By Chris Tiner | Co-Editor-in-Chief You see it every time you grab groceries or go shopping. People all across Maine are feeling a squeeze on their wallets, and this is especially felt by young people who are preparing to, or just have, enter the workforce. Expenses quickly start to add up, from rent to paying…
Category: Community
OAB Takes on the Fire Warden Trailhead
Four-point-seven miles at Pleasant Mountain By Amber Friend | Sports Editor Denmark, Maine, is home to the Fire Warden Trailhead on Pleasant Mountain, a total of 4.7 miles. Southern Maine’s Outdoor Adventure Board hosted a group of students on this moderately difficult hike and faced 1500 feet of elevation. The trailhead was 39 miles from…
Critical thinking and the art of being an educator
Feature Story on Communication Media Studies Professor Leanord Shedletsky By Chris Tiner | Co-Editor-in-Chief Leanord Shedletsky is a professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at USM and has served as a prominent figure at USM for forty-five years. You especially know him if you are a part of the Communication Media Studies…
USM’s Hillel
The Jewish Club on campus By Amber Friend | Sports Editor Amanda Satin is the president of the University of Southern Maine’s Hillel, a Jewish Campus group. She explained in an interview that her and a few other students helped start back up the club her freshman year, post pandemic. Satin told me about the…
WMPG expands to Gorham: Studio 51
A new internet radio station in Gorham By Caraline Squires | Staff Writer Interested in getting involved with WMPG on the Gorham campus? WMPG is looking for DJs for its newest creation: Studio 51, an internet radio station based in Gorham. No training is necessary as DJ training can be provided! There are also work-study…
Very mindful, very demure
Awareness’ for October By Caydince Bumpus | Community Editor If you’re anything like me, an avid October enthusiast, you’re probably already thinking about Halloween plans and when you’re going to do all those fun fall festivities. However, there are a few things that I want you guys to keep in mind over the course…
Spotlight on USM neighbors
How does ‘Through These Doors’ help people who need it? By Caydince Bumpus |Community Editor In light of October being domestic violence action month, our spotlight for this issue is Through These Doors. Through These Doors is a domestic violence resource center in Cumberland County. All their services are free and confidential for people…
Where community meets creativity
Bad art Wednesdays at WGS house By Caraline Squires | Staff Writer “We don’t clean after bad art,” event host and Administrative Specialist Clara Perka explained to me after I asked where to dump out my paint water cup; it’s just about getting creative. After attending Bad Art Wednesday for the first time, I will definitely…
Halloween Safety Tips
Title: Halloween Safety Tips By Sports Editor | Amber Friend Halloween is supposed to be spooky and fun, but it can quickly become scary and dangerous. Here are some tips to ensure your weekend is safe this Halloween season. Stay with a group Use the buddy system, and don’t go out alone. Turn your…
Octoberfest success!
Title: Octoberfest Success! By Amber Friend | Sports Editor The 2024 Fall Homecoming and Family weekend was highlighted by Saturday, October 5th, Octoberfest on the Gorham campus. Students, friends, family, faculty, and staff filled the campus, enjoying a beautiful day full of festivities. Pumpkin painting brought out the inner artist in all of us as…
Casino Night
Student Engagement and Leadership hosts an exciting event By Amber Friend | Sports & Health Editor On Saturday October 5th Lower Brooks on the Gorham campus was transformed into Las Vegas by SEAL. Mocktails were served and funny money was given as students and families filled the common room engaging in games like black…
Celebrating women in print program and exhibition
The importance of community in print By Caraline Squires | Staff Writer If you were a closeted lesbian in the mid-1900s, you couldn’t just receive a lesbian and feminist literature magazine like Lesbian Connections or Amazon Quarterly in the mail. Instead, you received a folded-in-half, completely stapled-shut, unidentifiable magazine; the former was far too…
Budget cuts result in discontinuation of Russell Scholars Program
Former Director of Programs speaks up about the ways the former program helped students By Elizabeth Smith | Web Editor Former Director of Programs, Lisa Hibl, was laid off in May after years of service to USM’s long-standing Russell Scholars program. The student-oriented campus program was discontinued after rising university expenses led to the Executive…
M.A.S.H Fall Ruck
University military group participates in Ruck By Amber Friend | Sports & Health Editor On Friday October 4, the Military-Affiliated Student Hub hosted a 5 mile ruck in Portland. I was able to stop by their cookout after the event and speak to a few of the participants. Tyler Silva is a student who…
Opinion from a student
A Perspective on the Disbanding of the Russell Scholars Program By Caydince Bumpus | Community Editor When I first applied for USM, I was thrilled to get an email from Lisa Hibl, a former professor here. The email included information about the Russell Scholars program, which, as of this year was still running. I remember…
Oh He Dead Will See YOU in Portland
By Julz Levesque | Arts & Culture Editor The DC-based indie soul band Oh He Dead is making its way toward Portland Maine for their upcoming show on October 20th at 7 pm for audiences twenty-one and over at the Portland House of Music. They’re a close-knit five-member group made up of powerful songbird CJ Bowlin’…
CMS welcome event
By Julz Levesque | Arts & Culture Editor On September 16th the CMS department invited the students of USM to a beginning-of-the-year welcome event in Wishcamper on the Portland campus. I would know because I received an email which piqued my interest, and immediately I decided to go. So there I was, walking into room…
USM Promise Scholars Partner with Maine Trust for Local News
Keeping USM Students Informed By Caraline Squires | Staff Writer This past summer Promise Scholarship Program Director Daniel Barton was busy expanding opportunities for USM students. By partnering with Maine Trust for Local News (METLN) all Promise Scholars were given the opportunity to sign up for a free subscription to the METLN publications, including the…
Rainbow Kitten Surprise comes to Maine
By Amber Friend | Sports Editor. Rainbow Kitten Surprise. No, these are not the words of an interesting game of charades or the name of an old childhood book. It’s actually the name of the four-member band formed out of North Carolina. Myself and a few of my friends had the pleasure of seeing RKS…
Men’s lacrosse 9/11 tribute
By Amber Friend | Sports Editor On Wednesday, September 11th, 2024, members from The University of Southern Maine’s men’s lacrosse team paid a heartfelt tribute to the victims of 9/11. The guys traded in their usual Wednesday run for something more personal. Broken into two groups, each player went up and down a flight 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…
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…