Category: Perspectives

We’re currently witnessing a historical election. There hasn’t been a more stark difference between the Democratic and Republican candidates in recent history than what we see today. We also have two candidates who couldn’t have had a more different upbringing and, as a result, have acutely contrasting personalities.

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.

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!

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.

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.

You see them day in and day out as you pass by them in the line for sandwiches or the cash register. But do you know who they are? We wandered through Aramark services on both campuses seeking out some of students’ favorite cafeteria staff. Not all of them were forthcoming, including everyone’s favorite, Jan, in Gorham, who shooed us away.

Hello USM Students,

This is your first report from me, Ben Taylor, your new Student Body President. While I’ll be working on some things over the summer, I’ll save a lot of the important stuff for these letters when we come back in the fall.

Let me first congratulate outgoing Student Body President A.

Midway through production on Saturday night, the handful of Free Press staff still awake to copy-edit pages decided that this was our “exposé” issue.

Full of attempts to uncover what’s going on around here – telling why Words + Images published without images, how USM enrollment might actually be aided by a national recession and printing “confidential” email correspondences between administrators – we felt a little bit, well, dirty.

Does it ever get to you?

You know, whatever that “it” may be: the long winter, traffic, the pseudo version of NASCAR that goes on in the parking garage after classes, or even something as simple as the price of gas?

Well, it has gotten to me. My family says I am obviously in a “mood,” and I am not sure if I disagree.

My Fellow Students:

Well, it’s been a hell of a year hasn’t it? With all of the events and happenings swirling around campus this year, it seems to have ended more quickly than I could have imagined. In a year marked by a new incoming president, budget woes and worries, new buildings, new construction and tough times for those within the student involvement community, I am looking towards graduation while trying to summarize not only the last year but my last four years at USM.

I’ve noticed that conservatives are the people who are coming up with solutions that are free of government control.

Our greatest and smartest leaders usually do not hold a public office. If they were to run for office they’d be taking a pay-cut. My gut tells me a liberal would call it greed.

This week’s paper and a handful of events in the past week have reminded me how difficult it is to be a student and a journalist at the same time.

I’m not talking about the scheduling conflicts between a 60-hour workweek at the Free Press and a full course load – I’m talking about the various potential conflicts of interest with which student journalists grapple when they write about the university with which their lives are entwined.

I appreciate Dustin Gilbert’s portrait of Dean Scontras’ candidacy for US Congress.

I am unaware of an effort made by Mr. Scontras to come to USM, as many other candidates have done, but I feel his presence would facilitate an exchange of ideas beneficial to the entire USM community.

Dear Free Press,

This letter is in response to “Don’t believe the hype around Democrats” published on April 7.

First and foremost I would like to thank you for allowing Mr. Gilbert to contribute to our school newspaper. It is very important for a publication such as The Free Press to contain varying view points, different ideas, and suggestions which allow its readers to obtain different perspectives on a myriad of issues.

I am a minority. When I go into a class where I know politics will be discussed, I usually come braced for debate.

In an American government class last semester, however, I wanted to see what would be discussed if I didn’t make my conservative presence known.

How long have you been in Maine?

Since the early 1970’s. I moved here immediately after graduating (undergrad) and was part of the back-to-the-land movement, and built a little place out in the woods.

A place in the woods?

That was a time when people were disillusioned with the Vietnam War, and there were a lot of young people throughout the country moving to rural areas.

Newspapers are dying. Apparently. So they say.

Call me na’ve, but I’m not convinced.

Over vacation, in an interview with Justin Ellis, who was writing about the same topic for his Monday column in the Press Herald, I told him that I thought newspapers were simply finding themselves again.

Finding themselves in the face of a supposedly apathetic public, or an apathetic young public; in the face of losing ad revenue and viewers to the worldwide web; and all of this under an economy that seems to get worse every day.

“When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with a red hat that doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.” -Jenny Joseph

I have three dogs.

One of them, Princess, always showed the potential to be a great dog, even after she ate the seat belt in our car. We could see the potential there.

College Democrats

There are a couple of errors in the article “College Democrats” (3/17) which deserve published correction in the interest of accurate reporting and an informed student body.

First, in the discussion reported on by David O’Donnell, “economic equality” was never mentioned as a value held by any group member.

Dean Scontras was born and raised in Southern Maine, the youngest of seven children.

He graduated from Sanford High School in ’87 and the University of Maine in ’91.

Despite being told that he was too small to play football, he played as a varsity wide receiver his freshman year at Sanford – and didn’t win a single game.

Aries

March 21-April 20

Must…go…Facebook

You may feel especially drawn to your Facebook account this week. The stars align, telling you to network, network, network. Go with it. (And love it when you get all kinds of happy birthday wall posts).

This week, throw a costume party.

Sitting at home over February break, I was flipping through the channels until I landed on the news, which was reporting on the shooting at Northern Illinois University.

Listening in awe to the details that were being given, I was immediately brought back to when I flipped through the channels at my grandfather’s house close to nine years ago.

How long have you been teaching?

At USM since 1968, so just about 40 years. When I came I was the only member of the department – we now have eight people, plus some part-timers, and we’re a pretty robust department.

What’s your favorite thing about teaching?

Convincing students that questions are more important than answers, and that each answer should lead to a question.

A handful of guys are climbing at the Maine Rock Gym – one is on the wall and six are watching from the picnic table in the middle of the room. The climber falls, steps back on the thick blue mats and looks up, slowly walking his hands through the moves in midair.

“Go for that one,” says one of the guys at the table, pointing toward a hold farther out to the left. “And look for the high foot.”

The climber puts each hand into his chalk bag, rolls his wrists in a stretch and gets back on the wall.