Category: Perspectives

The current series of convocation events are an olive branch from the school’s administrative branch to the faculty, staff, and students ofUSM, allowing them a say in the restructuring effort that, upon completion, will likely totally change the university.

When I’m not reporting for the Free Press, compulsively updating Twitter or avoiding homework, I like to read trashy books about cut-throat political campaigns. The most recent contribution, Game Change, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, has captivated my attention for the past week with its fly-on-the-wall look at the 2008 presidential race, so revealing that at times I physically cringe while reading.

I hope this message finds you enjoying the beginning of the semester. Much has already changed at USM this academic year, and that my friend, is just the beginning. Due to the current financial climate of our state and our university, the administration is forced to make difficult decisions regarding what aspects of USM to preserve and what not to.

Last Friday, in his column in The New York Times, Paul Krugman fired back against what he calls “the sudden ubiquity of deficit scare stories.” Krugman claims that the short-term deficits are no cause for major concern. He equates the current “hysteria” with the groupthink prevalent amongst Americans in 2003, which helped support the decision to invade Iraq.

“Do you have a Band-Aid?” I had cut myself and stopped into my campus’ Health Center.

“No, we don’t. Sorry.” As the lady behind the desk looked up at me and my blood, I waited for the punchline. When none came, I looked around for the sign that would assure me that I was in the right place.

Greetings USM Students! In order to keep all of you better informed about what’s going on with your student activity fee money and with what student government is doing to make your voice heard by the university administration we are going to be writing a press release every few weeks telling you what SGA has been up to.

I’m the first to admit I spend way too much time on Twitter. I use it constantly to find and share news stories, post irreverent haiku, and stalk professional journalists. To many, the social networking sight seems pointless. But as a journalist, Twitter is invaluable.

During his State of the Union speech, President Obama focused on the American economy. Successfully pinpointing its plight, he proposed a jobs bill to help get Americans back to work and stimulate the economy. The President also proposed increasing exports through trade agreements, investing in the skills and education of Americans, reforming health care and bringing down budget deficits.

Watching Conan O’Brien go down in flames was the high point of the month for me. Like many of his fans, I never watched the Tonight Show-I don’t own a TV-but he has always been my favorite late night host. So when Conan declared war on NBC for demoting him by switching his show’s time, I watched online and laughed with my fellow fair-weather fans as he introduced “insanely expensive” new characters like the “Bugatti Veyron Mouse,” while playing the original master recording of “Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones.

Over the arrival of the New Year, I spent time wondering as usual about what could possibly inspire young people to collectively form a movement, or, to ignore one. There are signs everywhere that societal progression is constantly and consistently happening (although never without a debate), right? As much as it seems a change gon’ come, something still feels like it’s tugging at that notion, insisting that perhaps the change isn’t going to be as universally progressive as just technologically and sexually evolved.

Now, I am not given to having a conversation with myself very often, but the other day I walked over to the Woodbury Campus Center and did just that. I said to myself, and out loud, “USM’s student center sucks.” Really, it is abominable and depressing.

I have been in there thousands of times over the last few years and, frankly, I cannot remember wanting to stay in the building, even to eat.

Perhaps one of the most disturbing pieces of economic information released in last week’s news was that Goldman Sachs reported record profits of $4.9 billion for the fourth quarter of 2009 for a total of $13.4 billion for the year.

Meanwhile, 15.3 million Americans remain unemployed.

This newspaper has done more in defining my college experience than anything else I have been involved in.

We have a running joke-albeit a dark one-that The Free Press is one devoted person away from not coming out each week. It would be funny if it weren’t true.

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These days we can get a lot done from the comfort of our computer chair. We can pay our bills, get a degree, find a job, find our soul mate or simply buy another computer chair.

Modern society has chosen to do these activities online in the name of convenience.

I hope you all enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday and have come out of your turkey comas ready to tackle the last few weeks of the semester.

So far this year, you’ve witnessed some distinct changes at USM; such as the combination of Advising Services, Office of Early Student Success and Career services into the Student Success Centers- which are located on all three campuses.

As you may have heard, this is the first of many changes that USM will be undergoing over the next few years. These changes are in part due to budget cuts. Our administrators are working tirelessly to make very difficult decisions on our behalf, with the intention of obtaining the best possible outcome for USM past, present and perspective students.

It’s that time of year, you can almost feel it in the air. The hustle, the bustle, the last-minute checklists, the stress.

Yes, it seems like just yesterday you were working down your list, checking you had everything taken care of, but it’s November, and class registration is upon us once again.

As a matter of full disclosure, I am probably the last person who should be advising any sort of promptness in class registration.

On October 30th, four people were “kicked out” of the USM Glickman Library. We question both the motives behind this action and the objectivity of the reporting. The sensationalist use of the term “sex offender,” in the title of Dan MaCleod’s article demonstrates a lack of critical analysis. However, this is not our major concern.

This should have been a victory letter. But I won’t drone on about my disappointment over last Tuesday’s election results. The people voted, the ballots were tallied, and the masses came out on top.

But that does not mean I have to be okay with it. Sure, this is a democracy, a form of government I fully support – the fairest, most populist form you could ask for.

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.

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.

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.

USM students pay various fees for “services” provided by the college. Some of these fees, included in all student bills, goes to the “transportation” services of the school. Services like a shuttle to Gorham, so useful to us with our own vehicle or with no classes EVER in Gorham.

The military is not a subject I would particularly like to tackle. There are all these branches, all these rules and regulations, and basically a lot of things I have no idea about. I mean, I guess I have ideas. but there are some things one just can’t totally get unless one has had some firsthand experience.