Category: News

Lewiston-Auburn College shut down last Wednesday after threatening phone calls were placed to the University. At 9 a.m., the first call made reference and said “you people support terrorists,” reported Bob Caswell, executive director, media & community relations.

In January students who usually park on campus will have no choice but to seek alternatives due to the temporary shortage of spaces. The construction of the parking garage will take away 400 of the existing 584 spaces on the Bedford Street lot and the Marginal Way lot can hold up to 300 cars. Currently, it is estimated no more than 75 cars park at Marginal Way.

Election Day is creeping up as the candidates hustle to win votes. Are you informed about the candidates and the issues they’re willing to fight for? Don’t be in the dark on Nov. 5. Read on to find out who is who and what they plan to contribute to the state of Maine if elected.

Josh Dolby is not a believer in self-promotion. Instead, he is interested in people’s involvement in politics. He likes to hear what everybody has to say and he likes to read as much as he possibly can. Dolby is a candidate in District 32 for the Maine House of Representatives and a USM student. The district is the City of Portland, and he is running as a Green independent in the general election.

So many times students are told by their friends, family, and community that all college students do is drink and party. Almost never is the public reminded of the fact that at least 20 percent of all college students never touches alcohol.

USM’s network is part of a fiber-optic backbone that connects all seven University of Maine System campuses and satellite locations. The resident halls in Gorham, by way of University-owned fiber-optic cable, enjoy very high download speeds. The irony is that this very speed makes residents’ computers tempting to hackers. Though it is rare for any computer to be pinpointed, viruses are prolific.

This week students at the University of Southern Maine responded to the current debate over resolutions with Iraq and the United Nations in varying ways.

US Representative John Baldacci’s campaign for Maine governor focuses on improving Maine’s economic health, which links many of the other issues.

USM’s radio station WMPG is in danger of losing listeners within the coming months because of a noisy precursor to construction on the new parking facility. Pile-driving is scheduled to begin at the end of December, and the station is faced with the issue of constant noise polluting its airwaves and detracting attention from its programs. This will be just the start of the construction for the new parking lot on the Portland campus.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 180,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. It is the second most common type of cancer in women, after skin cancer.

I try not to let it stop me from living my life as usual. So, as I do most weekdays, I went for a run through Rock Creek Park a few days ago. I told myself I’d be safe. That the sniper who’s been killing people in this area probably wouldn’t target a jogger in a wooded area. That it’d be too difficult to get off a clean shot. I told myself he seemed to prefer gas stations and shopping centers or middle schools and post offices.

The issue of overcrowding on the USM campuses is an ongoing problem. It is a predicament that is present on campuses big and small across the nation.

Can a student on the UMaine Fort Kent campus get access to a class that is offered only on the USM Portland campus? As technology advances at the University of Maine, the answer is increasingly ‘Yes.’ A course developmental tool, Blackboard, has been implemented statewide in the UMS system.

Update on the proceedings of the latest BSO meeting

Some people find the cloak of anonymity comforting. A program utilized by the University of Southern Maine Police Department now allows such people to report crimes while remaining unrecognized.

This June Jerry Boivin, a 57-year-old gay man, was allegedly beat up on Congress Street. The assailants attacked Boivin and his partner for being gay. Two men attacked Boivin in broad daylight, screaming anti-gay remarks, as he lay helpless. This assault had such a profound effect on Gina Capra, a junior in the Women’s Studies program, she decided something had to be done about violence that stems from discrimination and ignorance.

The purpose of the student conduct code is to ensure students’ ability to be secure on campus and to excel in their studies. The case in Orono has evoked criticism of the effectiveness of the conduct code. Orono abides by the same set of conduct codes as USM and the entire University of Maine system.

Weekly news briefs

On-campus crime reports, derived from USM police logs.

Weekly senate report.

A dedicated group of eight USM students is using their time to make a difference in the community through the AmeriCorps Education Award Program. This program is merely one branch of a very large and diverse organization with a variety of programs and opportunities for community service.

USM awarded Prof. John Broida $7,000 and a letter of apology from Provost Joseph Wood to settle a grievance Broida brought against the University. Broida said his reputation and ability to do work were compromised after an investigation of harassment last spring.

Jonathan Carter says that his campaign for governor is not about the Green Party; it is about the issues.

Piles of colorful clothing fill a large closet at USM’s Child and Family Center, ready and waiting to be picked through and chosen from.

Jennifer Burnham, a USM student and mom, buys clothes each year for her children. Because her children outgrow their new clothes so quickly, Burnham, program coordinator for the Woman’s Resource Center (WRC), developed a free clothing swap.