By Abbey DeRosia | Staff Photographer
Author: USM Free Press
Think piece on upcoming 2024 Elections
By Naima Oyrem | Staff Writer As we approach the 2024 elections, one demographic stands out for its potential to reshape the political landscape: college students. With their unique perspectives and experiences, this group is not just a voting bloc; they are a force for change that could redefine traditional political engagement. The Landscape of…
2024 Husky Fest
Check out the campus clubs and community organizations that make up our Husky community By Elizabeth Smith | Web Editor The Husky Fest is an annual fall-semester tabling event for campus and community organizations to meet members of the Husky Community. Read about our featured tables to see what this year’s event had to offer!…
Camp Susan Curtis: Connections between USM and the camp for a cause
By: Caraline Squires | Staff Writer The state of Maine is dependent on a tourist economy. Many small towns in Maine more than double in size during the summer months. When this influx of people occurs, Maine summers often shift focus toward tourists– even summer camps. When tourists come to summer in Maine, they’re also…
Spotlight on USM Neighbors
Learn About Maine Needs and All They Do By Caydince Bumpus | Community Editor In 2019, Maine Needs started up as a Facebook group in an attempt to make it easier for people who needed to gain access to resources. As a result of the community and the lack of basic needs being met for…
Getting to the Source
GA High School Shooting and What you Need to Know By Elizabeth Smith, Web Editor On September 4 at 10:23 am, Barrow County Sheriff’s Office received alerts from local Apalachee High School in Winder, GA about an on-site active shooter. The 14-year-old shooter, Colt Gray, opened fire at the school Wednesday morning, taking the lives…
Politics Put Simply
Election Season is Ramping up in Maine By Caraline Squires | Staff Writer For many young voters at USM, this year’s 2024 election is the first time we will use our voices to vote for the President of the United States. If you’re anything like me, you feel confused and overwhelmed, or you’re nothing like…
Album Review: Jay-Z’s 4:44
How one man’s faulty life choices turned into a work of art conveying acceptance, and forgiveness. By Chris Tiner | Editor-in-Chief East Coast, lavish-style rapping is what Jay-Z has become notorious for. As the simple, salmon/peach color to the cover of this album reads, “This Is His 13th Studio Album”, 4:44 is a testament to…
MovieTalk: Strange Darling
By Julz Levesque | Arts & Culture Editor Hello and welcome to the first MovieTalk of the semester! As a film lover I am always watching new and old films when I can, logging them into letterboxd, and getting excited for upcoming films. I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve been slacking this summer….
Book Review: Lapvona
By Julz Levesque | Arts & Culture Editor During the summer I had an office job that offered hours upon hours of downtime. With nothing to do and all of my organizational work finished for the day I started to get rather bored. After staring at a computer screen all day the last thing I…
The USM Men’s Hockey Team Gets Soapy
The Men’s Hockey Team Hosted Their Annual Car Wash Fundraiser By Caraline Squires, Staff Writer “Successful”, “Exciting”, and “Bonding” were just some of the words used by team leaders Nick Nault, Jeff Pollara, and Kyle Penton to describe the USM Hockey team’s annual car wash fundraiser on Saturday the seventh. “It’s been so much fun,”…
Welcome Letter: Caydince Bumpus, Community Editor
Caydince Bumpus, Community Editor When I was asked to apply for the community editor position at The Free Press I was a little nervous to say yes. I’ve never been that strong of a writer, let alone telling other people how to improve on their writing skills. I was in my own head about whether…
Welcome Letter: Elizabeth Smith, Web Editor
Hello and Goodbye | By Elizabeth Smith, Web Editor Dear Huskies, As we convene and reconvene after the summer break, I wish you all a warm and heartfelt welcome. My name is Liz, and I’m in my fourth year and final semester here at USM. Upon graduation in December, I will have completed a communication…
Welcome Letter: Amber Friend, Sports Editor
By Amber Friend, Sports Editor Welcome back Southern Maine athletes! My name is Amber Friend, the new sports editor for the Free Press. Having played sports throughout my life I know the importance of representation and support for athletics and more importantly athletes. Which is why it’s my goal to reach out to members of…
Welcome Letter: Emilyn Smith, Director of Photography
By Emilyn Smith, Director of Photography Conveying messages through art is something that’s always been important to me. Not only am I able to tell others’ stories through photojournalism, but I can also shed light on important social issues and become a voice for those that may not have their own. My goal is to…
Welcome Letter: Julz Levesque, Arts & Culture Editor
By Julz Levesque, Arts & Culture Editor The Free Press has had some major updates this year and among some of them are fresh faces. A new print layout has ushered in some new editors on the team including myself. My name is Julz Levesque and I am your new Arts & Culture editor for…
Very Mindful, Very Demure
Awareness for September By Caydince Bumpus, Community Editor Some of the things discussed here may activate some strong emotions. Please read with caution. September brings awareness to many different causes, and each one that will be talked about is important and should be shared. Suicide Prevention and Awareness: with summer coming to an end and…
Welcome Letter: Chris Tiner
Welcome Back Chris Tiner, Co Editor-in-Chief Welcome back everyone for the 2024-25 academic year. I would like to start by saying I hope that everyone has a great start to their school year and goes on to continue that great start throughout the whole year. Every individual who has a fresh slate in front of…
Welcome Letter: Cayley Bowman
A final USM summer Cayley Bowman, Co Editor-in-Chief. I always imagined that my last summer as a student enrolled at USM would be spent traveling and goofing off, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Going into my senior year, I wanted to gain experience in the field I wanted to pursue after graduating. I…
WMPG Open Mic Night
By Corra St. Pierre – Contributor Before walking into the McGoldrick Center on Fri, Sep 8, for the Open Mic night hosted by WMPG radio station, a faint but distinctive haunting sound of bagpipes rippled from the parking garage throughout the campus against the yellow broken sky. But, that can’t be bagpipes, right? The McGoldrick…
The Worthington’s Visit USM
A Maine Based Scholarship Foundation visits their scholars at USM By Autumn Hughes – Contributor This past Friday, September 8th, the University of Southern Maine was honored with a visit from staff members of the Worthington Foundation to the President’s House. The Worthington Scholarship Foundation, or WSF, has existed since 2010, giving scholarships of…
What is Cow Island?
Promise + Trio Scholars venture into Casco Bay By Corra St. Pierre/ Contributor On Sunday September 10th a group of adventurers left the craggy coast of Maine on an Eco-Retreat to Cow Island- an inaugural fundraising event hosted by Ripple Effect to benefit further use of Cow Island. Who were these fundraisees’ and what is …
Summer Book Arts Workshop
Craft and Creativity on Display at Student Exhibition By Robin Davis/ Staff writer For centuries, books have been vehicles for meaning beyond their literary content. Before the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century, producing a book was a labor intensive and highly skilled craft. These books often included elaborate illustrations relating to…
USM Changes Parking System
Inside the New System with Parking Director Tristian Henry By Cayley Bowman/ Community Editor Over the past year, USM has been going through multiple changes. From the Kiwi Bots and the new buildings all over the Portland campus to the new parking system, it seems that our school is in a new era. The Parking…