Mt. Hood students certainly are telegenic, aren’t they? Monday night, nursing and music student, Joscyln Cook, was on “Wheel of Fortune” from “Fabulous Las Vegas.”

I remember Cook from last year’s production of “Return to the Forbidden Planet.” Her charisma was apparent then, and as she stood next to Pat Sajak her grin was as wide as the Columbia River.

Cook did very well for herself on the show. She walked away $20,550 richer (before taxes, of course.) She answered puzzle after puzzle, showing what intelligent people we have attending our college. I was so proud I almost cried.

So what if she was able to guess “bimbo bet” but not “jumbo jet?”

In the 30 seconds or so that Cook was given to speak about herself she mentioned her home of Troutdale, she mentioned her status as a student of music and nursing, but she failed to mention MHCC. Why?

Speculation leads me to believe that she may have had some restrictions on what she could say. After all, people pay to advertise during “Wheel of Fortune” so, why would they allow contestants to advertise for their place of work or specific school?

So, MHCC didn’t get the free publicity Cook might have offered. Big deal, right? If anyone would have wished to find out what school Cook was studying at, all they have to do is type in Troutdale and nursing to Google.

Actually, that wasn’t enough. Go ahead and try it.

The current budget crisis is raising many issues among Mt. Hood students and faculty. The real problem is getting more students in the door, and the college has the appearance of people desperate for ideas. Have you seen the posters advertising registration? Gaudy, aren’t they? And all that color, for shame.

What about the “marketing” sham? Do you believe the college should market themselves, for what…just to begin cutting more programs, more part-time jobs, more of what makes this school, well, our school?

Just because Cook missed her opportunity to do something good for this school, that doesn’t mean you have to.

So what can MHCC do to get its name out there? If we can’t count on alumni to spread the word about the college, who will?

When you graduate, or even while you are still here, do you feel like a walking, talking advertisement for Mt. Hood? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, why not? Are you proud of your school? Do you want to be an alumnus of a school that no longer exists?

Don’t be too frightened, it won’t happen overnight, and most won’t even see it coming, but considering what is being done today to change tomorrow, it may happen sooner than you think.

It is not all doomsday stuff, though. There is a chance, the chance to change the future is now. Just as we recycle to save our planet in the future, you can be a mouthpiece for Mt. Hood, for the future of this school. Tell people about the programs, recommend a class you heard about, encourage people to come see what the campus is like. These things don’t take much effort, and you’ll be glad you did.