By: Alexander Holderith, USM ’20 In the Sept. 24 edition of The Free Press, I read the article called “Beneath the (Godless) steeple: How the left is a church,” and being one of the many quiet Conservatives on campus, I took interest. Like any engaged republican, I had seen this idea before in many right leaning…
Author: USM
Collins’ handling of Kavanaugh nomination “sickening”
By: Anthony Emerson, USM ’19 On Feb. 9, 1950, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith — at the time the only woman in the United States Senate and one of just a handful in any political office nationwide — stood in front of the United States Senate and delivered a speech decrying the system of witch hunts…
Office of Sustainability launches online swap
By: Liz Trudel, News Editor USM’s Waste Minimization Policy, which was enacted by the President’s Council on Climate Neutrality on Nov.13, 2012, states that USM is committed to reducing waste and increasing efficiency in all aspects of campus operation. In order to help achieve the goals outlined in this policy, USM’s Office of Sustainability recently…
Possible changes to sexual misconduct procedures
By: Julie Pike, Editor-in-Chief Working under interim guidance from the Department of Education, university Title IX coordinators are waiting to hear how new regulations are going to change procedures for schools in handling sexual assault or harassment reports. Last September, the Department of Education put forth an interim guidance document, overturning two documents from 2011…
Free tuition part four: middle-class students
By: Valerie Kazarian, Staff Writer Offering tuition benefits has reached many over the years and until recently the middle class could afford it, too, without assistance. But over the years, particularly since the recession in the early 2000’s, college affordability has become problematic for the middle class. Borrowing is often seen as a necessary part of…
Music freshman go busking in Portland
By: Jacob Forbes, Staff Writer Matt Wiltshire, Ed Mitchell, and Josh Hyssong all arrived at USM’s School of Music in September for their first semester as music education majors. Like any other freshman, they were soon enmeshed in the adjustment to a new lifestyle. But Mitchell quickly realized that he could continue something in college that…
USM Event Highlights – Oct. 11 – 18
Courtesy of Maureen Puia, PR/Events Promotion Associate Below is just a teaser of the many events happening in the week ahead at USM. For more, check out Public Affairs Event Highlights. For ALL events at USM, please follow USM’s Calendar of Events. October 11 Today! 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the USM Career Hub is hosting…
USM homecoming and family weekend 2018
By: USM The University of Southern Maine invites you to Homecoming & Family Weekend. Alumni, students, friends, and families are welcome to enjoy athletic conference games and Alumni games, an old-fashioned band concert, family entertainment, a Casino Night, and Octoberfest-a Fall celebration with food trucks, novelty activities, and much more. FRIDAY, October 12th Schedule of…
Upcoming events Oct. 4 – Oct. 11
From Maureen Puia, PR/Events Promotion Associate Below is just a teaser of the many events happening in the week ahead at USM. For more, check out Public Affairs Events Highlights. For ALL events at USM, please follow USM’s Calendar of Events. October 4 Don’t miss the opening reception tonight for Artist-in-Residence Daniel Minter’s exhibition “OTHERED, Displaced from Malaga,”…
Sustainability & ME: Tips for a sustainable autumn
By Camille Williams, USM Eco-Rep With the colder months not too far ahead of us, it’s a great time to start thinking about ways to stay sustainable. It can be difficult to keep riding a bike to campus when it’s freezing out or to grow your outdoor vegetables when the ground is cold. Keep on…
Working on Wellness: Don’t let the flu get to you
By Lisa Belanger, Director of Health Services Recognize this guy? He is this year’s version of the flu bug and he has decided to make an early appearance in Maine. Make no mistake, he’s a nasty critter that leaves his victims feeling pretty wiped-out with fever, body aches, sore throat, runny nose, cough and headache. How…
Beneath the (Godless) steeple: how the left is a church, part two
By Garrick Hoffman, Staff Writer In last week’s installment, I began to describe how today’s secular left is not without religious parallels, and often in a hardline fashion. Although their religious parallels are becoming more and more recognized, I nonetheless explained how the left is prone to essentially believe in inherited sin; however, this is…
Huskies Field Hockey falls 3-0 to St. Joseph’s
By Cullen McIntyre, Staff Writer Last Thursday night under the lights at Hannaford Field saw the (4-3) Huskies Field Hockey team matchup against the (9-1) St. Joseph’s Monks. Coming into the matchup the Huskies had just lost 6-0 to Bowdoin College last Sunday and were hoping to get a win at home. The Huskies looked…
Preservation of humanity, power of art
By Jacob Forbes, Staff Writer For any USM student who has yet to visit the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) this year, there is a current exhibition that might just catch their eye. Painter and Poet: The Art of Ashley Bryan brings a room to life with scenes from African folktales, Harlem Renaissance Poems, American slave…
Value of deaf culture, ASL and awareness
By Marx Aldrich, Arts & Culture Editor & Elliot Caron, Staff Photographer Deaf culture is a rich culture with a unique language. American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture are what form the basis of the Deaf community. Deaf culture has its own art, language, history, values, societal norms and its own community. The International Week…
Free tuition part two: programs across the U.S.
By Valerie Kazarian, Staff Writer There are three major categories of free college tuition offers in this country. One is a package put together by financial aid offices at each school. These schools combine federal and state grants for individual students, supplemented with small amounts of school funds, to total the cost of tuition. To qualify…
Public policy forum at USM
By Valerie Kazarian, Staff Writer Maria Echaveste, former advisor and Deputy White House Chief of Staff in the Clinton administrations and one of the highest-ranking Latinas to have served in a presidential administration, spoke on Sept. 27 at the 2018 Betta Ehrenfeld Public Policy Forum in Wishcamper Hall. The talk was co-hosted by the Frances…
Students sign petition for better food from Sodexo
By Liz Trudel, News Editor “We are sick of the lack of options and healthy choices on the USM Gorham campus,” stated Cameron Labrie, a sophomore exercise science major. Labrie facilitated a Change.org petition which accumulated 112 student-signatures, approximately eight percent of a residential community of 1,350, after it launched last saturday. “We pay thousands…
Working on Wellness: The Indispensability of Social Connection
By: Victoria Libby M.S.Ed., Psy.D. & Hilarie Fotter, M.S. In this age of constant contact through social media, are we really connecting? I’m talking about the full definition – the one that includes a sense of belonging. Are you feeling that? There is the risk that all this connection through social media cuts back on the…
The language of learning
By: Valerie Kazarian, Staff Writer Language is fascinating. On a blue wall in Woodbury, prominently displayed at one entrance, is a world map with “Welcome” emblazoned in the center. “Welcome” is surrounded by like greetings in dozens of other languages. This display visually represents the diversity of USM. But USM’s diversity is not limited to…
Sustainability & ME: How to travel with a conscious
By: Kassidy Wright, USM Eco-Rep Over the summer, I was fortunate to visit Portugal for the fourth time. All my life, traveling has been a passion of mine. Prior to Portugal, I have visited Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic. Portugal is home to lush forests, stunning beaches, diverse cityscapes, crystal-clear waters,…
Letter to the editor: Pro name change to connect more with Portland
By Jeffrey Ahlquist, USM ’19 The name change of the University of Southern Maine to the University of Maine Portland will only be implemented if the studies being conducted suggest that the enrollment of out-of-state students will have greater benefit than the cost of undergoing a name change. If the research shows that the return on…
Letter to the editor: USM name change would be rejection of identity
By: Spencer McBreairty, 2014 USM Alum Dr. Glenn Cummings: I graduated from USM in 2014. What makes my experience unique is that when I entered USM in the Fall of 2009, as a resident of Dickey-Wood Hall in Gorham, the institution appeared to be thriving. Gorham was an active campus, Dickey-Wood was full and students were…
Beneath the (Godless) steeple: How the left is a church
By: Garrick Hoffman, Staff Writer In an epoch of rising secularism in America, with Pew Research Center reporting a six-point jump from 16 to 22 percent of Americans claiming atheism, agnosticism or non-affiliation of a religion, we are hearing at seemingly higher frequency a barrage of scathing criticism aimed at religion. The late Christopher Hitchens,…