AdvocateFebruary 21, 2014 Volume 49 Issue 18

Facebook.com/TheAdvocateOnline@mhccadvocate @mhccadvocate

Check out our website for videos and more!

www.advocate-online.net

2013 FIRST PLACE General excellence

Oregon Newspaper Publisher Association

The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College

Negotiations may be at an end

MHCC may be getting a ‘new pair of shoes’by Katelyn HilsenbeckThe Advocate

It’s been four decades since east Multnomah County voters agreed to pump money into major campus im-provements at MHCC.

A significant makeover is long overdue, the school’s first-year leader believes.

She’s leading a strategic charge by Mt. Hood to win new spending resourc-es by May 2016.

“It’s time for a new pair of shoes and a new hairdo,” said MHCC Presi-dent Debbie Derr, whose administra-tive team is in the initial planning stages of placing a general obligation bond measure before local voters.

Success at the ballot hasn’t come for Mt. Hood since 1974, with several bond measure failures since.

This happened in 1995, twice in

2002, and most recently, in 2006.“The college was built for the fu-

ture, without question. But since that time, we have been unsuccessful in convincing our voters that capital in-vestment in their community college is necessary,” Derr said.

A new bond measure has quickly become one of her larger priorities, and she’s eager to take on the challenge. “I want it to happen this time!” she said.

In 1974, voters passed a $6.3 mil-lion bond measure for Mt. Hood, with 59 percent support.

That followed successful bond measures in 1969 ($5.9 million, 68 per-cent support) and 1967 ($6.65 million, 76 percent support).

Derr’s strategy for this measure centers on in-depth advertising and connecting with the local community, she said.

That will require extensive out-

reach efforts.“We will be in service clubs. We

will be in (city council) chambers,” she said. “We will be in economic develop-ment organizations. We’ll be talking with parents of students who will be coming to Mt. Hood and getting sup-port of our local K-12 systems.

“We’re going to be very methodical and really reach out into our communi-ties and talk to them about what their community college is all about – how we support economic development and how we support job creation and the vitality of the community,” she said.

Derr intends to make Mt. Hood’s financial impact on east Multnomah County clear to all.

“My goal is to really get people thinking about how important this college is to the district we serve,” she said.

The college is currently conducting

a facilities audit to “look at what our needs are in relationship to the infra-structure of the college,” Derr said. A safety and security audit is also under way.

When completed, the audits will give a better idea of how to steer the college into the future – both in tech-nology for engineering and mathemat-ics, for example, and the physical secu-rity of students, staff and visitors.

Derr won’t speculate on a dollar amount for the bond necessary to fund a major facelift.

Any proposed bond would supply funds to all three MHCC campuses, in-cluding the main Gresham campus, the Bruning Center and the Maywood Park campus.

by Katelyn HilsenbeckThe Advocate

MHCC full-time faculty members are now working under a new labor contract that will run through September 2017.

The contract was ratified by unanimous vote by the MHCC District board and signed into effect on Monday.

Full-Time Faculty Association members voted to ratify the contract by a “comfort-able” majority during a voting period that ended Feb. 12, according to Sara Williams, association president.

“It’s final. No backing up,” Williams said with a laugh. She said she feels peace-ful knowing the contract is settled.

Williams said she believes faculty members are “very pleased with the lan-guage improvements that we were able to accomplish.

“I think the financial package is a com-promise that is acceptable in the light of (MHCC) needing to pass a bond (measure)... working together is a critical piece of that,” she said.

Williams wants the broader community to know the pay package in the new contract “really was a compromise and that the associ-ation is willing to accept that because it’s the right thing to do for the college,” she said. “I think it’s important that people know that.”

The deal closes lengthy, often-stalled negotiations that began with preliminary talks in autumn 2012. MHCC President Deb-

by Katelyn HilsenbeckThe Advocate

Mt. Hood’s classified employees are now voting

on a labor contract agreement tentatively reached by union and

MHCC negotiators on Feb. 4. Voting began Wednesday and

will continue through noon Monday. If the employees vote to ratify the con-

tract, the MHCC District board would vote on the proposed contract in March.The employees association held a general

meeting for its members Wednesday morning. Cathy Nichols, classified association president,

said she has received mostly positive feed-back.

“I believe for this three-year period (through September 2017), this is a

good contract,” Nichols said. “The language that’s in this contract, I

believe, sets us up for better ne-gotiations in the future.”

Substantial changes to current rules governing clas-sified workers would include “tight language” in depart-ment outsourcing, a notifica-tion policy for layoffs, a cost

of living adjustment and updated salary “step” system (both retroactive to last July 1), Nichols said.

Faculty, board ratify and sign full-time contract

Classified Continued on page 3

13 monthslater...

Footlooseopens tonight

Pages 4-5

Classified employees voting on agreement

Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate

Debbie DerrMHCC president

bie Derr, who arrived in July, sat at the table during latter stages of the negotiations. Ultimately, a mediator was brought in to broker a settlement.

Maggie Huffman, MHCC director of communications, said, “Unfortu-nately, the process took many months. It is important to note that bargaining was collaborative and collegial, which is the evi-dence of successful bargaining.”

Williams’ tenure as faculty leader comes to an end after the winter term. Her successor has al-ready been elected by union members (results were not disclosed by The Advocate’s press deadline).

“I love the job and I would certainly be in-terested in doing it again someday,” Williams said. But her three-year stint “is a year lon-ger than I think is healthy,” she said. “I think it’s really critical for the health of an organization to not have too much stability.”

She said she’ll turn her atten-tion to a ballot measure Oregon Ed-ucation Association hopes to place before Oregon voters in the fall to increase state revenue.

“We cannot continue to make due with less money and to attempt to balance the bud-get on the backs of (employ-ee) contracts and student tuition,” she said. “There has to be a public invest-ment in education.”

The “step” system is salary grid for employees that schedules regular pay rate increases to reward longevity. In all, there are 11 steps.

About half of classified employees at Mt. Hood have reached that final step and are considered “maxed out,” said Nichols.

“We had language in there... un-der the automatic steps that got put in the last negotiations, that said no steps (would be implemented) until the con-tract was negotiated,” she said. This froze classified employees in place, while Mt. Hood’s full-time faculty members did not face such restrictions. She called the discrepancy “a real slap in the face to some of the members.”

Another “win” for the classified association is that in the event of a planned employee layoff, the college would have to notify the union 20 days before notifying the affected worker. That lag would give the association time to examine alternatives and potentially save the worker’s position, Nichols said. In the previous contract, no advance no-tice was required.

BondContinued on page 6

Opinion2 Feb. 21, 2014

Editor-in-ChiefKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Living Arts EditorRebecca Gaulke

Opinion EditorDanny Perez-Crouse

News EditorKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Sports EditorAaron Marshall

Copy EditorRebecca Gaulke

Photo EditorCarole Riggs

Ad ManagerCameron Miller

Mt. Hood Community College26000 SE Stark Street

Gresham, Oregon 97030

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu

www.advocate-online.net #mhccadvocate

503-491-7250

SubmissionsThe 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.

the Advocate

Missy Burchell

Greg

Re-Howard Buck

Dan Ernst

Bob Watkins

Advisers

Video TeamMelissa Casey

Jared Lichtenberg

Lobsang Tenzin

Editor-in-ChiefKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Living Arts EditorRebecca Gaulke

News EditorKatelyn Hilsenbeck

Assistant News EditorGreg Leonov

Sports EditorAaron Marshall

Copy EditorRebecca Gaulke

Photo EditorCarole Riggs

Ad ManagerCameron Miller

Mt. Hood Community College26000 SE Stark Street

Gresham, Oregon 97030

E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.edu

www.advocate-online.net #mhccadvocate

Phone: 503-491-7250

SubmissionsThe 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.

the Advocate

Lindsay Frost

Q Quarterman

Brandon Raleigh

Edgar Valencia

Emily Wintringham

Reporters

Howard Buck

Dan Ernst

Bob Watkins

Advisers

Video TeamMelissa Casey

Jared Lichtenberg

Graphic DesignerHeather Golan

Opinion EditorDanny Perez-Crouse

Wouldn’t it be great if Oregon’s high school graduates were handed two years of free tuition at a com-munity college? It might sound like a far-fetched dream, but instead could become a reality.

Senate Bill 1524, also known as the Oregon Promise Initiative, has already won early support and an important committee vote to be considered by the Oregon Legislature when legisla-tors meet in Salem in January 2015.

The measure would have the state of Oregon pay for two years of community college for any eligible high school graduate. On paper, this sounds amazing, but is it actually viable? At the very least, we need to start taking a hard look at this.

The potential benefits of this bill’s success are incredibly tantaliz-ing. Students would be more inclined to finish high school if they have a concrete opportunity to further their education. With more people going to college, we would likely have a more educated state of Oregon, not to mention a better-trained workforce.

College enrollment would likely go through the roof. While this would not directly translate into higher rev-enue for the state’s colleges (the state

would simply pay, then collect, the tuition), the offer would likely push thousands more students to campus-es, where they would purchase more school merchandise, textbooks, food, and the like, boosting bottom lines. And ultimately, it would give some peace of mind and hope for the stu-dents of Oregon to know that there is a financially secure means of obtain-ing a college education.

On the downside, a couple of points worth noting: Some extra administra-tive costs to process and distribute the new tuition payments, and the poten-tial impact at four-year universities that lose freshman and sophomore students to the two-year schools.

There are plenty of logistics that haven’t been finalized for this rela-tively young measure.

Several unclear aspects of the bill must be addressed. Will new bench-marks be set in order to produce and verify the intended outcomes? What do two years of tuition mean, in terms

of credits or classes covered? How long could new high school graduates wait before they had to make use of the tuition credits? Will total costs outweigh the benefits?

As far as benchmarks, a GPA of at least 2.5 should be required for students to obtain the tuition waiv-er. Not only would more people be graduating, as a whole, they also would study harder and record better grades.

A great solution to alleviate many of the preliminary concerns is to re-imburse students who successfully complete each term. That way, stu-dents can’t bail once financial aid is distributed and the state makes sure its money is going to students who are putting it to good use.

In our view, students should be required to use the benefits within a year after they graduate from high school. People can usually take a term off from school and then get back in the groove, but those who wait a year or more are less likely to follow through.

And, two years might sound great, but what does that really mean?

An individual could earn just how many, or few, credits per term within a two-year span? There should be a set amount of per-term credits to en-sure that those benefitting from the bill will actually earn a degree – about 12 to 15 credits a term. Maybe a per-sonal coursework plan for those two years should be required of all free-tuition participants.

The potential price tag of this legislation seems rather daunting. State Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, chief sponsor of the bill, said that if all 32,000 new high school graduates each year in Oregon took advantage, the state would pay $250 million an-nually. While only a “worst-case” scenario, that figure might become a realistic one, should the incentive for high school students truly boost col-lege ambitions. Could the state re-ally sustain that cost? And would this translate into higher tax rates needed to foot the bill?

Regardless of your individual stance, the measure demands the at-tention of all community colleges and students, and all Oregonians.

There is not yet enough informa-tion on this bill for The Advocate to take a firm editorial stance. But this is the perfect time for us at Mt. Hood, as a college, and for the state to begin seri-ous debate. That way, when the crucial details begin to pour in, and the time for a formal decision arrives, we can address the bill with a united opinion.

This could be amazing for Oregon if it pans out, so let’s keep a close watch.

Editorial: New Oregon bill shows ‘Promise’

“Totally agreed – the absence of guitar solos from modern pop

music and “wuss rock” has left a gaping hole in what can be accomplished musically.”

“...‘wuss rock’ has killed the inclusion of what was an essential component of genuine rock! There are loads of guitar solos on Youtube, but the truth is 99 % of these can probably perform quite well in their bedrooms, but being able to play well, and

perform competently in front of an audience is now rare. ” Online comment from Gene on “What happened to guitar solos” column.

by Danny Perez-CrouseThe Advocate

It disturbs me that people don’t see piracy as an issue. My beef is not so much with the fact that it exists (there are far worse things in the world), but that it has become so widely accepted and justified.

Piracy (illegally downloading digi-tal content such as music, movies and games) is stealing, and there’s no way around it: You’re taking something that isn’t yours, without paying for it. Whether it hurts the party being pirated, or not, isn’t the only issue. It’s funda-mentally wrong to illegally download anything.

If you noticed a friend pirating some songs and a couple of movies, you prob-ably wouldn’t pay any mind. You might even join the fun. We turn a blind eye to this because people have done it so much that it’s considered normal.

But you wouldn’t be okay if you saw that same friend steal a handful of al-bums and DVD’s at the store (I know I wouldn’t). Without a physical repre-sentation of something being stolen, it somehow lessens the offensiveness of the act.

Stealing something as insignificant as a candy bar from a store can feel more

immoral compared to stealing $200 worth of content online. You have to physically grab it, stash it in your pock-et, try not to look guilty, saunter out and hope nobody catches you. Online con-tent is just a few easy clicks away, with the same chance of getting in trouble as jaywalking. Regardless, they’re the same thing.

The most common tune sung by the choir of people who justify pirating is that everything is too expensive, and they have no choice. In reality, it doesn’t matter if something is too expensive or if the entity being stolen from has tons of money: If it isn’t yours and you don’t have the money to buy it, you can’t have it. You’re not entitled to something you might want, because it’s out of your fi-nancial reach. And, this isn’t even im-portant stuff – it’s entertainment.

Entertainment is nonessential. You don’t need to watch a movie, listen to music or play video games. So, why do you feel cheated when these things aren’t easily obtainable?

Don’t get me wrong: Some of my favorite movies, video games, books al-bums and shows are like beloved family members. But, it’s still content that I don’t need to experience.

Another “pro” argument is that there is no financial loss in pirating something that you never would have purchased anyway. What kind of uten-sil do you need to have lodged in your skull to believe that moronic logic? That’s like saying, “I was never going to pay for this movie, but the people who

made it should be glad I saw it anyway.” You could say that for anything that you “don’t want” to pony up for.

People also think they’re justified in pirating because it doesn’t hurt anyone, and if it does, it only hurts big corpora-tions or business. And admittedly, there can be some positive fallout. Many art-ists and show-runners, including Break-ing Bad’s Vince Gilligan (bless his heart) and South Park’s Matt Stone and Trey Parker, have conceded that having their product pirated gave them much ad-ditional exposure. However, this is just an unintended byproduct of an entirely selfish act. And, it really can hurt con-tent providers.

Jack Tapper, co-creator of “Game of Thrones” (the most pirated show in the world), speaks gleefully of the technical advances the show could make if every-one just paid a measly 99 cents per epi-sode. For everything that is stolen, that is a profit denied from the producer. You only spread more moral corruption than exposure, thinking that you’re a vigilan-te of entertainment.

I’m not saying that we should start a vendetta against the digital pirates of the world. And I don’t think you’re a ter-rible person if you frequently download illegal content. Just own up to the fact that it’s wrong. Don’t make yourself out to be a victim of pop culture whose only option is to steal from the heinous art-ists that don’t serve you everything on a silver platter.

If you can’t afford something, just accept it and move on (you’ll be okay).

Piracy can’t be justified

There are plenty of logistics that haven’t been finalized for this relatively young measure.

Graphic by Heather Golan - The Advocate

Online comment from Alex on “What happened to guitar solos” column.

Feb. 21, 2014 3News

Preparing a fake funeral

Venture Magazine What does Venture mean to you?

Send us your photo submissions, especially those with natural V’s, to advocatt@mhcc.edu for a chance to be

published in our spring 2014 edition!

A Mock Funeral Arrangement training exercise is held annually on campus to help Funeral Services students practice planning a funeral. Volunteers create make-believe indentities of deceased persons to set a realistic tone. The exercise was held Tuesday in the Jazz Cafe.

Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Nichols said her bargaining team “fought hard” for what it sought in a contract. Meantime, classified work-ers could be seen on campus wearing T-shirts, posting supportive signs on desks, even chanting in the campus courtyard. “We asked members to step up outside of their comfort zones, and for me, it was great to see that,” she said of the show of solidarity.

Nichols’ bargaining team labored for many long evenings and traded emails on weekends to discuss contract details, since classified workers may not set meetings for negotiations during nor-mal work hours.

She found that it was disheartening and “felt different” that Mt. Hood Pres-ident Debbie Derr was present at the table for one contract process (full-time faculty) but not for classified employee talks, she said.

Derr did not sit in on negotiations for the classified contract, but kept con-tact by telephone. That included one late-night call that woke her, Derr said.

In the end, Nichols praised what she called a devoted union effort.

“It’s a huge time commitment. I couldn’t ask for a better team,” she said of the process that extended for more than a year. While the bargainers didn’t get everything in the “candy store” that employees might have wanted, she views the result as a success.

Now, it’s time to “sit back and let members choose what they want,” she said.

Classified staff ‘fought hard’ to reach agreement with college

ClassifiedContinued from page 1

Living Arts4 Feb. 21, 2014- Conclusion of Winter Play Coverage -

Above: The cast gathers together during the final dance number of the night during Wednesday’s dress rehearsal. Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Cast Crewby Greg LeonovThe Advocate

Despite the lack of the main choreographer’s presence during most of their production, per-formers in Mt. Hood’s staging of “Footloose” managed to keep everything going according to the director’s vision.

Michael Danforth, the assistant choreogra-pher, described the dancing in the show as char-acter-driven and “something the character either feels, or is reacting to, in a song.”

The original film version took place in the 1980s. Mt. Hood’s adaptation will have elements from that time, but with a modern twist. “The overall style of the show is really just a genuine western modern style of dance,” said Danforth.

The absence of the main choreographer, Krista Loveless (now in New York for work), has been felt, but the cast managed to have at least one video-chat critiquing session with her, he said.

Danforth described the play’s opening dance number as “this huge, bombastic explosion of dance, song and music and celebration.” He said that the second one “isn’t so much dancey-dance as it is creative movement (and) fluidity.

“There’s also numbers in the show that are made just for singing because there are dramatic moments in the show for the characters’ chemistry and objectives,” he said.

Danforth said his experience with choreographing the play’s dancing has been a

humbling one. He said he’s enjoyed teaming with Mt. Hood theatre director Mace Archer – “the new director who has an entirely new vision – a very different, but still-productive philosophy of theatre – (that) has been very interesting.

“(But) I totally trust him, and I’ll do my best to mirror that as much as possible in the show,” Danforth said.

Music in the play includes songs from the original version.

“A few of these songs were big enough hits in the ’80s that, whether someone has seen Footloose before or not, or was born in the ’90s, they will likely recognize a few songs,” said Kevin Lambert, music director.

The pit orchestra includes a piano, bass, electric guitar, clarinet, saxophone and drums.

Music in Footloose is unique and “sounds very different than a musical from the 1950s, and that poses unique issues,” said Lambert. One challenge musicians encountered was keeping the music at a tempo that was appropriate ¬— “slowing down one song so the dancing doesn’t make the actors winded, or speeding up another song to keep it exciting,” said Lambert.

Students gain notable benefits from perform-ing on stage, he said.

“One of the best is the poise they get from standing on a stage and delivering for an audi-ence,” Lambert said. “It’s no easy task to say anything in front of a crowd, but these students will perform for approximately 2,000 people this month.”

Ready, set, danceMusic director and assistant choreographer helped prepare cast Director……………………………………………Mace Archer

Music Director.………………………….Kevin LambertBand Director/Conductor………….Grant LinsellChoreographer…………………………Krista LovelessAssistant Choreographer……Michael DanforthCostume Designer………………..Summer OlssonScenic and Lighting Designer…Daryl Harrison CarsonSound Designer…………………………Eric RakestrawStage Manager……………Christopher WilkersonAssistant Stage Managers……Madelyne Con-nors, David SauseProps Mistress……………………..Adriana GratreaksStage and Fly Crew…………………Loren Brule, Nick Cornelius, Dylan Gardner, Adriana GratreaksMaster Electrician…………………..Teddy AlversonLight Board Operator…………Minda GratreaksFollowspot Operators………………MaKayla Kott, Ryan StreckerSound Operators……………………Chance Rossi, Miranda SchwabauerTechnical Director………Daryl Harrison CarsonAssistant Technical Director….Matthew D PavikScene Shop Assistants…….Teddy Alverson, Eric Rakestraw, Chance Rossi, Chris WilkersonSet Construction and Rigging……………………..Students in TA114, TA214, Bo Koering, Sierra Blair, Loren Brule, David Lehr, Joseph Ten Eyck, Sydney HopeElectrics Crew……………………..Students in TA112Scenic Artist…………………………………….Cat BurgessCostume Assistants…………Kari Gratreaks, First Hand, Ashlee Tanner, Danica Klas, Adriana Gratreaks, Minda Gratreaks, Sydney Hope

Ren.............................Luke SwearenginEthel.....................................Maeg LewisShaw….................................Alex GiorgiVi…….................................Tootsie WestAriel…..............................Sydney HopeLulu…..............................Lauren SmithWes…...............................Tyler WhalenCoach Dunbar….Nathan DoeringEleanor….......................Amanda DikeRusty…...................Mckenzie HattonUrleen….....................Becca CheadleWendy Jo….............Netty McKenzieChuck….............................Drew PierceLyle…...................................Chris SalasTravis….......................Sierra RickardsCop…..........................Teddy AlversonBetty Blast…................Shelby JonesWillard…….....................Jeremy WrayPrincipal Clark….......Justin WrightJeter…............................Quincy SmithBickel…..........................Shelby JonesGarvin…......................Caitlyn DidlickCowgirl Bobbi........….Maeg LewisCowgirl Band….Sierra Rickards, Marissa Booker, Paula FisherCountry Dancers..................Caitlyn Didlick, Quincy Smith, Chris Salas, Michael Danforth, Kings Ho, Shelby Jones Townsfolk…..................Paula Fisher, Nathan Doering, Teddy Alverson, Joel Daniels, Justin WrightKids….....................Rebekah Haugen, Michael Danforth, Katie DiIorio, Sam Suminski, Chris Salas

Feb. 21, 2014 5Living Arts

FootlooseGraphics by Heather Golan - The Advocate

by Rebecca GaulkeThe Advocate

Wednesday night, I was lucky enough to sit in on a rehearsal of Mt. Hood’s Winter Musical The-atre production of “Footloose,” and it sure didn’t disappoint.

Arriving early to see the last-minute prepara-tions, I found energy and excitement among the cast and crew buzzing throughout the studio the-atre. They jumped up and down in the hallways, ran back-and-forth across the stage, and worked hard up until the very last minute to be sure they mas-tered their harmonies and could hear themselves, all the while listening attentively to suggestions from both Mace Archer, director, and Kevin Lam-bert, music director for the performance.

It was easy to tell how much they all liked each other, and clearly had a lot of fun while preparing these last couple months. Behind the scenes and on-stage, the chemistry the group shared was cer-tainly something special.

With the stage set and the cast warmed up, the show began moments after 7:30, and ran until roughly 10 o’clock, with a 15-20 minute intermis-sion. The show certainly is a long one, and the in-termission helps to break it up a bit. But, I would recommend caffeinating beforehand, if you have trouble staying up late and can’t make one of the Sunday matinees.

The singing, overall, got off to a rough start for some, but most quickly found their groove. I’ll attribute some of the screechy notes to nerves. With the undertaking of such a large musical, one should not expect complete vocal perfection but rather a respectable attempt to do the songs jus-tice, sometimes falling short, but usually exceed-ing expectations.

Based on the 1984 motion picture, Footloose is set in the small town of Beaumont — a town that has seen tragedy in the form of the deaths in a car accident of some of its brightest high school se-niors — and because of that, operates under strict rules by the city council and most notably, Rever-end Shaw Moore (Alex Giorgi).

Dancing is strictly off-limits, because the Rev-erend believes nothing good will come of it, and it leads to other bad things, such as drugs and alco-hol. Having lost his own son in the accident, he is struggling to battle his own emotions, and in turn, the teenagers of the town are being punished.

Ariel (Sydney Hope), the Reverend’s daugh-ter, is the lead female character who is rebelling against her father and trying to find herself at the same time. In the midst of stirring up trouble with her bad-news boyfriend Chuck (Drew Pierce), Ariel meets Ren (Luke Swearengin), a city boy from Chi-cago who is new in town and determined to dance. His determination is what brings the teenagers of the town together to fight for their right to dance.

The opening dance number, set in Chicago and centered on Ren and his friends, was packed with energy and got the show off to a great start, setting the tone for a fun evening. As the curtain raised and I could see only the movement of their shoes, it was clear the dancing would be top-notch.

The chemistry of the two leads, Hope and Swearengin, is something to behold, especially during Ren and Ariel’s one-on-one scene where they sing “Almost Paradise” in a close, intimate setting with just the spotlight on them as they sit on the edge of the stage.

Hope did a great job of transforming her un-likable character in the beginning to someone who grew and changed at the end, all the while giving the play a fun and flirty vibe. Especially notable

was the number “I Need A Hero,” where she put on an amazing vocal performance along with her sidekicks, Rusty (McKenzie Hatton), Urleen (Becca Cheadle) and Wendy Jo (Netty McKenzie).

Urleen, Rusty and Wendy Jo were also particu-larly enjoyable characters, always keeping things light and fun amidst the more serious scenes. The three girls sing “Somebody’s Eyes,” a fun number that helped mark the passage of time in Beaumont and show Ren just how difficult things were going to be for him in the strict town.

Swearengin, however, was truly the star of the show and showcased his singing and dancing skills, from start to finish. His quick footwork; down-to-earth, yet, angry at the same time atti-tude; and very likable character traits had me pick-ing him as a favorite. His singing was on-point the whole time, and I was pleasantly surprised at the magnitude of his dance moves.

It was clear he had put in the time and work to master the choreography and still sound great singing at the same time, which no other character had to do as often as he did, or to quite the same level of difficulty. His number in the school hall-way was among my favorites, and his complex re-lationship with Reverend Shaw was enjoyable. The two actors did a good job making the audience buy into their strange friendship at the end — if that’s what you would call it.

Another bright spot was the vocal performanc-es by Vi (Tootsie West), who played Ariel’s mother, the wife of Reverend Shaw. West’s vocals gave me goosebumps more than once, and her num-ber “Can You Find It In Your Heart” was among the most emotion-laden moments of the night. I found her character refreshing and her poised manner completely believable.

The closing number ended the night just as

captivating as it began — the costumes were my favorite (can you say glitter?), and the lights and color changes of the set’s background made it par-ticularly appealing, almost like being in a dance club. The group saved the best for last.

While the play wasn’t flawless, in particular the vocals, the few mistakes were minor enough they should easily be cleaned up by the opening performance.

The dance numbers that involve nearly the whole cast were the most fun to watch because you could tell how much each and every one of them were enjoying them — and you’ll be having fun, too, if you go and see it.

Footloose opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight, followed by another showing at the same time on Saturday, and more showtimes next weekend. Tickets for students and MHCC staff are $10 in advance, $12 at the door; for all other adults, $12 in advance, and $15 at the door.

For a behind-the-scenes video of Footloose, visit our YouTube channel mhccadvocate.

Play Review

Above: The cast gathers together during the final dance number of the night during Wednesday’s dress rehearsal.

Lively, fun experience for all

Above left: Ren (Luke Swearengin) opens a locker and discovers Rebeckah Haugen stuffed inside. Middle: Sydney Hope, who plays Ariel, sings a flirty song during Wednesday’s rehearsal. Right: Swearengin and Hope dance together in a scene at Bar B Que dance hall.

February 21st, 22nd, 28th & March 1st 7:30 p.m.

February 23rd and March 2nd 2:00 p.m.

Door: $12 Students, $15 Adults

Advance: $10 Students, $12 Adults

SHOWTIMES

THEATREA Winter Musical Theatre Production

TICKETSBuy advanced tickets at mhcc.edu/theatre

To see student reactions to marriage, go to our website, www.advocate-online.net

News6 Feb. 21, 2014

BondContinued from page 1

Finding her passion for counselingProfile of the month: Recognizing deserving students at

the recommendation of MHCC staff

Desire to help children drives counseling aspirationby Greg LeonovThe Advocate

Mt. Hood student Jennifer Grimes rarely pauses to consider the path that led to her joining the Mental Health Human Service program.

“A lot of times, I’m going through life, and I don’t really think about where I’ve been and where I am now, because it’s so different,” she said.

Grimes decided to join the pro-gram to help people in situations sim-ilar to the ones she had to overcome.

“I grew up in a really abusive en-vironment, and I come from a family of addicts. I didn’t have any positive role models,” said Grimes, reflecting on her background.

Before realizing her calling, Grimes hoped to pursue a career in the automotive industry. “After my mom died, I moved in with some other fam-ily, and they were all really into cars, and I thought it was really cool,” she said.

In high school, she served an in-ternship with a body shop, and an-

other for a mechanic’s shop. When she first started college in 2006, she joined the MHCC automotive program, but ended up dropping out of college due to drug addiction.

“I ended up getting clean when I was 20, (but) I struggled with alcohol still at some point for my life over the last five years,” said Grimes. “I want-ed to be a good mom to my daughter, and I knew that if I continued to live with addiction (including alcohol), then I wasn’t going to be a good par-ent for her.

“I just decided that I wanted to stop, and I wanted to get better and work on myself, ’cause addiction is more than just having a drug problem, it’s really deep-rooted.”

It was the memory of being ex-posed to the helpful nature of her high school counselors that inspired her to realize she wanted to get into a career similar to theirs. “I went to an alter-native high school where I was guided by a lot of people who showed that they cared about me, and wanted me to be successful,” she said.

Grimes returned to college in 2012, joining the Transitions program at Mt. Hood. “I decided that I wanted to ap-ply to the mental health program, so I just took classes for a year while I was waiting, and then I applied and I got in,” she said.

Her 20-year-old brother passed away shortly after she returned to

school. “It was really hard, but I con-tinued to come to school and do life, and there are services on campus that are offered for students,” she said.

Grimes’ primary focus is to coun-sel children, and let them know that if they’re in an abusive or neglectful en-vironment, they still have rights.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t know that I could get help without my par-ents’ consent,” she explained.

“A lot of children don’t get the kind of parenting or nurturing or love that they need, so I can be that person in their life that shows them that not everyone is like their parents are – maybe just be a support in their life,” she said.

Grimes volunteers for the “I Have a Dream” mentorship program that “adopts” an elementary or middle school and helps low-income and “kids who need extra support” to suc-ceed in their education.

“I get a mentee, and I just go and I hang out with her,” she said. “I help her with whatever she wants to do, like schoolwork, or we play games, or

we just talk about stuff, whatever she needs. And if things go well, I would (stay as) her mentor all the way until she graduates high school,” she said.

She also volunteers at Woodland Elementary School in the Reynolds School District, teaching life skills to students from kindergarten to the fifth grade.

“It’s a counselor job. We’re just there to support the kids, but going into classrooms and teaching the kids life skills is like a really important thing,” she said.

Grimes said she loves to play disc golf, and enjoys Zumba.

She married her husband, Geoff, in August and has a daughter who is almost 3. She attributes part of her success to her friends and husband for always supporting her, and reach-es out herself to individuals going through their own hard times.

Her advice is succinct, and comes from experience: “Practice self-care and heal yourself. No matter how your life has been, you can always move it in a positive direction.”

Jennifer Grimes

Gathering support for potential bond

Derr emphasized that extensive polling of the community will take place prior to finalizing details of a ballot measure, and then actually seeking a vote.

“It doesn’t make sense for us to go out if the polling shows our community won’t support it,” she said.

“Once we feel confident that we have a pretty good chance of passing, then I will take that to the (MHCC District) Board.”

Derr said there are two primary reasons Mt. Hood has failed to pass a bond despite several at-tempts.

Foremost is a disconnect with area voters.“I think there may have been times where we

didn’t do as good of a job of listening to our con-stituents and our communities about what they would support and what they would not support,” Derr said.

Second, “Making sure we get people who sup-port the college out to vote is huge,” she said. “I

always say if every sin-gle student voted, we probably would pass the levy.”

Derr, who took of-fice in July after pre-viously serving in Mt. Hood’s administration for 15 years, ending in

2002, said she doesn’t feel her legacy will rest on success or failure of a new bond measure.

She instead hopes to leave behind an increased success rate for MHCC students, she said.

A successful bond effort requires plainly stat-ing the case for new investment in Mt. Hood, Derr said.

“How do we make sure we are talking about the importance of this institution in this region, in our district? If we can clearly and with credibility pro-vide that information and evidence to our voters, I definitely think we can pass a referendum… a G.O. (general obligation) bond.

“We have a big, big job ahead of us,” she said. “We have a big question to ask ourselves, in regards to ‘What is Mt. Hood for the future?’”

MHCCADVOCATEVisit YouTube.com for your source

of Mt.Hood news, interviews, opinions and behind the scenes coverage. I always say if every single

student voted, we probably would pass the levy.

Debbie DerrMHCC President

Feb. 21, 2014 7Sports

Men’s basketball falls on last second shotby Aaron MarshallThe Advocate

The Mt. Hood men’s basketball team took a heart-breaking loss Wednesday, dropping a 76-74 overtime contest to Clack-amas Community College, played on its ri-val’s floor.

That leaves the Saints with a virtual do-or-die home game at 4 p.m. Saturday against Umpqua.

Mt. Hood (8-5 South region, 19-7 over-all) is tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the South region of the NWAACC with Chemeketa (8-5 in the South, 12-13 overall).

The Saints hope to beat Umpqua, (2-11 in the South, 6-19 overall), while Chemeketa, also playing at home, is likely to beat Lane (5-8 in the South, 12-15 overall).

Should the two teams tie for fourth, a special play-in game against Chemeketa would follow early next week, on the Storm’s home court in Salem.

Against the Clackamas Cougars on Wednesday, Mt. Hood trailed most of the game but came back late in the second half to force overtime, with the score knotted at 64.

Following a game-tying Clackamas bas-ket late in the extra period, the Saints turned the ball over on an inbounds play.

The mistake proved fatal. With less than 2 seconds on the clock, Clackamas sopho-more forward Grant Sitton hit a clutch jump shot.

And that was it. Sitton has a history of hitting crucial shots against the Saints. Last season at the Mt. Hood gym, he hit a game winning three-pointer as time expired.

Sophomore Mac Johnson finished with team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds in the hard-fought defeat.

“Honestly, it’s tough and easily my

toughest loss here at Hood,” Johnson said. “I know I’m not just speaking for myself. But the good thing is that we’re still in it.

“One of the hardest things to do is to forget a loss like that and look forward, but that is really what we need,” he said.

Sophomores Landon Rushton, Blake Up-dike, and Brock Otis also scored in double digits with 14, 12 and 10 points respectively.

Otis said Saturday’s critical game with Umpqua is “going to come down to how bad we want it.”

Geoff Gibor, Mt. Hood head coach, said he couldn’t fault the effort at Clackamas.

“I cannot express how proud I am of these guys,” Gibor said. “Our guys did every-thing they needed to do to give us a chance to win that game. Sometimes in close games it just comes down to a couple little things.”

The loss came two days after Mt. Hood fought back and defeated Lane Community College in Eugene, 71-69. The game was rescheduled from Feb. 8 after heavy snow scratched that contest.

Monday’s game didn’t start well for the Saints as they shot 26 percent in the first half, to Lane’s 46 percent, and trailed the Titans, 34-25.

The deficit grew to 15 points late in the second half, but several bench players be-gan to hit shots, including sophomore Jalen Thomas, who scored 14 points. While Mt. Hood starters struggled, the Saints’ bench outscoring Lane’s by 31-10 was crucial.

Thomas’s 4-for-6 shooting was vital. Gibor said it got his teammates warmed up and they started hitting shots, too.

“It was good to see them fight back. Jalen has come a long way since last season. He’s matured, game-wise, and it was good to see the other guys support him,” said Gibor.

Thomas was happy to make the the most of his opportunity.

“I knew we weren’t getting the looks

we wanted and nothing was really going our way. Coach called a great play that al-lowed us to play freely so I knew this was my chance,” he said. “There have been some games where I knew I could’ve helped my team but I was just playing too timid. So, I couldn’t sit back.”

Johnson finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds against Lane, leading the Saints in both categories.

Last Saturday, the Saints kept them-selves in the playoff picture by beating Linn-Benton at home, 88-80, to sweep the two-game season series.

Otis had one of his best games, scoring a team-high 27 points. He shot 10-for-15 from the field and netted 5 of 9 three point-ers. Rushton also lit it up from the three-point line, making 5 of 8 and finishing with 17 points.

“Both Brock and Landon shot well. Brock had some turnovers but made up for it with his shooting and boards,” Gibor said. “We were on a roll. I never felt like we were out of control the entire game.”

Johnson and sophomores Blake Updike and Thomas Simien scored 10, 11 and 17 points, respectively.

Now comes the pressure-packed game against Umpqua – and, potentially, another against Chemeketa.

The Saints beat the Riverhawks 73-70 on Jan. 25, and know they’re in for a battle.

“We need to come out Saturday and bring everything we have,” Johnson said. “We have to understand that from here on out, we have to leave everything on the court because there might not be a next game.”

It will be the last home game for the Saints’ sophomores, regardless.

“As (team) captain, I take full respon-sibility in getting my guys ready for a huge day on Saturday, especially for our sopho-mores,” said Otis.

Women’s basketball has one more chance to winby Q QuartermanThe Advocate

The Saints women’s basketball team is one game away from the end of another frustrating season, and for some players, it can’t come soon enough.

Mt. Hood is now 0-11 in confer-ence play, and 2-22 overall, after being pounded 88-40 by the Clackamas Cou-gars Wednesday night, at Clackamas Community College.

The Saints were outscored in the first half 46-14 by the Cougars and couldn’t recover, and suffered their second blowout loss in three days.

“We didn’t show up to play in the first half,” said discouraged Saints

head coach Tyler Rose. “Our girls (got) down on themselves and frustrated so quickly that it took us out of our game plan.”

Rose urged his players at halftime to “understand that what they are play-ing for,” and to emphasize team play and building for the future, he said.

On Saturday, the Saints have one more chance to regroup and to chase an upset win, against Umpqua (9-2 in the South region, 20-6 overall).

The 2 p.m. home game is the season finale, and the sophomore players’ last game together.

In the Clackamas rout on Monday, Mt. Hood shot just 24 percent from the field, while the Cougars shot 51 per-cent. Sophomore guard Whitney War-

ren had a team-high 11 points, hitting three three-pointers and grabbing seven rebounds, while freshman center Marley Yates added 10 points and five rebounds.

Having long been eliminated from playoff contention, first-year Saints players acknowledge the team’s focus has shifted.

Freshman guard Hannah Wahlers voiced the mood when asked about the focus for the next game, or next year.

“The right answer would be ‘next game,’ but I’m looking at more, so next year, definitely.”

Yates agreed. “I would say I’m a little more excited for next year,” she said. “We should be a little more bet-ter and the sophomores have more to improve. The off-season (work) will hopefully pay off.”

Wednesday’s loss followed a pain-ful 101-41 thumping on Monday to Lane Community College, second-ranked team in the South region of the NWAACC.

The makeup game in Eugene was forced by the snowstorm earlier this month that shut down the Lane campus.

The Titans quickly jumped to an early lead with full court pressure de-fense and fast-break basketball, taking a commanding 40-24 lead with 4:19 left in the first half.

A flurry of Mt. Hood turnovers (the Saints committed 34 turnovers in the game) fueled a 17-3 run by Lane that pushed the halftime score to 57-27.

It didn’t get any better in the sec-ond half. Lane opened with an 18-0 run, its quicker pace continuing to force Mt. Hood turnovers, and again outscored the Saints by 30 points.

No Mt. Hood player would score in double figures. Sophomore Whitney Warren led the team with eight points and added five rebounds.

Players were left grasping to chan-nel their emotions, some using laugh-ter as a coping mechanism. The team huddled after the Lane defeat to talk about its response.

“There were many factors that lead to our team’s lack of focus for the last 10 minutes of the game, and after the

game we spoke on it as a team,” said sophomore forward Megan Nelson. “I think I am burnt out, honestly, being a sophomore, being through what we did last year (a 2-23 overall record) is re-ally, like, too much. (I’m) mentally and physically drained.”

Warren said the Saints’ long los-

ing spell (which stands at 12 games), including several narrow defeats, has taken a toll.

“This is just how we have learned to cope with it,” she said. “We’ve done the crying, done the pissed-off, and now we’re just to a point where it’s just funny to us, I guess.”

Photo by Carole Riggs- The Advocate

Sophomore Brock Otis attacks the hoop against Linn-Benton defenders Satur-day. He finshed the match-up with 27 points with 10-15 shooting from the field.

Photo by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Freshman Alana Wilson shoots over a Chemeketa defender on Feb. 5.

South region standings*Only top four teams advance to NWAACC

*As of Feb. 20

Portland 10-3 (Clinched Playoff Berth)

SW Oregon 9-4

Clackamas 9-4Mt. Hood 8-5

Chemeketa 8-5

Sports8 Feb. 21, 2014

First-year Saints eager to lead turnaround next season

by Brandon RaleighThe Advocate

This year’s basketball season has been a tough one for the Lady Saints, who currently sit at the bottom of their division in NWAACC league play, at 0-11 in the South Region and 2-22 overall.

But, the humbling win-loss record doesn’t fully describe Mt. Hood players who have battled much adversity. They get knocked down again and again, but continue to get back up and fight.

Freshman teammates Marley Yates and Taylor Scott, both 18 years old, embody this “fight” mentality. Both plan to return to Mt. Hood next year in what they hope will be a more promising season, perhaps leading the way themselves.

Yates, an even 6 feet tall, starts at center for Mt. Hood, av-eraging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. She leads the team in rebounding and trails only sophomore guard Whitney Warren (10.2 points) in scoring.

At 5 foot, 8 inches, Scott plays forward for the Saints and has averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a game.

Scott began playing basketball when she was eight years old. She graduated from Grant High School last year, where her main focus athletically was basketball.

Yates, who began playing ball in the first grade, attended nearby Sam Barlow High School, also graduating last year. While at Barlow, she played basketball and high-jumped for the track team.

Off the court, both Scott and Yates enjoy hanging out with friends. Scott has found a steady new hobby in bowling, she said: “I’m obsessed with bowling. I own my own bowling ball and ev-erything.” said Scott. Yates said she enjoys being outdoors.

For Yates, prospects for playing basketball in college looked grim.

“I actually went to Clark (College, in Vancouver, Wash.) for a week and I was set on not playing ever again,” she said. “And then, Tyler (Rose, MHCC head coach) called me up, and was, like, ‘Hey, I know you’re not playing basketball, but I want to come down and talk to you about playing for us,’ and so, I just came down here.”

A similar situation unfolded for Scott. “Towards the end of my senior year I didn’t want to play basketball anymore,” the Saints forward said. “But, throughout the summer working on it made me want to play it again. Around August is when I decided I’d play, and Mt. Hood was still taking people.”

Off the court, both women dream of a career working in the sports world.

Scott is pursuing a degree in sports journalism. Yates is cur-rently focused on general studies, but is interested in psychol-ogy. Scott would love to work someday for ESPN, while Yates aspires to coach women’s basketball.

Yates listed University of Louisville backcourt star Shoni Schimmel – a standout at Portland’s Franklin High School, and at Hermiston High School in eastern Oregon – as her favorite athlete.

Marley Yates18 years old2013 Sam Barlow graduateFavorite athlete- Shoni Schimmel

Taylor Scott18 years old2013 Grant High School graduateFavorite athlete- Paul Pierce

“I like her because she’s always been an inspiration,” Yates said. “She grew up on a reservation, and I’m Native American too.”

Scott says her favorite athlete is NBA star swing man Paul Pierce. “We wore the same number: I wore number 34 my fresh-man year, and I was a beast my freshman year in high school,” she said. “He does everything in slow motion, but he does it so great. He’s just ‘The Truth’ (Pierce’s popular nickname).”

Both Saints standouts said they are excited for next season. They list team unity and qualifying for the NWAACC playoffs as team goals.

Individually, Scott wants to become a team leader in her second year, and to make smarter decisions when she’s in the game. Yates hopes to progress as a player, and play to her full potential. Moving on to play basketball at a university is a big personal goal of hers.

After she’s finished at Mt. Hood, Scott plans to continue to pursue her sports journalism degree, she said. “I would love to play basketball, but that’s not my main priority. I want to go somewhere for what I want to do. My dream school is University of Connecticut (UConn, a perennial national women’s basket-ball power), even if I’m not playing basketball,” she said.

Yates plans to attend a four-year university and would like to continue playing basketball after Mt. Hood. She has received interest from Portland State University to play for the Vikings. “I just want to play as long as I can,” she said.

Both players have positive things to say about Rose, the for-mer Saints assistant who is completing his first season as head coach.

They describe him as a philosophical coach, unlike any coach they have ever played for. Yates said she likes how he takes time out from his busy schedule to help her improve as a player, helping her become more confident in herself.

“He’s always had faith in us. No matter what our record is, no matter how we’ve done or how we’ve acted throughout the season, he’s always had constant hope in us,” Yates said. “At the end of (one) game we were down three, and he said, ‘You guys never cease to amaze me,’ and that really stuck with me.

“He knows what he’s talking about, and he has a lot of knowledge,” she said. Rose has taught her “that I have to play my hardest the whole time, not just when someone else gets mad at me,” she said.

Rose, meantime, sees a lot of potential in both players.“Taylor will be key after an off-season of hard workouts, and

becoming more comfortable playing the wing position,” he said. “And Marley will help us in her athleticism and ability to put up larger scoring numbers from the high post.

“When we put key pieces around those two, we will be able to utilize them in different situations,” he said.

Yates said she’s already “pumped,” anticipating a successful turnaround next season.

“This next year will be awesome. I’m excited to see how well we play together,” she said.

Taylor Scott and Marley Yates focus on 2014-2015

Photos by Carole Riggs - The Advocate

Above top: Taylor Scott fights to the hoop against a Chemeketa defender. Above bottom: Marley Yates attacks the rim against Chemeketa on Feb. 5.