On Wednesday, January 11, the University of Southern Maine hosted a New Student Orientation for all transfer and new students who planned to attend for the spring semester. This event hosted twelve different campus groups and resources all wanting to help see success academically, financially, and socially. The groups included the University Credit Union (UCU), who have offices in Gorham in the lower portion of Brooks Student Center, and a building located close to the Portland campus. The UCU works to provide financial literacy skills to students about various aspects of banking, regardless of if they would like to open an account with UCU.
University Tech Services can be found on both the Portland and Gorham campuses, and have four dedicated groups of staff that specialize in helping with general questions for non-tech-savvy persons, card services, desktop troubleshooting, and media services.
The Free Press is located in 92 Bedford Street on the second floor above WMPG, and has been the official student newspaper of the University of Southern Maine since 1972, whose goal is to provide an account on all events related to both the campus and surrounding communities. Positions are available for students with work/study funds, or for simple volunteer experience, as well as USM community members who would like to contribute.
University Libraries has Glickman library in Portland, the Gorham library in Bailey Hall, and the Lewiston-Auburn Campus (LAC) library. As part of their Learning Commons program, a staff of librarians in any of the libraries can assist students with their academic writing, or conducting research in the preparation for writing these articles. University Libraries also includes a peer tutoring program, in which every student has access to two free tutoring sessions with a fellow student who took the same class, per week, per class.
Student Engagement and Leadership, or better known as SEAL, is located in Brooks Student Center, and works to provide students–both on and off-campus–with event and group opportunities to get involved with their community through various student clubs and organizations. Students who want to create their own club or organizations within the USM community can do so by visiting the SEAL office in Brooks Student Center on the Gorham campus.
The Office of Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is located in Luther Bonney on the Portland campus, and allows students to earn academic credit towards specific majors if they have college-level learning from work, volunteering, or life experiences.
Sullivan Gym is located on the Portland campus, right off Durham Street, and believes that “whether you are new to the gym, a current fitness guru, or looking to get back into a routine of exercise,” anyone should be welcome, according to their website.
Intercultural Student Affairs’ (ISA) mission is to serve as a resource for every student to engage in the rich education and growth found through active exchange across cultures and identities, both on campus and in our communities local and global. ISA hosts a study abroad fair every year, where representatives from various schools around the world are able to introduce USM students to programs offered year-round.
Located at 102 Bedford Street, along with Promise, JMG, and the Campus food pantry, TRIO offers services to students who are low-income or the first in their family to go to college. . Committed to “equity, empowerment, and community, TRIO College Programs advances a culture of belonging in which students can succeed academically, prepare for the future, celebrate accomplishments, and form meaningful connections,” according to their online mission statement.
Financial Services has an office on every USM campus, and pledges to help students learn the mechanics of how to pay your school-related bills and charges.
University Health Services has offices in both Portland and Gorham and works to “support and enhance the health and psychological well-being of the University of Southern Maine community through clinical services, student training, and outreach,” according to their website.
Student Employment works to provide employment opportunities to students on campus.
Upon speaking with the Director of Orientation & First-Year Experience, John O’Connor, it was made evident that there were over 200 transfer and new students. O’Connor explained how although there have been ample versions of events meant to ween new students into feeling
comfortable on campus, the idea of an actual “campus visit” is a version that is more recent as of May, 2021 and they are offered every semester for registered students. O’Connor stressed the importance of these events because of how they allow students to figure out the locations of their schedules yet also receive parking permits and their husky id cards.
Primarily hosted out of Hannaford Lecture Hall and the second floor of the Abromson Center on the Portland campus, this event proceeded rather quickly from 1:00-3:00PM. Nevertheless, the Orientation and First Year Experience staff were openly providing tours, to those who could attend, around the Portland Campus such as had been done for those willing on the Gorham Campus earlier that same day.