Paul Nelson, first year political science major, has already been working to make changes at USM and hear all student voices. Nelson is originally from Old Town and is a 2012 graduate of Old Town High School. Right after high school Nelson enlisted in the National Guard where he worked in the United States to…
Author: USM
Students study with artist Anna Helper
In an effort to describe and defy artistic comfort zones and exploring art forms, visiting artist Anna Hepler dedicated her Thursday afternoon on Nov. 14, speaking to students and faculty at USM in Burnham Lounge of Robie-Andrews Hall. Some of her pieces have been featured in exhibitions from Suyana Space in, Seattle, WA to the…
Arts & Culture Recommends: “Circus in the Streets” on First Friday
First Friday Art Walk is going to be different this December, circus acts different. Plans for the monthly event include a debut performance by world renowned performers from the Circus Conservatory of America an organization founded to make Portland Maine the first city in the nation to host a dedicated circus arts college. Portland’s Holiday…
National Review: Davis does a lot with a little
Guy Davis, American bluesman and storyteller, shows the priceless value of acoustic blues on Juba Dance. Although modern unamplified blues is not as prominent as it should be in the mainstream music scene, advances in the style are still being made on a regular basis. Guy Davis is at the forefront of the style. His…
Local Review: Spose tries role as Andre 3000
For everyone who has had their fingers crossed, hoping for Andre 3000 and Big Boi to reunite and drop a classic Outkast album, we’ve got good news for you. No, Outkast isn’t back, but Maine-native Spose has resurrected some of the best beats from their vault giving the world another full album of backwoods rap…
Buffer zone protects patients and protesters
Portland’s new buffer zone ordinance is a lawful and efficient approach to protecting women’s rights to reproductive health care. Accounts of harassment and intimidation required intervention by the City Council through an ordinance restricting the space where anti-abortion activists can protest. Congress street in downtown Portland has become a virtual war zone in which patients’…
Editorial: USM’s future trumps press access debate
Since the start of the Direction Package Advisory Board meetings in November, the group has questioned the admittance of the press at those meetings, though they are open to the public. In short, the openness of these meetings is of the utmost importance for the community’s involvement in decisions about the future of this university….
Americans like it hot, but turn that thermostat down
America needs to turn the heat down, starting with USM. Dorms are blazingly hot, and by about mid-October, classroom windows close, and it feels like the thermostats are set to progressively hotter, whatever the current temperature. Moisture is sucked from the air while students dizzily try to concentrate on the professor during class. Sure, apparently…
Top winter destinations
The days are getting colder and before you know it, winter will be here. With the end of fall sports and the semester drawing to a close, wouldn’t now be the best time to just sleep the days away? Then again, why sleep when you can take advantage of winter and all the activities that…
Boehner Undermines Democracy with Opposition to ENDA
Speaker Boehner’s intolerance of ENDA’s presence in the House unveils a weakness in democracy. Much work has been done not only around the state of Maine, but around the nation to reduce discrimination in the workplace. The recent passing of a controversial bill in the Senate is a pivotal step in the advancement of legislation…
University of Maine System and faculty union reach a tentative agreement
On November 15, the Associated Faculties of the Universities of Maine and University of Maine System came to a tentative agreement on faculty contracts which have been under negotiation since the expiration of the previous contract on June 30, 2011. The contract negotiations, which have been stalled over numerous issues, notably healthcare and cost of…
Kidder and Sawyer: bike or walk your way to savings
Most ways you slice it, commuting via single occupancy vehicle seems less attractive than alternative modes of transportation such as biking and walking. The financial savings alone should make you think twice about your transportation options but there are also great environmental impacts to biking or walking, plus you can exercise while getting to class….
Stevens: Marijuana legalization doesn’t change much
While it is certainly nice that the city of Portland has shown its symbolic support for the legalization of marijuana, I believe your editorial of support for the measure does a disservice to your readers. Firstly, as our friends at The Maine Campus corrected themselves over a similar report over a decade ago (“Legal Affairs”…
Top 12 Portland Twitter Accounts That Matter
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…
Bonin: LePage needs a lesson in collaboration
LePage thinks that it’s his responsibility to run Maine, not lawmakers’. Early last week, Governor LePage received a letter signed by 24 Maine Legislative Democrats apprising him that his recent actions in carrying out previous rhetoric, in which he mandated the state of Maine will be governed by him, not by legislative committees, is a…
Congress fights battles without regard for citizens
Congress members are out of touch with the constituents they serve. This is apparent from the impasse in communication that caused the federal government to screech to a halt affecting millions of Americans. The abrupt halt in government was not really about the deficit: the deficit rhetoric was merely a guise for Republicans to try…
Students have mixed reactions to renovations
According to Executive Director of Facilities Management Robert Bertram over $7 million has been spent on renovation projects at USM this calendar year. This number will increase to over $12 million when the projects are totally finished. Some of the most recent projects have been the installation of the stamped asphalt outside Luther Bonney Hall…
Direction Package Board holds first meeting
The Direction Package Advisory Board met for the first time on Friday in the Brooks Student Center in Gorham to discuss tactics and strategies for creating a cohesive direction package that will be presented to the Board of Trustees. Approximately 30 people were assembled at the meeting in order to represent a broad cross-section…
USM’s labs to get a makeover thanks to Q2
Last Tuesday’s election may not have been the flashiest or most controversial, but the passage of one of the referendum questions on the ballot is good news for USM. University of Maine System Chancellor James Page thanked voters for the passage of Question 2, the bond issue for funding for STEM classroom and lab renovations…
Senate and Chancellor discuss hiring issues
Faculty aired many of the same concerns they expressed in the October senate meeting at last week’s senate, but this time with University of Maine System Chancellor James Page in attendance. Page, who was invited to attend the meeting by Faculty Senate Chair and physics Professor Jerry LaSala, arrived in Gorham in time for some…
Legislators and students to discuss education
EDTalks, a public forum in the format of question-and-answer sessions for students who want to have a voice in education on a local and state-wide level, is being brought into existence through The Free Press in collaboration with the student body vice president, Marpheen Chann. Chann emphasized that the event is a place for students…
Student profile: Shadiyo Hussainali shares her aspirations
Shadiyo Hussainali is a third year biology major with a focus in pre-med at USM. Hussainali currently is living in Portland and spends a lot of her time on the Portland campus. The places she frequents vary every semester, but she consistently spends much of her time in the multicultural center located in the Woodbury….
“Politics Then and Now” becomes a “then”
The Muskie School of Public Service and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute hosted its last presentation in the series “Politics Then and Now, In Maine and the Nation” for 2013, which began in September. Next March, they will have gubernatorial candidates speak. Former state Senator Cynthia Dill, Representative Kenneth Fredette, the current Republican leader in the…
Arts & Culture Recommends: The Cripple of Inishmaan
This weekend at Russell Hall, comedy manifests itself in politically incorrect and somewhat offensive humor. Liberal college students are welcomed to this button-pushing production. “The show is unkindness wrapped in comedy,” said sophomore theatre major Zac Stearn, who plays the protagonist Billy Claven, referred to as “Crippled Billy,” in the USM Theatre Department’s production of…