By Dionne Smith, Free Press Staff The Glickman Library is home to the USM Special Collections, which holds a large African American Collection that is open to the public. The collection contains a vast amount of information regarding African Americans in Maine. While most Maine are white, there is a large amount of history that…
Author: USM
Album Review: Starboy offers fresh style and incredible variety
By Dan Kilgallon, Free Press contributor Released on November of last year, Starboy is the latest album from Canadian singer/songwriter Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd. This marks The Weeknd’s third studio album for a major label, following the 2013 Kiss Land and the 2015 Beauty Behind the Madness. The latter was particularly successful…
Top Five: Things not to post on social media (that future employers won’t like)
By Jordan Castaldo, Free Press contributor We have learned from our parents, family and friends that everything you post online never truly goes away. Sure, you can delete it, but there will always be a way to find it again. In today’s world of globalized communication, it is important to be cautious about what we…
USM Takes Initiative to Eliminate Carbon Footprint by 2040
By Deliah Schreiber, Free Press contributor Organizations of all types are taking the initiative to reduce or completely remove their carbon footprint as evidence of global warming crops up. Back in 2007, USM’s Department of Sustainability, which is responsible for minimizing environmental impact, made it a goal for USM to become a carbon-neutral campus by…
Rocker and Halls Reviews: Our Favorite Films of 2016
By John Rocker and Aaron Halls, Free Press staff Hello readers! A quick disclaimer: This list is completely our own opinions. There is no right answer to the question of what the best films of 2016 were, so if you see that a film that you love isn’t on here, it’s okay. You loved that…
Student Government strives for transparency, although confusion around process still stands
By Sarah Tewksbury, Staff Writer The USM Student Government Association (SGA) is determined to hit the ground running and work hard in the coming months of the 2017 semester, though not without challenges. The enthusiasm among the members of the SGA is met with low interest among nonparticipating undergraduate students. Even more, most students who have…
The implications of eliminating Obamacare
Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed his first executive order, which included a set of instructions for the federal government to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. This decision, which was a staple of his 2016 Republican Presidential campaign, has become a large topic of debate and discussion across the United States….
A Millennial’s Conscience: It’s almost like clockwork
By Bryer Sousa, Free Press Staff It’s almost like clockwork. Since 1979–the birth of neoliberalism (not the conception of neoliberalism, for its ideological roots may be traced back to the 1938 Walter Lippmann Colloquium as well as the 1947 Mont Pèlerin Society gathering)–the working class has been inundated with our elite’s overbearing adherence to a…
Important Tips to Know about Dropping/Withdrawing/Adding Classes
Janis Albright, USM Advisor Questions advisors are commonly asked pertain to the university’s add, drop and withdrawal policies for classes. Here are some tips for you to follow: Review the add/drop policies in your undergraduate catalog before each semester starts. Go to our university website, type “add drop policies” in the top right search bar,…
In 1950, my Grandmother attended Gorham Normal School
By Mary Ellen Aldrich, Community Editor Note: The spelling of my grandmother’s name differs from the customary “Charlene” and is instead spelled “Charleen” In the 1950s, when USM was known as Gorham Normal School (GNS), my grandmother, Charleen Ellen Lyons-Aldrich, attended her first semester of college here. Charleen’s fall semester ran from August 1950…
Letter from the USM Student Body President
Dear Friends, Welcome back to classes. I’m certain many of you are excited about starting new classes as you continue to pursue your academic goals. For me personally, I’m delighted to start a new semester at the beginning of a new year. For some, this gives us a much needed chance to start fresh. For…
Our opinion: You are fake news, President Trump
Written by the Free Press Editorial Board Since Donald Trump began his campaign, he has been relying on some negative sentiments of voters to gain popularity. It is plain to see that most media outlets are partisan, favoring either Democrats or Republicans, generally. Trump has taken full advantage of this fact, attacking news sources that…
Husky teams to keep an eye on this winter
Erin Brown, Sports Editor Though the spring semester has begun, winter sports are still in session. After nearly a month-long break, the winter sports teams at the University of Southern Maine still have nearly half of their season to play. Many teams have found success thus far and are hoping to continue on to the…
Album Review: A Dotted Line
You know those moments when you stumble upon an album so great, each song sends goosebumps down the nape of your neck? In their not-so-new but long-overdue album A Dotted Line, Nickel Creek has outdone themselves with a new creative spark of imagination in both song lyrics and overall music style. Each note seems precise,…
Anarchist Luddite: Give Me Your Yearning Masses and I’ll Vaguely Try to Keep Them Safe From Gun Violence
It’s surprising American students are allowed to study abroad because everyone knows we’re all gun-toting lunatics that pack heat while going to church and school. Right now my buddy Noah is studying abroad in Holland and I’m sure he’s hatching a plan to run amuck with his fully automatic assault rifle that he had stowed…
Letter from the Editor: How interviews have changed my perspective
Last week, I sat down with Andrew Kiezulas for an interview about the Students and Recovery group and his own experiences with addiction. Never have I felt more comfortable talking to someone than I did with Andrew. He greeted me with a hug and was very open and honest during our conversation. His words were…
Semester At Sea: The Return
By Joie Grandbois You can’t unknow things. You can’t unhear or un-see or un-taste. Short of full on amnesia, once you have an experience it is there, imprinted in your mind forever. Oh you might lose some of the details and over time the memory may change, but it doesn’t go away. You can’t…
Burn the Books: This post does not exist
By Martin Conte, USM Graduate “I’d like to sit down on a wooden chair,” she continued. “Not a concrete one or a metal one.” “You can sit down on whatever kind of chair you like,” I said. “I already have the chair in mind,” she said, “and I’m already sitting in it. It’s a wooden…
Sustainability & ME: Fill Your Belly, Not the Landfill
By Emily Eschner Wasting food – we’re all guilty of it from time to time. The head of lettuce you forgot about in your refrigerator. The extra helping you took at that party and were too stuffed to finish. It happens. The truth is, it happens way too much. But it’s not just you –…
Men Defeat Beacons in Overtime
By Nick Beauchesne The University of Southern Maine men’s basketball team won an overtime thriller Wednesday night against the UMass Boston Beacons in a Little East Conference game that, even with a month left in the regular season, had serious postseason implications. The Huskies (9-7 overall and 3-3 in-conference) were able to overcome a three-point shot…
Remembering Dr. King
By Thomas Fitzgerald As we return for another semester here at USM, we all gain an extra day off before adjusting to a full week of classes. This day off is in recognition of an important figure of American history, as it is dedicated to humanitarian and activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Although some…
Students of USM: Delaney Kenney
By Meaghan Gonsior Student Delaney Kenny jokingly describes herself as a “Super Senior,” double-majoring in Finance and Economics and minoring in geoscience. Her post-graduate goal is to become a CFO or CEO, preferably working in the renewable energy field. She’s passionate about LGBTQ rights and her recently adopted cat, Sugar. The former fuels her efforts…
USM Free Press Staff Bio: Nicholas Beauchesne
Nicholas Beauchesne, who goes by Nick, is the Sports Editor at the University of Southern Maine Free Press student newspaper. As an English major with a double minor in history and public and professional writing, Nick keeps himself busy at all hours of the day. Whether he’s reporting on a sports event, Substitute teaching as…
Luther Bonney computer lab set to be completed by May
In Luther Bonney, students meander around the atrium, some using computers that sit right outside the computer lab. Dusty footprints clutter the first floor, where construction that began in October is still in the works to be completed by the end of the semester. The plan for improvements, implemented by the previous administration, is meant…