however, she’s part of a defending MHCC champion squad that looks to repeat the success they had last year.

According to Perreira, hard work and the will to win the game forms the backbone of their success.

“We know we can control every game. We keep our attitude and effort at 100 percent all the time,” she said.

When asked what motivates their team to not just defend a Southern Region title, but an overall NWAACC title as well, “as long as we do that (win Southern Regions), we let everything else fall into place.”

Though the team has certainly had it’s success, these next weeks could prove to be a challenge to the team. Perreira noted both Blue Mountain and Spokane as two of their tougher road blocks standing in the way between the Saints and another championship.

Going into Wednesday night’s matchup again Linn Benton, Perriera was second in total kills this season for the Saints at 51.

She would add 15 more during their 4-set victory over the Road Runners, helping Mt. Hood improve to 8-0 in the South (22-9 overall).

With the annual DorianHarris Classic tournament coming up this weekend, there’s only two league games left untill the NWAACC championships, in which this freshman looks to help continue the winning tradition built at MHCC.

“We know we can control every game.

We keep our attitude and effort at 100 percent all the time.”

Lihau Perreira

Photo by Jonathon Long/ The Advocate