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advocateVolume 51 Issue 1

Syrian Refugees PAGE 2

MHCC Survival Guide PAGE 8

Cross Country PAGE 7

Independent Student Voice of MHCC

“Dirty, slimy, and a little bit trashy.” Bagby Hot Springs, PAGE 5

Mt. Hood predicted an 8% drop in enrollment, actual decline is 13% begging the question:

Where are all the students?

the

Enrollment Crisis

Editor-in-ChiefAdam Elwell

Arts+Entertainment EditorIvy Davis

News Editor Sam Krause

Assistant News EditorShaToyia Bentley

Sports Editor David Teas

Graphic Designers Ayla Buckner

Social Media CoordinatorAurora Angeles

Photo Editor Nick Pelster

Opinion Editor Adam Elwell

Public Relations Manager Emily Wintringham

Video Editors Thomas StewartBen Baxter

Staff WritersNicole KaadiMatana McintireClay VitaleKonah NimoConnie KaczanowskiGloria Saepharn

AdvisersHoward BuckDan Ernst

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu

Phone: 503-491-7250

www.advocate-online.net

#mhccadvocate

Mt. Hood Community College

26000 SE Stark Street

Gresham, Oregon 97030

The Advocate encourages readers to share their opinion by letters to the editor and guest columns for publication. All

submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and contact information. Contact information will not be

printed unless requested. Original copies will not be returned to the author. The Advocate will not print any unsigned

submission.Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and

guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board.

The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length.

Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to advocatt@mhcc.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication

to be considered for print.Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor

or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

Living in the U.S., it’s easy to glance past headlines about Syrian refugees. After all, they are way over in Syria, no? What are we supposed to do: Put them all on planes and fly them over here?

At the Advocate, we would like to hope that the U.S. and its all neigh-boring countries do exactly that.

On Sept.10, the White House announced that the U.S. would ac-cept 10,000 refugees into America. A gracious move, right? Consider-ing the actual number of displaced refugees is closer to 4 million, and it takes about a year to get those proposed 10,000 refugees through

the application process, it may be not so gracious. Fourteen members of Congress instead suggested that 65,000 refugees should be granted asylum, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked the U.S. to take on 100,000.

The U.K. recently announced a plan to take 20,000 refugees while Germany is the big stack after pledg-ing to accept 800,000. It’s easy for Americans to take in so few ref-ugees when you can’t see the full scale of the problem. One-fifth of Syria’s population is displaced (with over half of those under age 18) and 250,000 people are dead as a result of

the four-year Syrian civil war.Iyad El-Baghdadi, an activist

who got his slice of the limelight during the Arab Spring uprising in 2010, published this on Twitter: “The Syrian catastrophe was very preventable if the world’s red line

was “killing protesters,” rather than “drowned refugee toddlers.”

And Baghdadi is right. Anytime 250,000 people die from the same cause, it should be pretty evident that the world leaders dropped the ball. And after clear negligence on our part, do we in the U.S. really want to accept refugees only as a PR move? These people need places to stay now. They’re sleeping in border camps on the ground, without very basic necessities. About 1.1 million of these people are in Lebanon, a country of only 4 million people itself, which has stretched its infra-structure as far as it can go.

This whole scenario has high-lighted another failure in U.S. immi-gration law. Under current rules, it is illegal for any refugee who supported a rebel group in another country to enter the U.S., even if the U.S. sup-ported that rebel group itself.

If there’s one theme these prob-lems keep pointing to, it’s that peo-ple are people, way before they are any specific nationality. We are the richest, most technologically ad-vanced civilization the planet has ever seen, and all we’re doing right now is a drop in a bucket, because we don’t want to spend the money to save more toddlers from drowning.

the advocate

Matana McIntirethe advocate

“If you know me based on who I was a year ago, you don’t know me at all. My growth game is strong; allow me to reintroduce myself.”

Okay, I didn’t write that. It’s ac-

tually a post from tumblr that’s been floating around my head for a while. It’s a funny post, something I’ve defi-nitely reblogged more than once, be-cause it’s so true. Me an exact year ago? A completely different person, almost laughably so. It makes me think about what exactly I did over the past 365 days to make this re-vised version of myself.

I’ve always been an active self-ed-ucator. Something about learning, or specifically, experiencing, gets me excited. If you look back on me this time last year, I was at a completely different stage in my life. I had just moved into a one-bedroom apart-ment off Hawthorne with two of my best friends, and was starting a new

job downtown that was supposed to be amazing (spoiler alert: it wasn’t). I was sharing a tiny living room with another girl, but it didn’t matter; my friends were like sisters and I hap-pily learned to live without bound-aries. We all kind of rolled with the punches.

I had just turned 19 that first month in the new apartment, and Michael Brown had just been shot. It was horrible. We all remember how Ferguson flooded our social media, news outlets, and conversations. My roommates and I felt the call to ac-tion. Suddenly, we were adults, and it felt like we could do something to help. It wasn’t even a question when we saw the event on Facebook; we

were going to the solidarity protest in Portland, hands-down.

Just in that one experience, I learned what it meant to be a better person. I saw the gap between where I was and where the leaders of the march were and I began to question how I could close that gap. The pro-tests were absolutely the spark that ignited my hunger for growth. Now, I’m constantly working on closing that gap and, ultimately, bettering myself.

It’s hard to compartmentalize the past year, even harder to put into words how it’s shaped me. Some-times, how I knew myself to be didn’t fit into how I knew I had to be, and it was challenging. I guess what

I’m trying to say is that growth is important. And yeah, I think we all know that’s a no-brainer, but it’s just – do we really? Because I still look back on this year in complete awe, like “I did that while working a crap job and living in a crap apartment!” Makes me wonder what completely different person I’ll be next fall.

It’s a new year. I’d like to think we’re all about to embark on another journey of growth here at Mt. Hood. From someone who’s constantly over-analyzing it, I’ll offer one piece of advice: Make a point to step out of your comfort zone, to challenge what you know. You owe it to your future self. Speaking as a current fu-ture self, it’s worth it.

Here’s to who you will become: personal growth at MHCC is inevitable

OPINIONPAGE a d v o c a t e - o n l i n e . n e t2

Anytime 250,000 people die from the same cause, it should be pretty evident that the world leaders dropped the ball.

PAGE 3

A message about the two options for financial adjustment, and the board’s decisionDear MHCC Students,

Welcome to MHCC! Everyone at the college is excited to have you here as part of our learning community and achieving your educational goals. We wish you the very best in the upcoming academic year.

The MHCC Board of Education recently approved two tuition adjustments that have a direct impact on you, and we feel it is very important to explain.

At a Board meeting held on April 8, 2015, after long and thoughtful discussion, the MHCC Board approved a $3.50 per credit hour tuition increase, with one stipulation. If State of Oregon funding increased above $535 million for all community colleges, the additional amount received by MHCC would be dedicated to

offset that tuition increase. At that time, MHCC and the Board did not know what our actual state funding amount would be, what our own ending fund balance would be, and what our enrollment for Fall and the rest of the 2015-16 adademic year would be. All of those figures changed substantially and caused the Board to reconsider the tuition rate.

Inadequate state funding, enrollment declines and mounting college operational costs forced the Board to make the difficult decision to increase tuition because it was critical for the long-term solvency of the college.

Every Board member, past and present, agrees that college affordability must be a top priority for our community. At the same time, the MHCC Board is tasked with fiscal responsibility and ensuring the long-term solvency

of the college. Faced with very different financial circumstances, the Board met in a work session on September 3, 2015, and in a regular Board meeting on September 9, 2015. After long discussions, which involved direct feedback from student leaders, the Board approved two tuition adjustments:

1. To reduce the current tuition rate by $1.50 [putting it] $2 per credit hour above the previous year), and;

2. To create a tuition pledge: This new student benefit will freeze tuition upon enrollment and lock it in for up to four years. We want to ensure that college costs remain low and predictable in order to offer our students certainty when mapping out their college plans.

Taken together, these two adjustments will definitely reduce student costs and make college

more affordable. We are sorry we are unable to roll the increase back completely.

Be assured that the MHCC Board will continue to work in the best interest of students and the community. We hope you will stand by our decision and support our efforts to move MHCC forward,

into the next 50 years of success.If you have questions or would

like to respond, you may contact Board Chair, Susie Jones, at susie.jones@mhcc.edu.

MHCC Board of Education

The political circus and I: The presidential race is a shame

Letter to the Editor: MHCC Board of Education

Emily WintringhamThe Advocate

I’m a strung-along millennial. I have a hard enough time

deciding how to vote. The process of making informed, intelligent choices for the future of a country spanning 2,680 miles and a growing population is quite the heavy burden. But that’s not my greatest woe concerning the voting process. It’s not that I don’t have values – I just can’t trust anybody. Lately, when getting my political fix from the media, it’s like I’m watching an episode of “Entertainment Tonight.”

A people-pleaser at heart, I just want to make sure everyone is happy and healthy. But I have this weird sensation that my life is like “The Truman Show.” I feel convinced that my choices are of great interest

to everybody. In reality, it’s about numbers, hits, ranks – not about any of my thoughts, unfortunately. I want this political fiasco to end and for America to start acting.

Perhaps I am throwing a bigger pity party than necessary. Possibly, I’m just one of those sheep who can’t decipher truth from coercion with any analytical bone in her body. Or perhaps, I’m overboard analytical. Whatever it may be, can we blame people like me? After all, who can take our democracy seriously when a particular candidate – cough, cough, Donald Trump – legitimately thinks he can smack talk his way into the White House? And of course, he does so, as the media salivates after his every disgusting insult. Meanwhile, another candidate – notably, Ted Cruz – think they can purchase the American vote. You

want to mandate the budget? If you become President, Cruz, please put your money where your mouth is. Also, Hillary Clinton wiping the server with a towel? Are smart-aleck remarks her “saving face” method of choice? Bernie Sanders, I can respect his dream. He seems to be the only candidate willing to fix things and bring us prosperity. Unfortunately, he gives me the Santa Claus vibe. Call me cynical, but I really don’t think the United States is romantic enough to heed his ambitious serenade in the long run.

I digress. Deep inside, I know the candidates, no matter what party they represent, are humans. However, it’s like the media wants us to be polarized, hateful, and regard political opponents as monsters when the candidates themselves could be just as strung along as I am,

somehow.Anyway, what did I say I was, at

heart? Oh yes – a people-pleaser. A person who just wants to make good people happy. While the media is a great thing, and consequently the most useful tool I have to make informed decisions, in the most free country on earth, I can’t tell you enough how much I feel like a monkey-in-training.

A couple of months ago, I stumbled across some articles by The Atlantic magazine that covered why millennials are not as vivacious of voters as their predecessors. Essentially, it is because we have found a louder voice through our actions. Millennials speak through service and public outreach. Hopefully, sooner or later, we will no longer buy the political circus.

OPINION PAGES e p t e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 3

Web photosCandidates left to right: Trump, Clinton, Cruz, Sanders

Option 1 Freeze tuition for current studentsTerminate the $3.50 increase in tuition,(effective fall 2015)Lose $700,000 in revenue

Option 2Decrease tuition by $1.50 and freeze tuition Lose $300,000 in revenue

Tuition plan

Source: MHCC Board of Education meeting Sept. 9

Adam Elwellthe advocate

Mt. Hood’s chemistry labs have been due for a face-lift for a while, and as of fall term, they just got one.

Science Lab Coordinator Brenda Wise, a science student herself two decades ago, said the labs hadn’t been changed since the 1970’s. The newly completed remodel spans the whole upper floor of the 1500 building, classrooms that will now be used for biology, chemistry, and physics labs.

These new labs are no chump change, either.

“There are a lot of city ordinances for structures like this,” said Wise, of the detail work required for chemistry labs. “It takes a lot of time to put these things together.”

The remodel was originally conceived in 2011, by Wise, Cory Houston and then-staff member Clyde Jensen. Jensen especially was a big influence in designing the classrooms to avoid the typical desks-in-a-grid, accompanied by slabs of gray concrete, layout.

“It’s about how stimulated are you in this space? How engaging is the space?” said Wise. “How much potential does the space have to support your needs for that learning experience? What’s the aesthetic?

“In 1998 when I was a student here, and when I was taking chemistry, I was the only super-nerd in my lab section that was totally stoked to spend four hours in a dingy, institutional-green-splattered-wall, dilapidated-cabinetry space,” continued Wise. “Why? Because I didn’t really care. It was all about touching the glass, about doing the chemistry. But there were people in my lab section who

were like, ‘I can’t believe you’re so excited, this is such a drag.’

“Working here for a long time I’ve seen that happen year after year after year,” she said.

The new labs should offer a more livable working environment to students, with spaces for backpacks, new amenities, and even a homemade vacuum filtration system, which was a stumbling block in years past. Whole chem lab classes had to flee due to flooding from

inefficient filtration, said Wise.“I had the dean in here on his knees in a suit with his

finger in the dike one day, no kidding. That’s how bad it was.”All of MHCC’s science instructors except for one have

a doctorate degree, and are exceptionally skilled at what they do, according to Wise. Some have kept running lists of (potential) labs that were previously not possible, she noted.

“This remodel was so critical,” she said. “They (the staff) have done very well with nothing for a very long time.”

I had the dean in here on his knees in a suit with his finger in the dike one day, no kidding. That’s how bad it was.

Brenda WiseScience Lab Coordinator

Chemistry labs get needed facelift

Enrollment crisis: MHCC reacts to dwindling numbersFull-Time Enrollment Stats 2015-2016

ShaToyia Bentleythe advocate

There’s a noticeable feel of emptiness in classrooms this month, as MHCC officials and staff are shuffling to make adjustments in response to a sharp student enrollment plunge.

As of Friday, enrollment at the college is down about 13 percent compared to the same date in the fall of 2014. This follows a 9 percent decline last year, from the fall of 2013.

School leaders have tried to figure out how to cope with the decline and members of the MHCC community have met over the summer to address the issue.

On Sept. 9, the MHCC Board of Directors met to discuss a possible tuition freeze and a tuition rollback and how that will impact the college’s bottom line.

The Board voted to roll back the tuition increase approved in spring, from $3.50 to $2 per credit. The board was able to make the change because the Oregon Legislature was able to fully restore state community college funding to $550 million.

An MHCC press release on Sept. 10 stated, “This reduction will take place beginning fall 2015, and would save the typical full-time MHCC

student about $20 per quarter.”That would cover half of one

month of Cricket cell phone service.In addition to the new increase

of $2, rather than $3.50, the board also created a tuition pledge program. The program guarantees $94 per credit for the next four years to anyone who enrolls at MHCC anytime by next spring. That includes all current continuing students.

“If you start in the fall, your tuition is frozen for up to four years as long as you’re continuously enrolled, with the exception of

summer, for the academic year,” said Debbie Derr, president of MHCC.

The freeze rolls over to include students who start in Winter and Spring Term, as well.

While students have up to four years to complete their degree, they must maintain a 2.0 grade point average every term and cumulatively.

“The MHCC board of education believes that one of the biggest hurdles for students is the rising cost of tuition,” said Susie Jones, board chairwoman.

“More than half of our students require financial aid to attend

college, and a large group is also working full- or part-time while attending,” said Jones.

Since summer, an ad hoc committee, the Enrollment-Crisis Action Team, or ECAT, has held meetings on how to give students more support that will motivate them to come or stay at MHCC.

“We want to be completely transparent with the students,” said Christie Plinski, vice president of instruction and student development, about the enrollment crisis. Plinski leads the ECAT committee, made up of

31 member faculty and staff members.The team received an update on

Fall Term pre-registration numbers, which had been down about 20 percent in August from 2014 levels.

Low enrollment is not just affecting MHCC.

Lane Community College reports a 13 percent drop, before the start of classes on Sept. 28. Clackamas and Chemeketa community colleges say registration is down 5 percent one week until classes begin. At Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., where courses start Monday, enrollment is down about 5 percent.

Already, MHCC deans have responded to the low enrollment by reducing class sections, causing students to change their personal schedules or studies in some cases.

The ECAT meeting also covered ways to eliminate the communication barriers between staff and students, seen as a significant problem. A majority of the staff agreed that students also need more help with financial aid, work-study jobs, and computer services.

In order to improve enrollment, the team said that the college needs to market itself better and utilize alumni in a marketing campaign.

“[We need to] have student success stories out there,” said Plinski.

Top: Bags full of tools that were used to build the new chemistry labs. Below: Lab area getting finished up.

Photos by Nick Pelster

Graphic by Ayla Buckner

NEWSPAGE a d v o c a t e - o n l i n e . n e t4

Ivy Davisthe advocate

There was a distinctive moment when I realized my aunt had lied to me (in fact, there were many): The drive to Bagby Hot Springs was much longer than an hour. The ride itself was beautiful, even though we almost drove off the winding and bending road around the Clackamas River. Word to the wise, go the speed limit.

My GPS calculated the drive at an one hour and 20 minutes from

Damascus, but adding in the time it takes to hike up to the actual hot springs, it was 1.7 miles uphill. Imagine having to include the addi-tional time it takes to fill up one of the three sizes of hot tubs – they var-ied in filling time: from 30 minutes to three hours. Believe me, this is no speedy outing.

When you first walk up to the hot tub spot, you get a view of five stalls referred to as “private rooms.” Each stall once had a bench and a bathtub that looks very similar to a canoe from Disney’s, “Pocahon-tas.” Of the three stalls I explored, each was different. The first

s t a l l ’ s

canoe/bathtub’s drain had been completely rotted out, leaving a huge gaping hole staring down into the dark drain. The second stall was missing a bench, replaced by up-side-down buckets. The third stall looked good, including the dozen tea lights and glow sticks a previous user or two had left behind. I stole the tea lights… The small baths used different sizes of wood to plug their drains, along with the piping hot spring water, working as an on/off switch. The winning touches for the stalls were: the open roof, that allowed stargazing; the signs on the door that read: “clothing optional;” and the tampons used to plug holes in the shared walls of the stalls.

Continuing on... walking down a bit, you get a view of what looks like a small pool with a very slow water spigot. That’s cold water that you’ll need to cool down the hot spring water. The larger tubs my aunt had said are meant for five to eight peo-ple, are really meant for a lot fewer. These tubs look to be sitting in a ga-zebo-like structure called the “open deck” or “lower deck.” There is a large, round tub, and three smaller, oval-shaped tubs that look similar to distillery barrels. Each tub is spaced about two feet apart, with stairs leading up into it. Fortunately, for my group, we did not have to fill our tub. Our neighbors in the round tub had to fill theirs, which took 3 1/2 hours. The spring water in the tub was refreshing. I would be lying if I said I didn’t almost fall asleep; it was the slimy, water-logged wood that caused my feet to continue to slip on, that kept me awake.

The Bagby hot tubs have a long history. The original bathhouse, now called lower deck, burned down in 1979, then was rebuilt. Bagby was then remodel in 2011, during which three salvaged canoe tubs were re-placed with the oval barrel tubs we sat in. There also was a third area 100 yards south of the private and lower deck. The “upper deck” had a larger, circular tub that we didn’t get to visit.

On our way back, there were a few moments worth mention-ing. One of our hot tub neighbors was completely naked, not fit, and handing out bong hits. Secondly, while hiking back, we turned all our lights off while crossing a fairly large bridge. The stars were amazing with

the sound of a waterfall rushing un-der our feet. Lastly, a tree along the path was painted purple with spar-kles all over it, which looks awe-some in the dark. The drive back, however, was long and tiring. I fell asleep – I recommend camping, if possible.

In sum, the tubs were somehow a perfect storm of a beautiful, sce-nic, and relaxing, along with: dirty, slimy, and a little bit trashy.

Tips for future visitors: Leave early, so you can hike up and fill your tubs in the light. Bring lots of flash-lights for a walk back in the dark. Candles bring a nice touch, because there is no lighting at the facilities. Don’t leave anything important in your car and watch your stuff – in the dark things get lost or stolen easily. Bring the right attitude; al-though, it’s a diverse mix of people, everyone is kind and sharing. There were actual valley girls, hippies, and old stoners making a colorful group that enriched the experience. Don’t be surprised if someone is naked. Cigarettes, alcohol, and illegal sub-stances are prohibited, but the site is hardly checked – most likely due to the 1.7-mile hike up to the tubs. However, there is a park ranger. En-trance is technically $5 a person, but I’m not saying if I paid or not.

I give the adventure a 2.7 out of 5. I would go back, but not often.

Into the boonies and hot water of Bagby

Nicole Kaadithe advocate

You don’t have to be a music major to take advantage of some of the Performing Arts classes that MHCC has to offer.

Classes such as jazz or choir can be good elective courses that offer a perspective and appreciation to music that isn’t mainstream, but shouldn’t be forgotten. Choir Director Kevin Lambert and Jazz Director Dan Davey encourage anyone with a knowledge of an instrument or enjoys singing, to check out these classes.

Davey is a new member of the MHCC faculty and hopes to rekindle

the college’s strong jazz history along with creating wonderful music.

“I would like to showcase what jazz has to offer by private training, student-performed concerts, ensembles or combos, on and off-campus, as well as invite special performers and professionals from the music industry,” said Davey.

He also hopes to do some live outreach, so students gain real-life music experience both on and off-campus.

He invites not only music majors at Mt. Hood, but anyone who can play an instrument or simply has a passion for music, to take a class or check out an event that the students will perform.

Lambert directs both the symphonic and chamber choirs at MHCC. Prospective students must sing a five-minute audition for Lambert to place them in their vocal chorus secton. The audition isn’t meant to cause any type of stress, but is just a way for him to check the student’s vocal range, he said.

Lambert said he prefers a relaxed atmosphere, while maintaining a professional quality in the music the choir preforms. An overwhelming amount of his students aren’t music majors. This is a good thing, because he “wants people to sing no matter their background.”

Since he took over the MHCC choir, size has doubled. This year,

his goal is to again, increase the size of the choir.

“If you like to sing, come by and say ‘Hi,’ “ Lambert said. Classes are Monday, Wednesday and Friday and runs from 12p.m. to 12:50 p.m. or 1p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

Lambert said he tries to respect busy student schedules and stress, and doesn’t plan many major concerts, with the exception of the Grotto Concert Christmas Choral Fest on Dec. 4, later this year.

If any of this sounds interesting, or maybe it is just time to break out of your comfort zone, the Performing Arts program would love for you to come check out these classes and anything else it has to offer.

Performing Arts welcomes students of all backgrounds

The Advocate brings you weekly words. With these words,

you can impress your instructors, whoop ass at Scrabble, or simply

wait for more new words next week.

2.7/5 on the adventure scale

Top: Adam Elwell, the Advocate’s head editor, enjoys one of Bagby’s hot tubs for the first time. Below: The lower deck’s four new tubs after its 2011 remodel.

Borborygmus

Noun; A rumbling or gurgling sound caused by the movement of gas in the intestines.

Egregious

Adj; Outstandingly bad, shocking.

Polyglot

Noun; Someone who can speak or write many languages, multilingual.

Top photo by Ivy Davis. Bottom photo from web.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT PAGES e p t e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 5

Sam Krausethe advocate

After 18 months of planning, the MHCC Board of Educators is serious-ly considering a proposed $125 mil-lion bond measure to give the main Gresham campus a major overhaul, and to keep the college in good finan-cial standing.

A successful bond, which must be approved by Multnomah and Clack-amas County voters across the entire MHCC service district, whill provide the first injection of capital improve-ment money into the campus in more than 40 years.

The measure would require an increase in property owners’ tax rates.

Part of the bond is to match $8 million funded by the Oregon Legis-lature to build a new workforce and applied technology center.

“The legislature renewed MHCC’s $8 million in capital funds. In order for us to access that money we have to match it, so that’s part of the bond ask,” said MHCC President Debbie Derr.

The current applied technology building is aging, in need of upgrades and repairs, and that’s exactly what the community is asking for, according to a survey of the community, says Al Si-gala, executive director of the MHCC Foundation and Alumni Relations.

“The question is: What do you want this college to do for you? How will this college be a great college?” Si-gala said. “What resonated through all these sessions was: jobs. I want a job, I want you guys to prepare me for a job.”

“If we’re going to be able to do that, increase those efforts, we’re go-ing to have to build a new facility,” said Sigala.

One of the main projects in the proposed bond is to improve the tech-nology infrastructure of the college.

“The greatest concern students have expressed to us is the inconsis-tency of wireless internet on campus,” said Derr. “We hear it all the time. We hear it. We know. We experience it.”

Derr said that technology doesn’t stop with good Wi-Fi reception, it is also to support technology in the machine tool technology lab and sci-

ence labs. “Technology is everywhere, so we

have a plan, a list of things we need to do in relationship to supporting tech-nology,” she said.

Solar panels will be part of the bond, too, but Derr noted that the college already has solar panels across the campus. She added, “In building [construction], we’ll be looking at LEED (energy efficient) certification. We may not pay the $50,000 to get the golden plaque, but my goal is to have LEED-level certified buildings.”

Also in the bond are improve-ment plans for the Maywood/Gate-way campus. The building is old and the cost to repair it and bring it up to date is costly.

“That’s the other strategy – (serv-ing) that end of our district, increas-ing service to that end of our district,” said Sigala. He says the demand and responsibility are both there to meet that need.

The suggestion from Derr to the Board would be to completely tear down and construct a new building at Maywood.

Over the past year, the college has performed lockdown drills which have highlighted some of the safe-ty precautions the college needs to shore up that could be addressed in the bond.

They include installing automatic locks on doors around campus rather than having a staff member manual-ly lock doors in the event of an active shooter situation.

Another safety improvement in-cluded in the suggested bond is a seis-mic upgrade for the campus. While the proposed cost of the improve-ments have fluctuated, the college is still finding out more about what exactly needs to be done for the Aca-demic Center.

At last month’s board meeting, Rick Doughty, vice-president of ad-ministrative services said that the seismic upgrades are not as expensive as had originally been thought, but it will still be costly.

Part of that savings comes from the fact that MHCC will be applying for a grant from the state to pay for the seismic upgrades needed on the gymnasium, recently renamed the Yoshida Event Center. Sigala and Derr are confident that the college will be awarded the grant.

“We want to make sure that that building meets the ‘you will still be able to get in and use this building’ standard,” if a devastating earthquake occurs, said Derr. Since the college campus serves as an evacuation safety center for east Multnomah County, the gymnasium qualifies for the grant, she said.

The bond isn’t just about improv-ing facilities on campus; it’s also about ensuring that the college is a good steward of the taxpayers’ money. For years, Mt. Hood has taken out loans to make repairs and improvements that could have been financed using a bond.

If the bond passes in May, the col-lege will be able to pay off its current $29.4 million debt burden. Should the bond fail, the college will be left with a debt service of $41 million over the next 20 years, according to Jennifer DeMent, MHCC chief fi-nancial officer.

“It’s crippling us,” said Derr at last month’s board meeting. Later, she said, “if the community had sup-ported the bonds along the way we would not have been in a situation where we had to borrow money to take care of their (public) invest-ment,” she added, comparing the bond to a family taking out a loan to repair its house.

Loans were taken out for capital projects, such as necessary repairs, improvements, and upgrades to elec-

trical, HVAC, roofing, parking lots, and lighting systems.

For instance, the electrical system blew up a few years back, and MHCC had to take out a loan for repairs, Si-gala said. In the meantime MHCC was without power for one week.

Typically, general obligation bonds can’t be used to pay off debt, only for capital improvements.

In Mt. Hood’s case, its loans could be paid back with bond money be-cause they were taken out for capital improvements. Paying off the loans will save MHCC an estimated $20 million.

Leaders are aware asking for mon-ey may send the message that the col-lege isn’t managing its money well, but say that’s not the case.

“We have been incredibly good stewards of the tax payer dollar,” said Derr. While neighboring commu-nity colleges (notably Portland and Clackamas) have gone out for bonds, in MHCC’s case their absence has put the college in the position of having to take out loans to cover the cost of basic repairs.

The college will promote Mt. Hood’s positive economic impact in the region.

“If you look at how, from an eco-nomic development standpoint, how much this institution contributes back to the community, it’s astounding,” said Sigala. For instance, the college employs 1,300 people, with a$63 mil-lion payroll that is invested back in the community, he said.

A political action committee, or PAC, has been formed to support the bond measure, with Doug Walk-er serving as co-chair. Walker is a small business owner in Gresham and serves on the advisory board to MH-CC’s hospitality and tourism program.

“We’re raising money right now so that we can trumpet the vote in May of next year,” said Walker. “It’s a $125 million bond. A home in the district will pay about $60 more a year in property taxes” should the measure be passed, he said.

MHCC hasn’t passed a GO bond since 1974 and the last bond measure was attempted 13 years ago.

Walker has been a part of the sur-vey process to figure out exactly what the community thinks of the college and how it can be better served by MHCC.

“From every survey we have done it says the college is as much an asset to our community as is Legacy Health, and light rail, and our industry,” he said.

“So it’s loved, it just needs a lit-tle polishing. Over fifty years, things kind of wear out.”

Bond proposal coming to a voters pamphlet near youNEWSPAGE a d v o c a t e - o n l i n e . n e t6

SPORTS PAGES e p t e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 7

By David Teasthe advocate

The 2015 MHCC Cross Country season kicked off Sept. 11 at the Ash Creek event held at Monmouth, Ore.

Next up for Mt. Hood: the NWAC Preview Meet, to be run on Saturday at Lewisville Park outside Battle Ground, Wash.

The men’s top finisher was Jonathan Zacarius, with a time of 21:35.4 in the 6.3k race (6,300 meters). The Saints women’s best runner was Leah Norquist, who finished her 4.6k (4,600 meters) in 20:33.5.

The Mt. Hood women finished fourth at the 2014 NWAC Championships;

the men came in seventh. The Saints are looking to improve this season. The task for the

women got a lot tougher after Mt. Hood freshman All-American and 2014 Baden Cross-Country female athlete of the year Georgia Glovatsky transferred to

Western Colorado University this summer. Glovatsky won

the NWAC Championship 5k and placed outside of the top 5k in only one race all of last year. Glovatksy will be extremely difficult to replace.

This year, the women are led by sophomore: Leah Norquist, who attended nearby Sam Barlow High School. Norquist placed 10th in the NWAC Southern Regional Championships in 2014. It was Norquist’s best race of the season. Mt. Hood head coach Jim Satterfield hopes that Norquist can carry her momentum into 2015.

The Saints men are led by Zacarius, a Benson High School product, in his second year on the team.

Satterfield hopes to see his athletes buy into the program and into cross-country, in general. “I like to win just like everybody else does. This sport is about getting

better,” he said. He is also hopeful that a relatively unknown runner can really impress and do very well.

Asked for his season goals, the head coach said, “I expect to turn this group into lifetime runners who see the sport as a series of progressions.”

Under his veteran guidance, the Saints count on doing just that.

Saints kick off new season with young team

This sport is about getting

better.

By David Teasthe advocate

Disc golf is one of the fastest-growing sports in America today. Just like anything else that’s new, it takes time for it to become well known. If you’ve been to a park and saw some people throwing Frisbees at a chained basket, you probably have an idea of what was going on. Disc golf has the same scoring system as “ball golf,” as disc golf players refer to it.

There’s no surprise that there are a few people who attend MHCC who would love to put a course right here, on campus. One of them is Jason Barber, a forestry student.

Barber picked up the game while with some co-workers in the U.S. National Guard. “I play more and better than those guys, now,” he boasted. He’s been at it for nearly five years, enjoys the game, and believes others will, too.

That’s why he has helped start a new club for disc golf players here at Mt. Hood.

“Anyone thinking of joining need not worry about skill level,”

Barber said. “Above all, we just want to have fun.”

Barber is trying to get a disc golf course made on the east side of the campus and for now, it’s just a wooded area. He said he will propose a plan to the school sometime this term.

Permanent disc golf baskets can range in price from $500 to a couple thousand dollars, but Barber said he could obtain the needed baskets cheaply, or for free. He added that

the course wouldn’t need all of the trees cleared out playing room, like for a standard golf course. The course would require concrete work and wooden structures, such as benches.

Unfortunately, for Barber and all disc golf hopefuls here at MHCC, this isn’t the first time this idea has been proposed. He said

previous efforts have died for lack of support.

To show support for disc golf, or if you are interested in learning to play, contact: Jason Barber, Luke Johnson, or Jon McGeachy on their public Facebook group, Mount Hood Disc Sports, or e-mail them at: disc.club@saints.mhcc.edu.

MHCC disc golf enthusiastsBy David Teasthe advocate

The young Saints volleyball team learned some valuable lessons Monday night.

The Saints played Blue Mountain Community College, the top-ranked team in the East division of the NWAC league with a record of 14-5. The Saints fell to Blue Mountain in three games: 22-25, 15-25, 22-25.

Mt. Hood are off to a 2-6 start, but head coach Andrew Clifton does not want to call it a slow start. “I’d rather call what we have had so far a learning curve,’ ” he said. The team has eight freshmen this year, so it is somewhat inexperienced. Clifton is not too worried about the beginning

of the season; instead, he is more interested in how the Saints will finish the year.

This batch of recruits were also Clifton’s first here, since he took the job a year ago. Hunter Sterkel is a freshman libero who starred for three years at South Eugene High School. Fellow Eugene native and freshman libero recruit, Courtney Smith, started all four years at Sheldon High School. Meridian, Idaho, is where Clifton found Lexie Walthall, a four-year varsity starter, who also played libero. Hannah Snyder, a former standout player at King’s Way Christian High School in Vancouver, Wash., is a middle blocker. Clifton also landed two new players from Hawaii: freshman setter, Erin Perry, from

W.R. Farrington High School, in Honolulu; and powerful freshman, Jazmayne Williams, an outside hitter, also from Honolulu.

The promising young talent could have fans excited to catch the Saints in action this fall. They have a rich winning tradition in volleyball, and have won 22 regional and divisional titles and eight NWAC championships.

The Saints’ next game is at 6 p.m. Friday, at home, inside the Yoshida Event Center (MHCC gym) against Southwestern Oregon Community College.

MHCC Volleyball setting up for success

-Jim Satterfield

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

“I would probably be a mon-key!”

Of all the people in the world, who would you

like to meet? “Carrie Underwood

definitely, she is my idol.”

If you had to hide a dead body, where would you hide it? “The forest maybe, that’s a really hard question.”

What would be your dream job?

“I would love to be an Olympian, and a pro-

fessional volleyball player.”

Random questions with: Hunter Sterkel

Cross country head coach

Upcoming home gamesSouthwestern OregonSept. 25 at 6pm UmpquaSept. 26 at 1pm

Above all, we

just want to have

fun.-Jason Barber

Photo by NIck Pelster

Photo by Clay Vitale

Photo by Nick PelsterRight: Luke Lowe adding more miles to his belt. Far Right: Satterfield and Lowe discussing strategy.

President of disc golf club

FEATURESPAGE a d v o c a t e - o n l i n e . n e t8

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MHCC Survival GuideCollege, where it takes you 15 minutes to find parking – here are some things you should know about MHCC:

ORIENTATION CENTER:Located on the south side of the main Academic center buildings, in the 1000s, is the student orientation resource. Here you can get help registering for classes and on student loans.

CAMPUS:MHCC is basically an open campus, in the fact that hallways are outside. Fall and winter term weather gets cold, so suit up! Boots, scarves, jackets – they’re all needed. You can always shed your layers when you get in-side your class but usually the concrete building is good at keeping it cool.

FOOD AND COFFEE:There are five spots on cam-pus that house food or cof-fee. Vista dining, the main cafeteria, is located on the far south side of the main campus, on the upper floor. You order, they make the food. Vista dining basical-ly has anything you want to eat. In the Bookstore there is a small coffee stand along with isles of snack food. On the far north side of the col-lege on the second floor is the St. Helens café. The café has coffee and food run by the same contractor as Vista dining. MHCC’s other café is in the Library on the second floor, a smaller nook called the Readers Cup. The last place to find food is Barney’s Pantry – a place for those students in need. If you have a current student ID and show it to ASG (Mt. Hood’s student government) and are in need of food or personal hygiene products, they are happy to share.

BIKES:If you ride a bike to school and find you have a low tire, there is a bike fixing sta-tion on the north side of the main campus. It has a stand for lifting and holding bikes in the air, along with an air pump and several tools.

CIGARETTES, ALCOHOL, AND ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES:Cigarettes and Personal In-halant Devices (aka vaping) are prohibited on the col-lege campus. The one spot smokers/vapers are allowed to be is at the main TriMet bus stop in the front of the school. Alcohol also is banned on MHCC grounds. A minor-in-possession cita-

tion can lose someone their student loans or scholarship. Any drugs, including marijua-na, are prohibited.

PARKING:It’ll take you forever to find a spot for your 2003 Honda Civic. If you have a class after 9, you might as well give up on close-in parking. The Advocate’s secret is that the rear (lower) parking lots always have lots of room to spare.

PRINTERS:Most people don’t know that there is a $3 fee that goes towards printing essays in the computer labs. The main computer lab is in the 1400s

on the main floor. A second lab area can be found in the Library.

MICROWAVES:Several microwaves reside in rooms all across MHCC. If you find yourself a niche, there’s a good chance you’ll also get a microwave. We at the Advocate understand this very well, though our micro-wave only works when we slam it. You can find micro-waves inside the Vista din-ing room, the Student Union, Bookstore, and one in the St. Helens Cafe. Buddying up to a staff member can also be useful when lines start to form behind the public mi-crowaves.

Ivy Davisthe advocate