Issue Date 4•11•17
BY THE STUDENTS, FOR THE STUDENTS
Volume 13 No. 12
SMCC Students Go to Italy By Olivia White
Thanks to both the SMCC Global Classroom and the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)* program, eight students and I took a trip to historic Italy for spring break as part of Professor Jeffrey Badger’s online class Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture. The first half of the semester focused on the historical backgrounds of the Italian Renaissance, including the art, architecture, and artists, as well as the influences provided by the Church and wealthy benefactors such as the Medici family. The course also prepared us for this intercultural experi-
ence by reminding us that Italy would be very different from America in many ways, such as food and language. Although we felt very prepared for this trip, one thing that no one can be prepared for is Italy’s beauty, such as how it felt to see the snow-capped Alps from the plane’s window, or to experience Ferrara’s tall and proud Castello Estense. Florence’s Duomo completely overwhelms you in size and intricacy, and Venice’s web of canals is simply amazing, as it weaves a wonderful, even poetic, puzzle around you. It was surreal. We spent most of our time in Ferrara, a relatively small, charming city mostly un-
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Gelato shop in Florence, Italy. Photo by Olivia White
SMCC students pose with Florence’s Duomo. Photo by Olivia White
Welcoming Jason Saucier to SMCC By Jessica Spoto and Ben Riggleman
There is a new employee here at Southern Maine Community College. His name is Jason Saucier (pronounced “SO-shur”), and he is the director of residential life and student involvement. He goes by Jason or Sauc (which sounds like “sohsh”). He has only been here for two weeks, but let’s just say he’s doing a phenomenal job! Jason has always had a passion for helping people. Following in the footsteps of his father, a professional firefighter, Jason began studying firefighting and search-and-rescue in high school through a program at the Togus veteran’s hospital. Then, while a criminology major at the University of Southern Maine–Gorham, he got a firefighting certification, which led to a paid job with the Gorham fire department. Jason went on to get his M.S. in adult education at USM, and while a graduate student, took on a full-time job as residence-hall director. This finally spelled the end of his firefighting career. He was a full-time RD for three years. “And then,” he says, “I got really involved in ‘learning communities.’ … I was involved in creating a community-of-arts program in one of our residence halls that kind of focused on students who had a creative interest, whether they were an art major or not. And we did some fun projects, like a film festival where students made their own ten-minute films.” He
speaks proudly of the “Golden Husky” awards and red-carpet ceremony he set up. Running such events led naturally into a five-year stint as USM’s director of residential life and student activities. And now Jason is here, doing essentially the same job. He’s already begun “mapping out” events and programs for 2018; and in the short term, preparing for SMCC’s upcoming annual Spring Fest, which will involve a barbeque, music and inflatables. The theme this year is the Grateful Dead. He has some novel ideas. One is to
create a college-newspaper consortium, bringing The Beacon together with other regional student papers to collaborate and share content. He has also spoken with students about inaugurating an SMCC day of community service. Jason acknowledges that it’s difficult joining a new community near the end of the school year. But he said his “experience has been fantastic” so far. He says he “really enjoys getting to know students here.” His first week, he encountered many friendly people — teachers, students and faculty. Students would just pop into his office
to say “hi.” He really enjoyed the warm welcome he received, and just how friendly people are here at SMCC. He encourages students to continue to seek him out. His office is in 122 Spring Point — and he’s around all week, he says. Asked if he has any advice to give students at SMCC, he offers this: “Get involved in at least one thing that connects you to campus. This could be a student organization, athletics, on-campus employment, you name it. Studies have shown that students who do this for at least two to three hours a week on a regular basis report a positive connection to the college, better grades and a higher success rate in college. In addition to these benefits, your involvement on campus helps you build your professional network and your resume.” He mentions some clubs offered on the South Portland Campus: cosplay club, nursing club and Student Senate. (So there are a lot of opportunities here at SMCC to get involved on campus, if you haven’t already!) Some other facts about Jason: He has two children; Milo is going into second grade, and his youngest, Reid, is going to pre-K. Jason has lived in Maine his whole life and loves it here. He seems like a great addition to the SMCC staff. The Beacon gives Jason Saucier a warm welcome!