SMCC Beacon April 24, 2018

I S S U E DAT E 4•24•18

SOUTHERN MAINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BEACON

BY THE STUDENTS, FOR THE STUDENTS

Community Garden Clean-Up

To kick off WasteLESS Week, an initiative of Sodexo Food Services as part of their Stop Hunger program, Sodexo Marketing Coordinator Rachel Fisk helped organize the third annual Community Garden Cleanup this past Saturday. The weather was great, but the community effort was even better. I was able to talk with a few of the volunteers and Rachel about the event and more ways to get involved with the environment, community and a healthy lifestyle.

For many of the volunteers, this was their first time helping with the cleanup, and they gave nothing but positive feedback.

Many of them said that they plan to bring this experience home with them and hope to return next year. Some of them had applied for a plot in the garden to grow their own vegetation and plants this season.

For others, this was not their first time.

David Beseda, psychology and sociology professor, said that this was his sixth year helping clean up the community garden on campus. Every year he tries to motivate his students to take part and volunteer in the

event. He shared that one of the best parts is the collaboration of all the volunteers and sharing tricks of the trade. For example, I learned that seaweed has numerous benefits for gardens, from enriching the soil to repelling slugs and other pests.

I received many different comments from the volunteers, but I noticed a consistent theme in all of their responses was how great it felt to give back to the community. After asking Rachel what she thought was the most important message, she responded with “Just getting involved!”

There are many different ways someone can get involved, and that’s why she is helping organize WasteLESS Week at the Dining Hall.

From April 23 to 26, she will be hosting different events and guests at Oceanview Dining Hall to show students what they can do to take part. On Wednesday, We Compost It will be coming in to talk about food waste and how composting benefits the environment and community.

Before Sodexo began to compost trash in the dining hall, they found out that in just five days SMCC produced nearly two tons of food waste!

Rachel will be posting a picture of the world like our own, it’s hard to find time to volunteers to the Sodexo social media pages help out in the community. But when you do in an effort to win $3,000 from Stop Hun- stop and take the time to give back, nature, ger. Stop Hunger (www.stop-hunger.org) society and yourself will benefit. is a nonprofit organization run by Sodexo since 1996, with a stated goal of “working for a hunger-free world.” Rachel plans on donating the money to the Captain’s Cupboard, a food assistance program on campus. Two years ago, SMCC won second place and received $2,000. You can help us win by sharing and liking the image on Facebook. The picture with the most likes wins!

If you are looking to get more involved in your community but don’t know where to start, Wayside Food Programs (www.waysidemaine.org) offers an extensive list of ways that you can help and Volunteers kick off WasteLESS Week with the third annual volunteer. In a fast-paced Community Garden Cleanup.

Photo by Rachel Fisk

By Celina Simmons

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VOLUME 14 NO. 13

HUB Gymnasium Closed Due to Water Damage

By Troy Hudson

Photo by Troy Hudson

The HUB gymnasium, home court of SMCC’s SeaWolves and Lady SeaWolves, has been closed indefinitely due to water damage following heavy rain in South Portland on Monday, April 16. According to Facilities and Project Manager Jay Reny, the seams of the 25-year-old rubber mem-

brane covering the upper portion of the roof had become compromised by high winds in fall of 2017. Although that initial damage was swiftly repaired, more extensive repair work was needed but was awaiting warmer weather to complete.

Unfortunately, Monday’s storm resulted in leakage around the stressed seams, spilling water onto the floor below. “Unfor-

The HUB Gymnasium patiently awaits an assesment of the extent of the water damage.

tunately, when you’re talking about wood being wet and then drying, you have to be concerned with areas that curl up,” said Reny. The flooring of the gymnasium dates from 1969 and employs a clip-rail system, wherein the wooden floor panels are clipped into rails connected to the subfloor. This results in a space between the wood and the subfloor, which Reny is concerned may now be compromised by trapped water.

“It may not look like much, but we want to take a very careful, precautious approach for putting that back into place,” he said. “Safety is foremost on our minds and we don’t want anyone to get hurt by tripping on one of those or landing on one of the edges.”

At the time of writing, a flooring expert was expected to evaluate the potential damage to the floor on Monday, April 23, by taking moisture readings at various points along the floor. Estimates for repair costs are pending that assessment, but the damage has already begun to exact a cost on the College. Although basketball season is over until the fall, the gym continues to be used by some student athletes, and is ordinarily rented out to third parties for functions in the off-season.

“We’ve had to cancel use of the gym for some of our athletic teams,” said Athletic Director Matt Richards. These include the men’s and women’s basketball and soccer

teams, which use the gym for off-season conditioning. “Where can some of our athletic teams go?” asked Richards. “You know, that’s hard. The spaces in the local area are being used up a lot. I’ve already spoken to some places about finding locations for some of the [events] that were scheduled in the facility. I’ve been able to find homes for some of them; others are just going to be flat-out cancelled.”

Some events that were scheduled to take place in the HUB include youth basketball practices and hosting of the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) Maine State Championships. Although the Athletics Department isn’t funded directly by facilities rentals, they do provide welcome funding for expansion and renovation. “If we had earmarked some [other] things to do, bigger purchases, any type of renovation work in other areas, certainly those will have to be adjusted.”

The long-term impacts of the damage will be clearer after Monday’s assessment.

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed on the impacts,” said Richards. “Certainly I would like to get the facility back to its intended use, which was providing athletic and recreational opportunities to the campus community and to the greater community. We will certainly take the advice of the industry experts in terms of our next steps in getting the facility back into its intended use.”

A Quick Look Inside the Paper: Campus News: -Journey of a Respiratory Therapist -Lyrid Meteor Shower -Digging Below: Fort Preble -Kindness Korner

Other World: -Tunisia and Turkey -How Bitcoin Works -A Mile in Our Shoes

Opinion:

-Drone Ethics -Wealth Inequality: Part 2 -Defining Morality -Meet Randa Jarrar -Desk of the Managing Editor

Arts & Features:

-A Food Journey -Dancers of Diligence -Food & Movie Review -Poetic License -Featured Poet Dana Abdulhay

Midcoast: -Spring art exhibition -from the mind of dan elliott

Campus News

The Journey of a Respiratory Therapist

By Chris Nowinski Respiratory Therapy students come from all walks of life. We are former high school students, auto technicians, CNAs, banquet managers, ambulance drivers and bar tenders. We came together to learn the multifaceted field of respiratory therapy and the ways of the respiratory therapist. Our field requires us to wear multiple hats, from knowing the highly technical aspects of patient ventilator life support to assessing sleep studies and pediatric asthma care plans. We learn the intricacies of respiratory, cardiac and renal anatomy and physiology. We develop medical practices to care for people in emergency rooms, intensive care, cardiopulmonary wings, postoperative units, delivery rooms and much more.

Our job is a specialty, yet the scope of what we’ll soon do is very broad. It is a technology-driven field, but we also learn patient care, patient assessment and patient education. We become advocates for our patients. We become crucial members of our medical teams by knowing our equipment and knowing our patients’ disease

processes. We pair ever-changing technologies with sound and proven medical care.

During our first year we learn the foundations of our practice. We dive deeper into cardiac, pulmonary and renal anatomy and physiology. The respiratory devices used in Respiratory Therapy are complicated and the variety is immense. We learn these devices, their capabilities, how our patients benefit from them and possible hazards.

One apparatus may be good for one thing and not so good for another. We learn how to recognize good outcomes as well as adverse outcomes.

As our knowledge grows, we learn how to advance our patient’s health. We learn patient assessment skills and practice them in lab and in the clinical setting. We begin with life-saving skill training because we may need these skills immediately in our first clinical outings with our respiratory therapists preceptors in the field. As the first year progresses, our foundation is stronger and our skill base deepens. We learn mechanical ventilation and how to do it safely.

We learn the pharmacology associated with our practice and how those medications affect our patients.

By the end of our first year, our heads are bursting with knowledge, and now is the time to put it to use. We do multiple full-shift clinicals at surrounding hospitals where we can put into practice our recent training and skills to use with experienced respiratory therapists at our sides. This clinical session is where everything begins to make sense. Here the devices, assessments, care, numbers and formulas are applied. You see your foundation beginning to make a difference in people’s lives. You might save a life in the emergency room. You might help a newborn breathe better just seconds into their life. You might assist with special medical procedures. Everyone’s experience during the summer clinical is different. Your experiences will help you decide which branch of respiratory therapy to take in your future.

In the second year, we enhance our foundation even more and get into some more specialties under the respiratory-therapist umbrella. We practice pulmonary function testing. We do a sleep study clinical. We get rooted cardiopulmonary training and Advanced Mechanical Ventilation instruction and experiences. We enhance our life-sav-

ing skills with Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and intensive care procedures.

Now our clinical time is spent tying everything together and applying all techniques. The Respiratory Therapy instructors are highly experienced and play a profound role in our development. They come from the hospitals we’ll eventually be practicing at. They know and implement everything we’ll need to be successful in our discipline.

They have top-notch experience in the leading big-city hospitals as well as small hospitals, doctor practices, pediatric specialists, pulmonary rehabilitation, neonatal and intensive care.

As graduation approaches, we are nervous, yet confident. Our minds have shifted towards board testing to qualify to be a respiratory therapist. Some of us will go on to earn a bachelor’s degree. Some will go practice in the hospital’s intensive-care units, emergency rooms, post-op floors, or cardiopulmonary rehabilitation suites. All of us will go on to care for our patients, bringing with us the invaluable lessons we’ve learned from SMCC’s Respiratory Therapy program.

Corrections:

The article “Cultural Night” published in the last issue misstated the date of the titular event. Cultural Night, an evening of multicultural food and music in the South Portland Campus Center, took place April 5, not April 6.

The Staff box on Page 2 in the last issue was not accurate. We sincerely apologize to those authors who were not credited and to those who were credited erroneously. An accurate list of contributors to Issue 12 may be found in the online edition of the issue at https://issuu.com/smccnews.

THE

BEACON STAFF

Executive Staff

Oğuzhan Özkan Troy Hudson Paul Moosmann Ben Riggleman Daniele Amandolini, Shukri Adan Midcoast Section Editor Dan Elliott Poetry Editor Rebecca Dow Graphic Designers Daniele Amandolini, Rebecca Dow

Production Manager Managing Editor Art Director Copy Editor Digital Media Managers

Contributing Writers

Dana Abdulhay, Cali Atwood, Sheri Bell, Randall Delaware, Giovanni DiFazio, Rebecca Dow, Dan Elliott, Zachary Guiod, Troy Hudson, Kamal Karimi, Joseph Malia, Eliezer Morse, Chris Nowinski, Komakech Ogak, Jan Rankowski, Celina Simmons, Skye Snowwalker, Erik Squire

Illustrations

Dan Elliott, Sosanya Pok

Contributing Photographers

Rachel Fisk, Troy Hudson, Jessamyn Schmidt, Celina Simmons

Advisors

Chuck Ott & Rachel Guthrie

Contact Us

mbeacon@smccme.edu

2 The Beacon • April 24, 2018

Campus News Lyrid Meteor Shower Lights Up the Sky

By Skye Snowwalker Meteor showers are amazing phenomena where you can you see large numbers of meteors flying through space with the naked eye. These showers are caused by the movement of the earth, as opposed to the meteors coming into view from further in space. This is why certain showers can be seen with regularity, and lucky for us, we have one coming up soon!

Every year, between the 16th and 25th of April, the Lyrid meteor shower occurs. The Lyrids are one of the longest-known me-

teor showers on Earth, with observations dating back over two millennia. The peak of the shower will be on April 22, thanks to the absence of the moon on that night. Pay close attention to the sky once the sun sets: There should be about 18 meteors visible per hour.

However, the Lyrids are known for surges in meteors, with over 100 visible in a single

hour. These surges cannot be reliably predicted. The best way to see if a surge is occurring is to simply keep an eye on the sky.

To view this shower you’ll want to find somewhere with minimal light pollution. Fortunately, that’s much easier in Maine than it would be in New York or California. The majority of the meteors will be to the east,

The Lyrids are known for surges in meteors, with over 100 visible in a single hour.

meaning you’ll want the city behind you, to the west. One of the best locations near the campus to view the shower is Fort Williams Park; it’s along the eastern coast, meaning nothing but the occasional ship to light up the east.

If you don’t live near campus but would still like to see the shower, fear not — it’s visible throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Simply look upward and eastward in a field or a park and you’ll likely be able to see the shower just fine.

Digging Into What Lies Below: Fort Preble If you’ve ever ventured around SMCC’s South Portland Campus, you’ve probably noticed the granite structures abandoned along the coast. These underground structures, as well as many other buildings on campus, were part of a military base constructed over 200 years ago called Fort Preble. Thanks to Paul Charpentier, the Interim Dean of Academics here at SMCC, I got to take a look inside some of those structures and learn more about the history behind them.

The construction of Fort Preble was initially commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson in 1808. It was made to enforce the embargo Jefferson placed on Great Britain which would prevent British vessels from exporting their goods into US ports.

The embargo was lifted in 1809 but eventually led to the war of 1812. During the war, troops at Fort Preble were required to inspect all ships entering the Portland Harbor. If a ship did not stop to be inspected, the Fort would send a shot across the bow as a warning.

By 1815, the fort had 10 magazines and gun emplacements to protect the harbor.

These stretched all the way from our current cafeteria to the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse where the last one standing remains. What used to hold ammo and artillery is now an empty room with brick and granite walls.

Right next to the magazine is Battery Rivardi, named after John J. U. Rivardi, the first US Artillerist and Engineer. This was the command bunker on base. It was built at the end of the 19th century, a little less than 100 years after the construction of Fort Preble. Inside is a series of rooms and tunnels that stretch 40 feet along the coast.

Some of the rooms had fireplaces and, like the magazines, had walls made out of brick and granite. Special bricks were used in the walls to keep humidity and water in the air from deteriorating the structures.

Located on the other side of Battery Rivardi is the largest underground structure standing today. It was the communication center of the fort, called the Switchboard, and was originally only a wooden building.

Later on, a giant steel-and-concrete cover was built over it to protect against shells and bullets. Today, the wooden building inside has collapsed, but you can still see chimneys from the outside and the anti-air-

craft command post located at the top of the hill.

Fort Preble was a highly strategic and prepared base. If any ships managed to get past all of the gun emplacements along the coast, they would then have to survive a three-way crossfire between Fort Preble, Fort Gorges, and Fort Scammel, which would have been nearly impossible. They

were also equipped with anti-aircraft defenses to shoot down enemy aircraft as well as a submarine net before the harbor.

It wasn’t until the 1950s that the fort was decommissioned and locked off from the public.

So next time you find yourself taking a stroll on campus, remember that there is always more that lies below the surface.

Photo by Celina Simmons

By Celina Simmons

The long retired and slowly decaying Battery Rivardi stands resolute as it still dutifully watches over our campus grounds.

Kindness Korner

By The Kindness Mama

Illustration by Sosanya Pok Well, this Kindness Mama is a bit disappointed, as I have received no sightings of kindness around campus. Now, I find that very hard to believe, as I have seen at least two such instances.

On Tuesday, April 10, 2017 at around 1:20 p.m. I saw many vehicles circling the parking lot behind the Health Science Center looking for a parking space. As all of

you know, the parking here is a huge problem on the very best-weather days, let alone on days when snow is blocking some very useful spots. On this particular day I, along with at least five other vehicles, was circling the lot looking for an open spot. I can only assume that, like me, the other drivers of the vehicles also had a 1:30 class they were headed to.

After my third go around looking for an open parking space, I noticed a young woman exiting from the Health Science Center with backpack and keys in hand. There was a vehicle in front of me that slowed to let her pass in front of their vehicle. The young woman stopped in front of the stopped vehicle and pointed to her parked car. The driver in front rolled down and spoke to the young woman. The young woman nodded and continued to her vehicle, which was a few feet from where she was. The driver waited and let the young woman back out of her parking space and took the nowopen spot.

Now, you all must be asking, “Is that a random act of kindness?” And I say yes! The young woman did not have to inform the vehicle in front of me that she was leaving, yet she did. She could have just chosen to

walk to her vehicle and then leave without informing the driver in front of me there would soon be an open spot available. She decided to show kindness and allow the vehicle the opportunity to have her parking space. I have been at SMCC for almost two years and have commuted every day I have classes. I have had this happen to me only once.

Just because I did not benefit from this random act of kindness, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be reported. It just so happens that the individual that was in the vehicle in front of me was a classmate in one of my classes. I also know this student commutes to class each day and has a tight schedule.

Finding this parking spot allowed them to be in class on time (unlike me, who actually had to park a great distance away and was late for class).

Now that was just one of many instances I witnessed the past week. I bet you all witnessed some too. Maybe you let someone cut you in food line at the dining hall because you knew their schedule was tight and they wouldn’t be out in time for their next class. Could be you let someone copy your notes because they missed a class due to illness or other unavoidable problems.

Maybe you let someone borrow money, borrow your cell phone, borrow your laptop, borrow your vehicle — the list of random acts of kindness is really endless.

No random act of kindness is too small to report. A random act of kindness is something someone does to help another person out, not because they have to but because they want to.

Kindness is something we all need in our lives, something we seem to be lacking in today’s world, something that when witnessed brings a smile to your face and warms your heart — maybe just for a moment, but a moment is better than not at all.

So come on, SMCC, let’s start reporting on these acts. Let’s fill up a kindness log instead of a police log. Let’s all get out there and start spreading kindness and see what a difference it makes in our little corner of the world. SMCC may be just a dot on a map, but it is our dot and our world, so let’s start making it a better place to live, study and belong. Please send your sightings to me, the Kindness Mama, at smcckindness@ gmail.com. I look forward to reading them and will include as many as space will allow.

This is a recurring section, and will be in all future editions of The Beacon.

April 24, 2018 • The Beacon 3

Other World An American’s Perspective on Tunisia and Turkey

By Randall Delaware In the summer of 1982, after dropping out of college the previous fall, I decided to backpack Europe. My plans were to visit my Ohio Wesleyan University roommate in his home country of Tunisia and then to visit an older coworker from a summer job at a boys’ camp in New Hampshire, who had finished his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale and Columbia and become an American diplomat in Bulgaria.

After landing in Luxembourg and spending a few days at youth hostels, I took the train south using my European Rail Pass, which I purchased for about $460 and which provided me with unlimited firstclass passage for 2 months. Hopping on the train in Basel, Switzerland, I ended up in Palermo, Italy, on the island of Sicily, where I spent two nights with a very kind Italian family. I was introduced to their son by another American at the rail station. From there I boarded the ferry to Tunisia, having as my roommates three Tunisian policemen.

In Europe, one pays for a bed, not a room.

After arriving in Tunisia, I made contact with my college roommate, Jamel. His family lived on the main street of the nation’s capital. His family was very friendly. His sister was a flight attendant for Air France.

Tunisia, formerly a French colony, still had many bilingual Tunisians, able to converse in both Arabic and French. Jamel and his

sister were trilingual, adding English to the mix. Tunisia was one of the most liberal of Muslim countries; therefore his sister wore blue jeans and blouses and no head scarf.

Jamel’s mother, on the other hand, liked to wear her head scarf. Working for the airlines and visiting the world, Jamel’s sister was very cosmopolitan.

After a few days with Jamel and his family, we attended a Muslim wedding, where the groom and the bride sat upon a dais and faced the guests while we listened to traditional music and drank tea. We also visited Carthage, where Hannibal, the great general who fought the Romans, was from. Then it was off to the holy city of Kairouan with another American whom I met on the ferry.

We visited a mosque and spent one night at a resort hotel, where we saw lots of German tourists. We split up and I took the train back to Tunis, where I became ill with headache and fever. Having no air conditioning and it being summer in Northern Africa, Jamel arranged for me to sleep and stay at his uncle’s apartment, which had air conditioning. Every day, Jamel brought me food and drink. I especially enjoyed an apple-flavored soft drink. Many bottles were consumed to quench my feverish thirst. After a few days, I purchased a flight to Marseilles, France — the cheapest destination available.

While on this three-month backpacking trek I visited Bulgaria, but because of war

games with the Soviet Union, my friend the Ferry to Samos, Greece, before flying to Stuart and I changed our plans of visiting Athens, and he driving north and norththe Black Sea and decided to drive to Tur- west back to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. key. While in Turkey, we saw the Blue Mosque, visited the Royal Palace and saw the Crown Jewels and walked about at Ephesus and Pergamon. On our drive, we saw trains passing by with green-painted, American-made military tanks on flatcars.

With diplomatic plates on Stuart’s Peugeot, we encountered many smiling faces and waving soldiers as we drove by.

Turkey was N.A.T.O.’s defense against the Soviet Union.

The Turkish restaurants had servers in their pre-teens and early teens waiting on us. They were the most attentive waiters I’ve ever experienced in my life. The concern that everything met our expectations was written on their young faces. Fi- Photo by Randall Delaware nally, Stuart and I parted Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul, a view from 1982. company, with me taking

How Bitcoin Works and Why You Should Care

By Jan Rankowski If you’re paying attention you’ve probably heard about Bitcoin, but most people either don’t care or don’t understand it as anything more than “magic internet money.” In this article, I’ll give a very brief summary of why you should care, and how Bitcoin works. If you pay attention, you might learn something, or even earn some money from this article.

Why you should care: Bitcoin allows even poor people to get rich quick if they’re smart enough. Yes, that means you, college student with $73 to your name. Before Bitcoin, if you wanted to get into day trading, you’d need a lot of money up front in order to net appreciable gains. With Bitcoin, you can start with only $50 and double that within a few days if you’re clever about it.

If you’re really patient, you can make even more; I bought a measly $200 of Bitcoin when the price was at 1600 — a few months later and the price was at 20,000, and I’d sold for a 1250 percent profit of $2500.

This is a benefit but also a risk. Taking this greater risk also necessarily opens you up to the possibility that you’ll lose everything you’ve invested just as quickly as you could have earned more. In investing, 90 percent of new traders lose 90 percent of their initial investment within 90 days.

Bitcoin is extremely volatile, more so than the stock market, because there’s less money in it right now. Tons of people are hiding money from the IRS with stocks, so you need to pour in huge amounts of cash to

4 The Beacon • April 24, 2018

even see a 3 percent profit — not really worth it to the average person.

At this point, cryptocurrency is still in its infancy and is only going to get more popular as time goes on, so it’s worthwhile to learn about it now. Another reason to care about Bitcoin is that if you’re paranoid (justifiably) about the future of the U.S. dollar, cryptocurrencies can act as a “hedge” to make sure you don’t have all your eggs in one basket, so you’ll still have something even if the dollar falls in value.

Now that you have a reason to actually care, I’ll give a very basic summary of how Bitcoin works and the technological advantages it offers over our current system of paper money.

First, there’s decentralization. Rather than trusting a single central authority to maintain bank records, Bitcoin uses a “notrust” system where nobody has any more authority than you do, so systemic monopolies are impossible. Every time you make a transaction, it is appended to a distributed ledger that millions of computers are automatically maintaining online. These computers act as robotic bankers which log, authenticate and process your transactions, and get paid a small fee for it — this is called “mining.”

Think of it like a supercomputer distributed across millions of computers around the world, with no single person in charge of it. This means there is nobody controlling the supply of the currency, unlike the U.S. Dollar, which is managed by the Federal Reserve and is manipulated from the top

down to create destructive boom-bust cycles that generate profits for the top 1 percent. This is impossible with Bitcoin.

Without a central authority, who prevents fraud? Instead of relying on human intervention, the Bitcoin ledger uses cryptographic math to prevent fraud. A “public key” is basically your Bitcoin address, which people send money to and receive money from. In order to send money to someone, you need to prove that you own the public key you are trying to send money from. This is similar to a handwritten signature on a paper check, only it can’t be forged since it’s protected by cryptographic math. Instead of signing a check, the system uses your “private key” (think of it like the password to your Bitcoins) and combines it with your public key to produce a “digital signature,” which basically proves to the rest of the world that you are in fact the valid owner of the account you are trying to send money from. Since it’s cryptographically protected, nobody will be able to figure out what your private key is, even if they look at your digital signature. Bitcoin does this process for every single transaction — each transaction has its own digital signature.

This is only a very basic summary of how Bitcoin works, but hopefully it’s just enough to get you curious and interested. For more information and a more detailed explanation, go to janrankowski.com/bitcoin.

Jan Rankowski is a member of the Information Technology Senior Seminar course and is planning on a career in cybersecurity.

Other World Studs Q. What are the most significant factors that contributed to where you are today as a person?

I grow up in a middle-income family that definitely helped me. I feel like I was gifted a lot of opportunities; I had several choices to where I can go to high school. I was able to go to a unique one — it was [a] very personal and very small school with like 400 people, so I made a very intimate relationship with teachers and students, and I feel like that grounded me in appreciating the community. And to the fact that I grew up in a very, very stable home.

Q. What kind of experiences have you had in relating with people whose backgrounds are different than yours?

Definitely in high school — even if it was small [it was] very diverse. And because … it’s such an inclusive community, I got to share my experiences with people of different backgrounds. Here at SMCC, working at the tutoring center helps me so much as well, and my work, at a restaurant primarily. We have prerelease workers who are released during daytime to work; most of them have been awesome, and they’re just appreciative to be out and doing something productive … . One friend I made through working at my restaurant, she was an Afghani refugee, and I became very good friends with her and her family — still, to this day.

Q. Have you ever faced difficult challenges, that have prevented you from being who you are?

I have struggled quite a bit with depression in my life, but that’s part of who I am.

I don’t know if it challenged who I am.

Probably my greatest challenge is financial, and I work a lot, yet I can only afford to be at community college. I still must work and go to school, and it’s incredibly hard to dig out of my financial situation. But I don’t know really if it prevents me from being me. Maybe just a little bit.

Q. Have you ever witnessed prejudice?

And whom is the prejudice aimed towards?

Have you been a victim of prejudice?

I have witnessed it, especially working in service industry. I saw it on someone else.

Definitely witnessed sexism; I haven’t witnessed a large amount of racism, but sexism, I feel like it’s much more easy to pass off as a normal thing. I would say sexism is incredibly common in my life, especially working at a restaurant.

Q. Who is the most influential person in your life?

My Calculus teacher. She changed my life, because I’ve always been concerned with not being good at math — I’m incredible at math, I now realized. It’s taken a long time to grow my confidence … I was always intimidated by it, and when I finally got to Calculus … that one teacher changed my life. She was just a good friend, she cared about how you are doing, what your progress was; and if you put something in, she would make sure that you’d be recognized. And she became a personal friend, really — she’s writing my recommendation, which I highly appreciate, and she taught me all the math I know … .

Q. What are you most afraid of right now?

Self-actualization. Will I become what I want to be, or will I just kind of take what it is and be what the world gives me? I’ve got lots of goals, a lot of interests, but I would say my greatest fear — it would be not letting them happen, not seizing the opportunities that are placed in front of me.

Q. What’s the happiest moment of your life? Saddest?

The happiest and the saddest moment of my life is when I walked from Mexico to Canada for five months; when I got there I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad.

My happiest moment would be that entire journey and achieving the goal … when I got there, finally, I was with one friend who I have been hiking all through Washington with, and it’s bliss. You know you’re done, you’re finally going home — it’s kind of nice, but you also know you [are] leaving … . “What’s next, what do I do now, where do I go?” is the feeling I got after finishing the journey. And from that five-monthslong journey doing something I am passionate about to nothing, to working at a restaurant.

Dorcas Q. What are the most significant factors that contributed to where you are today as a person?

I went to the Boys and Girls [Club].

They have a lot of clubs and people who supported me and helped me to be active.

I did some volunteering and civil-rights work. Other factors [are] moving to the U.S. three years ago. I’m from Congo, but I grew up in South Africa. Moving to America opened my eyes to a new world. I think that this is the biggest factor that helped

Photo by Studs

By Dana Abdulhay

Photo by Dorcas

Phi Theta Kappa A Mile in Our Shoes, Pt.2

me realize how the world is big and you are small when you start to move around.

Q. What kind of experiences have you had in relating with people whose backgrounds are different than yours?

Being in the second whitest state in America and seeing how everybody is different than me. I face a lot of ignorance about South Africa, and the comments that they say and how they’re shocked when they realize that I speak English fluently.

Q. Have you ever faced difficult challenges, that have prevented you from being who you are?

I was born in Congo, but I was raised in South Africa since I was nine months old, I see myself as a Southern African Congolese. One of the challenges that I have faced [is] that South Africans wouldn’t view me as a South African, so one of the reason why I’m here is because of xenophobic attacks in South Africa against the Congolese and Somalis and suburban and immigrants in general. I have experienced racism there; people would put me down because I’m a Congolese and they don’t want us to speak our language, asking us to speak English only. These experiences that I faced made me insecure about my color, language, my culture. When I moved to the U.S., I got educated more about black people in America and Africa; I started reading about racism. From that I started to decondition the way I think, so whatever I learned from others, I turned that and educated myself about these aspects in the right way. From that I started to view things differently — being black is awesome, being African is beautiful, etc. — and changed the way I look at myself and be happy with what I am on. Taking and removing the negative that I have been fed up from others and changing it to positive outlook.

Q. Have you ever witnessed prejudice?

And whom is the prejudice aimed towards?

Have you been a victim of prejudice?

Yes, I remember back home in South Africa when they would say “Go back to your country,” asking me to go back to a

country that I don’t know anything about.

That makes me [have] sympathy with the DACA kids. Also here, towards my friend who’s activist on social media, she gets all the hate for being a Muslim refugee/immigrant activist. They call her everything — terrorist, jihadist, she’s been attacked on social media and in real life as well, people have come up to here and threatened her in person.

Q. Who is the most influential person in your life?

Activists, women of color all around the world that try to make their voice heard despite what others tell them. They inspire me to speak up as well.

Q. What are you most afraid of right now?

I’m afraid of ignorance. It bothers me how ignorant some people are and how they spread false information about things that they don’t fully know about. And how on social media they would fight you and they don’t want to listen or understand, but just fight.

Q. What’s the happiest moment of your life? Saddest?

When I watch TV and my favorite drama. Saddest: when I see how ignorant some people are, and they don’t know about it and keep talking like they know everything. Especially people with power.

Q. From your own experience, what is the advice that you would give to someone who’s going through the same thing?

It’s very important to listen to other people’s experiences. Everything I know, I knew it from listening to others’ experiences — why they thought that, why, why they think that way. That makes me stop being judgmental. And coming with an open mind, especially living in Maine, [which] is diverse, with many different religions and different cultures.

This article is the second part of an interview series courtesy of Phi Theta Kappa. Part 1 was published on the front page of the April 10 Beacon issue.

You can find more of these interviews at http://thesmccbeacon.wordpress.com

April 24, 2018 • The Beacon 5

Opinion Drone Ethics

By Erik Squire There are multiple ethical issues that arise with the United States’ use of drone warfare in the Middle East; two such issues which readily come to mind are extrajudicial killings and a lack of accountability. A study was conducted by Stanford University and New York University on America’s use of drone warfare, and the results show that drone strikes could be far more ambiguous than we might think. The report states that the U.S. conducts “personality strikes” which target supposedly high-ranking terror suspects, but that there are also “signature strikes” which target individuals who merely have the appearance of being terrorists — without even knowing their identities.

It is unclear what, if any, process is in place for decisions regarding the so-called “signature strikes,” which are particularly problematic and open to abuse and mistake.

According to the report, these strikes target individuals or groups “who bear characteristics associated with terrorism but whose identities aren’t known.”

As part of these “signature strikes,” U.S. drones also target wedding parties, funerals, entire buildings, and first responders — something known as “double-tapping,” where people responding to the first strike are then also targeted.

As the researchers further note, these strikes are not even as precise as the U.S. government would have most believe. They state, “The blast radius from a Hellfire

missile can extend anywhere from 15-20 meters; shrapnel may also be projected significant distances from the blast.” It is “precision” such as this, that leads to the deaths of innocent victims of all ages.

Furthermore, it is a known fact that countless innocent civilians have been mistakenly targeted as terrorists by the U.S. military or the CIA. In an intriguing GQ article about an American drone operator, Senior Airman Brandon Bryant, Bryant states that during his very first strike, he wasn’t certain that his targets were armed with weapons or shepherd’s staffs, but that he didn’t question the chain of command when they told him to strike.

Strikes such as these are unethical, even if they do hope to eliminate deadly targets, because these strikes are extrajudicial — the person calling the shots neglects universal human rights, and acts as judge, jury and executioner.

Lastly, with high-tech lethal drones being such a modern innovation, there has not been a universal set of rules of engagement established to set the standard for ethical practices when using them — and this gives the U.S. too much power, without serious global repercussions for abusing such power.

There has to be transparency in the U.S.’s decisions when using drones, and accountability for when there is misuse. Moreover, if other nations do eventually develop high-quality drone technology, universal guidelines might also protect the U.S. from other governments misemploying them.

Wealth Inequality: Part 2

By Zachary Guiod The two regions with the most people living in extreme poverty are Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. In Southern Asia, 30 million children have no access to education to try to escape the poverty in which they are trapped. Sub-Saharan Africa is not faring much better, with 23 million school age children in Africa going to class hungry, according to the United Nations. As these children go to school undernourished, they will not be able to learn as well as students who are properly fed.

No area has been affected by wealth inequality more than Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). SSA is a region that includes 46 of Africa’s 54 sovereign countries, more than half of the continent.

Compared to their counterparts in the developing world, these countries are still lagging behind. Rising from 74 cents a day in 1981 to 87 cents in 2010, the developing world, as a whole, has seen a very slow increase in per capita income for those living in extreme poverty. Sub-Saharan Africa has actually declined! In 1981 the average daily income of the extreme poor in SSA was 72 cents. In 2010 it is only 71 cents.

This level of income for those in poverty is unacceptable in a world with so much wealth. With so much wealth in so few hands, the fact that the income of the extreme poor in SSA has declined is beyond reprehensible.

Not all the areas where extreme poverty is blatant are “poor countries.” Think about the size of South Asia. It includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The region has a growing middle class, but it still has the largest concentrated group of extremely poor people. According to the World Bank, 500 million people live in extreme poverty in Southern Asia. Women and children are affected the most. More than 250 million children are undernourished. The percentage of women in the workplace there is among the lowest in the world.

As citizens of the world, we need to ask ourselves if this unjust reality is inevitable. Forget countries and nationalities — we all occupy this world. We may be separated by oceans and continents, but these people are our brothers and sisters and we are letting them starve. Imaginary lines on maps, drawn by imperialist powers, should not make us think that their suffering does not affect us. What if the cure for cancer is inside the brain of a child in South Asia or SSA who has no access to education? Uplifting those at the bottom of society will uplift us all.

This article is the second part of a series on global wealth inequality. Part 1 was published in the Other World section of the March 27 Beacon issue. A bibliography for this article can be found at https://thesmccbeacon.wordpress.com/.

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6 The Beacon • April 24, 2018

Opinion Defining Morality

By Kamal Karimi I believe that there is no accurate way to determine what is moral and what is not.

Beliefs are different from person to person; one person may be less moral because one person’s beliefs differ from others. While morality — such as what is not moral — is still debated among many people and even philosophers, I believe it is wrong to consider some morality as transcendent morality.

Human nature evolved, and this includes human behavior and what we categorize as moral. Human beings are social creatures, and through evolution and living together and cooperation, some morals become universal, like reciprocal altruism and the punishment of free-riders. Over time, we have learned better the structure of the world.

Cooperation developed a “process,” and there is a simple rule that exists to promote cooperation.

The rules evolved because they were simple and needed for us to evolve. The history of evolution has seen the evolution of cooperation on several levels, such as the cooperation between chromosomes and genes and the cooperation of cells and our bodies.

That is the cooperation of individual creatures in our society. The morality of society

evolved from the cooperation of people and I was 17 when the religious governsociety’s development of human rights and ment sentenced me to death because I justice. It is because of cooperation and not joined a political party. I was accused of faith — or God and religion — that moral- going against God and his Prophet which ity exists. we know ourselves to be Muslim. At this Most people believe that transcendent time, I thought it was because they were morality is morality and the rules that Shia and don’t like Sunnis (my sect), and came from religion. But when we look at they felt I was against God and his prophet the world, there are thousands of religions, Mohammed. I never doubted or did anywith great differences among them, which thing against him. When I went to prison, I can even be antagonistic with one anoth- realized that it was not about being Sunni. er. There is no way to convince a Hindu to Then I was transferred to a big prison 100 stop viewing cows as sacred. In Christianity miles from my house. I met many people drinking wine is acwith different poI asked myself why Mohammed ceptable, but in Islam, litical views, such it is forbidden. More- should marry a nine-year-old child as democrats, over, the rules are abwhen he was 52, and why he killed socialists, radisolute and in no way cal Muslims and 600 Jewish men for no reason. able to be changed. communists. I reIn some groups, people leave their religious alized that out there is something different community or try to deemphasize extreme from my views about religion and morality. rules, but this may never be accepted by tra- I saw an imam and a communist person, ditional, conservative religious leaders. both of whom are humans. Before this exI grow up in a conservative Muslim fam- perience, I imagined communists as infidels ily in Iran, where my father is an imam. and polluted people. I became friends with Most parts of morality were absolute for a communist and I ate a meal with him, me. There were no questions, and no judg- which led to a warning from my friends ment and no doubt about anything related that this was not acceptable in our religion. to the Quran or Muhammad.

I started to criticize and question my religion, and especially the Prophet of Islam. I

Meet Randa Jarrar

By Gio DiFazio

tects us from government censorship.

It doesn’t protect us from being fired Say what you want about the po- from our jobs because we decide to be litical climate in this country over an asshole.

Ultimately, doesn’t it come down the lasts 20 years, Barbara Bush had an impact on millions of young lives. to the fact that Jarrar is a professor Unfortunately, for millenials, it took of undergraduate students? Should her death to fully appreciate what she someone who has such an influence actually had done. Associated in my over undergraduate students be able mind only with the Children’s Hospi- to resume her career in education? Do tal, her recent appreciation has opened such radical thoughts have a spot in the classroom, with teenage students? my eyes to her heroic deeds.

Fresno State has already issued a On Wednesday, Randa Jarrar, a creative-writing professor at California statement regarding the statements, State University Fresno, tweeted the which we hope were made under the following: “Barbara Bush was a gen- influence of every drug known to man.

What kind of message erous and smart and is sent if swift action is amazing racist who, Being contrarian to the not taken? At the time along with her husentire country is one of writing, her termiband, raised a war thing, but saying such nation has not been criminal. F*** outta here with your nice hateful things is another. confirmed.

From personal exwords.”

Being contrarian to the entire coun- perience, every single teacher that try is one thing, but saying such hate- has spewed their political vile onto a ful things is another — putting down classroom has been liberal. I have had a recently deceased woman who has numerous instructors complain about done incredible things to increase the the state of conservative government literacy rate in the U.S. As an academ- to the class, but never once have I ic, your hateful remarks are not only had a right-leaning instructor do the ironic, but not even believable. As a same. Educators have a responsibilliberal academic, it’s understandable ity to introduce both sides of politithat the Bush family is receiving of the cal discourse. When my seventh grade criticism that you throw at it. But to teacher tells me that George Bush is a have the myopia to be unable to see “whiner and a moron,” and then laughs past that meaningless factor and ap- when I tell her that my father is a suppreciate everything Mrs. Bush did for porter of the party, she oversteps the line between educator and propaganchild literacy is hilarious.

The real trouble is that Jarrar is try- dist.

Jarrar has no place or purpose within ing to hide behind the First Amendment, as well as a make believe im- the realm of undergraduate education. munity she believes she is entitled Please fire her. to, all because she is within a tenured role at the college. Free speech pro-

asked myself why Mohammed should marry a nine-year-old child when he was 52, and why he he killed 600 Jewish men for no reason.

I left Islam during this time. I thought Mohammed was a saint and his behavior was an example of transcendent morality, but after I reviewed things critically, I left Islam when I was 21. I told my father, and he was angry, but my father is a kind man.

I told him, “You believe all Quran rules are transcendent morality and do not doubt it,” and his answer was “Yeah.” I asked, “Am I a bad man?” His answer was no, and he knew that the rule was that I should be killed. I asked, “Do you want someone to kill me because I just refused the religion?” “No” was his answer, but he said that this was God’s order. I understood then that there is no transcendent morality.

Morality for me is the rule of the land, and it comes from the cooperation of people. People can be good and moral without religion. Because many religions have their own view of morality, if one religious group gets too much power and rules a society, this will lead to a dangerous example, as in Iran. Transcendent morality exists separate from organized religion, and like in Maine’s constitution, rules are “made on the floor.”

From the Desk of the Managing Editor

By Troy Hudson On Saturday, April 21, close to twenty people attended SMCC’s Community Garden Cleanup Day, which you can read about on the front page. I was among them, despite having no proclivity for gardening and no intention to utilize one of the plots myself. I simply wanted to take part in an effort to beautify our campus and prepare a place for some things to grow.

As I reflect on my experience, I am heartened that so many of my fellow students and staff chose to spend time toiling together under the warm April sun for the common good of our community.

There was a genuine sense of camaraderie among us and the work went quickly, as is always the case when labor is undertaken with a light heart.

The community garden represents more than a horticultural enterprise; it can be seen as a living metaphor for all of SMCC. It takes a lot of hard work from many sets of hands to prepare the community garden for a season of growing, but all of that work can’t make a single seed sprout, a single leaf unfurl — the plants do that all on their own. All we can do is provide a nurturing environment for that growth and continue to give them what they need to meet their potential. Likewise, successful students aren’t “made” at SMCC — they grow that way.

A concept that I have come across many times in my studies at SMCC is the “growth mindset,” an idea explored

by Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck in her 2006 book, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.” Dr. Dweck’s theory,

based on decades of research on motivation and success, states that all people fall somewhere on a continuum of mindsets when it comes to learning.

On one hand is the view that basic qualities like intelligence and creativity are innate, and success is a result of natural abilities and talents. This is called the “fixed” mindset. At the other end of the spectrum is the view that these qualities can be developed through effort and good teaching. This is the “growth mindset,” and it is this point of view that opens doors for us and brings success within reach.

From my very first semester at SMCC, I have been encouraged to view success as something attainable. My instructors have encouraged and challenged me to do better with every semester, and at times I have been frustrated by that challenge. When I struggle with a skill that’s well outside my wheelhouse (I’m looking at you, math), it can be all too easy to throw up my hands and say, “I’m just no good at this!” And yet with many hours of practice and hard work, I have met those goals that seemed impossible for me.

I have seen many of you do the same, and your success inspires me to never give up on people, because we are all capable of being better, no matter how far off our goals may seem. Some people say nobody ever changes — Those people are wrong.

Dr. Dweck’s research has shown that when we believe we can get better and we work hard to make that happen, we really do achieve more. That isn’t to say we can all be astronauts or professional athletes, but it does mean we can trust our bodies and minds to do what people do: grow.

April 24, 2018 • The Beacon 7

Arts & Features

A Food Journey: Empire Chinese Kitchen On Friday, April 13, I had the pleasure of dining at Empire Chinese Kitchen. I was a bit put off at first by the menu, as I can be a very fussy eater. I rarely ever eat vegetables unless they’re in a salad, and my favorite Chinese dish is General Tso’s chicken — or beef, which I usually eat with pork fried rice and a side order of teriyaki beef. Coming to Empire Chinese Kitchen was a bit risky for me, what with the upscale atmosphere.

We arrived for an early dinner before our trip to the Portland Museum of Art where we listened to poetry readings done by local writers, inspired by the beautiful works of art displayed in the museum.

We were told the wait would be only a few minutes, and were asked if we would like to order a drink at the bar. My dinner companion for this evening was my husband of 27 years. We decided to wait to be seated before ordering our adult beverages. A few moments passed, and we were escorted to our table. After being seated, our server, Tess, arrived and filled our water glasses. We ordered drinks after she shared with us that night’s specials. After leaving us to look over the menu, she went to place our order.

My companion and I had a few questions about some of the menu options and what came with each item. The menu itself was divided into six categories so it was very easy to follow; the prices were clearly marked. It was about six to eight minutes before Tess returned with our drinks and asked if we had any questions. We proceeded to ask about the specials. Once we had our answers, she asked if we needed more time to decide and we replied that we were ready to order.

As always, I ordered first. I had decided on Chinatown Roast Pork, which was boneless and barbecued. This item was listed under the

“small plates” section of the menu and it came with a side of white rice — bacon-fried rice, which was under the Rice & Noodles section of the menu. Additionally, I ordered the Lobster Longevity Noodle, which was located under the Large Plates section of the menu.

Tess, in response to the order stated that she did not know if the Lobster Longevity Noodle was available and so she left to check.

She returned in less than a minute to tell us that indeed, it was not available. Tess explained that the chef was willing to give me two other similar options. I eventually settled on the Lobster Lo-Mein. My dining companion ordered Beef Boas, also on the “small plates” specials list, and the Beef

& Broad Noodles which was in the Rice & Noodles section.

The Empire restaurant was packed and beginning to fill; there was a line at the door.

I noticed a great deal of take-out being ordered, so I asked Tess when she returned with our dinner if the full menu was available for take-out. She replied that it was.

The Chinatown Roast Pork was deliciously sweet; small shaved slices of roast pork with a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. The Bacon fried rice consisted of a large portion, and tasted heaven- sent. Bacon always makes things better. My Lobster Lo-Mein was plated beautifully, and tasted as good as it looked. My companion’s Beef Boas looked interesting and tasted great. He stated that

Dancers of Diligence

By Rebecca Dow Come one, come all - enjoy the show as Jessamyn Schmidt’s Dance Performance class expresses a combination of art through movement, consisting of techniques and ideas explored and refined over a semester of collaborative dance.

Their performance will take place in Jewett Hall/Auditorium on the South Portland Campus on Friday May 11, beginning at 2pm.

According to Schmidt, her students’ performance “will be a woven tapestry of some of the movement ideas [that] the dancers found interesting and wanted to pursue.” The group will consist of six women, many of whom have never performed a choreographed dance in front of an audience before. Since this is the first year SMCC has held a Dance Performance class, we will all surely be in for a treat. “We’ve used a number of improvisa-

The Global Studies Center & SMCC Fine Arts Department present

tional structures to explore, generate, inspire and discover movement ideas,” says Schmidt.

“We’ve then taken ‘kernals’ and shaped them into a sequence that seems to have an organic flow.”

For those of you unfamiliar with what a “kernal” is, they are “little glimmers or nuggets of ideas that seem to have potential, and reveal themselves during the improvisational exploration process. For example, a kernel could be a dynamic connection between two or more dancers in which case we may develop a duet or a trio,” according to Schmidt.

During the performance, dancers will think and act abstractly, exploring both indoors and outdoors of Jewett Hall; audience members will be expected to stand for the duration of the show, and follow the dancers as they express their acquired talents in ways that leave each viewer with a different perspective and unique experience.

Dance Performance (THEA 156) will be offered at SMCC every spring semester from now onward for students already registered for, or who have already taken Modern Dance (THEA 155). All are welcome to attend, and witness SMCC’s first ever dance performance class show the world what they’ve learned.

The following is a statement from Emily Morrison, a student attending Schmidt's class:

the Beef & Broad noodles were delightfully pleasant; he offered me a taste and I agreed with his verdict.

As usual when eating Chinese food, we ordered way too much food and had to ask for a doggie bag. Going to The Empire Chinese Kitchen was a wonderful experience, and our server Tess was attentive, accommodating and very knowledgeable about the menu. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was inviting. The wait time for being seated was extremely short — only a matter of minutes. The wait time for food after ordering was short as well, and the overall flow of the dining experience was excellent. We will certainly be returning to the Empire Chinese Kitchen.

Photo by Jessamyn Schmidt

By Sheri Bell

Jessamyn Schmidt’s Dance Performance class practices a sequence.

“I have really enjoyed the opportunity to be part of this amazing group. It has been an amazing experience to work together.

We’ve all learned so much from one another through this process and have been able to create something original and exciting. It has been interesting to see how multiple people can come to together to create something so contemporary and diverse. Collaborating as a group, we can create something that a single person couldn’t create on their own. Dancing gives me confidence in my ability to create and collaborate with others beyond our performance. It can be a great form of expression and a way to become comfortable with yourself.Through dance we find our challenges and push ourselves to overcome these objections and limitations. It creates a stronger sense of self and helps to show us our strengths and weaknesses and how to address them.”

Food & Movie Review

By Randall Delaware

Artist Talk with

Daniel Minter

Daniel Minter is a painter and illustrator.

His works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and he has illustrated 11 children’s books.

He also created Kwanzaa stamps for the U.S. Postal Service.

In keeping with the 2018 Global Studies Center lecture series theme of “Art As Vehicle”, Daniel will discuss his exchange project with Brazilian artist Flavio Freitas who lives in Maine’s sister-state of Rio Grande Do Norte.

Thursday April 26th | 12:15pm | Jewett Auditorium 8 The Beacon • April 24, 2018

Over the weekend I decided to take the bus from South Portland over the bridge to Portland, have lunch and see a movie. The following day I did the same and saw another movie.

I was walking down Fore Street when I saw the menu posted in the window. I read the word “PASTA” and knew this was the place for me. The restaurant’s name is Paciarino Alta Pastificeria. I sat down and was brought a menu and then a glass of water and bread and tomato sauce. When the waiter came back I ordered some house wine for $6 and Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese, or ribbon pasta with a beef and pork sauce. The sauce wasn’t stingy on meat and the pasta portion was just right — not too much, not too little. After the main course, I had tiramisu for dessert. The top layer was like custard with unsweetened chocolate

powder on top. The bottom layer was soft and coffee flavored.

After the meal, I spoke with the waiter who turned out to be the owner. His name was Enrico Barbiero, who emigrated from Milan, Italy, after being attracted to Maine by an Italian television show exploring the Maine coast from Kittery to Bar Harbor.

So interested by this, he and his wife visited Maine. So for the past nine years Enrico, his wife and daughter have enjoyed their life in America.

Then it was on to the movie. I chose “The Death of Stalin” because it fit into the time of my arrival after having lunch. The movie is a satire on the vicious reign of dictator Joseph Stalin. There was lots of swearing and killing. Parts of the movie were funny, but after a half an hour, I wasn’t sure it was worth sitting through the rest of it. The sequencing of scenes was very smooth and Continued on Page 9

Poetic License Featured Poet Dana Abdulhay

THIS DECEMBER

By Eliezer Morse

Photo courtesy of Portland Museum of Art

this december i got caught up with you this december we wove our teeth together in the stone of the night cold and silent warm tongues cutting through the chill

By Rebecca Dow As many of you know, April is National Poetry Month. Recently, I have come across a writer who has chosen to pursue recognition for her works. On April 13, Dana Abdulhay performed an ekphrastic poem for the Portland Museum of Art’s ArtWord event organized by Lee Sharkey. An ekphrastic poem, for those unaware, describes visual artwork interpreted through the lense of the writer’s own perspective; these poems are often spoken word.

To apply for ArtWord, participants were required to choose a piece of visual art already on display in the museum; then they had to submit up to three poems inspired by their exhibit of choice. Dana Abdulhay was one of twenty-four individuals accepted from the pool of applicants who submitted their work.

She had the opportunity to perform her poem in public while standing next to Angela Dufresne’s oil on canvas painting, “Dean Moss” — which was her inspiration.

Currently she is majoring in liberal studies at SMCC to better explore her interests and talents. Eventually, she hopes to settle on an International Relations career as she has expressed a deep-rooted desire to create change in the world. “I’ve been a refugee, and that’s all about politics; it has an effect on me and my family, … and that refugee crisis . . . has an effect on us — so I understand that there’s more to it.” She says.

Abdulhay first heard about ArtWord during a field trip organized by her creative writing class. Coincidentally, this is the first course she’s taken that is dedicated to improving one’s writing abilities.

Food & Movie Review

Continued from Page 8

some of the sights spectacular, whether interior architecture or outside scenery.

The following day I went back to Portland for another movie. This time I chose “Chappaquiddick.” I enjoyed this movie a lot more. This is the movie of the last Camelot-era Kennedy brother whose presidential dreams were severely damaged. The script details Senator Ted Kennedy’s descent, driving off a small bridge into a pond.

This exists as the catalyst to the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, putting the Senator’s political team into damage control. This

This year is only the second time ArtWord has occurred, however it will likely continue to showcase the talents of local writers in future years. Please, enjoy Dana’s poem and remember the power that thoughtful words can hold. Poetry is art in and of itself; important, beautiful, and full of meaning.

So Keep Pretending

By Dana Abdulhay Like the rain cycle, you seem like the rain cycle. your body is evaporating under the warmth of the sun, warmth taking a piece of you everytime you try to hunt the shadow, hunting comfort in a busy life, turning your strong body weak.

Heavy rain clouds during a sunny day is your face, filled with tears but you keep pulling on the reins, a shiny life is surrounding your dark tales, so keep pretending.

Rest your feet, they have seen hard roads, tiredness they carry, from wandering back and forth.

I see the tiredness in your eyes keeps shining, you are smiling through thick and thin, smiling working hard with a fraudulent smile, but at least you keep trying.

Let the world know that you are alright, fool it but you can’t fool the black and white stripes, surrounding you inside and out So keep pretending.

pretty much followed the course of events every Massachusetts state resident was presented with back in 1969. The acting was good, and the insight into this tragedy seemed realistic to me, a political outsider.

Certainly, if one has a cynical view of politicians, this will “float your boat.” The one part that ruined the realistic impression of the movie was when the drowning victim was shown alive struggling inside the car — how can anyone know what her last moments were?

Well that’s the skinny on my visits to the big city. Your turn to “roll the dice” on your movie and restaurant choices.

this december i tried to read the scripts in your eyes kiss each letter like precious bread after hunger this december i said i love you and you swallowed it so deep into yourself i almost fell in— rattled in a vacuum of hormones. pick my stalks that stand rigid in the winter air, chew them back to life let me wake in the spring with fossils of you on my skin. let me say it again, i love you love you i

love you

this december my love joined the snowflakes of millions “i love yous” unique yet repetitious a blip on your mountain of existence. i still love you though.

Avarice

By Komakech Ogak Money is cheap, I mean there’s a lot of it, Trillions floating around.

Some hiding in the lottery, others in the bank, or in our pockets.

Don’t value it to be a man or a woman.

Dead presidents on green paper, You harden our hearts, turn into a distraction, and reset the obligation of life.

Please end.

Let’s make God our principal, Invest in time to spend with family.

Rebirth our standards, For the better.

Have shame if you worship paper.

Become more generous, Make the sacrifice.

If we develop an understanding of this, Salesman lying beautiful speeches will stop.

Fears of a child not succeeding will stop.

Then we will know this power, Love.

A gift from the most glorious.

Stop the ignorance.

We are responsible for the world.

Man up!

Loneliness

By Cali Atwood Loneliness Loneliness is an aching feeling That burrows deep into your body It settles into your bones Making itself at home in your lungs And with every breath you can feel it With every beat of your heart Every passing moment, it grows Hollowing out the cavity of your chest Until all you can feel is your heart Echoing like thunder on rooftops Pounding against your ribcage Like a trapped bird meant to be free Your breath whips around your chest Raging like wind during a storm It’s settles over your bones Like night after day An icy darkness that seems to allude You’ll never feel the warmth of light again It wraps its hands around your heart Tricks you into believing it will care for it All the while digging its claws in Piercing your heart so deep It infects you to your very soul Loneliness is an aching feeling That seeps into every part of you Taking a relentless hold on your existence And threatening to never let go

Plan A, Learn to see reality. Slowly open your eyes.

Time is Money. Question why?

Do we really buy time?

Plan B, Give an effort, like the celtics in 2008 Try again, Again, And again.

Plan C, Provide hope bring change, Make the difference.

My Cat

By Joseph Malia You stand tall with such stoicism, your eyes fixed on everything and nothing your silence, demeanor, presence your look of annoyance your head up high until something catches your eye you finally jump up and want to play

In celebration of Poetry Month, I’ve gathered a number of student work to share — as a sort of last bang before the month hides its chilly face for another year. Many of these students have attended writing classes at SMCC, which surely helps in formulating expressive, refined poetry. Please enjoy and remember to send in any poetry you’d like published in future issues of The Beacon to Rebeccadow@smccme.edu, or Cott@smccme.edu. We look forward to receiving your submissions!

April 24, 2018 • The Beacon 9

Midcoast Spring Art Exhibition

By Dan Elliott

The end of another spring semester is almost upon us, which means the Midcoast Campus will be featuring their yearly art exhibition. The show, which will be held on April 26th, will feature works of art from students enrolled in such classes as Photography, Drawing I and Introduction to Digital Imaging. Despite featuring a large prominence in such technical programs like Fire Sciences and Nursing, the burgeoning campus has had a long-standing relationship with studio art. The exhibit has been a recurrence since 2013, and since then students have been presenting and enjoying artwork from themselves and each other. Originally featured in the lobby of the Orion Hall, the same building where the multipurpose room used by many these studio art classes is located, The exhibit was moved to the L.L. Bean Learning Commons, where the larger area and additional equipment installed for displaying the works of art help facilitate a better viewing experience for visitors.

An estimated fifty to eighty people are expected to be in attendance for the event this year, comprised largely of students, family members, and faculty. The show will be open to the public, with local residents and art enthusiasts alike anticipated to drop in and enjoy some of the student-focused array of works, done in a myriad of different mediums ranging from tradition-

al watercolor and oil painting to photography and digital art, with a few compositions featuring found objects entered in the show as well. Jim Whitten, Dean of the Midcoast satellite campus, has been known to purchase selections of the student’s work for inclusion in his collection on display in his office. Contact information for each piece on exhibit will be made available, for interested parties attending the show who wish to purchase anything in particular that happens to catch their fancy.

This year’s show will also feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony welcoming three new additions to the Midcoast Campus, the installation art pieces by sculptor Thomas Berger. Beacon readers will recall first hearing of the installation work previously in the March 27th issue, which chronicled the arrival of the towering stone pieces “Destination”, “Ambition” and “Thought”.

Though Berger will not be attending the reception, the event will feature essays and other written works by students who have been inspired by the granite monoliths, which symbolically represent their aspirations and futures, both on the Brunswick campus and beyond. The ceremony will be followed by a gala featuring refreshments which include fruit and vegetable trays and a mini-dessert bar filled with a cadre of sweet confections.

Michael Branca, fine arts program coordinator for the Midcoast Campus, ex-

FREE FOR STUDENTS!

10 The Beacon • April 24, 2018

plains the significance behind the focus of this year’s exhibition, stating that the investment is part of a larger initiative to make the college more welcoming to visitors and students alike. He continued, stating “The more art you have, inside and out, the better this campus will look”. Originally beginning his career at Southern Maine Community College as an instructor on the South Portland Campus, Branca also taught at the now-defunct Bath Satellite Campus before coming on board at the Brunswick site as its program coordinator.

In addition to Berger’s commissions, There is also two student-created outdoor installations: An interactive percussion piece and bench set, both centrally located near the Learning Commons building. Collaborative group projects in this fall’s Intro-

duction to Visual Arts class will see this number of outdoor art projects increase as well.

The exhibit had aslo planned to feature student musicians and performers for the event, though at the time of writing this article it had been reported that there has yet to be any registrants. This may be due, in large part,to contflicting schedules with performers, as another show is taking place around the same time, to be put on by Midcoast Theater students as part of their final project of the semester.

Regardless, this year’s art exhibit at the Brunswick Campus will be the highlight of the spring, featuring plenty of fine art, food, friends, and most importantly, lots of fun for all who drop by.

From the Mind of Dan Elliott

SMCC Sports

Scene on the Diamonds (Continued from Page 12)

to take second base while collecting two runs-batted-in, as Adams and Greenlaw would score.

The ‘Wolves would tack on two more runs in the sixth inning, again aided by errors and wild pitches. Again Butler would reach first safely on an error by the right-fielder. The next batter, Herrin, would single, advancing Butler to second; both would advance a base on a wild pitch.

A grounder to third base would push the seventh run of the day across the plate for the SeaWolves, after which a single by Greenlaw drove in Herrin, who occupied third, on the wild pitch.

The ‘Wolves again threatened a big inning run-wise, working to load the bases, but failed to push these runners across the plate.

CCRI was far from done, as in the top of the seventh inning they started to build a rally, plate one run before they hit into a game-ending double play, which went: second baseman Adams to shortstop Herrin to first baseman Greenlaw double.

In the second game of Sunday’s double header, SMCC would spot CCRI a one-run lead in the top of the first and answer with four in the bottom of the second inning.

After a scoreless third inning, CCRI would jump back in the lead when they scored four times. Again SMCC had an answer, scoring three times in the bottom of the fifth.

A half an inning later CCRI would match SMCC’s latest inning output by plating three runs in the top of the sixth to grab a

one-run lead, setting up bottom-of-the-seventh heroics.

With two outs, Caleb Chambers smacked a game-tying homer to dead center, sending the game into extra innings.

After getting the first two outs of the eight innings, the ‘Wolves would not be able to keep CCRI from scoring as CCRI plated two runs on a hit to deep center field. The ‘Wolves would go down in order in their half of the inning, splitting the doubleheader with CCRI. On the softball diamond, Kristen Mackenzie would throw seven complete innings, allowing four hits and one unearned run to cross the plate against the Lady Mustangs.

The win would bring her season strikeout total to 45.

The SeaWolves’ bats would not come alive until the third inning, when they touched home plate three times. The ‘Wolves would

push across three more runs in the fourth and add one more in the fifth. CM would get on the big board in the top of the sixth with their lone run.

Scoring in the third inning started with a sacrifice fly by Madison Eastman and a twoout, two-run double courtesy of Sara Ring.

In the fourth inning Mackenzie, Harriman and Amber Randall all recorded runs-batted-ins; the Mustangs were unable to stop the ‘Wolves from doubling their lead.

After six and a half innings of four-hit ball, Mackenzie would record her team-leading seventh win of the season, stranding Mustang runners at the corners with a strikeout to kill any rally hopes Central may have had.

Game 2 of the double header would see SMCC pitcher Sarah Guimond fan a season-high 11 batters while surrendering only two hits.

The Lady Wolves would plate four runners in the bottom of the first, with the scoring starting when Eastman scored on a

single by Sarah Ring. Ring would score on a single by Kahli Philibotte from third. Ring would take third on a wild pitch by the CM pitcher. Philibotte and Guimond would round out the scoring for Southern Maine.

The ‘Wolves would add another run in the second and fourth before allowing a CM run to cross the plate in the top of the sixth.

The Lady ‘Wolves would respond with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and pad their lead to 9-1, at which point the game was called.

Sara Guimond would earn her fifth win of the season.

The softball team returns to SMCC on the 25th for their final four games of the spring season on the 25th and 27th when they take on CMCC and UMPI. The baseball team returns on the 26th to finish their season against CMCC, Carleton College and Quinsigamond Community College.

Above: Shortstop Amos Herrin readies his throw to first, completing a game-ending double play.

Below: Amber Randall takes the throw from SeaWolf catcher Sara Ring, nailing an UMPI player who s trying to steal second.

THE

Photos by The Beacon Sports Staff

BEACON HELP WANTED FOR FALL ‘18 The Beacon is gearing up for next year and wants your help.

We are seeking interested students for:

Section Editors Section editors

Campus News ◆ Other World Opinion & Editorial ◆ Arts & Features Midcoast Campus ◆ Sports

Contributing Writers Layout & Design Illustrators & Photographers Ad Sales Paper delivery The opportunity is here if you wish to be part of a student club that has been active and going strong for the last 8 years.

Interested? Contact Chuck Ott at cott@smccme.edu

The Quick Look Scoreboard Below are the scores for the SeaWolves softball and baseball teams since April 10. With a little less than two-weeks left in the spring season the SeaWolves look to prepare for the Yankee Small College

Conference Championships on May 3rd.

SMCC will host the baseball tournament and Great Bay Community College in New Hampshire will host the softball tournament.

Softball

Baseball

4/13 4/13 4/14 4/14 4/17 4/17 4/18 4/18 4/20 4/20 4/21 4/21

UMPI L 4-1 UMPI L 7-5 NHTI L 14-0 NHTI L 7-6 NECC W 14-0 NECC W 9-0 CMCC W 7-1 CMCC W 9-1 CCRI W 14-7 CCRI L 9-1 GBCC W 11-1 GBCC W 16-1

4/10 NECC L 9-3 4/12 CMCC W 12-2 4/13 NHTI W 15-4 4/14 NHTI W 6-0 4/14 NHTI W 11-1 4/20 GRCC W 8-2 4/21 GBCC W 7-0 4/21 GBCC W 6-5 4/22 CCRI 4/22 CCRI

April 24, 2018 • The Beacon 11

SMCC Sports

The Scene on the Diamonds Softball and Baseball Gear Up for YSCC Tournament

By The Beacon Sports Staff

SMCC would win their next four, taking two against Northern Essex Community College (14-0, 9-0), beating CMCC twice (7-1, 9-1) and taking the opener of a doubleheader against CCRI (14-7).

On the men’s diamond, the baseball team put together a seven-game winning streak between the 12th and 21st. They would start the streak against the Mustangs from CMCC (12-2), take three against NHTI on the 13th and 14th (15-4, 6-0 and 11-1) and sweep Great Bay Community College on the 20th and 21st (8-2, 7-0 and 6-5).

Photos by The Beacon Sports Staff

With a little less than two weeks left in the spring season, the SeaWolves softball and baseball teams are preparing for postseason play in the Yankee Small College Conference playoffs.

The softball team takes a two-game winning streak into Tuesday’s road game against Massasoit Community College before returning home for the last four games of the season. The SeaWolves will take on YSCC

foe Central Maine Community College on the 25th in a late-afternoon/early-evening doubleheader and finish the season against University of Maine-Presque Isle on the 27th.

The Lady SeaWolves take more than a two-game winning streak into the last set of games, as they have also won seven of their last eight after dropping four in a row. The Lady ‘Wolves would be swept in back-toback doubleheaders to UMPI on the 13th (4-1, 7-5) and New Hampshire Technical College on the 14th (14-0, 7-6).

Left: Caleb Chambers unloads a center-field homer in the seventh inning, forcing extra innings in Sunday’s second game against CCRI. Right: Kristen Mackenzie is thrown out at first base in the later innings against University of Maine-Presque Isle.

This past Sunday, the ‘Wolves took to the diamond to battle it out against the Community College of Rhode Island in a doubleheader. The ‘Wolves would spot CCRI three runs over the course of the first three innings before plating two runs that removed the goose egg from the big board.

After five innings CCRI would plate five runs only allowing the SeaWolves to plate one. The bottom of the fifth inning proved to be the difference in the game, as SMCC would strike for four runs. With the aid of timely walks, errors and wild pitches the Wolves would grab a one-run lead by pushing across four runs.

The inning started with Cody Bryant flying out to left field. Devin Butler would reach first on an error by the CCRI second baseman and take second when Amos Herrin drew a walk. A wild pitch would allow Butler and Herrin to advance bases, moving them 90 feet closer to home plate. A single by Sean Adams to left field would drive across Butler and Herrin, cutting CCRI’s lead to two: 5-3.

SMCC would continue to rally as Timothy Greenlaw’s single to right field would allow Adam’s to advance to third. Nathaniel Cyr would also draw a walk loading the bases and setting the stage for a big inning.

The ‘Wolves’ next batter, Dylan Francoeur, would single to third base but be called safe on an errant throw which also allowed him (Continued on Page 11)

Get on the path toward your degree.

Make this summer count.

SUMMER SESSION Registration begins March 1 through first class meetings 4-WEEK SESSIONS May 21 – June 15 July 9 – August 3

7-WEEK SESSIONS May 21 – July 6 July 9 – August 24

14-WEEK SESSION May 21 – August 24

For more information: usm.maine.edu/summer | (207) 780-5230 2018-102