The Advocate, Issue 11 - December 7, 2018

Volume 53, Issue 11 DECEMBER 7, 2018 advocate-online.net

From prisoner to poet PAGE 6

Helping Veterans on campus PAGE 7

Basketball brotherhood PAGE 7

SIMULATION: NURSING'S FUTURE

PAGE 5

KMHD's fiscal future PAGE 4

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2016 FIRST PLACE

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OPINION EDITORIAL

A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON It’s that time of year, where it seems festivities run for the full month of December for the Christian holiday, Christmas.

However, we’d like to mention, it’s not just Christians celebrating this time of year.

In fact, the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, started on Sunday, Dec. 2. During this time, practicing Jews light candles on a special holder called a menorah, which typically holds eight candles that symbolize the miracle when one day’s worth of oil burned for eight days in the Temple of Jerusalem.

Other holidays include St. Lucia Day, celebrated in Scandinavia, which occurs on Dec. 13, and Kwanzaa, which means “First Fruits,” based on ancient African harvest festivals celebrating ideas such as family, life, and unity. This holiday is celebrated Dec. 26 – Jan. 1.

There’s also festivities surrounding the new year. Many Asians

celebrate Lunar New Year, which varies by date each calendar year but often extends into February.

We at the Advocate believe this is a time to celebrate and be thankful for what we have in our lives, whatever our leanings.

Sometimes it’s the simple things that can bring us joy. So, if you get upset about someone saying either “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays,” just know that this is a time for well wishes, of all varieties. Take those good intentions to heart, and

appreciate that someone wishes you well.

We live in a diverse country, and a diverse area. We think it’s okay to highlight other cultures and celebrations within our community.

We hope you all have a wonderful break, and hope that completing this term is at least one cause for celebration for you. Happy Holidays, from the Advocate.

Our weekly editorial is designed to explore compelling issues that affect the community we serve. It has no attributed author because it represents the collective voice of the Advocate editorial board.

Graphic by Angeles Ramirez / the Advocate

REMEMBER TO EXERCISE DURING FINALS

Deniqua Adams the advocate

Finals Week can be a highly stressful time period, which can be very unpleasant.

Stress is a chemical process in the body that occurs due to factors called stressors.

When presented with an uncomfortable situation (such as finals) the body releases adrenaline and cortisol, which cause physical responses. And stress can be used positively or negatively.

For example, stress is a motivator. It inspires us to maintain grades and work performance, as well as create solutions to challenging situations.

Sadly, the negative effects are highly detrimental. Stress can lead to poor sleep or poor sleep quality. If you remember my column on sleep, I stated that lack of proper sleep can lead to a slew of health issues such as poor hunger and weight management, and increased chances of heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke.

Chronic stress contributes to many of the same detrimental health impacts of poor sleep habits – namely, cardiovascular

disease due to the physical impacts of elevated stress levels on the heart.

Luckily, finals don’t last forever, and stress is manageable.

In fact, when you exercise your body releases the same hormones as triggered by stressors.

Adrenaline and cortisol raise the blood pressure and energy levels – good for exercise, but bad on a constant basis. The difference between exercise-induced stress and liferelated stress is that when you finish exercising, adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, and remain lowered for the rest of the day.

Exercise also has a positive relationship with self-esteem.

You may have guessed it already, but self-esteem has a positive impact on academic performance.

More so, exercise – more than 30 minutes of cardio work – primes the brain for learning and retention. Studies have even shown correlation between overall fitness levels and test scores.

For individuals with chronic stress, exercise is actually a recommended stress management tool.

Exercise during finals is a highly useful tool. Not only does it help preserve health and well-being, it can even promote enhanced academics when incorporated properly into a study routine.

Sleep well, study hard, and if it gets to be too much, remember to go for a brisk walk or jog.

Good luck to everyone on their finals!

Advisers

Dan Ernst Howard Buck

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT VOICE OF MHCC Editor-in-Chief Megan Phelps Associate Editor/ Photo Editor Fletcher Wold Associate Editor/ News Editor Cassie Wilson

Arts & Entertainment Editor Mariah Getch

Video Team Drevsen Shadley

Graphic Design Team Sheila Embers Angeles Ramirez Eli Rankin Kevin Garcia De La Vega

Copy Editors Hannah Meisenhelder Positions Open

Sports Editor Jonathan Zacarias

Photo Team Shyann Tooke Maysee Thao

Opinion Editor Deniqua Adams

Video Editor Andy Carothers

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Web Editors Positions Open Ad Managers Darcy Hitchcock Chloe Collins Social Media Managers Positions Open

Staff Writers Thomas Fornoff Sadie Klein Kurt Larson Hector Muñoz Gonzalez Jr. John Persell Jennifer Salazar Omar Saradi Positions Open Distribution Specialist Julia MacDonald

@mhccadvocate

@theadvocateonline

@mhccadvocate Get Involved! Come visit us during our weekly meetings on Monday and Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. in our office, room AC1369.

OPINION

DECEMBER 7, 2018

CONSUMER CAPITALISM BRINGS VARIETY TO YOUR LIFE

Omar Saradi the advocate

It’s Q4 of the year, that time where you have no choice but to stress out about whether you get your dad that $700 camera lens he’s been bugging you about, or shell out a few hundred to get something

special for your significant other.

While all of this is happening, you feel like you want to take a break from the free market, maybe take a nap, but you can’t, because this special deal ends in 48 hours.

This is the time of year that influences young people to believe in a perceived problem with the capitalist, consumer culture that is celebrated in America.

Some of us were too young to go out to a retail giant when the clock hit midnight on the eve of Black Friday, but there were always those viral videos on the news about people throwing hands over a Nintendo console or a Barbie doll, and it always intrigued me why some people would do this to save money. I mean, we never

paid for it, so it never mattered whether our parents or caretakers fought tooth-and-nail for that new gaming console.

That’s where the fallacy of “equity over capital” – a hostility to unapologetic shopping – shows itself. The biggest responsibilities of reaching adulthood are getting a job, opening a bank account, and becoming a financially stable person. Unfortunately, as we all get older, most of us have to get out of the spoon-feeding habit that has nurtured us and be on the other side of expectation. It can be a completely new concept for some.

To many younger people, there is this instinct to think negatively when it comes to the phrase “consumer capitalism.” It adds to

this regrettable feeling to all the holiday shopping, like we’re just a cog in the machine. However, in reality, consumer capitalism is a reward, a privilege in this country.

As someone who works in retail, seeing the different types of people who come out for Black Friday shopping is enlightening.

These are people who come to buy things they couldn’t get anywhere else, at a price that is nonexistent in most other places. These are the people that probably don’t dread holiday shopping.

For all we know, the reality of equity would take away these tedious holiday shopping chores for us and make our lives just a little bit easier, but the trade-offs could be as damning as wearing the

same clothes every day and being funneled into a colorless world.

Let’s be honest: Will you really miss out on some of the fun and festivities of the holiday season if you don’t buy the KitchenAid mixer your mom wants because it is out of your budget? Or are you willing to shrug aside a small, pseudopolitical trend (anti-shopping) that resonates with some people?

One thing that should be kept in mind with that dilemma is that no matter how people choose to do it, the holiday season will be there for them. Friends and family, whether they are related or not, will appreciate both the gifts that cost a fortune and the ones that won’t cost a dime.

HOMELESSNESS IS COMMON AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS SUCH

Sadie Klein

the advocate People in our daily interactions, ones you may not even suspect, are likely to have experienced being homeless at some point in their lives.

These people are students, sisters, brothers, parents, daughters and sons. Homelessness is an ongoing issue globally, but especially in and around Portland: There are at least

4,177 homeless individuals at any given night in the city of Portland according to the most recent count, reports Molly Harbarger of the Oregonian newspaper.

This city’s population has grown in recent years. Rent costs have increased significantly, correlating directly with people losing their homes. People who were once barely “making it” have been pushed over the edge. Minimum wage is not covering the cost of living for many individuals in Multnomah County.

At the same time, various studies have shown that a chronically homeless person can cost taxpayers up to $50,000 per year (source: the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness – usich. gov). Essentially it is cheaper, for the public at large, to solve the homeless problem than to ignore it.

More permanent housing must

be built to support these individuals, rather than allowing the cycle of emergency room visits, jail time and shelter costs to continue.

The stereotypes of all homeless people being drug addicts, “lowlifes,” criminals or mentally unstable individuals are wrongly applied. Some of these qualities are true for many of the chronically homeless, but not for all. People everywhere struggle with having or maintaining a home, for different reasons.

Oftentimes individuals who have become homeless or once experienced it are looked down upon, misunderstood, and treated like outcasts of our society. We should treat these people with dignity, give them support and motivation to better themselves, instead.

Much of the problem begins

with how children are raised, and their background. The people that are more likely to become homeless are those who do not have strong support systems or family ties. It is easier for individuals without a home to stay without one and fall into drug addictions because they have nothing else to lose, no one to pull them out of the situation.

Being intoxicated allows their “meaningless” days to go by quicker.

Those who are chronically homeless tend to have physical and mental health issues and are in urgent need of support and encouragement. Children who are homeless struggle a lot, as well, often moving between schools and losing connections with friends, mentors and teachers.

This decreases their likelihood of graduating, forming meaningful attachments or maintaining the

GET TO KNOW THE ADVOCATE

Cover by: Shyann Tooke On the cover: A human patient simulator in a hospital bed in the simulation lab at MHCC’s Bruning Center for Allied Health Education.

Contact us!

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Phone: 503-491-7250 Website: advocate-online.net Mt. Hood Community College Room 1369 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham OR 97030

ability to better themselves.

As the holiday season approaches and the weather becomes increasingly colder, shelters are buzzing with action and filling up. Portland has many resources to help the homeless; however, it lacks a significant amount of permanent housing solutions.

It is important for us as intellectuals, scholars, and community members to broaden our senses to the reality of this issue and moreover, how this problem affects our society, economy, safety, and cities. Homeless individuals are, in themselves, not bad people; they are humans who have been put in a bad situation and need compassion from those who can help.

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.

Graphic Designer

Sheila Embers is completing her second year in the Graphic Design program at MHCC, and is a returning Advocate and Venture staff member. She has formal training and experience in apparel design and the fine arts fields. Sheila’s favorite sport is kayaking, and she goes out at all times of year, as long as the sun as shining! She also enjoys refinishing old furniture, gardening, and cooking all types of world cuisine, typically singing along to either Led Zeppelin or Queen.

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NEWS

A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

“

...I CAN DO THIS. THERE’S NOTHING HOLDING ME BACK.”

Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

Kim Poling is a nursing student and mother involved in ASG and the Student Nurses Association.

Cassie Wilson the advocate

Juggling a lot of responsibilities is nothing new to most college students and managing a hefty workload with grace can be tough, but nursing student Kim Poling seems to have it down.

Poling is the Associated Student Government campus affairs

representative for Mt. Hood. This entails working with and supporting all of the resources available to students on campus, such as Barney’s Pantry, Veterans Services, Counseling Services, SOAR, and more. She’s new to the position as of October after being informed the position was still open when she expressed interest in wanting to run a food drive for Barney’s Pantry.

In addition, she is also the director of professional development for MHCC’s Student Nurses Association club. Her goal in the position is to help ease the process of thinking about life after nursing school by having representatives from schools with bachelor’s degree programs come in and talk with students, having past graduates of the program return and give advice, and by having hiring companies share insight into what types of jobs are available.

“We’re so focused on nursing school we don’t know what to do after,” said Poling. She hasn’t gotten the chance to focus a ton on these goals so far this year as she has helped fellow students with their shifting roles as things have gotten busy for them.

“I kind of just take the point on everything that SNA is doing. I’m the one constantly emailing people and organizing everything, so I haven’t been able to fully do my thing because I do everything,” she said.

On top of academic responsibilities and involvement, Poling is also a mother, with an 18-year-old and 12-year-old at

home. “I’ll be a mom to anybody... I think it’s that role. It’s kind of like a nursing role. You’re just a caregiver,” she said.

Learning to balance all these areas of life doesn’t happen overnight, she said: “I think it just comes with age and maturity. Knowing that it’s important to take time for the things that are important.”

FINDING HER PATH Poling is 37, and has spent the past few years finding herself and exploring her aspirations.

“I got pregnant young. I had my son when I was 18, and then I was a stay-at-home mom and my husband was controlling and he didn’t want me to work, he didn’t want me to go to school, he didn’t want me to better myself,” she said.

She was with her ex-husband from age 16 to 26, and after having her daughter, realized she needed change. After living in Oklahoma where her then-husband worked, the family moved back to the Salem area where she grew up.

“We moved back, and he didn’t get a job, so I didn’t have any choice but to get a job, because we had bills at that point. I started working and

realizing I like being independent,” Poling said. “I like taking care of myself and my kids and I can do this. There’s nothing holding me back.”

She held various jobs and began dabbling in school at Chemeketa Community College. Torn between teaching and nursing, Poling started working at a group home for the developmentally disabled and knew nursing was the path she wanted to take.

“I met my (second) husband, who’s amazing and wonderful, and moved up here,” said Poling. Her daughter attends a local middle school, so Poling knew she wanted to go to MHCC and stay in this area.

Her family is supportive of her academic workload and they step up to help her on her busier weeks. She also loves getting to be a role model for her kids as she shows them the importance of making time for the things that matter, such as school.

“I’m just really good at prioritizing. I don’t know if it comes from parenting or education or what it comes from, but it gives me a sense of balance and knowing what’s important,” said Poling.

THE WINDING ROAD TO DEC John Persell the advocate

With a February deadline fast approaching, the Mt. Hood Community College District Board will soon vote on KMHD’s future.

Weighing the costs and benefits of bringing the radio station back to campus is a complex exercise, and some underlying facts remain in dispute.

The Advocate previously examined the three options the Board identified for consideration as it determines where to house KMHD going forward. Option One would continue Mt. Hood’s contract with Oregon Public Broadcasting to operate KMHD out of its Portland facility for another five years. Option Two would involve the creation of a non-profit entity to oversee KMHD. Option Three would bring KMHD back to campus.

This Wednesday, Dec. 12, the Board will workshop the different options. Then, it is set to take action on KMHD at its Jan. 16 meeting.

This will occur less than a month PA G E 4

before the date by which Mt. Hood must give notice if it intends to end its current contract with OPB to house and operate the FM station from Southwest Portland.

CRUNCHING NUMBERS Earlier this fall, the Advocate reported that documents provided to the Board estimate an initial cost of $368,800 for Option Three. This figure includes instructional load credits (ILCs) for faculty and an operations coordinator, fundraising support and accounting staff, technical support, and a student office manager for the station.

The amount also includes some materials and services related to equipment, power, repair and maintenance, and basic office supplies. This number does not include the cost to repair or replace KMHD’s transmitter, located on Sylvan Hill in West Portland. The transmitter may be nearing the end of its lifespan, and replacement costs could rise to $200,000, according to Mt. Hood Budget Director Jennifer DeMent.

The Advocate spoke with DeMent about the breakdown

of estimated costs for Option Three. She produced the estimate with input on ILCs from JD Kiggins, head of the college’s broadcasting department. DeMent also collaborated with Mt. Hood President Lisa Skari and MHCC Foundation Executive Director Al Sigala to calculate likely fundraising support costs. The $368,800 estimate does not factor in potential revenue from underwriting or the value of trade advertising for Mt. Hood, only expenditures.

“OPB is not doing Mt. Hood any favors,” Kiggins says. The contract does not take into account the depreciating value of Mt. Hood’s transmitter, he says.

That transmitter is overdue for maintenance, and will likely need to be replaced within the next five to seven years. OPB has been reluctant to allow maintenance to occur, he said, because it would require going off the air for a short period of time.

The cost to replace the transmitter, a capital piece of equipment, is not incorporated into the estimate for Option Three.

However, “OPB has insinuated

they would help us cover that cost,” DeMent says – if KMHD remains housed at OPB, of course.

But the version of KMHD represented in the estimated costs for Option Three and the oncampus station Kiggins envisions are quite different. He sees potential duplication in the ILCs listed in the cost breakdown, and questions whether all of the administrative support laid out in the estimate would be necessary for a viable FM station on campus. Instead, he hopes that KMHD could focus on instruction and community service, resulting in a station that more closely follows the college’s mission. He points to other affiliated radio stations, such as KCRW at Santa Monica College and KEXP, an affiliate of the University of Washington, as examples of what a station could grow into over time. Part of that would likely involve spinning off a foundation to support the station’s fundraising. This is an idea represented in Option Two under

consideration by the District Board that Kiggins does not feel has gained enough traction.

DeMent, for her part, acknowledges the $368,800 cost estimate could be dropped to around $150,000, but only if KMHD continued oncampus as an i n s t r u c t i on a l lab, rather than a professional jazz station.

Graphic by Eli Rankin / the Advocate

NEWS

DECEMBER 7, 2018

NURSING PROGRAM RAISING FUNDS FOR SUPPLIES Cassie Wilson the advocate

As medical simulation leads the way in the education of nurses, Chrissy Bloome, longtime nursing instructor at Mt. Hood, works hard to make sure Saints students continue to receive the best schooling available to them.

The MHCC Bruning Center for Allied Health Education may be unfamiliar to most students, located near Gresham Station and apart from the main campus, but it’s a unique and historically important part of the college. The center opened in 2004 and was the first multi-room simulation lab in the state of Oregon.

“Simulation is one way that we help nurses get clinical experiences, so they can to learn how to be nurses.

They go to classes, they do labs, and they learn skills,” said Bloome.

A visitor entering the simulation lab finds two hospital beds in a setting identical to an actual hospital room. The lab has everything needed for real scenarios. In each of the beds there is a high-tech manikin, called a “human patient simulator,” that can replicate sounds that nurses check

for on actual patients, such as their breathing.

“We can manipulate all these different features to mimic certain human symptoms, diseases and conditions that nurses are going to see in real clinical settings,” explained Bloome.

While two students fill the role as nurses in the lab, the rest watch via live-stream from across the hall.

When the exercise is finished, all students have a debrief about what went well, and where improvements could be made.

“We have an opportunity to learn from mistakes,” said Bloome. “It’s okay to have mistakes, but if there’s gonna be mistakes that happen, they happen here, so that when (students) take care of real patients they’re not making mistakes.”

This unusual set-up can cause added stress for students compared to a traditional classroom, because everyone watches and learns from each other. Bloome noticed this phenomenon, and worked to find ways to create a psychologically safe learning environment by studying how people react to stress, and how people react in simulation labs.

“I started putting together my own format of things and I started putting myself out there to other places, to start teaching this stuff,” she said.

Bloome’s passion has taken her around the world. A Mt. Hood instructor since 1992, she’s taught at the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare, and in Paris, Madrid, and Lisbon. She’s also been accepted to teach at the Human Patient Simulation Network World 2019 conference in Orlando.

Bloome teaches at these conferences on a voluntary basis and learns from other speakers, then returns to infuse what she’s learned into MHCC’s nursing program.

Keeping the simulation lab, and other important parts of the nursing program, going isn’t cheap, meantime. “[Simulation] is a required part of our curriculum, and given that it’s required that means that we have to provide opportunities to learn,” said Bloome. “Having a steady operational budget to run this is a challenge for us. It’s a challenge for many simulation labs.”

Photo by Shyann Tooke / the Advocate

A look inside the control room in the simulation lab at MHCC’s Bruning Center. The computer controls the functions of the human patient simulator in the bed.

That’s why she put in the time and effort to make it possible to hold fundraisers for the nursing program.

The department’s first endeavor is a printed academic calendar that runs through 2019. It’s specific to MHCC, with appropriate registration dates, beginning and end-of-term dates, historical dates and fun facts. It also features health observance dates that are often relevant to college students.

The calendar has been nominated for the Council for Advancement

and Support of Education (CASE) District 8 Awards.

Kim Poling, a Mt. Hood nursing student, joined in the making of the calendar. This was the year the Student Nurses Association, a student club, decided to take the idea Bloome had harbored for awhile and make it happen, she said.

departments with fewer students have seen significant investments, Kiggins notes. A recent example of this is the mechatronics program, which recently opened a new lab at a cost of approximately $150,000.

As for where MHCC could trim costs, DeMent said, “You can’t just cut one more custodian and expect there to be toilet paper in the bathroom.” But she certainly foresees future investments by the college, in KMHD or anything else, cutting into other operations at some point. Perhaps not entire instructional programs, she says, but functions within programs may need to end in order to focus on what the college can do better or differently.

LOOKING AHEAD Might the District Board approach OPB again should the station’s return to campus not pan out in the way stakeholders hope?

DeMent is doubtful. “At that point, we would probably be looking at selling it,” for a value of $1 million to $2 million, she says. Another return to OPB is unlikely, in her opinion. “I don’t think it would

be a friendly hand-off,” she says, speculating. Current OPB staff assigned to KMHD might lose their jobs, and all parties might suffer damage to their reputation.

As for the upcoming FCC license renewal process set to occur in 2022, DeMent says that is a timeintensive undertaking. “It’s just not a super time for a transition,” she says. Kiggins, on the other hand, does not see the renewal as a deterrent, considering Mt. Hood’s part-time engineer has been in the business for 30 years.

There are limits when trying to forecast how things might ultimately shake out should KMHD return to Mt. Hood’s campus. But Kiggins would prefer to see the District Board really commit to a Mt. Hood-based KMHD in a sustained way. This includes more closely adhering to the original purpose for which the FCC granted Mt. Hood its license to broadcast: to serve the college and surrounding community.

Currently, Kiggins points out, “There’s not a lot of Gresham going on at KMHD.”

TO CONTINUE READING, SEE PAGE 6

CIDE THE FUTURE OF KMHD

Both she and Kiggins have deep institutional knowledge of Mt. Hood and KMHD. DeMent served on the accounting staff at the time KMHD moved to OPB, and Kiggins

has been a part of the Integrated Media department for the better part of two decades. Yet each approaches the question of KMHD’s future from a very different perspective.

Kiggins sees the opportunity to once again house KMHD on campus as limitless in possibilities to involve MHCC students. DeMent, on the other hand, says any investments or expenditures need close examination.

FACING OPERATIONAL DEFICITS Why is so much scrutiny being applied to Option Three’s cost estimates?

“We don’t have any extra money,” DeMent plainly states. Colleges face limits on how to generate revenue.

Property tax increases in Oregon are capped annually at 3 percent, and tuition rate hikes do not generate more revenue without stable or growing enrollment. Mt. Hood currently faces a decline in enrollment. The state also provides direct funding for community

colleges, but DeMent does not foresee the coming legislative session producing enough dollars to eliminate the college’s operating deficit. Based on the Oregon Community College Association’s recommended funding level, she projects the deficit to decrease from $4.4 million to $1.8 million next year.

But, “That is an optimistic funding level, and significantly higher than what we currently have,” she asserts.

Operating deficits are not unusual for community colleges, DeMent points out: “I think it’s inherent to a public agency.” She further explains, “Your contracts are going to go up every year, your revenues are pretty stable.”

To manage this, schools like Mt. Hood must redistribute how they spend their money.

DeMent raises the question of whether an investment of $150,000 in the Integrated Media department makes the most sense for the college.

IM currently enrolls about 200 students. “Would we be better off adding an anatomy and physiology lab for our health profession students?” she wonders. Yet, other

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NEWS | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Poling said, “I’m really proud to see that it came about and it’s doing good,” praising the team effort to make it possible.

MHCC graphic design coordinator Glenn Wright helped take the photos. “It was such a great collaboration of creativity and Glenn even got in on it a little bit, too,” Poling said.

The program has set up an account to allow future fundraisers to support the nursing program, and to expand simulation as clinical placements in medical facilities become harder to come by, as more nursing programs pop up, said Bloome. “[Studies] have found that up to 50 percent of clinical time can be replaced with simulation,” she said. “We basically have a crisis in being able to get enough clinical spots for our students, so the bottom line is we have to do this, which also means (doing) all of the things that are involved to make it happen – trained faculty, equipment, supplies, creating scenarios, creating the whole learning opportunity.

“It takes time and it takes money,” she said. But the end result is worth it, she said.

“We want to provide the very best learning opportunities available for students. We want to provide the best opportunity compared to anywhere.”

Poling said she’s grateful for Bloome’s commitment to students.

“She’s an amazing person overall. She really is Mt. Hood,” Poling said.

Calendars are available for purchase through the end of December in the bookstore for $15, or online at mhcc. edu/simlab for pickup in the Student Union.

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JAPANESE CLUB HELPS STUDENTS RELAX Kurt Larson the advocate

With final exams on their way and the craziness of the impending holidays, stress levels are likely on the rise.

Thankfully for the students of MHCC, the Japanese Club hosted a Tea House event on Nov. 29, offering students the opportunity to decompress with a steaming cup of traditional Japanese tea and mochi treats.

In the spirit of the traditional Japanese Tea House, a portion of the Student Union was transformed into a place of peace and tranquility available to all

weary students looking for an escape from the encroaching winter weather.

As the club’s event flier stated, “A traditional Japanese Tea House is a private structure used for tea ceremonies. It is a place of simplicity and tranquility(;) those who go commonly seek to find peace, or to clear the mind.”

Aside from offering a delicious snack and a quiet place to study, the secondary goal of the Tea House event was to draw attention to the Japanese transfer students who will be arriving to study at Mt. Hood on Feb. 9, and staying till March 3.

If meeting new people and

learning about different cultures is of personal interest, you might want to consider becoming a host for these visiting students.

The host family experience offers the opportunity for lifelong friendships and the chance to discover new and interesting things about other parts of the world – not to mention, it’s cheaper than a plane ticket.

If you would like to apply to be a host family or have any questions concerning the host family program and the transfer students, contact Yoko.Sato@ mhcc.edu for information.

The Japanese Club also encourages anyone with a love for

Japan or an interest in celebrating foreign cultures to attend its weekly meetings, 3 to 4 p.m. on the first/third Wednesday of each month and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the second/fourth Thursday of each month, in Room 1251. The club is always looking for new members to join their group and celebrate shared interests as a community.

The club members assure guests will have a good time no matter what, and provide their sincerest seal of approval, “Tanoshidesu ne” –“it’s fun” in English.

EMMY-WINNING MUSICIAN LEADS MASTER CLASS Chloe Collins the advocate

On Tuesday, Dec. 4, MHCC hosted a “Low brass masterclass” led by professional musician Patrick Sheridan.

Sheridan shared tips and instrumental expertise in an open, two-hour class with Mt. Hood band students and any member of the community who wanted to attend. Musicians from Gresham and surrounding areas heard him speak about some of the practices he finds useful as a musician and how to sharpen techniques and skills.

In an interview with Jupiter Winds, a music-oriented trade publication, Sheridan shared that he originally started with the piano. In the fourth grade, he picked up a

sousaphone (also known as a tuba), and that was the beginning of his brass life. Today, he is definitely experienced in the low brass department, having been a part of over 3,000 performances in more than 50 countries, according to Bandworld.

Sheridan has played in many styles of bands, including a professional orchestra and “The President’s Own” United States Marine Corps band, and is well known for his solos on the tuba.

He is also the co-author of “The Breathing Gym,” which Bandworld describes as the “world’s best-selling breathing method for instrumental improvement.” The book and video set includes breathing exercises and is focused on “source of sound for all wind instruments.”

Sheridan was awarded an Emmy Award for the accompanying instructional video in 2009.

He is also heavily involved in the development of low-brass instruments, working with the Jupiter Band Instruments production company. In a 2017 interview with Jupiter Winds, he said he had been playing the Jupiter tuba since 2009, an instrument that specifically led him to play more jazz tunes.

In addition to performing, Sheridan composes and arranges music, as well as serving as a “guest conductor” at universities and grade schools throughout the country.

Many of his master classes are free and open to the public, as was his Mt. Hood visit.

FINAL ‘MOUTHS OF OTHERS’ TALK FOR TERM

Former gang member Noah Schultz preaches self-acceptance Mariah Getch the advocate

Incarcerated individuals are often seen in a negative light, but incarcerated youth advocate and poet Noah Schultz is trying to change that mindset by traveling to disadvantaged schools in lowincome areas and telling his story.

It’s a story he explained to an MHCC audience on Wednesday, in the latest appearance in the ongoing Mouths of Others speaker series, held in the Visual Arts Theatre.

HOW IT BEGAN At the age of 12, Schultz, a Portland native, started selling drugs full-time. He was labeled by his school as “ADD,” “ADHD,” “bipolar,” and having “impulsive disorder.”

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These labels made him feel “dumb” and “out-of-place” among his peers, he said: “I wasn’t accepted for who I was.”

He was told who he was before he even knew himself, and he started looking up to gang members in order to fit in. By age 13, he was jumped into a gang and when he turned 16, his mom left him and his abusive father and his life began to spiral without her there.

In his Mt. Hood discussion, Schultz poetically described his experiences while incarcerated.

With every verse, his emotion ebbed and flowed, conveying his story beautifully.

PRISON SENTENCE When he was 17, he was charged with a Measure-11

(mandatory, minimum-sentence) crime – attempted murder – after he “pistol-whipped” and shot at a man who stole $3,000 from him, he said. Because he was in a gang at the time, he said that he felt like he had to “prove himself ” after the embarrassment of the theft, and attacked the man in his home.

With his plea-bargain conviction, he was sentenced to 7-and-a-half years in the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn – the same amount of time that his father was sentenced, to the same exact prison, when he was younger.

In his first poem, titled “Prison Stories,” he spoke of how his father, his hero, would tell stories about his time in prison.

Schultz pondered this cycle of

incarceration, from father to son, and whether it was a “cycle or coincidence,” he said. In a third poem, he spoke about how the prison reminded him of the processing of cattle: “It was like walking into a zoo.”

FROM RAGS TO RICHES Just two years after he completed his sentence, Schultz, has earned his high school diploma and two college degrees from Oregon State University, has started a clothing brand called Forgotten Culture Clothing, and gone on a twomonth “Inspiring Action Tour” at 10 correctional facilities across the U.S., where he showed the awardwinning documentary on his story, “Perception: From Prison to Purpose”.

He came to MHCC to speak

Photo by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

Noah Schultz giving his ‘Mouths of Others’ presentation on Wed., Dec. 5.

about the power of vulnerability, individuality, the human spirit, and love, he explained.

He told the audience, “There is hope – but only if you have faith.”

NEWS | SPORTS

DECEMBER 7, 2018

VETERAN SERVICES COMMUNITY GOALS Jennifer Salazar the advocate

The Veterans Services office on campus has been strongly active this term, and has many plans to remain that way and continue offering support to student veterans at Mt. Hood Community College.

Veterans Services employees offer resources both to student- and non-student veterans. Their primary mission is to facilitate paperwork between students and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

But workers also offer assistance for those looking for employment and pursuing education. They try their best to do a little of everything a vet may need.

Joseph Frantz is the Veterans Outreach Coordinator at MHCC. A specific goal of his is to create more ways to assist veterans. He has been able to get outside services such as Veteran Service Officers to come to the Mt. Hood campus and help facilitate students completing their medical, compensation and pension, and disabilities paperwork.

Normally, a person would have to go to downtown Portland and wait a couple of weeks to even get an appointment for that type of help.

“It’s a really hard task to get all that process done, so to be able to get that kind of help from the VA

here (at Mt. Hood) has been a gamechanger for a lot of our student vets,” Frantz said. He said he’s aware of a couple of individuals going through rough times, and he knows it’s hard to convince them to travel to get help, so being able to have VSOs on campus makes it easier for them, and other students who already come to campus for class.

The Veteran Services office and the Veterans Club hosted the Veteran Resource Fair at Mt. Hood in late November. A counselor, a VSO, and an employment specialist that works with the WorkSource of Oregon attended the fair. Frantz says this event was important because of all the assistance people were receiving.

“There were people getting their medical (issues sorted) out for the first time and people receiving counseling,” said Frantz. Another one of his targets is to get this kind of help once a month instead of just once a term, besides “hopefully opening that up for vets who aren’t students,” he said.

Frantz believes that could positively change many lives, but also knows there are pros and cons to allowing non-student vets on campus. He said he plans on talking to the college to get its input, but imagines that it would give Mt. Hood more of a community aspect.

Besides the Veterans Services

office there is a student Veterans Club, which is run by and belongs to Mt. Hood students.

Paola Gomez is the president of the club. The club and the office work together in organizing most of their events. Something the Veterans Services office and the Veterans Club want students to know is that anyone may be involved in the club. Students don’t have to be a veteran or have any ties with the military to be a part of the club. All they have to do is show up to the Veterans Services office (near the MHCC Bookstore) at 10 a.m. on Fridays for the club’s weekly meeting, and introduce themselves to anyone in the office.

Right now, Veterans Services and the student club are focusing on the Toys for Tots campaign.

This holiday-oriented effort is run by the U.S. Marine Corps, and Mt. Hood is one of the only two local organizations east of Interstate 205 that takes part in this toy drive.

The goal is to gather unwrapped Christmas toys for kids. There will be drop boxes where students may leave their donations around the campus: one in the Library, one in the Veterans Services office, and one in the Student Services office.

The Toys for Tots campaign will end the last day of Finals Week, on Friday, Dec. 14.

FUNDING NEEDED FOR UK TRIP Hector Muñoz Gonzalez Jr. the advocate

Many people might not know about Mt. Hood Community College around the country, but we are gaining international recognition.

Since spring 2017, Mt. Hood has been a part of the “Oxford Consortium of Human Rights” in the United Kingdom, and here’s the catch: it’s the only community college to be a part of the consortium.

This is a 10-day consortium in which many agencies such as the Red Cross and other human rights-based organizations participate. Professors and people who are making changes in their communities all across the world also attend. The consortium for 2019 will take place March 1016.

Even though this sounds like a grand opportunity to be a part of, this trip will cost significant money. For two MHCC students, the total amount needed for travel is $10,000. The MHCC Foundation has assisted with funding in previous years, but will not be able to help in the future, according to Mt. Hood political science instructor Janet Campbell.

This (March trip) will be the final year the Foundation assists with funding.

In an effort to raise funds and awareness, Campbell started a GoFundMe campaign in November. The total amount raised through Dec. 6 is $730.

Campbell hopes to use the funding campaign to keep the trip going for future years. Trying to get the long trip green-lit to be an official part of Mt. Hood activities is a lengthy process for her, but when that is finalized, all a student will need to do is turn in a written letter of application, she said.

Campbell is currently the coordinator for the Oxford trip, but it wasn’t always her. Former dean Janet McIntire started the trip, and former Mt. Hood President Debbie Derr assisted in the effort.

This is a special moment in Mt. Hood’s history. Most community colleges don’t get to be a part of an opportunity that would let Saints students speak their mind at this grand scale.

If you’d like to donate, you can find the fundraiser here: gofundme. com/operation-inspiration.

If you are a student interested in human rights, this trip might be for you. You may send your application to Campbell at Janet.

Campbell@mhcc.edu.

Megan Phelps assisted in the reporting of this story.

MEN’S BASKETBALL READY FOR NEW YEAR Thomas Fornoff the advocate

The Mt. Hood men’s basketball team is looking to bounce back from a lackluster 2017-18 season.

The Saints finished last year at 10-17 overall, 6-10 in conference – obviously not how they planned the season to go. Though the season was a bit rough on the team, they are optimistic about the upcoming 2018-19 season, coming together as a team and focusing on the goals set ahead.

Looking back at the Saints last season, the common theme of faults seemed to revolve around defense and turnovers. In ranking 32nd in points allowed per game (in the 34-team NWAC); 29th in steals; 23rd in blocks; 28th in fouls; and 33rd in turnovers – game in and game out the flaws were consistent, making these easy to pinpoint as targets for improvement in the

upcoming season.

Not all was lost, though. On the offensive end, the Saints thrived last winter, finishing 11th in points, first in rebounds per game, and third in three-point shooting percentage. In sum, the Saints’ offense got the job done.

Along with targeting defense, solid team chemistry is always an important factor in how a team plays. Being comfortable and trusting teammates is a necessity if teams want to succeed; with this Saints team, there is no exception.

The team has come together well this fall, and has welcomed everyone the same, players say.

“We have great team chemistry,” said sophomore wing Leonard Dixon. “We get along really well and treat each other with respect on and off the court. We treat each other like brothers.”

Players new to Mt. Hood say much the same.

“As a transfer player, I fit in well with the team,” said Kahlon Whitley, a sophomore guard. “I was brought into the program with open arms.” Sometimes a transfer player has trouble fitting in, but Mt. Hood’s returning players appear open to everyone and want to make the program feel like a family.

Newcomers or freshman may feel isolated if returning sophomores stay within themselves rather than taking the younger guys under their wings, but that’s not the case with these Saints. “I fit in well with the team,” said freshman guard Marcus Greer. “I mesh and get along with all the returners well.”

With this chemistry, the Saints hope to be a force to be reckoned with this season. Setting goals for the season, they plan on working hard all season to reach them.

“The main goal we set out is to finish top-four in the (South)

Photos by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

Men’s basketball team members, clockwise from top left: Peter Nelson, Vlad Katin, Kahlon Whitley, and Kyler Haynes.

Conference and make a run” in the NWAC championship tournament, said Dixon.

If the Saints can clean up their

turnovers on offense, and revamp their defense, they’ll be able to reach their goals and have a great season.

PA G E 7

SPORTS

ATALINA Pritchard PRITCHARD Atalina

COURTNEY JACKSON Courtne Jackson

Forward - Sophomore Wayne High School (Utah) Studying: Elementary Education Goals: Top 4 in NWACs Superhero: Thor Movie: Insidious TV Show: SpongeBob Song: I’m Still Here - Treasure Planet Instagram or Snapchat: Snapchat Interesting Fact about self: Never broken a bone before Pineapple on Pizza: Yes

Center - Sophomore

Bingham High School (Utah) Studying: Associate of Arts transfer degree Goals: Take the NWACs! Superhero: Hulk Movie: Four Brothers TV Show: Naruto Song: Dilemma by Nelly Instagram or Snapchat: Snapchat Interesting Fact about self: I’m actually really funny, even though people don’t think it Pineapple on Pizza: Yes! Definitely

Clearfield High School (Utah) Studying: General Studies Goals: Get first in NWACs Superhero: Thor Movie: The Proposal TV Show: Riverdale Song: Team song - Big Bank -YG Instagram or Snapchat: Snapchat Interesting Fact about self: I’m from Utah! People from Oregon don’t know that Pineapple on Pizza: Ouuu... No No!

KASSIDYEllett ELLETT Kassid

MADISON ALLEN Maddison Allen

Guard - Sophomore

Guard - Sophomore

Wayne High School (Utah) Studying: Accounting Goals: That the team does the best that they can be at NWACs Superhero: Captain America Movie: High School Musical TV Show: Friends Song: All I Want for Christmas is You Instagram or Snapchat: Snapchat Interesting Fact about self: I like pepperoni, but not on my pizza. So I just eat it out of the package Pineapple on Pizza: Yes

A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T

RACHEL Watson WATSON Rachel

Forward - Sophomore

Gresham High School Studying: Nursing Goals: Finish top 2 in league and make it to the second week of NWACs Superhero: Flash Movie: Crazy Stupid Love TV Show: Friends Song: Thank You, Next Instagram or Snapchat: Snapchat Interesting Fact about self: I’m lefthanded Pineapple on Pizza: Yes

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Photos by Fletcher Wold / the Advocate

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PA G E 8

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