THE
BEACON
I S S U E DAT E 9•12•17
VOLUME 14 NO. 1
BY THE STUDENTS, FOR THE STUDENTS
Foraging on Campus
By Ben Riggleman
Did you know that SMCC’s South Portland Campus is full of wild-growing edible plants? There’s ample foraging here. However, there are some safety concerns you should be aware of before you make campus flora a major part of your seasonal diet. This piece will first describe a variety of wild foods the author has enjoyed on campus, and then, rather awkwardly, tack on a health warning that he is still digesting. It is hoped that the reader will at least come away with more information about a little-known world at SMCC students’ fingertips. You’re probably seen the wild apples. They’re the most high-profile wild food. Perhaps the most well-known of the campus apple trees is not, strictly speaking, on campus; it’s the one on Benjamin W. Pickett Street, just past the smokers’ corner. Every student who has parked or walked under it at this time of year knows how prolific it is: you can hardly traverse the sidewalk without squishing its fruit. Fewer know just how tasty these apples are. They’re at least as sweet as your average store-bought Macintosh, and not any tougher. You can’t beat the Pickett Street tree for flavor or volume, but it’s by no means the only option. The author also recommends a tree just off the paved shoreway path behind the Computer Science and Engineering Center (CSEC), whose greener fruit is reminiscent of Granny Smith, and several trees near the CSEC parking lot. There are also several small cultivated apple trees between the Horticulture Building and the Baykeeper Building (which is owned by the Friends of Casco Bay). Horticulture department chair Cheryl Rich told the author
these trees are all free for the picking. One day while the author was photographing the trees near CSEC, he saw a man and a young girl picking up drop apples. They had a large wicker basket. The man shook the tree while the child, who looked to be about four, picked up and inspected individual apples with curiosity, occasionally plunking one in the basket when the mood struck. The man, who identified himself as Stephen, had borrowed a cider press from the Portland Tool Library. You can too, at no charge. The Portland Tool Library has more than one cider press, and as of this writing, several are available Left: a wild apple tree overlooking the Spring Point shore. Top right: Cultivated elderberries near the according to its website. Horticulture building. Bottom right: the author picking apples while climbing the Pickett Street apple tree. (However, please read to the end before you decide to make cider flesh from out around it. The leaves are oval couple weeks ago, the tree responsible was a from SMCC apples.) shaped and finely toothed on the edges. thing of wonder. Its fruit tasted like storeAbout as common as apple trees here on (You should look up any unfamiliar plant bought cherries — but nearly as sweet as campus, but less well known, is Prunus se- online or in a guidebook and familiarize honey. rotina, the wild black cherry or rum cherry. yourself with its characteristics before samThere are at least nine other cherry trees The fruit of this mid-sized tree is jet black pling it.) on the South Portland Campus or immewhen ripe, and tiny, with the bigger cherUnfortunately, all the black cherries diately outside it. They’re all worth trying, ries about the size of garbanzo beans. It around campus have dropped or shriv- although the author has found them to be can appears alone or in pendulous clusters eled by now. You can still see them on the less sweet and more bitter or astringent like on branching stems. There’s a proportion- ground; they carpet a certain section of wine. ally large, inedible pit in each fruit, so the path between security headquarters and the There is a small row of deliberately plantway to eat these cherries is to suck the juicy Campus Center parking lot. In its prime a Continuned on page 2
Boot Camp for Filmmakers
CNMS Student Matthew Perry on set of his film, “Drought.” By Max Lorber Most people will agree that the best way for a student to learn and grow as an artist and an individual is in the field working with experienced, professional men and women who can show them the way in which the real world operates. Some call it trial by fire: “When there’s a will, there’s a way.” Walking
into a studio or onto a film set, not knowing up from down, sky from rock, entrance from exit. But you give a motivated person a deadline and the equipment to get that deadline met, they will figure it out because they know if they do not, they are the one that suffers the consequence. This is the main reason why the Communications and New Media Boot Camp film program is so effective. Students are given six weeks to produce a narrative short at least 12 minutes long. And every summer roughly 12-16 CNMS students willing throw themselves to the wolves and create absolute magic. Students walk into the first class and are introduced to Huey Coleman and Corey Norman, both experienced filmmakers and professors at the CNMS program at SMCC. They sit in a roundtable-style production meeting and pitch film ideas. These ideas are voted on, a tally is taken, and groups are formed within roughly an hour. Some bring scripts they have already been working on, others bring treatments, and some just cough up ideas they make up on the spot. After the groups are formed based on the students’ interests and how they vote, the beautiful exercise of lofty artistic collabo-
ration combining with realistic practicality, otherwise known as pre-production, officially begins. The next two weeks are dedicated to this back-and-forth process: Scripts are ironed out, shooting schedules are set up, jobs are delegated, actors are found and auditioned, locations are secured, and the twoweek deadline must be met or the students will not receive 3 out of the 9 credits. It is not uncommon for students to work eight to ten hours a day to get the job done. Then production begins. Mistakes and miscalculations are inevitable, of course, but this is how students learn. Adjustments are made on the fly, locations are switched, actors are replaced, scenes are cut and rewritten. Again, that two-week deadline is absolute. Principal shots and scenes must be executed or the students will not receive credit for this portion of the Boot Camp program. Group bonds and friendships are often tested under such pressure, but oftentimes relationships become stronger through this harrowing grind, and lifelong friendships and collaborative partners are formed. The last two weeks are dedicated to post-production. This is when the film is edited, the sound is mixed, and the soundtrack
is selected. Adobe Premier is the program used for the above mentioned tasks, but many students have never used it before. They learn trial-by-fire style, with a strict deadline looming. In the end, the films are screened at the Boot Camp Gala event in the South Portland Campus’s Hildreth building. Students, professors, parents and friends pack into the room to watch the films, and the Boot Camp crews stand up for a Q&A after their film has been screened. This past summer the films “Drought,” “Bullpen” and “Emergence” all met the post-production deadline, were screened on schedule, and received strong applause and enthusiastic questions from the audience. If you are reading this and wondering if you would ever be able to create a film — maybe you even have some ideas rattling around up there or have something already put down on paper — remember you go to school at SMCC, a school that employs professors that have been or currently are professionals in the field, and that dream has the potential to become a reality. Like anything else, it just takes a little guts and a lot of hard work.
Campus News The Scavenger Hunt
By Lydia Libby Over the course of this summer, I, Lydia Libby, recording officer for the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, at Southern Maine Community College, and Joey Mullins, president of Phi Theta Kappa at Southern Maine Community College, have been working diligently to create this year’s college project. The purpose of the college project is to get students and faculty involved in a project related to the college. Continuned from front page
ed highbush blueberries in a dividing strip in the large parking lot between the CSEC and HVAC buildings. The author saw a couple out picking them on the day of this writing. Sumac is often mistakenly believed to be poisonous; in fact, the most familiar species, Rhus typhina, has long been used to make tea in North America. When steeped in hot water, its berries produce a lemony drink. There’s a ton of sumac around the ruins of Fort Preble. On the beach you can find wild bay leaves — to put in your ramen — and large rose hips from Rosa Rugosa, good for making jelly. One underutilized fruit-bearing shrub is ubiquitous not just at SMCC, but practically every roadside in Maine (and most of America): the autumn olive or autumnberry, Eleagnus umbellata. This pretty, silvery-leafed invasive can produce buckets’ worth of tiny, red berries whose unique taste is somewhat like raspberries or cherry tomatoes. What’s more, these berries contain lycopene, a sought-after antioxidant, in concentrations five to 16 times higher than
Joey and I thought long and hard about what our college project should be, and an idea came to my mind. Last year, the Phi Theta Kappa college project was called “Mentor Mixers”; it encouraged students to meet with their major’s faculty in an informal setting with a small lunch. As I thought about last year’s project, I had the idea of starting a scavenger hunt, and to have people within their major get together to find clues and to win a prize at the end. Now, the point of the scavenger
hunt would be to have students work together with people in their major they may not know in the hopes that they will make friends. Retention is one of the biggest challenges that community colleges face, and if students were able to make lasting connections with people in their major, it would be an incentive for them to graduate and succeed. Joey and I had the honor of speaking at the faculty convocation on Aug. 23 and 25, and the faculty was ecstatic that we
wanted to make our college project fun and meaningful. At the end of the scavenger hunt, the group with the most clues found wins a prize, and all students have the chance to do an informal meet-and-greet with the faculty in their major. There will also be pizza, so that’s always fun, right? The Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society wants all students, new and returning, to feel safe and excited about coming to school. We hope you have a great start to the semester.
those of tomatoes, which are the most common source of this nutrient. SMCC has plenty of autumn-olive bushes, and Bug Light Park is completely overrun with them. However, picking in Bug Light Park is not advised; the area used to be an industrial shipyard, and the soil is probably heavily contaminated with heavy metals and other toxins. Notes of Caution The same danger is a possibility at SMCC, since the campus was once a military installation. Wanting to be sure of the safety of campus foraging, the author contacted two members of the Horticulture department, Cheryl Rich and Dave Palm. Mr. Palm teaches a class on soil quality. Both professors had done foraging or cultivation on campus, and neither were worried by the idea of this article; they were both fans of local apples and had made sumac tea. Professor Palm said, of soil contamination, “Being an old fort, there is a potential.” But, he added, he’d be more concerned about lead-paint residues from the older buildings, and most apple trees were at a safe enough distance from them. No
soil tests had been done to his knowledge, but, he said, “I wouldn’t really worry about it, myself.” However, Ms. Rich said that when excavation was done for Surfsite Residence Hall, the soil was forbidden by environmental regulators from being removed from the area because of contaminants attributed to an old dry-cleaning facility on the site. The soil, she said, now makes up the base of the Surfsite parking lot. The author reported this bit of campus history to Professor Palm, whose emailed reply was much more circumspect: “I would want to look at the report to see what the contaminants are,” he wrote. “We should also look at the history of the location to
see what it was used for in relation to the rest of campus.
Foraging
THE
BEACON
Campus News
Executive Staff
Production Manager Managing Editor Art Director Marketing Director Illustrators Midcoast Section Editor
Troy Hudson Ben Riggleman Paul Moosmann Max Lorber Daniel Elliott Dan Elliott
Contributing Writers
Kate Bennett, Rebecca Dow, Dan Elliott, Jack Gentempo, Noor Ibrahim, Lydia Libby, Max Lorber, Dale Rappaneau, Ben Riggleman, Jennifer Smalley, Jess Spoto, Justin Taylor, Megan Webster Illustrations Rebecca Dow, Dan Elliott Contributing Photographers Kate Bennett, Troy Hudson, Kate Bennett, Paul Moosmann, Ben Riggleman, Chelsea St. Pierre, Makala Thibodeau Advisors Chuck Ott & Rachel Guthrie
2 The Beacon • September, 12, 2017
Welcome Back BBQ Kicks Off Fall 2017
By Beacon Staff
He acknowledged, “It could be an isolated situation in that location and the other areas of campus may be fine.” But, he said, “The only way we can determine the safety of foraging around the rest of campus would be to have the soils tested around the edible plants.” Because of the many unknowns about soil quality, the author would recommend against harvesting any wild foods on campus in quantity, and would probably not make cider or preserves from them. However, a little light snacking does not seem intolerably risky.
Above: Students enjoying the weather Below: Pulled pork and sides being served by Sodexo employees
Bottom: Students and faculty gather Students and faculty alike gathered out- outside Oceanview Dining Hall side Oceanview Dining Hall on August Photos by Makala Thibodeau 31st to celebrate the new semester. Food was provided by Sodexo, with local vendors like Grandy Oats and Gifford’s Ice Cream offering free samples of their products. Cosplay Club and the Rainbow Alliance were among several student clubs advertising their presence and recruiting new members, while live music was provided by The Proftones.
By Ben Riggleman
Younus Alfayyadh Brings Arabic to SMCC
This fall, with little fanfare, SMCC offered a class in Arabic for the first time: Beginning Arabic I, taught by Professor Younus Alfayyadh at the South Portland Campus. The Beacon interviewed Mr. Alfayyadh about the class, the language, and how he, a native speaker of Arabic (both Iraqi and Modern Standard varieties), came to teach at SMCC. Originally from Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, Mr. Alfayyadh emigrated first to Jordan and then, in just 2012, to the United States. He has taught Arabic at Portland’s Deering High School for most of the time he has been in Maine, and continues to do so as his main job. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine. His new class at SMCC generated more interest than was expected, despite being unhyped and largely unadvertised. Nineteen of its 20 seats are full. The students, he said, are a diverse bunch: Some of them already speak fluent Arabic in dialects such as Somali, but are not fully literate; others are native Mainers with no prior exposure to a Semitic language. For this reason Mr. Alfayyadh has had to improvise a tiered teaching arrangement, with classwork and homework differentiated by skill level. He is not letting the native speakers off easy: In addition to helping their less fluent classmates, student Ivan Del Mar reports that they have been assigned substantial writing assignments in Arabic. (The Beacon did not verify this with Mr. Alfayyadh.) Mr. Alfayyadh, an exponent of flexible teaching, is not using a textbook for his course. Textbooks are costly for students, he explained, and he has not found one adequate for teaching Arabic as he does.
Arabic itself poses many difficulties for the average American learner that languages more closely related to English, such as French, do not. Its cursive alphabet of 28 letters is written in the opposite direction to English (like its close relative the Hebrew alphabet). Ivan Del Mar called it “completely alien.” Most vowels are not represented in writing. Among the sounds of Arabic are eight consonants not found in English, including a set of “emphatic” variants of T, D, S and Z sounds. Arabic grammar is just as foreign, often involving only semi-predictable mutations of the vowels in a word. The vocabulary is dizzyingly rich, with a vocabulary of over 12 million words — including over 20 for “camel” alone. The Arabic accents and dialects spoken in the 22 nations of the Arab League, which stretches across all of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia, vary as widely as the cultures of those regions. In fact, some linguists classify Arabic as a language family, like the Romance languages, rather than one language. However, most Arabs can read and understand a standard form of Arabic, called Modern Standard Arabic, which is used for most news in the Arab world. It is this international standard that Mr. Alfayyadh teaches (as do most Arabic departments in the U.S.). However, he said, its grammar is much more complex than what is used in colloquial language. As a student in Iraq, he said, learning it in school took work. Mr. Alfayyadh is enthusiastic about his job, and has no shortage of reasons to recommend that SMCC students study Arabic: It is the fastest-growing language in the U.S., and is increasingly valuable in international business and trade. Over a quarter of the world’s population knows
some Arabic, since it is the official language of Islam; and it is the fifth-largest language in the world by number of native speakers. Finally, it allows one to better understand Arab cultures, giving insight into both their tremendous beauty and ugly phenomena like ISIS. Ivan Del Mar said that a mere two weeks of Beginning Arabic I had enabled him to “very briefly communicate” in Arabic with native speakers on the language-learning app HelloTalk. “It’s a very intense class,” he said. “But the professor is amazing. He answers all questions really quickly via email, and he’s awesome about not treating you like you’re stupid if you don’t know the answer to something, and — I don’t know, I like him a lot.”
Photo by Paul Moosmann
Leadership Luncheon With President Cantor
By Kate Bennett
SMCC President Ron Cantor spoke at the Leadership Luncheon on Sept. 1. He spoke about all different aspects of leadership, and asked questions and had conversations with students regarding it. One of his points was explaining the elements of leadership that make a good and productive leader. Some of the elements of leadership are inspiration, reassurance, vision, and progress. Jason Saucier, director of residential life and student involvement, and Rik Sawyer, student activities advisor, presented the Emerging Leaders Program at the conclusion of the Leadership Luncheon. The Emerging Leaders Program is designed to develop students’ leadership skills through workshops about different parts of leadership. For more information about this program, students can contact Rik Sawyer at rsawyer@smccme.edu and Jason Saucier at jsaucier@smccme.edu. The Leadership Luncheon with President Cantor was held inside the South Portland Campus’s Mckernan Hospitality Center, overlooking the ocean.
Photo by Kate Bennett
September, 12, 2017 • The Beacon 3
Other World C
aptain’s
Other World
Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions Visit Maine
By Kate Bennett
upb ard o ‘
C
The Captain’s Cupboard, the South Portland Campus’s Food pantry for students, is now open and looking for help! Positions Needed: • General Operation Volunteers • Outreach • Board Positions • Student Senate Rep Weekly Meetings are Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. in the Captain’s House. Interested Students should contact the Captain’s Cupboard at:
CaptainsCupboard @smccme.edu
North of SMCC, past Bangor and through the cornfields, is East Ridge Stables. East Ridge Stables is an equestrian center located in Charleston, Maine. From Sept. 1 through Sept. 4, East Ridge Stables hosted four performances put on by Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions. According to the Lipizzan Stallions’ website, “These spectacular leaps and plunges were originally meant for use by mounted riders to inspire terror in the hearts of foot soldiers.” These horses were originally trained to be used in war but now their training has developed into a demonstration of their athleticism and artistry. The Friday performance was at 7 p.m. and the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday performances were all at 3 p.m. Proceeds from the shows went towards the Lawrence Farm Equine Rescue so it can take in horses and other animals who have been abused or neglected. From there, they can rehabilitate the animals and help find them homes. On Friday, September 1, I attended the Stallions’ show. It was held in a large barn with an indoor riding arena in the center of it. On both sides of the arena were lines of horse stalls. Horses stuck their heads over the stalls and their ears swung forward, intrigued, as people approached them. The audience lined up chairs and sat outside a silver fenced-in area within the riding arena where the Lipizzan Stallions performed. The show began when a rider carrying an American flag upon a Lipizzan stallion entered the arena and the National Anthem was played. Various performances consisted of a person on the ground with one of the stallions demonstrating different parts of these horses’ training. These maneuvers included the horses standing on their hind legs while their front legs were in the air and leaping in the air and kicking out their hind legs. A horse also bowed when given the command from the rider on his back. Another horse stood on his hind legs with his front legs off the ground when his rider asked. The final performance consisted of four horse-and-rider pairs that all were in the arena at the same time and worked as a team. All parts of the show were breathtaking and demonstrated rigorous training and a unique art being kept alive. Gabby, owner of Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions, spoke through a microphone before and throughout the performances. She explained many of the moves demonstrated by the stallions and shared
Photo by Kate Bennett more information about them. Originally from Austria, the Lipizzan Stallions were bred and trained for war. Gabby explained how the art of training these horses has been passed down through her family from Colonel Herrmann. Colonel Herrmann had helped to save the Lipizzan Stallions from war during World War II. Gabby, the owner of Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions, provides these horses with a lifelong home and a space to retire whenever they are ready. Throughout the performances, Gabby shared incredible information about the Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions and their unique breed. At the conclusion of the show, Gabby encouraged the audience to go over to one of the lines of stalls and meet the horses. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet the horses and the people who are behind these shows, and who put in so much effort making everything come together. It was really neat to see the horses up close to see how kind and approachable they were. When approaching their stalls, the horses’ ears turned forward in curiosity and they came over to the front of the stall to say hello. Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions go on tour every summer. On tour, they travel throughout the nation putting on shows. The Stallions are based out of Florida. When not on tour, they spend their time training for their upcoming tour and offer various services, including horseback-riding lessons (about $100 for an hour-long lesson), where you can learn to ride one of the Lipizzan Stallions. Herrmann’s Royal Lipizzan Stallions will be performing their last show of the 2017 season on Sept. 15, 16, and 17 in Essex, Mass.
Gorham Goodwill: Price by the Pound
By Jessica Spoto
In Gorham, Maine, there is this fantastic place called Goodwill Buy the Pound. This Goodwill outlet is where all the items that didn’t sell in other Goodwill stores are sold “by the pound.” There are these bins filled with leftover, unsold Goodwill store items. They are separated by sections, such as clothes, houseware, books, shoes, etc. Digging through bins of stuff may not be for everyone. But there are loads of people who are snagging items to resell. So it’s just a madhouse of people digging and digging through piles of stuff. It’s really hilarious, actually, when they bring new bins into the store. The employees make everyone stand behind a red line and wait as they replace the old bins with new ones. Then once the buzzer goes off letting people know it’s okay to start digging in new bins again, it gets crazy: People run to the bins. It’s such a insane, crowded place to shop. Well, at least everything is at a good price! Most items are less than $2 per pound. Buying by the pound is a great way to save money, and many students are on a budget. So, what a great way to get terrific items for a low price! It’s open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m to 7 p.m., and on Sunday it’s open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Goodwill outlet is only 30 minutes away from SMCC, so get ready and go shop.
Writers, Photographers, Graphic Designers, Illustrators, and Editors, the Beacon needs you. email Troy Hudson at troyahudson@smccme.edu or Ben Riggleman at benjaminsriggleman@smccme.edu
4 The Beacon • September, 12, 2017
In Totality
By Jack Gentempo Do you ever have trouble finding just the right lighting? We all know the curse of the horrid fluorescents at the DMV and the resulting mugshots that we carry around on our license for the next five to seven years. But what if there was a lighting so beautiful, so majestic and so rare that it made your image unworldly, almost dreamlike? This light does exist, and it’s just one of the reasons that seven brave members of SMCC’s Association of Cosmic Explorers (ACE) ventured over 4,000 miles to Wyoming to see the Aug. 21, 2017, eclipse in its totality. When it comes to scientific exploration, ACE knows that the sky’s the limit, and there’s so much of it out in Wyoming. But one major area of interest during the eclipse has more to do with what’s on the ground than what’s in the sky. NASA, among other organizations, has been known to launch crowdsourcing operations to study animal behavior during the moment of totality. While in Wyoming, ACE members had a chance to observe several animals during the eclipse. Antelopes scurried about, buffaloes stood quiet and steady, but the real change in behavior came from a particular group of Homo sapiens who seemed entirely composed until the darkness set in. Perhaps it was the pent-up energy from lying dormant in a rental van for the last four days, or maybe it was the thin air of the Wyoming bluffs that led to this euphoria among the group. Running up and down the street, standing awestruck on a hill, whooping and hollering like something out of a Maurice Sendak story book, these seven bedraggled individuals were enlivened by the lack of sun. It was less like a giant circle of shade and more like a gradual darkening that went into maximum overdrive seconds before the main event. In the half-day, half-night dreamlike twilight of totality, you can just begin to see stars piercing through the turquoise sky. If that sounds too much like lyrics to an Owl
BOOYAH! BUSINESS CLUB!
Photo by Chelsea St. Pierre City song, you can take scientific comfort in knowing that those stars are not stars, but more likely planets, a fact you are sure to be reminded of when traveling with six fellow astronomy enthusiasts. Understandably, not everyone is able or naive enough to spend over 64 hours in a rental van just to witness an event that lasts a few minutes. However, there’s plenty of opportunity for scientific exploration here at SMCC, as ACE has got some future trips and “star parties” in the making, and will be holding their weekly club meetings from 6 to 8 p.m. in Hildreth, room 224. Nevertheless, if you feel that the perfectly lit selfie of an eclipse is what’s missing in your life, fear not, for the sun will partially shine again. The April 8, 2024, eclipse will include Maine in the line of totality. Get your iPhone 15s ready to rock and roll, and cue up that Pink Floyd album, because you’ve got just seven short years to prepare for the profile pic that will guarantee you right swipes from now till the end of time.
From the Mind of Dan Elliott
The Business Club is up and running again at SMCC! Meetings are every Thursday, 12:30 to 1:15 in the Business Club Lounge, 1st floor Hague. (SoPo Campus)
All Are welcome! September, 12, 2017 • The Beacon 5
Opinion & Editorial From the Managing Editor’s Desk
By Ben Riggleman
Introductions
Hello, Beacon readers. My name’s Ben, and I have the privilege of being this year’s managing editor of The Beacon. The buck stops on this (metaphorical) desk: if something in this paper grinds your gears, you can let me have it at benjaminsriggleman@smccme.edu. Let me give you a rundown of who I am and what this column will be. First, I’m pretty new to this journalism thing. I began volunteering for The Beacon just last fall, as a copy editor. That entailed keeping us relatively typo-free and consistent with the Associated Press’s style guidelines, which I was learning from square one as I went. Soon, despite many protests that I didn’t like writing, I began doing that, too, and by spring semester I was writing something in every issue. Still, I’m most at home copy editing, and I’ll probably keep doing it as long as I’m with The Beacon, since nobody has shown any desire to take my job. (If you’re interested, shoot me an email at benjaminsriggleman@smccme.edu!) I’m starting my second year of Liberal Studies this fall; I plan to transfer and major in philosophy. But I’m not a pure egghead: I have a little experience in the electrical trade, having spent a gap year and two months last summer working in my uncle’s business. For a little while, I thought I’d pursue SMCC’s Electrician Technology certificate, but I now think I prefer being behind a desk to crawling around in poorly ventilated attics and sledgehammering 10-foot ground rods. (Don’t get me wrong, though; I have great respect for the trades.) What is this column? Ordinarily, it’s an editorial platform, in which I will take an informed stand on some current issue, either at SMCC or in the world at large. So ordinarily it will be more substantial than what you are reading now, and will use fewer “I” pronouns. Whatever I write about, I’ll try to keep it relevant to you. The Beacon does not have just one voice, so I don’t pretend to fully speak for it. Ultimately, every issue comes together out of the diverse worldviews and experiences of its writers, influenced only a little by the politics of the editorial staff and faculty advisors. But that is not to say this paper lacks a character or a spine of its own: We have certain principles we consider basic, among them that we do not tolerate — or print — bigotry. (I won’t pretend we, the staff, are not a little left of center on average. But don’t let it deter you from speaking your mind in this section. We welcome student opinions from across the political spectrum.) This column should not get unduly political. “Politics is the mind-killer,” as the artificial-intelligence theorist and blogger Eliezer Yudkowski puts it. Anyhow, even in the age of Trump, there are ways of addressing political issues that avoid the divisive language, the “snarl words” and dog-whistles, associated with contemporary politics. This is a little easier when the issue at hand is local. Well, that’s it for this first installment. I’m sure there are important topics I could have editorialized on in the space of this rather long-winded introduction, but oh well — there’s always next time!
6 The Beacon • September, 12, 2017
Stuck in the Middle With You
By Dale Rappaneau
and I, but a rule-utilitarian may argue that the immediate pain does not outweigh the prolonged pain of weakening My best friend is gay. I know he’s gay because he and marriage as an institution. Or as Waller puts it, “If people his wife sat down with my fiancée and me to tell us about could break promises whenever a more appealing or pleahis realization of being gay. They had been married for two surable option comes along, then the whole purpose and years, together for just six months before their wedding, practice of promising would be destroyed.” and their relationship had been plagued with sexual issues. So, what do they do? One evening she finally asked him, “Are you gay?” Being Satisficing consequentialism, a more timid version of our closest friends, they felt it necessary to inform us of his utilitarianism, would argue they should do what’s “good answer, because they wanted to give us context for what- enough.” But in the face of this situation, what does that ever changes would occur in consequence of his admitted mean? The wife wants to remain in her marriage for the homosexuality. sake of sanctimony, but the hus When the husband and wife band wants to follow his desires met, they were both religious and identity. The “good enough” in a broad sense. They went to outcome seems to be a mix of church, they led children’s groups, the two, resulting in a marriage they followed religious dogma, that allows the husband to exthey believed in the goodness of plore his homosexuality in some church, and so forth. However, agreed-upon capacity. Maybe as their relationship has deterithey open their relationship to orated since the husband admitbisexual or homosexual men. ted his homosexuality, religion Maybe the wife takes a heterohas become a divergent topic. sexual lover. Maybe they find The husband blames his religious some happy alternative within upbringing for his inability to their relationship. accept himself, whereas the wife From my perspective, I can only Illustration by Rebecca Dow has dug her heels into religion as guess, but the evidence points to a rock to ride out the storm. Out an inability for them to comproof fear and passivity, the husband will not ask for a divorce, mise on a “good enough” outcome, since the wife continues despite the obvious signs of pain and suffering caused by to react negatively to the husband’s attempts to express his their continued life together, nor will the wife’s religious homosexuality. When he bought rainbow-colored boxers, beliefs allow her to ask for a divorce. which he saw as a private and personal way to feel connect From an act-utilitarian perspective, it’s clear they need ed to gay culture, the wife cried. When he spends alone to end their relationship and move on to greener pastures. time with heterosexual male friends (including myself ), The husband wants to live his life as a gay man. He admits the wife becomes jealous and defensive. to having made a mistake in marrying his wife. He ad- The wife thought she was marrying a heterosexual mits to having been confused and disoriented, in a state of man — a man who promised her a life of commitment, constant suppression of his sexuality to adhere to religious of love, of togetherness before the eyes of God — and she dogma. He is suffering and in pain. Leaving the marriage now feels like his homosexuality is tearing her world apart. would alleviate the negativity. She feels cheated, as if he lied to, which in a way is true: More than that, it would stop the overflow of negativity He admits to having married her as an attempt to forever from their relationship into the lives of others, as it’s clear suppress his homosexual tendencies, to keep in accordance to many around them that they are degrading into shallow- to religious pressure, and made the mistake of involving er creatures. They talk less. They socialize less. They have her in his sexual confusion. But must he forever pay for slowed participating in charitable activities and events. The this mistake? Must she? What if there is no “good enough” wife’s health has deteriorated due to stress and worry. They outcome? are shadows of their former glory, because they are focused As a close friend of the couple in question, the only on the falsehood of their relationship. realistic solution I can see would be act-utilitarian in na From a rule-utilitarian perspective, however, it gets ture: the couple divorces. They are not happy. They have not a little more muddled. In “Consider Ethics,” author and been happy for years, long before the husband admitted his philosopher Bruce Waller writes, “In order to determine homosexuality. The husband has become secretive and the what really maximizes pleasure and minimizes suffering, wife has become possessive. we must look more deeply at societal practices and institu- There is no happy ending for this relationship. tions.” Marriage is both a practice and an institution. Rather than continue the suffering and pain, which is When they were married, they agreed to be together un- spreading into the lives of those they interact with, they til death. They made vows before God. They testified their should take the necessary steps to move toward indilove in ritual and act. Now, although the husband is realiz- vidual lives, separate from each other and the unfortuing it to be a mistake and therefore suffering because of it, nate situation. In the end, the positive consequences of the wife desires commitment to her marriage vow. For her, their actions would outweigh the negativity involved in divorce would result in pain and suffering so deep to the separating themselves from each other and the institucore of her religious identity, it may never heal. Yes, she is tion of marriage. currently suffering, she has admitted as much to my fiancée
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Opinion & Editorial
Putting the ‘Community’ in Community College
By Megan Webster
First-day jitters are a real thing. And though about 75 percent of mine are a health-risk harbinger from the six cups of coffee I’ve consumed before 9 a.m., the remaining nerves are a delightful anxious bundle of worry. As new students, and even seasoned classroom veterans, we brood over things like making a good first impression, meeting new people (or avoiding old ones), squeaking a residual puberty tone whilst introducing oneself, sitting down in the wrong class, and the ever-foreboding, “Will my professor be a Snape, or a Keating?” In risk of sounding like a college-educated cliché, we are all in this together. Or are we? After spending approximately two weeks as a university transfer student, I find myself wandering around this new skyline campus longingly nostalgic for the community college by the sea. I sit on a bench, next to a noisy highway and reflect on the place I spent the best eight years of my life, earning a two-year degree. So, here’s my love letter to you, SMCC: From my very first class at Southern Maine Community College in 2009, I knew I had found someplace special. I was seventeen, pregnant, and had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up (apparently space cowboy isn’t actually a thing). But none of that seemed to matter — from the admissions office, to advising, to the professors, I forthwith felt like I was part of an intimate and welcoming family of scholars who wore flannel and messenger bags and whom you addressed by their first names. Professors endeavored to learn every student’s name and a small morsel of information about each of us so that we could formulate connections between both teachers and fellow students. To all those who, like me at first, would get uncontrollable butterfly migrations in their stomachs as the introduction around the circle got closer to your turn, I say: enjoy that moment of fear — embrace it even, because at least you are being given the opportunity to make yourself known. In the ensemble of my five university courses I have said my name aloud once, said “here” twice, and raised a silent hand eight times. Attendance might as well be taken by Jaquen H’ghar: “A girl has no name.” As a direct result, I know not a single thing about my fellow English-major comrades, nor do my professors have any ounce of information as to the intent of why we’re even taking their class. To be completely honest, I forgot what class I was walking to the other day (literary theory of something, I think). The disconnect is
palpable. A cog in the machine of assembly-line learning. SMCC is home; it is a community within a community college, where both traditional and nontraditional students flourish under the engaging atmosphere, with
flexibility in schedule offers students to go at a pace that coincides with their lives off campus; effort is taken to hear the student’s needs and desires for new classes, organizations and clubs, career guidance, and many other individualized accommodations. It is a place to make local connections, and lasting friendships. I’ll never be able to pay proper dues to all those who made an impact during my nearly decade-long tenure there — but I can, with absolute certainty, accredit who I am today to the education (both in the books and off ) to this institution. SMCC is a fellowship to be cherished. So join a club, volunteer on campus, walk the beach between breaks, attend poetry month, raise your hand in class and voice your opinion while you are still encouraged to have one. Don’t take a single academic moment there for granted — for it is the most unique college experience in Maine.
I was seventeen, pregnant, and had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up (apparently space cowboy isn’t actually a thing). a hint of sea breeze. The professors are treasures to the education system; the campus events are diverse and inviting, including students from all walks of life; the
The Health Benefits of Fasting
By Noor Ibrahim
Have you ever thought that a religious lifestyle can be beneficial for you health? Well, researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed data from an annual survey of highschool seniors from 135 schools in 48 states in a study called Monitoring the Future, they found the following: “Students who say that religion is important in their lives and attend religious services frequently, have lower rates of cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and marijuana use, higher rates of seatbelt use, eating fruits, vegetables, and breakfast, and lower rates of carrying weapons, getting into fights, and driving while drinking.” Following a religious lifestyle has direct benefits to individuals. For instance, followers of Islam are required to fast for one month (known as the month of Ramadan). The health benefits of this exercise top those of many medications. Fasting is one of the five important rituals in Islam. The goal of fasting is divided into two parts, the improvement of the spiritual and the physical state. According to an article published by the United States National Library of Medicine, a study was conducted on rats to find the potential health benefits from fasting. Fasting led to the following: an extended lifespan; better insulin control; reduced nerve-cell injury; reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer; and an improved immune system. The study was then done on humans. The results were as follows: Asthma and inflammatory markers were reduced, as were blood pressure, cholesterol, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. There was a decreased risk of diabetes,
and an increase in human growth hormone. Another study has shown that fasting improves eating patterns. This is most beneficial for individuals who suffer from binge-eating disorders. A religious fast is not just a physical diet program. It is the very first element of the spiritual journey. When individuals fast from food they are expected to also fast from all harmful and forbidden actions and intentions — like violence, lust, and sloth. In other words, this process is a spiritual detoxification. During the year, a human’s main interest is the materialistic side of life. But there are some other sides a Muslim must take into consideration when fasting: honesty, cleanliness/hygiene, respecting others and most importantly patience. During the fasting season helping the needy will boost the spiritual credits the individual earns. Supporting and giving a hand is a social joint liability. Last but not least, a man wrote a letter to Imam Askari (peace be upon him) asking him: “For what reason did Allah make fasting compulsory?” The Imam (peace be upon him) wrote in reply, “God has made fasting compulsory so that the rich shall find the pain of hunger so they have mercy upon the poor.” To conclude, it does not matter what your origins and spiritual beliefs are, fasting is an experience worth trying. In the end, remember that this process is for your health and a nice vacation for your digestive system. It is also a great challenge because it teaches a great amount of self-control! The faster will be able to overcome their desires of overconsumption.
What is personhood?
ShouldCan morality I be be objective? worried What does it feel about AI?like to be a bat?
If these questions interest you... you “KANT” go wrong with Philosophy Club!
Join us Fridays at 5:30 p.m. 3rd-floor seminar room Howe Hall (SoPo Campus) For more information, contact benjaminsriggleman@smccme.edu
September, 12, 2017 • The Beacon 7
Arts & Features
Arts & Features
Film Review by Justin Taylor Stephen King’s ‘It’ (2017)
The first theatrical adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel “It” is a fear-fest that doubles down on the scares, while still
managing to deliver fleshed-out and relatable characters. Both freaky and horrifically fun, this 2017 adaptation is easily this year’s
Summer 2017 Film Highlights
finest horror movie thus far. The film follows a group of outcasts as they are targeted and tormented by a shapeshifting evil whose favorite form is a demented clown named Pennywise. Bill Skarsgard plays the titular antagonist in spectacular fashion, making the monster more unnerving than predecessor Tim Curry, while still managing to be nightmarishly absurd. Fantastic makeup and strange twisted effects bring “It” to life in a way that the 1990 miniseries didn’t full realize. In several scenes, the way Skarsgard’s Pennywise manifests itself is often chaotic and mind-bending. Much more gory than expected, a few deaths in the film are gruesome, in a way that heightens the stakes for our characters. Though not many of the scares are played for laughs, Pennywise’s cruel sense of humor is highlighted in many crucial scenes. The characters opposite of Pennywise are equally as strong and enjoyable. Each
By Rebecca Dow (I’m excited!)
Rating: A+ Pictured below, clockwise: Free Fire, The Big Sic, Colossal, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. (Continued from page 8)
Spider-Man: Homecoming
( Jon Watts) In the franchise’s second reboot, director Jon Watts manages to bring the character back to the big screen in a way that still feels fresh and foremost, in a tone and style that fit and perfectly embody the character. Taking inspiration from the “Ultimate Spider-Man” comic run, “Homecoming” is packaged as a teen film, a convention that works well for the character as he attempts to balance his responsibilities with his newfound power. Coming in late to the Marvel Universe, the film takes pleasure in exploring and playing with the elements of an already established world.
By Justin Taylor
The summer of 2017 was a fantastic season for blockbusters as well as independent films. There were so many great movies that debuted over the last few months. The following films are my personal favorites, and I feel almost anybody would enjoy and be entertained by.
Poetic License
character’s fear is clearly centralized and used to forge some grade-A scares. Some of the darker aspects of the protagonists’ lives from the novel are featured in the film and incorporated into the horror. The actors play well with each other, establishing a chemistry that feels genuine and makers the characters pop. Even in some of the fast-paced horror set pieces, you get a sense of their friendship that makes you fear for them — even in the fantastic haunted-house bits. 2017’s “It” is both funny and heartfelt, while still being unnerving and terrifying. It’s use of character is not something you see in most contemporary horror movies, which makes it all the more fresh and memorable. Creative and stylish creature effects weaved into a tight narrative make this nightmare flick a must-see.
Okja
(Bong Joon-Ho) A touching yet unorthodox love story centering on the friendship of a young
Gaming Club The Gaming Club meets Wednesdays at 6:30 in the South Portland Campus Center. Games range from video to Magic to table-top.
farm girl and a genetically engineered super-pig. “Okja” is at its freshest when it boasts its use of some of the most strange and original characters I’ve seen in years, played by experienced character actors — Tilda Swinton as a pair of twin CEOs, Jake Gyllenhaal as an unhinged celebrity zoologist, and Paul Dano as the head of an underground animal activist group. Okja cleverly utilizes these roles in a story that manages to be horrific and tragic, yet touching.
8 The Beacon • September, 12, 2017
(Michael Showalter) Written by comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, writer Emily Gordon, comes this unconventional romantic comedy based on their relationship. Everything from the cast to the writing is absolutely brilliant, tackling hard-hitting themes like racial tension, diverse relationships, and the effects of tragedy, all without forgetting that it’s a comedy. And in that aspect, “The Big Sick” is hysterical; I haven’t laughed that much during a showing in years. The likeability of its leads elevates the comedy; it features Ray Romano in what is surprisingly one of his best roles.
Baby Driver
(Edgar Wright) Edgar Wright’s newest flick, “Baby Driver,” is a technical masterpiece that uses its thrilling score of hand-picked rock songs to fuel its action set pieces. Featuring the stellar performances of Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx (in a fantastically psychotic role), Kevin Spacey and starring the charismatic Ansel Elgort in the title role. Wright brings the style and flare that makes this delightful surprise one of the summer’s must-see features.
Dunkirk
For more information, drop by the Campus Center on or after Sept. 6.
The Big Sick
(Christopher Nolan) Nolan’s entry into 2017 brings one of his more experimental films. Centering on the military disaster at Dunkirk, Nolan tells the story from three different perspectives: land, sea and air. He uses this formula to experiment with structure and tell a non-linear
Pictured above, clockwise: Okja, Dunkirk, Baby Driver, and Spiderman: Homecoming. story that all comes together by the climax, in the third act. This technique becomes integral in building suspense, as well as the tense soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, mixed from the ticking of Nolan’s own stopwatch. Dunkirk stands out as an intense and at times bleak take on war, featuring very little dialogue and character, opting to focus on the violence and hardships of the disastrous operation.
War for the Planet of the Apes
(Matt Reeves) In the final installment of the newest trilogy in the franchise, “War” dials down the action in a meditative and gripping reflection on war and its impact on society wrapped in a hard-sci-fi package — and still manages to deliver fresh and exciting sequences. Andy Serkis returns as Caesar, in one of the most intense and gripping character performances in years, which surpasses its predecessor.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
( James Gunn) “Vol. 2” manages to be even more insane the the first. James Gunn returns with the same irreverent splendor and nonsensical action that made the original so great. Featuring stellar special effects and building on the team dynamic of roguish Guardians, “Vol. 2” is ridiculous fun that throws the humor at you like a bullet-train, as well as being able to balance it with some of the more dramatic moments of the film.
Free Fire
(Ben Wheatley, Benjamin Taylor) This experimental film features bold character bundled together in a gun deal gone bad. After just 15 or so minutes of setup, the film erupts into a marvelous gun fight that lasts pretty much the remainder of its runtime. “Free Fire” is backed by a chaotic jazz soundtrack, which manages to hold the momentum and interest of the audience for the duration of the firefight and highlights the sense of danger in the drawn-out sequences. Explosive and dynamic, this indie flick from A24 is one of the most memorable theatrical experiences I had this summer.
Colossal
(Nacho Vigalondo) This early-summer features an inventive premise in which a late 20s party girl, after returning to her home after being dumped by her boyfriend, discovers she is controlling a massive monster halfway around the world. Nacho Vigalondo does more with this premise than I would have thought, and uses character to propel the conflict forward in a way I’d prefer not to spoil. He focuses not on the how or why of the concept, but uses the characters to showcase the capabilities and repercussions of such a situation. The bizarre and surprisingly humorous finale makes this one of my favorites of 2017.
Hello everyone, my name is Becca and it’s a pleasure to be writing for SMCC’s school paper! I am currently overseeing The Beacon’s poetry column for this fall, and I am eager to read and publish your work; this section is a place where True Success ideas can converge into By Rebecca Dow a medley of literary gold! ______________________________ In deepest caverns, Occasionally, I will call Hiding ‘neath the shaded stone, for a theme [spooky, Trickling with the earthy tones family oriented, personal From sweat drowned brow and hard (anonymity is an option)], so earned rest: please feel free to contact There my friend, one finds success. me with your suggestions And so and still and submissions. Students, As twilight spills, At darkened day you feel submit your poetry to Awake! rebeccadow@smccme.edu Yes derest friend, at daylight’s end or through message via the Tis there content success. SMCC app. Let’s discuss More riches seep like blood through flesh, the musings of our minds! Tumultuous from society’s breath, Personally, I love to witness Please be the man or goddess’ breast others’ art, especially when Who bathes in sweet success. You cannot know the ways to go, it’s channeled through a You cannot see the path; medium that they love. Even So stay awake and know thy joy, if it’s not poetry, I could For that is true success. incorporate student-created images to decorate this column, as well as place YouTube links somewhere in this section leading to short performances of student-made content. The sky is the limit when it comes to creativity! A Poem by Jennifer Smalley
“I wrote this untitled piece when the right words just weren’t coming out, and making them up just came easier to me. I minded roots and suffixes and all that fun stuff to keep the words familiar sounding . . . feeling somewhat organic. . .” - J.S. _________________________________________________________
editations and cut-paste’ations menegeration upon menageralteration repetitertiary reprehensetic alliteritis verbummers, wordumbers, succumbers a vastacious pitopotumus of editrocity and creatensity flowbabbling biblications of tongue-twist’toxification mounternations of bit-piecery with bit-bitty sensatsory pile-up-ifications of crump,wrink,an’throwawaytions snowballify, goodbye’ify, and then sigh sigh and scrawlify until…. until a ranktankerous suckopolis emergifies edit-ayshons and cut-paste-ayshons menage-er-ayshon upon menage-er-altercation rep-it-ter-she-ary reprehense-et-ick alliter-itis ver-bummers, wor-dumbers, succummers a vast-ay-shus pit-opot-a-mus of edit-tro-city and create-tensity flow-babbling bib-li-kayshons of tong twist-tox-if-a-kayshons mount-er-nay-shons of bit-piece-er-y with bit-bitty sen-say-sory pile-up-if-a-kayshons of crum-wrink-an-throw-away-shons snowball-ify, goodbye-ify, and then sigh sigh and scrawl-ify until…. until a rank-tank-er-us suck-op-o-lis emerge-ifies
(Continued on page 9)
September, 12, 2017 • The Beacon 9
Midcoast By Dan Elliott
SMCC Sports
Campus Cookout at Midcoast
Hot off the weekend’s Blue Angels air show, SMCC’s Midcoast Campus hosted its annual Welcome Barbecue last Wednesday, an outdoor luncheon offered to both Artists creating caricatures for students. staff and students as they began settling in for the fall semester. Attendees were treated to a thin haze of sweet and savory scents wafting from the campus’s main parking area and stretching out to Orion Residence Hall. The event was an opportunity for students to connect with both one another as well as with the faculty they will encounter throughout the year. They were able to recount the events of their summer, discuss the experiences they’d had with the An interactive art project set up at the Midcoast cookout created by Mike Branca and his students.
courses offered on campus and, probably most importantly, share a laugh or two over a piping hot quesadilla, courtesy of Rodeo Go, a Mexican food truck. Though authentic Latin-American cuisine was offered, some decided to partake in a lunch with a more distinctly backyard feel. “It’s good,” one woman exclaimed as she finished off her grilled hot dog, explaining that she preferred the quick comfort food over braving the cadre of hungry students and instructors congregated near the food truck. In addition to the catered lunch, several organizations were on site offering information regarding services available to Midcoast students, including Brunswick’s Curtis Memorial Library, a valuable local resource which is available free of charge to students. Also on site was a caricaturist, who spent her time talking with students while drawing their portraits. Evan Poissonier, a Cyber Security major attending this fall semester, stated that it was “a pick-me-up to see everyone.” He was also excited to join the Gaming Club, which offers him a spot to play Magic: The Gathering as well as other popular tabletop games. Other clubs, such as the Photography Club headed by John Stetson, also saw a high volume of interest from students as well. As SMCC’s Midcoast location continues to grow, so too does the list of clubs
and organizations available to the students. In addition to those organizations, the campus offers students the option to start a club of their own, and many people who attended the barbecue were lined up to fill out their ideas on the club list in the Learning Commons. Students and faculty were not the only ones out enjoying the end-of-summer festivities. Young children, accompanied by their larger and older counterparts, were also in attendance, some of whom had a chance to enjoy playing around with an interactive art project that was collaboratively created by Mike Branca and his students. Branca, an adjunct art instructor teaching at the Brunswick location, holds an endof-the-semester exhibit in the center of the L.L. Bean Learning Commons showcasing a selection of his students’ work. Visitors to the cookout were able to see some of the artwork that was still on display from students of the previous semester. Though the weather seemed more on the ominous side at the beginning of the day’s festivities, it did not stop people from coming out and enjoying this year’s Welcome Barbecue. This seems a fitting analogy for students coming into the fall semester: Though things may begin to seem a bit stormy, the clouds can, and mostly likely will, break to let the good weather in.
“First Day’s Highs and Lows” By Dan Elliott
Students enjoy socializing and good food at the Midcoast campus cookout
Samuel Marshall tries to gain some space as he advances the ball towards the Vermont Tech goal. (continued from page 11)
this program goes in the future.” In Coach Yanni’s first season at the helm of the SeaWolves baseball team, the team finished with an 11-14-1 record and won the YSCC championship game in a thriller against New Hampshire Technical Institute (NHTI). All of which adds up to an opportune time to paraphrase “Moneyball.” As Billy Beane emphatically states, the only game that anyone remembers is the last one, and “if you lose the last game of the season no one gives a s**t.” The Wolves started their defense of the YSCC championship on two positive notes with Friday’s wins. On Wednesday, Sept. 13, the Wolves begin a four-game home stand against the Mustangs of Central Maine Community College (CMCC). The SeaWolves, who hold a 14-4-1 record over the previous five seasons against the Musangs, will look to expand upon that. Finishing off the four-game home stand on Sept. 16, the Wolves will host NHTI in an afternoon doubleheader. They are riding a seven-game winning streak against the Lynx here in South Portland. They will not return home until Sept. 30, when they end the regular season against Great Bay Community College with a double header. The Wolves will be on the road Sept. 20, when they travel to Auburn to play CMCC. On Sept. 23, SMCC will travel to Concord, N.H., to take on NHTI. The fall baseball season will end here in South Portland on Oct. 7 when SMCC hosts the YSCC Fall Invitational. On the soccer pitch, the results haven’t panned out in the manner that the SeaWolves would have wished for, as the men’s squad has dropped their first three matches. On the 2nd, the Wolves traveled to Albany,
N.Y. to take on Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Panthers, suffering their first loss of the young season, six to nil. After 45 minutes of play, the Wolves found themselves trailing by four as the Panthers found the back of the net at the 3:37 mark. Panthers forward Mina Girgis was able to ruffle the netting three times before 11 minutes had expired, collecting his first hat trick of the young season. Girgis would collect his fourth goal of the game and the Panthers’ sixth at 72:11 of the game. Patrick Duddy, SMCC’s goalkeeper, faced 13 shots on goal, turning away seven. This past Saturday the men’s squad took to the pitch for their YSCC conference opener against the Fighting Saints of the College of St. Joseph (CSJ). While the Wolves would eventually fall to the Saints, six-one, the first 45 minutes of play saw them stay close to the Saints. Less than a minute into the game, CSJ was awarded a penalty kick that was denied from flipping St. Joseph’s big-board zero to one by SMCC’s goalkeeper Patrick Duddy. The Saints would find the back of the net inside of six minutes. SMCC’s Yaroslav Philbrook would pull the Wolves even at the 12:26 mark, when he buried a free kick from just outside of the box — recording his first collegiate goal. The Fighting Saints netted a volley-goal courtesy of Amani Francois before the first half time expired to regain a two-one lead. The second half of the match saw St. Joe’s flip the big board in their favor with a penalty kick and a hat trick by the Saints’ Rosyvelt Baessa. SMCC’s goal keeper Patrick Duddy, a 2016 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-Amer-
ican, tallied 11 saves in 90 minutes of work. In Sunday’s action the SeaWolves and the Knights of Vermont Tech played the full 90 minutes only to have to play two extra 10-minute periods, as they were knotted at one goal apiece at the end of regulation. The Knights were With time running down in the first half, Yaroslav first on the big board Philbrook looks for a scoring opportunity. when Matthew Brien scored at the 53:36 what to expect — I was pleased with how mark. A little more than 27 minutes later, well it came together. Offensively it looked the Wolves pulled even on a Hanssen Casey promising and we plan to build on the goal. After a scoreless first overtime peripositives moving forward.” od, the Knights celebrated a hard-fought On Sept. 2 the Lady SeaWolves dropped victory when Phillip Hepburn scored the their second game of the season, a four-nil winning goal at the 103:02 mark. loss to the Albany College of Pharmacy On the women’s side of the pitch, the and Health Sciences. The Panthers were led Lady SeaWolves secured their first win of by Erin Tersegno and Katie Benson, who the season, a ten-to-nil trouncing of the scored two goals each. College of Saint Joseph’s after dropping First-year SeaWolves Callie O’Brien and their first two games of the season. Jessica Haskell were able to get two shots In the season opener against the Cougars on goal apiece, but were unable to beat the of Holyoke Community College (two-nil), Panther goalkeeper Sally Slowinski, who the true frustrations of soccer reared their notched seven saves. SMCC goalkeeper ugly attitude: The SeaWolves never found Shae Couture faced 19 shots on goal and the back of the net, hitting the post four turned away 15. times. On the golf links, the SeaWolves travAs reported on the SMCC Athletics web eled to Beaver Meadow Golf Club last site, Head Coach Julia Cyr commented, Saturday, placing second out of a four-team “Lots of positives to take away from the field. NHTI took first place; University of first game of the season. With many new Maine-Augusta and Great Bay faces and a new system, you never know Community College failed to qualify.
Make the Midcoast Campus YOUR campus! Do you have artwork or writing that you would like to see published here? Is there a story or topic that you think needs covering? The Beacon is looking for students on the Midcoast Campus to collaborate with for new content! Contact Midcoast section editor Dan Elliott at danieljelliott@smccme.edu with any questions. To submit your work today, send it to Dan and Chuck Ott, faculty advisor, at cott@smccme.edu.
10 The Beacon • September, 12, 2017
September, 12, 2017 • The Beacon 11
SMCC Sports
In first-half action, Romaine Cole gets a shot off. SMCC would eventually fall to Vermont Tech 2-1 in Sunday’s YSCC action.
The SeaWolves Take to the Diamonds, Pitch and Links Fall ‘17 Season Starts Off With Mixed Results
By The Beacon Sports Staff Welcome back, SeaWolves sports fans. While much has transpired over the summer, one aspect that has remained consistent with the SeaWolves athletic teams stands: They will be competitive. For those of you who are new to SMCC, the SeaWolves will be fielding teams in baseball, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, and golf for the fall’s sports season. While the softball team has yet to take to the di-
amonds, a result of the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) restructuring the season schedule, the soccer and the baseball teams have started their seasons. Last Friday, the SeaWolves baseball team opened the season on the road at Great Bay Community College. Great Bay, which is located a stone’s throw west of Portsmouth, N.H., took to the field with a true freshman team, as the home opener for the Herons was their inaugural game in the YSCC. Opening day looked wonderfully positive for the Herons over the course of the first
six innings, and they held a four-two lead going into the seventh inning. The SeaWolves would plate four runs in the top of the seventh, spoiling the Herons’ opening day desires to start off YSCC play with a win. The second game of the day saw the SeaWolves bats come alive, as the Wolves would plate 15 runs in five innings. Four times the Wolves would go yard: twice by junior Sean Adams and once apiece by junior Nathaniel Cyr and freshman Dylan Francoeur.
Midfielder Gradi Lapika places a soft shot on goal. Lapika’s shot is one of 13 that the SeaWolves placed on net.
The two-win road trip for Coach Yanni and his squad started the Wolves off in a great way, as they are defending their 20162017 YSCC championship. As stated on the SeaWolves web site, Coach Yanni shared his thoughts after the first two games: “The offensive production today was encouraging against a talented Herons club. In the first game, we didn’t lay down and fought to come from behind — we didn’t have that lull in the second game and continued to swing the bats. Great Bay is certainly a worthy opponent and we’re excited to see where (Continued on page 11)
Sean Allen advances the ball upfield with a crafty header.
SMCC fall sports are in action. Baseball
Softball
9/26 Hampsire College 3pm
9/16 College of St Joe’s 12pm Great Bay CC 2pm 9/23 CMCC 11am NHTI 2pm Great Bay CC 3:30pm
Golf
Women’s Soccer
9/13 CMCC 3 and 5pm 9/16 NHTI 3 and 5pm
Men’s Soccer
9/17 Val Halla CC Cumberland, ME
9/23 Hampshire College 1pm
Support your SeaWolves as they take to the diamonds, soccer pitch, and links.