By Max Lorber, Staff Writer 18th century Irish immigrants in Portland reached out to fellow community members for help to fund the construction of a Catholic church. While many discriminated against the Irish people, some heeded the call, and extended a hand to this struggling group. Now, the Maine Irish Heritage Center (MIHC), headquartered at…
By Ryan Farrell, Staff Writer Another all-star cast has created another cinematic disappointment. The Beach Bum explores the life of someone who lives by his own rules but that is all it seems to bring. Scenes move from party to party with little context that makes the film seem more like an experience rather than…
By Jess Ward, Staff Writer Comic books, for this reviewer, have been one of the most enjoyable ways to read from childhood to adulthood. Combining stunning and innovative art with complex and gripping narratives, comics give the reader heroes, villains, universes and adventures. They often present them in shades of gray; questions of morality and…
By Julie Pike, Editor-in-Chief Continuing their partnership with Iceland, the USM Art Department is welcoming an artist to share Icelandic cultural connections. Ólöf Nordal, an artist and teacher from the Icelandic University of the Arts, will be at USM for a week to visit art classes, critique students’ work, start research for a residency project…
By Ryan Farrell, Staff Writer Art is becoming well known for being an effective therapeutic method. Reaghan Smith, an art education major who is focused in community arts, believes that this method is effective for people affected by mental illness. Smith has always been attracted to sculpting, which is what she is primarily known for….
By Alyson Peabody, News Editor A proposed passenger rail between Maine’s two largest cities is financially dependent on guaranteed ridership between Portland and Lewiston/Auburn (L/A)L/A. The rail would offer a connection between USM’s Portland campus to its Lewiston location. Lewiston’s economic and community development director, Lincoln Jeffer, wonders about the number of daily passengers for…
By Hailey Wood, Staff Writer Maine has the highest rate in the nation of children diagnosed with anxiety disorders and percentage of youth who access mental health counseling, according to the 2019 Kids Count Data Book. The state has the third highest rate of children with diagnosed depression. 33,829 children from ages 3-17 have been diagnosed…
By Melissa Fraser, Staff Writer A report published by USM researchers recommends community-based treatment for Maine’s at-risk youth. The “Place Matters” report proposes that Maine reallocate public tax dollars to fund programs that would provide holistic at-home, family-focused treatment options for youth ages 14-25. “It’s important to Maine to adopt the full continuum of care…
By Cooper-John Trapp, Staff Writer Sodexo provides food service to USM students across its campuses, offering a range of food options for students with dietary restrictions and allergies. However, several students with dietary restrictions or food allergies report having a difficult time ensuring they get proper nutrition while maintaining their health. Residential students living on…
By Julie Pike, Editor-in-Chief This is incredibly cliché, but it’s so true how fast your college years go by. Four years of working, taking classes, and juggling about a million things at once, preparing you to enter the work world for the next few decades. As graduation gets closer, I can’t help but think what…
Now that spring break is over, finals are coming which can lead to plenty of stress and anxiety. It’s common for students to worry—especially became many must receive a certain score to pass a class or even graduate. Don’t fret, there are plenty of ways to overcome all the hysteria. We’ve put together some simple…
By Alyson Peabody, News Editor Governor Janet Mills announced a proposal in late February for Maine to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Maine has joined the United States Climate Alliance. The alliance is a bipartisan coalition of 21 states committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, Gov. Mills proposed the creation of…
By: Lauren McCallum, Design Director Over spring break, five USM students discovered Iceland, from the differences in their educational system to the natural beauty that makes up the country. They prepared themselves through their online AED 299 class, which focuses on art and education in Iceland. While there, they interacted with Icelandic artists, various schools…
By Cullen McIntyre, Sports Editor With the snow finally clearing, and spring on its way, Major League Baseball is finally back. For the city of Boston and all of New England, it means that the Boston Red Sox have a chance to do something no baseball team has done since 1999/2000, win the World Series…
By Cullen McIntyre, Sports Editor While many students took the week of Spring Break off to relax and get ready for the rest of the semester, spring sports teams headed south to Florida for preseason. The USM Baseball team competed in seven games during their spring trip, winning six out of the seven games in…
By Alyson Peabody, News Editor “A chair is not a chair when it is art.” I stared at my art history professor. From the corner of my eye I saw my classmates scribble this ‘profound’ revelation in their notes. An object’s purpose can be justified by calling it art? With that logic, anything could be…
Master printer and artist, Damir Porobic, is in his eighth year teaching Printmaking, Photo and Digital Art and Design here at USM. He brings a deep passion for imaging technologies and practical experience in print publishing to the classroom. His parents were both teachers, so it seemed natural to him. “I always liked working with people,” he…
By Max Lorber, Staff Writer Tucked away on the corner of Chestnut and Congress Street is an unassuming set of glass doors, with a small glass pane overhead reading Portland Masonic Temple. First you have to ring a doorbell. After a minute or two, Jim Dufresne, a Freemason and the founder/director of the Maine Masonic…
By Hailey Wood, Staff Writer In late January the city of Portland issued a request for proposals from bikeshare programs. JUMP, a bikeshare program owned by Uber, responded to the request. JUMP was founded as Social Bicycles and has been in the bikeshare business since 2010. In 2018, the company was partnered with and then…
By Cooper-John Trapp, Staff Writer High school and universities work to educate students on the specifics of academic integrity. The University of Southern Maine’s Student Academic Integrity Policy defines academic integrity as not lying, cheating, or stealing. “To cheat on an examination, to steal words or ideas of another, or to falsify the results of…
By Gus Pignatello, Staff Writer Maine legislators are considering passing a bill that would tighten restrictions on vaccinations. According to the bill, the legislation would eliminate the option for students to opt out of immunization requirements for religious and philosophical reasons, only allowing medical exceptions. Rep. Ryan Tipping from Orono and Sen. Linda Sanborn from…
By Hailey Wood, Staff Writer Maine Governor Janet Mills will deliver the USM commencement address for the 2019 ceremony. “We are honored to have Maine’s first woman governor join us as we celebrate our 139th commencement,” Cummings said in an interview with the Office of Public Affairs. “Gov. Mills has served her home state with…
By Nick Schleh, Staff Writer After the success of their first workshop, the Ci2 lab is working to establish recurring events to aid students in starting small businesses. USM graduate and small business owner, Anthony Viola, conducts workshops that offer a hands-on approach for students to apply their interests to the economic world. The Ci2…
By: Julie Pike, Editor-in-Chief I’ve been advocating for the rights of student journalists ever since I became Editor of the Free Press last February. As my time at USM comes to a close, so does my ability to push for more rights for student journalists. However, I remain hopeful that my fellow staff members at…