The Advocate, Issue 17, Feb. 15, 2013

Gresham, Oregon | Februar y 15, 2013 | Volume 48, Issue 17

advocate

The independent student voice of Mt. Hood Community College

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Photo by Mike Mata/The Advocate

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Lunar New Year

To celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, members of student government held an event in the Student Union Tuesday. The MHCC mascot “Barney” is pictured above dancing with students dressed as a dragon.

Photo contributed by Associated Student Government

MHCC students join fight for tuition equity

Students, including members of the MHCC Associated Student Government, wait at the Capitol building in Salem as legislators discuss the issues of tuition equity.

fireplace gallery

Mike Mata The Advocate

As proponents and opponents for tuition equity testified back and forth across the Capitol in Salem Wednesday, seven MHCC students added their input through personally political Valentine’s Day cards.

Eduardo Ortiz, MHCC student senator of legislation, led the group from MHCC to Salem. “We got a group of students together . . . and we made Valentine’s cards,” he said. “Basically we did arts and crafts — it was really fun — then we put in little messages like ‘support tuition equity.’ Just like your average Valentine’s card, with a little political twist.”

Laura Aguon, Associated Student Government director of state and federal affairs, added, “They [the cards] had a lot of information in them. A lot of them said ‘support equality, support education for all’ and ‘education is a human right’ and we asked them to be our tuition equity supporters.” Aguon said the cards were handed out to Oregon legislators.

Tuition equity is up in the Oregon Legislature under House Bill 2787. If approved, the bill would grant in-state tuition to undocumented students attending public colleges and universities if they pass certain requirements including: attending school in the U.S. for five years, studied at an Oregon high school for three years, graduated

“The Mechanics of being”

See “Equity” on Page 4

mock funeral arrangements student exercise gives practical experience in Dealing with death

There is school on Presidents’ Day “All Around And Through You Atoms And Energies Are Flooding The World” by Jerol Eshleman

from high school and have an affidavit with an Oregon public college or university stating the student has or is planning on applying for citizenship.

Ortiz said he has a personal reason for being involved with lobbying for tuition equity.

“I have a friend who is undocumented and was brought here as a young child,” he said. “Her brother, who is a year older, is enrolled at Mt. Hood Community College, but unfortunately, she’s the middle child and she is now college-age too, but unfortunately her parents have to say ‘wait until your brother graduates because we can’t afford the tuition of community college.’

“I can’t imagine how sad it must be for her parents and for her to be told ‘wait on your degree and education because we can’t afford it’,” said Ortiz.

In a Wednesday article posted on oregonlive.com by Yuxing Zheng, Karla Castaneda, a Parkrose High School junior, testified Wednesday that even though she takes Advanced Placement courses, does theater and mock trials, organized a fundraise for Special Olympics and is on varsity water polo, she would have to pay out-of-state tuition and therefore would be unable to afford to go to college.

Ortiz said Thursday, “These stories are not needles in a haystack. It’s a story that applies to a lot of people that

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Opinion Feb. 15, 2013

Editorial: Is Oregon falling behind in civil liberties?

“Owner Aaron Klein told The Oregonian that he and his wife have turned down orders for same-sex weddings because that goes against their Christian faith.”

-Associated Press The Columbian

A Gresham bakery, Sweet Cakes, denied a lesbian couple an order for a wedding cake. A 16-year-old sophomore, apparently struggling with bullies due to his sexual orientation, hung himself outside the elementary school adjacent to his La Grande High School. Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a same-sex marriage bill a year ago on Feb. 13, 2012; the law took effect on Dec. 6, and the first marriages were celebrated on Dec. 9.

As a state that has a reputation for being progressive concerning our environment and conservation efforts, Oregon seems to lag behind on the civil rights of all residents of our state.

Being homosexual in high school is a well-known hardship that the gay community recognizes as one of the most challenging in a young person’s life. The “It Gets Better Project” is a movement that specifically was put together in response to the problem of gays being harassed in high school. The movement started when Dan Savage and his husband, Terry Miller, posted a video on

Youtube on Sept. 21, 2010, in response to the suicides of teenagers bullied because they were gay or peers suspected them of being gay.

Discrimination is nothing new to the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender community. Whenever a celebrity is openly gay, it is something they carry with them through their career and ultimately they become icons for the gay community. Ellen DeGeneres’ career was significantly affected when she came out as a lesbian. Her rising career was stalled, but her ability to take controversial issues and poke fun of them has made her one of the most beloved morning talk-show hosts. Her sexual orientation is something that viewers accept and understand as part of her personality when she delivers a performance.

Uploaded onto the “Ellen” show’s Youtube channel on Feb. 7, Ellen delivered a monologue on the postponing of the Boy Scouts of America’s reversal of a long-held ban of gay members. In her conclusion, she made a powerful point saying that what the boy and girl scouts are teaching young people is leadership and that, “The more we teach people how to accept people for who they are, the more self-confident they will be and the better leaders they will become.”

The Advocate thinks Oregon should be more progressive and that any form of discrimination is wrong.

Although the owners of Sweet Cakes may have denied service based on prejudice or could just have likely been exercising their rights to bring or not bring forth a specific product, the incident has raised the discussions of discrimination against gays to the forefront.

Supporters have come out to support both sides of the issue. So where can we draw the line when it comes to what services/products one group can deny from another? As mentioned before, Oregon has a history of making progressive advancements when dealing with environment and land conservation, but has fallen short when it comes to human rights advocacy. How can we respect the religious beliefs that some may have, while still being tolerant of the personal lifestyle choices of others?

Respecting people and their beliefs seems to be the answer. There is no right or wrong when it comes to this specific argument over religion and gay rights. And does there really need to be? Can’t we have our cake and eat it, too? The couple who wanted a cake wound up getting two of them, one from a Southeast Portland bakery and from the bakers that star in the popular reality television show “Ace of Cakes.” And Sweet Cakes is, according to OregonLive.com

the advocate Co-Editors-in-Chief

News Editor

Reporters

Advisers

John Tkebuchava & Mike Mata

Mike Mata

Jackie Garrity Hayden Hunter Shaun Lutz Aaron Marshall Cameron Miller Kayla Tatum

Howard Buck Dan Ernst Bob Watkins

Associate Editor Kylie Rogers

Living Arts Editor Shelby Schwartz

Assistant Living Arts Editor Danny Perez-Crouse

Opinion Editor Jeff Hannig

Sports Editor John Tkebuchava

Copy Editors Kylie Rogers

Webmaster Logan Scott

Ad Manager Katelyn Hilsenbeck

Photo Editor Jeff Hannig

Photographer Jonathon Long

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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

news reports, benefiting from supporters in their decisions.

No attitude, no matter how positive or compassionate, can bring back Jadin Bell, the La Grande student whose suicide is suspected to have been in response to bullying and harassment. All we can do is continue to support positive movements and projects like the “It Gets Better Project” and states that have decided to legalize gay marriage.

Whatever your feelings may be on civil liberties, discrimination or what cakes are being baked for, we all still live in Oregon and the things we do and say reflect on us as a whole. “Portlandia,” the feud between the Ducks and the Beavers, Nike, trees and lots and lots of rain are what the rest of America thinks of when they think of Oregon. Let’s keep the list at that.

What is your favorite awards show?

1Academy Awards 1Grammys 1Razzies 1Tony Awards 1Golden Globes 1Hump! Awards

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Opinion

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The Advocate

Pink walls and displays of treats greet patrons at a Gresham bakery that sits just across the street from Gresham High School and no more than two blocks away from the heart of downtown.

Sweet Cakes, the bakery that has sparked large amounts of controversy across the U.S., let alone Oregon, has been in the middle of a “gay marriage” battle, so to speak.

On Jan. 17, a Portland lesbian couple attempted to order a cake with two women on top from the Sweet Cakes’ owner. After their request was denied by the owner, the couple claimed he had made disparaging remarks to them, part of the couple’s appeal to the state that they filed the next day.

The two sides have shown support or disdain for the situation, the two sides of course being those who are for the same-sex union and those who oppose it.

I have been a Gresham resident my entire life. I went to school near this bakery and I remember when it opened its doors a few years ago.

And when I think about this incident happening in my town, I can’t help but be upset. I’m upset that this happened to the couple, and that there has been such a frenzy of negative publicity.

On Saturday, television news crews filled the parking lot and protesters occupied the corner of the sidewalk near the parking lot facing Division Street, holding signs and

The Sweet Cakes bakery of Gresham has been the focus of controversy for the owner’s refusal to bake a cake for a lesbian couple. The issue raises the question of how this incident reflects on the city of Gresham.

The sounds of a winter morn Within the reign of darkness, light slips through as sound. Hidden from view, deep in the shadow of fir leaves, a Pacific Wren brings sparkle and flash to the winter morning. Thirty-six notes per second, give or take, this tiny minstrel sings his mating song.

Like an improv artist, he varies his rhythm, changes introductions, swaps conclusions—a jazz singer at Mt. Hood, how fitting. His species’ song is new to this part of campus. Maybe this male is an innovator in many ways, accepting a landscaped forest for the ancient ones of old. I wish him success, though I know that most of those on the periphery fail to carry on. Still, there is hope for him. After all, we are all descendants of those who stretched boundaries, adapted to change, and braved new worlds. Africa is not so far away on the timeline of life. And on this day, in this time, a small explorer, an artist, a feathered gift, with spirit strong, brightens a winter morn.

With an eye on nature, Wally Shriner Wally Shriner is an MHCC biology instructor and the Natural Resources Technology program faculty adviser.

Photo by Tyler Heyl/The Advocate

Shelby Schwartz

showing their distaste for the owners and those who continue to show support for the bakery. Ever since the news broke that the couple was turned away, the bakery has seen its business booming.

Now, I expect something like this to happen in a more conservative town, but not in a place like Gresham that is so close to Portland – the melting pot for various beliefs, religious and everything alternative.

Having this happen in my town makes me sad. I don’t agree with what the bakery did. I think the situation could have been handled better and I hope this event serves as an example for those in similar situations, that it is never okay to make one feel inferior about their sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs or anything in between.

I am upset by the situation, because I think it reflects negatively on this community. The last time Gresham held a prominent story in the news was Whitney Heichel’s very publicized murder in October.

Now, I’m not saying these stories are not important – they are. But when I see my town on the news, I want, for once, to see it shining in a positive light. I want to show everyone that this is a good place in which to live, work and go to school. I don’t like that people think Gresham is turning into this horrible place of murderers and bigots.

My message to the bakery is to not let this fool them, although it is seeing a rise in sales, this might not last forever and who knows how many loyal customers it lost for letting its religious beliefs get in the way of a business transaction? There was a reason the couple chose this shop to make a cake for their special day, and now I hope the bakery regrets its decision to turn the couple away, and that although the owners may stick with their religious beliefs, this will forever leave a mark on their conscience.

Photo by Jeff Hannig/The Advocate

Column: Gresham needs to be shown in better light

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News Feb. 8, 2013

Equity:

Vote by Legislature expected next week

would be affected by this bill. As a Latino and as someone who goes to a community college, I’m surrounded by people who would be affected by this in a positive way.”

As MHCC students were in Salem Wednesday meeting with legislators, their voices joined with those of more than 1,000 other students and lobbyists, according to Aguon.

One of the lobbyists was Jazmin Roque, the co-chair of Oregon Students of Color Coalition, board member of Oregon Student Association (OSA) and a junior majoring in political science at Southern Oregon University.

“Students from all over the state and representative of as many districts as we possibly can to come in and talk to our legislators as students and constituents and let them know that this is an issue that we are deeply about and have been working on for the past ten years,” of Wednesday’s efforts.

“We are talking about the issue and making sure that we are being as educational as possible with our facts, our numbers and our figures and making sure that the legislators un-

Photo contributed by Associated Student Government

Continued from page 1

Members of MHCC student government rallied Wednesday at the Capitol in Salem in support of tuition equity legislation for illegal immigrants.

derstand some of the nuances and the misconceptions that might get lost in some of the language and argumentation that goes on between conversations of tuition equity,” she added.

“During the hearing today and during our lobby visits, because legislators are more acclimated to the issue and it’s something that isn’t necessarily new to them,” Roque said.

“We’ve definitely seen a really good response from our representatives and our senators in support, as well as being responsive to a lot of the concerns that folks have,” she said.

“I couldn’t gauge what the entire Oregon legislators’ feelings are about tuition equity, but there have been a lot of positive feelings not only in the hearings today, but with our meetings and just in the Capitol surrounding tuition equity,” she added.

Roque said OSA that is working with 20 other coalitions to formulate their strategy for continuing to lobby legislators on behalf of tuition equity.

Student Finance Council approves 2013-14 athletic budget John Tkebuchava The Advocate

The MHCC Student Finance Council voted to approve the 2013-14 athletic portion of the budget Tuesday night, after closing the deficit gap.

The 2013-14 athletic portion of the budget now sits at a final total of $380,400.

“Each program had to sacrifice some of its money,” said Kim Hyatt, the director of athletics. She said she met with various coaches between the meetings to discuss where cuts could be made. Included was a $5,000 reduction for travel funding for assigned athletics and approximately $3,000 cut from out-of-state travel costs among baseball, volleyball and women’s basketball.

The co-curricular programs currently face a $63,013 deficit. At the previous Finance Council session, the programs proposed $33,000 in reductions/cuts.

At Tuesday’s meeting, speaking of their own budget, the KMHD2 proposed to cut an additional $2,000 in travel costs.

The Forensics program proposed $1,500 in cuts towards in-state travel costs and an additional $700 total cuts to supply and contract service costs.

The Advocate proposed $1,000 in cuts, including $600 from travel costs.

During program budget questioning and review segment, it was suggested that the Student Organizations Council (SOC) reduce their budget to a flat $30,000. Antonio Guerrero-Jimenez, the ASG vice president, responded by saying they would be willing to make these reductions.

If all these proposed cuts were to be finalized, the co-curricular deficit would be reduced to $22,000 going in to next week.

Jonathen Gates, the ASG director of finance, said he expects the co-curricular programs come fully prepared next meeting to “make cuts across the board” in order to close the deficit.

In total, the co-curricular programs have $460,400 available to them to distribute between the programs.

Last week the Student Finance Council voted to put forth the $150,000 contingency money accumulated from last year’s finance council toward the funding of a track resurfacing construction project.

Gala dinner to raise funds for college program Jackie Garrity The Advocate

On Feb. 23, MHCC’s Hospitality and Tourism students will host a “New Orleans Style” Gala Dinner and Silent Auction.

The event will be held in the Town and Gown Room. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., at which time attendees may view the items up for auction. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets for the dinner and auction are $70. They can be purchased by calling the Hospitality and Tourism Office at 503-4917698, or by filling out the reservation form on MHCC”s website at http://www.mhcc.edu/ GalaDinner.

The Hospitality and Tourism department has asked Adam Higgs, executive chef of Acadia Bistro in Portland, to design the menu for this year’s event.

Students in the program select the guest chef, said faculty adviser Court Carrier. They chose the New Orleans theme

because it was one they hadn’t tackled before. After researching for all Pacific Northwest chefs who specialize in southern cuisine, they decided on Higgs. The students even visited his restaurant and interviewed him, and, according to Carrier, he was excited to oblige.

The items on this year’s menu read like a list from a five-star gourmet restaurant: Chicken liver mousse with pickled peppers; Gulf Shrimp and tomato etouffee with celery salad; and Creole bread pudding with bourbon caramel sauce and toasted pecan, for dessert.

On top of the four-course dinner with paired wine selections, the evening also features the auction portion. Some items being auctioned are hotel/resort packages, theater tickets, attraction tickets, and donations from wineries and breweries.

Carrier said the Gala Dinner is a “labor of love,” a huge project for Hospitality and Tourism students that starts immediately again

when the annual event ends.

This is the 22nd edition of the dinner, a fundraiser for the onetime trip the program’s students make during their studies. The program strives to allow students to experience exactly what will be asked of them in the business once they leave school. Each year they vote on a city to travel to and study what goes on behind the scenes in the restaurants and tourist attractions there.

This year the group is going to Seattle, and who’s itinerary includes: going behind the scenes at the Space Needle, Century Link Field and a cruise ship.

The Gala Dinner also helps to fund scholarships and subsidies the program offers to its students.

To date, the events have raised about $19,000 in scholarships.

Sabrina Spangler, MHCC hospitality student who is leading marketing for the Gala DInner and Auction, said the program and its activities have been invaluable to see how events are run.

To help fund this project, the costs of which are estimated to be short of $300,000, Hyatt said the facilities council voted to also put forth $150,000 of their funds toward the track project. With the funding approval by the facilities council, the project will now be sent to the MHCC President’s Cabinet who will make final approvals.

Asked if she could estimate when the track resurfacing construction could begin (should it achieve final approval), Hyatt said it was too early to tell.

With $300,000 available for the track-resurfacing project, according to Hyatt, should the funds exceed the final cost for the project, all the $150,000 from the facilities will be used toward the project while the funds from the finance council cover the remaining costs. Should any excess funds remain, they will be put into the contingency for athletics for next year’s finance council to decide upon.

With the athletic programs concluding their responsibilities as a part of the 2013-14 finance council with the budget approval Tuesday, only the co-curricular programs will be meeting next week at 4 p.m. Tuesday in the Lake Room to continue their deliberations on balancing their portion of the budget.

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Ghost Stories, Sci Fi, Occult From the author of “Subroutine: Heaven”

News

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District board members applaud the cast members of RENT after their guest singing performance of one of the numbers from the musical at the district board meeting on Wednesday night.

Board approves social media policy, faculty sabbaticals John Tkebuchava The Advocate

The MHCC district board approved 2013-14 faculty sabbaticals and a social media policy Wednesday night during its monthly meeting.

The new social media policy, presented by Maggie Huffman, director of communications, and Michelle Gregory, director of board relations, would distinguish (via use of the MHCC logo and official mission statements, etc.) the official MHCC website from unofficial MHCC related websites.

At the start of the meeting, the cast of the MHCC theater production “RENT,”

set to open on Feb. 22, sang one of the musical’s songs, “A Season of Love,” and invited the board and audience to go and see the play at its release.

Following the agenda approval and “RENT” presentation, Michael Viera of the Community College Search Services firm presented an update on the MHCC presidential search.

Viera announced that the search firm would spend the next two weeks checking references of the current semi-finalists. Last week, the search committee narrowed the pool of 32 candidates for the presidency to 11.

A handful of finalists will be revealed on March 13.

The Gateway Green Project presentation, led by Linda Robinson and Ted Gilbert, discussed progress made on both the Gateway Green Project, a proposal to construct a public park on 24 acres of land between I-84 and I-205, and the Gateway Education Center project to construct a multi-use facility on a lot across from the Gateway Transit Center.

Gilbert asked that the board consider sending one of its members to serve on the project board and for MHCC to join in as a center stakeholder.

He said the plan is to have various schools (including high schools and colleges) use the educational facility to host various events and, and to offer co-pro-

Funeral arrangements provide valuable lesson for MHCC students Jeff Hannig The Advocate

Students from the Funeral Service Education program and community volunteers will participate in a mock funeral arrangement exercise Tuesday in MHCC’s Town and Gown Room.

The focus of the mock arrangement training is not the caskets, urns or scaled-down versions of burial vaults, but rather the interaction between the bereaved families and the arrangers.

First-year students and members of the community will fill either the role of the bereaved families or be given a chance to plan for their own funeral or their animal’s funeral. Second-year students fill the role of arrangers, responsible for filling out the necessary paperwork for a funeral, said Terri Canfield, a Funeral Service Education program instructor.

The exercise provides valuable exposure for both students and volunteers, Canfield said. For the students arranging the mock funeral, it’s filling out the paperwork that is most beneficial, she said.

“It assists them in learning that they have to take down basic information, they have to do this legally, they have to ask all these questions. So doing it here where someone hasn’t actually died is a much calmer and safer atmosphere for them,” she said.

The funeral arrangements are split into morning and afternoon groups. The first will run 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.; the second will start around 1:15 p.m.

Whether looking to spare their own families the trouble of planning a funeral, or choosing to confront an intimidating aspect of all our lives – eventually helping to bid a loved one farewell – students are invited to come and benefit from the mock arrangement exercise.

Canfield said volunteers who participate can learn much that could help them greatly someday.

“We are trying to educate them about death, maybe not to fear it as much,” she said. “Sometimes people don’t want to look at them (caskets). If they are allowed to look at caskets, urns and burial vaults in a safe place, it really alleviates some of the stress for when they really have to do it.”

gramming between the various schools.

“We need to work together with the K-12 schools and I think this is a good opportunity to do so,” said Dave Shields, MHCC district chair.

In the president’s report, provided by Michelle Gregory instead of President Michael Hay (absent from Wednesday’s meeting), she announced that full-time equivalent student totals for winter term were down .3 percent from last year’s winter term but that unduplicated head count had increased by 3.8 percent.

The next board meeting is scheduled for March 13 at 6 p.m.

AVERAGE COST

CREMATION vs. BURIAL BURIAL

Body Prep: $241 Embalm: $722 Metal Casket: $2,295 Hearse: $325 Vault for Casket: $1,195 Use of facilities: $1, 018 Total Cost: $5,796

CREMATION

Urn: $250 Care for Cremation: $252 Use of Facilities: $1,018 Total Cost: $1,520 Source: efuneral.com

Behind the Scenes of

Photo by Jeff Hannig/ The Advocate

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Living Arts

Delving into the responsibilities of the people behind the scenes of Winter Musical “RENT”

The cast of “RENT” practices during a rehearsal on Wednesday in the College Theater. The show starts on Feb. 27 and will run until March 3.

Katelyn Hilsenbeck & Shelby Schwartz The Advocate

Directing:

Jesse Merz, MHCC theater artistic director, tackles many aspects of theater for “RENT”. Whether for dance, song, blocking, lighting or sets, he provides leadership and impact on them all.

Merz had an active hand in selecting the musical for this winter’s performance. “I think it was wise of us to pick something that would challenge all of us in a way we weren’t quiet sure how it would go, but I think it’s turning out really well,” he said.

The faculty members involved in “RENT” have production meetings every week to discuss the play’s details. But, beyond rehearsals and meetings, Merz said he is “constantly listening to the music and reading the script and making choices on blocking (planning for on stage positioning and movement).

The auditions were open both to MHCC students and community members. Once selected for the musical, cast and crew members could register to earn one to three school credits for the musical, at their choice.

“We love having a variety of people working on our shows,” said Merz. “It diversifies our cast. It gives us a wider range of ages and experiences. I think it improves the quality of our shows, but also it’s a part of our mission to be a community college, so therefore the fact that we do the show with our community makes a lot of sense to me.”

Singing:

“This is a beast of a show,” said musical director Kevin Lambert.

The musical consists of very little spoken dialogue and instead is almost totally music that Lambert was responsible for teaching the actors. Lambert describes the music as rock and “garage band”-like.

“It’s not like many other shows out there,” he said.

A five-piece band will be present on the stage during the show, consisting of Lambert and MHCC jazz band members Tyler Nelson, Jacob DeBoie, Nick Nera and Joey Boyer.

The band has been rehearsing twice a week, separate from the vocalists, while Lambert has been providing piano accompaniment for the vocalists. On Feb. 5, the actors had the opportunity to sing along with the band for the first time.

“This is a group of people who already believed in the message of the show and had already, at some point in their lives, experienced the power of the show,” Lambert said.

Actors’ challenges include being able to sing dialogue in time with the band while they hit their marks.

“I was pretty scared, pretty nervous and almost thought that people around here were crazy for choosing the production “RENT” to do for Jesse and (my) first show (together),” Lambert said.

Lambert plans to be the musical director for each winter musical, going forward.

Set Design:

“You could do theater without the technical and design part, but that’s the magic –and that’s me,” said technical director Daryl Harrison-Carson.

Harrison-Carson is responsible for lightning, sets and the production budget. MHCC student Eric Rakestraw is in charge of the sound design for “RENT”.

Merz and Harrison-Carson wanted to use the Broadway show and movie based on “RENT” as inspiration for the set, without copying it. A sculpture is used to portray several things in the show, such as a Christmas tree; she found inspiration for it from a geometric dome that had caught on fire.

A crew of about 15 students has been building the scenery, and there will be a backstage crew of six during the show.

Chris Wilkerson, a MHCC student, is in charge of show props.

Some in crew have technical experience, but the job is mostly orienting them with how things are done at MHCC. “Most of the kids know how to use a saw and stuff, but not necessarily make a piece of wood square,” Harrison-Carson said.

On the production side, there always is “RENT” actor using a microphone, which requires someone with a good handle on the sound board. There also will be 215 lighting changes called by the stage manager, Anthony Ceglie, during the show. For that chore, Harrison-Carson is glad to have help on hand.

“I’m in charge of everything, but I usually try to farm a couple things out,” she said.

Choreography:

“Portland is a small theater community,” “RENT” choreographer Rebecca Frost Mayer said.

Frost Mayer is not an MHCC employee. But Merz knew of her, her resume and her history because of the small theater community, according to Frost Mayer.

“Since graduating (from college) this is the first college show I’ve worked on. I’ve done several high school and professional shows in the Portland area,” she said.

“I really enjoy working at a college. It’s similar working with high school students in that it’s educational theater. So I feel my role is largely as a teacher, in addition to my artistic role in the production and that’s something I really enjoy,” Frost Mayer said.

“I have a little more freedom to take on that role in working with college students as opposed to working in the professional theater. It’s a different setting and different expectations. I feel I’m allowed to facilitate more exploration with college students than I would in professional theater,” she said.

According to Frost Mayer, the choreography for this show is different than it would be for a musical that had traditional dancing in it. She said, “There’s only a couple of songs in ‘RENT’ that call for dance-type movement and a lot of it is just more staging, so I’m responsible for choreographing and staging many of the songs.”

Some of those songs she does on her own and some are collaboration with the director.

RENT shows are Feb. 22, 23 and March 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the College Theater and at 2 p.m. on Feb 24 and March 3.

Sound:

Second-year MHCC student and theater major Eric Rakestraw is the sound designer for “RENT.” Rakestraw’s duties for the show include “putting together the layout for where speakers, microphones are going to go, finding the sound effects, and then going through and managing the set up of all the sound equipment and video equipment.”

Rakestraw has two students on his sound crew with him.

He has nine years of sound experience and he worked on all of the shows last year either running sound or designing sound and lights.

Regarding challenges he has met during the show, Rakestraw said, “It’s been interesting, because up until recently the design team hasn’t been able to see the show full through up until Saturday. So it was seeing where everything is going to fit in and all that, but up until then, it was pretty straightforward.”

Costume Design:

The costume designer in charge of giving the actors the look of being a “RENT” character came armed with 30 years of experience in costume design.

“This show has a specific time frame, the late ‘80s, so basically it’s a shop show. You just find things that fit and put it together because there’s not enough money to build it (make the costumes) or time,” costume designer Marychris Mass said.

According to Mass, who has not previously worked on MHCC shows, most of the costumes were either left over from past shows or they were bought.

“Yes, he (the director) may have specific things he wants but this show is also dictated by the fact that it’s pretty fast paced,” she said.

Mass said there are many costume changes during the show, although “sometimes it’s just an accessory change or a ‘coat-on, coat-off’ change because there is not time (for a bigger change.)”

Living Arts

the advocate

7

Fireplace Gallery hosts unique exhibit in Student Union Photos by Jeff Hannig/ The Advocate

The focus of this gallery, or the book Eshleman is sharing with us, is The Advocate physics. Eshleman said he is working on actual books and the title of the “Dr. Bob Pliny” and the “Dr. Bob Pliny Ingallery at the fireplace gallery, “The stitute of Being” are an invention of artist Jerol Mechanics of Being,” is one he plans Eshleman. on re-using as a title for an actual While the art of “Dr. Pliny” may look childbook. like and playful at first glance, upon close inIn regards to the self-described spection observers will be pleasantly surprised “child-cartoon style” of his work, he to find an unexpected level of philosophical said, “I want people to approach my and scientific depth. paintings with a sense of wonder and “All of my artwork is about being – just the delight.” experience of being alive,” said Eshleman.

Eshleman feels that people will As for the artist’s name he uses, “Dr. Pliny” learn more “if you approach these and what drives him as an artist, Eshleman said kinds of ideas (being, suffering, existhat the real-life “Pliny the Elder” and the entential philosophy, physics) with an cyclopedia he wrote that survived the Roman openness, and open heart that’s kind Empire had a big influence on his work. The of childlike,” he said. encyclopedia covered all ancient knowledge, When Eshleman was young, his faeverything that was known at the time of Pliny. ther was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, The encyclopedia has been used as a model for where Eshleman lived from the ages of more modern encyclopedias.

1-3. He attributes this experience to his “I thought about that (what Pliny did) and becoming a Buddhist and his eagerwhat we do – each one of us in our own heads – ness to live in Japan again, which he is create encyclopedias of understanding about did, for four years of his adult life. the world and that’s how we’re able to move “You know how you grow up with around and recognize things and then interideas of what’s going to happen as an act with them,” Eshleman said. “And that’s adult? Well, one of those for me was also how we’re able to build our own sense of that I was going to go to Japan,” he self. So, I love that idea, that we are all creatsaid. He felt “it was just something I ing these encyclopedias just like Pliny did – he was supposed to do, somehow.” painting above entitled “State Changes are Everywhere!” is a 24 x 24 acrylic on wood panel and is from the collection “The Mechanics of Being” wrote it (all) down; ours (our encyclopedias) The The influence of his Buddhism can

by Jerol Eschleman and is available for viewing until Feb. 27. are mostly in our head.” be seen in his focus on “learning, sufEshleman describes every picture he does fering, death and becoming aware of as a “little article, a visual article, in this encyclopedia that I’m creating,” and whether this the moment,” said Eshleman. “That’s what my work is about.” ever becomes an actual encyclopedia does not concern him. It’s more about the idea, he says.

Eshleman’s exhibit will be on display in the Fireplace Gallery in the Student Union until He said the idea allows him to attack these ideas of being, in all kinds of different ways.

Feb. 27.

Jeff Hannig

“The Mechanics of Being”

Personal touch. National reputation.

The piece “Motion Studies: Kind of Moving” is an 18 x 24, acrylic on wood panel and is a part of “The Mechanics of Being” exhibit in the Student Union.

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Also a part of the exhibit is “Attraction and Repulsion: The Miracle of Magnetism,” the piece is a 12 x 12, acrylic on wood panel.

8

Living Arts Feb. 15, 2013

the day tripper your weekly event planner

Fri. 2.15

W. Portland

The Presidents of The United States are playing their debut album

full and in order, among other songs, live at the Crystal Ballroom. Tickets are $20-$22. Doors open at 9 p.m.

1332 W. Burnside St. All ages are welcome. For more information, go to mcmenamins.com.

Sat. 2.16

SW Portland

More than 300 artists show their love for Portland at the Love of Portland Art Show. The free show is premiering at the People’s Art of Portland gallery downtown. 700 S.W. Fifth Ave. For more information, go to peoplesartofportland.com.

Sat. 2.16

SW Portland

If you’d like to see professional dancers from “Dancing With The Stars” perform alongside past “American Idol” contestants, then the Oregon Symphony will be hosting “Ballroom with a Twist” at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The show will feature a variety of dancers and performances. For tickets, go to orsymphony.org. 1037 S.W. Broadway. All ages; $21. Saturday/Sunday

Mon. 2.18

SW Portland

Come see the Portland State Uni-

versity men’s basketball team

face Eastern Washington in the final of the Dam Cup at the Peter Stott Center. One lucky fan will win an iPad mini. Tickets range from $7-$15.

Game time is 7:35 p.m. For more information, go to goviks.com. 930 S.W. Hall St.

Mon. 2.18

ne Portland

Go back in time at the Hollywood Theatre. The Columbia River Theatre Organ Society presents the first Oscars Silent Film Series. The series will feature films nominated at the first-ever Academy Awards ceremony, in 1929.

The showing tonight is “Wings,” the only silent film to win an Oscar. All ages welcome. Tickets range from $5 to $10. The series will start at 6:30 p.m.

4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd. For more information, go to hollywoodtheatre.com.

Movie review: Spark’s romantic thriller flops Danny Perez-Crouse The Advocate

A Nicholas Sparks romantic thriller? Well, that sounds about as promising as a Stephen King children’s book, or a Lindsay Lohan recovery plan. Let’s see if it works out.

“Safe Haven,” is about a girl named Katie (Julianne Hough) who is on the run for some incident we don’t initially know about and stops at a sleepy town in Alabama. She takes a liking to the place and decides to stay as she begins to fall in love with a widowed store owner named Alex (Josh Duhamel). However, a cop is on the hunt for her to expose her secret past.

If it sounds like there is a forced thriller element, that’s because there is. The film has a stark contrast in tone between scenes and it feels like you are watching two very different movies. One minute you’re in romantic sunshine land, then you’re quickly interrupted by dark scenes, filled with shaky cam, of a guy looking at his computer intently. It’s all over the place, to say the least.

Eventually, the thriller side of the movie completely takes over. This would be fine, if it were any good, but the bad cop, played by David Lyons on the trail of Katie, is so over the top, it’s almost comical. He likes to fill his water bottles with vodka. All this thriller stuff feels really unnecessary and ends up making the film feel bloated. Seriously, things slow down big time after the one-hour mark because of how predictable the plot becomes.

And, as if the movie could not become any more disjointed, it throws one last curve ball at the end of the film – a twist ending so stupid, so irrelevant and so far out of left field that whoever let this slide in the editing room should be fired.

Okay, positives: It’s hard to deny how beautiful the cinematography is. The more romance-oriented scenes of the film have

Review:

this warm radiance to them that’s pretty intoxicating. One scene in particular, where the couple goes canoeing, looks like a painting in motion.

Also, the daughter of Alex, played by Mimi Kirkland, is ridiculously cute and has some pretty funny dialogue. Her presence is always a pleasure, and I would like to have seen more of her. Alex’s son, on the other hand, is a total brat and is badly written. At one point he is bitching about how he doesn’t like Katie, but then does a total 180 and is suddenly okay. It’s a shame that his frustration with his father is quickly swept under the rug, because it could have been an interesting plot element. It also doesn’t help that the young actor, Noah Lomax, is a bad little actor.

The romantic chemistry and plot in this movie isn’t terrible, but it’s certainly not good. Hough is just, bleh. Katie is a hard character to like because she has a tough exterior, and Hough’s stale acting doesn’t help. It felt like Duhamel was trying to romance a very cold and emotionless cardboard cutout with a really nice body. Eventually Katie warms up, but it happens so abruptly that it feels a little forced. The charm of Duhamel at least makes the romance bearable, with no help from Hough nor the cheesy script, and delivers a few cute scenes.

Overall, it felt like I was flipping between an average Lifetime romance, and a very bad episode of CSI played at half-speed.

If the movie hadn’t wasted so much time and energy with all of the half-baked thriller elements and spent more time developing the relationship with Alex, Katie and the kids, this may have been a film worth recommending (and the twist ending would have been less stupid.)

If you really need something to watch on Valentine’s Day weekend with your special someone, I recommend saving your money instead and dusting off your copy of “The Notebook.”

“Miracle Mile” Mike Mata The Advocate

With a name like Starfucker, who abbreviate their name to STRFKR for press purposes, one would seem to pigeonhole such a band into an obnoxious group of musicians out to shock listeners with outrageous and jarring music. That notion couldn’t be less true, in STRFKR’s case.

Their latest album “Miracle Mile,” out on Tuesday, comes two years after their slightly-above-slumped sophomore effort, 2011’s “Reptilians.”

The Portland quartet are up to their usual indie synth-pop with “Miracle Mile,” achieving what seems to be pretty rare nowadays: making dance music one can pleasurably listen to without copious amounts of party drugs.

Their music, while maintaining the ability to make one want to shake one’s ass to it, also has the versatility of electronica and general “indie” music: mellow, while catchy.

The album opens with “While I’m Alive,” which is also the band’s first single from the album. The track displays STRFKR’s other tendency, spacey melodies and unintelligible vocal noises.

It feels like the band needed to get that sound out of their system, because following on that track’s heels is the trademark catchy nature of STRFKR in “Sazed,” which mashes a groovy bass line with snatches of swirling synthesizer and guitar licks.

The third track, “Malmö,” features the effortless dichotomy of STRFKR’s music: upbeat and happy dance music that is just as enjoyable nodding along to with a mug of something delicious in one’s hand. The combination of insistent and even, at times, urgent, synthesizer and a funky bass line pairs like red wine and Italian food: a match made in heaven.

Following up on that audio bliss is the much more normalsounding “Beach Monster,” which would sound right at home behind in an Abercrombie & Fitch commercial on, you guessed it, the beach. That is to say, it’s light, airy and fairly brief.

“Kahlil Gibran,” the eighth track, sounds like an unreleased

gem of a B-side on MGMT’s debut album, “Oracular Spectacular.” The two bands are oft-compared, as they emerged about the same time and play very similar music, though it is worth noting that STRFKR is the easier band to listen to, as most MGMT songs would sound better if listening while high. All of that to say, “Kahlil Gibran” sounds poppy and polished with just a hint of a harp trills. The title of the track is the name of famous Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran, the third best-selling poet of all time.

Following the poet-romance ode is video-game-synth inspired “Say to You,” which, like much of the album, is incessantly catchy while following an almost twirling groove that leaves the listener comfortably complacent.

The tenth track, “Atlantis,” would fit as well in a trendy boutique as a hip bar, mellow drums and bass underneath a lazy guitar strum accompanied by gently pulsing synthesizer. As such, the track is ruthlessly good listening.

The most danceable track on the album, “Leave It All Behind,” is liable to make any listener’s hips sway just by association, if not also make them break out into foot-stomping and head-nodding grooves.

“I Don’t Want to See” sounds like a long-lost single from Swedish synth-pop aficionados Miike Snow, with tinkling synthesizer and spacey vocals. Overall, it’s a perfect mellow background jam.

The album wraps up with “Nite Rite,” the longest and also most misspelled track. It starts off with a simplistic rhythm, with a slowly swelling synthesizer track behind Joshua Hodges’ gently undulating vocals. It’s a bit like having a cool down after a hard workout, slow and steady in an almost trance-like state.

With obnoxious shenanigans nowhere in sight, STRFKR’s Miracle Mile takes the listener on a spritely jaunt through a sonic soundscape both catchy and mellow. The album on the whole is enjoyable and an instant go-to in order to find an audio escape from the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

News

the advocate

9

Oregon Legislature tackles education issues Hayden Hunter The Advocate

Gresham-area legislators are taking a turn from last year and focusing on education in this year’s session.

According to State Rep. Greg Mathews, D-Gresham, education reforms in the last session were “bull rushed,” meaning that there were not enough discussions and time to vote on budget and education reforms. This year, the Legislature is very serious on education issues, according to first-timer Rep. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, also an MHCC instructor.

At a town hall-style meeting held Tuesday evening at MHCC, state legislators Gorsek, Matthews and State Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham, discussed key issues for the 2013 session. The issue that seemed to be on the people’s minds during the meeting was PERS, or Public Employee Retirement System (PERS).

Gorsek explained there are three tiers to PERS. The first tier is any public employee hired before 1996, tier two is any employee hired between 1996 and Aug. 28, 2003, and the third tier is made up of all public employees hired after that date.

The tier you are in helps determines the benefits you get when you retire.

For example, something being dis-

cussed at a legislative level is how each year the PERS board determines what level of earnings to credit to members regular accounts, which are accounts given back to members upon retirement. Tier one members were promised 8 percent; when times were good, this was possible, but nowadays there is not enough money in the regular account to allow this.

“These are some serious costs for people

is bouncing back slowly. State Sen, Rod Monroe, who is also an MHCC board member, said, “I will make sure that it doesn’t go below that and I hope to make it go up if I can.”

Every college is trying to get a bigger piece of that pie, including MHCC. Associated Student Government (ASG) President William Miller is planning on lobbying to the Legislature, with a cou-

“If you have kids brought here illegally and they went to a U.S. high school for the past three years, to say they are somehow less important is just not fair....”

State Rep. Chris Gorsek hired before ‘03,” Gorsek said.

Getting money to fund these reforms and to help students pay less for tuition is reliant upon how much money is in the operating budget. In 2007 there was $500 million in the state operating budget; in 2011 there was only $395 million; now the governor has recommended $428 million.

It is still lower than previous years, but

ple other MHCC students, to try and get more tuition for students and textbook affordability.

Miller said, “Our slogan is education, not incarceration,” referring to how it generally costs $10,000 per year for students to go to school but it costs the state an average of $30,000 to house a prison inmate.

From 2005-2006 to 2011-2012, tuition has increased 50 percent. According to Amber Hastings, an Oregon Community College Student Association (OCCSA) field organizer, the two major factors for students who want to go to college is affordability and access.

Another issue going around the Legislature is the tuition equity act. This act allows undocumented students, who have been raised here and have gone to school here, the ability to get in-state tuition.

Gorsek said, “If you have kids brought here illegally and they went to a U.S. high school for the past three years, to say they are somehow less important is just not fair in case they are actual citizens.”

The tuition equity act is being considered in the House of Representatives.

Also on the legislative table is whether colleges should have a police force on campus. A bill would not make it mandatory to have a police force, but make it a possibility. Gorsek said, “Safety on campus is important. I fully support that (the bill allowing colleges to have a police force on campus) especially if it makes the students feel safe.”

According to Gorsek, because the operating budget deals with more than just schooling, students should be worrying about more than tuition.

Classified association moves to open contract bargaining

For past articles, poll results, videos and photos see www.advocate-online.net

Aaron Marshall The Advocate

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Open contract bargaining sessions between the classified association and the MHCC administration are being held in the district board room this year.

“So far, we have had three meetings with (the) administration. We have brought articles and proposals and they have brought proposals and counter-proposals,” said Catherine Nichols, classified association president. “It’s a give-and-take thing.”

There are five sessions scheduled, starting 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Additional sessions will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 27 and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on March 12, March 19 and April 10.

Guests are welcome to listen but no outside input or questions are allowed during bargaining sessions.

Nichols said the talks are progressing in timely fashion.

“We can’t negotiate during first two weeks of a term,” she said. “It is too hectic; there are always too many things going on.”

So far, there has been tentative agreement on five (contract) articles, Nichols said. “Both sides have made offers and counter-offers.

We have people working 24/7.”

Classified employees are all staff members who are not administrators, faculty or part-time faculty members, including facilities workers, custodians, library assistants, and the staff working in admissions and records, financial aid, the business office, public safety and college safety, Nichols said Nichols said her goal is to end with a good contract.

‘There shouldn’t be any ambiguity; the contract says what it means. Different people shouldn’t have different meanings on what it says,” she said.

Nichols expects the administration’s team to offer several proposals on financial elements of the contract. She’s optimistic the two sides will strike a fair deal, in the end.

“I have a good team, and they have a good team,” said Nichols.

10 Features

Feb. 15, 2013

BEST ACTOR

O

scars. It’s hard to get excited for the Academy Awards anymore, given their recent tendency to be predictable and pretentious. It’s just sucked out all the fun.

Predicting who will win at the Oscars is like predicting whether or not you’ll wake up in the morning.

The Academy has some very well-known biases because it is loaded with a bunch of snooty white dicks in their late 70s or 80s that are stuck in the past. They hate comic book adaptations, science fiction, high-grossing films or anything with balls. Sure, they will nominate these types of films occasionally, but that’s just so they don’t seem like total squares. Unless there are some extreme circumstances behind the film, such as when Heath Ledger died, the sort of films mentioned above don’t win jack.

The films that usually clean up are Victorian dramas, historical dramas and musical dramas. Prim and proper tour de force films that only intellectuals like are the only ones the Academy treasures anymore. I’m not denouncing these types of films as bad – I like them myself – but there are plenty of times when the Oscar snobs snuff movies that are very good and deserving of an award, but aren’t within their favorite genres.

Anyway, I am going to give my 2 cents on who I think is going to win at the Oscars and who I think should win, within the big four categories: best picture, best director, best lead actress, and best lead actor.

This year is a surprisingly tough one to predict for best picture. The Academy usually has a hard-on for musical dramas such as “Les Miserables,” while “Argo” has been getting a lot of wins at the other award shows.

However, neither movie’s director is up for best directing.

Best director and best picture always go hand-in-hand.

The last time the best picture and best director were awarded separately was in 1999, when “Driving Miss Daisy” won best picture, and Oliver Stone won best director for “Born On The Fourth of July.”

“Lincoln” was a fine film and it’s a historical drama (which the academy also loves). I’m going to bet that “Lincoln” will win best picture and Steven Spielberg will

?

win best director.

Now this decision may irk some, but from a directorial, writing, and acting standpoint, “Django Unchained” is the greatest film of the year. There is something about Quentin Tarantino’s craft that is just on another level.

He is a massive film geek and loves to appeal to everything we love in the movies. He caters to both the sophisticated and simple palates in our movie taste buds. “Django Unchained” is awesomely violent, terrifically written, satisfyingly deep and unquestionably special. Tarantino should, without a doubt, win best director, and “Django Unchained” should win best picture. There is no way of that happening though, because Tarantino is far too quirky for the Oscars.

The best actor award is a fairly easy prediction for this year. Daniel DayLewis is normally a favorite at the Oscars, and for good reason. He is one of the best actors in the industry, period. Who else could have the tenacity to play Abraham freaking Lincoln, and pull it off as well as he did? He already has two Oscars and if he were to win this year, he will become the first actor to win three academy awards for best leading actor. If anyone deserves that honor, it’s Day-Lewis. He will win the Oscar, and I agree 100 percent.

The ladies really brought it this year. All of the nominees gave excellent performances, and trying to decide who should win is really hard. Since only one can prevail, I’m going to have to go with Jessica Chastain. She is likable on every kind of level and killed it in “Zero Dark Thirty.” She was also very good in “Mama” but the movie itself was not very good.

The Oscars always have a little bias towards actors who are close to kicking the bucket, and Emmanuel Riva from “Amour” is certainly getting there. It’s basically a guilt trip. They don’t want to deny this person’s only chance of ever winning an academy award before they die. So it goes without saying, River has this one in the bag.

Head over to the Academy Awards website for a full list of nominees and awards.

Make some predictions yourself, and catch the Oscars Sunday night to see who wins.

S N O I T C I D E R P R OSCA

?

LEAD ACTOR

LEAD ACTRESS

LEAD DIRECTOR

BEST PICTURE

WHO WILL WIN?

Daniel Day-Lewis

Emmanuelle Riva

Steven Spielberg

Lincoln

WHO SHOULD WIN?

Daniel Day-Lewis

Jessica Chastain

Quentin Tarantino

Django- Unchained

For more information about 2013 Oscar Awards, go to: http://oscar.go.com/

Sports

the advocate

Sport

SC

entral

‘All-Star’ competitions should provide interesting weekend for Blazer fans

Aaron Marshall The Advocate Portland Trail Blazers LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard will be on the big stage in Houston for the NBA’s All-Star weekend.

Tonight, Blazers rookie guard Lillard will make his All-Star debut in the Rising Stars Challenge game that features first- and secondyear players. He was also selected to compete in the Skills Challenge event on Saturday night.

The Rising Stars game starts at 6 p.m., Pacific time, on the TNT network. Previously known as the Rookies vs. Sophomores game, the contest now pits “Team Shaq” (Shaquille O’Neal) against “Team Chuck” (Charles Barkley), the two former NBA stars choosing each squad.

Lillard represents Team Shaq, along with last year’s Rookie of the Year, Kyrie Irving. Last year, Irving was MVP of the Rising Stars game

with 34 points after he went 8-for-8 from the three-point line. With that deadly backcourt duo, Shaq will be expected to win. Still, Team Chuck has the No. 1 pick in this past year’s draft, New Orleans forward Anthony Davis, and Denver big man Kenneth Faried, and so definitely has an explosive frontcourt.

Out of all three days of the AllStar weekend, Saturday should be the most exciting to watch. According to NBA.com, a new format this year to raise money for charity pits the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference throughout all four All-Star skills competitions on Saturday. Points for each contest determine which conference earns the All-Star Saturday night champion title.

The competition starts at 5:30 p.m. Lillard will compete in the Skills Challenge, along with West participants Jeremy Lin and Tony Parker, last year’s winner. The Eastern conference contestants will be Brandon Knight, Jeff Teague and Jrue Holiday. The Skills Challenge includes a two-round, timed “obstacle course” consisting of dribbling, passing and shooting stations. Hopefully, Lillard will be competing in All-Star weekend for year’s to come.

Portland native Terrence Ross also will be in Houston, as he has been selected to compete for the

Eastern Conference in the dunk contest. He will join Gerald Green and James White. Representing the West will be Faried, Eric Bledsoe and last year’s champion, Jeremy Evans. All-star snub Stephen Curry will get his chance to play during the weekend in the Three-Point shootout. Matt Bonner and Ryan Anderson will join him for the West team; competing for the East will be Irving, Paul George and Steve Novak.

On Sunday, the main All-Star Game starts at 5 p.m.

Earlier this month, Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge was selected by NBA coaches to his second straight All-Star Game, as a reserve. Last year, Aldridge scored four points in nine minutes of action. He should

get a lot more minutes this year, and should be able to contribute more for the West.

The future is bright for Lillard. Hopefully, he will return for years to come. Next year, it would be great to see him make the AllStar team along with Aldridge and maybe Nicolas Batum, too, if he plays like he has so far this season.

- Blazers/College Basketball - Blazers -

- Beavers -

Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers

Beavers at Washington

Washington St.

Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Saturday at 8 p.m.

Saturday at 4 p.m.

- Ducks -

Oregon at

11

Photos contributed Jeff Hinds Photography

12 Sports

Men’s team extends home streak; loses away game to Clackamas The team is 9-14 on the season and have just three games left. They seek to finish strong, starting with a game against SWOCC this weekend Aaron Marshall The Advocate

Top: Freshman Landon Rushton fights through a double-team during Saturday’s win against Umpqua.

Above: Sophomore Colby Mitchell catches an alley-oop for a dunk against Umpqua.

The men’s basketball team continued its home win streak last week, running it to three as they beat Umpqua Community College 69-55, before falling to Clackamas 80-72 in a road game Wednesday.

“We had good looks, we just missed on good opportunities,” head coach Geoff Gibor said of the Clackamas game. “Second-chance points was the game changer; they did a good job at that. We’ve played at tough places and have gotten leads but have not finished like we should.”

MHCC had four players in double figures but it wasn’t enough.

“This was a rivalry game and they (Clackamas) played unselfish.

It was a hard game to lose but it was a good game,” said Gibor.

MHCC is now tied with Clackamas for fifth place (5-6) in the South Region but Clackamas has won both matchups.

“We need to finish stronger throughout these remaining games. Every game is crucial from this point,” said Gibor.

The Saints had shooting troubles throughout the game, shooting 34 percent as Clackamas shot 48 percent.

“Experience matters in closing games like these, especially for guards. But Blake (Updike) and Landon (Rushton) have played well throughout the season,” said Gibor.

Gibor said his message to his team at this point is to take care of business. Every possession matters.

In their Saturday game against Umpqua, the Saints led throughout the game and shot 50 percent from the field. Shooting guard Updike had a team-high 18 points, shooting 6-9 from the field and 4-6 from the three point line.

Big men Thomas Simien and Mac Johnson each scored in double figures, with 13 and 10, respectively.

The team’s defense played a big role in the outcome as Umpqua shot 37 percent from the field and 6 percent from beyond the arc.

The Saints dominated down low, winning the rebound battle 47-

31. The last time these two teams played, MHCC won a nail-biter 7473 in Roseburg.

On Saturday. MHCC (5-6 in league, 9-14 overall) plays Southwestern Community College at home at 4 p.m.

“This game will be interesting.

We need to get out on their shooters. We have to be disciplined and be patient on offense. If we do that, I don’t think they can compete with us,” said Gibor.

“We’ve got to play focused. We can’t get turnovers at half-court.

Teams get easy shots that way; we just need to stay focused and play together as a unit,” said Gibor.

Next Wednesday, the team plays its final away game of the season against Chemeketa Community College in Salem. The two teams previously met on Jan.23, with MHCC winning 87-67.

“We need to finish strong throughout these remaining games. Every game is crucial from this point on.” head coach Geoff Gibor

Shaun Lutz The Adovcate

Last weekend, the losing streak for the Lady Saints was extended when they played Umpqua hoping to avenge their 84-53 defeat earlier in the season.

But the Riverhawks (6-5 in the South; 16-8 overall) were prepared, and made quick work of the Saints.

The combination of freshmen forwards Asia Smith and Shannon Jackson proved to be too much to handle as each registered double-doubles in the 92-64 Umpqua victory.

Smith lead the way with 22 points for the Riverhawks and Jackson added 21, while both grabbed 13 rebounds in the game.

The Umpqua frontcourt shot a combined 19 of 33 in the win. Four

other Riverhawks finished the game scoring in double figures, compared to MHCC’s one. That lone player was guard Sadie Jenks, who stood out with 22 points in contrast to a woeful shooting night by the rest of the team. She drained six threepointers in the loss, and finished 8 of 14 overall from the field.

Another loss came for the MHCC women on Wednesday, in the form of a 108-65 throttling at the hands of first-place Clackamas (11-0 in the South; 21-3 overall).

Their second blowout versus the Cougars will go down as the Saints’ worst of the season. Turning the ball over 20 times isn’t ideal, but there were a few bright spots for the young squad.

Freshman forward Kirsten Shockman led the Saints with 15

points on 5 of 11 shooting from the floor. Freshman guard Mercedes Smelser contributed 14 points, and first-year guard Chanel Celis dished out seven assists.

However, the Cougars, who outrebounded the Saints 43-22, had seven players score in double figures, led by Sade Elliott’s 19 and Megan Feldman’s 12 points (and 10 rebounds). Clackamas turned Mt. Hood’s 20 turnovers into 25 points and got a heavy dose of scoring from the bench, 53 points.

With the season winding down, the Saints look to salvage what they can from an 0-11 record in the Southern region of the NWAACC’s, and a 2-20 record overall. The ladies will host Southwestern Oregon (5-6 in the South; 12-11 overall) at 2 p.m.

Saturday.

Photo contributed Jeff Hinds Photography

Women fall to 2-20 on the season

Freshman Chanel Celis (pictured above at Saturdy’s game aginst Umpqua) had seven rebounds in the Saints’ 108-65 loss to Clackamas Community College on Wednesday night.