After the Boston bombing last week, we had coverage streaming in the newsroom nonstop, but we noticed something –– every major broadcast outlet had serious issues, such as misinformation or late reporting, with their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. CNN, in particular, seemed to be arguing with themselves over what information proved true at…
Author: USM
Things of the Week: Republican conventions & the Boston bombing
Boston Marathon bombing I’d been trying to write this piece for the last few days, but I kept getting distracted by news coverage of the Boston marathon bombing. I had the document open on my computer, ready to explain how personal and visceral the attack was to New England residents, but the rapidly evolving story…
Baseball: USM win streak snapped at 19, Lions triumph 6-1
The USM baseball team last played the Wheaton College Lions on Thursday in Norton, Mass., routing them 15-3. On Sunday, they faced off again, with the Huskies holding on to a 19-game win streak as they took the field in Gorham. Lions starter Mike Gibbons, backed by an errorless defense, wouldn’t allow that streak to…
Local Top 5: Places for one and two on campus
1.) Abromson Center Do yourself a favor – drink a lot of water during the school day and visit the Abromson bathrooms on your way to the parking garage. We swear a top-notch custodian must clean these every ten minutes, because they’re always so clean. It might also be because students don’t often have class…
Local Album Review: Burrow by Max Garcia Conover
Guys with guitars are a dime a dozen. Who cares how good their “Wonderwall” covers are, you just don’t want to deal with them, right? Well, let’s just say if Maine-based songwriter Max Garcia Conover showed up at a party offering to play songs off of his full-length debut album Burrow, you wouldn’t tell him…
National Album Review: Tell Where I Lie by Fossil Collective
Fossil Collective’s debut album Tell Where I Lie is a great listen, but it’s not anything you haven’t heard before. The duo Jonny Hooker and David Fendick have been toeing the line of commercial success with this band for years now, gaining internet buzz and collecting a slew of followers on essentially every social media…
Senior art students celebrate, open end of the year gallery
The Gorham Art Gallery was packed on Friday night as graduating studio art majors gathered for the art program’s annual BFA exhibition in a both a celebration and a culmination of their undergraduate careers The exhibition is part of a senior seminar class taught by Distinguished Professor of Art Rose Marasco, and represents the culminating…
Campus Safety Project coordinator worries about the future of the project
The coordinator of the Campus Safety Project, Clara Porter, is worried that the project will be threatened following the end of its 3-year grant funding at the close of the semester. “I’m concerned about the continuity of the project given all of these circumstances,” said Porter. “When you make changes fast and they have such…
Budget cuts impede university communication
While many faculty and USM staff members are still reeling from the recent announcement detailing position and budget cuts, the administration admits to finding it difficult to communicate proactively with them. According to Provost Michael Stevenson, part of the reason that communication has been minimal is because of the short amount of time the administration…
Administration gives specifics on budget cuts at USM, details layoffs
In an email sent to USM students, faculty and staff on Wednesday, President Theo Kalikow released details on $5 million in cuts, the majority of which showed faculty and staff reductions, to be made to the USM budget for the 2013-2014 school year. Of the cuts, $3.1 million identified to date will come from from…
Speaker sparks controversy at USM
In an interview with The Free Press, Guy Hammond expressed a hope that his event Friday and Sunday, “Caring Beyond the Margins,” would help to provide a bridge between the LGBTQ community and the Christian community, a hope which was borne out, after a fashion, in the diversity of the population which turned out to…
Athletics budget barely takes a hit
While academics is shouldering a hefty 63.4 percent of the $5 million budget shortfall at USM, the Athletics Department will only see a cut of less than 2 percent in its operating budget. In addition, the recreation manager position has been eliminated and another position related to equipment management will see a reduction in pay….
Our opinion: Budget cuts in a larger context
The results are in, ladies and gentlemen, and the axe has fallen across the board, but particularly in the area of academic affairs, with a whopping 63 percent. Cuts like that can’t help but affect the education of USM students, and as students, we are concerned. It’s easy to get caught up in the effects…
LGBTQ panel helps fill current gap in nursing curriculum
From our very first semester taking nursing classes at USM, the emphasis has been on providing safe and high quality care to our patients. Unfortunately the nursing curriculum has come up short in its attempts to provide its students with an education that fully takes into account the diversity of the patients we will encounter,…
Guy Hammond does a lot of talking, but not a lot of explaining
Guy Hammond says a lot in his seminars and sermons. He preaches for Christians to be polite and passionate in their tolerance of gay people. And he definitely does a lot of talking, but not a lot of explaining. Hammond, who calls himself an “ex-gay,” runs the Strength in Weakness Ministry and its accompanying website….
USM President Theodora Kalikow outlines position and spending cuts
USM President Theodora Kalikow released a statement by email, outlining actions that the university administration has already taken to meet the $5 million in budget cuts USM will endure in the next fiscal year. “This is very difficult work, so it is important to remind ourselves that this university is an agent of change for…
University of Maine System complaint partly targets USM faculty
Recently, the University of Maine System administration has filed an official complaint with the Maine Labor Relations Board against Associated Faculty of the University of Maine union members for following what administrators consider to be “prohibited practices,” and at least one of the points of complaint is specific to USM faculty who are currently operating…
Charter schools: The way of the future, or a Paul LePage pipedream?
In recent months, several conservative governors in the U.S. – notably Chris Christie of New Jersey and Paul LePage of Maine – have come out strongly in favor of charter schools. In both cases, strong opposition has sprung up from the other side of the aisle. Under the current system, enacted in 2011, students choosing…
Local Top 5: Vegan Must Eats
1.) Silly’s While Silly’s isn’t an exclusively vegan restaurant, it made the list because it’s a local gem and one of the best places to get well-prepared falafel. Silly’s has been delighting customers since 2002 with a fun, homey atmosphere that really captures the essence of Portland, and they’ve been winning awards along the way….
National Album Review: Wolf by Tyler, the Creator
Tyler, the Creator has outdone himself with Wolf, which sounds like his most engrossing work yet. The eccentric, foul-mouthed Odd Future ringleader is still rapping without a filter, but he seems to be more focused in his third release (as focused as he can be, at least). A collection of misanthropic confessions and, of course,…
Music education faculty halved due to university budget cuts
Budget cuts at the university have affected all departments, but the School of Music may have taken a heavier blow. At the end of the semester, lecturer of music education Steve Bizub’s position will be cut, leaving the program to one professor. On Wednesday night the entrance to Corthell Hall was flooded with boisterous USM…
Olympic winner has the golden touch
Joan Benoit Samuelson made history 29 years ago when she crossed the finish line at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to become the first ever Women’s Olympic marathon winner. Last Wednesday, Samuelson made an appearance on the Portland campus to talk about her role in breaking the gender barrier but also spoke personally about the…
Our opinion: It’s time for the facts
We’ve been arguing a lot here at The Free Press lately over, you guessed it, the recent budget cuts at USM. Trying to decide exactly what to write this editorial about, we decided that we couldn’t actually agree or come to a conclusion on any argument that related to the cuts. That pesky $5 million…
USM merges facilities staff
The USM Department of Facilities Management is consolidating control of grounds and maintenance staff previously under other departments in a merger aimed at creating greater efficiency in handling facilities related concerns on campus. Currently, the Athletics and Residential Life Departments have their own custodial and grounds staffs to maintain their facilities. Under the merger, which…