Monday September 15
Model United Nations Organization Meeting-
Any student interested in world affairs, travel, leadership, education and great times is welcome./ 423 Glickman Library, Portland campus/ 7P.M.-8 P.M./ For more information email jelena.sarenac@maine.
It’s not the unveiling of the iPhone, or the switch from analog to digital TV.
But it may have been responsible for many students being able to breeze right past the administrative offices on the first day of the new semester.
Have you ever noticed that insane hippo-dragon hybrid that dons every box of Hannaford’s generic cereal? You know, the one with the rainbow striped shirt, white overalls, green scales, purple horns and a baseball cap? This maniac blatantly gets away with distributing other mascots’ cereal for almost half the price.
Mary Jane please.
Sept 9, 9:34 p.m. –
Drug violation at Anderson Hall, Gorham. Subject had possession of Marijuana and
drug paraphernalia. The subject was escorted to the police. 6 summons.
But where is it?
Sept 8, 2:01 p.m. –
Drug violation at Hastings Hall, Gorham.
“This is why they’re called heartbreakers,” said senior Rob Dorr after last week’s neck-and-neck match against the University of New England.
And it really was a heartbreaker – the Huskies weren’t losing until there were just 41.7 seconds left on the clock, when UNE rallied for the tie-breaker and a 9-8 come-from-behind win.
Coming out of the first half, the game was tied at five. The Huskies came out on fire, scoring three in the third quarter off the momentum they’d gained in the second. But they couldn’t maintain it, and couldn’t manage to score at all in the fourth quarter, while UNE maintained composure and fired four past senior goalie James Suriyodorn.
But, as he looked back on the game, Dorr admitted that it was one of the best the men played all season. “I was really pushing for us to pull it off,” he said, “but – shoulda,woulda, coulda.”
Richard Abrams teaches Bob Dylan. But not in the department you’d expect – Abrams is an English professor. And Dylan: his poet. His class, one of the many “topics in literature” courses numbered ENG 150, is always popular. We decided to sit down with Abrams and ask about why he loves – and teaches – the classic folk/rock/blues/country artist.
FP: When were you first turned on to Dylan?
Abrams: I was in college at McGill in Montreal; about ’65 I think. I asked a friend of mine, “so what is this with Bob Dylan?” and he said, “he’s a new folk singer who swallows his words.” I thought that was a pretty good description of Dylan, even now.
I grew up with folk singers, some of whom went on to become semi-famous. When I was in high school I just loved radio. It took a while for the penny to drop with Dylan. I liked him but I don’t think I was absolutely sold on him.
After a wonderful, crazy, life-guzzling semester of working on this newspaper, my career in college journalism is coming to a close.
And, after five years of taking leaky buses, questioning Aramark food, wondering when floor tiles would be replaced in various Luther Bonney classrooms and trying to take advantage of every opportunity that came my way, my career as an undergrad is also winding down.
A lot of faculty, administrators and students have been telling me lately that I’m “getting out at the right time,” based on the turmoil going on at this university.
Whether religious or not, many students have walked by the interfaith chaplaincy office on the Portland campus. In case any were wondering what goes on inside the little white building, it’s more than just a campus church.
The chaplaincy aims at “supporting religious and spiritual life in all of its expressions” and continues to do so through the education of beliefs, values and ethics.
The office supports a variety of religions and faiths and student, including the Baha’i, Christian, Jewish, Intervarsity (evangelical Christian), Muslim and Pagan associations, clubs and fellowships.
For those looking for a place to reflect, students and faculty members can visit “A Space Apart,” a room located in the interfaith office on the Portland campus, next to Payson-Smith. The chaplains encourage anyone to visit, meditate or pray there.
The chaplains – recognized leaders for each represented group or faith — meet monthly to plan events, which include “fish bowl” topics that model how to engage in dialogue with others who may not share your beliefs.
This semester, the team of associate chaplains has created a series of programs designed to discuss topics such as sex and sexuality, money and the environment.
Reverend Andrea Thompson-McCall is the USM interfaith chaplain, also serving as director of the office of community service and civic engagement.
The president’s office has overspent its budget by an average of $388,000 every year for the last four years, according to financial reports. Office supplies, paper – all those line items added up.
But the way the system worked, it never really mattered. Realistically, prior to 2007, there was no “real” budget in place to be overspent.
When a department at an institution like USM doesn’t have practical, transparent accounting practices, it’s prone to develop a “structural deficit,” said James O’Brien, the administrative assistant for the president’s office.
A structural deficit, he says, occurs when financial responsibilities of the department grow, but its budget stays the same.
To the last several generations of athletes, the presence of an athletic trainer is nothing special – they’re in the dugout, on the sidelines and in the clubhouse. They stand watch at games and even at many practices.
USM reports show the money to pay classified staff has shifted from state-appropriated funds to grants, gifts and fundraisers. The use of state funds to pay classified employees has been halved in the last three years. The money allotted by the state — along with tuition revenues — has decreased university-wide, forcing the university to decide between cutting positions or finding new ways to back the paychecks of classified staff.
Faculty salaries and benefits make up about 51 percent of USM’s budget. That’s upwards of $50 million that the university can’t really touch when it looks to cut nearly $7 million from next year’s budget to start moving USM back into the black.
Tenured faculty are almost guaranteed to keep their jobs, barring legal complaints, and both full and part-time faculty are protected by their respective unions.
Cuts are coming.
But the general feeling among USM’s professional staff is that ‘we’re grown-ups, we can take it.’ Looking toward July 1, on which date many of them might be losing their jobs in USM’s effort to cut nearly $7 million from next year’s budget, they’re wishing only to be given time to prepare for the worst, rather than be left in the dark.
In an attempt to eliminate USM’s debt, which has risen to the latest figure of $8.2 million, the university implemented a hiring freeze which, to date, has removed nearly 60 positions and $2.7 million from the institution and its budget.
The administration is using the hiring freeze as a mechanism that allows for review of every position that opens up, and lets them decide if the job is central enough to the university’s mission to rehire.
You may have seen him hanging around the art department in Gorham, a tall, lean man with long brown hair and beard to match. He’s the Art Guru, who also goes by Jeremy Green. He owns the Art Guru, an artist supply store in Gorham.
Recently, the Guru has been closed and the windows covered up. But not to worry, the store has only moved. It’s now located on Church St.
“This I think is a better location,” he said. “(Students) don’t have to drive.”
High rent prompted the move to the new, smaller space.
A Thank You Note
Dear Student Body,
I just wanted to thank all of the wonderful drivers who park in the Woodbury Campus Center main lot. Over the years my car has sustained a wealth of dings and dents from you parking too close and slamming your door into mine. I recently bought a newer vehicle and within a month received the biggest scratch yet!
The women’s lacrosse program will stick to the benches on Tuesday afternoon – while other Little East teams are vying for a place in Thursday’s semifinal round, USM has earned its first playoff bye – and first home playoff match – in recent history.
Heading into Saturday’s game against rival Keene State, they knew it would be a tough match – they’re a “fast, strong, good team,” said head coach Sue Frost.
April 28
Hosted by the English department, is “Believing Shapespeare: Religion in Shakespeare’s World and in His Plays.” This lecture is by David Scott Kastan of Columbia University, and will be held in the University Events Room. Free and open to the public/ 4:15 to 6:15 p.
You may have read in the April 7 issue of the Free Press about USM’s attempt to measure its movement towards a sustainable campus through STARS – a new sustainability assessment system.
Students and faculty alike have joined forces in an extremely motivated attempt to figure out where USM has been and where it is going in terms of environmental friendliness.
Two former students were convicted last month for their involvement in one of the ’06 bomb threats. While they serve 30-day sentences, police are closing in on a male suspect who allegedly phoned in the threat.
Erin Grade, 20, of Rockland, and Geneva Benner, 20, of Thomaston, were sentenced at separate hearings in March.
The USM baseball team flexed their offensive muscles last week and picked up three non-conference wins before heading into the final stretch of conference play.
Led by juniors Anthony D’Alfonso (Westbrook) and Chris Burleson (Portland), the Huskies slugged their way to come-from-behind wins against Thomas and Endicott and coasted by Bates to move their overall record to 22-9 on the season.
June is in the late stages of breast cancer, having had an unsuccessful mastectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy.
Her prognosis is grim; yet it is her friends who experience the most difficulty in coming to grips with her mortality.
Bryony Lavery’s “Last Easter,” staged by the USM department of theatre and directed by theatre faculty member Thomas A.
My goal with “From the Right” was not to promote argument, but rather to influence change.
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain are always talking about change — Barack is running his campaign on “change.”
Change, however, is not just talking about it.
When you talk to Selma Botman about budgets and 26 programs and community and university morale, her eyes glaze over. It’s not that she isn’t interested, and she’s certainly articulate – it’s just that autopilot has kicked in.
Botman is moving into the USM president’s house in Gorham on July 1 to begin her new role as USM’s queen bee – but in the meantime, she’s still working out of the City University of New York’s chancellor’s office, which means that she isn’t yet immersed in the daily goings-on of USM.