The Advocate, Issue 10, December 2nd

Volleyball wins NWAACC championship

Road to

Glory December 2, 2011

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Volume 47, Issue 10

www.Advocate-Online.net

“XBUS” rolls onto MHCC campus

Enrollment figures drop seven percent

by Leah Emura The Advocate

Photo by Riley Hinds/The Advocate

Students playing in the “Halo: Reach” free-for-all tournament held on the XBUS in the MHCC main mall Tuesday. The Event was sponsored by the “Vector math club.

Although enrollment for fall term 2011 has increased by 14.7 percent from five years ago, according to Vice President for Student Success and Enrollment Management David Minger, MHCC is still down 7-8 percent from last year.

To some extent, the decrease has been caused by elimination of the Steps to Success program, said Minger. Steps to Success was a program designed to provide comprehensive educational, social and employment services to equip job hunters to gain the skills and qualifications necessary to secure permanent jobs or transition into a new career. The Oregon State Department of Human Services (DHS), due to a budget shortfall, eliminated the program June 30.

According to the MHCC website, Steps to Success was funded entirely by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families grants from state and federal funds.

See Enrollment on Page 3

New contract will outfit MHCC athletics with Nike gear

by Jill-Marie Gavin The Advocate

Mt. Hood Community College is the first Oregon community college to have an athletic contract with Nike, college officials said this week.

The Nike contract, signed Oct. 17, was retroactive to July 1 and will be effective until the end of the 2014 school year.

According to MHCC Bookstore Manager Julie Godat, Nike was the only athletic company that had the necessary equipment and outfitting for every team on campus. Not even Adidas had everything needed, she added.

Men’s basketball coach Geoff Gibor said, “Very few schools have had the chance to be a Nike school. The only other school in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) outfitted by Nike is in Spokane, Wash.”

He said the outfitting by Nike includes anything used by a team on game day, such as sweats, socks, practice gear and any other equipment.

Gibor also said if the teams don’t see something they want in the products of-

Mt. Hood Community College

fered within the contract from Nike, they can go to the Nike reseller and buy a different type of product that better suits their needs.

Gibor said the contract took effect this year and though the basketball team was wearing Nike products last season, they weren’t under the contract then.

He said this was the first season for the volleyball team to use Nike gear and the other athletic teams will be coming out to games, at the beginning of their seasons, in their Nike outfits.

Kim Hyatt, dean of health and physical education, said under the contract the school receives a 40 percent discount on all goods ordered through Nike.

MHCC bookstore merchandiser Genta Guitron said, “We’ve been taking the athletic department’s lead on what to sell in the bookstore and what slogans to use on the products coming in.”

She said the bookstore won’t be offering any of the Nike products until spring term because they want to get input from the students on what to have printed on the products.

According to Hyatt and Gibor, the

basketball teams will have practice shirts with the slogan “Hood Pride” on them.

However, Hyatt added, this slogan was deemed inappropriate by the MHCC administration for official college use because the college didn’t want to be misconstrued as supporting gang-related material.

Hyatt said the slogan won’t appear on anything sold in the bookstore because the Office of College Advancement said the use of the word hood could have negative connotations.

Director of Communications Maggie Huffman said MHCC always tries to avoid the use of the word hood because the college never wants to be perceived as having anything to do with gangs.

She said they always want the community to think of the college as a great place for students and a great place to work.

Hyatt said the teams chose that phrase for the practice shirts because most colleges have some variation of their mascot with the word pride after it, citing University of Oregon’s shirts that say “Duck Pride.” She said they already have the design ready but it can’t be released for

viewing yet.

Godat said the decision to keep the term hood off bookstore products came about last year when John Sygielski was still president.

Godat said both Sygielski and Vice President of College Advancement Cassie McVeety visited the bookstore and said they were adamant that only the term Mt. Hood Community College be used on MHCC bookstore products because use of the word hood may reflect negatively on the college and the use of Mt. Hood alone may be too broad.

Guitron said they’re trying to focus on terms that revolve around the word Saints. She said the bookstore will hold a contest during winter term to encourage student input on what should be printed on the products.

Guitron and Godat said the back wall of the bookstore is to be turned into a sports center with all Nike products.

Godat said, “We’re very excited to have that quality of clothes in the bookstore, and it will help raise awareness of our teams to students who don’t even realize our talent on campus. ”

Gresham, Oregon

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Editorial

The Advocate offers kudos to groups for campus excellence In the midst of the academic and financial struggles students must is located in the back of the College Center. endure, it’s good to know there are those who standout in the large Lastly, kudos goes out to the “Something Wonderful” program, in mass of diverse students at MHCC who still find the time to give back which people can ”adopt” struggling families by buying them presto the community, excel athletically and simply make a difference on ents, clothing and food. The program has attracted enough donors to campus. adopt an impressive 63 families.

First, The Advocate congratulates MHCC’s volleyball team for Arguably one of the most successful charitable organizations on winning the NWAACC chamcampus, “Something pionships on Nov. 20, beating Wonderful” was esthe Walla Walla Warriors in the tablished in 1994. final game of the tournament Since that time, the orand winning their first title ganization has helped since 2007. well over 600 famiVolleyball has always been lies, an amazing staone of the staples of MHCC tistic to say the least. athletics, but winning the Already over a deNWAACC title is no simple cade in the running, feat, especially considering the we can only hope the team’s second-place finishes program operates for in each of the last two seasons. at least another deGreat job on another fantastic cade and continues to year and a wonderful way to grow. represent the school.

The Advocate Recognition is also well dewould like to conserved by Barney’s Pantry, the gratulate the theater Associated Student Governand music programs ment-run campus food bank. as well as the forenThe pantry has had another Photo courtesy of Jeff Hinds sics team and men’s successful term this fall, giv- The women’s volleyball team huddles up before their NWAACC victory against the Walla Walla Warriors on Sunday Nov. 20. This and women’s cross was the women’s first victory at the NWAACCs in several years. In the past two years they took home second place trophies. In ing out 26 Thanksgiving boxes addition to the volleyball team we are also recognizing ASG and Something Wonderful for their hard work and dedication. country teams, for a to struggling students. It’s one successful fall term thing to help out strangers in need, but when you can help out your and a job well done and encourage you all to keep up the good work fellow students, it is truly a blessing on the campus. as we end fall term and enter the winter term. In addition to these Barney’s Pantry will be expanding its services with a clothing clos- aforementioned campus organizations, we would also like to extend et as well, which can only build on their current success. This is a great congratulations to any campus groups we may have missed. We wish move by ASG. For students needing the services of the food pantry, it you all the best of successes as we enter 2012.

Healthy study habits and foolproof tips for taking your finals

by Lawrence Gilius

Learning Services Coordinator, Learning Success Center

Here are some things to keep in mind as you try to end the term with your best work: •Strengthen your mind and body; don’t weaken them. It is rarely a good choice to miss sleep for study.

Our clear mind is the basis of good understanding and memory. Research shows that trading sleep for more study time the night before a test leads to poorer results.

Instead, do the reverse. If you haven’t been getting eight hours of sleep, try to do so. Similarly, get exercise. A short, fast walk for a few minutes will help defeat stress and awaken your mind. Ditto for diet. Now is the time to eat high-quality nutritious foods. This is fuel for your mind, body, and your spirit, and you’ll need it. Avoid caffeine. Except for a little to get going in the morning, it’s counter-productive.

•Make a plan. With limited time, you need to know what you must do and when you’ll do it. Download a weekly planner from the Learning Success Center website at: http://www.mhcc.edu/StudentServices.aspx?id=403 Using this, you can plan by the hour. Set specific goals for each hour. Choose your targets strategically with a view to everything you need to get done between now and end of term.

•Concentrate on your weak areas first. Avoid the tendency to go over everything lightly. Instead concentrate

first on the material you are weakest on. Identify it by name. Work it up until it’s strong. Then consider again what you’re weakest on, and focus next on that. If you’re unsure what’s important to know for a test, talk to your teacher. Still, try not to spend too much time learning new material that you may have skipped earlier. Most of your study time should be spent rehearsing and reviewing what you’ve learned.

•Take frequent study breaks. We learn best in short periods of study, not longer than 45-50 minutes. Study for that period of time, and then take a 5-10 minute break.

(Fast walk, anyone? Or enjoy a nutritious snack). Then return to study. It could be the same subject or a different one. But your mind is starting fresh and will focus better and remember more.

•Use “distributed study.” Instead of studying a topic for a concentrated three hours on one day in a week, try studying it for 30 minutes each day for six days. It’s the repetition over time that puts it into your memory. Also, vary the places where you study that topic. If you study the same material in different locations, for example, one time on the bus, another time at home, another time in the library, you’ll remember it better than studying it always in the library (as demonstrated by recent research).

•Employ all the “modes of learning.” We can learn in many ways: by reading and writing, by speaking and listening, by looking at charts, graphs and pictures, and by building things and moving a lot. You will be more

the advocate

efficient at learning by working in several modes each day. For example, to make content from a chapter more memorable, create a chart that displays its main ideas.

To memorize terms, write their definitions on flash cards and include a simple picture that represents the idea for you. Do some of your studying standing up or even pacing around. Pretend to teach what you’ve learning to an empty room: stand up, speak out, and use a small white board with colored markers.

•Visit the Learning Success Center. We’re fortunate to have a better learning success center than those at any of our competitor schools. Use it (mezzanine area above the library). Tutors in the drop-in area provide help in many subjects. Writing tutors can help you think through those final papers. The computer lab offers great learning resources and monitors to help with your computer tasks.

Learning specialists can help you apply the advice in this article. Student Success Seminars teach test-taking skills and other skills. (See the list at: http://www.mhcc.edu/ lsc/) The LSC is open seven days a week. Online tutoring is also available through the Northwest eTutoring Consortium, of which MHCC is a member. On the above web link, click on the button that says, “Contact an eTutor.”

Enter your MHCC ID number as both your username and password. Help is available for a great variety of subjects and for writing.

Best wishes for success without stress and for a relaxing holiday season ahead.

Submissions

Editor-in-Chief

Opinion Editor

Reporters

Jill-Marie Gavin

Shelby Schwartz

Broc Christensen

Associate Editors

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Leah Emura

John Tkebuchava & Mike Mata

Kylie Rogers & Yuca Kosugi

Jeff Hannig

Sports Editor

Photo Editor

Laura Knudson

Chanel Hill

Riley Hinds

Mario Rubio

Living Arts Editor

Web Editor

David Gambill

John Tkebuchava

Advisers

Assistant Living Arts Editor

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Kylie Rogers

Logan Scott

Dan Ernst Lisa Marie Morgan 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

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.

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December 2, 2011

Enrollment:

Figures down from last year Continued from page 1 “For example,” said Minger, “in summer term 2010, Steps to Success generated a lot of SFTE (student full time equivalents).

Yet the termination could not and did not bring in those additional SFTE for the summer 2011 term,” he added.

The SFTE enrollment is what helps calculate the state reimbursement. Only students enrolled in credit classes are counted in the SFTE algorithm.

“To view the status of the enrollments, we have something that compares fall 2011 to the fall term in 2010. The comparison takes place at the same point in each term,” said Minger The problem is, Minger added, that the MHCC board is not getting a full picture because different things can happen as the term goes on.

To help clarify this situation, Minger said college officials use the “prediction tool,” which is a work in progress.

“This system will let us judge enrollment numbers at any point of the quarter and will be able to show us where MHCC most likely will end up at the end of the term.”

“You can use this analogy,” Minger said. “For example, we’ve been driving in the

darkness with headlights that are dim, and we just realized that we can use brighter bulbs” He said this would help see in the future and help with planning. Minger also said, “The prediction tool will be pretty nifty.”

In addition, Minger also said the college is working to increase enrollment and one strategy is to develop a more complete automated financial aid package.

A more developed system will allow the college to prepare an award within a week of gathering the student’s data through the FAFSA (Free Application of Federal Student Aid).

Minger said this would be helpful because currently students that do not need to complete the task of verifying documents, such as tax returns, are held up in the process, taking several weeks to be completed as awards are processed by completion date.

The automated packaging will be a convenience for any student, new and returning, he said.

“We’re not held up quite as much. We want to have that group of students, that don’t need to be documented, just flow through pretty much automatically,” said Minger.

Holiday photo shoot with Santa

Photo by Riley Hinds/The Advocate

Landon Sawyer, 4, from the Early Childhood Center, poses with Santa Claus during the Holiday Tree Lighting Monday afternoon in the College Center. Other activities included ornament making and a multi-holiday storybook reading.

BRIEF

Veteran healing circle offered

by Warm Springs tribe in April Flute playing and the film “Healing Circle” accompanied a presentation Wednesday by Vietnam veteran Larson Kamala in the Visual Arts Theater.

After an introduction, the film “Healing Circle” was shown, which is about the Veterans Family Healing Circle, an annual three-day event held on the Warm Springs, (Ore.) reservation during the last week of April.

Although most of those who attend the Healing Circle are Native Americans, Ken Smith, one of the presenters, said all are welcome.

“We invite veterans from all over the world,” said Smith, adding that it’s a good place for veterans to come and heal their spiritual and psychological wounds.

Heidi Katchia Van Vilet, who volunteers at the event and is Smith’s wife, said, “A lot of the veterans are split off. They’re not whole. We try to bring them back together.

“It’s all about coming home to yourself and doing what you need to get whole,” she said.

Smith and Vilet have attended the event for more than a decade, and Vilet said that last year nearly 50 veterans attended the event, which is run entirely by volunteers.

For more information about the Veterans Family Healing Circle, call (503) 8044177 or e-mail h2bears@cascadeaccess.com.

No registration is required for the event and it is free to all, though donations are welcome.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @mhccadvocate for updates and conversation-starters throughout the week.

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“ I w a s c o n f i d e n t a b o u t t o d a y, a n d s o w e r e t h e g i r l s . ”

saints season prove

Photos cont

Head volleyball coach Chelsie Speer celebrates with her team and onlookers after winning the NWAACC Volleyball Championshi at Mt. Hood Community College.

by Chanel Hill The Advocate

After two consecutive seasons of second place finishes, the Saints volleyball team wins the NWAACC championship title

T

he setting was familiar. On home court, in front of home crowd, in the final game of the season. But the final dive by the opponents proved in vain, and as the heads of one cheering section dropped in disappointment, another section, which had tasted the same defeat just one year ago, rushed the floor knowing it was finally their time.

The Saints volleyball team battled through two grind-out matches with the Walla Walla Warriors Nov. 20 to take home the NWAACC volleyball championship. The victory is the first title for the program since 2007 and the first championship for thirdyear head coach Chelsie Speer.

“It’s unbelievable,” said a water-soaked Speer following the victory, “especially after losing in the semis again (something that also happened last year). It’s unbelievable.”

On day one of the NWWAACC tournament in the MHCC gym, the Saints faced the Eastern region Clark Penguins. The Saints came out with heavy offensive play, jumped to an early lead and won in straight games (25-19, 25-18, 25-19).

Day two pitted the Saints against the heavy-hitting Northern Region Champions, the Shoreline Dolphins, and this match was won in non-traditional fashion. The Dolphins took the first two games (25-23, 25-22), which set up a grind-out battle in game three, with the Saints rallying to a 25-16 victory. The Saints moved on to take game four 25-22, and ultimately won game five 15-10 for the match victory.

With Shoreline behind them, the Saints next played Southern Region rivals the Clackamas Cougars. The match proved to be less of a struggle, with the Saints winning in four games (25-17, 20-25, 25-10, 25-21), thereby advancing to the next day’s semifinal against the Walla Walla Warriors.

Mirroring last season, the Saints had a tough battle in the semifinal. The Warriors, who ended the regular season as second seed in the East Region, traded game victories with the Saints but won the crucial fifth game. The loss (25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 24-26, 1513) was the Saints’ first loss in the tournament.

Because of the loss, the Saints dropped to the loser’s bracket to face the Spokane Sasquatch to determine who would advance to the championship match against the Walla Wall Warriors. This time, the Saints moved more easily past the competition, sweeping the Sasquatch in straight games (26-24, 25-22, 15-10) to stay in championship

contention.

On the final day of competition the Saints were out to pro them to know they had gotten lucky with that win,” said fir middle blocker Demi Belshe. “We told ourselves that we wou hit until they stopped us, and they couldn’t stop us.”

The first match of the day against Walla Walla would deter play the Warriors again. Because of the double-elimination tou to beat the undefeated Warriors once in order to saddle them final match. The Saints came out aggressively, dominating the the Warriors to commit 25 attack errors to Hood’s 12.

The Warriors played to their namesake in game two, whi test of wills, but it ended in a 25-20 Saints victory. It was the th stood apart as one of the most tension-filled periods of the a motivated offense the Saints and the Warriors took turns k ball, going tit-for-tat, point-by-point.

The Saints pulled away from the Warriors with a four-poi let down. The Warriors battled back to a 25-25 deadlock, but Saints set-point advantage, which led to an all-out rally until a kill en route of a 27-25 set and match victory.

Speer, along with assistant coaches Stephanie Alleman and the importance of mental toughness and resilience the entire “Mental toughness. Resilience. That has been our word a son,” said Speer, beaming.

The Saints, who have fought ghosts of runner-up NWAA ond in the 2009 and 2010 seasons), unforeseen setbacks, an championship match with tunnel vision. All-Tournament MV son who battled an injury early in the season, had held not putting up 32 assists, 14 digs and three blocks “After last season, we’ve talked about how hard we would again,” said Engleson following their championship victory.

Game one saw anxious Warriors supporters and coaches o cheering with claps of encouragement, but that was not enoug

”

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C h e l s i e S p e e r,

December 2, 2011

Saints head volleyball coach

es charmed

tributed by Jeff Hinds

ip Nov. 20

by the numbers NWAACC tournament matches played

Number of kills put down by Devan Belshe in the final match, including the Championship winning kill Saints named to the AllTournament team. CoMVP Rylie Engleson, 1st team: Demi Belshe, Devan Belshe 2nd team: Natalie Dwight, Casi Johnson

Sophomore NWAACC All-Tournament, 2nd team player Natalie Dwight celebrates after a game two Championship match point against the Walla Walla Warriors.

ove a point. “We wanted rst team All-Tournament uld go all out and hit and

rmine if the Saints would urnament, the Saints had m with a loss and force a e first game 25-15, forcing

ich was a back-and-forth hird game, however, that entire tournament. With killing and diving for the

int lead at 24-20, but then t a service error gave the l the Saints squeaked out

d Corey Nielson, pushed season, and focus the entire sea-

ACC finishes (placing secnd injuries, went into the VP and setter Rylie Englething back in match one,

d have to work to get here

on the edge of their seats, gh to overcome the Saints

home court advantage. Saints men’s basketball team members painted their chests to spell out H-O-O-D and marked every set and kill with a “SET . . . BOOM!!!” roar, and pushed the tension in the crowd and on the court to the max.

They were so rowdy that athletic director Kim Hyatt had to quiet the section several times in the match. But, Hyatt said, “It’s great to have the support within the department,” who was joined in the crowd by several Hood coaches. The first game would eventually go to the Saints 25-19.

In game two, the Saints jumped to an early 15-6 lead. With each play the Saints exposed the Warriors’ fading focus, sucker-punching each point attempt with more aggression than the last. With Warrior players dropping their heads, looking around for help, and holding back tears of frustration, the Saints dominated from beginning to end. With a jump to the net and one last kill to end the game 25-11, and take it all, Saints staff and fans rushed the court in celebration, “I slept really well last night,” said Speer. “I woke up confident.

I’ve never been so confident, even in a league match. I was confident about today, and so were the girls,” said Speer.

In the Mt. Hood gymnasium, in a puddle of water that was poured on Speer in celebration, Saints middle blocker Belshe splashed around, hugging fellow teammates, clapping her hands and chanting, “We did it, Sophomore first team All-Tournament we did it.” Supporters, family, play- member Demi Belshe sheds tears of joy ers and fans looked at one another, smiling, realizing it was finally true. while hugging Speer after championship

victory.

The number of hours it took the Warriors to drive back home to Walla Walla, Wash.

rd NWAACC championship appearance for third-year head coach Chelsie Speer Belshe sisters playing together in their second NWAACC Championship

2011 NWAACC

Championship volleyball title

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Saints men’s basketball team off to promising start

by Chanel Hill The Advocate

The Saints men’s basketball team opened their regular season play over Thanksgiving weekend by going 2-1 in the Red Devil Classic Tournament in Longview, Wash.

On Friday, the first day of competition, the Saints came out hard against the Yakima Yaks. They scored 32 points in the first half but only shot 60 percent from the free throw line and trailed by nine. The Yaks took advantage of Saints turnovers, which led to 47 Yakima points in the game.

“The only area we really need to work on is not turning the ball over.

On Sunday, the final day of competition, the Saints faced the home team, the Lower Columbia Red Devils, again dominating with 58 rebounds and 36 points off the bench.

The Red Devils, who managed to stay within 10 points of the Saints at halftime (35-26), were no match for Saints offense in the second half, as MHCC put up 52 second-half points for a 87-61 victory.

The Saints, whose strength lies in their size and veteran leadership, are looking to run an up-tempo style this season. Still, with opposing teams converting on Saints turnovers, the players need to keep their focus. “We need to maintain defensive intensity and execute offensively,” said Gibor.

“We need to maintain defensive intensity and execute offensively,” - Geoff Gibor men’s head basketball coach I think we set a record,” joked head coach Geoff Gibor Tuesday. Still, the Saints executed on defense, posting 64 game rebounds against the Yaks, who were held to 35. “We played solid defense and we rebounded really well all weekend,” said Gibor.

Ultimately, the Saints lost the game to the Yaks 81-73 — but it would be the sole loss of the weekend. Day two saw the Saints dominate the Edmonds Tritons, scoring 44 first-half points. Offensive execution continued in the second half, with the Saints scoring 52 points en route of a 96-64 victory. Freshman forward Colby Mitchell led the scoring with 18 points, while freshman guard Bradley Seehawer had 16 points.

“That is something that will happen the more games we get under our belts.”

The Saints will compete in the Warrior Classic today and Saturday in Walla Walla, Wash. They will face heavy competition against the Big Bend Vikings and the home team Walla Walla Warriors, both of whom are notoriously strong competitors.

“We are facing good teams. We need to get out on shooters and contain them. We can’t allow them to penetrate,” said Gibor.

The Saints will play two games today: the Big Bend Vikings at 4 p.m. and the Walla Walla Warriors at 8 p.m. All day two games and times are to be determined and can be found on the NWAACC website.

Photo contributed by Jeff Hinds

Sophomore Marcus Moore dribbles down the court against the Yakima Valley Yaks at the Lower Columbia Red Devil Classic Nov. 26 in Longview, Wash.

Women’s basketball team shows their strength in second defeat

by Chanel Hill The Advocate

With only one player over six feet tall, size is not something the Saints women’s basketball team has going for them this season. But what they lack in size, they seem to be making up for with tough work ethic and heart, as evident in their first regular season action at the Clackamas Thanksgiving Invitational in Oregon City over the weekend.

The Saints, who defeated the Olympic Rangers 58-48 in day one of competition, took advantage of the Rangers poor ball handling, converting 33 points off turnovers and scoring 16 second-chance points. With big offensive contributions by sophomore guard Kelsey O’Neil who had 19 points against the Rangers and sophomore point guard Emily Burch who scored 10 points. “They played really well.

We are still getting our feet wet,” said head coach Jocelyn McIntire this week.

Day two of competition saw the Saints facing South Region competitors, the Umpqua Riverhawks, who by sheer size presented a challenge for the Saints.

“With Umpqua we were just outmatched size-wise. They’re just huge,” said McIntire, “but we stayed with them. I was really happy with their efforts in that game.”

Nevertheless, the Saints were unable to pick up the win, losing 65-73 to the Riverhawks.

The final day of competition saw the Saints facing another Southern Region team, the Southwestern Oregon Lakers. The Saints stayed within six points of the Lakers in the first half, but seemed to drop momentum in the second half, getting out-rebounded and shooting only 33 percent in the paint.

“We definitely hit a cold spell. We hit a wall half way through the first half and got tired,” said McIntire. “Sometimes it’s like you can’t buy a bucket.”

The Saints, who are learning a new system under McIntire in her first year as head, are having a hard time getting out of their heads and into the game, the coach said. “It’s a new system. I think right now players have to think a lot, so they don’t get to just play.”

Today the Saints will compete in the Bellevue Bulldog Classic in Bellevue, Wash., where they will face the Eastern Region Big Bend Vikings at 6 p.m.

Small college, big opportunities.

WARNERPACIFIC.EDU PORTLAND, OR

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On Campus Feature

Music student puts practice before performance

by Kylie Rogers The Advocate

Your weekly reason to stand up and hit the streets

Dec. 5 “New Views of the Old Moon” will be shown in the MHCC Planetarium Sky Theater at 7 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. The 45-minute show is $2 for general admission and free for MHCC students.

Dec. 6 McMenamin’s Mission Theater, 1624 N.W. Glisan St., Portland, presents History Talk, “A History of Northwest Portland: From the River to the Hills.” The event is a book release and history presentation by Portland native Jane Comerford.

Admission is free for the 7 p.m. event and minors are allowed with a guardian.

Dec. 7 The music department will perform its “End of Term Concert” in the College Theater at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Dec. 8 The Jazz Band will perform its “Jazz Night Concert” in the College Theater at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is free.

Dec. 9 The Northwest Children’s Theater and School presents a musical version of Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka” at the Northwest Neighborhood Cultural Center, 1819 N.W. Everett St., Portland.

Tickets range from $13 to $22. The show runs various days throughout December. For more information and tickets, visit www.nwcts.org.

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second-year Mt. Hood music student stays busy using his skills with several instruments while playing with four bands, including two groups on campus.

Student Kyle Lissman performs in Mt. Hood’s orchestra and jazz combos, the Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) and jams in a band with his friends.

Lissman makes the daily commute from West Linn to Gresham. He decided to attend MHCC after his West Linn High School music instructor Kevin Egan pushed him to pursue a career in music.

Egan highly recommended Mt. Hood because of its “exceptional program,” said Lissman. “All faculty members are very exceptional. As a musician I’ve grown to appreciate a variety of musical tastes. I’m not as narrow minded to what I play and listen to,” he said.

Lissman is an upright bass player in the orchestra and has been playing for years but is also capable of playing the piano, guitar, electric bass, drums, trombone and viola.

“The funny thing is when I first picked up the upright bass, I thought I would be a jazz player,” said Lissman.

As a music major, Lissman feels he is always busy.

“It takes about six music classes to get about 12 or 13 credits compared to the three general ed. classes and you’ve got homework from all of them,” Lissman said, on top of the standard three hours a day spent practicing.

“I try to maintain three hours a day,” Lissman said of his practicing schedule.

During practice he works on his orchestra and PYP pieces as well as a bassoon concerto that has been transcribed for bass that he plans to perform during his recital hour at the end of term.

Lissman said performing is his favorite part. Performing in front of an audience allows him to lose himself and become the piece he is playing, he said.

Lissman said that in orchestra he hasn’t been able to play a lot because the group is limited by the school on where they’re able to play.

The limitations are “frustrating because playing outside and playing in general attracts new and talented students to the school,” he said.

After Lissman is finished with Mt. Hood, he plans to transfer to another school and has been focusing on Portland State Univer-

Photo provided by Kyle Lissman

Kyle Lissman playing the upright bass as if it were an electric in the band room at MHCC last year.

sity (PSU).

“Members of the Oregon Symphony give lessons and teach at PSU,” he said.

When school is finished, Lissman is tossing around the idea of being a music teacher.

In his non-music free time, Lissman has picked up bouldering – rock climbing without any ropes – upon recommendation from a co-worker. He said he hasn’t had time to do it lately between school and work but would like to start it up again during winter break.

On Campus MHCC Perceptions Magazine is taking submissions for seven categories

by Yuca Kosugi The Advocate

Perceptions, MHCC’s literary magazine, is under way this year with a bigger staff and is working on creating an online presence.

There are 12 people on staff this year, according to Megan Jones, one of the Perceptions editors, compared to the four or five people that has been the norm in recent years.

“I think it’s fun. Every year I’m surprised with the work,” said Jones.

Jones has been working on Perceptions for more than a decade. She started when she was a work-study student in the English Department and heard about the literary magazine.

From there she took the class for a few years but now she volunteers for Perceptions and works at the tutoring center.

The student team of Jordenn Luff and Baylee Hart has been

selected out of four teams from the graphic design program to design Perceptions this year.

“Basically, they treat us like clients,” said English instructor Holly DeGrow, this year’s faculty adviser for Perceptions.

Both designers are second-year students and treat the work as an internship.

There are seven categories in Perceptions that people may submit their work in: art, poetry, music, fiction, non-fiction, short film and photography. The magazine prints in color, but also has black and white pages. They also put together a CD and DVD for music and film. Deadline for submission of work is Jan. 20, 2012.

There are about 800 submissions for all genres, said Jones, and about 75 are selected to go into the magazine.

There have been a lot of fiction submissions so far this year, said Jones. “It’s different every year, though.” They are having

trouble getting films, she added.

Jones organizes the submissions on Perceptions’ private blog, which is only viewable by the staff so they can review, comment, and vote on submissions. She also takes care of contacting the submitters upon acceptance or rejection.

“It’s not thematic,” DeGrow said about the magazine as a whole.

Review of the submissions is blind, and work from both professionals and amateurs from on and off the campus are accepted and reviewed without bias, said DeGrow.

When the staff is putting pieces together, they do thematic pairings instead of by genre, said DeGrow. “The visuals go with the writing.”

Online presence is also something they are working on.

DeGrow is working on creating a Facebook page and said that students should “like” the Perceptions page, once she cre-

ates it.

Students interested in working on Perceptions can enroll in the course Literary Publication, WR247A or WR247B, which are one and two credits, respectively. Instructor permission is needed, so DeGrow said students may bring the class enrollment form to her office in AC2388.

The course is offered fall, winter, and spring. The staff members generally plan in the fall, review submissions and designs in the winter, and edit, organize, put together, and print and in the spring.

Perceptions comes out in May and the staff holds a release party at McMenamin’s Edgefield where people read or perform their work. The magazine is about $20 but is free to people with their work in Perceptions said DeGrow.

Submissions and questions can be sent to perceptions@ mhcc.edu.

On Campus

‘End of Term Concert’ to feature multiple campus groups

by Jeff Hannig The Advocate

The symphonic and jazz bands are scheduled to perform their End of Term Concert at the MHCC Theater, Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 7 and 8. Both shows are from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Jazz band director Susie Jones and part-time music instructor LeRoy Anderson will co-conduct the symphonic band performance.

Jones is sharing the responsibilities for the jazz performance with part-time music instructor Stan Bock.

It is customary for music students to perform an end of semester review that serves as their final exam. The students shouldn’t be nervous, said Jones. “This is the culmination of all the work we’ve been doing this term,” she said.

The Symphonic Band will play 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Jazz

Night will be Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Jones will co-conduct the symphonic band with Anderson and lead one of the jazz bands for Jazz Night, while Bock leads the other.

Thursday night’s performance will be Jones’ last performance as an MHCC instructor. Jones said she plans to put more time into her own playing and composing.

Jones said she did not pick any of her favorite pieces for the show but admitted that she has started to feel nostalgic as the rehearsals roll along and that the songs have provoked new emotional perspectives.

Orchestra director Marshall Tuttle will be conducting the orchestra and choir director Solveig Nyberg will lead the choir.

• A feature story on Jones and a look at her time at MHCC will appear in the Dec. 9 issue of The Advocate.

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advocate the

December 2, 2011

Dec. 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Disability Services staff share their enthusiasm for students

by Jeff Hannig The Advocate

Kaye Cushing, adviser in the MHCC Disability Service Office (DSO), has come a long way from the kid who used to sneak up to scare her blind grandmother.

Cushing laughs as she tells the story, explaining that her grandmother used to think it was funny, too.

Cushing is part of the DSO staff who works to ensure that students with disabilities can access their education and to prepare students with the tools necessary to excel and reach the standards of their classes.

Cushing said she had no choice in her job selection; high scores on the Strong Interest Inventory Test she took in high school had her pegged to help people.

“I originally wanted to go to school for graphic design,” Cushing said.

Cushing has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in special education with an emphasis in rehabilitation for the blind. When she worked for the Nebraska Commission for the Blind, she would tell her patients, “If plan A doesn’t work,

then we’ll go to plan B — and if we have to, we’ll go to Plan C.” She said she is dedicated to assisting new students become acclimated to MHCC. “I go home at night and feel good about what I do every day,” said Cushing.

The most common issue DSO staff is dealing with this year is students with learning disabilities, said Cushing. Services for students with a documented learning disability include: extra time or separate classrooms for tests; printouts of lecture notes; and the opportunity to work with a learning disability specialist.

A less known disability is the one that veterans deal with — post traumatic stress disorder — said Liz Johnson, counselor and coordinator of the Disability Services Office. PTSD can affect a student in many ways, Johnson said, including things you might take for granted, like sitting with your back to the door, a car backfiring, or that certain topics of conversation can trigger a reaction from the student.

Johnson said many of the students who come to the Disability Services Office have had curriculum modified for them their

whole lives. She has noticed how this can make students with disabilities lack confidence in the

Coordinator for Disability Services Liz Johnson

Disability Services adviser Kaye Cushing

classroom.

“Our philosophy is for students to grow and feel empow-

ered, so they graduate feeling they have done the work and feel confident to go on,” said Johnson. “The majority of individuals don’t want standards reduced.

They want to earn their degree and to be marketable.”

Johnson was a freshman in college studying psychology and law when her father suffered a debilitating stroke. That experience led her to further her education on how she could help families who were going through similar situations.

When the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, was enacted it made it illegal for public agencies and schools to exclude any person based on a disability.

Johnson explained that when she was going to school in the 1970s, there weren’t many programs specifically focusing on disabilities or on vocational rehabilitation; students were either on track for psychology or sociology.

In 1977 Johnson worked in vocational rehabilitation before going back to school where she received her master’s degree as a mental health therapist.

As DSO coordinator, Johnson is responsible for the overall operation of the office.

Johnson, like Cushing, smiles a lot when she talks about what she does for a living.

“I like to find the middle ground of reducing barriers, but also upholding the standards of the curriculum,” said Johnson.

Johnson and the faculty strive to do just that. She said a past student who was partially blind enrolled into the nursing program without disclosing her disability.

Students are not required to do so, but may be recommended not to enroll if the instructors feel the student’s limitations won’t allow them to succeed in the program.

“If she was completely blind, it might not have been possible,” said Johnson.

Fortunately, Johnson said, the nursing faculty was up to the challenge. She said they were more than willing to work with the student who was determined to become a nurse.

Johnson said the nursing instructors really thought “out of the box” in that case.

The lack of knowledge that people have about disabilities creates stereotypes, said Johnson.

She encouraged “each one of us to ask ourselves if there is another way we could look at a situation.”

APPLY EARLY — get money on time If you need financial aid by the start of the academic terms:

File the FAFSA by these dates:

You must also complete all MHCC paperwork by the following deadlines:

Summer Term

As soon after Jan. 1 as possible

April 1

Fall Term

April 1 — earlier if possible

July 1

Winter Term

July 1 — earlier if possible

October 1

Spring Term

Nov. 1 — earlier if possible

February 1

TIPS:

1.

2.

3.

4.

File your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Aid) online for faster processing (fafsa.edu.gov).

Check My MHCC regularly for your application status and turn in required documents promptly.

If you missed deadlines, financial aid usually cannot reach you until after the start of the term.

Students are served first-come, first-served for fairness - do not ask for exceptions unless the College made a clear error in your file completion date. This will help us serve you and all students faster!

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Remember: It can take up to 12 weeks for your financial aid to be ready after you file your FAFSA!