The
OCTOBER 21, 2014
F O R
VOLUME 12 ¤ ISSUE 4
T H E
S T U D E N T S ,
B Y
S T U D E N T S
T H E
The Gubernatorial Race Mike Michaud Working Man Transformed
LePage on Higher Education
Directly out of high school, Mike Michaud followed his father and grandfather’s footsteps and began working at the Great Northern Paper Company mill in his native town of East Millinocket, Maine. Almost thirty years later, upon seeing the nearby Penobscot River become DEMOCRAT abjectly polluted with “so much sludge you could practically walk across it,” Michaud was inspired to switch gears and seek a position in the state Legislature. He won the race, cleaned up the river, and since then never backed out of his political work life. He bypassed college altogether, eventually claiming the position of President of the Maine Senate. Since 2003, Michaud has served as the U.S. Representative for Maine’s 2nd congressional district. He remains one of the very few members of congress who never attended college. Now, as the Democratic candidate in this year’s gubernatorial race against Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Independent Eliot Cutler, Michaud seeks to embrace a new role for Maine. Michaud stresses the importance of “affordable post-secondary education that maintains our state’s competitiveness and prepares Maine students for the changing economy without burdening them or their families with crippling student loan debt.” Contrasting from Eliot Cutler’s “Pay it Forward, Pay it Back” plan for college, which would eliminate tuition entirely, Michaud envisions a different approach. He proposes to implement a tuition-free sophomore year for college students. The reason for this is because, according to Michaud, dropout rates during sophomore year, on average, soar due to unaffordability. He believes that if the sophomore year becomes tuition-free, students will be incentivized to stay in college. The estimated cost to implement this plan is around $15 million, and Michaud has been unclear about how to fund this. Adamant about the scope of gravity regarding student debt and the lack of college graduates in Maine, Michaud says he believes that “this new investment [in the sophomore year] in the university system can help increase enrollment and bring more students back to our schools, which helps the overall bottom line across the system.” In the Eggs & Issues gubernatorial debate
For the first time ever Gov. Paul LePage faced off with his two opponents-Democrat Mike Michaud and Independent Eliot Cutler-in a debate held Oct 8th at an Eggs & Issues forum. He addressed some of the challenges USM is facing by discussing his views on higher education. INDEPENDENT REPUBLICAN Higher education is a big topic for the gubernatorial candidates, seeing as how crucial a role education plays in the economy. To put this into perspective, consider On Friday, October 3, Eliot Cutler sat down this: The New York Times published strong for an interview in his campaign headquarters research demonstrating that graduates with in Portland’s Old Port with Beacon staff mema four year degree earned an average of 98% bers Jason Glynn, Erik Squire, and myself. The more an hour than with no degree. hour-long interview broached a multitude of That being said, Maine faces some tough education-related topics, from Cutler’s eduissues with higher education. For example, cational plans for Maine’s future, to student Maine has the second highest cost for public debt, to a systems’ merging between the Universities in the nation, per median family Maine Community College System (MCCS) income. Though we have a large percentage of and the University of Maine System. high school graduates, we still rank among the Beginning with the topic of Cutler’s higher bottom four states with our SAT scores. Pereducation plan, the students each had turns haps this is the reason why 62% of traditional asking questions, about ten altogether. Cutler, incoming freshman at SMCC must take remein response to this first question, revealed his dial coursework. What’s more, Vacation Land’s plan, titled “Pay it Forward, Pay it Back.” This current graduation rate with an associate’s design has already been implemented in Ausdegree, within 3 years, is only at 25%. Finally, tralia with purportedly successful outcomes. only 27% of Mainers have completed a bachIt’s also been proposed but ultimately rejected elor’s degree or higher; two points lower than in Oregon; however, it remains an active posthe national average. sibility for the future there. LePage was once quoted as saying, “Col With this plan, which is still a bit experilege is not for everyone.” Although, during the mental, “Pay it Forward, Pay It Back” will endebate he did mention that the Maine Comable students to enroll in college tuition-free, munity College System (MCCS) needs to do with the state borrowing funds to make this a much better job at bringing people to their possible, Cutler said. Participants in this plan school and bringing back the trades. In his own would be required to pay back 3% of their inwords he said that “They’re (MCCS is) focused come in the first twenty years of their careers. a little too much on Liberal Arts.” Because Cutler believes this will incentivize At the debate LePage also talked about more people to attend college - acknowledging a couple of education programs that he conthat it’s primarily money that hinders people’s sidered as being exemplary. The first one he incentives to pursue higher education - he dismentioned was Maine Maritime Academy. He misses Mike Michaud’s proposal to render the called it “The best education in America, best sophomore year of college free. Cutler argues value in America, and best starting wages in that this proposal is not enough to make any America.” debt-fearer galvanized to enroll. His opponent Eliot Cutler talked about Cutler explained the “Pay it Forward…” merging all of Maine’s public universities plan further, saying that students who stay in together for better efficiency. In regard to that or come to Maine after completing any two- or LePage said that he wasn’t completely sure four-year college will be rewarded with tax that he agrees about merging the University of
An Interview with Eliot Cutler
breaks. Under his plan, Maine “will give you a tax credit against your Maine income tax
Maine System out of worry that their different
(Continued on Page 7)
(Continued on Page 6)
(Continued on Page 6) @
Inside
mbeacon@smccme.edu www.theSMCCbeacon.wordpress.com
Speed Up Your PC
Good Coffee, Close By
Terrorism in Mexico
YouTube SMCCBeaconNewspaper FaceBook thebeacon.smcc
Hall of Fame Inductions
Damnationland
Other World
Arts & Features
Opinion & Editorials
Campus News
Sports
Pages 2-3
Pages 4-5
Pages 6-7
Pages 8-10
Pages 11-12
southern maine community college
¤
smcc
¤
southern maine community college
¤
smcc
¤
southern maine community college
¤
smcc