SMCC Beacon September 11, 2018

Beacon The

ISSUE DATE 09.11.2018

Lighting our Community

VOLUME XVI NO. 1

SOUTHERN MAINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Meet Joe Cassidy: SMCC’s 11th President Our new president here at SMCC, though new to our college, has a wealth of experience when it comes to the challenges of running a community college. President Joseph Cassidy began his tenure in education as a faculty member at Washington County Community College. Eventually he went on to serve as the president of the WCCC faculty association and later of the college itself.

In the 2015-16 academic year he served as president of WCCC and Eastern Maine Community College simultaneously. Before that he was a practicing lawyer and served the city of Calais as its mayor.

President Cassidy is well versed in the unique challenges of both the very small and the very big when it comes to keeping bureaucratic systems running properly. In the coming years, he hopes to bring the skills he has learned to his position at SMCC, to promote innovation and collaboration among students and faculty alike.

Last week I sat down with him to get a picture of what those challenges look like, and what the job of the college president looks like from day to day. We spoke about the unique obstacles of running two colleges

at the same time, and the lessons that he brings from those experiences to his current role.

He spoke about the different styles of leadership required to manage a smaller college like EMCC, where there were fewer levels of bureaucracy between him and the rest of the faculty. “Many of the jobs of a college president involve a lot of problem solving,” he explained. As president, it is his job to help the faculty and provide them with everything they need to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. As he put it: “You have great teachers, you have great faculty who are trying to do good work, and very often the president’s job is just to make sure that everything is working for people.”

We also talked about some of the issues he has faced just in his first month on the job. As most of you know already, the Spring Point Hall dorms are currently closed and undergoing treatment for mold. I spoke with President Cassidy about how he and his staff are tackling this issue. “We’re doing everything we can to support our students and to mitigate this challenge in a way that’s healthy and smart for the campus, “putting student needs first,” he said.

(Continued on page 2)

Photo by Cssie Marceau

By JACOB DARLING

President Joe Cassidy g ets to know students in front of Campus Center.

Black Mold Enrolls at SMCC

By KARSTEN REES

combination of humidity, heat and broken ERV the “perfect storm” for a pre-semester panic.

Summer-semester students were hurriedly evacuated from Spring Point shortly after administrative staff heard about the mold.

Initial tests revealed the extent of the damage, leaving staff in the midst of a logistical crisis only a week away from the first day of

This summer has been one of the most humid and uncomfortable on record, thanks in part to a rare weather pattern. The Bermuda High is a wind current that takes warm, humid, Caribbean air and circulates it into the Atlantic. This year, the Bermuda High had a change of heart and decided to point itself towards the North. This surprising — if not impolite — change has resulted in discomfort for New Englanders.

When humidity levels are this high, the body’s ability to cool itself is compromised. Despite a summer with no major heat waves and an unremarkable average temperature, coastal New England has experienced almost record humidity levels.

People may not have been thriving, but at Spring Point Residence Hall, black mold found its opportunity to flourish when the ventilation system malfunctioned.

The Energy Recovery Ventilator™ was an expensive piece of equipment responsible for exchanging old, stale air from inside Spring Point for new, fresh air from outside.

Malfunctions in ERVs aren’t uncommon, especially when they’re overworked during summers. When the ERV stopped working, new air was pumped directly into Spring Point without first being dehumidified. Mold began to grow after the water-laden air was cooled by air conditioning and began to condense on ceiling tiles. In an interview, SMCC Director of Communications Illustration by Alex Downing Clarke Canfield called the

fall classes. Finding 300-plus hotel rooms in the Portland area with limited staff and only days before move-in day was, in Canfield’s words, a “trial by fire for the administrative staff.” Somehow, they managed to locate six hotels with access to bus routes.

Commutes range in length; by car, some are as short as 20-25 minutes while bus rides can be up to two hours in length. Many students without cars waste hours between classes in the Noisy Lounge or just generally loitering around campus. Canfield says that “students have been understandably upset, but most understand the situation and are making the most of it.”

Notable exceptions include the four students that staged a protest over the college’s handling over the situation. The small group of students has accused the college of lacking transparency around the issue, alleging that the administration was made aware of the mold situation and put students at risk by taking action too slowly.

Canfield negates this, saying that the college took decisive action immediately. Servpro, an HVAC/disaster relief company, was contracted to survey and repair damage. Servpro has made the project a priority, working around the clock, even going so far as to hire out-of-

state workers on the project. It’s unclear how much their services will cost, as repairs are not complete.

Money aside, official estimates suggest that students should be able to move into their Spring Point dorm rooms within the next 2-3 weeks. Until then, students are encouraged to enjoy their hotel pools and continue to make the most out of their housing situations.

9/11 Tribute

By CELINA SIMMONS

You may notice the flag today is lowered to half mast. On this date 17 years ago, our country suffered what was arguably one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in U.S. history. The September 11 attacks were a series of four hijacked airplanes all coordinated by the terrorist group known as al-Qaeda. The attacks resulted in 2,996 deaths, over 6,000 more injured and a dispirited country.

Aimy Lainoff, the Veterans Affairs Certifying Advisor here at SMCC, carried out a tribute in remembrance of this event at 9 a.m. today, September 11. Joe Cassidy, our school president, said a few words, and a Fire Science student played the bagpipes in honor of the event. Many of the veterans that attend SMCC joined the military specifically due to the impact of 9/11.

“Our enemies have made the mistake that America’s enemies always make.

They saw liberty and thought they saw weakness,” George W. Bush said shortly after 9/11. The horrifying attacks will forever hold a place in history and although they were devastating, we will always remember the bravery so many people showed that day.

Campus News Business Club Tours NYC to End Spring Semester

By THE BUSINESS CLUB

Meet Joe Cassidy (Continued from page 1)

Summer students who were living in the dorms at the time the mold was discovered were moved into the Surfsite dorms. Those students who were preparing to move into Spring Point this fall have been put up in nearby hotel rooms along bus routes to the college. “We want to make sure,” he said, “that we get all our students settled who are going to be living here on campus. … That they have a safe place to live that is a convenient place to live.”

No students will be moved back into Spring Point until the mold is completely removed, the building’s HVAC system is repaired and everything is declared safe by

Last April, the SMCC Business Club made their annual pilgrimage to New York City, taking in the sights and experiencing NYC from a variety of points of view. This year’s group was the Business Club’s largest and most diverse yet!

Leaving from our international hostel in Chelsea, the Club visited historic Trinity Church, world-famous Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange (from the outside, where the pic was taken), Federal Hall, Trump Building, iconic Wall Street symbol, “the Raging Bull” statue (now, with the “Fearless Girl” statue), Alexander Hamilton Custom House, and other famous business landmarks. Then, we toured the sobering and beautiful 9/11 Meprofessionals. Going forward, environmental testing of all the residence halls will be conducted on a regular basis.

President Cassidy and I also got to talk more specifically about challenges facing SMCC in the coming year and how he has been approaching them. “It’s a piping hot economy” in Maine, he told me. As a result of that, attendance at the college has been on a down trend. “What we’re finding is that we’re not down on traditional-aged students — students coming out of high school. Those students are here at the numbers they have always been,” Cassidy explained. The down trend has been in nontraditional students, those who have been out of high school for many years. These adults have been in the

morial reflecting pools and got a breathtaking top-floor view of NYC and Manhattan (and beyond) from the One World Observatory tour.

Several Business Club members took in a Broadway performance of “The Lion King,” while others visited the world-famous Times Square, some ventured to the Village and others headed off to Brooklyn — proving the old adage that there is indeed something for everyone in New York City! The Club ended its jaunt in NYC on Saturday eve as all members went to the New York Comedy Club for a raucous multi-comedian performance.

It was a wonderful trip, and everyone got to know each other better while enjoying the uniqueness of the Big Apple!

workforce for some time, and are finding it hard to justify leaving their jobs to go back to school when their employers can now afford to provide raises and other incentives to keep them.

The nontraditional student, Cassidy said, is an increasingly rare sight on campus.

“And that’s because there are jobs. There’s so much work right now. There are more jobs than there are people to fill them.”

Many people who are already in the workforce and considering the transition back into the classroom find themselves putting their long-term educational goals off in favor of short term financial stability.

President Cassidy told me of a conversation he had this summer with a potential student: “I spoke to one person who told me, ‘Hey, I was going to come to school this year, but my boss told me he’d give me two bucks more an hour.’” That kind of pay bump can be hard to pass up, President Cassidy continued, “Particularly when you’re a nontraditional — maybe you have a child or a home you’re trying to maintain. I certainly don’t fault anyone who makes those decisions.”

President Cassidy is optimistic, however, about the future of retention and graduation rates at SMCC. “The key is that we’ve got to make sure that every student that comes here is successful. That’s our goal.” To that end SMCC has engaged with the Achieving the Dream network, an organization dedicated to providing institutions of higher learning across the nation with a network of peers to share ideas that will drive innovation and reform. “We examine everything from procedures to how we do things in the classrooms and in the shops, making sure that we’re gearing this experience to the student in a way that’s going to guarantee to the extent that we can that they are going to be successful.”

The Achieve the Dream network (ATD) works with colleges like SMCC to promote a student-centered academic structure that does everything it can to set the students up to achieve their goals. “When a student joins SMCC,” Cassidy told me, “we’re going to make sure that all hands are on deck to help that person achieve their goal and to be successful. We want to make sure that everyone who can succeed does.”

My own college experience has already found this ideal at work. This is my first year at SMCC, and I have already taken notice of how helpful everyone here is. Teachers have been quick to point me in the right direction when it comes to all the resources available to me as a student — from tutoring to disability resources to study groups to where (Continued on Next Page)

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The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

Campus News

Poverty on Campus

By ALEX DOWNING

The U.S. economic climate in 2018 is harsh and unforgiving. Minimum wages now barely cover the ever-rising costs of living.

Fruitful careers require expensive degrees that take years to earn. Neighborhoods that once housed the working class are being gentrified, leading to the displacement of many families. Gone are the days of the “American Dream.” A country built on the notion that hard work would ensure equal opportunity has abandoned its roots.

Nowadays, climbing the ladder of success is an arduous task. One that requires both sacrifice and struggle.

Maine is not immune to the financial crisis plaguing our country. According to the most recent statistics, 12.5 percent of residents fall beneath the poverty line, one in seven people deal regularly with food insecurity, and at least 6,300 individuals statewide are currently unhoused. And their distress is evident. The streets of Portland paint a somber picture. It is a picture of destitution and drug-abuse, of mental illness and malnutrition, of anguish and adversity. All of which stand in stark contrast against a backdrop of trendy restaurants and esteemed learning institutions.

So where does Southern Maine Community College fit into all of this? To assume that the SMCC student population is unaffected by these statistics would be obtuse. The bitter reality is that many students attend class with metaphorical weights on their shoulders, weights comprised of hardship and uncertainty. These burdens can make it exponentially more difficult to flourish academically.

In order to nurture the success of students, schools must be sympathetic to their plight. I spoke with Tiffanie Bentley, the dean of students here at SMCC, to learn more about the impact of poverty on students and the efforts being made to accommodate their needs.

While no definitive information regarding the number of students affected by financial crisis exists, Dean Bentley assured me that there are many students struggling to make ends meet. We then discussed the different

avenues they may venture down to ease their woes.

“Students are first encouraged to visit the financial aid office to make sure they’ve exhausted all federal aid that is available for them,” she informed me; “Scholarships and Presidents Funds are also offered through the SMCC foundation.”

Another valuable resource offered to students is the Captain’s Cupboard. It is a student-run food pantry located on campus to help those struggling with food security. Tiffanie explained that it actually began as a student project several years ago, and that “students helping students is the way things most-often happen [here].”

At this point, the conversation took an engaging turn. We began to delve into the issue of addiction, which, in some instances, can be a contributing factor or side-effect of poverty. In particular, we touched upon the opioid epidemic that has been devastating the area in recent years. “A number of students come here from recovery,” Tiffanie noted.

“Students have family members affected by the crisis. Students have been caught using on campus.” She then expressed interest in a student-led support group aimed at providing guidance and solace to those struggling with substance abuse.

Maine is not immune to the financial crisis plaguing our country.

Alex’s Fashion Spotlight

By ALEX DOWNING

Feza Mitima is our first fashion spotlight!

She is a style-conscious student who feels very passionate about individuality. Inspired by both modern-day social-media influencers and vintage icons, her style is a unique blend of the old and the new. Feza has a particular interest in the funky fashions of the ‘80s and ‘90s. As an aspiring graphic designer, she has an artist’s mentality. She describes clothing as “the best way to express her creativity on a daily basis,” which is of great importance to her. Keep killing it, Feza!

Meet Joe Cassidy to find the most affordable books for their courses.

The faculty here does everything they can to foster a supportive environment for the students. I learned a lot while talking about the ins and out of college life with the president, and as we welcomed each other into our first year at SMCC, I was left with a reassuring sense of community and support.

This supportive community isn’t limited to the faculty and studentsz, either. I have witnessed many of my fellow students going out of their way to be helpful and kind to their classmates. I hope to see more of this as the semester progresses and I encourage all of you to support one another. Find a group, or even just a few classmates, and form a supportive community. That kind of support can make all the difference in promoting a successful and memorable college experience.

Photo by Alex Downing

(Continued from previous page)

When asked if she had any final words of encouragement to students experiencing hard times, Tiffanie remarked, “The best things students can do when struggling is ask for help. Start by talking to the people you are most comfortable with.”

Financial strife is a colossal burden. It is as unpredictable as it is humbling. With it come pains and predicaments that test the resil-

ience of the human spirit. College students impacted by poverty, who strive for academic achievement despite hardship, are monuments of strength. To maintain conviction in the face of adversity is to reject the temptation of succumbing to circumstance. The presence of such students at Southern Maine Community College is meaningful, it is significant, and it demands admiration.

Kindness Korner

By THE KINDNESS MAMA

Hello, SeaWolves! I would like to welcome all the new students to SMCC, and welcome back all the returning students and staff.

For those of you who do not know me, please let me introduce myself. My name is the Kindness Mama and I write about all things kind. Yes, kindness. We are living in trying times right now. The world is full of evil people doing horrible things, which are constantly being reported on in all the media outlets. I want to change that. I believe we need more random acts of kindness in the world. Now, I cannot change the world, but I can change our little corner of it. Even if only for a few minutes in each issue of The Beacon. I am going to report on random acts of kindness, sightings I witness myself or sightings that are reported to me. So please, all you SeaWolves, get out those investigating eyes and help me spread the word that kindness is alive and well here at SMCC. If you witness a random act of kindness by a fellow student, faculty person or staff member, just drop me an email at smcckindness@gmail.com and I will report it in the next issue. If you would like me to use your name, I will gladly give you the credit for the sighting; or if you wish to remain anonymous, I can do that too.

This is all about reporting on positive things being done by kind-hearted people. We all witness kindness in our daily lives — let’s start sharing all that kindness with one another. I will start this off with a random act I witnessed on my first day of classes this semester.

I arrived to SMCC on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at around 11:45 a.m. for a 12:15 Beacon newspaper meeting. I pulled into the parking lot of the Spring Point residential parking lot to find that Servpro had taken up residence in the parking lot. Now on a good day I am usually able to find a parking spot with minimal effort. This was not a good day! This was the second day of classes at SMCC, and parking spots were not going to be easy to find. Oh, and the temperature outside was nearing 90 degrees. I still had 30 minutes to find a parking spot, grab my stuff and make it to Jewett Auditorium.

I decided I would drive around the parking lot one more time, and if I had to, I would go to the other lot by the Early Childhood Education Building. As I was slowly driving by the Ross Technology Building

for the first time, I noticed a student sitting on the ground between two cars. I wondered if he was alright. It was hot and very humid out. Why would someone want to sit on the hot black pavement, in the hot sun, when he could have been inside any of the many air-conditioned buildings we have on campus?

I soon received my answer. After circling back around for the second time, I noticed the student who was sitting on the ground was now standing by one vehicle with the hood up and another student was unlocking their car door, and soon the hood was being raised on the second car. The student who was sitting on the pavement was waiting to help a friend jumpstart his car, on one of the hottest days we have had this summer.

Now that, my fellow SeaWolves, that is a random act of kindness. This student did not have to wait outside in the heat. He could have easily gone to any of the very close and air-conditioned buildings and waited. Why he didn’t, I will never know, but soon the car was jumped and the driver of the car that needed the boost pulled out of the parking spot, waved to his friend and words were exchanged. I, however, did not hear what was being said, as I had my car’s air-conditioning blasting. I did, however, express a sigh of relief, as I finally had found a parking spot; I could make the Beacon meeting and actually be able to sit in the nice, cool air-conditioned auditorium and just relax while I waited for the meeting to begin.

So actually, the student sitting on the pavement did two random acts of kindness. He gave a boost to the friend with the dead battery and then, because of the boost, the friend was able to leave, and I got his friend’s parking spot. It was a double random act of kindness. If he did not jump the friend’s car, the friend would have had not been able to leave and I would have had to walk across two parking lots and most likely have arrived late for the meeting.

Now it is your turn. As you are going to and from your classes, keep your eyes open for any random acts of kindness and report them to me. The email address one more time is smcckindness@gmail.com.

Thank you and I look forward to reading about all the kindness happening here at SMCC. Till next issue, “Just be kind to one another.”

The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

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Other World Saving $$$ By the Pound

By JESSICA SPOTO

As college students, we often stress over money, but what if there was a way to decrease the stress while getting the things you still Illustration By need and want?

Eden Dyer My name is Jessica Spoto. I am an SMCC student; an avid couponer; a nonstop bargain hunter, dealer seeker and thrifter. I am here to tell you about ways to live in luxury and comfortably while not breaking the bank.

There is this beautiful little gem of a place hidden in an industrial area of Gorham, Maine. This place is Goodwill Buy the Pound, also known as the Goodwill outlet.

It is a wonderland full of quality items that the shopper can buy per pound. For instance, clothing is only $1.39 per pound.

The prices vary from category to category, such as books, clothes, and housewares.

The items are brought out in large bins (see picture). Now, it could seem cluttered and dirty at first, but these are just all the items that didn’t sell at local Goodwill stores. I would recommend bringing a pair of gloves, just to be safe, and definitely pack some hand sanitizer for after you’re done shopping.

Goodwill Buy the Pound is only about 30 minutes away from SMCC — not too long of a trip for some sweet, cheap but quality deals. So grab your friends and make a trip out there. Trust me, it’s so worth it.

Who Was John McCain?

By CELINA SIMMONS

A few weeks ago, the nation lost a faithful American. Senator John Sidney McCain served our country for 60 years in the Navy and as a strong political leader. On August 25 this year, McCain passed away from cancer at 81 years old. He suffered from a malignant brain tumor called glioblastoma, which he had been receiving radiation and chemotherapy for since the tumor was discovered in 2017. The day before his death, McCain opted out of treatment. His second wife, Cindy McCain, wrote, “He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved the most, in the place he loved the best.”

In his early life, McCain enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy following his father’s footsteps as a Navy man. He was dispatched to Vietnam as a Navy Lieutenant Commander and was there captured as a war prisoner after the plane he was piloting got shot down.

He was tortured for five and a half years, from 1967 to 1973. McCain became the most famous prisoner of war due to the fact that at the time his father was Commander of all American forces in the Pacific. In captivity, McCain was sentenced to two years of solitary confinement, was beaten frequently, and attempted suicide twice. The torture was so severe that he dropped to 105 pounds.

On March 14 1973, he was released and received a Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.

After nine months of painful rehabilitation, McCain returned to naval duty. It was soon noted that his injuries suffered would not allow him to advance in the Navy. Even after re-

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hab, he could no longer raise his arms above his head, and suffered many years of trauma.

Unable to proceed in the Navy, McCain decided to take a political turn with his career. He was first elected in the House of Representatives in 1982, and was reelected in 1984. He found his place as a Reagan Republican, but would later move right or left in the political spectrum.

In 1986, McCain was elected to the U.S. Senate; he would spend six terms there.

He earned a reputation as a maverick, or an independent-minded person, who would defy his republican party leaders and compromise with Democrats.

In 2000, John McCain ran for the presidential election against George W. Bush.

After the Super Tuesday in March, McCain withdrew, as he was well behind in delegates, and endorsed Bush, who would later win the election.

McCain ran for president again in 2008, this time against Barack O bama. With a growing financial crisis in the U.S., voters worried about his vice-president option, Sarah Palin, and whether or not she qualified for the position. At one of McCain’s rallies, a

woman commented on how she didn’t trust Obama and he On election day, Obama won with 57 percent of the popular vote and 365 votes in the Electoral College, but this was not the end of McCain’s political career.

By 2013, McCain had become a crucial figure in the Senate. He would meet with Obama and would frequently devise deals with him although he was an outspoken critic of the president. He joined what was called the “Gang of Eight,” which was a bipartisan group of senators that would collaborate on immigration reforms. In 2015, he achieved a longtime goal of becoming Chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

Senator John McCain was an honorable man who was not afraid to stand against what he believed was wrong.

After the 2016 election, he was one of the few Republican voices to speak up against Donald Trump’s inappropriate statements. The nation will forever remember the sacrifices McCain made for our country and continue to be inspired by his bravery and ability to fight for what was right.

“Senator John McCain was an honorable man who was not afraid to stand against what he believed was wrong.”

Favorite Campus Views

By ZAINAB RAAD

“The Place Where I Feel Peace” In “Pippi Longstocking,” Astrid Lindgren wrote, “I am the sea and nobody owns me.” As I was sitting on a cute chair and drinking coffee in the morning, the ocean spoke to me. My two friends and I were enjoying the weather and the beautiful view and listening to music; some of the songs were in different languages. My favorite place is the ocean. When I’m feeling annoyed, I go to the ocean. It makes me feel peaceful and beautiful inside.

There were beautiful boats in the ocean.

The way they moved in the water made me feel like I wanted to take my shoes off and run to the water to ride one of them. The trees and cute houses around the ocean were stunning; their color and the way they looked made the ocean even prettier.

The ocean is the most beautiful, peaceful place I know. The ocean was so calm and sparkly it looked like a field of diamonds.

The weather was so nice and the sun was so strong I got tanned. The sand was sparkling because of the light of the sun, and there were cute little dog footprints. While I was walking with my friends on the sand, I found a beautiful seashell and two amazing rocks.

The color of the seashell was a dark blue, like the color of the sky at nighttime, and when I moved it around, it changed color.

I had so much fun. The trees and the flowers smelled very good and fresh, and the air was nice: not too windy, cold, or hot, just perfect. I felt like I was on a vacation. The ocean takes me to a place far from my problems and all pressures.

This is the first of a new column series written by Joni Hewitt’s ESOL class this past summer. Hewitt sent his class out on a mission to explore the SMCC South Portland campus. Their job was to describe their favorite spots on campus and why.

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The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

Waterfront at SMCC So. Portland Campuzs

Photo by Cassie Marceau

Save SMCC a lot of money with this simple step

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Helpful Tips That Can Speed Up Your Windows Computer

By CHANSE JACKSON

In this article I am going to give you some easy instructions on how you can speed up your computer running a Windows operating system. For the purposes of staying up to date, my tutorial will be done on Windows 10. If you’re running an older version of Windows, it is all still doable, but the process of how you do this will be different.

First up on this topic —

Startup Programs

Do you ever find that your system takes forever to boot into Windows and load your desktop? Well, it’s likely that you have countless programs all trying to start up at once when you load to your desktop, with most of them not even needing to be started during your boot process. This is because when you install it, most software is auto-programmed to always be running when your computer is on. However, most pieces of software only need to be running when you’re actually using them, not just sitting idle in the background. Now that you have a little background information, let’s get started.

1) Type “system configuration” in the search field (located in the bottom left-hand corner of your desktop).

Left-click on the startup tab, then click on “Open Task Manager” via the hypertext.

From this window, you can now see what programs are trying to start when loading up your desktop. I cannot tell you which programs you want to start and which you don’t; the programs will vary for everyone, so use some good judgment and choose the appropriate programs you feel need to be running when you turn on your computer.

I’d suggest leaving programs such as sound drivers, Adobe, Java, and Windows Defender set to start, but you’re free to choose what you wish. This process can cut the desktop load time in half, or even more, depending on the computer.

2) Once you’ve decided which programs you don’t want to immediately turn on when loading your desktop, simply select the program by left-clicking on it. Once it’s highlighted, click the disable button on the bottom right of the window. If you wish to enable a program, it’s the same process, only the button will say “enable.” Now rinse

Mercury Retrograde and How It Affects You

By CELINA SIMMONS

If you came across some difficulties in regards to communication or failures with technology in the last month or so, there is a reason behind it all. It’s known as a Mercury retrograde.

Three or four times a year when Mercury passes Earth in its orbit, it goes into retrograde. When this happens, the planet slows down, creating the illusion of it moving backwards. After about three and a half weeks of this, the planet will proceed to its orbit and “reverse” forward again.

Susan Miller’s post, on her website “Astrology Zone,” uses an analogy of two cars passing each other to better explain this. She describes how if you were in one car and another speeds past, you can see it is moving faster than you. But if it slows down and you pass it, the illusion occurs that the other car is moving backwards. That is similar to how Mercury passes Earth in orbit, causing the retrograde. But then, the car picks up speed and passes again, kicking up dirt right at your car. That disruption from Mercury creates affects that we feel on Earth in our day-to-day lives.

Mercury retrogrades have what is called a “shadow effect,” which allows the effects of the retrograde to be felt before and after the period. We can refer back to the car analogy.

The shadow effect is the turbulence kicked back at us when Mercury speeds pass Earth the first and second time.

The Mercury retrograde is one of the few phenomena of its kind to have obvious

effects on everyone in a similar way. Astrologically, the planet rules over areas such as technology, travel, communication, and formal agreements. During the retrograde, Mercury is in a “sleeping state” in which it’s slowed down, thus resulting in the above activities being scrambled without a viable planet to supervise.

Keeping track of when these retrogrades take place can help to avoid frustration and better plan communications or agreements to help you increase productivity. During the retrograde, it may be best to stay away from making any important moves or signing any contracts because most likely, nothing will be settled successfully.

It is important to remember that the environment around a retrograde is very changeable.

Stay clear of launching any new endeavors or anything involving communication.

This may seem very chaotic, but according to “Forever Conscious,” a spiritual blog, it may not be a bad thing after all: “Whenever Messenger Mercury goes retrograde, he travels into the underworld, into the depths of our psyche, in order to gather old secrets, clues, and information that we need to go back and look through one more time.” During the retrograde, this unclarity actually allows us time to reflect on past mistakes and how we can benefit and learn from them.

The most recent retrograde occurred July 26 to August 18, and the next is dated November 16 through December 6. Now that you know when and what to steer clear of, I wish you all a smooth retrograde.

Illustration by Alex Downing

and repeat this step for all the programs you don’t want to start automatically.

Defragging your hard-drive

This may or may not be a more common piece of knowledge among your average computer user. Defragging your hard drive can also significantly increase the overall speed of your computer, and it’s extremely easy to do. Before I get to the instructions on how to do this, I’ll give you a little background information on how it works.

Think of your computer’s hard drive as a filing cabinet. Now imagine that when using your filing cabinet at home, every time you accessed a file you put it back in a different location. The next time you’d go to find that same file, it would take you longer to locate, because it’s not in the original order you had it in. Well, that’s similar to what happens on your computer’s hard drive. Every time you install a program onto your hard drive then delete the program, install new programs, or open and close programs, the order of your filing cabinet gets slightly askew. How long you’ve had your computer, how frequently you use it and what you do while using it dictate how out of order your

filing cabinet will be.

So, what takes place when you defrag your hard drive? Well, it’s as if you went back into your filing cabinet and sorted all your files back into the original order. Now when you go to use your computer, it has a much easier time finding what it needs, and in turn speeds the process up. Defragging is simple: 1) In your search field, located in the bottom left corner of your desktop, type “Defragment.” “Defragment & Optimize Drives” will appear. Click on that and it’ll open up the “Optimize Drives” window.

2) From this window, select which volume on your hard drive you wish to defrag by left-clicking. Once selected, left-click on the “Optimize” button, and voila, you’re done! Please have patience; this process can take a long time if you are using the traditional HDD. Chanse Jackson is a member of the Information Technology Senior Capstone Project course and is planning on a career in Cyber Security.

THE

CAPTAIN’S

C U P B O A R D

FOOD PANTRY for students Open to a ny c u r r e n t SMCC students with a student ID

PANTRY HOURS Monday: 8:00am - 11:00am Tuesday: 8:00am - 2:00pm Wednesday: 8:00am - 11:00am Thursday: 8:00am - 2:00pm Friday: closed

Av a i l a b l e for students and family at all levels of food insecurity

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5

Opinion

Stop Calling Asylum Seekers From the Desk ‘Illegal Immigrants’ of the Managing Editor

By ZACHARY J. GUIOD

By REBECCA D.

Salutations, This is your friendly human “Bean,” Rebecca Dow. It’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance as managing editor for The Beacon this fall. To give a little backstory on my position, I began my time at SMCC as a liberal studies major in 2016 with a focus on science.

After completing a semester, I realized that I was more artistically inclined and would do better to pursue a career which doubled as an outlet for that; so I switched my major to Communications & New Media. It was during this degree shift that I began my involvement with The Beacon.

At first, I was intimidated by everyone there who knew what they were doing; I sure didn’t! I just wanted my poetry seen, so I began submitting my works straight to the section editor for Arts & Features. This allowed me to become acquainted with other writers, graphic designers, and photographers. Over time, I’ve become more comfortable with my own writing skills and abilities.

During my next semester, the opportunity to take over as section editor for Arts & Features was offered to me. The job was unpaid, but I acquired experience working with industry-grade Adobe programs.

Some students find that designing for The Beacon gives them a chance to build their resume and refine their skills further through experience.

This fall I am working as paid managing editor. My goal is to ensure that we have enough content and that deadlines are met. This is our 113th issue without missing a deadline; that’s eight years of collective dedication to producing newspapers filled with student-made content and news.

Personally, I find The Beacon to be a melting pot of ideas and skills to learn from. Anyone wanting to practice writing, journalism, design, comics, photography, illustration, and editing will surely find a niche that suits them within The Beacon’s support net!

Every other Tuesday at 5 p.m. we hold writer’s meetings in the Captain’s House on campus, where we discuss content ideas for the next issue. All are welcome and encouraged to put their best foot forward and help make a difference here at SMCC through The Beacon.

The student newspaper is nothing without your contributions. My hope for The Beacon is that it will continue to grant students the ability to express themselves and exercise their voice for years to come.

Thank you for picking up our first issue.

Whether you’re a freshman college student, a local in a coffee shop, a high school sophomore interested in journalism or a traveling glass blower, my message to you is to know what you want, plan out the steps to achieve it, and move forward with passion. Without it, there is no true pursuit when it comes to finding what makes us happy. Wouldn’t you agree?

This is going to be an amazing semester. I look forward to reading new student work as Jack Frost slowly but surely creeps his way to South Portland this year.

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Immigration is something that is talked about very often in America. Many people feel that it is one of the core problems facing our country and believe that illegal immigrants are rushing the border and bringing with them all sorts of problems. You’ll hear this from cable news pundits, senators and congressmen, and of course from our President’s Twitter account. However, this is not true, because many of the people coming to America are seeking asylum. Just because a human being has crossed the imaginary line separating the United States from Mexico, does not make them an “illegal immigrant.”

It is understandable why many Americans think that it does. Our education system and our media does a terrible job of educating us.

The politicians currently in power don’t help either. To paraphrase federal officials like Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions: “We are a nation of laws! We can’t have immigrants breaking the rules and crossing the border wherever they feel like.”

However, it is not illegal for immigrants who are seeking asylum to cross the imaginary line so many feel is important. It is completely legal under both U.S. law and international law for anyone to seek asylum if they have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country, and most of those crossing the border do.

Let’s put immigration law to the side for a moment and put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Imagine being a citizen of Honduras.

You are most likely living in poverty with minimal knowledge about immigration laws and simply don’t know how to apply for citizenship the “right way.” Violence constantly surrounds you and you fear for your life on a daily basis. There is an average of 20 homicides per day. Maybe you have children and want

nothing more for them to grow up away from the cycle of poverty and violence you have dealt with your whole life. Wouldn’t you leave your country and cross an imaginary line if it meant that you and your family could live without constant fear of death?

We also are a nation of immigrants, people who fled their home countries because of the persecution they were facing back home. Why is it that it was so great for our ancestors to seek a better life but current immigrants are called “illegals” for doing the same exact thing?

Part of the reason is the culture of white supremacy that still lingers in our country to this day. Let’s face it, if immigrants were coming from Scandinavian countries, there wouldn’t be nearly as much opposition.

Regardless of whether you are in favor of immigrants coming to America or you want to build a wall, stop labeling people who are fleeing violence you can’t imagine “illegals.”

Many of these immigrants are seeking asylum, and crossing the border doesn’t make them illegal.

Political Reasoning for College Students

By LORAINE ACETO

Award shows such as the Emmys and Oscars are so political nowadays. Isn’t politics redundant and not relevant to the purpose of award shows being entertainment, cinematography and movies? One could argue that the politics that these award shows are talking about is political activism; however, political activism should include both sides of politics. A very large number of viewers that may have enjoyed the entrainment, movies and cinematography could agree that political activism is great no matter what political status — however, at a political event, not at a entertainment award show event. These award shows can even lose viewers that may have different views because of the political liberal bias promoted in these award shows.

According to Statista, “26.5 million Americans watched the Academy Awards ceremony in 2018, from 32.9 million a year earlier.” In Statista’s chart, there were 46.33 million viewers in the year 2000.

Could this be due to the fact that award shows are so political now? Research says most likely. 50 percent of award shows are now politically liberal.

Either include both sides when talking politics at award shows or don’t talk about liberal politics during award shows: It is redundant to entertainment and loses viewers who may believe differently in the long run! Workplaces don’t allow talking about politics because that’s part of professionalism. Political activism is a right every person has as an American. However, pushing a liberal leftist political agenda only is not these celebrities’ jobs!

Celebrities pushing their one-sided political agendas during award shows influence young voters; celebrity endorsements can

The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

ultimately change the fan’s view of political parties to join the left. With the primary elections coming up, fundamental and important news needs to be brought up that celebrities at award shows, talk show hosts and even stand up comedians don’t talk about.

How amazing is the fact that no matter what ethnic background we are from as Americans, we are all already equal under the law. Division between races of who is more privileged, who is less privileged

blacks were shot by police officers in 2017.

Two-hundred eleven white people have been shot recently in 2018, while 102 black people have been shot by police officers for not complying; while Hispanics and others are much lower.

An example of raising awareness of the hate racially biased communities are spreading towards the law (which is corruption) is an event that happened very recently in South Portland. An anonymous source reported that on August 28 between 9 and 10 p.m., at the corner of Running Hill Road and Maine Mall Road, multiple police cruisers were present at a gas station parking lot.

A black male was standing on the street corner yelling at the police, ‘They saw what was in my hand and that was all they needed to come after me! It’s time we make a stand against this!’ implying that the police were racist and harassed him because he was black. The anonymous source was not present for the situation and did not fully observe it.

We as college students, especially with the election coming up, need to politically reason and see news from the conservative view. Celebrities that only talk about one political view are influencing young students, and the diminishing number of viewers that watch awards shows now is most likely due to their political biased agenda.

What these celebrities, stand-up comedians and news channels aren’t telling you is that they are tearing down statues by saying that they are “racist” and promoting corruption by not obeying the law, hating America and choosing feeling over fact instead of already believing we are all equal, which we are.

“An officer cannot arrest someone just because she or he feels like it or has a vague hunch that someone might be a criminal.” based on the color of an individual’s skin color is racism.

Black Lives Matter’s goal and message is that police officers are oppressing people based of their skin color. Black Lives Matter is racism.

According to Findlaw.com, “An officer cannot arrest someone just because she or he feels like it or has a vague hunch that someone might be a criminal. Police officers have to be able to justify their arrest usually by showing some tangible evidence that led them to probable cause. … Generally, police officers are only allowed to use the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves and bring the suspect into police custody. This is why people are advised to never resist an arrest or argue with police.” According to Statistica, 457 white people were shot by police officers based on not complying, while 223

Opinion Spring Point Hall Is Back!

Zachary J. GUIOD

It must have been a difficult start to the year for many students who were living in a hotel or in Surfsite when they expected to be chilling in Springpoint. But your trying times are soon to be over because Spring Point is open for business on the 15th!

Move-in time is 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and it is important, if you are a student who has been in a hotel, to vacate your hotel room by 12

p.m. on Saturday so the hotel staff can clean your rooms for future guests. And if you’re busy on Saturday and can’t move that day, just email mreslife@smccme.edu and make arrangements to move your stuff out of the hotel and into a specially designated college storage area by Friday.

To make up for the rocky start to the year, there are going to be some special events to make up for the Welcome Week events that were postponed. On Sunday the 16th there’s

going to be a screening of “Black Panther” at Jewett Auditorium that starts at 8. Tuesday the 18th is Trivia Night, which begins at 7:30 at the Oceanview Dining Hall. And if you thought the fun stops there, you’re wrong! Wednesday the 19th is Craft Night, where you can design your own doorstop, whiteboards and tie-dye shirts. So make sure to be outside of Oceanview Dining Hall at 6 p.m. so you don’t miss it.

Prisoners Across The Country Strike For Humane Treatment

By ZACHARY J. GUIOD, POLITICAL SCIENCE

Although you may not know it, Sunday marked the end of one of the largest prison strikes in American history. Instead of going to cook in the kitchen, wash clothes, or clean floors, prisoners in 17 states refused to work, and some refused to eat or drink, in order to bring attention to the issues that the 2.3 million prisoners in America face every day. The strike was mainly organized by members of Jailhouse Lawyers Speak, an inmate-based group that provides help and legal training to inmates. Their list of demands includes humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform and the end of modern-day slavery. These demands are not radical, and if put to a democratic vote most Americans would probably agree their demands should be met.

One of the demands is access to rehabilitation, and this is desperately needed.

A recent study from the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that 68 percent of former prisoners are arrested again within three years of their release. Prisons are supposed to change the behavior of people who have committed a crime so that when they are released, they won’t return to criminal activity — but our criminal justice system currently does the exact opposite.

Another demand is sentencing reform.

America has about 5 percent of the world’s overall population but holds around 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. Part of the reason for this is long sentences that are disproportionate to the crime that has been committed. A prime example of this is recently released prisoner Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving a life sentence in prison for first-time, nonviolent drug offenses.

There are many arguments against life sentences as a whole — some justice groups call it “death by incarceration” — but a life sentence for a nonviolent offense is indefensible.

Arguably the most important demand and one that has received national attention recently from mainstream media and documentaries such as “13th” is the demand to end modern-day slavery. There are currently states in America where prisoners are paid 4 cents an hour for their labor. These people are exploited daily by being paid these abysmal wages for their work, and they make products you may have used, such as Victoria’s Secret lingerie, uniforms for McDonald’s workers, and furniture for federal office buildings.

A fantastic example of the horrific treatment of prisoners in America are the prisoners in California, who are currently fighting fires to protect their state. They are risking their lives every day - and getting paid a wage of 1$ an hour. The disrespect doesn’t end there. Even after they are released from prison, many can’t become firefighters and

All of us at The Beacon are happy to hear this good news, and I’m sure many of you are too. The friendly atmosphere at Spring Point has been missed by all the students, those who live there and those who want somewhere to chill between classes and play pool or ping-pong. The old saying is true, you really don’t appreciate something until it’s gone. I’m sure many of us are going to appreciate the great vibes at Spring Point a lot more when it opens on the 15th.

get paid the wages they deserve, because even though they are now free, they are also felons, and most employers don’t want someone with a criminal record.

The fight for these demands won’t be won easily. This strike is a great start to get attention for the changes that need to be made, but the changes won’t happen inside of a cell. Incarcerated people need help from those of us who are on the outside and have the power to vote, as many formerly incarcerated people have lost that right. Criminal justice reform needs to be on the list of priorities when deciding whether or not to vote for a particular candidate, because the unjust treatment that prisoners face must come to an end. To quote Dr. King, “An injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Volunteerism

By SHERI BELL

This past spring, I had the pleasure of attending the Scarborough Public Safety Annual Recognition Ceremony. It just so happens they were honoring my father-in-law for 60 years of public service in the Scarborough Fire Department, along with many others in the Scarborough Fire Department and Scarborough Police Department. Yes, you read it right, 60 years. Now most people who hear that do the math and figure out he must have started when he as teenager, and you would be right! He caught the fire bug very early and has never lost it. He still goes to calls, runs trainings, attends meetings and is a role model not just for his family and the fire department, but the whole town!

Well, I was sitting there waiting for the ceremony to begin, and I got thinking about what other ways can one volunteer. I am sure I am not alone in dropping off a non perishable food item at a local food drive or even our very own Captains Cupboard.

Maybe it was Toys for Tots or coats for kids’ box. Could it be you rolled up your sleeve at a blood drive?

Now, there are many other ways you can donate, not just your money but your time.

Project Grace, based in Scarborough, is always looking for volunteers to help wrap Christmas presents around the holidays, fill boxes of presents for the family and fill boxes and bags of holiday meal items. There are a few soup kitchens in the Portland area that are always looking for volunteers: the Wayside Evening Soup Kitchen at 252 Oxford Street, Portland (telephone number 328-1613), and the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen at 307 Congress Street, Portland (telephone number 772-1113). Both of

Illustration By Eden Dyer

these places are always looking for people to help serve meals, but you need to call ahead and get on the schedule.

This past spring with a manhunt going on in Northern Maine, many people dropped off water, coffee and food for the many law enforcement personnel. The plastic filling our oceans is at an all-time high and many people are helping clean up their local beach area in between tides.

There are so many possible ways to volunteer, whether it be your money, your time, or both. Big Brothers Big Sisters is right down the road from our campus, and they are always on the lookout for people to step up and help with their many young members in need of a positive role model (their phone number is 773-5437).

As for me, I am always looking for new ways to give back, pay it forward, and do

my part. In the past I have taught religious education, helped run many church groups and activities, given blood, dropped off books to my local library, given food to many food drives, helped out at a few soup kitchens, and visited the elderly and the sick. These good deeds have always left me with a warm feeling in my heart. I am sure that you are able to come up with many more ideas then I did. Please get out and volunteer, if for no other reason than that it will make you feel good!

This year I will choose one organization or one way to shine the spotlight on in each issue. I will report on how you, the student here, can help this one organization. I will share all my information with you, so you can decid e if this is some way you can give back.

The Beacon needs YOU to share your world!

G r a p h i c

Designers

Photographers

W r i t e r s Illustrators Interested? Email Chuck Ott at cott@smccme.edu The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

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A rts & Features Suppose you are the d r i v e r o f a t r o l l e y. T h e trolley rounds a bend, and there come into view ahead five track workmen, who have been repairing the track. You must stop the trolley if you are to avoid running the five men down.

You step on the brakes, but alas they don’t work.

Now you suddenly see a spur of track leading off to the right. You can turn the trolley onto it, and thus save the five men on the straight track ahead.

Unfortunately, if you do this, you’ll miss

PHILOSOPHY CLUB

Beyond Simply Food: A Quick Look at the Portland Food Scene

By JARED ERVING

For those who have not heard, Portland was named the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year by Bon Appetit Magazine. Over the years Portland’s restaurant scene has continuously grown. A city once remembered primarily for its seafood, Portland is now one of the best cities for food service; from a lobster roll to a croissant at a local bakery. Portland has many great places to eat, from your usual stop, to that little café you’ve yet to hear about.

With a changing and ever-growing food industry, Portland is the place to be for culinary students and foodies alike. With somewhat older establishments, such as Hugo’s embracing change, to newer places such as Cong Tu Bot, there are always places to go, things to see and food to taste.

Another wonderful thing about the food scene in Portland is the fact you can go numerous establishments where current and past

SMCC culinary students work, to other eateries that graduates own.

From David’s Restaurant to Scratch Baking you can always find a place to try that has a connection to our school. What could be better than just going out and not knowing who made your food? How about

“You learn a lot about someone when you share a meal together.”

– Anthony Bourdain

‘BlackkKlansman’ Controversial Truth

By JACOB DARLING

“BlackkKlansman” is a movie that does many things. It makes you mad, it makes you sad, it makes you feel tense. It even makes you laugh. But most importantly, it makes you think. Spike Lee is famous for his candid portrayal of taboo topics like racism, politics and urban violence in a brutally honest fashion.

His latest work is no different.

The movie stars John David Washington, Adam Driver and Topher Grace along with a stellar supporting cast. It tells a real story about an African-American policeman, Ron Stallworth ( John David Washington) who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in 1979 by responding to an advertisement in the local paper. He would go on to pretend to be a white supremacist interested in joining the KKK while his partner, Flip Zimmer (Adam Driver) would pose as Stallworth during face to face meetings.

This movie and its director are not shy about the parallels that they paint between the racial tensions of the ‘70s and ‘80s and the current climate of today. There are numerous scenes throughout the film and one clip of unedited footage played during the credits of the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that serve to clearly demonstrate to the audience that racism in America is more enduring than we might like to acknowledge.

Despite the cynicism and poignant critique of our modern race relations, however, there is a definite current of optimism that runs throughout the movie. That being said, if you are looking for a movie to take you away from the anxiety of the 24-hour news cycles and Twitter ravings, this may not be the movie for you. But if you are looking for something, honest, moving and thought provoking, then I highly recommend that you go see “BlackkKlansman” this weekend.

He would go on to pretend to be a white supremacist...

Student essay contest Make the right choice

JOIN US Wednesday 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm in the seminar room on the third floor of Howe Hall South Portland Campus (Adapted from Judith Jarvis Thomson, “The Trolley Problem.”)

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Submit your essay for a chance to win a prize of

$1000

http://www.nisod.org/SEC

The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

being able to see what your fellow students can and have accomplished while taking friends out and enjoying the social aspects of eating?

The social aspect of eating has been traded in for haste and the daily routine.

Many of the restaurants and bakeries in our area have brought both a sense of community and the return of making anything from a snack to a meal a social event.

Something that has needed to be brought back to both the industry and our lives.

So why not find some time to try a new restaurant or food stop with friends?

Let’s all try to bring the social aspects of eating back in our lives. And to bring a little spice to our day.

Speak Over the Old Port

By LIAM WOODWORTH-COOK

Every Tuesday night writers and poets gather at Bull Feeney’s for roughly two hours of words and laughs. This is an all-inclusive event for anyone of any age or literary capability. The spoken-word collective Port Veritas hosts the show and invites featured poets for the modest suggested donation of $3-5. Starting at 8 p.m. in the upstairs showroom, anyone can sign up and read their works or listen in for an hour. If there happens to be a feature, they sweep the stage at 9 p.m. for roughly hour or so of gorgeous thought. While most of the featured poets are New Englanders and slam champions, I was lucky enough to catch Washington poet Robert Lashley read this past winter, flying into town for a single night of lyrical heaven.

The audience is an encouraging cast of regulars. Past performances have included a one-person play, slam poems to shake the floor and delicate gems of words gracing the heart. Humor always slips itsvvvvvv way into the seriousness. Being an all-ages event allows a unique experience in the Old Port.

While there is a full bar for those who wish to imbibe, Bull Feeney’s also provides soft drinks, coffee and tea. The poetry frequently address social issues, whether that’s race, sex, gender, class or governmental politics.

Since arriving in Portland last December, this spoken-word open mic has been an instant connection to new friends and a push for my own courage to get work out and off the page. It is a chance to close your eyes and enter the intimate wordplay over the sleepy Tuesday night. Poetry is making a comeback to larger audiences and I encourage you to explore the growing glow of homespun literature. Come for a listen and stay to share.

A rts & Features

Poetic License Fire up your thoughts: Poetic License is looking for submissions. If you’ve got a poem or short piece of prose, please email me, Liam, at liammwoodworthcook@ smccme.edu. I’d love to have a ruckus year of poetry and get some on-campus readings and poet gatherings happening. Featured here is a piece I wrote in regards to the political shape of the United States, and the world at large.

Stranger’s Smile

Stolen Mojo Who Are They and What Do They Play?

By MATT FLAHERTY

I have never been a huge concertgoer. I was never part of the group of friends that would travel to different raves and music festivals or buy expensive tickets to see the newest big music star in person. I do love music, but my taste in live music isn’t about the big venues, overpriced drinks and T-shirts.

You can find my kind of music every night at dive bars all across the country.

Here in Maine, my kind of music plays on The Pier or at The Brunswick in Old Orchard Beach.

It echoes at Bentley’s Saloon in Arundel. It roars from the deck of the Porthole and from the top deck of the Casablanca in Casco Bay. My kind of music comes from Portland Maine’s own “Stolen Mojo.”

Mojo has been on the scene for several years touring Southern Maine’s most popular drinking establishments but it was only unl this summer that I saw their performance firsthand. The band is made up of a

5-man ensemble and includes a drummer, keyboardist, guitarist, bass player and vocalist. They also have great stage and lighting effects run by another member of their group.

The thrilling band plays everything from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” and “Separate Ways” to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean.”

Attending a Mojo show is guaranteed to make you dance. As one watches the performance from their barstool or high top, it is nearly impossible to not join in on the dance floor. The vocalist often comes off stage and creates a truly engaging experience with the dancing audience. As the night goes on and the performance keeps going (they play for nearly three hours!) the dance floor fills up until it is packed.

If you like dancing, music and cheap drinks, the Stolen Mojo will not disappoint — just don’t judge my dancing, please!

For more information about the band including upcoming shows, check out their Facebook page titled: Stolen Mojo Maine.

by Rebecca Dow

If a smile could wrap Such as my sheets, Round a mind like The body swathed, Come.

Question not the draw As moon-phase, full; Of stranger’s luring gaze.

Does he play, the cat with twine Those many maiden’s heartstrings?

Ah, but mice roam freely unto softest dens, Even unto clenching grip.

One must hope that From such smiles no scarlet drips.

No lying tricks, nor hollow lips that decieve But, that their winds should mingle; To share ancient tunes, Strummed o’er fingertips of life, Heart, And Soul...

R eady

to

talk

BUSINESS? Interested In busIness

news or majorIng In the busIness admIn degree program?

thuRsdays 12:30-1:15 Business CluB lounge 1st flooR hague soPo CamPus

Join us !

For more info check out our page @smccbusinessclub

War Culture Karma

by Liam Woodworth-Cook

A pity, fragile innocent death our toll in acceleration heat of the 21st blink, we are demanded by what we’ve held hostage.

Burn or bust our fragments pressed, The doomsday chamber,

Contact Chuck Ott for more details cott@smccme.edu

The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

9

Midcoast

Students from Orion Hall are all smiles at their Midcoast campus’ Welcome Back Cookout

News From the Midcoast Campus The Scene Is Alive and Vibrant Hello SMCC, satellite, South Portland and… Brunswick campus. Here we are three weeks into the fall 2018 semester and life is moving upward and outward. And as with such trajectories, new features become a part of the orbit.

also working towards a master’s in human relations. Prior to Plymouth State, while at the University of Maine at Farmington, Tori earned a bachelor’s in psychology, spending five years in paraprofessional roles.

Tori’s job description also includes being the advisor for the Rainbow Landing (the Midcoast equivalent of the Rainbow League).

If you are interested in joining the Rainbow Landing, the group meets Monday evenings at 7 p.m. in the Orion Hall classroom.

The enthusiasm Tori has for the Midcoast and its possibilities is summed up when they shared, “I am very excited to be working in such an interesting college environment!

There is a lot of opportunity at the Midcoast campus to build programs, clubs, and events — and I look forward to creating a sustainable and active community here.”

As for the nuts and bolts of what the Midcoast is, there are approximately 600 students taking classes in Brunswick, and Orion Hall is housing 97 students as of this publication. So if you’re looking for something to do...

Here’s the Scoop: Planting Party

Tori Penney, Resident Director of Orion Hall and Midcoast Campus Coordinator New faces appear, and new energy starts to percolate. Last spring, Tori Penney survived an interview process that included many qualified candidates and was offered the position of Resident Director of Orion Hall and Midcoast Campus Coordinator. In July, Tori joined SMCC Student Life, bringing seven years of highly impassioned Student Affairs experience to the SMCC team.

For the past two years, Tori was a community director at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire, where they are

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If you are reading this before 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning, then you’ll be able to attend the Planting Party in the L.L. Bean Learning Commons.

If you’re reading this after the fact, then The Beacon hopes you had a great time. (If anyone took photos of the Planting Party, please share them with The Beacon at mbeacon@smccme.edu. We’d love to get them on the Midcoast page.)

While the Nursing Club has yet to set a meeting time, you can still contact Kim Jordan at kimberlyjordan@smccme.edu for information.

Looking for some gaming fun on the weekend? Then why not check out the Gaming Club, which meets on Saturdays at 2 p.m. in L.L. Bean Learning Commons, room 107?

For more information contact James HubMidcoast campus students Jacqueline Mault and Sierra Thomas bard at jrhubbard@ team up for Trivia Night. smccme.edu.

All the fun For those of you who love the written and Rumor has it that there also is a Paint spoken word, who love to take language Night and “S’mores by the Fire” event being and syntax to realms romantic, illustrative, planned. Keeping informed is but a flyer, or and absurd, and inspire to wax poetically… bulletin board, or just a simple question away. well, you see where we are headed, here’s the Poetry Group. The Poetry Group meets the last Tuesday of the month at 12:30 p.m.

Want to join a club?

The Rainbow Landing (the Midcoast in, you guessed it… the L.L. Bean Learning equivalent of the Rainbow League) take ad- Commons.

Returning to, and ending on, the rumor vocacy action for social equality. If you are interested in joining the Rainbow Landing, mill, there’s energy taking form in the Costhe group meets Monday evenings at 7 p.m. play Club being organized and established.

While The Beacon cannot share contact inin the Orion Hall classroom. formation at this moment, keep an eye out for posters and other such notifications regarding meetings Till the next publication, The Beacon wishes the Midcoast the best. See you on the 25th!

BREEZ

METRO

By THE BEACON STAFF

Express bus service between Portland, Yarmouth, Freeport and now - Brunswick

Career Help

Looking down the road, on October 4 there will be a Resume Workshop in the L.L. Bean Learning Commons from 12:30 to 1:30. A week and five days later, on October 16, the L.L. Bean Leaning Commons will host a Job Fair. Seems logical there’s a resume workshop followed by a job fair. This might be your opportunity to actualize the job or career that you have been working towards.

The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

Midcoast campus dean Jim Whitten helps Brycelin Wilson and Gabriella Taylor move into Orion Hall

- Limited stops for maximum convenience - Operates daily Monday through Saturday - Free Wi-Fi and USB for charging devices For more information visit: gpmetrobus.com

Sports

Understanding Golf

Colby Gunter (#30) safely slides into third base as NHTI watches on.

Photo by Cassie Marceau

By JARED ERVING

On the Diamonds (Continued from page 12)

29th and end their road trip on the 30th against the University of New Hampshire’s club team.

On the men’s side of the diamonds, SMCC would start their season in a grand fashion: blanking NHTI in both games of a double header, 7-0 and 9-0.

Dylan Francoeur would take to the mound in the opener, pitching five innings, giving up two hits, walking two and striking out six.

Cole Lawrence would take over the pitching duties for the last two innings, giving up two hits, walking one and striking out two.

SMCC’s coach, Jordan Yanni, would start Stefan Lesco for the second game of the doubleheader. Lesco would pitch six innings, allow three hits, walk one and strike out five. Cody Bryant would take over the mound for the final inning, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out one.

Needless to say, the SMCC bats were quite alive in both games, with Dylan Francoeur driving in three runs batted in while going 2-4 from the plate and scoring a run.

In the second game. Francoeur would also collect the only triple of the game.

In the opener, Cody Bryant would be blessed with the hot bat as he would go 2-3 from the plate, scoring a run and collecting two runs batted in. The ‘Wolves would also take advantage of the Lynx on the base paths, as five SMCC base runners would successfully swipe five bases and get caught only once.

The Men SeaWolves will venture to Auburn on the 21st to take to the diamond against Central Maine Community College at the Garfield Road Complex under the lights, then return home for a three-game home stand against Great Bay Community College on 22nd with the first pitch scheduled for noon and 2 p.m. The ‘Wolves end their three-game home stand against the Central Maine Mustangs on the 26th with a 3:30 start scheduled.

Ryleigh Lord (#16) kicks the ball towards the net in hopes Photo by Cassie Marceau

ending a disaster of an inning for the SMCC squad.

The Lady ‘Wolves would finally get on the scoreboard in the fourth inning when Meranda Martin was pushed across the plate on an Emily Lashua single. Lashua, who was the third batter of the inning for the ‘Wolves, came to plate with Morgan Boyle on first and Martin on second. Boyle would be thrown out at third, testing the arm of the Lynx’s left fielder. The out would cost the ‘Wolves momentum in their rally, as the next SeaWolf batter, Sara Ring, would single, advancing Lashua to third. Regardless, the next two SMCC batters who strike out, looking and grounding out to the NHTI’s shortstop.

NHTI would add insult to injury by scoring four more times in the top of the seventh.

The SeaWolves would respond with one run in the bottom of the inning, plating their final run for the second game of opening day.

The Lady SeaWolves will not return to South Portland until October 6, when they will take to the diamond against Great Bay Community College. For the next three weekends they will be traveling to Portsmouth to play Great Bay Community College on the 22nd, then travel to Concord, New Hampshire, to take on the Lynx on the

of scoring a goal.

Action on the Pitch

Mark Twain famously quipped, “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” Truth be told, for a decent portion of the population golf is a boring sport and for another decent portion golf is an important part of life. Some may say it’s a philosophy of life in action. While on the surface it looks like someone is merely hitting a ball, there is so much more to the centuries-old game. Golf is about a state of mind, not just the ability or technique of striking the ball with the purpose of putting it in a 4 1/4 inch hole.

When on the golf course one can easily forget one is in a city. Everything outside the course is out of mind, and your focus is on your game and the objective — making par or better. Just like in all aspects of life, if you allow an outside problem to affect your mental state negatively, your game and technique (ability to strike the ball with purpose) will be just as bad.

A player must think positively, play calmly and strike smoothly; it is required that you leave deprecation, deny agitation and remove hesitation. Considering the level of complexity and challenge that is a part of golf, leaving your problems and frustrations from the outside world off the course is key to having a pleasant or successful round.

For many players it is this aspect of the game that can create peace of mind. You can be in the middle of the city, straight out of work or class, and still feel thousands of miles away from all your problems once you walk on the course. One of the hardest parts of the mentality that every golfer needs to come to terms with is that there is no human adversary but yourself. You may be trying to score better than your opponent. But you are truly playing against yourself and the course.

Arnold Palmer once said, “Golf is deceptively simple, endlessly complicated. A child can play it well, and a grown man can never master it. Any single round of it is full of unexpected triumphs and perfect shots that end in disaster. It is almost a science, yet it is a puzzle without an answer. It is gratifying and tantalizing, precise and unpredictable. It requires complete concentration and total relaxation. It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time, rewarding and maddening. And it is without doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.”

This semester I joined the golf team at SMCC, and while I love the sport and want to inform the SMCC community about our struggles our successes on the course in YSCC, I look forward to sharing the unseen aspects of golf.

Golf is about a state of mind, not just the ability or technique of striking the ball.

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(Continued from page 11)

27th minute of play when midfielder Yaroslav Philbrook ruffled the back of the net for what ultimately would be the unassisted game winner. Philbrook’s winner would be one of numerous shoots the Wolves would get off against the Green Mountain Eagles.

The Seawolves outshot the Eagles 23 to 14 with seven of the SMCC shots being

placed on net. Green Mountain could only place four on net.

The SeaWolves men squad returns to play at Wainwright Field on the 12th, 15th and 20th when they play Central Maine Community College, Paul Smith’s College and New Hampshire Technical Institute. All matches have a kick off time of 4pm.

uma.edu/brunswick

uma.edu/saco

207.442.7736

207.282.4111

The Beacon ◊ September 11, 2018

11

SMCC SPORTS

The Action on the Pitch

SMCC Squads Start Season While on the world stage soccer may have scaled back to club play and friendlies, here in Southern Maine and greater New England soccer in the Yankee Small College Conference has taken to the pitch (that’s European lingo for the field), as the

SMCC SeaWolves have started non-conference play.

Ten days ago, the SeaWolves squads opened YSCC play when SMCC hosted the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science. For those of you who are new to SMCC and are fans of soccer, the SeaWolves home games are played at Wainwright Recreation Complex off of Highland Ave towards the

On the Diamonds

SeaWolves Softball and Baseball Start YSCC Seasons As Major League Baseball winds down and heads full-steam into their pennant and wildcard races, here in southern Maine the

run while striking out four and walking three. NHTI would use three pitchers for the shortened game, facing 26 batters who collected 12 hits.

Lady ‘Wolves Morgan Boyle, Sara Ring

Morgan Boyle (#20) slides into home base, safely scoring another point for SMCC. SMCC softball and baseball teams are just getting their fall seasons underway.

The Lady SeaWolves have 10 games scheduled for the fall season, two of which will be non-conference games against the University of New Hampshire club team before the YSCC Fall Round Robin Tournament October 13.

The Lady SeaWolves opened the season against New Hampshire Technical College with a doubleheader on the 8th. The ‘Wolves would take the opener 9-1 in a five-inning game, as they would score twice in the first, twice in the third, three times in the fourth and twice again in the 5th inning.

SeaWolf Meghan Johnston would pitch a full game, allowing six hits, giving up one

Photo by Cassie Marceau

By THE BEACON SPORTS STAFF

and Wylie Bedard each drove across two runs as Kahli Philibotte and Meghan Johnston collect a run batted in each. Emily Chase would be the lone SeaWolf to have an extra base hit when she doubled in the second inning.

The second game of the double header would see SMCC fortunes be reversed as NHTI would plate 11 runs to SMCC’s four.

The ‘Wolves would spot NHTI a one-run lead in the first, holding them scoreless in the second, only to watch the Lynx plate five runs with two outs in the third. The Lynx would collect seven hits and leave three on base when the third out was recorded, (C ontinued on page 11)

South Portland Scarborough town line.

To date the teams have compiled a 3-2 record. The Lady SeaWolves have won their first two games of the season (3-2 against the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science and a 5-0 win against Green Mountain College).

The SeaWolve men dropped their first two games (1-2 against Albany and 0-2 against the Bowdoin College JV squad) before beating Green Mountain College 1-0.

The Beacon reached out to Ethan Wells the SeaWolves first-year coach for his thoughts regarding the start of the season and how he thinks his squad is developing as a team.

As for highlights to the young season Coach Wells said, “The highlight of the Hanssen Casey (#21) headbutts the ball to keep it away first two games has been from ACPHS. watching 10 first year players have immeAgainst Albany, the SMCC men’s squad diate success - some scoring their first col- would find themselves in a two – nil hole at legiate goals and others contributing defen- the break as Albany would find the back of sively with amazing composure. Meanwhile the net at the 19th minute and a few minour returners have excelled in their roles as utes before the halftime horn sounded. leaders. There will be many more highlights SMCC would get on the big board at to come.”

Wainwright Field in the 54th minute of play Wells went on to explain that he, “couldn’t when Senior Jamal Durrani beat the Albahave asked for a better start to our season. ny goal keeper for his third career goal as The work we put in in preseason has been a defender. on display. This team features 14 wonderful SMCC would have a chance to level the young ladies who are making my experience scoring with a penalty kick in the 81st minas a first-year head coach a great one.” ute, the shot would not find the back of the As of Sunday, five different SeaWolves net and SMCC could only fire off one more have scored for Well’s squad. After two shot on goal before 90 minutes of play offigames Callie O’Brien has turned over the cially ended. numbers on the big board three times. JesAfter the loss to Albany SMCC coach sica Haskell has ruffled the netting twice, Brian Dougher reflected on how his squad as Allison Acritelli, Yaya Dunn and Ryleigh played while looking ahead to the possibilLord have scored once. ities stating, “Although it wasn’t the result When asked who the SMCC women’s we were hoping for, there are successes to soccer fans might want to watch for, Coach take away. We were able to create plenty of Wells mentioned that, “Women’s soccer fans goal-scoring opportunities and absorb a reshould look for Ryleigh Lord. She a player lentless attack by a talented Albany squad. who gets us going in the locker room and Looking forward to building on this perforbrings communication to the pitch. Yaya mance.”

Dunn is a high energy player on both sides The SeaWolves men squad would win of the ball and sophomore captain Callie their first match of the young season against O’Brien plays with so much heart and pas- Green Mountain College winning 1-0 in Version for the game she is a must watch player. mont on September 8th. Three days prior The SeaWolve Ladies return to Wain- the Wolves would drop a non-conference wright Field for a three game homestand game to the Bowdoin College JV squad 2-0 on the 11th, 15th and 19th as they’ll take to on the 5th. the pitch against Central Maine Community SMCC would get on the board first against College at 4pm, Paul Smith’s College at 2m the Green Mountain Eagles at the and New Hampshire Technical Institute at 4pm respectfully.

Photo by Cassie Marceau

The BEACON SPORTS STAFF

(Continued on page 11)