The votes are in, and the new president and vice president of the Associated Students of Mount Hood Community College (ASMHCC) have been selected.

On May 8, Student Life leaders announced the winners of the student body election of president and vice president for the student government (Associated Students of Mt. Hood Community College) for the 2024-2025 school year. The event was sparsely attended, and held little drama since Alessandra Dante Sciarratta was the lone candidate for president, and Ty Brintnall the lone contender for vice president. In all, 306 total votes were counted in the elections, a turnout rate of

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, staff from The Advocate, Mt. Hood’s student news publication, traveled down the Willamette Valley for the annual Collegiate Day forum hosted by the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association (ONPA). Just like the old days, they returned with several top awards for coverage during 2023 – 26 in all. That includes a tie for second place in General Excellence. During the April 19 event, held in Lebanon, collegiate newspaper members fro

On March 7, President Joe Biden gave his 2024 State of The Union Address to Congress. In his speech he sought to contrast between himself against former President Trump and the Democratic Party he leads while also making a case for how his agenda has improved the lives of Americans. Biden’s address was very similar to his 2023 version, emphasizing many of the same points. Both speeches featured issues such as democracy at home and abroad, the federal government’s budget defic

Photos by Sabrina Kuhlmann Spring has sprung, and with the warmer weather, Mt. Hood Community College prepares to welcome its newest community project to the Gresham campus: Barney’s Learning Garden. Last fall, Mt. Hood welcomed new employee Steve Herff to oversee the expansion of Barney’s Pantry, which supplies food and other personal items to students. This Spring Term, he plans to welcome a new addition to the grounds. He has acquired space behind the Fisheries building an

As we inch toward this year’s November general election, voters in East Multnomah County and a portion of Clackamas County may find a new bond measure on their ballot. Still in the planning stage is a general obligation bond for capital improvements – construction and renovation – at Mt. Hood Community College. This isn’t the first time such a bond has been proposed. In the mid-1960s, voters approved a $6.5 million bond for the college’s initial campus construction. A similar

The two top elected student body government leaders at MHCC have stepped down from their positions, three months before their term was due to expire. The president of the Associated Students of Mt. Hood Community College (ASMHCC), Javi Estrada, and Emily Phoun, the vice president, have departed. Student Leadership and Engagement Coordinator Rozina Lethe confirmed that the two resigned due to academic reasons, while adding that it is business as usual for ASMHCC despite their

Photo courtesy of Dante Dante: Hi, my name is Alessandra Dante Sciarratta. I’m running for president of ASMHCC, the Associated Student Body of Mt. Hood Community College, in the 2024-25 school year. You can just call me Dante. Advocate: What inspired you to run for president? D: I was inspired by my work with (outgoing) President Javier Estrada. I worked with him during the 2022-23 school year, and I loved the work that he did, and he inspired me to take a more active role in

As Spring Term has begun, the college’s budget cycle for the 2024-25 school year is in full swing. Administrators unveiled their proposed budget during the March 20 MHCC District Board of Education meeting, which included at least one surprise. Their plan includes a tuition increase of 1.6 % – which translates to $2 per-credit hour increase for in-state tuition, and $4 per-credit hour for out-of-state or international students. Jennifer DeMent, budget chief for Mt. Hood, told

On March 7, the MHCC community put together an inspirational forum celebrating the female leaders around us, the International Women’s Day Event. The Transitions/Transiciones program and the college’s Office of Student Life and Civic Engagement, plus others, worked together to organize and present this eye-opening event. The women of the year are Linda Vigesaa, Roseann Rivera, Sarah Aimone, Rozina Lethe, Leslie Salazar Gudiel, and Rebecca Humphrey. Photo by S. Cousins Sarah A

Climate change and the impact it is having on our planet is clear for anyone to see. Hotter summers here in the Pacific Northwest spell more wildfires, and later-arriving winters cause a disruption in fauna mating patterns and flora plant life cycles. As Earth Day approaches, coming April 22, it is relevant now more than ever to remember why the Earth Day celebration began. Some 54 years ago, after decades of unrestricted pollution and deforestation, U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson,

If you entered the Student Union at the MHCC Gresham campus on March 13, instead of the usual calm you would be greeted with sound of bass bumping throughout the building. An event called “Blow Out Finals” turned the Student Union into a day club, complete with a dance floor, and offerings of food and mocktails. Photos by Kane Finders Starting at noon, lines for the food, an assortment of Chinese cuisine, wrapped through the building. As for the mocktails, they did not disapp

Image sourced from supermarketnews.com Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued to block the proposed multibillion-dollar merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons Companies, Inc. The planned merger, which would be the largest between supermarkets in U.S. history, was first unveiled back in October. Kroger and Albertsons announced that the two retail companies had entered into an agreement for Kroger to acquire Albertsons. The acquisition would be worth a

After a month of co-curricular Student Finance Council meetings, the student-led group has adopted a 2024-25 budget of $600,870 for co-curricular and athletics programs that allocates a $291,086 budget for MHCC co-curricular programs, and an athletics budget of $309,784. The co-curricular programs involved and funded were ASMHCC (student body government), Forensics, Student Activities, The Advocate, Venture Magazine, Perceptions, KMHD2, and Rho Theta. Each Winter Term, the F

For 21 long months, the Mt. Hood Community College Faculty Association has been bargaining with the college administration to reach a new contract after the previous working contract expired in August 2022. Finally, on Feb. 28, the full-time faculty members voted to approve a new contract that would increase their salaries and bring benefits up to par with those of other local community colleges. Exact details on the tentative deal are not yet available. The bargaining proces

Portland, the city of bridges, may be seeing a significant, brand-new span in its waters within the next 10 years. Planning is under way for the Interstate 5 Bridge, which is one of the two that cross the Columbia River to connect Portland with Vancouver, Washington, and its suburbs, to be completely replaced soon. Some estimates put the start of construction as soon as 2025, to be concluded around 2032. The six-lane, twin-span drawbridge serves an important role in the local

Portlanders will lose use of one of their eight downtown bridges for an extended time, as early as 2027, for the complete reconstruction of the Burnside Bridge. Currently, all of the downtown Willamette River vehicular bridges (excepting the transit-specific Tillikum Bridge) are at risk of being rendered unusable in the event of a major earthquake. So, Multnomah County has decided to fix this problem. The Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge project aims to, as its name suggests,

This issue’s special section is on the “State of the College” (timed along with the presidential State of the Union speech on March 7) – so we needed to gauge student’s feelings on Mt. Hood Community College and how they can improve. We approached this task with a two-pronged approach: one through a survey published in the last issue of The Advocate, and another by interviewing people on campus. In the former, 77% of respondents said that the college is generally doing a good

Photo by Courtney Vaughn / Portland Mercury A political melee of sorts has descended upon Portland, as the city braces itself for a tumultuous mayoral race in 2024 that will shape its destiny. Where rain-soaked streets echo with the cries of the disenfranchised, the stakes have never been higher as local government – the bedrock of civic life – stands at the forefront of addressing our most pressing issues. So far, five candidates have announced their entry for the Nov. 5 may

Photo by Ken Perez On Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, ASMHCC hosted a wonderful, love-filled event in the Student Union building. Appropriately named the “Heartbeat Retreat,” the event saw a massive turnout of students with a line wrapped around the building. Two ASMHCC members made smoothies for the crowd and gave away 70 reusable cups. There was a beautiful backdrop for students to get photos with our school’s mascot, Barney the St. Bernard, as well as a table for making friendsh