Gresham, Oregon | November 2, 2012 | Volume 48, Issue 7
advocate the
The independent student voice of Mt. Hood Community College
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Students sound off: election question and answer “I would vote for Romney because it’s (he’s) essentially the lesser of two evils.” Jacob Westfall
“I voted for Obama, because I felt like his plan was more clear than Romney’s.” Zack Lewis
“He (Romney) just gives me an uneasy feeling and I don’t trust it, so I’m gonna vote for Obama.” Missy Paulson
State report shows inconsistencies in wilderness program Mike Mata The Advocate
The State of Oregon has asked MHCC to dig further into possible misconduct in its Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education (WLEE) program after state investigators found thousands of dollars of college funds had been misappropriated. That includes $13,000 in missing inventory initially unaccounted for. MHCC, in tandem with the Audit Division of the Secretary of State’s office, filed a summary report on Monday. Results of an initial investigation led by Secretary of State Kate Brown was outlined and the report, in the form of a letter to MHCC President Michael Hay, was published on the college website. WLEE instructors Bryan and Kim Anaclerio and part-time WLEE instructor Lindsay Montgomery were placed on administrative leave April 16. They have not been allowed back on campus to teach since. “Anything going on with the faculty, I really can’t address, for a variety of reasons, because
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nothing is resolved,” said Hay in an interview with The Advocate on Tuesday. “Contractual language says while we have ongoing investigations, we don’t discuss it. It’s an agreed-upon perspective from both of us,” said Hay. MHCC Director of Communications Maggie Huffman asked about the status of the Anaclerios and Montgomery, said, “That’s actually typical at every company or organization that you go to: Personnel issues aren’t discussed in a public forum.” Hay said second-year students in the WLEE program
will be allowed to complete the program this year but no new students may enter the program this year. According to Hay, the program is suspended, but the college plans on bringing it back next year. “Enrollments are good in it, it’s very Northwest-y, it’s very endemic to our area. It’s a good program,” said Hay. According to Hay’s written response to the state, the investigation showed problems with inventory, travel policies and Perkins Grant reimbursement in regards to WLEE, plus a complaint about the college’s internal investigation process. “The genesis for the investigation was not the tip-off (from the formal Oregon state government waste hotline),” Hay told The Advocate. “Literally a year ago, in June-July of 2011, we were concerned about some of the things going on down there (WLEE), so we started investigating,” Hay said. “It took a while to bring quite a bit of that to light, as we were progressing with it, then the secretary of state was notified by (its) government waste hotline that some-
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Opinion Nov. 2, 2012
Voter I.D. laws are a ploy by Republicans to fraud the system Voter suppression efforts have Demo- the charge? Republican-dominated state legcrats across the nation biting their nails as islatures. a ticking clock draws closer to election time. There are three sides to this debate: Those Recent state laws approved in Pennsyl- who agree with Republicans and feel the vania, Ohio, Florida, Arizona, I.D. requirement is a failTexas and South Carolina resafe to deter voter fraud; those who feel this is just quire residents to provide a vala tactic to reduce Demoid identification card in order cratic voter turnout; and to register to vote. According to those who just don’t give New York University’s Brennan a rat’s ass. Center for Justice, these new Personally, I’m one rules will affect more than five of those who thinks on million people. the one hand, “If it ain’t That’s five million people broke, don’t fix it,” but who may not be able to vote in on the other hand, even the November election because they do not have an I.D. card. Jenn Ashenberner though voter fraud hasn’t been a critical issue yet, it This number consists primarily The Advocate will be the next debacle of minorities, young, elderly, poor and — here’s the kicker — Democrats. we face as a nation. Most courts that have been urged to preCan we spell “ploy”? According to numerous articles in pa- vent or delay the new rules seem to agree pers across the nation, this ploy has been with those who are afraid of voter fraud. in the works since before President Barack One state court, in Ohio, has determined Obama was elected in 2008. Who’s leading it to be too close to the election to actually
implement such a law and has ruled it be postponed until after Jan. 1. That’s a court thinking of the people, if you ask me. After talking with MHCC’s political science guru, Janet Campbell, this ruling is the only one that makes any sense during such a tense election year. Then again, I’m a Democrat. When I asked my friend, a Republican, if she thought the ruling was the only wise choice, she responded with a smirk and said, either way it won’t make a difference because the Republican legislatures have already won and, of course, dissuaded voter turnout. I listed six states where laws have been passed and only one of the six was blocked (temporarily). That means that the poor, elderly, young and Democrats who cannot afford to purchase a copy of their birth certificate or other legal document required to get an I.D. will not be able to vote in this year’s election. Now who’s trying to fraud the voting system? Republicans say these requirements
are not placing any burden on the people in question, because getting an I.D. is free, or else it would violate our constitutional rights. Republicans aren’t taking into consideration the cost and time it takes to get together all of the legal documents necessary for getting a valid I.D. All in all, I agree with those smart people who say “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” There are so many other things a legislature can focus their “pre-emptive” sights on, such as, let’s say, the damn unemployment rates. After a year in which Republican governors and Republican-led state legislatures passed an unprecedented flurry of voter legislation, opponents of the laws have had a string of successes in court this fall. Courts have delayed rulings on strict photo ID laws in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Texas and South Carolina until after the election, or the laws have been blocked until further notice. After Ohio officials passed a law slashing the number of early voting days in Ohio, a judge restored the three voting days the weekend before they began.
Editorial: We prefer the public to be served publicly In the past few weeks, The Advocate staff has had an interesting learning experience that has emphasized an important function that journalists provide. We would like to share this experience with our readers. On Sunday, Oct. 21, the MHCC District board held a closed-door executive session at 9 a.m., followed by an open public meeting where it appointed Paul Capell to fill the board seat vacated by Ralph Yates, until the public board election comes next spring. During the executive session, the details of which are usually not open to the public, the board discussed the qualifications of the five applicants vying for the board seat. Though the open meeting held after the executive session did follow legal procedure, The Advocate believes the executive session beforehand is a violation of Oregon law. The Oregon Revised Statutes, under ORS 192.660(2), contains the outlines for holding an executive session. In that chapter, rules
state under 7(a) that an executive session cannot be held to discuss the filling of a vacancy for an elective office. A board position, being a publicly elected position, meets this description. Upon realizing this potential violation, Advocate editors met with members of the board to discuss concerns we had of the legality of the meeting. Both sides came to the agreement that the
board should not have held the exectutive session to discuss the board applicants, and the minutes from the meeting
have since been released. After speaking with board members, we feel confident that these potential violations were not intentional. However, we would like to use this time to point out it’s situations like this where an important purpose of journalism becomes clear. Aside from giving public service to our readers by providing important news and other information essential to students and other readers, one of the main roles of a journalistic organization is to serve as a “watchdog” surveying those in positions of authority. By keeping that watchful eye, and reporting back to the public, journalists help keep government leaders and other public officials in check and make sure they don’t step outside legal boundaries (intentional or not). Journalists help compile information on the actions of the government and report back to the public. In this particular case, The Advocate also would like to share our appreciation to MHCC District board members for their cooperation in helping clear up our concerns about legal process and their willingness to provide more transparency in their public roles.
“Which candidate is better suited to pull us out of debt?”
Obama Romney Johnson Stein
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Tuition waivers available for students in all departments Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate
MHCC has allocated more than $689,000 in tuition waivers for the 2012-13 school year through the grants-in-aid program, current records show. The amount of spending fluctuates based on the percredit tuition costs, but the amount of waivers remains consistent. The MHCC district board establishes grants-in-aid to include recognition award and talent grant tuition waivers, awarded to students “based on talent, academic excellence, leadership potential and personal or career development,” according to board policy stated in April 2011. The waivers are split among instructional, co-curricular and athletic programs. Each section receives between 70 and 74 waivers of 12 credits for three terms.
Previously, the performing arts program directly received waivers. The MHCC board changed its policy and performing arts is now included in the instructional waivers section. Robert Cox, dean for student success and enrollment management, said “the board was very supportive of leadership opportunities” when it amended the waiver program. Each term, the instructional program awards 16 waivers per term to high schools and 48 waivers to the academic divisions on campus. Students with disabilities receive 4.5 waivers per term. The deans of the academic divisions may distribute the waivers as they wish. For instance, they may increase the waivers of a particular division next year if it received fewer waivers this year, said Cox. “It was a really good discussion,” said Cox, about the deans’ yearly deliberation. Each division may have an application process, but waiver decisions ultimately rest with the division’s dean. Waivers are allocated based on leadership potential, academic ability or other variables. Deans can decide the duration of a waiver and the num-
ber of credits a student receives. The only limit is that no section may exceed its assigned grants. David Sussman, manager of college center services and grant sponsored programs, works with the advisers for the co-curricular program waivers. If any group has unassigned waivers, Sussman may transfer them to other activities. “There are some things that come up” to force an activity to request additional waivers, said Cox. Within the co-curricular section is Rho Theta, the honor student organization for MHCC. Cox said the board has mandated three waivers for the group. Usually, campus activities receive the same number of waivers each year. There also is an opportunity for new programs that are supported by ASG, to receive waivers, said Cox. The athletic programs have 71 waivers per term to divide among the six team sports, men’s and women’s, as well as the rock wall. The waivers are usually allocated through a letter of intent. For more information on seeking waivers and or the specific waiver breakdown, students may contact Cox at 503-491-7374 or robert.cox@mhcc.edu.
WLEE: Inquiries into missing gear thing was going on down there, which brought them into the picture, so they came in and began investigating almost 11 months later,” he said. “Once (state auditors) did their initial looks, we agreed to partner with them and research it further,” Hay said. The investigators were on campus from June through the middle of September, he said. In his resignation letter in June, former board member Ralph Yates expressed his concern over possible misconduct by members of the college after speaking with several “whistleblowers.” After Yates received information of possible misconduct, he contacted the Secretary of State’s office, which launched an investigation. The letter posted Monday said the auditors checked three different locations on the Gresham Campus for $25,500 worth of recorded inventory and found that $13,000 worth of equipment was missing. After scouring program emails, $1,500 of the missing equipment was determined to be purchased as personal equipment for WLEE students. The MHCC business office found there were no deposits from
the students to pay for the equipment. The travel policies portion showed that there were no documented policies or procedures in place for food or supply purchase reimbursement. The report found $8,500 in food expenses were charged for reimbursement. Included were restaurant receipts between $92 and $141, including a $121 meal receipt from a Gresham restaurant. Two reimbursement requests totaled $177 for non-overnight travel. MHCC guidelines on overnight travel spending allow a maximum $25 per day for instructors. The report showed that on two occasions, that per diem was exceeded by $83. The WLEE instructors also had access to school “purchase cards,” normally for authorized MHCC personnel to buy inexpensive goods or necessary services for prescribed needs. Purchases on the WLEE cards showed clothing — such as balaclavas, pants, jackets and sunglasses — greeting cards, candy, games and toiletries. The records also showed that some WLEE purchases were used in tandem with the instructors’ REI rewards program (which grants a 10 percent member cash or merchandise refund), resulting in refunds totaling $182 during the period under investigation. In addition to purchase card issues, two receipts from
sporting goods stores showed seven items exceeding $225 each that were filed under “climbing” and five items that ranged from $85 to $140, each filed under “shoes.” The letter also cites complaints against MHCC about the internal investigation launched in 2011, as well as complaints that the college lacks a comprehensive list of complaints made and actions taken. It states that the investigation was delayed due to several changes in the administration. It said that in September, MHCC implemented a new protocol for the Human Resources Department and Affirmative Action Officer to triage, monitor and coordinate all such complaints and concerns received. The state letter lists recommendations for each area to address the oversight issues. Those steps are “reasonable suggestions,” Hay said. “We’re appreciative of that input and are trying to incorporate (them) into our processes and policies, not only for WLEE but across the board, to ensure better stewardship of the money,” Hay said. Hay’s Monday letter to the state outlined changes being made in the college administration. The changes follow the guidelines in the letter from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Do you understand the Electoral College? Daniele Caldwell The Advocate
Photo by Cameron Miller/The Advocate
Continued from Page 1
Janet Campbell, dressed in a wig for Halloween, speaks on the Electoral College, Wednesday.
On Wednesday in the MHCC library, political science instructor Janet Campbell explained the Electoral College and how it works. Campbell described how the president is elected, how many electoral members are assigned to a state, how America has a “winner-take-all’ system for presidential elections, and finally, how the system has to work that way otherwise the House of Representatives would end up electing the president every four years. Campbell encouraged her audience to spread the word about how the system works, because she said most Americans do not understand how it works.
“It’s not a nationwide vote, it’s a state-by-state vote.” Janet Campbell
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Living Arts Nov. 2, 2012
Actor is ready to work his ‘rubber face’ Katelyn Hilsenbeck The Advocate
Comedian JB Smoove (featured on TV show “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “The Chris Rock Show”) will be doing stand-up comedy at the Helium Comedy Club. JB Smoove will have shows tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 & 10 p.m. Tickets are $17 (general seating) or $22 (reserved seating). The club is located at 1510 SE 9th Ave, Portland.
The Portland Coffee Fair will be held this weekend at the World Forestry Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. People will be able to smell, taste, and learn about specialty coffees from knowledgeable local roasters. All ages are welcome and tickets are $9 for adults. The World Forestry Center is located at 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland.
He thought football was for him, until he found his love for theater in high school. Second year student Drew Pierce began his acting career in grade school and plans to pursue acting as a career after MHCC. He is playing the part of Boggis in MHCC’s Children’s Theatre production of “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Pierce is fueled by the sensation that comes when he first steps on stage: “It’s a gut-wrenching feeling of ‘Am I going to do okay?’ ” he said. He acted in various productions in grade and middle school as well as eight productions during his time at Sandy High School. “Theater has just been in my life by the luck of the draw,” said Pierce. He began his freshman year of high school playing football, but quickly realized before school even started that it was not for him. His father, a sports fan, encouraged him to finish the season. “My heart was not in it,” Pierce said. He did not feel his personality was fit for competitive
The film “A Lonely Place for Dying” will be screening at 8 p.m.
Review:
Brick or Block Lego Tournament will be at 7 p.m. and held
The
at the Cruzroom. Adults 21 and over can attend or compete in the tournament. There is a limit of eight teams of two – six people per team. People are encouraged to come early because the slots fill up fast. The tournament will be hosted by ShanRock along with special guest judges. The event is free. The Cruzroom is located at 2338 NE Alberta St., Portland.
doesn’t feel stress in the show, thanks to “all the good aspects of children.” He said he finds humor in the young audience’s extended laughter. “Sleepy Hollow” was his lone performance last year, so that he could focus on his studies. He plans to audition for the upcoming production of “Rent,” “especially now that we have a solid director behind it all,” he said of newly appointed theater instructor Jesse Merz. Pierce gets abundant support for his acting. He receives notes of encouragement from his grandparents, and his parents express more support than he expected. His mother participated in musicals during high school, as well. “I’m so glad I didn’t get my dad’s tone-deafness,” Pierce said of his ability to hold a tune. Pierce acts alongside friend and fellow MHCC student Garrett Larreau, who inspires him with “incredible comedic timing,” he said. Pierce practiced his comedic skills over the summer by making videos of sitcom spinoffs with Larreau. When he is not acting, he takes on the persona of a minotaur for his friend’s
band, “Ion es with the citement, w fun. He is lo match at a for the rig playing. His ev of a T-shir from vario than 50. “If I di probably amount of hobby. “In out of som a concert h always ha memory of really fun them,” he To see face,” look Theater sh MHCC pro Mr. Fox” w duction is ementary s
Drew Pierce is pictured making several of what he describes his “rubber faces” on Wednesday afternoon in the Student Union.
at the McMenamins Kennedy School Theater. The director of the film, Justin Eugene Evans, will attend the screening. The movie involves a deep plot about a special agent and a man who holds explosive evidence against the CIA. It has been honored at many film festivals across the country and has great feedback from film critics and audiences. The film is for those 21 and over and costs $7. Kennedy School is at 5736 NE 33rd Ave. Portland.
Restaurant East Burn will be screening the presidential election throughout the evening. People are encouraged to arrive early to get a seat. East Burn will have election results shown upstairs on a large projection screen and downstairs in the taproom. The Oregon and Portland results are expected to come at 8 p.m. East Burn is located at 1800 E. Burnside St. Portland.
sports. “I’m always the dude who is joking around, even when I shouldn’t,” he said. After the season ended, he began to pursue acting seriously and auditioned for plays. His junior and senior year he received lead parts. He played William Randolph Hearst in “The Cat’s Meow” and the father in “Leaving Iowa.” Pierce describes his face as “rubber” and “going all over.” He has often played more serious and sinister characters, so “When I’m not in control, no one believes me,” he said. In “Leaving Iowa,” Pierce felt he didn’t have to hold back: “I could just go crazy!” That role allowed him to let go, and quickly became his favorite. Pierce enjoys telling stories, regardless of the plot. He finds the silence of audience members during a drama as rewarding as their laughter during a comedy. When actors have humor lines, “kids will laugh forever,” Pierce said. He was in the children’s play “Sleepy Hollow” last year and found that children “have no filter, they’ll do what they want” and blurt out their thoughts at various times throughout the play, he said. P i e r c e
CD leaves listeners with mixed feeling Mike Mata The Advocate
Melody and metal collide with mixed results in All That Remains’ upcoming release, “A War You Cannot Win.” Drawing upon equal parts death metal and punktinged metalcore, “A War You Cannot Win” switches seamlessly from the heavy to almost poppy from track to track. In the album opener “Down Through the Ages,” a fade-in riff leads to vocalist Phil Labonte’s guttural screams that mirror drummer Jason Costa’s rapidly insistent double-bass kicks which transitions to a surprisingly melodic chorus that could’ve been on an Avenged Sevenfold album circa 2003. From there, the album turns to “You Can’t Fill My Shadow,” a heavier yet somewhat slower song that is so full of angst it should be on the soundtrack rotation at a Hot Topic. The third track, “Stand Up,” sounds a little more like a hard rock band trying to play metal than a metal band trying to blister its audience’s ears. While I’m not a rabid metal fan, even I think this is somewhat of a milquetoast excuse for a metal song. It sounds more like Disturbed had a musical baby with one of the Jonas brothers: all lame hook and no heavy. Thankfully for the latent metal head, the following track, “A Call to All Non-Believers,” takes a much
harder edge, mixing lyrics about false gods and cults. The music itself is also slightly heavier but still lacks a truly head-banging power until the last minute or so. “Asking Too Much” definitely fits in with the band’s metalcore image. However, it’s done almost perfectly: with the right amount of lovelorn angst, rage and bad-ass drumming. At first the song sounds like A Day To Remember B-side, poppy but not sappy and with an infectiously catchy chorus. Part of you wants to be annoyed by it, but the other part wants to slam dance for two of the three and a half minute song. Sandwiched in after “Asking Too Much” is the 21-second palette cleanser of a acoustic audio clip “Intro.” It’s wildly out of place on the album, however. It seems odd to have an acoustic guitar clip on a metal album. Acoustic humor aside, the seventh track “Just Moments in Time” gets back to hitting the listener in the gut with some alternately heavy and fiery guitar riffs and decidedly blistering drums from Costa. The lyrics seem to have somewhat “deep” overtones with lines like “…we come from nothing and we’re nothing when we die…” in the chorus. Unfortunately again, following this track comes the big stinker on the album, “What If I Was Nothing.” It starts off like a Poison song and then gets worse from there, sounding like a Nickelback song. What in the hell is a staunch metalcore band that dabbles into death metal doing sounding like a bunch of hick-town
Canucks? Instead of po hit “next.” The next song, ”Sin metal version of Rise A provement over soundi parts punk and death m even has a furiously pla solo that just begs one to The next track, “Not but still packs a punch, Jeanne Sagan and anoth all it sounds a bit like C inter-galactic warfare. “Calculating Lonelin could’ve been left off en less than a minute instea utes. Short acoustic clip quick intermission, but n ing acoustic guitars on a The album finishes w in the vein of A Day To a heavy dose of Coheed blend results in a very w mixes a seriously powe riffing. On the whole, th spots but gets bogged d tracks mixed in so that The poor mixing leave track, and dry-heaving t
Living Arts
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5
n Storm.” The minotaur dance audience and produces exwhich Pierce said is a lot of
features many potters’ work
ooking forward to a wrestling an upcoming event, a battle ght for his band to continue
Photo by Dorothy Ocacio/ The Advocate
’ for kids Campus gallery show
veryday wardrobe consists rt collection he has acquired ous concerts, totaling more
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ondering this brain buster, just
ng or Liberty,” sounds like a Against, which is a huge iming like Nickelback. It is equal metal and all hard and fast. It ayed, if somewhat brief, guitar o bang one’s head. t Fading,” sounds a tad lighter especially highlighting bassist her swirling guitar solo. All in Coheed & Cambria without the
ness,” another acoustic track, ntirely or at least shortened to ad of about two and half minps are okay to give listeners a no one needs to hear meandera metal album. with the title track and is again o Remember albeit mixed with d & Cambria. That interesting worthy fist-pumping track that erful drum line with relentless he album has some very bright down with too many unsavory t it never really hits its stride. es the listener digging it one the next.
Potters and guests at the reception for the Art of the Potter exhibit Tuesday night in the Visual Arts Gallery enjoying the art and company. Several of the pottersʼ work can be seen, including works by Amanda Salov, Ted Vogel and Careen Stoll.
Dorothy Ocacio
Davis was told by his graduate school instructors to stop looking at periodicals centered on contemporary ceramics, and go beyond the traditional. “I’ve had talented hands for a long time but I didn’t really have any ideas Bright colors, tantalizing features, warm earthy tones, and mixed materi- about how to develop my work,” he said. One idea struck home, however. “I was also interested in the idea of specimens,” Davis said. He credits phoals, such as water or cloth, draw a visitor from one piece to the next at the “Art tographer Karl Blossfeldt, who photographed dried plant specimens in the of the Potter” exhibit in the Visual Arts Gallery. The exhibit, which opened Oct. 22, is a collection of works by 23 artists. 1930s. Blossfeldt’s influence can be seen in the “Phalicus Spoonil” piece. Jillian Croy, who attends a life drawing class at MHCC, came to view the Many are from the Portland metro area, others from the Eugene area. Made of porcelain or clay, the pieces range “from very functional art pieces pottery. She liked the “Phalicus Spoonil” piece, a lot. “There are many interpreto much more cultural, non-utilitarian objects,” said Miles Browne, the Visual tations as to what it could be,” she said. “The idea behind pots is really Arts Gallery coordinator. interesting to me,” Davis said. “I’ve “It’s a good range to see the made my life of it. possibilities of what can be “In all the work I’ve done, even done with clay.” the sculptural work like this, there’s All of the participants always been a reference to the veshave a master’s degree in sel,” he explained. “Inside, outside, arts or fine arts. Some are form, texture, some with color, (on) instructors, including three some of them I decided to completefrom MHCC– Joe Davis, ly remove color.” Stephen Mickey and NataWhether his work is functional lie Warrens – who all teach or not, Davis said, “I’m a potter. I ceramics. can’t get away from it.” Davis brought the Ted Vogel and Careen Stoll, idea for the exhibition to whose work is displayed, describe Browne, who made the exa tight-knit community of potters. hibit come together. “We end up knowing each other and The idea quickly exa lot of what we do becomes a group panded beyond pots. Davis process,” Stoll said. said the focus of the exhibit “We share studios, share food,” is the interpretation of the Vogel added. vessel in its many forms. Potters are “typically pretty He decided to invite gregarious people,” Stoll said. “It only those artists with masʻHengja Pairʼ, created by Joe Davis, facing tip to tip, is two pieces; ʻPhalicus Spoonilʼ, another Davis piece on the wall behind, is three pieces. comes with the territory.” ter’s degrees to narrow Vogel said his pieces are about the list of great potters he knows. “In the end, I really wanted a highly developed bunch of work in the the formal relationships between color and other materials. This is evident in his side-by-side pieces, “Orange Float” and “Turquoise Float.” show,” he said. “Oval Vessels” and “Oblong Vessels” are a different direction for potter A reception held Tuesday night gave people a chance to look over the pieces and talk with the artists, some of whom discussed their work with the Amanda Salov, who has molded clay since childhood. Salov said it’s not realistic for artists to “wait for an idea” for new pottery audience. Several Davis pieces are on exhibit. The “Hengja Pair” were done for his and sculptures. She prefers to experiment. “Working through ideas, then you thesis in 2007, while “Phalicus Spoonil” were completed the next year. Both are come up with more. That’s how it works for me, anyway.” She told the gallery audience her pieces are meant to be touched, the intent representative of the vessel. “The whole idea behind the thesis work (and the later work)… was really being to draw on the senses. Katheryn Finnerty, a potter for 15 years, spoke about her recent work “The kind of a play on the sexual references that are inherent in a lot of pots, pouring Fragment Series,” which reflects the fragments of her life. vessels and spouts,” he said. After Finnerty was laid up by surgery, she found “time to question healing Davis was not interested in ceramics until college. “I actually entered art school thinking I would do metalsmithing,” he said. and growth, recovery, and what is new, what is old,” she said. She used broken pieces of pottery she had saved, fabrics and prints to creHis parents, already worried about his decision, helped steer Davis into ceate the series. “Nuclear Cherry Blossom” is another of her works on display. ramics instead. Not all the potters were able to attend the exhibit forum. Those who were Having come from a practical-minded family, “I wanted something practikept busy engaging guests, students and fellow artists. cal,” said Davis. “To go into art school was already a stretch.” For more information on the gallery, contact Miles Browne in the Visual Ceramics, with its ability to make usable objects as well as art, gave him Arts Gallery, 503-491-7309. what he was seeking. The Advocate
Photo by Dorothy Ocacio/ The Advocate
Pierce will be acting in the Childrenʼs Theatre production of “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” A performance which will be open to the public will take place on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. in the Studio Theater.
Photos by Katelyn Hilsenbeck/ The Advocate
id a price inventory, I would cry,” Pierce said about the f money he has spent on his n terms of shirts, I never run mething to wear.” Whenever has shirts for sale, he almost as to get one. “It’s still the f the show. Some shows have nny memories attached to said. e Pierce’s talent and “rubber k for him in the Children’s how and in an upcoming oduction this year. “Fantastic will run Nov. 5-17. The pros primarily intended for elschool children on field trips. Only the Nov. 17 show will be open to the public. Tickets will be $2.
Nov. 2, 2012
Board discussions in executive session appear to be illegal Kylie Rogers The Advocate
Discussions by the MHCC District board leading to appointment of a new board member at an Oct. 21 executive session appear to be a violation of the state open meetings law. The closed-door executive session was meant to address consideration of “an individual agent” under ORS 192-660 2(a), according to the meeting announcement sent on Oct. 19. But discussion in executive session about filling a vacancy of an elective office is specifically forbidden. The meeting, held at 9:05 a.m. on a Sunday, focused on discussing qualifications of applicants for the vacant board position. The vacancy occurred in September following the resignation of Ralph Yates. The conversation primarily focused on Paul Capell and Kathy Kralj. The board had concerns about Capell’s busy schedule and of Kralj’s lack of experience with collective bargaining, in light of upcoming contract negotiations and the search for a new college president. The board also discussed that the vote to appoint a new member should be unanimous, although no vote was taken in executive session. The unanimous vote to appoint Paul Capell was done legally in public session following the executive session. The candidate qualifications were discussed in executive session to avoid giving out information that shouldn’t be part of the public record, said board Chairman Dave Shields. The board wanted to be sure it “wouldn’t violate any law or make the board liable for any statements seen as judgmental to any of the candidates,” Shields said. But John Tkebuchava, an Advocate co-editorin-chief, said that even though the board may have been acting in the best interest of the candidates, “It’s important for the board to remember that they work with the public and the public is affected by how they choose to conduct themselves.” The relevant state law states under ORS 192-660 “(2) The governing body of a public body may hold an executive session: (a) To consider the employment
Bridges take the test
of a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent.” However, under the same law it specifies, “(7) The exception granted by subsection (2)(a) of this section does not apply to: (a) The filling of a vacancy in an elective office.” Board member Brian Freeman, asked about the state law, said, “The section 2a respecting agents does not include or apply or protect the meetings where you’re considering filling the vacancy on the board. That was very specific and I don’t disagree with that.” Asked why candidates were discussed in executive session, Freeman said, “We probably were erring on the side of caution not to reveal any protected information of the candidates that shouldn’t be revealed inadvertently. “A candidate’s privacy and his rights are challenged by the public’s right to know and where there is really no conflict, there really shouldn’t have to be an executive session. But we didn’t know,” Freeman said. Tim Gleason, dean of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication with a specialty in media law, said, “I think the logic is sound, but on the face of it, it would appear that this was an inappropriate topic for discussion in executive session.” “Voters are going to make a decision based on the entirety of the record of the candidate,” Gleason said. “Your entire record is open to scrutiny, so why would you be able to go into executive session to discuss the records of people you’re going to appoint if, in fact, if they were running for election the public would have access to everything about them.” Jack Orchard, The Advocate’s attorney on retainer with Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, concurred with Gleason that the discussions about candidate qualifications should have taken place during public session. Shields said in hindsight he would advise the board to restrict questions so there wouldn’t be a violation of privileged information and the board might be given more direction. The minutes from the executive session in question will be posted on The Advocate website at www. advocate-online.net.
Photo by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate
Day of the Dead comes to campus
Photo by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate
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News
Engineering students test their cardboard bridges on campus last Friday. The bridges were required to be able to hold two students and be 22 feet in length.
Preview
Day
Join us 5:30 p.m. Wed., November 14 Learn about Academic programs Paying for college
Application process Campus life
Find Agenda, directions and RSVP at vancouver.wsu.edu/preview
An example presentation of an altar was set up in the Student Union to aid in bringing the cultural holiday to campus.
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Sports
7 Photo contributed by Brett Stanley
Photo contributed by Matt Hart
Photo contributed by Brett Stanley
the advocate
Sophomore Christa Collmer ran 19:21 at the Southern Region Championship meet, breaking her own personal record and good enough to place first overall.
Molly Scoles crosses the finish line in 22nd place Saturday Oct. 27 at the NWAACC Southern Region Championships held at Lane Community College.
John Tkebuchava The Advocate
MHCC cross country runner Christa Colllmer is the 2012 Southern Region champion after taking first in the meet Saturday at Lane Community College. At the meet, Collmer ran a new personal best of 19:21, putting her six seconds ahead of the secondplace finisher. The women’s team also had another top ten finisher in freshman Monica Amaro, who placed 9th with a time of 21:00, followed by freshman Molly Scoles in 22nd (22:58). The men’s team kept it in a tight pack at the meet, with all five runners placing within 14 positions of one another. Freshman Alex Seymour led the group, placing 20th, 27:54,
Saints’ Collmer lays claim to Southern Region title
with freshmen Nathan Geiter and Vlad Ishenin finishing shorly after in 22nd, 28:02, and 24th, 28:11, accordingly. Next came sophomore Brian Hoglund in 30th, 29:34, topped off by freshman Lt Avants who finished in 34th, 30:30. Once again, the women’s team did not score as a team at the meet, competing with only three runners. Head cross country coach Matt Hart said that though Prisma Flores did arrive to run at the meet, she was feeling sore in her Achilles tendon and for reasons Hart is not sure about, Katy Bashir did not arrive at all to run at the
meet. Hart said since the team wouldn’t able to run as a full team anyway, being without Bashir, he let Flores take the meet off. “It’s unfortunate because we could have done decently (at the
Freshman runner Nathan Geiter and Vlad Ishenin in the NWAACC Southern Region Championships at Lane Community College on Oct. 27. Geiter took 22nd place and Ishenin took 24th in individual standings.
ond year of running cross country, she has matured tremendously,” said Hart of Collmer’s first place finish. “The thing about Christa is that she has worked extremely hard all summer and fall to get where she is at,” said Hart. Looking ahead to NWAACCs on Nov. 10, Hart says all the hard work the team has put into until this point should help carry them to some great performances. In regard to Collmer, the new Southern Region champion, Hart said he thinks she will be able to hang with the best. “I think the effort that our whole team has been putting into
“Now it is time to allow the body to adapt and start working on race strategy, a competition mentality and fine tuning speed.” Cross country coach Matt Hart meet),” he said. Nonetheless, the team was by no means short on quality. “I thought Christa executed the game plan perfectly. For her sec-
training will give them all the strength and courage to improve and win personal battles within the race. No holding back anymore,” he said. Before the team takes on NWAACCs, the Saints will be having their second bye week of the season. According to Hart, the team will be taking this time to focus on the mental aspects of the meet, rather than physical, and said the team will be easing off at practice as well. “Most of our fitness has already been accumulated so we are working on mental toughness and increasing everyone’s speed,” he said. “Now it is time to allow the body to adapt and start working on race strategy, a competition mentality and fine tuning speed.”
Men’s and women’s young basketball teams prepare for new season Men’s Basketball The men’s basketball team will be different this year in a good way, according to Head Coach Geoff Gibor. Gibor said this year’s team is stacked with talent, though the players are young. “We have a high ceiling this year, as far as talent. We have a young team, only two returning players from last season. But the new guys have picked up things quickly, they work hard and have a high basketball I.Q.,” said Gibor. Last season the team finished fifth in the NWWACC playoffs, and first in the South Region with a record of 12-2 and an overall record of 24-8. Asked how far he thinks this year’s team can go, Gibor said, “I think we can get pretty far this season and have a good year. “These guys already have good chemistry and as the year goes on it will only get better,” he said. Gibor expects Colby Mitchell, Mac Johnson and Landon Rushton to have a big impact this season and to be leaders. Mitchell is one of two returning players. “Colby is athletic, tough, hard, and has good leadership skills,” said Gibor. The team had its first scrimmage Oct. 24
against Warner Pacific. “We played well, I thought. We still have a lot to learn, but we are a young team and it will take time but I have confidence in them,” said Gibor. The team plans on running an up-tempo offense this season. “Our players are athletic and have toughness and great discipline,” said Gibor. “Our team is young and developing but they do have a lot of sense on the court. We plan on creating excitement for everyone who comes to the games this year.” The team has 16 players on the roster this season. Two will be redshirting and will sit out the season. “We don’t have as much depth as we did last season with our post players, but we make it up with our deep backcourt,” said Gibor. Coming up Saturday, the team heads to Oregon City for a jamboree tournament from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Wednesday at 4 p.m., the team has a scrimmage against Portland Bible at MHCC. The team will attend its final tournament before the regular season Nov. 23-25 in Longview, Wash., for the Red Devil Classic. The team opens its regular season Nov. 30 against Walla Walla Community College in Washington.
Women’s Basketball The women’s basketball team has a new look and increased athleticism, and is ready to take on the new season. An aggressive approach will be the key to a successful year, said head women’s basketball coach Jocelyn McIntire. “We will definitely be looking to push the ball offensively as well as increasing the pressure we apply defensively,” she said. “I have always been a believer in having a balanced attack. I want to push the ball every time down the court, but if we can’t get a quick, easy, high percentage shot, then we need to be able to run a half court offense and be patient for a good shot.” This season the team has 15 players, with only four returning from last year. “We have a young, athletic team. I think players Hannah Mocaby, Kelsey Barnes, Sydney Mendanoza, Chanel Celis, and Whitney Warren will play a big role this year and be leaders for our team,” McIntire said. According to McIntire, having more depth this year will help the team significantly. “We struggled last year with both numbers and experience. We only started with 10 players, a few got hurt, and that forced many of our players to play in positions that
they were not experienced at. With 15 players on the roster, I feel we have much more depth than we did last year so that should help us get some more wins,” she said. “So far, I think the girls have been getting along very well. Chemistry has been growing bit by bit each week. We are starting to establish whom our starters potentially might be, getting groups to play together and see what they can do. We have some very high-energy players on our team. We just need to make sure we get that energy channeled in the right direction.” Today, the team has a scrimmage at Lewis and Clark College. They also will scrimmage at home against Lower Columbia Community College at 6 p.m. Thursday, and again at 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Reed College.
-Both stories by Aaron Marshall - Basketball Fundraising Anyone looking to help support the women’s basketball team can make a purchase Wednesday at the Burgerville at 2975 N.E. Hogan Drive in Gresham. From 5 to 8 p.m., the restaurant will donate a portion of sales proceeds to the team.
8 Sports
Nov. 2, 2012
Photo by Jonathon Long/The Advocate
Saints ‘pirate’ Halloween bash
Shaun Lutz The Advocate
With a commanding lead in the Southern Region, the MHCC volleyball team took a break from league play last weekend to host its annual Dorian Harris Classic. With tough competition such as Highline, Olympic, and Walla Walla (all second place or better in their respective regions) it offered a good test for the Saints as their season comes to a close. They opened up the weekend facing the Whatcom Orcas (2-8 in the North; 8-21 overall), a team MHCC beat earlier in the season at the Edmonds Crossover tournament (25-18;
25-17). The Saints proved to be the better squad yet again, making quick work in a threeset sweep (25-15; 25-19; 25-22) of the Orcas. Next up were the Pierce Raiders (7-4 in the West; 20-14 overall). It was the first meeting of the year for the two clubs, and the Saints held court, dominating through three sets (2512; 25-15; 25-14) to improve to 2-0 on the weekend. Saturday would bring the Saints’ toughest test of the tournament, matching up with the Highline Thunderbirds. After a surprising loss for Highline against Clackamas a night earlier, the Thunderbirds beat Columbia Basin to move to 2-1 on the weekend, facing
MHCC in a win-or-go home scenario. The Saints, while pressed and pushed past three sets for the first time all weekend, sent the Western region leaders (9-1 in the West; 28-10 overall) back home (27-25; 2225; 25-19; 25-22) and advanced in the Tournament. Matched up with Southern Region foe Umpqua, the Saints would play for a spot in the championship game against a Riverhawk team (4-3 in the South; 26-16 overall) they hadn’t dropped a set to all year. Though the trend didn’t continue, MHCC took control after splitting the first two sets, and eventually came out on top (25-23; 2225; 25-18;
22-25; 15-10), sending Umpqua home empty-handed. In the title game, the Saints faced off against the Olympic Rangers (9-1 in the North; 29-9 overall) a team they hadn’t seen all year. That didn’t stifle the MHCC attack, as the Saints swept the Rangers out of the gym (25-13; 25-20; 25-21), maintaining home court advantage all weekend and winning the tournament. MHCC will host the NWAACC championship tournament this year, and hopes to continue its home court dominance. But first, the Saints hit the road for their final two league games , including tonight’s matchup with the Southern Region’s fourthplace Clackamas Cougars.
Photo by Jonathon Long/The Advocate
The volleyball team took a break to host the Dorian Harris Classic, where the Saints played in comstume
The MHCC Saintʼs volleyball team hosted their annual Dorian Harris Classic, where many of the players played in costume. The Saints went on to sweep the Olympic Rangers in the finals to win the tournament.
SC Sport�����entral World Series ends in sweep for Giants The San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers, taking Game 4 on Sunday night by a score of 4-3 to win the World Series for the second time in three years. After they fought through the league championship series and won the last three games against St. Louis to advance to the World Series, it was hard to believe the Giants could sweep the Tigers. But that’s what they did. The first game defined just how the Series would unfold: One of the most dominant pitchers in the game, Justin Verlander, was hit hard and the Giants scored five runs against Detroit before he was pulled from the game. The hitting was consistent throughout the Series for the Giants, and when it was most important, the Tigers bats went cold. The Giants averaged four runs per game, while the Tigers averaged less than two. The pitching also came alive for the Giants while the starting rotation of the Tigers simply couldn’t do enough. “You have to have a little bit of good fortune and you have to be good enough to take advantage of that good fortune,” said Terry Francona, baseball analyst on ESPN’s SportsCenter. It’s hard to say that certain teams or players deserve a win or a championship, but it’s easy to say that the Giants fought hard for this one. -Cameron Miller
- Upcoming Games - Beavers Oregon State Beavers vs. Arizona State Sun Devils, 7:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network) on Saturday
- Blazers Portland Trail Blazers at Oklahoma City Thunder, 5 p.m. (Comcast Sports Network) tonight
- Game of the Week #4 Oregon Ducks at #17 USC Trojans, 4 p.m. (Fox Network) on Saturday Tomorrow night the Oregon Ducks (8-0) come into Los Angeles to face the USC Trojans (6-2) for probably their biggest game of the season. Last year USC came into Eugene and
upset the Ducks 38-35. This year, the Ducks are looking for vengeance with their national title hopes on the line. Score Prediction: Oregon 45 USC 31