Cooper Trapp, Staff Writer For those wishing to submerge themselves in nostalgia, a double-edged sword must be forewarned. The movies of your childhood are not the same to you anymore. The plot twists and musical overture inspires little in the way of unbridled awe over us as it once did, and the veracity of story…
River Plouffe Vogel, Sports Editor Portland is by far, the largest city in Maine. Some wouldn’t call it a city, but rather a big town. However, compared to its size, it has countless attractions. For one, it’s right on the coast and has almost 360 degrees of striking ocean views. It’s close to the mountains…
Emily Adams, Contributor The Center for Technology and Enhanced Learning (CTEL), located on the Portland campus, is working with faculty to further develop both online and blended (both online and in person), courses. “[They] collaborate [by] providing course design support and training in commonly used course technologies,” said Paul Cochrane, the department head of CTEL….
Sarah O’Connor, Staff Writer Achieving tenure as a professor at any university is a huge academic achievement and requires a lot of time and work in service to their university and their academic portfolio. At USM, applicants for tenure must fill out the personnel action form to be judged by the Board of Trustees and…
Sarah O’Connor, Staff Writer Maine’s food insecurity situation has gotten worse in the past three years. The number of food insecure Mainers has decreased from 2014 to 2015, but Maine’s ranking nationwide has moved up to 7th in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Maine ranks #7 in the nation and #1…
James Fagan, Photojournalist One of Disney’s most anticipated movies of 2016, Moana, has stunning visuals, lighthearted, enjoyable songs and a cast of voice actors who make their characters truly come to life. Moana is a powerful story about independence, self growth and empowerment. The movie stars voices such as Auli’i Cravalho, who voices Moana,…
Noor Ibrahim, Contributor The Portland Pottery Cafe is a local cafe and pottery shop located on one of the busiest avenues in Portland. An inspection of the exterior will draw guests into what almost feels like an earth-vintage era. Once they walkthrough the red door, they will find a spectacular amount of balance between…
Samantha Hallowell, Contributor Over the past few years, the world has witnessed several unspeakable tragedies, targeting concertgoers and musicians alike. In Nov. of 2015, 89 people were killed at an Eagles of Death Metal concert at The Bataclan in Paris, France. In 2016, former contestant of The Voice and YouTube personality, Christina Grimmie was gunned…
Editorial Board Peacocks, hamsters, turkeys, snakes and sugar gliders. These animals all have something in common, and it’s not simply that they’re all animals. The topic of these odd choices for Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) and Service Animals has been going around the news and social media quite frequently lately. Delta Airlines, United Way…
Liz Trudel, Staff Writer The Outdoor Adventure Board (OAB) is a student-run organization managed by the Sullivan Fitness Complex on the Portland campus of USM. The OAB provides thrill-seeking college students with free or reduced rates on a multitude of recreational activities. The mission of the group, as stated on the university’s website, is…
Kassidy Wright, USM Eco-Rep Some of us are familiar with the word framing. Not to be confused with the use of the word that correlates to pictures or art, but the use of language. Language is arguably one of the most powerful tools we utilize every day. Through it, we have created the foundation…
Hilarie Fotter, USM Doctoral Candidate in School Psychology Are you feeling stressed? Don’t know how you’re going to get it all done? Feeling overwhelmed and/or alone in this? Believe it or not, no matter how you’re feeling or what situation you’re facing, there are always ways to feel better. And, if you have a…
Maverick Lynes, Staff writer Feb. 4, 2018, New England was devastated by the result of the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots fell 33-41 to the Philadelphia Eagles. A majority of the New England area were fixated on their television as the Patriots and the Eagles battled for football supremacy. New England was heartbroken…
Lauren Kennedy, Director of Photography If you were to ask my parents when I first began my photography career, they would emphatically tell the story of a four-year’ old me, wandering around Salem, Massachusetts, taking photos of buildings with the roofs cut off, dead plants, and my beanie baby as a model. I guess we…
River Plouffe Vogel, Sports Editor Finding community is not always easy, even in a small state like Maine and in a city the size of Portland. In fact, Maine can be a very isolating place, where community means to most people, the neighborhood someone lives in. However community is so much more than the…
Sarah Tewksbury, Staff Writer Student Activity Fees $110. That is how much a full-time USM student pays each year to support the student activity fee. Over a century ago, students at universities and colleges across the U.S. self imposed student activity fees in order to fund extracurricular activities and additional services. In the beginning, the…
Sam Margolin, Staff Writer “In the English language, it all comes down to this: Twenty-six letters, when combined correctly, can create magic. Twenty -six letters form the foundation of a free, informed society.”- John Grogan USM’s student newspaper, The Free Press, has been a definitive source for news and commentary throughout the history of the…
Sarah Tewksbury, Editor-in-chief With this letter, I write my last piece for the Free Press as the editor. At this point in time, I have decided that this is the perfect moment for me to take my leave as the leader of the paper. When I was elected to the position in April, I was…
Sarah O’Connor, Staff Writer Senator Susan Collins and the Common Sense Coalition played a vital role in ending the three day government shutdown by the use of a talking stick. The group proposed a compromise that allowed the Senate to pass a short-term funding bill to reopen the government, according to an official statement released…
Sam Margolin, Staff Writer On Friday, Feb. 2, USM’s 46 Student Senate met to discuss various financial and organizational issues as well as to try to regain strength after losing five members over the break. The loss included Senate Chairperson, Muna Adan, as well as Kyle Brundidge, Josh Blake, Aaron Pierce, and Zach Tidd. The…
James Fagan, Staff Photographer The Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity first opened its doors on September 1, 2000. The CSGD’s seeks to promote equality, knowledge, and acceptance for the LGBTQA+ community for students, staff, and faculty on the USM campuses. The Center for Sexualities and Gender Diversity hosts events to promote acceptance and knowledge…
Kate Rogers, Staff Writer “It was September. And there was a town, and there was a circus, and there was a railroad, and there was a man with red hair, and there was…an elephant.” Put on by USM’s Student Performing Artists (SPA), Elephant’s Graveyard by George Brant is a play about a circus visiting the…
Mary Ellen Aldrich, Arts & Culture Editor The idea of art in nature, both as human-generated pieces and as a naturally occurring phenomenon, is something that is of intrigue to many people. Everyone will at some point look at some small product of nature and marvel at its existence. However, these things are all around,…
Eliza Bachkovsky, Graphic Designer The “Stolen Dreams, Plundered Memories” exhibit found in the Gorham Art Gallery depicts how humanity is united under a universal and collective idea of memory that has shaped us all. The collection of items here will have you reflecting on your own childhood, and pondering the vague feelings and associations of…