For the past two years, USM – the second largest college in the University of Maine System, and the premier school in Maine’s largest city – has been embroiled in a series of budget crises, beginning with the discovery of a massive deficit in 2007 when Richard Pattenaude was president.
Letter from the editor
Last Wednesday, I pulled up to Stephen Ricci’s house at 915 Brighton Avenue in Portland to find out if he’s as dangerous as police say he is.
You may have heard Mr. Ricci’s name in the news. Originally charged with indecent conduct in August of 2007, Ricci ignited public controversy last year when he threatened to rape and mutilate a woman upon his release from jail unless he got the mental care he said he needed.
Our Opinion: The business of higher education
Somewhere in the history of American education, the ideas seems to have emerged that college is college, and the real world is something distinctly different.
Maybe it’s this notion that accounts for our tendency to let things slide in the college atmosphere.
Women and aging
The cultural critics over at Family Guy have once again aired grievances about an often ignored social issue: women and aging. Network television shows in this comedic genre often address civil rights, but the underlying points can get lost in layers of crude satire.
Letter from the Student Body President
As many of you are aware, our University is the process of closing a $3 million dollar budget gap, and thus making large scale changes that will directly effect you and all future USM students.
As the process of restructuring takes place, we have held 2 convocations; in which many members of the USM community came together to define USM’s strengths and identify what; as an institution we should build upon.
The life of a model student
Stephanie MacDonald isn’t afraid to get naked.
When not in class, the undeclared junior runs her own business as a freelance model booking her own shoots, which sometimes involve nude modeling.
In MacDonald’s opinion, freelance modeling is completely different from what you see on shows like Americas Next Top Model.
Singing sensations at USM
On the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 24, seven students came together at the Woodbury Campus Center in Portland to compete in Portland Events Board’s first USM Idol competition. The students competed for the first place prize of $100 while performing a variety of compositions, ranging from “When You Believe” from the Prince of Egypt Soundtrack to cult classic, “Rocky Raccoon.
Shutter Island
Martin Scorcese’s newest movie begins in 1954 on a tugboat carrying US Marshal Teddy Daniels, played by Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, The Departed) to Shutter Island, a small island off the coast of Boston and home to a renowned high-security mental institution.
Book Review: The Book Thief
This is the story of Leisel Memminger, a foster child in Nazi Germany. In 1939, her brother died on the train to Molching, their new home, and nine year-old Leisel stole her first book. She couldn’t read, but she would learn. The act was a prelude to what she would become: A book thief.
Women’s basketball falls to WestConn
The USM women’s basketball team earned a spot in Little East Conference Championship game but failed to reclaim the title they won a year ago as they lost 61-46 to Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Conn. on Saturday.
The top-seeded Colonials, who won their first LEC Title since 1994, were led by junior forward Melissa Teel who led all scorers with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
A perfect 10
You could say the USM women’s indoor track and field team has dominated the Little East and Alliance Conferences in the last decade. The Huskies posted several standout performances as they went on to win their 10th straight LEC and Alliance Championships on Sat.
USM’s postseason halted by Skidmore
Skidmore Junior Alex Mykolenko scored a shorthanded goal that proved to be the game winner in an ECAC Men’s quarterfinal playoff game as they rallied past USM to earn a 6-3 victory on Saturday in Gorham.
Even a great USM student body turn out wasn’t enough to put the Huskies on top.
Husky Highlights
The USM men’s indoor track and field team captured their second consecutive Little East Conference and Alliance Championship on Feb. 6 at the Costello Sports Complex in Gorham.
USM wrestling program thriving
Six years ago Julio Santiago was working in Boston and had been out of the wrestling game for a year. Being involved in wrestling virtually his entire life, he jumped at an opportunity when USM head wrestling coach Joe Pistone called him up and offered him the assistant coaching position for the Huskies wrestling program.
USM community brainstorms new ways to restructure
Over the course of three sessions last Thursday and Friday, groups of over 200 faculty, staff, administrators and students brainstormed ways for USM to innovate to offset yearly budgetary gaps and declining enrollment.
Fewer than 30 students came to each session.
Convocate away, but not at my expense
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.
USM student makes run for state house
Brad Watts is taking 18 credits this semester – a work load that would send most college students scrambling – and has a 3.4 GPA.
Graduate students aim to form government
A group of graduate students are looking to create their own government at USM to represent the roughly 1,700 graduate students who have, until now, lacked formal representation.
COO talks restructuring with student senate
Jim Shaffer, chief operating officer for USM and head of the committee in charge of drafting a restructuring plan for the university, met with student senators at their weekly meeting last Friday to solicit opinions and concerns from students who, unlike faculty, have no seats on the committee.
Otten makes pitch at USM
“If I were a democrat, there would be two to three times the people,” gubernatorial candidate Les Otten said last Tuesday as he surveyed the 20 people assembled in Masterton Hall waiting to hear him speak.
The next day, he was a more philosophical about the turnout.
Student mugged in Gorham
A female student was assaulted and robbed near the intersection of School and Church Streets in Gorham in the early hours of Monday, Feb. 1 while returning to the Gorham campus, according to a campus safety alert sent out last Monday.
Senate votes for heads-up on faculty lay-offs
The faculty senate last Friday continued to push for their incorporation into USM’s restructuring process and presented alternate options to faculty retrenchment, passing a resolution requesting they be informed before any faculty are laid off.
Two arrested in Gorham
Police made two arrests on Saturday, Jan. 30 on the Gorham campus.
Students to pay homage at MLK Jr. event in Portland
USM Multicultural Student Affairs and high school students from around Portland will come together in celebration of Black History Month to spread the message of non-violence. Each year the MSA develops a new theme to honor Black History Month. This year the celebration is all about bringing the community together.