Category: News

Discussions are underway in Augusta to decide the fate of the University of Maine System’s current budget and annual state appropriation. Of the $34 million proposed in budget cuts for state agencies, the governor has earmarked $7 million of that to come from the University of Maine System.

USM Action Plan

President Pattenaude busied himself responding to many questions and concerns from the faculty senate this past Friday after pitching his newest “USM Action Plan” entitled “Transforming USM.”

Included in the proposal are plans to implement new programs that could potentially include a BA in liberal studies, sports management and others.

This week saw a series of kick-off meetings for the third annual Student Business Plan Competition. The competition encourages students from all fields of study to design a feasible business plan with the idea of starting their own business. The competition is open to any team of at least two members with at least one student attending USM or Southern Maine Community College.

Dec. 28

USM Police found a car parked in the Sullivan Gym parking lot in Portland with a window smashed. Nothing was stolen from the car.

Dec. 30

A student reported a hit-and-run on their parked car in the Portland campus center’s parking lot. The car was parked and suffered a dent in a fender.

We will return on January 26, 2004

December

Through Dec. 21

Portland Symphony Orchestra presents “The Magic of Christmas” at in Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle Street, Portland. Ticket prices range from $11 to $49. Call 842-0800 for times.

Through Dec. 24

Portland Stage Company presents “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens at 25A Forest Ave.

When classes resume this spring, the new parking garage on Bedford Street will be ready for use. The garage, which will hold 1,150 parking spaces, will be open to students, faculty, staff and the general public.

Students enrolled for classes at USM have paid a mandatory transportation fee.

As the semester comes to a close, the Student Activity Fee Adhoc Committe (SAFAC) is still considering changes to the student activity fee, including a proposal to continually raise the fee from now on to match national inflation. The committee continues to raise awareness of the services the fee is prviding on campus.

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), which houses the largest number of majors on campus, is forming a committee to evaluate advising within the college. The committee’s primary task will be to explore alternative advising models.

Interim Dean of CAS Luiza Deprez said she sees a need for improvement within the advising program.

Last week, USM celebrated the holiday season with festivals on the Portland and Gorham campuses. ARAMARK hosted a Holiday Luncheon Buffet for the entire USM community: students, faculty and staff, at the Woodbury Campus Center cafeteria. Inside the building anyone could feel the spirit of holiday season: the walls, ceiling and the tables were decorated with snowflakes and fur-tree branches, and soothing live jazz music was provided by the International Association of Jazz Educators, a student organization in the School of Music.

Bioscience wing expanding

A $4.4 million expansion on the new bioscience wing will result in three more floors on that building, for a total of five stories. The expansion is slated to be completed in Nov. 2004. The money is coming from the same $60 million state bond that funded the UMS-wide wireless internet project.

Dec. 3

Ryan Treuhaft, 21, Portland, was arrested for disorderly conduct and refusing to submit to arrest. He was taken to the Cumberland County Jail, where he was additionally charged with harassment.

Dec. 4

There was a drug violation on the Gorham campus.

General Wesley Clark, candidate for Democratic nomination, was adamant about his support of NATO and the importance of strong allies. He served as Supreme Allied Commander for NATO from 1997 to 2000.

“We need to become an inclusive nation, not an exclusive nation,” he said referring to Bush’s unilateral action.

Monday

The Free Street Taverna, at 128 Free Street in Portland, presents a free hip-hop open mic night hosted by Boondox. Sign up is at 8 p.m., and the rapping commences shortly thereafter. Ages 21 and over are welcome. Call 772-5483 for more information.

After six months of discussion, the University Review and Improvement Committee, or URIC, put together a complete report of their findings, which they presented to President Pattenaude this past week. The report is part of a planning process to cut costs, develop long-term savings, increase revenues and enhance the USM educational and occupational environment.

Last week’s conference with Robert Pollin was conducted in a glass-walled meeting room at the back of Luther-Bonney’s computer lab on a television using special equipment. Videoconferencing is rare at USM because of budget and time constraints. The conference was made possible by a special machine with a camera attached that uses the internet to communicate, making the miles between the speakers seem to evaporate.

Students in Associate Professor of Economics Susan Feiner’s class spoke with UMass Amherst professor and author Robert Pollin using an internet videoconference last week about his new book, “Contours of descent: U.S. economic fractures and the landscape of global austerity.

The Maine TREE Foundation and USM’s Environmental Science and Policy Program hosted a program on forestry resources in Maine last Thursday. The event was organized by Sherry Hubert and Samantha Langely-Turnbaugh and took place in the Woodbury Campus Center at 7:00p.

USM’s Financial Aid website will have a list of general scholarship and grant packages available in mid-January. Approximately 35 scholarships and grants will be posted on the website. Funds awarded by different scholarships range from $100 to $2500. The average scholarship award is about $500.

Nov. 2

A window at the Woodbury Campus Center was smashed. The case is under investigation.

Nov. 2

There was a noise complaint in Robie Hall. Someone was blowing a horn. The issue was resolved.

Nov. 6

A mail key was stolen from a key ring in Corthell Hall.

Holiday celebrations, free stuff

The Portland and Gorham campuses are both holding holiday-related celebrations this week.

On Dec. 10 in the Woodbury Campus Center in Portland from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be free food for the first 200 students who arrive and a jazz concert provided by the Portland Events Board.

ALL MONTH

Art Exhibit

USM student/artist/micrographer Kay McKay is showing her artistic micrphotographs of a selected variety of organic and inorganic materials. They are on exhibit at Casco Bay Frames at the Hannaford Shopping Plaza, 295 Forest Avenue, Portland for the rest of the month.