By: Julie Pike, News Editor In the last few months I’ve travelled to eight different countries, met a plethora of students from around the world, and had once in a lifetime experiences. This would not have happened without the study abroad program at USM. I attended the University of Winchester, in Winchester, England, a school I…
By: Mary Ellen Aldrich, Arts & Culture Editor In addition to being exciting, college can sometimes be overwhelming, difficult, scary, and many other things. The one thing that is guaranteed for each student, however, is that college will present challenges in some capacity and degree. Whether those challenges are academic, social, personal or under any…
By: Sarah Tewksbury, Editor-in-Chief Walking into the office of the president at USM visitors are instantaneously greeted by a friendly face. Julie Costanzo, the administrative specialist in the office, sits constantly prepared for the demanding job she holds. Her day starts before President Cummings walks into the office. Without Julie, the President would not know…
By: River Plouffe Vogel, Sports Editor The University of Southern Maine is a vibrant part of the greater Portland area. Its roots run deep into the city, making it a network of connections from Maine Medical all the way down to Wharf Street in the Old Port. At the heart is the Portland Campus. Here…
By: Sam Margolin, Staff Writer This January at USM, a new program will be offered as a minor for undergraduate students. The Food Studies Program was created after consultants Professor Michael Hillard from the Economics department, Jo D. Saffeir, and Professor Cheryl Laz from the Sociology department created a proposal to be presented to the…
By: Maverick Lynes, Staff Writer If you have been to the Brooks dining hall on the Gorham campus, then you have been in the presence of a genuinely caring and inspirational individual, Pauline Gould. Pauline’s contagious smile and infectious personality are one of the certainties you can count on when you’re in the Gorham campus…
By: Sarah Tewksbury, Editor-in-chief In the last month the Free Press has received requests for information to be removed from published online content. In both cases, USM alumni directly contacted me, the editor of this paper, to see if I would be willing to respond to their appeals. The first inquiry came from a former…
Brandon Sodergren is a senior criminology major, member of the wrestling team and a student senator. Before attending USM, Sodergren served in the Marines for six years beginning in 2006, including two tours–one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan–as an infantry machine gunner. Now he spends his free time running marathons and fundraising in honor…
Due to low enrollment this year, the amount of student activity fee funds expected to be dispersed this spring will be much less than expected, and in the past week, the Student Government Association has had to revise its budget and cut the budgets of its entities to adjust. In the past, the student activity…
I’m Thaddeus Moriarty, and you are wrong. Why? Because you think that March is good for anything at all. After a long winter’s passing, full of holidays and holy days, and then the busy beginning of classes and the headfirst slide into the first break of the semester, March is about as dull as a…
The Age of Reason defies standards in electronic music albums featuring 15 dynamic tracks that are rich in innovation and variety. The Slovenian born DJ Gramatik, whose real name is Denis Jasarevic, has been busy creating his own record label Lowtemp and crafting this gem of an album that’s been released after much anticipation. The…
To kick off the spring semester, several students donned bright blue and yellow scarves to signal to new students that they were welcome ambassadors for USM. These 50 volunteers, primarily from the Board of Student Organizations and Student Senate, wore the scarves as an indicator that they were available to answer questions about the school….
An agreement on faculty union contracts may be closer than it has been in two and a half years after a tentative agreement was reached in November. The proposed contract covers a four year span, including the past two and a half years and a year and half into the future. “I feel like we’re…
There are many ways to use Twitter. Some use it to catch up with friends, while others follow news and events, and unfortunately, there are also some that just post follow trains and hashtags. If you’re looking to avoid users that just flood your feed with Justin Bieber quotes and emoticons, here’s a list of…
Let’s Be Still, released by The Head and the Heart, is buried in the folk/rock sound that has become so common with indie music. The tracks on this album are good, but nothing new is being added to the genre. A formula for success that has worked with so many other bands is being used…
Men’s Soccer USM blown out by Keene St. 6-1 The USM team was dominated by Keene St. on Nov. 2 by a score of 6-1. The team gave up four goals in the second half to seal the loss. They end their season with a 0-18-1 record and with a 15 game lossing…
Film editing allows women’s basketball to improve practice With a successful season behind them, the women’s basketball team is ready for another season. For the third year in a row they’re going to be improving their game and looking to the NCAA tournament with the aid of some interesting software. Three years back, the team…
Unarmed Aerial Vehicles, more commonly known as unmanned drones, have become an integral part of the U.S. military. Their use dates back to U.S involvement in Bosnia and Kosovo, where they were strictly used as a surveillance tool for gathering important intelligence about what was happening on the ground. While drone technology is rapidly evolving,…
There are many ways to use Twitter. Some use it to catch up with friends, while others follow news and events, and unfortunately, there are also some that just post follow trains and hashtags. If you’re looking to avoid users that just flood your feed with Justin Bieber quotes and emoticons, here’s a list of…
In April 1994, violence quietly spread through a small little-known African nation, quickly transforming it into a massive graveyard. Nearly two decades later, the Rwandan Genocide is recognized as one of the most horrific tragedies in human history. Held on Thursday night in Hannaford Lecture Hall, the third instalment of the Paving the Way to…
The students of USM’s theatre workshop, a required course in the theater major, are holding their annual food drive. From now until Feb. 28 donations are being accepted in the blue bin in the lobby of Russell Hall on the Gorham campus. All donations are given to the Preble Street Resource Center’s food pantry and…
Amanda Pleau is hitting the runway for WMPG’s annual charity fashion show. But first, she’ll be hitting the gym and watching her calories.