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…
Category: Community
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…
Headlights Hindering Vision
LED headlights have been increasing in popularity over the years, but they are also causing issues on the road. By: Cayley Bowman, Community Editor I think everyone is aware of LED headlights—those bright blue (purple, yellow, green) lights that practically blind you when you pass them on the road, especially at night. Although they…
Student Opinion Piece: Campus Police Body Cameras
USM Students Share Their Opinions on Campus Police Body Cameras Being Introduced to the University By: Chris Tiner, News Editor In February, the Editor-in-Chief of the Free Press Dakota Eddy reported on campus police announcing they are investing in new body camera technology. In that article, the discussion was around how this was proposed back…
The Homelessness Crisis in Portland
How a Local Non-Profit Can Help By: E C Smith, Web Editor For years, Portland officials and community members have understood the graveness of the homelessness issue here in Portland. As inflation continues to plague the global economy and the local cost of housing remains on the rise, locals’ efforts to secure housing have become…
USM Acadia Trip: 4/20/2024
Photos by: Emilyn Smith, Director of Photography
Palestine Today Event
By: McKinley Braley, Contributor On Monday, April 22nd, small communities of Maine gathered in the Talbot Lecture Hall for a discussion on the current state of “Palestine Today”. This event was organized by the USM Criminology Department and Maine Students for Palestine and was an extension of an earlier discussion in November. The four presenters…
The Era of Waste Disposal
USM changes the method of waste and recycling disposal after years… but why? By: Cayley Bowman, Community Editor On September 25, 2023, Upton-Hastings experienced a trash fire caused by a lithium battery. The fire did not spread, however the sprinklers caused extensive damage and displaced 23 students living in the dorm. Exactly a week…
Halloween 2023
Tips for a Safe and Spooky Night By Sophie Urey- Staff Writer Take a look around and you’ll see that “Spooky Season” is in full swing: gory decorations line the streets, candy fills the shelves, and Spirit Halloween has made its annual appearance in strip malls around the country. This, of course, means that…
Community Gardens at USM
The Benefits of a Community Garden By: Cayley Bowman- Community Editor Our school has gone through many changes over the course of the past few years. Some may argue these changes are for the better, while others may not be so keen. However, one change that nobody can dispute is for the better are…
Taking It Easy With Tabbies
Meow Lounge And What Its All About By: Noah Pinkham- Staff Writer On October 7th, my girlfriend Camdyn and I took a trip to Meow Lounge, located on 630 Main Street, in Westbrook. Meow Lounge is many things at once, being both a foster home for cats from local animal shelters, and a gift…
Reduce the flames
Help the University stay safe from flames. By: Caydince Bumpus, Contributor With all the fire accidents going on this last semester, The free press thought it would be a good idea to gather some tips on how to be safe for the upcoming semester. Brandon Brichetto, a Captain with the Gorham Fire Department has reached…
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…
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…
University Store Changes Locations
Up and Across the Street to McGoldrick! Cayley Bowman, Community Editor The University Store used to reside on the floor of the skywalk in Abromson, tucked in a corner. However, when the McGoldrick Center was built, the University Store gained a new home. Right across the street from the previous location, now lies the new…
The Husky Fest
A Brief Look into the Numerous Clubs, Organizations, and On-Campus Resources USM has to Offer Elizabeth Smith, Writer On September 6, the Portland campus hosted its annual Husky Fest, an open event which hosts members from on-campus clubs and organizations to gather and engage with students to discuss on-campus programs and recruit prospective members for…
Water Lantern Festival Fills Deering Oaks With Light
A cozy little community festival comes to Portland again. Walter Niehoff, Staff Writer 9/2/23 Hundreds of lights filled Deering Oaks Park in Portland on September 2 for the annual Water Lantern Festival. Starting in Portland in 2018, the festival has become a popular event, selling close to 1,500 tickets this year in Portland alone. It features…
President Welcomes Staff Back to Campus
Points of Pride and Progress By T Love Smith, Contributor Bright and early in the morning, on Wednesday, August 23rd, USM’s 14th President, Dr. Jacqueline Edmonson welcomed back staff for the 2023-2024 academic year with a continental breakfast in the mezzanine in Abromson’s Community Education Center. Several dozens of returning and new staff met and…
The Portland Commons: A Fancy Construct
By Deklin Fitzgerald Editor-In-Chief Numerous student testimonies, both included and withheld, have regarded the Portland Commons Housing to be “expensive”, “beautiful”, and “exciting”, yet they have all described the cost of housing to be high but manageable compared to housing in the City of Portland. So a question raised was what is the definition of…
A Welcome from SEAL
By The Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL) Team To our new, transfer, first year and returning students: welcome to the pack! We are all geared up for an amazing year and cannot express enough how excited we are to be in-person, on-campus and ready to go. The staff within Student Engagement and Leadership have been…
USM parking garage says goodbye to gate system
How these changes affect campus residents and commuters t love smith, Contributor When returning to the Portland campus this fall—be ready for some changes, not only to housing and dining, but especially take note of the new parking system. The Portland parking garage has done away with its gate system. By now, there has…
Interview with a Class Act
I had the opportunity to interview Sam Morril in anticipation of his upcoming show at the State Theater in Portland as part of his national “Class Act” tour, the stand up comedian’s set this June 2nd. Morril has been doing comedy since his teenage years and all throughout college. ”I kind of infiltrated the student…
Ben There, Done That: Got the Grad Cap
Hello, Free Press readers! My name is Ben Reed, and I have been the Arts & Culture Editor of The Free Press for this whole academic year. Previously, I was simply a staff writer, and wrote a column called, “Ben There, Done That.” As you’re probably aware, that is the name of this current article…