The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences has been facing reorganization issues centered around the new Direction Package for USM, and CAHS professors are uncertain of the future direction of the college’s academic and financial success, but most agree that reorganization is necessary. The CAHS faculty has had two meetings over the past few…
Author: USM
Fiscal frugality hits finance and accounting at USM
Like USM as a whole, the School of Business is in a position where it needs to cut down on classes and faculty. However, the coming semester’s course catalogue has raised concerns that those cuts are harming accounting and finance majors disportionately. Michael Havlin, a senior business and economics major and an administrative assistant for…
Theft reveals student safety as key USM priority
Within hours of learning about the theft of master keys on Tuesday, the Department of Facilities Management implemented a rapid response to address potential security issues on campus. First, facilities identified and replaced the highest priority lock-changes to protect residential students’ safety and belongings. Then, they worked on areas of the university containing confidential and…
Vote yes on two: it’s a yes for U.
We have the chance to make a meaningful difference here at USM on Nov. 5. This opportunity involves everyone going to the polls and voting for Question 2, a bond issue that will grant the UMaine system $15.5 million toward science, technology, engineering and math lab and classroom upgrades. Of this $15.5 million, USM will…
Bonin: bike law trumps basic rights
The positive aspects of Maine’s new bicycle law, which promote safer cycling, are overshadowed by serious flaws in its construction. The new safety laws are at the expense of motorists’ rights. This new bicycle law requires motorists to prove their innocence in any collision with a cyclist that results in physical injury, regardless of the…
Lajoie: Sneaky tactics hurt the U.S.
The United States has recently come under fire from states around the world for shady intelligence gathering policies. While U.S. chief intelligence officials argue that these surveillance programs are necessary to maintain national security and the White House continues to dismiss the charges as nothing out of the ordinary, it is becoming increasingly clear that…
LePage insults Mainers by reviving Romney gaff
LePage is bringing back a failed strategy with his latest inflammatory comment. “About 47 percent of Mainers don’t work.” That’s what the governor said to a Maine women’s group at a conference last week. In case you were wondering, LePage is wrong. A minute’s research will show anyone that LePage didn’t get his information from…
USM Quick Hits
Men’s Soccer Huskies lose to Western Conn. St. 1-0 The men’s soccer team lost to Western Conn. State on Oct 19 by a score of 1-0. This is the tenth time this year the team has been shut out, and the second time in a row. The loss brings the team to a dismal 0-15-1…
NFL needs more than rules to fix concussion epidemic
For years, the NFL has downplayed the issue of the concussions its players suffer by merely adding stricter penalties. These penalties apply to acts such as tackling other players by their heads, deliberate helmet to helmet contact and late hits on players after the play has well ended, but NFL fans across the U.S. are…
Off the battlefield, drone technology helps out
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,…
Kidder: USM works hard to reach carbon neutrality
Here at USM, we signed on to the President’s Climate Commitment in 2007, which is an agreement to actively reduce the carbon emissions of our campus and operations, signed by college and university presidents around the country. USM has committed to being carbon neutral, or having no net greenhouse gas emissions, by 2040. Five years…
Our opinion: online classes a positive force
The Babson Research group found that nationally there was a 10.1 percent increase in online class enrollment from 2010 to 2011, despite an unparalleled 0.2 percent drop in total college enrollment. This means that online enrollment has grown a massive 10.3 percent ahead of national enrollment rates, with no sign of slowing. When things change…
Local Picks: Local Twitter Accounts
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…
Social media connects students in multiple ways
Addicted to social media? It’s okay, so is everybody else. Whether it be an occasional tweet or a Facebook birthday greeting, everyone, from your grandmother to your 10 year-old neighbor, is popping up online. In the Myspace days, it all seemed so new and exciting. Now, social media is just another part of our daily…
WMPG’s new show gets more students in the booth
USM students have an opportunity now to share their musical tastes not only with their friends, but also with listeners throughout New England. WMPG, USM’s community radio station, started a program, Husky Tunes, this semester in which students have the opportunity to host their own radio show. Students get to create a playlist with a…
USM online course offerings continue to grow
USM has ramped up its online class offerings over the past few years in the face of a system-wide push for more online credit hours. Because they are the two largest branches of the University of Maine System, USM and the University of Maine at Orono will account for much of the change in a…
Students combine art and science at CI2 lab
Assistant professor of design science and fine arts Raphael Diluzio and his CI2 lab are trying something new, working to combine fine arts with hard sciences. Diluzio runs the CI2 lab in which he is attempting to incorporate technology into the arts in the form of digital media. He was given an National Science Foundation…
Media Services works on tech’s front lines
Media Services, the department responsible for classroom technology maintenance, is moving forward with their effort to cut down on problems that arise from outdated software, and they are receiving support from the faculty, along with criticism. The university relies on technology in many ways, whether that means expanding the classroom to include online spaces, like…
Q2 could improve USM’s labs
In the midst of debates over funding and program cuts, USM may have the chance to give some laboratory space an upgrade. Question 2 on the Nov. 5 ballot will be a bond package that includes $15.5 million to update science labs and classrooms across the University of Maine System, including $4 million to be…
Science Cafe takes on cyber surveillance conversation
“You are watched by all sorts of people,” scientific systems administrator Edward Sihler of USM’s “Information and Innovation” program said when describing the subject of the discussion at the most recent Science Cafe. The subject of electronic surveillance and cyber security, said Science Cafe organizer Jennifer Dean, who is the director of communications at USM,…
Recommends: USM Theatre presents Night Sky
Plays aren’t just all romance, singing and dancing – sometimes, they’re just like real life. This weekend at Russell Hall the USM Theatre Department will debut its production of Night Sky that will run Thursday through Sunday. In Night Sky, a family fights and an accident happens in this story that any audience can relate…
National Review: B-Room, this old dog’s tricks are good enough
B-Room, released last Monday by rock band Dr. Dog, is less than adventurous, but who cares? This release is a continuation of what Dr. Dog is best at: churning out catchy indie-rock tracks that don’t require much intellectual capacity but are infinitely fun to listen to. The best thing about B-Room is its familiarity. These…
Let’s make Breaking Bad crystal clear: USM professor to release collection of Breaking Bad essays
Don’t worry, we aren’t going to spoil the ending for you. Whether you were glued to your television screen for the series finale or are only reading the Free Press during a short break from your Netflix binge, chances are you’ve watched Breaking Bad recently. And that means you know that it’s over. Some of…
From the president: it’s time to move forward
Your reactions to the Sept. 23 launch of our process to set strategic directions for this university were heard and have resulted in an improved and more clearly defined path forward. “What are the meaningful specifics about actions?” asked one member of the campus community. “We need to change but no clear direction given for…