You can find at least one story from The Free Press every year with a headline like this: “Faced with massive budget shortfall, colleges forced to make large cuts next year.” There’s a good chance the University of Southern Maine has been scrambling to make its budget every year you’ve been a student. A few weeks ago the deans of the colleges were informed they had to slash an extra $1 million from their budgets.
Category: Perspectives
Take Two with Mike Costa
By Mike Costa Returning to USM after having left many years ago has been…
Kelchner: In praise of whistleblowers
When former NFL great Deion “PrimeTime” Sanders announced with great fanfare he was founding…
O’Reilly: College passing you by? Rush for a change
Freshman will quickly come to realize that, at this age, change is the only constant as we all continue our quest for self- actualization. You may wake up one day to find that your best friend, hall mate or even your roommate has meandered down his/her own path, leaving you behind to ponder how things changed so much right under your nose.
Henry: Pixar choosing money over muse
Every movie production company has its ups and downs. Warner Brothers, Paramount, The Weinstein…
Kelchner: Fox News covers horse race over cash cows
On the night of the Florida primary, several friends and I went out to…
A case against holding the spring concert on campus
USM’s lack of community may be a reason for the unimpressive concerts in recent years, yet the university needs attractions like concerts to boost community.
Maine should vote for marriage equality
It’s rare that the country gets too worked up about voting in Maine. Though…
Simpson: Despite playoff loss, Tebow is NFL’s gain
Dubbed “God’s Quarterback,” Tim Tebow has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of Americans this NFL season.
Henry: Making the best of an ominous Mayan forecast
Every new year is a chance to start over, to wipe off all the…
Kelchner: Hitchens’ death a winter wake-up call
When the contrarian
Yudaken: Zen and the art of bird blogging
Like most people, I had never really considered birding. That was, until Sarah, my…
Generation trap: why gen-y is doing okay
Elijah Miller refutes those who feel his generation, gen-y or “digital natives,” are any worse than what came before.
My state-sponsored shopping cart
As a broke student, Amanda Pleau decided to apply for food stamps. Now she’s grappling with the stigma of going on welfare.
Misunderstood art of the “message song” — from Dylan to Gaga
Some artists are tagged as anthem writers against their will; others vie for the title a bit too hard.
Behind the Tobacco Ban / Q & A with Suzanne Roy
We talk with Suzanne Roy about her leadership in the move to ban tobacco products at USM — even the smokeless varieties, and even (possibly) on nearby sidewalks.
Gov. LePage ‘opens’ Maine / Q & A with Charles Colgan
Maine Governor Paul LePage has declared the state “open for business” with sweeping regulatory reforms, and a few aesthetic tweaks. Charles Colgan of USM’s Muskie School weighs answers our questions on the controversial campaign.
We’re all antisocialists now
Imagine yourself at a relaxation seminar and one of the gurus asks you to…
Building a safer cigarette
Electronic cigarettes offer smoking pleasure, sans smoke. I gave them a close look and a week of inhalation.
Pole position: why there’s nothing anti-feminist about stripping
“I can sell my body if I wanna, God knows you already sold your…
Letters/comments: 4.4.2011
Hatin’ on NPR Dear Paul Koenig, I read your piece entitled “A Low Tolerance…
Questions: Going Nuclear with Dr. Daniel Martinez
It’s clean; it’s safe; it’s too cheap to meter. That’s been the slogan of…
Revamping The Free Press newsroom
Do you read any websites that only update once a week? How about one that takes a three week break with school vacations? Well if you read our website then you do.
The Free Press has improved the last couple semesters, but our online effort is still lacking.
Be kind to your neighborhood monster
By monsters I mean vampires, zombies, werewolves, etc. You know, the ones that are…