Independent Student Voice of MHCC
Volume 52, Issue 11 December 8, 2017 advocate-online.net
ASG bodies might merge PAGE 3
High notes all day for Hurley PAGE 5
SUBARU TECHNICIANS CERTIFIED AT MHCC
Naturally inspired ceramics PAGE 7
PAGE 4
GOP tax plan may not be so bad PAGE 2
2016 FIRST PLACE
General excellence Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association
OPINION EDITORIAL
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
HOW THE NEW TAXES MIGHT AFFECT YOU
B
en Franklin put it best in a letter he wrote in 1789 that said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Taxes are a part of adult life, and the amount you pay can have not only a great impact on your paycheck, but also can determine the kind of life you can afford to live. The GOP-controlled House and Senate have recently passed major new tax legislation, and there are a lot of questions being asked by a lot of people, usually about how it will affect their wallets. We’re going to go over a bit of the tax bills’ impact, hoping it will help to clear things up. If you’re reading this, then it’s likely you’re a student, and students usually either don’t have full-time jobs, or if they do, they aren’t making a ton of money. We’re going to be looking at realistic numbers in this article, and the numbers are set to change year-to-year so we’re going to be sticking to the first year of the tax plan, and compare it to the tax plan currently in place. To understand the changes’ impact on you, you need to know what deductibles are, because that’s where the biggest changes are being made. Deductibles are things that subtract from your overall taxable amount in a given year – they may be intended to encourage certain behavior (home-buying, for one) or help out personal budgets (medical expenses, etc.). For example, if you make $1,000 and have a $400 deduction, you end up paying taxes as if you had only made $600. Seems simple enough, right? When doing your taxes, you have two options: either a standard
Editor-in-Chief Matana McIntire Associate Editor News Editor Greg Leonov Co-Arts & Entertainment Editors Ryan Moore Noah Guillen Opinion Editor Donovan Sargent Web Editor Dusty Sargent
What your tax rates should look like: 0-$9,525 0-$19,050 $9,526-$38,700 $19,051-$77,400 $38,701-$45,000 $77,401,$90,000 $45,001-$93,700 $90,001-$156,150 $93,701-$195,450 $156,151-$237,950 $195,451-$200,000 $237,951-$260,000 $200,001-$424,950 $260,001-$424,950 $424,951-$426,700 $424,951-$480,050 $426,701-$500,000 $480,051-$1,000,000 $500,000+ $1,000,001+
Single
15%
12%
25% 25% 28%
25%
33% 33% 35%
35%
39.6% 39.6%
39.6%
Married Information provided from forbes.com
deduction, or an itemized deduction. The standard deduction in the current tax system is $6,000 and basically means, all those things you hear people saying you can “write off” on your taxes – which requires receipts and bills and such – if you instead do a standard deduction, you don’t really mess with any of those individual deductions. You just take a standard, $6,000 deduction and call it good. Then, we have itemized deductions (where all those people on TV and in movies doing their taxes
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Cory Wiese PA G E 2
10%
whip out mountains of receipts). If you use these, it means that some of what you paid for throughout the year can be used to offset what you have to pay in taxes. They can be medical bills, student loans, and mortgages, among other things. The new, proposed tax plan (per the House- and Senate-passed bills – which still must be reconciled, but individual tax rates are in agreement) removes some of the itemized deductions, and doubles the amount of the standard deduction.
Megan Hayes Nick Krane Gabriel Donaldson Miguel De La Rosa Ad Managers Megan Phelps Yen Le Social Media Manager Cassie Wilson Advisers Howard Buck Dan Ernst Staff Writers Antonio Edwards Hanna Benson Summer Frickey
Basically, no longer would you be able to take itemized deductions to offset things such as your student loans, but instead most young people would profit from using the standard deduction, which would double to $12,000. Let’s look at “Sam,” our dashing example student, who goes to school full-time and works about 30 hours a week at a grocery store, and makes $13 per hour, so at the end of the year, has earned around $19,000 in wages.
Maddy Sanstrum Bethany McCurley Kyle Vanooker Logan Hertner Steven Rousseau Kente Bates Jeni Salazar Chace Whipps Contact us! E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu Phone: 503-491-7250 Website: advocate-online.net Twitter: @MHCCAdvocate Facebook: facebook.com/TheAdvocateOnline Instagram: @MHCCAdvocate #MHCCAdvocate Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030 Room AC1369
Sam doesn’t make many purchases; he/she pays rent and bills, and has a little left over. There are student loans, but Sam doesn’t have enough other eligible purchases/expenses to make it worth itemizing, and so, come tax time, the standard deduction makes most sense. Under the current rules, making $19,000 and after a $6,000 deduction, Sam would pay 10 percent on the first $9,525 and 15 percent on the remaining $3,475 (of the total $13,000), which would mean a federal income tax bill of about $1,473. Under the proposed plan, if Sam earns the same amount the standard deduction has doubled, and the tax rate is lowered to 12 percent (see chart). Sam would owe 12 percent of just $7,000, which totals $840. In this case, then, Sam will end up paying more than $600 less than under the current tax rules. Obviously, the amount of taxes people pay varies with each individual. What might be a good thing for Sam might be a bad thing for you – especially if you now benefit from one or more itemized deductions. We’ve included the chart so you can see what the 2018 tax breakdown looks like under the proposed tax plan. Keep in mind, until the tax plan is finalized and things are made official and made into law (keeping/ elminating some popular deductions is being debated as we write this), all this is fluid, and could change at any point. Stay tuned. For more information on taxes and how some of them work, check out this article http://bit.ly/2Ans6QM
Cover photo By Fletcher Wold
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.
NEWS | OPINION
DECEMBER 8, 2017
ASG SENATE AND EXECUTIVE CABINET COULD MERGE Greg Leonov the advocate
Mt. Hood’s Associated Student Government (ASG) will vote whether they want to merge its Executive Council and the student senate into a single governing body on Monday at noon. Currently, they are the two main bodies of ASG. The Executive Cabinet (EC) includes the ASG president, vice president, director of finance, and a few other directors. The senate consists of various representatives who are responsible for financial matters that involve student fees. During research conducted by MHCC’s ASG, 27 different community colleges in Oregon and Washington were evaluated and it was found that, on average, there were 8.46 students in student
government roles. According to Mt. Hood’s own ASG bylaws, the ASG here requires 26, with 19 of those being voting members. If the merger were to go through, there would be only 13 voting members on the council. The ASG president would only vote as a tie-breaker. Some new positions would be created and some current positions combined. “The one-body system is a little bit more efficient and allows for better communication,” said Nathan Skarphol, ASG’s director of finance and one author of the bill to be voted on Monday. Currently, the student senate has three members with a requirement of nine, and the executive cabinet is fully staffed with the required nine people. All titles would change to “representative” rather than
“senator” for the senate, or “director” for the executive cabinet. The title changes would be in order to make ASG members more
for academic affairs. Skarphol said the representative for diversity, equity, and inclusion was added because “there wasn’t really anyone to represent the diverse body of students that we have and the diverse issues that they face, yet we have a Diversity Resource Center, so we realized that there’s a little bit of a problem.” In any case, the newly shaped ASG will be responsible for managing student fees and will have the power to increase student fees. According to Oregon House Bill 2666, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, ASG will no longer need
“The one-body system is a little bit more efficient and allows for better communication.” – Nathan Skarphol ASG Director of Finance approachable and not appear too “elite,” according to Skarphol. Positions added to ASG would be representative for campus resources; representative for student support services; representative for diversity, equity, and inclusion; and a representative
approval from the MHCC District Board of Education to raise student fees. “It makes it easier for the students to have a more powerful voice as to what they want to see the direction of the college being regarding the student fees and finances,” said Skarphol. Senate and EC meetings will also converge and ASG will meet once a week rather than having the separate bodies meet separately, should the changes be approved on Monday. The vote for the merger will be held at noon in the Council Chambers located in the Student Union. All current and EC and senate meetings are open to the public.
OPINION
SHOULD PEOPLE BE FIRED BEFORE BEING CHARGED? Dusty Sargent the advocate
In an ever-changing world where one name after another is mentioned in allegations, one has to wonder what happened to due process in America. On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, upon urging from the rest of the Senate Democrats, announced he
??
will down from office soon, amid allegations of sexual harassment. His parting words were, “It has become clear that I can’t both pursue the Ethics Committee process and at the same time remain an effective senator.” In three weeks’ time, Franken went from being initially accused, to looking for new work. In this day and age, women are much more comfortable coming forward with experiences and allegations of misconduct, which is a great thing. I would love to live in a world where it wasn’t necessary, but while it is the case, the more women who speak up, the better. But where do we draw the line with people losing their jobs? Is it when the Weinsteins of the world get 30 allegations, they should
lose their job or career without a conviction? I believe so, but can see both sides of that argument. Or, how about the case of Danny Masterson getting fired from his Netflix comedy show, “The Ranch,” because the CEO of Netflix is accosted at a park by one of Masterson’s reported victims? There have been no charges, no convictions and no evidence presented, police have even investigated the charges against him and found “no merit” to the allegations. But he joins Kevin Spacey, Harvey Weinstein, Franken, and many others who’ve lost their jobs, long before any trial. The court of public opinion is the only arena they have been seen in, only to have their lives ruined. And with all of those
men losing their jobs, why not President Trump? Here’s a man with allegations against him that are much worse than the others, and not one GOP senator, to date, has called for him to lose his job for this. Obviously, if a man is thought to be a predator, or even accused, appropriate precaution should be taken around him. But I don’t think that simply because a claim is made, someone lose their livelihood until they are convicted, or at least, formal charges are brought forward. One sexual assault is too many. However, so is the case of a person being wrongfully accused and having his life ruined without due process. Do I personally believe the charges against these people?
Absolutely – in almost all these cases. But some reported victims haven’t presented any hard evidence at all, while the men have had their credibility entirely shot without getting their day in court. We are now living in a time where if you or someone you know dislikes a particular celebrity, politician or pretty much anyone in a high-profile position, you can hold a press conference, send out a press release, accuse them of something terrible and get them fired, exiled, and even divorced, within days. It comes down to this: When it comes to destroying another human being, let’s make sure the pound of flesh isn’t taken from someone who isn’t deserving of it.
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NEWS
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
SUBARU UNIVERSITY FINDS HOME AT MHCC Students in Mt. Hood's automotive program are able to get work in their chosen field while attending school Greg Leonov the advocate
Photos by Fletcher Wold // the Advocate
TOP: A donated 2013 Subaru Impreza Sport available to students. Instructors place defective and nonfunctioning parts, and students find and repair them. CENTER: Second-year Automotive Subaru U student Chris Nagels fixes alignment while second-year student Mitchel Goold (bottom left) keeps track. BOTTOM RIGHT: Close-up shot of a Subaru headlight. PA G E 4
At the Nov. 15 meeting of Mt. Hood’s District Board of Education, board members approved specialized Subaru certification for students in the Automotive Technology program. Students who wish to focus on Subaru vehicles will graduate with a “Subaru U” (short for Subaru University) certification. Mt. Hood’s automotive program currently has a partnership with Chrysler, and some former Chrysler officials who now work for Subaru approached instructors in the program to build a new partnership with Subaru. Before the Subaru U program was offered at Mt. Hood, students could work for Subaru dealerships, but there was no specialized training. “We couldn’t really offer them anything here as far as Subaru at the college. We didn’t have Subaru vehicles, we didn’t have the Subaru manufacturer’s training, we didn’t have any special tools to offer them,” said Eric Garvey, MCAP Import Subaru U coordinator and instructor. With the new partnership comes vehicles, engines, transmissions, differentials, diagnostic equipment, and various tools. Originally, Subaru did not plan on donating vehicles to MHCC. “They told us there never would be any cars, they don’t have it in their budget, they’re a small company,” said Garvey. Currently, the college has six donated Subaru cars. The automotive program also has two Subaru diagnostic scan tools originally not planned to be donated. Students in the automotive program get to choose what makes of cars they want to specialize in, and the popularity of Subarus across the Pacific Northwest has been drawing a lot of students. During their time in the program, students spend three months on campus, then are
required to spend 200 hours working at a dealership, said Garvey. Most dealerships pay the students at least $13 an hour for their work. To join the MHCC-partnership program, students are required to have a clean driving record and a driver’s license. They are then given a list with local car dealerships, and they decide on which ones they want to work for. “They actually go out to each dealership and pretty much interview until one of these dealerships will sponsor them, and they get to choose which ones they want to try,” said Garvey. A graduate of the program himself, Garvey worked at Dick Hannah dealerships for 18 years before returning to Mt. Hood to teach. “It seems like a pretty good program to me, all the way around,” he said. Some dealerships even offer students full scholarships that cover the cost of tuition and tools. That helps because students in the program are required to have a basic set of tools. “We have an agreement with Mac, SnapOn, Cornwell, Craftsman, Matco, that all (enrolled students) get 50 percent off the whole time they’re a student,” Garvey said. Students in the program take academic classes as well as work on cars in the Applied Technologies Building (18), just east of the main Academic Center mall. “Coming in for an automotive degree, I honestly wasn’t expecting to have to earn an actual degree,” said Mitchel Goold, second-year Automotive Subaru U student. “I thought I was just going to kind of get to work on cars.” Working together in the program, many of the students end up developing a camaraderie, said one. “We are literally like a family: There are people that we get along with and we work great together, and there are people that... not so much,” said Chris Nagels, another second-year Automotive Subaru U student.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
DECEMBER 8, 2017
HITTING THE HIGH NOTES IN CHOIR
Hurley pursues her passion for singing and education at MHCC Cassie Wilson
“I’ve pretty much just been singing all my life,”
the advocate
MHCC’s performing arts department had its fall concerts this week, and one chamber choir student in particular stands out for hitting the high notes – literally. Natalie Hurley is a second-year choir student majoring in education, and she’s currently exploring the thought of teaching music to elementary school students. “My dad is a music teacher, so he raised us in music, and I’ve pretty much just been singing all my life,” said Hurley. She’s a part of the chamber choir here, which is the smaller Mt. Hood choir composed of singers selected through auditions. She was involved in choir all four years she spent at Centennial High School, but she also enjoyed theatre classes and playing the alto saxophone in band. Hurley’s sophomore year she had to stop doing band because students were only allowed to take a certain number of electives, and she wanted to move forward with choir and drama. MHCC Choir Director Kevin Lambert said that Hurley can reach
‘Clouds Are Fast Racing’ It’s really fast-paced and I like the melody of it.” She said she also really enjoys the final movement, “Heather,” and the one where she hits a high C in the final chord as things sound eerie to signify fall turning to winter. Aside from singing, Hurley is currently gaining experience for her future in teaching by working in the after-school care program at Columbia Christian School. Whenever she’s not at the Mt. Hood campus, she spends as much time as she can helping out in any way she can in the classrooms there. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys photography, which she developed into a business during high school by doing the occasional shoot for friends, family and seniors. And she enjoys listening to artists such as Bastille, Bon Iver, and Colony House, and loves watching “This Is Us,” which may or may not sometimes draw her away from her responsibilities, she conceded.
–Natalie Hurley
Photo by Fletcher Wold // the Advocate
high notes that few, if any, other students can hit. That makes her especially valuable. “Singing higher notes is just more comfortable for me. I could sing alto, lower notes, but I just can’t produce them as strong,” said Hurley. This means that Lambert often depends on her to be the only performer singing certain notes. “I’m okay doing it, but it’s a little
scary being the only one doing a high note because then if you drop out or you crack then everyone knows it’s you,” she said. With the Fall Term concerts happening in the midst of cold and flu season, it leaves many observers to wonder how vocalists protect their voices for the big show. Hurley did get sick over Thanksgiving break, and said warm
liquids helped to sooth her throat. Paying attention to not straining her voice in day-to-day activities, such as refraining from cheering loudly at sporting events or in other group settings, became especially important as the concert neared. She slowly recovered from the cold. “I came to rehearsal even though I didn’t feel good, and I was still able to sing, surprisingly,” she said. This term’s music, “Autumn Landscapes,” has especially helped to test the mental focus of Hurley and the rest of the chamber choir. “It’s seven movements, so they’re back to back, and we’re trying not to have pitches given at the beginning of them (the pitch prompt for the right starting note), so we’re going from one piece to the next and having to think about what our pitch is,” explained Hurley. “I really like Movement Two,
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
NETFLIX REVIVES ‘SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT’
Nola Darling tackles identity issues in the 21st century Matana McIntire the advocate
NETFLIX ORIGINALS TO BE RELEASED IN DECEMBER PA G E 6
e Advo McInti re // th atana ic by M Graph
“She’s Gotta Have It,” Spike Lee and Netflix’s recent creation that premiered on Thanksgiving Day, is immediately an enrapturing experience for the viewer. Based off Lee’s original 1986 movie of the same name, “She’s Gotta Have It” follows Nola Darling as she travels through her daily life trying to juggle her interpersonal relationships, propel her career as an artist, and, most importantly, pay her expensive Fort Greene, Brooklyn rent. Throughout the season, Nola struggles with all of these, seeming to flip-flop between personal ultimatums, bad decisions, and general indecision. Her three lovers, investment banker Jamie Overstreet, narcissistic model Greer Childs, and wild sneaker enthusiast Mars Blackmon, each think they deserve to be with Nola exclusively, despite her very clear boundaries being communicated on a regular basis. The first episode of the pilot season starts off with Nola rising up from her “lovin’ bed” – as in, “you know I only make love in my lovin’ bed,” something she repeats to the men in her life more than once – to address the audience with a monologue. The narration seems stilted and cheesy at first, but as the episodes progress, it becomes a valuable stylistic choice. As the plot hurls forward into the thick of Nola’s life, these fourth-wall-breaking moments become crucial in expressing the unique atmosphere of the show. In the moments when Nola turns to the camera and stares into our souls, I found myself drawn further into the character that she is. It’s in these moments that I think Lee was able to capture the feeling that others have tried and failed to with narration. It’s distinctly very cool, in my opinion. While still possessing some flaws, the show is a wonderful addition to the archive of life-
cate
5 out of 5 stars
MY NAME ISN’T AY YO MA style storytelling based in New York City. Lee is great at providing the audience an alluring, inspiring, and beautiful snapshot of life in Brooklyn. The reality of the gentrified nature of the city isn’t ignored, either – it’s mentioned often and comes to a head in the last few episodes of the season as Nola’s new neighbor calls the police on a well-known, well-liked neighborhood homeless man. It’s this ability to work in the real, deeply affecting aspects of life as a person of color in a gentrified city that makes this show great.
DECEMBER 8 THE CROWN SEASON 2
You see many different sides of the black experience confronted in Nola’s story, through her personal experiences, through the lives of her friends and the lives of her lovers. It’s beautiful and real and important to have immortalized, through media like this. Above all, however, I believe that the truly compelling point in this story is the way the different experiences affect Nola’s ability to live and thrive. People are constantly telling Nola she is wrong, telling her she’s doing something wrong, correcting her actions, her
DECEMBER 15 THE RANCH SEASON 2B WORMWOOD SEASON 1
choices, her body and her thoughts. Nola is constantly under attack – from store clerks surveilling her, to her lovers defining her. When she stress-buys a $500 black dress in a hopes of cheering herself up, make herself feel sexy, and instill herself with a confidence boost, she is bombarded with definitions and dictations from each of her male lovers. Jamie, the ever proper married man, deems it inappropriate and tries to cover her up in public, but uses the dress’ sexiness as an excuse to get his way into her lovin’ bed. She does not invite him in. Mars, whom she is with at a music show later that night, nearly gets into a fight with another man who was getting handsy with her. As they’re walking home after the incident, Mars is worked up and blames the man’s actions on the provocative nature of the dress. He, also, does not get invited into her lovin’ bed. When Nola wears the dress to visit Greer the next day, he doesn’t seem interested in spending time with her. Rather, he begins to photograph her in the dress, and when she becomes uncomfortable and asks him to stop, he doesn’t. In the end, Nola becomes frustrated with all three men. They all seem to want her, to want to be with her, and even seem to care for her. But they are still trying to define her, control who she is. As a woman, seeing a protagonist’s experience with this portrayed on film is incredibly validating. It’s a reality that is all too true for us, and as it’s seen with Nola, it’s a reality that affects our emotions, identity, and sometimes ability to function. Alas, I have rambled; this show has very quickly become one of my favorites, and I could talk for hours about it. From the expert use of music and rhythm to help frame and add dimension to the characters, to the amazingly hilarious final episode, this show is a fun, genuine portrayal of a millennial woman figuring out who she is in today’s world. The style is odd, the characters are intriguing, and Nola is relatable. I would say this is a must-see for my peers and anyone else interested. I rate “She’s Gotta Have It” a 5 out of 5.
DECEMBER 21
DECEMBER 22
PEAKY BLINDERS SEASON 4
DOPE SEASON 1
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS
DECEMBER 8, 2017
ARTISTS PRACTICE FOR THE REAL WORLD Jeni Salazar the advocate
MHCC’s Clay Club held its Annual Holiday Pottery Sale over the weekend, one that also helped members prepare for the real world of professional art. The showcase ran from Dec. 1 through Monday, and the club sold $2,000 worth of ceramics. Artists were able to keep 80 percent of the profits, and the remaining 20 percent went to help with club expenses. Club President Rafael Ordorica said the club did much better in total sales than last year. The club has 15 members this fall, and 12 participated in the showcase. Many tables loaded with all sorts of ceramics, such as bowls, cups, nature figures and even ashtrays, were set out for the sale.
Prices ranged from $10 to $40. The club has many different fundraisers throughout the year, but this is the only one where artists are able to earn some money from their work. Members such as Chelsea Halpin say they enjoy making ceramics because of the feeling they get w h i l e making a piece. “I get inspired by nature” for her designs, s h e said. Her
ceramic pieces feature leaves, cups, and even small chickens. At first Halpin took ceramics simply to complete her required humanities credits, but said after the
Graphic by Prisma Flores // the Advocate
first semester, she felt like she really belonged there. “The community here is very supportive, and the people are great,” she said.
Nicole Majeski said she is inspired somewhat at random. While making a piece for her ceramics class, she comes up with other ideas to make on her own time, she said. She specializes in ashtrays, something no one had recently made at Mt. Hood. Majeski’s pieces can take
anywhere between one hour to a week to make. She didn’t have any previous ceramics experience, but after signing up, she “fell in love,” she said. The club president, Ordorica, leader since the spring of 2016, is very passionate about ceramics. He believes the annual pre-Christmas sale will go on for many more years and will continue to teach students how showcases run in the real world. “This really is a learning experience for the students along with (the chance to make) money near Christmas,” he said. The clay club accepts new members every term, except during summer. Interested students are invited to join them from 1 to 2 p.m. every other Friday in the Visual Arts Center (the Ceramics studio, Building VA6).
SPORTS
NEW WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH SEES POTENTIAL Chace Wipps the advocate
“It’s been a goal, and dream of mine, to coach at the college level,” Jeremy Vandenboer said. That dream is now a reality for the new head coach of the Saints women’s basketball team at MHCC this season. Vandenboer, originally from Canada, Jeremy Vandenboer is in his 17th year of coaching, 14 of those spent at the high school level. He played basketball himself through high school, kept the passion, and said he enjoys working with students and making a difference in their lives. He spent time at the private Corban University in Salem as assistant coach, where he met John Hawley – now in his third season as Saints men’s coach and who also led the women’s team the past two years.
It was then that coach Hawley convinced Vandenboer to come serve as his assistant coach for the women’s Saints team last year. After a year as the assistant, Vandenboer was promoted to head coach. On Saturday, the Saints host Edmonds Community College, in their first home game of the season. So far, the preseason schedule has been tough, with Mt. Hood winning once in six games. But their leader sees potential, and the chance to rebound from last year’s 7-21 season record and eighth-place finish in the South Division of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). “It’s a good group of girls,” said Vandenboer. He said his young team has plenty of room for improvement, with the goal of making the NWAC playoffs this year. In fact, the Saints’ top three scorers to date are all freshmen: Center Rachel Watson, forward Courtney Jackson, and guard McKenzie Long. Mt. Hood tips off against Everett in the Yoshida Event Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
MENS BASKETBALL UPCOMING GAMES date
opponents
location
time
December 9
Multnomah University JV
Gresham, OR
4 p.m.
December 15-17
NWAC Crossover Tournament
Gresham, OR
TBD
December 30
Pacific University JV
Forest Grove, OR
2 p.m.
January 3
Southwestern Oregon CC
Coos Bay, OR
4 p.m.
January 6
Umpqua Community College
Gresham, OR
4 p.m.
WOMENS BASKETBALL UPCOMING GAMES date
opponents
location
time
December 9
Edmonds Community College
Gresham, OR
2 p.m.
December 15-17
NWAC Crossover Tournament
Centralia, WA
TBD
January 3
Southwestern Oregon CC
Coos Bay, OR
2 p.m.
January 6
Umpqua Community College
Gresham, OR
2 p.m. PA G E 7
STUDENT LIFE
A D V O C AT E - O N L I N E . N E T
NEWS BRIEFS
THE NUTCRACKER BALLET Inspire Dance Centre will be performing the traditional Nutcracker Ballet, the 22nd annual production for the Greshambased troupe, at the College Theatre. Performances will be 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 15, and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 16. Tickets are $18 online (inspiredancecentre.com), $25 at the door.
by Kyle Venooker
NEXT WEEK FINALS In case you’ve just emerged from a coma, finals week is next week. Make sure to check your exam times : In some cases, final exam schedules differ from the time of your usual class. Schedules can be found at mhcc.edu/ FinalsSchedule.
HANUKKAH BEGINS Hanukkah begins at sundown on Tuesday, Dec. 12. A menorah lighting ceremony, put on by Chabad of Oregon, will take place at 4:30 that afternoon at Pioneer Square in downtown Portland.
CELEBRATE KWANZAA On Tuesday, Dec. 28, a Kwanzaa celebration will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the North Portland Library (512 N. Killingsworth St., near the Portland Community College Cascade campus).
PA G E 8
A 'SASSY' PERFORMANCE Web photos
Portland Columbia Symphony’s 13-piece Big Horn Brass ensemble will perform its “snappy and sassy” holiday show, “The Night Before Christmas” at the College Theatre, at 3 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 17. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for ages 18 and under.