SMCC Beacon November 7, 2017

THE

I S S U E DAT E 11•7•17

BEACON

VOLUME 14 NO. 5

BY THE STUDENTS, FOR THE STUDENTS

Athletic Hall of Fame Inducts New Honorees

By The Beacon Staff Since 2006, the SMCC Athletic Department has been recognizing, honoring and inducting into its Hall of Fame former students, coaches, administrators and special supporters of the Athletics Department for their outstanding performances and contributions to the rich tradition of the college’s athletic history.

This year’s inductees include: Tommy Stirling ‘11 (Golf ), Nick Link ‘11 (Soccer), Nate Leeman ‘10 (Baseball), and Dan Walker ’10 (Baseball). These alumni will join the other 26 individuals and one team that has been honored for their achievements on the field, the court or behind the scenes.

This year’s ceremonies were held in the Ortiz Atrium on Saturday, November 4, following the men’s and women’s basketball games on the South Portland campus. SMCC representatives, friends, family members and community supporters gathered at 6pm in SMCC’s Campus Center with the induction ceremonies starting at 7.

For two seasons, Tommy Stirling’s play on the golf course set records that still stand today. Stirling averaged 75.8 strokes per round, ranking him all-time lowest average in the golf program’s history. He was also the Yankee Small College Conference

(YSCC) Champion earning All-Conference recognition. For two seasons he played as a SeaWolf and was also named to the

nament both years, winning the National Championship in 2011 with a record 140 (-4 par) which still stands today.

Image courtesy of the SMCC athletic department From left to right: Tommy Stirling, Nick Link, Dan Walker and Nate Leeman stand with plaques in hand after being inducted into the SMCC Athletic Hall of Fame.

United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-American selections.

He played in the USCAA National Tour-

On the pitch, Nick Link ended his playing career recording eight goals, four assists and 20 points as a SeaWolf. Link was

a three-season team captain, a two-time YSCC All-Conference selection and a 2011 All-American in the USCAA. Two SMCC student athletes from the 2009-2010 baseball squad, Nate Leeman and Da Walker were inducted. Leeman collected 67 hits in 191 plate appearances, which ranks him ninth all-time in hits recorded. He also ranks seventh all-time with a .351 career batting average, while ranking fourth in the RBI category, pushing across 61 runs batted in.

On the mound, Dan Walker was a dominant pitcher in his two-year career. Walker ranks first all-time in ERA (3.50) among pitchers with 100 or more innings pitched.

He also averaged 9.64 strikeouts per nine innings, is a 13-game winner, leaving SMCC with a grand total of 135 strikeouts in 21 appearances and threw 13 complete games which also stands as a program best.

Ethan Wells, Assistant Athletic Director, summed up the event stating, “This event is always special. Tommy, Nick, Nate and Dan joined an elite group of alumni last night.

SMCC Athletics is proud of their accomplishments and their service to SeaWolves Athletics. It was great to bring the inductees back to campus and to have current student-athletes be in attendance in support.”

Massive Wind Storm Uproots Historic Trees

By Ben Riggleman They called it a “bomb cyclone.” While the term technically refers to a pressure-drop phenomenon called bombogenesis, it aptly evokes the destruction that the storm of Oct. 30 left in its wake across New England: snapped trees, dangling power lines, debris clogging the streets. Two-thirds of Maine was without power on Monday, and a full quarter of the state was still in the dark on Friday morning, according to The Bangor Daily News. Both SMCC campuses lost power, forcing many students out into Portland in search of WiFi. Portland-area students of all ages got a day off, while some schools in the Brunswick area were out all week.

One of the most dramatic aspects of the storm was how many trees it felled. SMCC’s

South Portland Campus lost several stately old trees that had stood beside the athletic fields for generations. Noor Ibrahim investigated how these trees met their fate; you can read her tribute to them on Page 3.

The storm drew comparisons to the infamous Ice Storm of 1998. Dan Elliott, a Midcoast Campus student with vivid memories of that cataclysmic event, wrote about his experience hunkered down in Topsham as the storm passed through. Read his recount on Page 8.

Most of us weathered this one just fine.

We’re lucky that Maine is less vulnerable to extreme weather as coastal areas in the tropics; climate change portends more and fiercer storms. Our thoughts go out to the many Puerto Ricans who are still suffering from weekslong power outages.

Right: A large tree across from the HUB gym toppled by high winds.

Below left: A photograph from 1963 shows two towering trees on the south side of Preble Hall.

Below right: The two trees uprooted by the storm.

Photo by Caitlin Davis

Photo Courtesey of Leslie Barteaux

Photo by Caitlin Davis

Campus News Study at

Other Colleges Without Transferring

GPACU, the Greater Portland Alliance of Colleges and Universities, lets you take courses at the following schools while you stay enrolled at SMCC and pay SMCC tuition: Kaplan University Maine College of Art St. Joseph’s College University of New England University of Southern Maine If you need a course that’s not offered at SMCC, GPACU could be the answer!

Courses taken through GPACU cannot be offered at SMCC, and must fulfill a requirement of your present major.

Applicants must be in at least their second semester and in good academic standing at SMCC. There are several other restrictions. Visit the Advising Office or contact madvising@smccme.edu to get a copy of the GPACU application form.

Campus News

Those We Must Appreciate

What’s the Deal With Animals at SMCC?

By Noor Ibrahim

By Kate Bennett

Earlier this week, our lands were struck by a storm like never before. At first, I did not realize how severe and powerful the winds were. However, when I saw the damage in person, I was shaken.

So first and foremost, let us take a moment of silence to remember the fallen trees…

Trees are one of the most powerful living beings. We often hear about them surviving landslides, floods, and more. But, in this situation, our beloved companions have faced more than what meets the eye until their last moments.

To learn further about the trees, I contacted one of the horticulture instructors,

Dave Palm, and asked him a few questions about this matter. First, how old were the trees? Second, why did he think the trees were unable to withstand the strong winds? (According to some weather sources, the peak speed of the wind was between 60 and 69 mph.) Finally, what would happen to the fallen trees? Was it possible to revive them?

Professor Palm provided me with very insightful information about the changes and the different environmental factors that the trees had to face: “In regards to the age of the tree, I can only take a guess at approximately 75100 years old. There is a theory that the drought weakened the root system of

the trees that caused them to uproot, but when we received 4” of rain on Oct. 25 and then another 1 1/2” on Sunday night, that saturated the soils which allowed for the uprooting. I have seen that happen before when I lived in Wisconsin. The trees will be cut up for disposal. A tree that size would be nearly impossible to re-establish its roots.”

So now, why am I writing about trees that were uprooted as a result of a fierce storm? The reason is, it is very important to learn to appreciate and remember the elements around us. We must not take things for granted. I have seen few students sit beneath these trees to enjoy a cool breeze.

strong in themselves, as well as to spread their message on to all others who have ever been victims of assault. Many women have been sharing their personal stories of sexual assault for the world to see, via Twitter, Facebook, and more. In particular, the Instagram app has become a major hub for sexual-assault awareness. Many public figures as well as everyday working women have been coming forth with their stories, with the intention of spreading confidence and hope throughout all of those affected by assault. The Instagram hashtag #MeToo has been coined on Instagram with the purpose of unifying all women affected by assault. #MeToo has paved the way for many individuals battling their experiences to unite and stand strong with other women across the USA and the world.

Sexual assault does not just take place in Hollywood alone. All around the world, women are constantly subjected to high chances of being sexually assaulted. Let’s take a quick look at the statistics. One out of every six American women has been the of victim sexual assault in her lifetime. Nine out of every 10 rapes occur among females.

One in 20 women report being raped in college since the beginning of their school year (about an average of 7 months). Sexual assault and rape among college students

and universities is unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence across the United States. To continue, the statistics gathered from college surveys are often just percentages of who has to confidence to speak up.

The more that women find the confidence and power to speak out against sexual assault, the more it will change the world for the better.

According to the RAINN National Network (Rape, Assault and Incest National Network) sexual assault has made a large decline in numbers. Since 1993, rape and sexual assault among women in the United States has fallen by a whopping 63 percent.

The more noise women make, the bigger the change will be. It often takes one brave voice to start a revolution and to bring about a significant change. As long as women and all individuals alike personally take a strong stand, make a statement and continue to fight with confident steps towards change, sexual assault will continue to diminish in numbers. There is hope for victims of sexual assault, and for the decrease in its occurrence around the country. If anyone ever feels the need to talk about their experiences or to receive help, RAINN National Network provides a National Sexual Assault Hotline that can be reached anytime at 1-800-656-4673.

Confidence in Numbers: #MeToo

By Lexis Elston Earlier this month, the former movie mogul and founder of The Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein, was confronted with a slew of various sexual-assault charges from many reputable women across Hollywood and beyond. These charges were pressed against Mr. Weinstein by actresses and models who had worked alongside or for Mr. Weinstein in previous years before.

Shortly after the release of this story, many women were inspired with confidence to give hope to other women around Hollywood and through the world to come forth with their own stories of sexual assault.

For many women, it can feel shameful, painful and embarrassing to talk about such a personal sexual-assault experience. The wake of the Weinstein scandal has prompted many women to feel optimistic and

THE

BEACON Executive Staff

Production Manager

Managing Editor

Art Director

Digital Media Manager

Graphic Designers

Midcoast Section Editor

Troy Hudson Ben Riggleman Paul Moosmann Daniele Amandolini Daniele Amandolini Taylor Freeman Joanne Smith Dan Elliott

Contributing Writers

Daniele Amandolini, Kate Bennett, Jimmy Dasch, Dan Elliott, Lexis Elston, John Fieger, Troy Hudson, Noor Ibrahim, Evan Jackson, Ryan Marshall, Lloyd Metcalf, Ben Riggleman, Nicholas Saball, Justin Taylor, Cassidy Vautier Illustrations Troy Hudson, Ben Riggleman, Joanne Smith Contributing Photographers Daniele Amandolini, Kate Bennett, Caitlin Davis, Taylor Freeman, Dan Elliott, Cassie Marceau, Ryan Marshall Advisors Chuck Ott & Rachel Guthrie

2 The Beacon • November 7, 2017

Photo by Taylor Freeman

Did You Know...

Many students have seen or heard of animals that live on campus. But, what are the rules about keeping animals on campus? At SMCC, students are not allowed to have animals in their dorms except for fish. Exceptions are made for service animals and emotional-support animals.

Dean of Students Tiffanie Bentley explained that legally, service animals can be only two types of animal: a dog or a miniature horse. Currently, SMCC does not have any miniature horses on campus, though that would be interesting. She explained that a service animal is trained specifically for a person with a disability, and it is trained to have specific skills to help that person. For example, a service animal may guide someone who is blind, or may be able to warn someone if they are about to have a seizure. Service animals can go wherever the student goes on campus (within reason; a service animal may not be allowed in the Culinary Arts kitchen for health reasons).

Service animals are allowed on campus once a student registers with Disability Services.

Emotional-support animals are also found on campus. They are sometimes also referred to as assistance animals or support animals.

Dean Bentley explained that an emotional support animal can be any kind of animal, including dogs, cats, ferrets, geckos, and more. There are restrictions which include no poisonous animals, for obvious reasons.

Emotional-support animals are different

than service animals because they are not trained to have specific skills to help a person. To have an emotional-support animal, a student has to have a disability, and the animal has to be prescribed by a doctor or therapist. Only one animal is allowed per room at SMCC to prevent disruption and to minimize damages. Emotional-support animals are only allowed inside the dorms (unless it is an animal like a dog, which may need to be taken outside to use the bathroom).

Sandra Lynham, director of counseling and disability services, gave me an example of how an emotional-support animal can help someone: If a student has depression and needs motivation to get outside, they may have a dog because they have to take the dog outside to bring it to the bathroom.

The dog would then be a motivator for the person to get outside.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, “Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” Service animals are typically allowed wherever the public is allowed. There may be some restrictions, such as on bringing an animal into a commercial kitchen.

The U.S. Department of Justice also states that if staff can not tell what a service animal is providing they can ask only two questions. These questions are, “(1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability” and “(2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform.” When

inquiring about a service animal, staff have you need to be prescribed one from your to stick to those two questions. “Staff can- doctor or therapist and meet with Sandra not ask about the person’s disability, require Lynham in Disability Services. medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.”

Recently, there have been websites selling “service animal certificates” or “certifications.”

This is a scam.

Dean Bentley explained to me that if you have a service animal, you do not need to pay anyone for a certificate for that animal. To have a service animal on campus, you need to meet with Sandra Lynham in Disability Services (located on the third floor of Howe Hall, South Portland Campus). To be able to have an Photo by Taylor Freeman emotional-support animal on campus, Student Micah Smith holding an emotional-support ferret.

News From Student Senate

By Kate Bennett SMCC’s Student Senate met on Wednesday, Oct. 25, for its weekly meeting. During this meeting, the Student Welfare Committee shared some recent survey data on SMCC students: There are fewer students on campus this year but more students enrolled in online classes. The public-relations secretary explained that Senate is going to be emailing club representatives monthly to get updates from them to add to the CeSIL updates. Also, the Cosplay Club was granted their money request for their trip to Boston in the spring.

The Student Senate next met on Nov. 1.

One major topic of discussion was a proposed amendment to the Student Senate financial guidelines. The amendment reads, “An organization’s advisor is exempt from paying to participate in their organization’s events and activities.” This proposed amendment was passed. Also during this meeting, the Student Welfare Committee explained that they will be proposing to establish dogwaste stations near dorms, and Beacon Media (not associated with the Beacon newspaper) was granted their money request to be able to hire a website designer.

Registration for Spring 2018 classes begins on Monday, November 13 at 8:00am.

VETERANS CLUB The SMCC Veterans Club provides support to veterans and families regarding veterans issues on campus. We do this through activities that promote community service and education on veteran related topics.

Membership is free and is open to any student, staff, faculty and family member of Southern Maine Community College.

For more information contact us at: smccmevetclub@gmail.com Resources for veterans at SMCC: https://www.smccme.edu/admissions-aid/veterans/

Every issue of the Beacon is available to read on our website at thesmccbeacon.wordpress.com.

November 7, 2017 • The Beacon 3

By Jimmy Dasch CCleaner has been one of my favorite programs to use on my computer for a long time. Ever since I can remember I’ve been using this program to clean and maintain almost every computer in my house. Besides just cleaning out computers of junk files and registry errors, which end up slowing down your computer, you can change other options, such as which programs start when your computer is turned on. This program has helped me keep computers healthy for a long time, and I’m going to tell you how you can do the same for your computer.

Once downloaded (go to http://tinyurl. com/mlxdwzm to download), CCleaner greets you with a user-friendly interface that has its options right in front of you.

You’ll notice that there’s an upgrade button on the bottom of the options; that’s because there’s a free and a paid version of this program. The two versions are similar, one of the only big differences being that the paid version will automatically download updates. The free version will still ask you if you want to manually install the updates, so the paid version isn’t needed.

The “cleaner” tab is one of the most important parts of this program. Once you click analyze in the bottom right of the window, it will search through your com-

puter for junk files, files that have been left behind by web browsers and other programs that shouldn’t be there. After the scan is finished, you can click on “run cleaner,” which will get rid of all of the files CCleaner found. This alone can provide a huge speed increase to your computer. So can using the “registry” option, which is the second important part of this program.

Upon clicking on “registry,” you’ll be asked to scan for any registry errors that your computer has. Registry errors are left behind from uninstalling and updating any programs that you have on your computer. Too many of these can result in a slow-down of your computer, just like with the junk files and temporary internet browsing files. After CCleaner has finished the scan, you can click on “fix selected issues.” This

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4 The Beacon • November 7, 2017

will get rid of the registry errors found, resulting in even more of a speed boost on your computer.

There is one more tab you should explore under CCleaner, and that’s the “tools” tab. So what’s under this tab?

Once you click on it, you’re presented with a few different options. The only one you need to worry about is the “startup” tab. Click on it, and take notice of how many programs are “enabled” under that section. Whatever programs are enabled are what start up with your computer, and depending on how many programs are under that list, your computer startup time could take way longer than you’d

like it to. The only program I recommend keeping enabled under that tab is a virus-protection program of your choice, just so you always stay protected while browsing the Web. Once you sort through what programs you want to start up with your computer, you’re all set to close out of CCleaner.

To finish up your computer maintenance, go ahead and restart your computer. You should notice a faster startup time as well as a speed boost from your previous cleaning of the temporary files and the registry errors. I recommend running CCleaner once a week — both the regular cleaner and the registry cleaner. This will ensure that your computer stays up to speed and functioning properly. CCleaner is one of the most useful free programs out there, and I hope after reading this guide you’ll download it yourself and try it out.

Jimmy Dasch is a member of the Information Technology Senior Seminar course and is planning on a career in the IT field in the near future.

Illustration by Ben Riggleman

Windows on a Mac

By Evan Jackson According to various publications, including Fortune and TechCrunch, Apple’s iPhone controls the smartphone market in the U.S. This, I’m sure, comes as no surprise to most smartphone users. What may come as a surprise, however, is the fact that, despite how consumer trends are portrayed in film and television, Apple laptops own a significantly smaller portion of their market share than their smaller sibling. Apple does, however, still go to great lengths to provide users with a friendly and aesthetically pleasing personal computer that appeals to a target audience of younger consumers, with college students chief among them.

I’m not going to posit a case for Macs over PCs or vice versa here, and I’m going to assume that there are numerous readers in both camps. What I’m going to do instead is offer the following advice specifically to Mac users intending to use their computer even when they may be required to utilize proprietary Windows software, or perhaps simply choose to do so for preference.

For a user who wants to run Windows on their Mac laptop, the advice is quite simple: Employ a virtual machine instead of using Boot Camp. Now for the why and how: Boot Camp allows a user to install a second operating system on their Mac computer.

This means that the computer’s hardware is shared, by means of partitioning, between the native Mac operating system and the Windows operating system. This is a completely viable option; however, it can use up valuable hardware space and functionality.

Another downside to using Bootcamp, or dual booting, is that the two systems cannot

run simultaneously; one must reboot their computer to employ the desired operating system.

The better option is to utilize a virtual machine, or “VM.” A VM sits on top of the host hardware via a software environment called a hypervisor. General users don’t need to know the specifics of how VMs work, just how to employ them. And it’s quite simple. The only tools needed are a viable Windows OS image and Oracle VM VirtualBox (available at https://tinyurl. com/2e2xx).

There are numerous resources and tutorials online explaining how to create a virtual machine running a Windows distribution, so I will spare you the technical steps in this article save to say that the process is as simple as clicking a few buttons, locating the correct file and initiating a standard installation. I’ve created one such tutorial on my personal website that details exactly how to create a virtual machine running Windows in VirtualBox. You can view my tutorial at https://tinyurl.com/y72fywsq.

One of the primary benefits of running a virtual machine is that your hardware is not partitioned, and is thus less taxed than when dual-booting. Another benefit is that you can run the two systems simultaneously.

This means, among other things, that you can listen to the music in your iTunes on your Mac while you work on your spreadsheet in MS Excel on your Windows VM.

What Is the Internet of Things?

By Nicholas Saball It’s likely you have heard the term before, especially as the concept has gained more recognition in recent years. It is a discussion in touch with our lives on a personal level, and it’s important to acknowledge it as technology progresses. The internet of things, or IoT, is the aggregation of data transferred between electronic devices. So, more simply, all devices communicating over a network share information with each other. The IoT is a network of computing devices with some form of software, sensors, actuators, etc. This could be anything from a heart monitor to traffic lights. Each of these pieces of technology with network connectivity contributes its data to this overall system of objects. IoT’s influence will eventually extend deeply into our society, as it has already enhanced industries such as home, transportation, manufacturing and agriculture.

Some even refer to IoT as the next Industrial Revolution, as the new technology is integrated into many industries and drastically increases production.

Due to such a variety of devices and our growing dependency on technology, IoT has seen massive growth and is estimated to reach nearly 35 billion devices by 2020.

IoT’s primary investments are expected to come from commercial business and government, as both aim to decrease expenses and increase productivity. While implementation in government can greatly improve infrastructure and quality of life, business can use this technology in the development of new products and the expansion to new markets. Recently, its popularity has risen

with the emergence of technologies such as self-driving cars, home automation, motion-detecting traffic intersections and so on.

Life today looks drastically different from the past. With the introduction of home automation, you have most likely heard the pitch: how great it could be to have the lights on when you arrive, or have any simple task that you currently conduct throughout the day put out of mind and made a thing of the past. The idea of electronically automating unnecessary everyday actions hinges solely on IoT, and we even notice small progressions in the modern lifestyle, like home security systems going from an interface on your wall to your computer and inevitably being consolidated into a single app on your smartphone, always accessible. With the emergence of devices like the garage-door remote and the universal remote, as well, we know that people are interested in consolidating their devices — and to a deeper extent, the accessibility of their devices from any location.

Now as the popularity of IoT increases, so does the skepticism. The concept has gained a stigma in recent years that has taken many different forms. While many speculate, there is fair reason for alarm, as the security of this network can pose a legitimate risk.

With such massive and rapid expansion, it is very important for the security to match — especially when these technologies promote a certain disregard for something once seen as a personal responsibility. Most important to the consumer is trust. So this is to be taken very seriously when your market applies to something as personal as self-driving cars.

As a consumer you probably don’t think much on security, and may claim that it’s the companies’ responsibility. However, in this situation, n n Joa before ceding cony b i on t trol to certain devices, a r t Illus it is important to choose products carefully to ensure proper updating, service, etc. For example, it can be appealing to buy the cheaper product, but if it is not updated frequently it poses a much greater risk to hacking and security breaches. So, while the industry grows around us, be aware of the products and the companies that make them before you buy to guarantee that they will continue to meet security expectations over time. eS m it h

CCleaner and How It Can Help Your Computer

Nicholas Saball is a member of the Information Technology Senior Seminar course and is planning a career in software development.

Apple TV Becomes 4K HDR

By John Fieger With the recent announcement of the new Apple TV being 4K HDR ready, it has left some people wondering what exactly is 4K HDR, anyways? Breaking it down into three parts, there is first off 4K, then there’s the HDR standard and lastly, there’s the content.

Starting with 4K, this is the approximate number of horizontal pixels on the screen.

It also contains almost four times the number of pixels as on a normal full-HD television. In other terms the image will look about four times as sharp as a normal screen. This will allow you to be closer to the screen without noticing as much blurring or loss of detail. This is especially helpful with large TVs, as the pixels need to be stretched much larger; to have so many more of them makes the image look much better.

The next part is HDR, which stands for high dynamic range. This allows the screen to get darker and brighter than it could normally get. It also makes the color accuracy of the screen much better, making the colors look more like they would in real life. With HDR, everything seems to just pop and seems to make other screens look dull or flat. 4K content is also great when downscaling to full HD, making the image noticeably sharper and overall better looking. HDR sets a new standard for the brightness, darkness and color accuracy of any given screen.

Many companies have started to release

their content in 4K, most notably Netflix and Amazon. A lot of people have been questioning whether it is worth it. There has been a lot of talk of 8K coming soon, and many people don’t want to get 4K if will become obsolete quickly. However, 8K is still a long way away, with a fullsize television currently selling for about $130,000. It looks like 8K will start to pick up around 2025, so if you’re looking to upgrade, 4K is starting to drop in price and become more available. Along with 4K becoming cheaper, many new 4K TVs are also “smart,” meaning they have all the

4K content built right into the TV, like 4K Netflix, games, and music.

Overall, 4K is quickly becoming the new standard of television, and is quickly gaining popularity — especially with the new HDR standard making the colors look even more accurate with the already sharp image. So, is it worth it? That depends. If you sit far away from your television and it still looks good, then probably not. But if you like to sit close to your television and it looks blurry and not clear, then it may be time to upgrade.

BUSINESS CLUB Majoring in the Business Admin degree program or interested in business news?

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November 7, 2017 • The Beacon 5

Opinion From the Desk of the Managing Editor

By Ben Riggleman Student employees at SMCC had to go through workplace safety training in October, and I’m no exception. All it meant was watching a handful of slideshows and filling out some multiple-choice quizzes; you could do it while watching TV. I was tempted to blow it off by doing just that, until I opened up the first slideshow and was confronted with some jarring information: “About one out of every five women in their college years experiences attempted or completed sexual assault.” An equally scary number followed: according to one study, “One in 12 college men committed acts that met the legal definition of rape, and 84% of them did not consider their actions to be illegal.”

As I imagine is typical of college-aged men, I was ignorant of the scope of the problem. I had a hard time believing the latter figure, so I did some light research around the Web. I found that the one-out-of-12 statistic (from a 1998 study by Ouimette and Riggs) was substantiated by the literature and widely cited. It boggles my mind that there could be rapists among the young men I call friends and acquaintances, but I must now accept the likelihood. In the past, I’d thought “rape culture” sounded like hyperbole, and I’d questioned affirmative consent. It now seems like any intervention from colleges, no matter how awkward, is many times better than doing nothing.

Likewise, knowing the facts on sexual assault, rape, harassment and discrimination, it’s hard to argue that feminism isn’t necessary. “Political correctness,” if it is a problem, is inconsequential by comparison.

Violence against women has been in the news lately, with the Harvey Weinstein scandal being the most recent of many. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read Lexis Elston’s column on #MeToo, a social-media campaign for recognition by women who have been sexually assaulted (see Page 3.) Also, Lloyd Metcalf ’s “What If ” column on this page explores the implications of gender roles in our society and considers how we’d function in their total absence.

Opinion

Gambling on an Empty Promise

By Troy Hudson

On November 7, the day this newspaper is published, Mainers will once again head to the polls to vote on two ballot initiatives and a handful of other matters, provided lingering 2016 election fatigue hasn’t caused us to throw up our hands at the very idea of the democratic process.

While there’s nothing as sexy as choosing the leader of the free world on this year’s ballot, one question that is generating some heat in the state is Question 1, a measure to decide whether to allow a new casino to operate in York County.

By now, trying to sway your opinion on Question 1 is a moot point. Plenty of money has been spent by both sides to convince you that a new casino in York County would be either a magnificent blessing to Maine or merely a scam that would benefit nobody other than “Shady” Shawn Scott, the casino entrepreneur who would get exclusive rights to the proposed business. But perhaps we should question whether state-sanctioned gambling in general is really the economic fix that its proponents claim it is.

Maine only legalized slot machines in 2005 and is currently home to just two casinos, Oxford Casino in Oxford and Hollywood Casino in Bangor. Both offer electronic gambling machines as well as traditional games, and together pulled in $129.8 million in revenue in 2015. Both are lauded as economic boons to their respective regions. Oxford Casino famously sends an impressive 25% of revenue to the Department of Education, and portions of their revenue go to other charitable causes throughout the state, as mandated by the

By Lloyd Metcalf Much of what drives our social interactions with one another is sex- and gender-related. There are numerous publications regarding gender, sexuality and how it affects us — but is anyone asking “what if ”?

What if we had no gender?

Assume for a moment that we are asexual beings that reproduce like amoebas. We split in two when we want to reproduce. We have no gender roles in society, with no attached expectations.

How would this situation alter our daily interactions with one another? How would it change how we look at our relationships?

Friendships? Who would you be attracted to romantically — WOULD you even be attracted to anyone romantically?

We would find ourselves in relationships that were based solely on our intellectual and recreational interests. When we met new people, we would get to know them intellectually without assumption of roles or societal interactions.

How would it change the way you dress? What would parties and social occasions look like without gender roles and expectations?

In some situations, I try to imagine this scenario when I meet new people in an effort to better get to know the true person.

Asking this “what if ” can really open some doors to interacting with people and shar-

6 The Beacon • November 7, 2017

State Gambling Control Board.

Benefits like these are extremely appealing to a revenue-starved state like Maine, as they have been for many states before us. But we have only to look to these other states to see that state-sanctioned gambling rarely lives up to its promises.

Job creation is an oft-touted selling point of casinos, but in a famous example, New Jersey’s Atlantic City has never met expectations in this regard.

following casino openings. A comprehensive report published in The Review of Economic Statistics in 2006 examined 167 counties with casinos that had been in operation for at least 20 years. In those counties, the authors estimated, gambling accounted for 5.5 percent to 30 percent of serious crimes.

This is not surprising considering the National Research Council estimated in 1999 that 1.5 percent of adults were “pathological” gamblers and that another 3.9 percent were “problem” gamblers. Consider also that a Montana report in 1998 found that problem gamblers accounted for 36 percent of revenue from electronic gambling devices. Gambling does not generate new wealth so much as move it from the lower classes to the bank accounts of casino owners.

Mainers should look beyond the short-term gains Despite new promised by casino jobs created by moguls and conthe casinos themsider the reputation selves, the fact that of our state, which, hundreds of bars and once tarnished, may Illustration by Troy Hudson restaurants closed in take a generation or response to the new gammore to re-establish. Just bling industry offset much of the because casinos have been profitable net gains in employment. A special com- in the short time they’ve been allowed to mission initiated by Governor Chris Chris- operate in Maine does not mean they are tie in 1999 found that public perception of the way forward for us as a state. If our Atlantic City and other gambling hubs is leaders can’t find a more viable and ethical that they are “unclean and unsafe,” driving way of sustaining our budget, then perhaps away customers who are interested in any- we should elect leaders who can. thing other than gambling.

Part of this reputation for being unsafe is founded in very real upticks in crime rates ing ideas. It can also keep you from making sweeping assumptions about a person’s interests based on gender.

I can’t begin to count the times that I have been asked by a stranger (always male and unsure what to say), “How about that game?” If I were of a more present mind when it’s asked, I would reply with, “Oh, I didn’t know you had heard! The orcs were charging our gates and my 10th-level warrior leapt from the ramparts, rolling a critical hit while the wizard cast fireball on the masses!! It was EPIC!” Perhaps I should fabricate a story of a mahjong game or knitting competition instead.

When men meet, there is an assumption based on gender that they have watched the most recent football or baseball game and know something about it. What they might find out instead with this “what if ” is that I have a deep admiration for Vermeer art and a passion for Dungeons & Dragons that has become my career.

Sitting on campus writing this piece I am surrounded by gender interactions. A trio of young men jostle each other around as they talk about their recent soccer game.

Across the room a couple of young women are working on their studies. One looks a bit side-ways with a crooked smile when a young man approaches. A couple of women

enter holding hands and smile at one another before parting. These are all primarily gender-based interactions.

Women and other genders interact with this world in a different way than men.

Men park anywhere they like in a parking lot and take a jaunt to the store without any thought. People of other genders consider how light it is out, the time of day, who is nearby, and how they hold their personal items. If we were an asexual genderless society, this would all change our daily lives, appearance and interactions.

If it’s too much to imagine, it may be worth taking a moment out of your day and simply considering what the world looks like for someone of a different gender than your own — and yes, there are more than two considerations. It helps to make the world a better place when we approach all situations with some empathy.

With or without gender, we all have something to offer.

Assume for a moment that we are asexual beings that reproduce like

amoebas.

What if… is an editorial piece written to ask the question “What if…” The intent is to ask the question, imagine the result, maybe spark the imagination and conversation.

Finding My Freedom:

An International Journey of Self-Discovery The following essay was originally written for Professor Kevin Sweeney’s Ethical Dilemmas class. The author asked to remain anonymous.

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day in Frankfurt, Germany, and I couldn’t wait to get the day started. It was the summer of 2006, and I was excited to be surrounded by my extended family. I had been there for only a few days, but I was already very familiar with Frankfurt because my parents had brought my siblings and me there every summer since I was 9 years old. I tipped the cab driver, who drove a Mercedes Benz, and stepped onto the sidewalk in my 6-inch designer heels. I was feeling good that day, and it was going to be a special day — or so I was told. On my way to a ceremony for my brother and his wife-to-be, I was especially dolled up because I was representing the family from “the great land of America.” I didn’t mind it, though; at 17 I was quite the show-off, and I couldn’t wait to be seen in my beautiful traditional dress and my professionally done hair and makeup.

To my surprise, my cousins who I had arrived to the party with disappeared into the house where the event was being held.

The party was alive, and the place was packed. I was nervous and was whispering the formal greeting, “as-salamu alaykum,” to myself over and over. My cousins always

laughed at my brother and me because our traditional language was broken, but I was determined to prove to my elders that we Americans are better than the Germans (a silly argument that never ended, especially when we watched soccer on TV, which was like the Super Bowl every week).

As I prepared myself to enter the house, my aunt came out with a man who was a friend of the family, but I barely knew him.

I didn’t pay any attention to his awkward greeting, so my aunt rushed me into the house and told me to show my respect to the guests. As I walked in, my aunt behind me, the entire house shook with applause, laughter, and dancing. A handshake turned to hugs, hugs turned to tugs, and through some shuffle, I ended up on the chair, which looked like a throne with big letters hanging behind spelling “Congratulations!” and “Bride and Groom To-Be.” My entire life flashed before my eyes. I had to think of something, and I had to think of it fast. The guy sitting next to me, the one that I barely knew, was no help at all; I was not going to marry him. At 17 years old, I had some big decisions to make about my life. Every decision

When the judge finally granted the emancipation, both my mother and father burst into tears, and that was it: I was free.

The United States pays almost twice as much for healthcare as any other industrialized nation, yet it still does not provide care for all its citizens. While the Affordable Care Act has helped some people, many of us are feeling the pinch of rising costs and narrowing networks.

Polls show that 58% of Americans favor a national publicly funded healthcare program. So why has the U.S. Congress not yet passed- or even considered- such a plan? This documentary delves into what single payer healthcare is, how it saves money, and what we can do to make it happen.

Doors open 6:30 PM, Film 6:45 PM, Panel Discussion 8:00 PM Thursday, November 9, 2017 South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road Admission is Free

nowisthetimemovie.com

I could think of had a consequence; there was no medium. Emancipation was my destiny, and though I knew of the rights and wrongs that came with it, it was a decision that changed my life forever.

My family is a very traditional Afghan family, and it has always been so important to my parents that my siblings and I know our customs. They found that it was best we learn our culture through spending time with aunts, uncles and cousins, who mostly lived throughout Europe. If they only had known at the time that my generation of the family would soon become the most modern members of the family in history.

There are a lot of things I wish my family and I had known at the time, and on that one day specifically. I had been a very rebellious teenager, and my parents and I were not on talking terms. I had a boyfriend, and in my parents’ country that was a crime that I could have been stoned to death for, but I was born and raised in America and my parents had no clue what to do with me. I wasn’t allowed to have many friends, so I definitely wasn’t allowed to have a boyfriend. My cousin, who I was staying with at the time because I refused to go home, convinced me to take our yearly family trip to Germany and work it out with my parents.

So, there I was in Frankfurt, Germany, on my way to my marriage ceremony.

I knew I wasn’t getting married right at that moment, but in my culture it was a way of showing union between families, and something about my father’s pride. I honestly never took the time to understand it, but what I do know is that respect and pride are a big part of the Afghan culture.

Me being the defiant daughter I was made my father look weak. My father, like many of the men in my family, did not care about the consequences of certain things; he was a man of principle. He believed strongly that tradition must not be broken, that we must not forget who we are and where we are from. Arranged marriage just so happens to be an aspect of that tradition, and my father felt that he had a moral responsibility as a father, a brother, and a man to make sure his daughter is taken care of. He followed a form of deontology, which the philosopher Bruce Waller defines as “any ethical system that judges right and wrong acts in terms of principles and duties, rather than on the basis of the consequences of the acts.”

My father and I have very different views of the world, so our principles are not the same. He was raised in Afghanistan and I was raised in America, so even our traditions are not the same. That is why it is so important to think beyond the basis of principle. My father did not think about the greater consequences of his decisions, and in the end suffered greatly due to it.

In 2007 I was emancipated from my parents. I wore black silky pants and a beautiful pink cardigan to court the morning of the trial. I wish my parents had just signed the papers and avoided the trial process, but they didn’t want to let me go without a fight. I hadn’t seen them in almost a year, since the time I used my dad’s credit card to switch my return flight back from Germany. I didn’t want to see them. I was mad at them, I was afraid of them, and I was

nervous. Trial was just one stipulation of the emancipation process, so I had to deal with it. At the time, I was living with a teacher from school and her family. I had never felt so uncomfortable in my life. My parents never let me go to sleepovers, so I wasn’t used to being in a different environment. This was just another part I had to deal with in my emancipation process. I felt bad for my parents; I knew they had no idea how to deal with the situation at hand.

I was lost myself, but I had support from lawyers, mentors, and teachers at school.

I avoided eye contact with my parents through all the proceedings.

When the judge finally granted the emancipation, both my mother and father burst into tears, and that was it: I was free.

I was free to choose my own destiny, I was free to choose my own career, I was free to be myself and who I really wanted to be, an Afghan-American. As I sat relieved, thinking about a happier place in life, my parents were still heartbroken. They came over to hug me. My lawyers thought it was the least I could do, but the lawyers didn’t understand my language, the things my parents were saying, and how hard it was.

The hardest part of it all was seeing my father cry, which had never happened ever before or after this moment in my life. As he hugged me one last time, he whispered, “Am I really a bad father?” I knew he was a good man and an even better father, but the changes he needed in his life and the changes that I needed in mine were far more important than us being together as a family.

Though the emancipation process was a difficult one, it made a big impact on the rest of my life. Though my family had many aspirations of me becoming a doctor and marrying a man of their choice and having many grandkids for them to look after, I always had different goals for myself. Though the emancipation was a success, life became very difficult for me. I struggled financially, I couldn’t focus on school, and I still needed a lot of help. Ludwig Wittgenstein once wrote, “I do not know why we are here, but I’m pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves.” I can relate to this because when I was emancipated at 17 years old, I thought that life was going to be more enjoyable. It wasn’t. I don’t regret the decision I made, though. The emancipation helped me realize how much I loved my brothers and sisters and the aspect of family. It helped me understand and find myself.

The emancipation also helped my parents change and accept their life here in America, with different principles and different customs. They had to realize that they could not expect my sisters and me to live the same way girls our age lived in their country. I helped my sisters live more comfortably with my parents. I helped my parents to understand my sisters and their needs. In the end we made the best choices in a very difficult situation. My relationship with my family is better than I could have ever imagined it to be. We don’t talk about those days or what happened when I was growing up. It’s still a very emotional subject, but my parents understand now. We learned to look past it on both sides. There is still a lot we have to agree on concerning the future, but we’ve learned to work through the toughest part. One thing we can all agree on is that we are all happier united as a family than apart, so we can put our differences aside when it comes to a clash of culture and just be a family.

November 7, 2017 • The Beacon 7

Arts & Features

Arts & Features

Cinema Corner

Thor Is Funny and Hulk Is Also There: A ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Review

By Justin Taylor The third installment of Marvel’s Norse-mythology-fueled franchise injects fun and character into a trilogy that was previously void of those things. Thor finally takes center stage as the character he was meant to be: a brash fool vastly out of his element.

The film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) lost on Sakaar, a bizarre, colorful, yet dystopian junkyard planet where he is then enslaved and forced to fight in gladiatorial combat for the amusement of the planet’s ageless leader, the Grandmaster. Thor desperately seeks to return to his home, Asgard, to stop Hela, the Goddess of Death, with the help of allies both old and new. Director Taika Waititi inserts the blend of quirky character moments and goofy improv dialog that he is known for, to varied effect.

Waititi’s comedic voice seems like a great fit for Thor as a character, making him the sort of fish out water that he should have been in the first Thor film, but some of these comedic moments break the tension of the film. Some of the characters are treated like jokes, for better or worse. Korg, the hilarious rock-like humanoid (played by Waititi himself ) is a joke character used almost entirely for comedic effect, but still works because he is not put into an active character arc.

On the other hand, Skurge (Karl Urban) is wasted as a hot-headed warrior appointed as the villainous Hela’s executioner. He goes through an arc where he is stripped of his position of power, causing him to side with Hela. Skurge does very little besides listen to Hela spout exposition and be treated like a joke by the other characters and even the writers of the film. He’s given a rushed redemption arc, which while cool looking, feels hollow and forced.

The cast of “Ragnarok” has more chemistry than any of the players of the previous Thor Movies. Tessa Thompson (“Creed”) is wonderful as Valkyrie, a drunken Asgardian running from her past. Ragnarok also features the Hulk, returning to the MCU in full gladiator armor.

The film sets up a new arc for the character that adds a new layer of depth to the rage monster. He plays very well with Thor and makes a surprisingly good fit for the movie.

“Thor: Ragnarok” is visually stunning and more colorful than some of the more recent entries into the Marvel Franchise. All the environments in the film are bold and interesting, especially when compared to the bland earth-tones of the previous movies.

“Thor: Ragnarok” elevates the fun of Thor and makes him into a character that audiences will find more enjoyable and entertaining than before.

Visually stunning and more colorful

Image courtesy of Marvel Studios

Poetry Spoken Word

Open Mic

Student Center Lobby

Nov 9th

Come rock the mic with Alpha and Omega’s real talk

8:00 - 10:00 PM

AUDIENCE Please be respectful and courteous towards all performers PERFORMERS Be aware you have an audience - if you can limit profanity please do Be yourself and have fun!

FOOD AND DRINKS FOR ALL

Email Jeremy at j.oriol347@gmail.com by Nov 8th if you’d like to perform. Spaces are limited.

8 The Beacon • November 7, 2017

Rating: A

The Maine Mayhem Connection

By Ryan Marshall The purpose of these interviews is to celebrate the efforts and ambitions of those who are about to embark on the grueling yet wholly rewarding cinematic journey that is SMCC’s annual Maine Mayhem Film Festival; and to shed some much-needed light on the school’s budding community of visual artists.

I sat down with Ben Rooker, who is currently enrolled in the pre-production course, to discuss his involvement with this year’s program: RYAN MARSHALL: Let’s start off by stating your name and telling us a little something about your aspirations within the industry.

BEN ROOKER: My name is Ben Rooker, and I’m looking to get into the film industry to do a wide range of things.

I particularly enjoy the art and design aspects of film, so I aspire to either do scoring, DP work, or VFX. RM: Have you been involved with this process in the past?

BR: I don’t have past experience in Mayhem, but I am currently taking pre-production for it. It’s been eye-opening to see the level of dedication, planning and effort that goes into even shorter projects. I’m grateful to have such great friends also in the program, and even more who’ve been through it in the past.

RM: Can you tell us more about the project that you currently have in development for this year’s festival?

BR: My upcoming Mayhem film, tentatively titled “The While,” is about a college student struggling with an anxiety disorder who discovers she’s being stalked by creatures from another world.

It’s a sci-fi horror with elements of surrealism thrown in for good measure, and while I’m still in the process of crewing up, I couldn’t be more excited to get this project off the ground.

The Secret Greenhouse Youth Cultivating Kelp

By Noor Ibrahim

This week’s adventure was a “secret” visit to the greenhouse and ambling in the garden. I have been curious to visit this place ever since I came to the South Portland campus around two years ago. The shrubs, flowers, herbs and the little saplings have been a great attraction to me. Therefore, I finally decided to pay the greenhouse a visit.

I must admit, I somewhat snuck into the greenhouse that was closer to the classroom, and this made the experience even better!

When I first stepped into the structure, my eyes teared up with joy and I could not help but gasp. I was overwhelmed. It was as if I had stepped into the most mystical place I had seen in my life. The air was so soft and warm, and the lighting was plushy. Particles danced in the sun rays like glitter floating in space.

The tables were filled with all kinds of plants

sitting in different-sized pots. And the smell... when I took a deep breath, my eyes widened as the smell of honey permeated the air.

Another thing I enjoyed about this experience was the vibrancy of colors. There was a good amount of saturation that filtered the small field.

The place was very relaxing and dreamy inside and out. It felt otherworldly and peaceful. It also kept me focused on the path I was walking along. I found the most beautiful and colorful insects flying and feeding the plants.

Being in such an atmosphere will make you question many things about how things work and the enormity of the universe. Therefore, I concluded from this experience that surrounding yourself with the most organic elements of life will remind you of your origin.

Although this may sound cliche, our visit here is short; we should make the best of it and enjoy what we’ve been given!

Omi’s Cafe Comes to SoPo

By Cassidy Vautier You know you’ve come to the right place when you’re greeted with the intoxicating aroma of espresso and old books upon arriving. Currently located at 28 Bracket St. in Downtown Portland, Omi’s Cafe ensures a cozy vintage style that begs to pull you in for hours with its affable staff, comfortable sitting area perfect for flipping through its wall of books, and of course with its enticing menu of enchanting pastries and specialty tea and coffee drinks.

Omi’s peaked my interest not only because their peppermint mocha is the best that I’ve tried since I moved to Portland, but because they’ll be opening a new location in South Portland a mere 5 minutes away from the SMCC campus.

After the wrath of Sunday night’s storm swept through the streets and rattled every

leaf from trees that had remained so fervent in color up until that night, there was a crisp Autumn glow the following day. I found it to be the perfect opportunity to get a hot red-eye and find out a little more about Omi’s new opening. Not only are they going to continue serving all of their regular’s favorites, but they’ll be broadening their pastry selection, opening a sandwich deli, and all of this is complimented by a beautiful terrace that will come with the new location.

Omi’s will be releasing more information on their grand opening date. Until then, stop in and pick up one of their maple lattes, which are said to be their most popular fall drink this year, or the “Heartbreaker,” which was recommended to me as the barista’s favorite. It consists of an americano with vanilla and almond milk, and that’s just one of their many tasty options.

By Ryan Marshall Peaks Island is a favorite spot of many a long-time Mainer. It’s instantly recognizable for its warm mystique, and home to a slew of unspoken secrets and delectable sights, as well as a cultivated cast of characters. Chief among the latter group, as it turns out, are the island’s elementary-school students.

Emma Christman, a student at downtown Portland’s very own Baxter Academy for Technology and Science, has been working rather closely with the local youth since the beginning of the fall. For the past six weeks, the kids have learned how to effectively grow and maintain kelp — surely an odd prospect to an outsider, but a most valuable opportunity for those with ambitions not unlike those of their mentor.

Kelp4Kids is intended to provide those involved with a more comprehensive understanding of aquaculture and related areas at an early age; the crop in question grows throughout the winter and well into the spring, culminating in the summertime, at which point it can be used for many purposes.

Christman, who is well into her senior year of high school, believes that the inspiration for the project came from the simple fact that there had not been any previously established program of this kind in the greater Portland area.

Phi

Together with island district director Yvonne Thomas, she hopes to provide students with a unique educational experience which they will be able to carry with them into future endeavours of this nature.

Perhaps even more importantly, the exercises inherent in the program can teach the children a thing or two about the plant’s various uses outside of the kitchen. Kelp is among a handful of aquatic vegetation species that have the potential to reduce CO2 levels in the ocean, thus curbing the acidification that threatens marine life in a big way. Its influence extends far beyond the dock, and though the results of the harvest at large remain to be seen, it can be inferred that Peaks Island youth are one considerable step closer to really making a difference.

Things may be a bit quiet on Christman’s front (at least until nature has taken its course) for some time going forward, but laying low might indeed be in the interest of achieving even bigger and better things, as she intends to continue studying marine biology at either Middlebury, Bates or Bowdoin College in the near future. She’s certainly done her part to inspire a distinctive batch of intelligent, frequently curious individuals. Consider it another feather in her cap; some people can truly never have too many.

National Honors Society

Theta Kappa for community colleges.

Students with a

Look for us, A l p h a C h i Nu at Southern Maine Community college

3.5 GPA

or higher are invited

to join via their email, and can sign up after paying the $80 membership fee.

Scholarships represent

are offered to those who

may not be able to afford membership.

We

a community of scholars

that help difference in our community and the world.

As a member you are qualified for scholarships if you plan to transfer for your Bachelor’s degree. You will also be awarded recognition at the graduation ceremony.

Make sure to keep a look out for “The While,” just one of several similarly auspicious directorial debuts, when it premieres at the Nickelodeon Cinema in Portland, where the festival has been showcased since 2011, next Spring.

November 7, 2017 • The Beacon 9

Midcoast Storm Rocks the Midcoast

By Dan Elliott

Photo by Daniel Elliott A streetlight hangs at Midcoast in the aftermath of the storm.

D o y ou l ike to w rit e, read, listen to poe t r y , or ju s t w an t t o appear co o l?

If one or more of these apply to you, come to the L.L. Bean Learning Commons at the Smcc Midcoast campus!

Every first and third Tuesday of each month; come POP in anytime between 12:30 and 1:30!

We’ll even hand out

popcorn

with your

poetry.

I was sitting in my home early Monday morning when it happened. I had skipped work to try and catch up on some schoolwork and, God willing, maybe even a few hours of sleep. I had just finished up with one of my assignments when I heard the unmistakable whistle of the wind blowing against the side of my mobile home. Then I felt it — the gusts had picked up in what seemed like mere seconds. Then, minutes later, I heard the sound of trees rustling and their branches buckling, and ultimately breaking. The lights had flickered briefly, but I was no fool. Power would soon be out.

And around 4 a.m., I kissed the modern-day conveniences goodbye: no more binge-watching old episodes of “Married… with Children,” no more baking breaded chicken strips for my bi-nightly Cheesy salsa chicken. And, perhaps most importantly, no more coffee to keep me awake and alert for that assignment that was due this week… which one was it? It didn’t matter now, I figured. Without power, I wouldn’t be able to type it out on the computer. The rain had now begun to pound fiercely against my roof, albeit in short bursts here and there. I would have been more enthralled with the symphony that Mother Nature was orchestrating outside if I wasn’t so busy fumbling around for my flashlight, which was hidden in a kitchen drawer I would have to re-organize eventually.

I knew even before the first hour had ended that people would be comparing this to the famous Ice Storm of ‘98 the next day.

Despite causing more power outages than the Ice Storm (370,000 was the last number I heard before writing this), this was not the Ice Storm. Not even close.

I remember being significantly younger when it hit, and despite having my nose glued to the first-generation Game Boy during the storm’s duration, I remember hearing the horror stories of families that didn’t fare as well as me. Many people, like our family, did not have power — some, not even hot water. When school had resumed, I was greeted of tales by fellow classmates who had congregated together with those more fortunate to have electricity and the opportunity to take a hot shower. It re-

From the Mind of Dan Elliott

10 The Beacon • November 7, 2017

SMCC Sports

minded me of one big boarding house, something like the premise of a really bad sitcom. But this wasn’t funny at all, and there were those who lost their lives during the ice storm, be it from carbon-monoxide poisoning or from injury sustained from the storm itself. A hard wind and power loss is nothing compared to an ice storm.

Having nothing else to do at home, I decided to survey the damage in my local area. Living 3 miles outside of town, it was not long before I found the culprit of my power loss: On the left side of the road, a tree of moderate-size lay suspended atop a power line. A little further I navigated through tendrils of loose power lines that reminded me of a thicket of jungle vines.

The first intersection had no power to the traffic lights, and anyone waiting to make a left turn was cursed to wait quite a while as heavy traffic prevented them from doing so. Topsham was dark: no lights, no open restaurants or supermarkets. It was like the storm had created in its presence some new holiday which prevented the normal day’s business from occurring.

I stopped by the Brunswick Campus as well, seeing an opportunity for an article to replace the Talent Show piece I was supposed to do. However, with the electricity cut from the storm, the show was canceled, and that meant I needed a new subject of interest. The campus itself went relatively unscathed, with a few of the groundskeepers collecting debris from the parking lot across the street from the campus. Most of the most notable damage was seen on the stretch of Admiral Fitch Avenue leading up to the school; tree branches littered the drive as construction workers carried on their business of constructing a new building. A traffic light hung precariously from a cable, cordoned off by caution signs warning travelers to be wary.

Central Maine Power has taken to social media, reminding customers to be patient as it works to restore the grid back to power.

I can empathize with them — after all, we live in a technologically advanced age where most of our media is consumed digitally.

But while some have it better than others, I’ll be patient and wait it out. After all, I’ve certainly seen it worse.

SeaWolves Split (Cont. from Page 11)

Individually, the Lady SeaWolves were led by first-year guard Abigail Ramirez, who scored a team-high 14 points. Alicia Ruth and Amanda Brett both hit for 6 points; Lauryn Fagan and Grace Kariotis dropped in 5 points apiece.

The Lady SeaWolves now stand at one win and two losses, and look to get on the winning side again when they travel to Paul Smith’s on the 10th. The SMCC squad takes to the home court on the 12th when they play St. Clair County Community College at 11 a.m.

The SMCC Men SeaWolves came into Saturday’s game starting the season 3-0.

After the day’s great showing from the SeaWolves at home, they now stand at 4-0, and have been playing very well thus far this season.

Throughout the game the SeaWolves outplayed Holyoke Community College, and were the aggressors. It was a full-team effort today; everyone on the squad was afforded playing time. Freshman Willie Brown had the honor of being top scorer, hitting for 19 points while coming off the bench. As a team, the SeaWolves would generate 30 points from beyond the threepoint line, shooting 10-24.

SMCC would hold the lead throughout the game, as Holyoke never held the lead at any point in the game. With 4:14 left on the clock for the first half, Holyoke tied the game at 22. After that, SMCC got a

stranglehold on the game and never looked back. When the first-half buzzer sounded, SMCC held a 13-point lead (38-25).

Throughout the contest, the SeaWolves didn’t only rely on winning the offensive battles. Their hard work on defense, getting into the dirty areas, forced numerous Holyoke turnovers while helping the ‘Wolves make seamless transitions from the defensive to the offensive side of the court .

Timothy Dixon’s no-look, behind-theback pass to Tyler Mickle, who subsequently scored with a layup, could be considered the play of the game. The play energized the crowd and highlighted some of the capabilities that the SeaWolves have on the offensive side of the court. All in all, it seemed that the players fed off the energy and used it to take their play to a higher level.

SMCC held on to a 20-point lead for the majority of the second half. It was an entertaining game to watch, and exactly how you’d want your team to play starting the season. The men have a few days off until they hit the road to play Paul Smith’s College in upstate New York. The SeaWolves will return to the HUB Gym on the 12th when they take to the court against St. Clair County CC in a 1 p.m. game.

In each of the first four games of the season, the basketball team has played extremely well, with each win being in the double digits. That’s an extremely impressive start to the season.

Red Claws Bring NBA to Portland

By Daniele Amandolini Here’s a reminder that if you want a taste of NBA basketball, you don’t have to travel far.

On the eve of their ninth season in Portland, the Red Claws will return to the court after their exciting playoff campaign last spring.

Don’t expect to see many familiar faces, though. The team is drastically different from the one that fell to the eventual champion last year. This is the nature of the beast: The NBA G-League, with its shiny new name thanks to a huge Gatorade endorsement, is an open lab for the National Basketball Association. And the product is growing rapidly, as more NBA teams are buying into this league to test their talent, both on the floor and on the sidelines.

The Maine Red Claws are the Boston Celtics’ exclusive affiliate team, after a brief stint of shared parenting duties with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Charlotte Hornets (the Bobcats at the time). Since then, Portland has hosted young players looking to develop their NBA skills (like eventual NBA first team all-defense Avery Bradley), proven stars on the mend (former all-star Rajon Rondo), and many undrafted rookies trying to showcase their potential.

The NBA G-League is an increasingly rewarding step in a young player’s career. Six key Red Claws players from last year are

CanAm

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New Brunswick-St. Johns (UNBSJ).

The SMCC Lady ‘Wolves would build a 7-point lead with a little more than two minutes remaining in the first quarter behind the scoring of Emily Hogan (6 points), Abigail Ramirez (5 points), and Emily Emerson and Jordan Farquharson’s 4 points each.

St. John’s would get one of the points back in the second half, cutting SMCC’s lead to three as they outscored the Lady Wolves 11 to 10. The trend would continue in the third quarter, when UNBSJ cut 2 more points off the SeaWolves’ score, pulling within 1 after 30 minutes of play.

The fourth quarter would prove to be pivotal for SMCC, as they would be outscored 15-8. They could not find their offense flow and suffered their first loss of the season (61-55). First-year SeaWolf Abigail Ramirez and Emily Emerson would lead the way for the ‘Wolves in the box score, recording 15 and 13 points, respectively. Ramirez would grab six boards, dish out four assists and pick UNBSJ’s pockets for two seals. Emerson made her presence felt on the backboards by grabbing nine rebounds.

The weekend would end on a solid note for the SeaWolves: The men would

grab a 14-point win over the UNBSJ’s team (82-68). The SeaWolves bookended the first half with two impressive runs. The first, a 12-4 run, came in the opening minutes of the game. A 15-2 run would close the first 20 minutes of play, propelling SMCC to a 12-point halftime lead (39-27).

Individually, Ryan Cloutier would end the day with a career-high 22 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Cloutier would drain four from beyond the arch. Trent Bishop would come off of the bench and take it to the net, scoring a career-high for himself. Bishop would finish the day with 15 points, 9 of which were the result of three-for-three shooting from three-point land.

Rounding out the high scoring were co-captains Dylan Silvestri and Anderson Kavutse, who combined for 18 points and 15 rebounds, helping the SeaWolves to a 2-0 start of their season.

Photo by The Beacon Staff

now on a guaranteed NBA contract, including Guerschon Yabusele and 2016-2017 D-League Rookie of the Year Abdel Nader, both wearing Celtics green this season.

Looking to go the same route, Celtics second-round picks Kadeem Allen and Jabari Bird highlight the Red Claws’ current roster.

Watching the Red Claws has never been easier: The Portland Exposition Building offers about 3,000 seats, with affordable prices starting at less than $10. Furthermore, the relatively small arena grants amazing views from virtually every seat in the house.

If you are stuck in your dorm room with nothing but a laptop, you can still follow the team. Every G-League game streams live on Facebook on the team’s official page.

The Maine Red Claws play their next home game on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. against the Canton Chargers.

November 7, 2017 • The Beacon 11

SMCC Sports

Photo by Katherine Bennett Starter Abigail Ramirez (#3) fights to get the ball from Navy Prep’s Julia Guerrero (#1) and Leetasia Midgette (#31).

Photo by Cassie Marceau Marcus Bailey (#14) battles for a rebound as Matthew Kenna (#23) looks on.

SeaWolves Split Home-Season Opener Men Remain Unbeaten; Women Drop Second in a Row

By Beacon Sports Staff This past weekend the women’s and men’s basketball teams took to the court jointly, opening their 2017-2018 non-conference and YSCC seasons. It was the first time this year that the teams played on the same day in the Hutchinson Gymnasium. The Lady SeaWolves took to the

floor against a very athletic and talented Navy Prep team in the first game; the men finished off the day’s two games against Holyoke Community College.

The Lady SeaWolves played the Navy Prep Rams tough in the first five minutes of the first half, pulling within 1 point after an Abigail Ramirez layup with a few seconds more than five minutes remaining (16-15).

The Rams would out-score the ‘Wolves 16-4 over the course of the final minutes of the quarter, building a 32-19 lead that the SeaWolves would never cut into.

The second quarter saw both teams struggle offensively as the Navy Rams would manage 10 points and the Lady ‘Wolves score 7. After 20 minutes of play, Navy Prep held a 42-26 lead.

With the Rams thoroughly in control of the game for the first half, there was no letup in the third quarter, as Navy Prep outscored SMCC 27-13. After 30 minutes of play the Rams had built a 30-point lead (69-39). The SeaWolves would outscore Navy Prep in the final quarter 12-10, finalizing a 71-49 score.

(Cont. on Page 12)

SeaWolves Go 3-1 in CanAm Start 2017-18 Season With High Expectations

By Beacon Sports Staff The 2017-2018 basketball season started off on a positive note for the SeaWolves teams two weekends ago when they traveled to Auburn to participate in the CanAm Tournament. This year’s CanAm marks the 23rd year that men’s teams from Canada have traveled across the border to take to the court against Southern Maine Community College, or host school Central Maine Community College. On the women’s side of the basketball court, this marks the seventh year that they have been included in the CanAm. The season officially tipped off Saturday when the Lady SeaWolves took to the court to square off against Cegep

Champlain-St. Lawerence in the first of four games for the day. The SeaWolves would find themselves in a hole after the first 10 minutes of play (19-14) and manage to level the scoreboard at halftime at 32 apiece.

The third quarter would prove to be the go-ahead quarter for the SeaWolves, has they would double Cegep’s scoring total, 18 points to 9. Even though the ‘Wolves would get outscored in the fourth quarter by 1 point, after 40 minutes of play the Lady SeaWolves registered their first win of the season (62-54).

Individually, Alicia Ruth lead the SeaWolves with 15 points, all of which came from behind the three-point arch. Freshman Emily Emerson finished the day with

Photo by The Beacon Staff Freshman guard Abigail Ranirez makes a bee-line to the basket against Cegep-Champlain.

Ranirez would score 8 points and grab 5 rebounds in the SeaWolves victory.

13 rebounds, 8 points and six steals. Team co-captains Emily Hogan and Jordan Farquharson rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points apiece.

In the second game of the day for the SeaWolves, the men’s team tipped off against St. Thomas University shortly after the women’s game concluded, opening up the scoring on a Ryan Cloutier three-pointer. SMCC would never relinquish the lead. The ‘Wolves would end the first 20 minutes of play, building a 14-point lead when the halftime buzzer sounded.

While The Beacon has not singled out a

player as “the player of the game,” (a policy that we are currently re-evaluating), Dylan Silvestri’s 24 points and 26 rebounds make the case for such an acknowledgment.

Silvestri would grab 10 of his game-high rebounds in the first half while scoring 14 points. In his first collegiate contest, Gregory Trinidad would drain the net for 15 points, 9 of which came from beyond the arch.

Sunday rounded out the two days of CanAm play, as the Lady ‘Wolves took to the court against the University of (Cont. on Page 12)

Photo by The Beacon Staff Ryan Cloutier finds the lane traffic heavy while managing to weave his way to the basket.

Cloutier would contribute 7 points and 4 rebounds in the men’s CanAm first day win.