Category: News

During the tense months building up to the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte, then permanent representative of France to the United Nations, said he saw diplomacy working because of this combination of dialogue and power.

Shortly after five in the early morning hours of October 10, a WMPG disc jockey was beaten in the station’s Falmouth Street studios by an assailant he had mistook for a colleague. The incident has renewed concerns regarding the safety of the Portland Campus, which has generally little activity or security after the final classes…

Members of the Greek community wonder what role fraternities will play as the University grows.

Twice every year, WMPG holds a fundraiser called the Begathon. The station depends on this fundraiser for its livelihood. This year WMPG exceeded its goal of 30 thousand dollars by at least four thousand dollars.

The week in crime.

At 10 a.m., the intersection of Old County Road and Saco road is quiet. The parking lot at Hansen’s Farm Market is empty. To look at it, it doesn’t appear to be the center of a heated town debate, but it is. On the November 2 ballot there is a rezoning proposal for 72 acres…

Governer marks passage of ranking aide Governor John E. Baldacci directed the United States flag and the State of Maine flag be lowered to half staff from sunrise to sunset on Thursday, October 28, 2004, in the City of Portland in memory of and respect for Gene E.

USM hosts a variety of illustrious speakers each week. Here is a sample of some of them.

Last week, among the stack of Glickman Library one student picked up a copy of the New York Times, the paper of record. “I couldn’t buy the Times today,” he said “Not with Bush on the cover.” Two days before, the Times had endorsed Senator John Kerry. Welcome to the 2004 election cycle.

Faculty members raise concerns that setting aside a room of the Glickman library for prayer and meditation potentially promotes one religion over others.

Phyllis Bennis, influential activist and author, speaks with executive editor John Bronson about the situation in Iraq.

Force forms forum…. Senate waiting for Westphal…. Student senate delays ITV proposal again…. Senate sends financial request to committee…. Two constitutions tabled…. Promised papers produced…. Senate appointments…. History open house….

In the coming weeks the Portland Hall shuttle will begin running on biodiesel. Last spring the USM student body passed an initiative, by a vote of 564 to 114, to switch the shuttle buses over to B20 biodiesel, a blend of 80 percent petrodiesel and 20 percent vegetable oil.

Jeff Etienne and Ronald Favis met on the first day of school. A friendship quickly formed only to end a couple of weeks ago. “We were at Wendy’s one day and he had [the credit card] out and I memorized the number,” said Jeff Etienne, a freshman majoring in criminology and Portland Hall resident.

The USM Faculty Senate Executive Committee submitted three “no confidence” motions to the faculty senate October 1 according to Roxie Black, USM Faculty Senate Chair. Motion one votes no confidence in the strategic plan; motion two in the chancellor; and motion three in the Board of Trustees (BOT).

The Student Senate passed a resolution last week designed to encourage the chancellor, the president of USM and the Board of Trustees to find new ways of determining tuition. All senators present voted in favor of the proposal. Proposal 33-14 was introduced on October 1 by Senator Jeremy Collette.

The week in crime.

Frechette let go…. New proposal from Ferriter…. Rocks for docs…. Religious forum in Portland…. French ambassador comes to Maine…. Homecoming retreat….

On Thursday, Howard Dean walked in to the Woodbury Campus Center to a standing ovation. Over 130 people crowded into the amphitheatre to listen to the former presidential candidate speak. His address was the climax of a three-hour program hosted by the League of Pissed Off Voters.

November 2 is less than a month away. While most states require voters to register over the next two weeks, Mainers can register on election day. Even so, city clerks in Gorham and Portland warn against doing so.

Romaine Patterson, a friend of Matthew Shepard, attended the USM Theater Department’s production of “The Laramie Project” to talk about her friend’s death and the work she’s done since to combat hate crimes in America. Patterson has come out against homophobic lyrics in popular music and spoken throughout the country.

No riots, no shootings. Just campus crime.

At Thursday’s meeting, the Student Senate voted unanimously to fund the New York Times Newspaper Readership Program. The Senate has agreed to fund half of the program, which will deliver the Times free of charge to the Portland and Gorham campuses, to a maximum of $3750.

On September 30, 2004 the University of Maine at Augusta Faculty Assembly passed a resolution of no confidence in Chancellor Joseph Westphal and the UMaine System’s Board of Trustees (BOT).