THE
I S S U E DAT E 10•24•17
BEACON
VOLUME 14 NO. 4
BY THE STUDENTS, FOR THE STUDENTS
Sexual Health In Decline
By Troy Hudson
prisingly common neglect for basic sexual protection even among people who seemed to have the most to lose from an unwanted pregnancy. Of the participants who a n -
If you’re reading this newspaper, chances are you’re an adult. Even if it doesn’t quite feel like it yet, trust us — deadlines, complicated relationships of all kinds, the looming knowledge that you will one day have to repay your student loans — this is the stuff of adulthood. So as adults, let’s clear the air — there’s something we’re not talking about enough in our culture, and the consequences of this collective neglect are frankly alarming. We’re talking about sex, of course, and the absurd reality that nearly a third of Americans have unprotected sex “every single time.” The disturbing statisIllu stra tic above is taken from a tion by V survey conducted by Suane ssa perdrug Online Doctor, in Poi rier which the online prescription service interviewed 1,000 Americans and 1,000 Europeans about their sex habits. What they found was a sur-
swered “yes” to the question “I would be devastated by an unplanned pregnancy,” 19 percent said they still have sex without any protection “every single time.” Wait, this is 2017, right? After decades of mandatory sexual education in public schools, can this statistic really be representative of our country’s attitude toward safe sex? Unfortunately, even though it is well documented that comprehensive sex-education programs are substantially more effective than abstinence-only programs offered at most schools, decentralized curricular standards make it easier for schools to provide the kind of sex education that will offend the fewest number of parents, rather than offering adolescents practical strategies for self-protection. According to surveys conducted by the National Survey of Family Growth, the number of people aged 15 to 19 who have received any formal education at all about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases has progressively declined since 2006, while exposure to abstinence-only education has increased. What this means for college students is that many will arrive on campus with no
idea of the risks they take when having unprotected sex — risks with totally unnecessary and potentially agonizing consequences. Furthermore, because sex isn’t spoken about frankly in our culture, we often don’t feel comfortable seeking out information (and no, porn is not a reliable source). Despite the cultural awkwardness around the issue, this is a case where what you don’t know actually can hurt you. So allow us at The Beacon to briefly remind you just what’s at stake should you decide to have unprotected sex. The three most common sexually transmitted infections in America are chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. How common are they, exactly? In 2016, over 2 million new cases were reported in the U.S., the highest number ever recorded — and keep in mind these are just the cases that get reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that nearly 20 million new cases of STIs occur every year in this country. The “it can’t happen to me” argument simply doesn’t hold water in the face of such overwhelming frequency. Of these three diseases, chlamydia is by far the most common, accounting for 1.5 million cases reported to the CDC last year, (Continued on Page 2)
How Much Food Does SMCC Waste? By Ben Riggleman Twice a week, under the cover of early-morning darkness, a large orange truck pulls up to Oceanview Dining Hall. Pizza crusts, paper cups, unpopular quinoa dishes — it all gets packed into this truck and never seen again. In total, that’s some 1,700 pounds of waste per week. The truck belongs to We Compost It, a local business that describes itself as “Maine’s premiere composting company.” SMCC has been composting its food for less than three years. According to Rachel Fisk, Sodexo marketing coordinator, the school community was moved to leave the landfill behind when it discovered how much it was wasting through a program of Sodexo’s: WasteLESS Week. The dining-services contractor is holding a second WasteLESS week at SMCC from Oct. 23 to 27. Every day this week, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., all waste generated in the SeaWolves Café will be captured and weighed. The results — a judgment of sorts — will be announced at lunchtime on Friday. Other educational activities will happen in the meantime. The point will be to “try and show students how to be more sustainable in their everyday lives,” Ms. Fisk said. “But we [also] try and open their eyes on how wasteful they are.” Another goal is to raise awareness of an issue that mirrors wastefulness: hunger in Maine. On Monday, in the first event of the
week, Wayside Food Programs visited the dining hall. Wayside runs a soup kitchen at 135 Walton Street, Portland, as well as “community meals” in local neighborhoods. Its Food Rescue program, which SMCC participates in, distributed 772,500 pounds of food that would otherwise have been wasted in 2016, according to Wayside’s website. Some leftover food from the dining hall is also sent to Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. Tuesday, We Compost It will staff a table, informing Oceanview diners of the work it does to minimize the footprint of our waste. Wednesday will be themed around water waste, a hidden effect of thrown-out food. It takes water to grow crops, and even more to raise animals for human consumption. A single egg is responsible for the use of tens of gallons of water. A hamburger takes about 150 gallons to produce, according to estimates on a U.S. Geological Survey website. Thursday’s theme will be “Choose to Reuse,” promoting reusable drink containers with a mug raffle. Pro tip: You can get a discount on drinks if you bring a mug or cup of your own to the café! (That’s not a new policy, either.) It’s easy to slip into wasteful habits in our world of supermarkets and college meal plans. While composting our waste is much better than letting it molder in a landfill, there’s surely room for improvement. The Beacon looks forward to an eye-opening week, courtesy of Sodexo.
Graphic by Troy Hudson
Other World
Campus News Dining-Hall Construction By Cassie Marceau Have you tried to go get something to eat at Oceanview Dining Hall and noticed all the construction? I had the opportunity to talk to Rachel Fisk, Sodexo unit marketing coordinator and catering director, about what is going on at Oceanview. The first thing most of you are probably wondering is, When will it be finished? Construction will be done by the end of OctoThe new side entrence to Oceanview ber, and the main renovaDining Hall under construction. tions will include it to be ADA compliant on both entrances. ADA week (see “How Much Food Does compliant just means that it will be more SMCC Waste,” on Page 1); there will be Halloween-themed cupcake decorataccessible for anyone with a disability. You might wonder where the money is ing on Oct. 30 and a spooky movie night coming from to pay for this. Well, it’s not on Halloween. November’s activities will coming from SMCC. It’s coming from include a Local Vendor Fair on the 2nd, an educational “Stop Hunger” trivia night Sodexo, being part of their contract. Most of you have most likely already on the 13th, Thanksgiving lunch on the noticed how much the Dining Hall has 16th and a Star Wars night on the 30th. changed over the summer. There have You can find a list of events on the Facebeen a lot more stations added, including book page “Sodexo at SMCC,” and next the Simple Servings station, where you to the cash registers in Oceanview. As part of the renovations and all the can get allergen-free food. Simple Servings is open during breakfast, lunch and events going on, one of the main goals was to create a space for everyone not dinner. Along with all the renovations, there to only eat, but to also socialize and do are also a lot more events going at the homework — to just create a more comfy Dining Hall in the weeks ahead, and space for everyone to be. during the spring semester as well. This week, Oct. 23-27, is Weigh the Waste
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BEACON Executive Staff
Production Manager Troy Hudson Managing Editor Ben Riggleman Art Director Paul Moosmann Webmaster Daniele Amandolini Graphic Designers Taylor Freeman Joanne Smith Midcoast Section Editor Dan Elliott Contributing Writers
Kate Bennett, Cat Davis, Becca Dow, Dan Elliott, Taylor Freeman, Troy Hudson, Jennifer Jang, Cassie Marceau, Lloyd Metcalf, Ben Riggleman, Jess Spoto Illustrations Becca Dow, Dan Elliott, Vanessa Poirier Contributing Photographers Dan Elliott, Taylor Freeman, Troy Hudson, Paul Moosman, Ben Riggleman Advisors Chuck Ott & Rachel Guthrie
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Sexual Health (Continued From Page 1)
the highest number of occurrences of any kind of infection ever reported. Chlamydia affects both men and women, and is characterized by a burning sensation when urinating, but in 70 to 80 percent of cases there are no apparent symptoms at all. Women who contract chlamydia are at high risk for pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause scarring of the reproductive organs and complications with future pregnancy. Gonorrhea and syphilis are less common, but no less serious a risk. Both can cause serious difficulties not only for those directly infected, but for children born to those individuals. We do not recommend Googling “congenital syphilis” unless you need further convincing. These diseases have haunted our species for thousands of years (accounts of gonorrhea date back at least to the Old Testament) and they have taken a terrible toll on us as a species, but the real tragedy is that today they are more rampant than ever despite the fact that we know how to prevent them. And prevention can mean nothing more complicated than a simple piece of latex (or latex alternative), available for free right now in the lobby of Spring Point Residence Hall. As we have acknowledged, we’re all adults here. And it’s probably safe to say we’re adults who aren’t ready to contract STIs that may haunt us the rest of our lives and even affect our children. Yet we are facing a sexual-infection epidemic that we’re not talking about, and it’s getting worse. Like all things creepy and crawly, it thrives in darkness. So let’s cast a little light on the
issue and start treating sex like the adult matter it is. Our bodies are ours and ours alone, and we have absolute autonomy over our sexual decision-making. If anyone presumes to lay claim to our own sexual sovereignty or to pressure us into a risky situation, we can and should refuse unequivocally. And when we do find the right partner, proper protection doesn’t present so much a barrier to intimacy as total freedom of mind, a release into the moment rather than a spiraling into anxiety. For both men and women, there is no excuse to not carry a condom if you are heading into a potentially intimate situation. If you are of the opinion that condoms dilute the sexual experience, perhaps you should give the latest generation of ultra-thin condoms (still just as effective at preventing STIs) a try. When there’s a chance you or your partner might have an STI, it’s common for shame and embarrassment to prevent us from seeking treatment. But these diseases are treatable as well as preventable, and the earlier a disease is diagnosed, the better the prognosis. If you’re ever not sure about something related to sex, start with a reputable online source like the American Sexual Health Association’s website at ashasexualhealth.org. And most importantly, take ownership of your own health. Adult life has plenty of challenges and pitfalls in store for you, but by taking precautions when having sex, a devastating STI or unplanned pregnancy doesn’t have to be one of them.
Backpacking South Asia: Annapurna Base Camp By Jennifer Jang I had no plan in the least, and no questions in mind when I first embarked on this journey. Thus, I was also in for a surprise when I found myself in the Himalayas days later, trekking. Once persuaded by the stories from travelers I met at the hostel, I had stormed into the tourist information center, requested the best beginner solo trek and paid for the hiking permits. Roberto gave me his map and translated to me parts of his Italian Lonely Planet guidebook; Sara lent me her boots and hiking gear; Neil offered me the rest of his peanut butter. I carefully rationed my money and calories for each day, purchased water-purification pills and altitude pills, and then I was off, determined to show that “I could,” despite my age, gender and lack of guide and porter. On the first day of the trek, I met Lu, a Korean who shared my determination. “No, Man,” he told his guide, Man. “I will carry my own backpack.” “Really?” his guide grinned. “I can carry it for you, no problem.” “No, no, no,” Lu hiccuped out. “ I have to carry it myself.” Unfortunately the trek translated to stairs, sweat and jelly legs. But there was always something out of this world waiting for me to catch up to — a crisp green valley, an archaic stone hut, a herd of goats that chewed on foliage. At the end of the first day, as I conquered the last flight of murderous stairs, a group of first-graders ran down in the opposite direction, the stairs merely daily routine. “Namaste!” I smiled, and
they greeted me back with shy “Namastes.” I took a selfie of us, and their shy grins rejuvenated me. Some four days later, I was only a few stops away from the base camp. The last few days I had been staying at the same place as the other trekkers, so I recognized Raj, who was meditating at a giant rock. I passed him, but he caught up to me when I stopped to stare at the skyscraper-tall waterfall that had just came into full view. The water was translucent and broke into a shower halfway. “That is very beautiful,” I said, and he agreed. He also stopped to admire the view. I remembered the debate we all had the day before, on whether to stop at MBC, and mentioned my decision. “So I’m thinking of going on to ABC,” I started. Macchapucchre base camp was the stop before Annapurna base camp, and some would be staying there. However, I didn’t want to stop there. I wanted to reach the top in the shortest amount of time. “No, no, you should stop at MBC.” “Yeah,” I said. “But I’m thinking of it as a kind of challenge.” “It’s not a challenge,” he said. “Some say it is more beautiful at MBC. Unless you are in a rush of course, then, you may try to go
By Taylor Freeman
Illustration by Vanessa Poirier to ABC.” It is not a challenge? I love challenge. Without it, I find only boredom. However, this journey started as an escape: I needed to escape the suffocating environment I felt in Taiwan. Up till that brief conversation, I hadn’t slowed down to consider what the journey meant to me personally. And I don’t have the answer for that yet. I still went on to ABC; they all did too. There we had a big hearty party, playing card games such as “bullshit” and laughing over our ridiculous orders of food. We spent the night, woke for the sunrise, then took out our emotionless passport photos and used honey to paste them up on a beam in the dining hall, where they will oversee future guests. They will stay there for quite a while, in a row, among so many others. We said our goodbyes, goodbyes to the hours of camaraderie we shared. Then we descended back to the unknown.
Fighting Hunger in Maine By Kate Bennett Did you know that Maine has been taking steps to end hunger? It has. According to Preble Street, a Portland-based nonprofit that provides food and housing services, “1 in 6 or 215,000 Mainers experience food insecurity every year,” and “1 in 4 children live in food insecure homes.” Feeding America, a national nonprofit, reports that Maine’s food-insecurity rate of 14.8 percent is higher than the national average food-insecurity rate of 13.4 percent. According to Preble Street, “Maine ranks 3rd in the nation, and 1st in New England, for very low food security.” But some solutions to the hunger issue are being implemented in Maine. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and is often called food stamps. SNAP is also known as the Food Supplement Program in Maine, and it is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making it a federal nutrition program. SNAP creates a way for people with limited income and resources to get food. SNAP allows people to purchase food from grocery stores, which takes people one step closer to financial independence and cuts back the number of people relying on food pantries. Moving people from relying on food pantries to SNAP makes more food available in the
food pantries for other people. However, SNAP is currently facing budget cuts. Earlier this month, a budget resolution passed the House that over $150 billion will be taken away from the $4.1-trillion budget for multiple poverty programs, including SNAP. This means that smaller amounts of supplemental money (money used on groceries) are going to be issued to people and families in need of food. The Preble Street Maine Hunger Initiative, or MHI, explains that they have been working to train and place SNAP Outreach volunteers in food pantries throughout the state. They also explain that they have been working to educate those participating in SNAP and those interested about any changes that may occur to the program and how to get involved. The amount of food being given to food pantries has been decreasing, while the rate of hunger has grown. This has resulted in food pantries not having enough food to give to people, and some even having to turn people away. In 2008, Preble Street reacted to this by forming the Maine Hunger Initiative. The three main goals of the Maine Hunger Initiative are to “1) meet immediate food needs, 2) offset food supply shortages, and 3) develop long-term solutions to hunger.” They have been helping and encouraging more food pantries to
Markiplier’s Tour
open in Maine. Preble Street reports that in 1997, only 3 food pantries were open in Southern Maine, but today there are 80 food pantries in the region. Preble Street’s mission statement is, “to provide accessible barrier-free services to empower people experiencing problems with homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty, and to advocate for solutions to these problems.” Their food programs include a food pantry and soup kitchen that provide food to meet the basic needs of people who are struggling to get food. Both food programs are located in Portland. More information can be found on their website at www.preblestreet.org or by calling 207-775-0026. The SMCC South Portland Campus has its own food pantry for students, the Captain’s Cupboard. If you are a SMCC student in need of food, this is an easy place to look. The Captain’s Cupboard is located in the Captain’s House. It is open Monday 2-6 p.m., Tuesday 12:30-6 p.m., Wednesday 9-11 a.m., Thursday 12:30-6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering to help end hunger in Maine, you can look into volunteering at the Captain’s Cupboard, Preble Street, or at a local food pantry or other organization.
If you are asking “what the heck is a markiplier,” let me give you a brief history lesson before getting to his tour. Markiplier, as he is known on YouTube and social media, or Mark Fischbach, started his YouTube career in the year 2012 recording a horror game Amnesia. I won’t go into detail about the game since it’s not important for this article, but it’s pretty good and I would definitely recommend it. Back to Mark. In 5 years, he’s expanded from horror games to other genres games, to challenges, to charity livestreams. This man and his community have raised over $1,000,000 total to various hospitals and alliances. He’s donated to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance multiple times, The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and many more. In the past few years, while uploading and recording for his gamer interests, he’s also been creating his own shorts more frequently, shooting them with friends, and creating content that can be appreciated by more than just gamers. He has been more involved with doing improv shows with his friends Ethan (CrankGameplays), Tyler (Apocalypto_12), Bob (muyskerm) and Wade (LordMinion777). Apparently YouTube wasn’t enough to quench the thirst to create. His first ever tour, “You’re Welcome,” was full of improv games, sketches and a mix of choices made by the audience to allow us, the viewers in real time, to decide what they should do on stage. One of their stops on the tour, for us northeastern folks, was at the Wang Theater in Boston, right off of Chinatown. The theater was absolutely stunning. There were chandeliers everywhere, marble pillars, and every inch of the ceiling was decoratively painted. We were given paddles, one side red and the other green, with mark’s signature M and a mustache on either side. This was how the audience chose what the actors where going to do, who won the dance off or which act the audience enjoyed better. Each show is unique because of these paddles. At the beginning of the show, the crew brings out three suitcases, and the audience votes on which suitcase they should open. Each of the suitcases held a theme for the show, and we just happened to pick the horror theme for Halloween. They invited members of the audience to join them on stage to play games and participate in the show. Watching this man grow from just some guy in his house playing horror games to an idol to people around the world, changing lives with the money he raises and the stories he tells — it’s inspiring, to say the least. He is the little guy. He is the kind of man that reaches out to the people who idolize him. He makes bets and goals with them, to be connected to the community he has created. I don’t know what he has in store after this tour, but the only way he can really go is up. If you haven’t seen any of his work, whether it’d be his “Let’s Plays” or his skits, I suggest checking him out; give it a shot. You might just find something you didn’t know you were looking for.
October 24, 2017 • The Beacon 3
I am not crazy, I am just struggling so hard, but no one sees that. I have my highs, my highest happy highs without any drugs. I don’t do drugs. What I do is manic episodes of happiness and deep depressions of sadness. I feel broken. I feel left out of society’s normalities. I just want to be normal. Ever since I can remember I have had anxiety and depression. Then later on add some PTSD to that, and a little bit of bipolar. Just a dash of crazy. I am not crazy, I am just struggling so hard, but no one sees that. I mask my hopelessness in pretending to be happy. I smile and say, “Today is a really really really great day!” and to see that person smile because they unknowing think I am happy, gives my heart a little jolt. A jolt of joy. People tell me I am the most positive person they have ever met, but to be truly honest, I am the loneliest person you will ever meet. I am also the most caring. I care so much about people that they just see it as coming on too strong or being too attached. Trust me: I just care. I care because I know so much pain. My mind is going in circles on how to end this little journal entry that I am going to let the world see. Hopefully someone out there relates and realizes that it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to have anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, and any other mental struggles you may face. Just know there is someone out there who cares, truly and deeply.
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I don’t feel “good.” I don’t think I ever felt “good.” Nights are the worst. Alone, in my apartment, crying, feeling worthless. Just contemplating the day and what I did wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong, but my mind goes to such a dark place that all I can think of is little minuscule things that don’t even matter. I think about the conversations, small talk. Overthinking, agonizing pain over and over, my mind turning so sick. I wonder if I am sick. Trying to figure myself out, I try so hard, yet this mountain is too high to reach the top. When I reach the top, I just fall right back down again.
By Lloyd Metcalf “What if ” is a powerful statement and question. What if you won the lottery tomorrow? We all ask ourselves this question and daydream about the things we would do if we won a lottery. Let’s take this “what if ” a little further. What if you won a huge lottery? What about fifty billion dollars? You cash in your tax-free winnings and have a full-throttle go at life. After you buy your family new homes, help the needy, save numerous endangered species and all the good things we tell ourselves we would do with the money, you will need to come home to rest eventually. You drive home in your hovercar with your T-Rex buddy to your castle (or other idyllic home), plop down on the couch to rest. You filled up your bucket list and have satisfied everything you wanted to do with scads of money. When you wake up from your nap, what do you do next? After all the humanitarian work, virtuous deeds, travel and adventure… what do you do now? Let’s assume you still have a couple billion remaining and there is no need to
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worry for the rest of your life. What will you do to add value to the rest of your life? What thing do you do when there is no need for financial reward or obligation? For me, I decided I would call all my best friends to invite them into my castle to play Dungeons & Dragons and make art indefinitely. Maybe we would create new fantastical worlds, new monsters, paint and draw them or make fantasy maps. This was the defining moment that shaped my career. It was after asking this question that I decided I would become an illustrator and game designer. Later I quit my office job to start Fail Squad Games. What would you do? How would you fill your time with quality? A person can only sleep late for so long, loaf about to do nothing, or drift through life. Once money and time are no object, what is the thing in your heart that would create a quality existence? Chances are, this is the thing (or some version of it) that could be filling your life every day. This thing may deserve some focus, even if it seems like it shouldn’t be able to create an income. By all rights, drawing pictures of dragons and playing
Announcing: Design-aWall Contest 2017 By The Beacon Editorial Staff Good fences make good neighbors, as Robert Frost so wisely said. Building walls, a logical extension of that principle, is a positive duty of friendship among nations. The ancient Chinese knew this; so did Hadrian. We owe Mexico a nice, solid wall, 18 to 30 feet high, precisely as the President has proposed. (Canada should get one, too, for that matter, for we must not be inequitable in our wall-making.) But how, exactly, is our wall going to look? Will it truly represent the American spirit? At the time of writing, eight prototypes have been built by rival contractors in San Diego. It seems each has something to recommend it. According to a report by The Los Angeles Times, one has sharp flanges on top, another a pleasing brickwork inlay. Yet another is a tasteful shade of blue, with white trim. But why should we limit ourselves to
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these designs? Look at them. They’re all so traditional, so lacking in innovation, so constrained by society’s rigid definition of wall-hood. The President was on the right track when he proposed a solar-panel-covered wall that would “pay for itself.” But why stop there? Why not incorporate windmills, and hydroponic hanging gardens, and a zipline or two? Heck, why not make the thing one great roller-coaster? Remember that money is not at issue here; the grateful Mexicans will of course rush to foot the bill once they see our work of art. We should democratize the design of our wall, opening it up to the best minds in America. Dear readers, The Beacon would like to issue you a challenge: Submit to us your best, your wildest, your impregnable-est wall design, and you’ll have a chance to win a beautiful bespoke Build-Your-Own Wall Starter Kit.* Your submission may take the form of a drawing, a written description, a photograph of a model, or really anything else that will fit in these pages. Please send it to mbeacon@smccme.edu by Nov. 21. Good luck, citizens!
Photo by Taylor Freeman A sneak preview of the grand prize.
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*Awarded at our discretion. May contain actual bricks.
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By Jessica Spoto
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Hello World, Meet Jess
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Opinion
Dungeons and Dragons shouldn’t bring me an income, but it does. I’m not the only person to ever ask myself this question. It’s a question that many entrepreneurs ask themselves to find their direction and moral compass. I wince when I see people trying to pursue degrees because they are sure there is a 9-5 job at the end. I have even heard, “Well, I’m not crazy about this but I’ll be able to find a job.” It’s not the “piece of paper” that makes up your degree that gets a job, and it’s not the daily job that creates happiness in life. It’s the educational experience, the things we learn, the path we put our feet upon that creates those things. Our degrees and education are a tool box to apply to situations on our journey. A “job” was not my end goal, and never will be. Yes I have work, offers and commissions, but I asked what if and found my direction. It may change in the future, it may not, but the liberation of asking “what if ” may help you find your path. “What if…” is an editorial column written to ask the question “What if….” The intent is to ask the question, imagine the result, maybe spark the imagination and conversation.
The Importance of Having an Open Mind By Cat Davis I tried to explain to a friend recently my view that we are all fishes in the ocean with our own secluded bubble that is our home. That secluded bubble shields us from anything in the open sea. I said that the more you leave your bubble the more experiences you have, and all of those experiences work together to expand your little bubble into a bigger one. I explained this to her in regards to having an open or closed mind. She likes to hide in her bubble and reject anything that is foreign to her. Often, her reason for not wanting to try anything new is that she won’t like it… I tell her, “You don’t know if you don’t try.” And that was usually just for food. Within a year she changed a little. She became willing to try new foods if she had the money to do so. We get so set in our repetitive ways and the comfort and familiarity of our own box that we forget there is a huge world out there to be interacted with. Being open-minded can mean that you are willing to try something you have yet to experience, or even just accepting ideas that might not necessarily coincide with your current beliefs. All you have to do is try.
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Arts & Features The Finisher By Taylor Freeman Who is The Finisher, and why is he in the newspaper? Well, let me tell you about The Finisher and how he broke into my house one night. It was a great night. I had just gotten home with my boyfriend Greg after a night of bowling with the family. We arrived home at around 1, and went to bed at around 1:30 after letting our dog out. Something woke me up not too long after we went to bed. I wasn’t sure what it was, mainly because I don’t normally wake up for no reason in the middle of the night. But I dismissed it as just the cat and I went back to sleep. All was well until I heard the sound of Heidi barking. I thought it was part of a dream, but I wish it was. Heidi wasn’t the dog who was barking, there was a strange dog barking viciously at something. Then my brain started to recognize male voices yelling. At first I thought they were outside of the apartment, but they were too loud and clear to be coming through closed windows. At this point both Greg and Heidi are up. Heidi starts barking, almost confused like. Being the stereotypical scared damsel I was, I told my boyfriend to check what was going on while I held Heidi. He got up and closed the door behind him some. I sat in my own silence as the screaming continued, holding my dog in an attempt to calm her. She was shaking as bad as I was. Finally Greg came back. There were four cops in my house, three of whom were pinning a strange man to the ground and the fourth holding a police dog. After a few minutes, the noise stopped, but I don’t remember hearing the noise die down. Greg got up again and left the room. Heidi, being a daddy’s girl, wasn’t having any of that, whining and growling until he got back. When he did, he told me that there was a cop who wanted to get our statements, since we were there when he broke into the house. Now, before I continue, my apartment is on the first floor of the house. It’s literally a three-section line: from the front of the house there’s the gaming room with the front door, then the living room as the middle section, which our bedroom branches off of, and then the kitchen, to the right of which is the bathroom and our roommate’s room. Beyond the kitchen is the side door that leads to the driveway. Fortunately our roommate was off on a trip at the time. We also have a baby gate sectioning off the living room and the gaming room so Heidi doesn’t get into things that she isn’t supposed to. Getting back to the story, the cop, Ross, first asked if there was anything broken or missing from the house. From what we could tell, only the baby gate was taken off. It didn’t look like he took anything, but if he did, it clearly wasn’t important enough to remem-
ber. He asked then if there was anything in here that wasn’t ours. I gave them a hat I didn’t recognize, being the only person in the household that wears hats, and a flask that was in the corner. Officer Ross had another one of his cop buddies take the flask out of the house, and he prepared some paper on a clipboard. Greg spoke up and asked the real question: What the hell happened? According to Officer Ross, this guy had been wreaking havoc all along our street. Kicking in windows, pushing over the motorcycles next door and just genuinely being a nuisance. The cops had been tailing this guy, waiting for the right moment to catch him, when he found our doors, which happened to be unlocked. Apparently when we took the dog out when we got home, we forgot to lock the doors. Officer Ross said that the man made his way from the gaming room to the kitchen, saw cops waiting for him around back, and turned back to the gaming room to hunker down until they went away. That’s when the cops entered with the K-9 unit and pounced this guy. Ross said that he was probably under the influence of some type of drug, and with that flask I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on drugs and intoxicated, too. Ross was finishing up the story when another officer came back in and asked to pull him aside for a moment. Greg and I stood there in silence for a short while. He went to go make sure nothing was stolen, and I just stood in the gaming room with our anxious puppy. That’s when I heard the most cliche evil laugh. Looking out my window I see the guy who broke into my house being carried into the back of an ambulance, strapped down onto a stretcher, laughing maniacally. Finally Officer Ross both came back and we gave him our statement — that we were in the house when this occurred, we had just gotten back from bowling, and mind you, this all started at 3:30 a.m. Only two hours after having gone to bed. If I had gotten up and checked the house when I woke up, things could have ended much worse than just having some drugged-up lunatic hunker down in the room with all of our valuables. After we’d given our statement and everything quieted down, there was no way of getting to sleep after that. The next day I met my neighbor outside and they asked what had happened. They thought all the yelling was Greg and I arguing. I told them what had happened. They were glad we were all okay. Then they told me about a guy running around in our front yard without his shirt on, screaming “I’m the Finisher, I’m the Finisher!” This made the drug theory all the more reasonable. Needless to say, we’ve been locking our doors every night; even during the day, even when we are home and awake.
Photo by Taylor Freeman
Poetic License! Oct. 8, 2017
Bonjour, my literary nerdlets! Following solitude”; the 20th line, “Now are visions, the “spooky” theme foretold in The Beacon’s ne’er to vanish,”; in line 22, “No more, like last issue, I have for you a very special poem dew-drop from the grass,”; and especially by Edgar Allen Poe titled “Spirits of the in the last two lines of the piece, “How it Dead” (originally titled “Visits of the Dead”). hangs upon the trees/A mystery of mysPublished in 1827, teries!” Beginning and again in 1829, with a somber tone the poem follows in the first stanza, Spirits Of The Dead the dialogue of a we can see that the Edgar Allen Poe dead speaker and a mood shifts to an mournful individualmost angry feel Thy soul shall find itself alone al at its grave. Thie by the third stanza, ‘Mid dark thoughts of the grey tombpiece in particular then changing to stone; has an interesting one of acceptance Not one, of all the crowd, to pry rhyme scheme for or unknowing by Into thine hour of secrecy. each stanza: AABB, the end. I do hope ABABCC, AABByou all have enjoyed Be silent in that solitude, CCDD, AABB and the pieces presentWhich is not loneliness- for then AABBCC, respeced here today. ReThe spirits of the dead, who stood tively. Additionally, member, send in In life before thee, are again Poe creates a nice your works to my In death around thee, and their will effect with his use of email, rebeccadShall overshadow thee; be still. alliteration. Examow@smccme.edu, if ples of this can be you’re interesting in The night, though clear, shall frown, seen in the fifth line, having your poetry And the stars shall not look down “Be silent in that published! From their high thrones in the Heaven With light like hope to mortals given, But their red orbs, without beam, To thy weariness shall seem As a burning and a fever Which would cling to thee for ever. Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish, Now are visions ne’er to vanish; From thy spirit shall they pass No more, like dew-drop from the grass. The breeze, the breath of God, is still, And the mist upon the hill Shadowy, shadowy, yet unbroken, Is a symbol and a token. How it hangs upon the trees, A mystery of mysteries!
Feast of the Lycanthrope Rebecca Dow Vibrant eye of heaven’s shade Silent calls from lofty high; Where go tawny fawn this night? Who paints birch so deeply wine? Limping, back arched in her way Accursed innocence doth cry, Banished from her house and name This trance is death, and young must die. Little children, quick to bed, Lest twilight sink to bluer hues And every scent of tender breath The lycanthrope detects of you. Their pace is slow when terror floods, Far less than bounding fawn doth go; The does do weep for cloven babes, And too shall mothers mourn this way If lad or lass is left to play.
A fallen motorcycle in The Finisher’s wake of destruction.
October 24, 2017 • The Beacon 5
Midcoast
Teacher Feature: Jim Thatcher
On the Pitch: Women Advance; Men’s Season Ends
By Dan Elliott We’ve all heard the idiom “Never judge a book by its cover.” It’s as cliched a statement as they come, and at the risk of beating a dead horse we continue to use it throughout our daily dialog with one another. Yet it’s been able to weather the several centuries it’s been around because of the indelible truth it contains in its message: Outward appearances can be deceptive. We can apply this statement to a variety of things, but
often we use it in reference to other people. After all, to be human is to compare ourselves to one another. When you first meet Professor Jim Thatcher, you might initially describe him as a soft-spoken man of small-stature. Upon discovering more about him in conversation, you would find that there is more than meets the eye to the adjunct English instructor. Hailing from Lake George, New York, Jim spent his early years immersed in two
Above: Contest winner Alex Curtis.
Midcoast Pie-Eating Contest By The Beacon Staff Marie Antoinette is reported to have said, “Let them eat cake”; maybe things would have turned out differently if she said, “Let them eat blueberry and strawberry-rhubarb pie.” She didn’t, but last Thursday on the Midcoast Campus, Alex Curtis, DeAngelo Weeks, and Darrell Wilson braved future doses of Tums and/or Pepto Bismol to participated in the 1st Annual Midcoast Pie Eating Contest, a tournament that not only allows you to eat your dessert first, it actually encourages it. The contest was conceived of and organized by Madelyn Baker, who works in the Midcoast CeSIL office. After 10 minutes of furious jaw-grinding competition, Alex Curtis was crowned the 2017 Midcoast Pie Eating Contest winner for eating his pie the fastest. The Beacon would like to congratulate Alex and his competition: DeAngelo Weeks and Darrell Wilson for their just desserts well deserved.
Comics by Dan Elliott
6 The Beacon • October 24, 2017
things: the beauty of the Adirondack wilderness that the mountains afforded him, and his love of reading, a love that would help guide him down the path of his chosen profession. He excelled in reading and writing at an early age, and strongly considered a career in writing while in school. By third grade, however, Jim’s attitude toward school had soured, as he had become dissatisfied with the shortcomings of the structure of the public school system. Math, in particular, did not interest him, and he spent many arithmetic classes daydreaming. This disinterest would become so great that Jim dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Army, which stationed him in Darmstadt, Germany. After the Army, Jim would begin work towards obtaining a degree in writing. Schools he has attended include Adirondack Community College in Queensbury, New York; State University of New York; LeHigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he did graduate work for a history degree he was ultimately unable to complete; and Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier, Vermont, the school where he would earn his Master of Fine Arts. After beginning his teaching career at a private school in Maine, he would move to becoming an instructor at Central Maine Community College, followed by a position at Andover College, before he began his most recent occupation as an adjunct English instructor here at SMCC. Thatcher also battled his personal demons, which took the form of alcoholism, a subject he is comfortable being honest about. The illness would consume him so that he was unable to complete the graduate work for his history degree, a subject that he is also fond of. Alcoholism, as Jim described it to me, was not something people generally talked openly about during that time of his life. He finally was able to find the courage to overcome his addiction and complete his MFA in Creative Writing in 1998, while attending Alcoholics Anonymous. Jim is happy to say he has been sober for a remarkable 32 years, seven months and 22
By The Beacon Sports Staff
Photo by Dan Elliott days at the time of writing. He uses his stories of past trials and tribulations in a positive way, helping those who are struggling with the very same problems, encouraging them against going down the same path he had previously traveled. These days, Jim spends his time doing what he loves best when he is not teaching in his English course at the Midcoast Campus. His writing has garnered several accolades: He has placed first on two occasions in New Millennium Writing, a literary magazine. He also has had another eight honorable mentions, two of which were short-listed for first place. In addition to his work in New Millennium Writing, Jim also writes freelance for the Lewiston Sun Journal, mostly doing art reviews. His collection of poetry, entitled “Lesser Eternities,” has recently been published as well. Despite his age and quiet demeanor, Jim Thatcher’s story is one that is easy to relate to, regardless of one’s own background. In essence, he is indicative of the qualities we experience in our own lives — the academic strengths we focus on, the weaknesses we shrink from from, personal crises we must find the strength to overcome, and prestige that arises from our accomplishments. So lest we submit to human nature and categorize people based on our outward perception of them, we should, at the risk of feeding into a cliché, not judge a book by it’s cover.
As the extended stunningly luscious fall weather lingers in southern Maine, the Lady SeaWolves look to play into November with a solid showing at the YSCC Championship in Concord, New Hampshire. To date, the Lady SeaWolves have compiled a 4-2-1 conference record and a 6-4-1 overall record. New Hampshire Technical Institute enters weekend play with the best record at 6-0-1, as SMCC, University of Maine-Machias and Unity College sport identical records of 4-2-1. SMCC will have their hands full as they play NHTI in Saturday’s game. Machias and Unity will play each other, with the winners playing Sunday for a trip to the USCAA Nationals in Pennsylvania. Since the last paper, the Lady SeaWolves have won one and have lost one, winning at Central Maine 6-0 and losing to UMM at home 1 to nil. The last time the Lynx and SeaWolves met on the pitch was Sept. 20; SMCC would fall to NHTI 2-1. Against CMCC, Callie O’Brien and Jordan Chase scored a goal apiece in the first half. In the second half, Samantha Munson and Madeline Wade would ruffle the net four times and top the day’s work off with two assists. The Lady ‘Wolves got off 41 shots against CM, while the CM offense could only muster 11 shots, of which only four were within the posts and crossbar. After the game, Head Coach Julia Cyr thought that the SeaWolves had “an important showing,” and that the ‘Wolves were “getting back in a groove offensively coming off a draw with Unity.” Now, she said, “a result against Machias on Saturday will put us in a position to have success in playoffs.” The desired result against Machias would not materialize, as the Lady ‘Wolves would fall 1-nil in a hard-fought contest. The SeaWolves would outshot Machias 20-10, placing 10 on goal, yet never find the back of the net. The Clippers would score the winning goal nearly 12 minutes into the second half on Josie Griffin’s goal. On the men’s side of the pitch, the season did not pan out with the results that they had hoped for. On the 11th, the men traveled to Quincy, Massachusetts to take to the pitch against Quincy College in a non-conference match.
SMCC Sports The SeaWolves would fall 2-1 with the winning goal for Quincy coming with 20 seconds remaining in the game. The ‘Wolves would find the equalizer when Hanssen Casey finished off of a corner kick by Samuel Marshall in the second half. Quincy had started the scoring for the day in the first half. Nine days later the SeaWolves traveled to Auburn to take on Central Maine Community College in a YSCC must-win for the ‘Wolves. At the end of the day, the ‘Wolves would prevail 4-nil. Senior Senai Yenie would record the fastest goal of the season for the ‘Wolves, ruffling the back of the net with only 2:47 gone. Three minutes later, Junior Gradi Lapika would double SMCC’s lead with his second goal of the season. First-years players Stephen Brady and Yaroslav Philbrook would pad the SeaWolves’ lead at the beginning and end of the second half, securing the 4-nil win for SMCC. Prior to the Central Maine game, SMCC took to the field against conference rival University of Maine-Machias on October 14. The ‘Wolves were hoping for a win which might have helped them to make it into postseason play. Unfortunately, they had to settle for a tie in a match that was called after 52 minutes of play, falling short of the 70 minutes that need to be played for a regulation game. The Clippers’ Lorenzo Segura scored in the 32nd minute of play, weaving a shot from the left baseline and catching the opposite side of the net for UMM’s sole goal of the day. Hanssen Casey would equalize the scoring with his team-leading fifth goal of the season off of a pass from teammate Thomas DuRivage. Minutes after DuRivage’s goal, the ugly side of competitive sports reared its presence on the Wainwright fields, as tempers got the better part of players on both teams. After the players were separated, the game was called. In the end, three players from UMM and two players from SMCC caught soccer’s version of the Scarlet Letter, a public acknowledgement of shame. Players who receive a red card are not eligible to play in the next game. This past Sunday the men finished off their season against the University of Maine
at Presque Isle, which was Senior Day. The results of the game would not be available
for this edition of The Beacon.
Photo by The Beacon Sports Staff SeaWolf Kervens Antoine can’t quite beat the Machias goalkeeper and defender to the ball in YSCC action at Wainwright Field.
Photo by The Beacon Sports Staff The action was furious at times in front of the Machias net when the Lady SeaWolves took to the field to battle it out with the Clippers. Machias would survive the onslaught with a 1-0 win on the Seawolves’ home turf.
October 24, 2017 • The Beacon 7
SMCC Sports
Golf Places Second at YSCC Championship By The Beacon Sports Staff
85. Dwyer has recorded the team low four times this season and finishes the season The SeaWolves golf team finished their with an 86.6 average for 18 holes over five season traveling to New Hampshire to play matches played in. Freshman golfer Hunter Carignan would in the Yankee Small College Conference Championship on Oct. 14th. The tourna- record an 87 for the day. Carignan would ment took place at Pease Golf Course and be the sole SeaWolf golfer to play in all six was hosted by Great Bay Community Col- matches and has the lowest team scoring avlege. The SeaWolves took to the course as erage with an 86. Sophomore McKenze Coyne, who has one of a five-team field with 20 golfers parlost 16 strokes off of her scorecard over the ticipating. For the day, the SeaWolves would strike course of the season, finished the day with a the ball 354 times, 18 strokes behind Paul season-low 90. Seth Chim finished off the Smith, whose golfers tallied a 336. The New team, scoring a 92. Chim, who played in four Hampshire Technical College Lynx team matches, ended the season with an 89.3 avfell one stroke behind SMCC, recording a erage. First-year SeaWolf Tyler Hensley would 355; the University of Maine-Augusta finished the day’s work with a 466. Unfortu- record a season-low 97. Tyler has cut 14 nately, the host school, Great Bay, would not strokes off of his card over the course of the be able to record a team score: They didn’t season. Reflecting on the team’s play at the YSCC field four golfers. Individually, SeaWolf Kevin Dwyer scored championships, Ethan Wells, the SeaWolf lowest for the team, finishing the day with an head coach, stated, “We ran into a Paul Smith’s team that was really feeling it today and hats off to them. Nonetheless we battled mentally, at times getting ourselves out of trouble and bouncing back after a poor hole. All finished strong, turning in an improved back nine. It was a pleasing way to end a fantastic season.” For the work Coach Photo by The Beacon Sports Staff Wells has done in preSMCC golfer Kevin Dwyer blast out of a sand trap in the YSCC paring the SeaWolf Championships at Pease Golf Course last weekend. Dwyer would record the low score for the SeaWolves team, scoring a 85.
golfers for match and tournament play, he to see YSCC golf expand its season, deeper was recognized as the YSCC Golf Coach into October and offer one or two matches of the Year. Wells guided the golfers to one in May. Of course, this gets tricky with New first-place finish and three second-place tal- England weather conditions. YSCC golf is lies. competitive with a field of 6 teams.” The Beacon reached out to Wells regardAsked how he might keep his playing next year. While the SeaWolves will lose ers in shape physically and mentally over Kevin Dwyer and Seth Chim to graduation, the off-season, Wells said, “A long offseaWells was optimistic. Returning three was son lends itself to plenty of opportunity in “a solid core to move forward with,” he said. preparation for next season. I plan to keep “Hunter Carignan has shown that he can our team swinging with indoor virtual golf golf in the 1 spot, both McKenze Coyne and sessions, and as soon as courses open in the Tyler Hensley improved with every match spring, get them outside through the sumthis season and I’m looking forward to see- mer.” ing what they can do with another season.” In summing up what Wells gets out of Individual awards went to Paul Smith’s the YSCC coaching experience, he ended Taylor West for Player of the Year. West shot saying, “Coaches and players have developed tournament low carding a 77. Mike Gard- relationships and that is what I really enjoy ner and Austin Delosh from Paul Smith’s, about YSCC golf. Of course, I would love to UMA’s Evan Kordalski, and NHTI’s Taylor see more schools join in.” Post filled out the rest of the All-Conference Team. The team was determined by the Photo by The Beacon Sports Staff five lowest scores on the day of the tournament. UMA would earn the YSCC Sportsmanship Award. Of all the fall sports, golf has the shortest season, mainly because of the weather. Regardless, in the short conversation the Beacon had with SeaWolf Seth Chim chips from the fairway onto the green at Pease Ethan Wells, he Golf Course using an iron. The YSCC Championship would be Chim’s stated, “I would like last time on the links as a SeaWolf, as Chim is graduating this year.
Business Club Organizes O.R.E.O. (Obstacle Race for Each Other)
By The Beacon Sports Staff In a sporting world which at times seems run amok with otherworldly financial constructions and separate from the everyday experiences of the struggling sports fan, it is wonderful to report a sporting activity that steps outside of these norms. The Obstacle Race for Each Other is such an event. The race, put on by the SMCC Business Club, will be a fundraiser for disaster victims. SMCC Business Club members Joseph Mullins, Rebecca Sammon and Raffaella Morabito are the principal club members who have been working with faculty adviser Steve Strand in organizing the race.
Poland Springs, Aramark, Yarmouth Community Services and SMCC have joined as sponsors with the SMCC Business Club. The Obstacle Course Fun Run will take place on the South Portland campus of SMCC, using SMCC’s undulating natural topography and surrounding beaches for the course. Obstacles such as a limbo station, hopscotch station, a sack-hop component, a beach-run portion, and even a spoon-and-egg speed-walk challenge will be a part of the course. The race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, Nov. 12, with a heavy-rain date scheduled for the 19th. The day’s race will start with a one-mile run for kids that starts at 10 a.m. and a two-mile run for adults starting at 11 a.m. Registration fees start at $10 for students, alumni, veterans and kids up to 13 years old. For adults, the fee is $20 and $25 for families. All can register on the day of the race. SMCC Business Club members will be setting up and managing the course and finish line, all the while cheering on the participants.
October 25