When I walked into the Brooks Center in Gorham to get myself some much-needed coffee, I didn’t expect to have a beard-sighting, but this guy was hard to miss. His bright-white, full beard caught my eye and my caffeine kick was no longer the priority. What I noticed about Richardson specifically was that his hairy attire was missing a moustache.
Author: USM
Going Green
USM President Selma Botman signed an agreement last spring, committing the University to create a climate action plan and to choose the date by which the school would be carbon neutral.
But it’s been slow going. Facilities Management hired Bob Bertram as its new director shortly after the agreement was signed, and the process was shelved while he adjusted to the position.
No on 1
In the run up to the election on Tuesday, we feel as if we have heard every quip and quote that the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ On 1 campaigns could hurl at us.
Our mailboxes have been bursting with fliers, our public spaces littered with signs, and the Internet is so overrun with banner ads that we haven’t been able to see the top half of the Press Herald homepage for a week now.
Poem of the Week
In every backyard battlefield,
hordes of half-grown children play,
plaid cowboy shirts tucked into blue denim,
fringe flying, cheeks blazing.
Shoot ’em up, they scream,
each hand waving a silver pistol,
whirling a limp lasso; stolen clothesline tied to the hip.
Guest Column
Our tuition continues to dramatically outpace inflation, rising 5.8% this year, and 48% over the last six. So much strain has been placed on the students that the Board of Trustees voted to cap tuition increases at 6%, so as to not strain USM students any more than they already are.
Mihku Anderson:
Mihku Paul Anderson, a Creative Writing student in USM’s Stonecoast MFA Program, is a proud member of the Maliseet, one of the five groups that comprise the Wabanaki Confederacy. Raised near Penobscot Indian Island Reservation, her indigenous identity flows into everything she does.
The new “Lost”
“FlashForward,” a new Thursday night primetime sci-fi drama on ABC, might just be television’s most captivating mind-bender since “Lost” first aired in fall 2004.
The show’s premise is bizarre. Everyone in the world blacks out for two minutes and 17 seconds and sees visions of their lives six months into the future.
Boondock Buzz
The low budget crime thriller “Boondock Saints” is a staple of many college students’ DVD collections. Although nobody seemed to notice it in the theaters when it came out in 1999, it’s attained an almost cult-like following, grossing over $40 million in DVD sales.
Blame it on a simple twist of fate
A pair of psychic fortune tellers used tarot cards to predict the futures of around thirty students in the Brooks Student Center in Gorham last Thursday. The Gorham Events Board organized the event as part of their weekly Thirsty Thursday series.
The GEB decided to bring the fortune tellers in a last minute change of plans when the scheduled main event, a mind reader, was unable to come.
The bitter truth about two local coffee shops
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m picky about my coffee. I like to taste coffee. Sometimes I add soymilk, and sometimes I drink it straight up black. No matter how I order it, this particular beverage is a big part of my day.
Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts have their own rivalery story, and I’m not about to dive into that controversy.
Huskies Lose Emotional Game to Keene State on Senior Day
The USM men’s soccer team ended their season on a rough note, literally, losing to rival Keene State, 2-1 Saturday.
In a physical game marked by USM’s bad luck and missed opportunities, the Huskies watched their season end thanks to an own-goal and a miscommunication.
The Extra Point
‘Bright’ future for USM athletic facilities
Night games. Ah, night games. They give you that adrenaline rush that you don’t get from anywhere else, you know? It’s even better if it’s a nice playing surface too.
As a former athlete, I can attest that there is nothing better than to step out onto a turf field for a 7 o’clock start under lights high above.
SAAC Halloween party haunts the Hill
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee put on the 15th annual Halloween Party at the Costello Sports Complex in Gorham on Friday night.
After the student-athletes decorated the gymnasium with everything from ghostly paper streams to giant inflatable slides, the festivities kicked off and children and parents alike were able to enjoy the night’s activities.
Lady Monks rally past USM in a 4-1 win
The St. Joseph’s College Monks scored four unanswered goals to rally past the USM women’s soccer team 4-1 in a non-conference game played at Windham High School last Wednesday afternoon.
After a scoreless 31 minutes, USM freshman forward Catherine Wise (Cape Elizabeth) put the Huskies on the board after she took a pass from junior midfielder Heidi DeHaan (Lewiston) to score her fifth goal of the season.
Men’s cross-country sweeps LEC and Alliance Championships; women’s team takes second
The USM cross-country teams continued to be a dominating force in Division III cross country, as they participated in the Little East Conference and New England Alliance Championship in Keene, New Hampshire on Saturday. The men’s team swept both championships, and the women’s placed second.
USM Fall ’09 Awards
Men’s Cross Country:
Tyler Jasud- First Team All-LEC, three-time LEC Runner of the Week
Alex Gomes-First Team All-LEC, one-time LEC Runner of the Week
Justin Richardson- First Team All-LEC
John Vallo- First Team All-LEC
Women’s Cross Country:
Carly Dio
Gay marriage debate draws 500 to USM
A live televised debate on same-sex marriage drew 500 people to the Hannaford Lecture Hall Wednesday evening.
Baldacci asks UMS to cut $15 million over next two years
The University of Maine System may have to cut more than $15 million from its budget over the next two years.
Fries for fuel
Maine has always done a good job at highlighting abundant natural resources. It’s not hard to sell people on the buttery merits of a freshly steamed lobster — and just try to keep those leaf-peepers from pouring across the border to get a glimpse of our fall colors — but Portland’s most abundant resource lacks the same postcard appeal.
Hiring freeze thawed for police posts
The University recently granted permission to the police department to fill three vacant patrol officer positions despite a school-wide hiring freeze that has been in effect since 2007.
According to Craig Hutchinson, vice president of Student and University Life, a committee granted the request to fill the positions because of concerns of safety on campus.
Workstudy woes
More students are taking advantage of Federal Work Study money than they have in previous years, according to the financial aid office.
“What we’re seeing is that students this year are working more hours, earning more money than the same population same time last year,” said Keith Dubois, director of the financial aid office.
Free Press Voter’s Guide
On Nov. 3, Maine voters will be asked to vote on proposed changes to the state’s marijuana laws.
If Question 5 passes, it would be legal for nonprofit dispensaries to grow and sell marijuana to patients with prescriptions. The dispensaries would be regulated by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Hairy Maine
How long have you been teaching overall? at USM?
Since 1995 at USM. For sixteen years before that I was on the faculty in economics at William & Mary. I got tired of Virginia, and my wife and I (Susan Feiner, also a USM professor) were happy to take advantage of the offer to come back to New England at USM.
Letter from the Editor
USM students are the nurses, programmers, politicians and environmental activists of the future.
But while struggling to pay for their 15-credit semesters though, they are the wait-staff, work study students, and minimum wage slaves of today.
Oh yeah, and drug dealers, can’t forget those drug dealers.