Issue Date 1•25•17
Volume 13 No. 9
Portland Museum of Art: Unveiled Alex Serrano
On the first Friday of February, as is customary, hundreds of Portlanders flooded the streets for the monthly Art Walk. What makes this Art Walk different? The unveiling of the newly renovated Portland Museum of Art, accompanied in grand fashion by a projection art piece. Two huge scaffolding towers were erected across from the museum on Congress Square to hold the projectors. What a show! With one projection at six-thirty and the next at eight o’clock, the Portland Museum of Art was illuminated by a solid ten minutes of very interesting animation technology. With art styles ranging from cartoonish simplicity to complex 3-D renders, the experience was invigorating and surreal, as in one segment the projected bricks of the building seemed to fall away, and shapes morphed from faces to wine glasses to Rube Goldberg machines. If there is one complaint to be lobbed at this presentation, it is the impersonal quality of the projections. While the animation was attention-grabbing and certainly a technical masterpiece, the presentation lacked character. Nowhere to be seen was the home-grown, twice burned down, independent-coffeeshop-strewn, handmade moxy of Portand. Inside, visitors are greeted with many of the familiar sights and sounds of the Portland Museum of Art. The large echoing hall sports wall-sized paintings and invites visitors to explore featured traveling exhibits as well as the historic wings of the PMA. A gift shop sporting (per the PMA website) “Maine’s largest selection of art books” and a small cafe grace the interior
of the museum and make the entire establishment a bustling hive of activity. With more art in more places, the museum is now not divided by medium, but by era. In a statement published in the Portland Press Herald, Mark Bessire, museum director, said, “It’s not sculpture in one room, paintings in another and
glass in another location. We’re trying to present it all in context to create richer and better experiences for our visitors.” This is exciting for veteran museum-goers for the added explorative value of finding old favorites and newly added marvels mixed around in these hallowed halls. Along with frequent film showings and
rotating features, the Portland Museum of Art continues its proud tradition of free admissions on Fridays. As a frequenter of the PMA for at least a year, I would highly recommend the museum to Portlanders, tourists, and art freaks alike.
By the Beacon Sports Staff
count an impressive four championships for the Lady Mustangs of CMCC and four championships for your SMCC Seawolves. Championships on the men’s side of the court find four schools holding the trophy twice (CMCC, NHTI, SMCC and Vermont Tech). St. Joe’s, UMaine-Augusta and UMaine-Machias have gone on to Uniontown once. Only three times has the same school won the women and men’s championships in the same year. The Seawolves were the first team to do this in 2008; CMCC was next in 2014, and St. Josephs followed in 2015. Only the Seawolves have had the honor of both teams winning the tournament on their home court. In 2014, both Mustang teams won on the Seawolves court. The Beacon also sat down with Assistant Athletic Director Ethan Wells to learn about what SMCC and the athletic department is doing to get ready for and stage the Elite 8 tournament.
YSCC Elite 8 Headed to SMCC 4 day post-season tournament will energize the Hub
CMCC Lady Mustangs celebrate winning the YSCC on SMCC’s floor. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen this year!
After a two-year absence from the Hutchinson Union Building, the YSCC post-season basketball tournament is returning to SMCC. The tournament has been wonderful showcase for the athleticism and talent found on the courts of YSCC member schools. Last year, Central Maine Community College hosted the tournament. While CMCC seems to always have teams that are favored to win it all, it was the fifth-seated University of Maine–Machias Clippers who outlasted the Mustangs (75–70) to take top honors for the men. On the women’s side of the court, the College of Saint Joseph’s of Vermont ended up winning the tournament for the second year in a row when they bested the Moose from University of Maine-Machias, 59–52. The Fighting Saints would go on to win their first USCAA championship in Uniontown, Pa. In the eleven years that the tournament has been staged, tallies for past champions
(continued on page 2)
C ampus N ews Redefining Community One App at a Time By Jessica Spoto
SMCC has this really neat interactive app for students! Students can find information about the school just like they can if they go onto the website. They can find information about events, sports, clubs, campus services, dining services and much more! The other cool thing about this app is that SMCC is really putting the “community” in “community college.” There are sections on the app like Student Feed. Student Feed is where students can ask questions about things going around on campus and have them answered by other students. This is a really cool feature to
THE
connect students together. Students can also buy and sell items, like old used textbooks! It’s like an SMCC Craigslist. There is also a lost-and-found section, so if a student finds something around campus that isn’t theirs, they can simply snap a pic and post it on this section. Other sections include housing, news and ridesharing. There is another really amazing feature on this app. It’s basically a Facebook feature. You can friend other students and send them messages. This is a nice way to connect students together when they normally may not have even met at all. Overall, this app is very useful for students. If you are an SMCC student, get the app. I highly recommend it.
BEACON Executive Staff
Managing Editor Creative Director Art Director Art Director Art Director, Illustrator Copy Editor
Alex Serrano Troy Hudson Oguzhan Ozkan Max Lorber Paul Moosmann Ben Riggleman
Contributing Writers Whit Cole Eliza Hopkins Ness Hutchins Lydia Libby Max Lorber Ryan Marshall Gwendolyn Randall Benjamin Riggleman Advisors Chuck Ott &Rachel Guthrie
YSCC Elite 8 Headed to SMCC (continued from page 1) First off, the Beacon wants to acknowledge the great job you have done as assistant athletic director. You’ve brought a level of energy to the athletics department that hopefully will put the department and school on the map in a greater light. The online presence for the athletics depart has taken off. Things like getting the game results out in a timely manner, organizing the short post-game interviews with the athletes, and building a wider presence on social platforms have enhanced the department’s look. With these thoughts in mind, how are the athletic department and SMCC promoting the tournament? For those that cannot be in attendance, SMCC’s athletic department plans to live-stream all 14 games via SeaWolves LIVE TV. This service will be available on Facebook Live and on the YSCC website. Jeff Mannix, host of The Big Jab sports radio station, will be calling every minute of the tournament. Our game management staff will be organizing pre-game and post-game interviews with coaches and players involved in the game. SMCC is also teaming up with the Maine Sports Commission and other local businesses in the greater Portland area in promoting this tournament. We will also be offering a special concessions menu featuring lobster rolls. Are there special events or promotions aimed at the SMCC student population to build attendance? There are no special promotions that we have planned; however, both the men’s and women’s SMCC programs are poised for a run at the title. For this reason, we are hoping for participation from our student body. SMCC Athletics will be sure to advertise game times of all SMCC contests when the scheduled is released. Speaking of promoting the tournament and building attendance, is there a plan to target the non-community college population? The athletics department will be putting together a program that will be available at the gate, detailing all 16 teams of the tournament. By offering the live stream to various media outlets, the idea is to target friends, family, and other supporters to tune in.
Can you give us your thoughts on what a successful tournament would look like? From a game-operations perspective, a successful tournament means games tip off as scheduled, avoiding unforeseeable delays. I also define success in the setting of the tournament, meaning we are looking for big turnouts by our fans and other supporters of nearby programs. Competitive competition and a high-energy environment is why we love sports. Every three years SMCC gets the chance to host the conference tournament, and we prepared to make it the best it can be. And of course, we have to ask this: Do you have any favorites? You have to believe our men and women are the favorites in the tournament. Combined, our basketball programs are 21–3 at the Hutchinson Athletic Building (HUB) this season. For opponents, the HUB can be a challenging place to play when the SMCC student-section gets involved. Southern Maine vs. Central Maine finals in both the men’s and women’s brackets are very probable scenarios — the best basketball rivalry in Maine. SMCC Athletics looks forward to all of your support February 16–19! Regardless that the YSCC Elite 8 tournament isn’t the “big dance” that the NCAA stages across the country in March, the tournament has proven to be a winner for the YSCC, its member schools, and New England. Hotels and businesses in the Portland area could see a spike in their income as many of the 16 teams will stay in the area while the tournament unfolds. The Elite 8 banquet, which is scheduled to be held at the Double Tree the morning the tournament opens, will acknowledge student athletes who have won player of the week awards. The second and first all-conference teams will be named, players and coaches of the year will be announced, and the regular-season champions will be acknowledged. If you are a fan of basketball, and enjoy YSCC basketball when the stakes are the highest, then you know where you should be: the Hutchinson Union Building on the 16th through the 19th. It will be the last time to root on your Seawolves at home this year.
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2 The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017
C ampus N ews The Veterans Club Notes By Whit Cole
What Will be the Future of the Trades? By Gwendolyn Randall
When SMCC opened in 1946 it was under the name “Maine Vocational Technical Institute” and trained World War II veterans who needed new skills in the post-war economy. As the economy developed and academic requirements changed, the name changed from “Maine Vocational Technical Institute” to “Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute (SMVTI)”; then from SMVTI to “Southern Maine Technical College (SMTC)”; and finally to the “Southern Maine Community College” that we know today. Now our college has more than 6,000 students and over 40 degree and certificate programs, but the trades seem to have dropped from the spotlight. Concern for the trade programs grows as confusion spreads over what the future of the programs will look like. Veteran and concerned student Whitney Cole expressed reservations about the relocation of the HVAC building. Currently, the HVAC building is in need of a rehaul. But the HVAC program is possibly looking at relocating to a much smaller space. Cheryl Rich, chair of the horticulture department, attended the Student Senate meeting on
Wednesday, Feb. 1 to help answer some questions. She assured us that the “Master Plan” for the future of SMCC is still in its first draft and will likely change many times in the next few months while decisions are made. The Senate discussed a public forum in the works for students to understand and discuss the Master Plan before big decisions are made. The Master Plan is available for viewing by all students through the MySMCC portal. Some misinformation has also spread throughout the campus that the construction program would be shut down entirely. SMCC, and schools around the country, evaluate the success of their programs based on graduation and enrollment rates. A major issue with this evaluation is that many students in the trades don’t finish out their degree because they are offered full-time jobs in the field that they are studying. So how accurate is this evaluation of success? Rich informs us that while the construction degree program is being closed, the classes are still available in a certificate program. That means that students seeking a job in the construction field can still access classes at SMCC for a certificate — which may make sense for
‘Writ,’ SMCC’s Literary Journal, is Going to Press By Ness Hutchins
Writ is currently accepting submissions for the 2017 issue, the theme of which will be Lost & Found. All submissions should include one or both themes to some degree. Above all else be creative! If you’re not sure your piece relates to the theme, please send it along anyway. This is an experiment for Writ as much as it is for you, the contributor.
We’re looking for fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, prose, song lyrics, photography, art, and creative endeavors in between. Please send all submissions as attachments. Written work should be in Microsoft Word or Pages documents. All visual submissions should be in a jpeg format. If submissions are received and they’re not in the formats stated above, they will not be considered. Send all submissions to mwrit@smccme.edu. The deadline is April 1st. Happy writing!
students who don’t need a degree in order to work in their desired field. To handle all of these concerns and more, the Student Senate has created a “Career and Trade Committee.” This committee aims to address student and faculty concerns about the future of the trades program. It also intends to work with companies that have benefited from student internships and employment, and are hence invested in the welfare of the trade programs. Student Juniper Hathaway of the Horticulture Department says, “My experience with the trades at SMCC have been overwhelmingly positive. I’d like to see the college put a greater emphasis on supporting these programs for the benefit of the entire Southern Maine community.” The committee is still in its early stages and is looking for fellow concerned students to collaborate with! For more information on these issues and how you can get proactive, contact gwendolynerandall@smccme.edu or juniperfhathaway@ smccme.edu.
First, I would like to take a moment to welcome you all back — or welcome those of you that are just starting out at Southern Maine Community College. My name is Whit Cole, Army Infantry ten years, SMCC’s Veteran Club president and representative on the Student Senate. This is the end of my third year at SMCC. I have a degree in HVC and am enjoying the plumbing certificate program right now. I would like to let you all know that we are planning for bake sales once again, the second Monday of every month. Please do try to help out with either baking or volunteering at the table if you can. All proceeds go right back to the veterans at this school. We did hold three bake sales last semester — averaging around $250 an event. The more money we raise, the more scholarships we can provide to returning veterans here. Amy and I manage to do a lot and are always looking for others to help out and fill the gaps that we can’t. I understand you have done a service to your country — as have I. I also understand that a lot of you have families and jobs to contend with; but without your help and support, this club may not exist after this semester. I am looking for someone who is willing to step up and learn what it takes to run the Veterans Club (should I not find a viable welding program next year here at SMCC). If you are interested in taking on a leadership role of either president or vice president, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. We hold one social gathering per semester for veterans so you can all enjoy free food and mingle with other veterans. We hold them off campus at a restaurant, and you are welcome to bring a guest. Final food for thought: because of our fundraising and the Student Senate, the 2017 graduating veteran class will have, for the first time, a silver medallion with a red, white and blue ribbon, consisting of the college crest and “Veteran” on the bottom. It’s a thank you from the Veterans Club to you for your service, and our congratulations for completing your degree or certificate. I thank you for all you have done and all you will do in the future for this great country! For more information about the Veteran’s Club and what we are doing on campus please contact me via email at Whitneygcole@smccme.edu
Thinking about transferring? Upcomming college representative visit dates: Univestiy of New England Monday 2/13 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
St. Joseph’s Thursday 2/16 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Univeristy of Southern Maine Tuesday 2/21 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the campus center lobby.
The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017 3
O ther W orld Valentine’s Day: Not Just About the Chocolate By Lydia Libby
Find yourself singing in the shower? In the car? In the rain? Join the Chorus! Newbies welcome. Wednesdays 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Hildreth Media Center, Room 102 (Not the Science side) For questions contact Gwen at gwendolynerandall@smccme.edu
4 The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017
the United States could relate to. The more relatable the card companies I’m sure many of you remember the became, the more the candy and jewelry simple joys of exchanging valentines as industries began to boom. People wanted to children. The notes, the candy, maybe special add a special something to celebrate those pencils. But there is more of a history to that they loved. Valentine’s Day became less Valentine’s Day than we were ever taught. about what St. Valentine did for those in The History Channel’s website states that love, and more about your loved ones and in 278 A.D., St. Valentine was executed by presents. Whether it was buying jewelry, Claudius II on February 14. The Roman candy, and a card for your significant other, Catholic legend is that Claudius II outor sending your child with little notes to lawed young men to get married because show they cared about their classmates, Valhe felt marriage was a distraction to those entine’s Day became about spending money who were being sent to battle. During that on those we love. In this day and age we time, St. Valentine married young couples in want to celebrate this day by remembering secrecy. Hence why the day is about love. St. those that we love and making sweet gesValentine wanted to celebrate love, which tures of appreciation — which, if a holiday is why his death is were to become remembered as a commercialized, Written Valentine’s began day of love. after 1400 BC. The oldest known would be the way However, people to do it. Valentine was a poem that was took this day of Of course, evwritten by Charles, Duke of love and turned eryone is able to it into a commergo overboard on Orleans in 1415. cialized holiday. A spending for Valcommercialized holiday revolving around entine’s Day. In fact, not just people in the written sentiments and flashy presents. United States, but Canadians, Mexicans, Written valentines began after 1400 British, French, and Australian people all BC. The oldest known valentine was a poem celebrate Valentine’s Day. About 85 percent that was written by Charles, Duke of Orleof women from all of these countries conans in 1415. Charles wrote the poem to his tribute to the purchasing of valentines. That wife after he was imprisoned in the Tower is a lot of Valentine’s Day cards! of London. This poem is preserved and is Now, after learning the history of Valpart of the manuscript collection in the entine’s Day, you learn that there are many British Library in London. ways to celebrate February 14. It is up to Fast forward about 400 years and the you to decide if you view the holiday as a first batch of mass-produced valentines are date night, a day to celebrate loved ones, or created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. an occasion to remember St. Valentine — or Howland set the stage for February 14 to maybe not celebratory occasion at all. Maybecome a day where lovers rejoice and enbe you do buy a card, and you write how joy small gifts and greeting cards. National you feel. Maybe you buy candy for those Public Radio claims that in 1913, famous who enjoy it. Just remember the historical greeting card company Hallmark began value of this day of love. mass-producing Valentine’s Day cards. Their cards were unique and offered a variety of sentimental statements that couples all over
Veteran’s Club Bake Sale Proceeds go to Veterans Club Scholarship Fund
February 13th 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Campus Center
O ther W orld
Traumatic Brain Injury: An Inspiration By Jessica Spoto rebuild. As well as that, it is where all my “The life that I had and loved was gone friends were. forever, and that ‘me’ was dead. I had to “Everything was going great — life was rebuild my life and learn how to live again, great. But then on July 12, 2003, I was and have been doing this for 13 years. Now riding on the highway to go home … my every day is a challenge!” motorcycle’s front tire got into a high-speed Scott Pelletier is a very kind person, and shimmy. I was going too fast, and then I he lives every day with a traumatic brain got caught up in traffic where I had to slow injury. He walks, talks and acts like someone down. The high-speed shimmy turned into who is 100 percent mentally and physically a slow-speed wobble. Where my entire mohealthy. He jokes and laughs like everyone torcycle was jolting side to side — and that else, but what hides within him would led to me going off the highway, into the surprise many. He hopes his story will help woods and down into a ditch. people understand “When my front tire traumatic brain When my head hit the tree, hit the ground, it catainjuries better, and pulted me straight out my brain jolted to the front how it’s a hidden in a superman position, of my skull, then to the rear, epidemic. Here and as I was over five are his words: smashing it into my skull itself feet off the ground I “I went to flew head first into a — causing my brain to swell school in Floritree. When my head hit and to bleed. da to become a the tree, it snapped my certified factohead back and fractured ry-trained Harley Davidson motorcycle my C1 vertebrae. My spine compressed, and technician. When I graduated, I had a job I have a protruded disc next to my sciatic in Manchester, N.H. — where I am from nerve. Because of this, in winter and in cer— before I even left Orlando, Fla. to come tain times of the year the disc gets inflamed home. and actually rubs against my sciatic nerve, “I worked for eight years at a job that I causing severe pain in my back. completely loved and excelled at. I loved “When my head hit the tree, my brain my job, progressed at my job so well and so jolted to the front of my skull, then to the quickly that I had customers that started rear, smashing it into my skull itself — asking for me to start working on their mo- causing my brain to swell and to bleed. This torcycles. I did everything from the smallest, affected my frontal lobe, occipital lobe, caussimplest jobs to a complete motorcycle ing me the need to wear glasses. The dam-
age to my frontal lobe caused me to have severe short-term memory loss and some long-term memory loss, too. “I ended up in the emergency room for almost a month, where I had to be induced into coma because I kept moving around and trying to get out of my bed every time a friend or family member came to visit me. I would tell them to bring me home, and I would even joke with them the whole time they were there! “From the emergency room, I was then transported to a rehabilitation center in Salem, N.H., where I had to learn how to walk and talk all over again. In a humorous way, my right vocal cord was also paralyzed, and when I talked I sounded like a frog. After almost three months in rehab I was then allowed to go home, but I had to live with someone because I couldn’t get around easily or drive. So I moved in with my father, who lives alone. “I had a neck brace that went from the rear of my head to the underside of my chin and went all the way down almost to my waist, so I couldn’t take showers. I had to take sponge-baths, and to wash my hair I had to have my father use the sprayer in the sink to rinse my hair. At this point I was starting to realize all of the things that I lost. I could not go back to work on motorcycles because of my short-term memory, so therefore I basically lost most of my friends, because my life stopped and theirs kept going.”
SMCC Student Activities are happening now!!! So, what is stopping you from getting involved? Student Senate Meets every Wednesday at 4:30 in Jewett Auditorium Senators are needed. Stop by the CeSIL office in Spring Point Hall for more information Trivia Night Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month Winter Carnival Feb 21 24 Snow Sculpture, Dance and more Sexual Health Awareness Week March 20-24
Interested in a Bachelor’s degree? Save time and money with ConnectED Pathways.
Our many articulation agreements ensure a streamlined transfer of credits towards your bachelor’s degree. Learn more at usm.maine.edu/connected. We offer merit scholarships to transfer students which helps to keep tuition costs low. Learn more at usm.maine.edu/scholarships.
Questions? We’re happy to help! Contact our knowledgeable Transfer Success Coordinator, Christopher Fox at 207-780-4793 or via email: cwfox@maine.edu
The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017 5
O pinion & E ditorial The NFL Hall of Fame Selection Process Where’s the transparency and legitimacy? By Gio DiFazio
Sugar like Cocaine By Jessica Spoto
Sugar is like cocaine: it’s addictive and deadly. For real there are actual studies on this! Putting massive amounts of sugar into your body creates fat. Fat is not healthy. An average person eats about 500 extra calories a day just by eating sugar. This is enough calories to put on one pound per week! Eww gross!
An average person eats about 500 extra calories a day just by eating sugar. This is enough calories to put on one pound per week! Eww gross! Now while not dissing a curvy body imagine, as well as not fat shaming, but one must admit having that unwanted unhealthy fat is just plain well unhealthy. There are a lot of after effects of eating sugar. This includes: diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. It can also lead to obesity, insomnia, and tooth decay. Honestly who wants those things! Uh, NO ONE! So seriously consider cutting out those sugary snacks. You could literally lose your life over ice cream, cookies, soda and sugar, sugar, sugar!!! Not only can sugar hurt physically but mentally too! Consuming sugar can cause anxiety and even depression! Again, who wants those things?!? No one, absolutely no one! The average American consumes 53 gallons of soda per year. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww! Why do we do this to ourselves?! A lot of foods that people wouldn’t normally think wouldn’t have sugar, have sugar lurking within them. Foods that contain hidden sugar are foods like: french fries, pasta sauce, ketchup and peanut butter. So, seriously think before you eat, consider how much sugar is in the food, even when you don’t think the food contains sugar! Sugar is not your friend and it will never be, even though it tastes sweet and seductive, because believe me; it is. Don’t die over sugar because sugar is evil and deadly!
6 The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017
The complete trivialization of the NFL’s Hall of Fame is near completion. What was once, an elite fraternity, has boiled down to little more a popularity contest, which happens to be televised nationally. Terrell Owens was one of the most dynamic athletes of the late 1990’s into the early 2000’s. A 1,000-yard receiver his third year in the league, Owens quickly evolved into a vertical threat, that had the ability to transform into a tailback after a catch. Without diving, deep into the numbers, only two players produced numbers relative to what Owens put up at the turn of the millennium. Marvin Harrison and Randy Moss both had incredible careers, and Marvin Harrison has earned his Golden Jacket, while Moss is eligible for the first time in 2018. Owens was passed over on what appears to be a myopic display of media bias. Only
Jerry Rice, who many people consider the best FOOTBALL player EVER, has more receiving yards than Owens. The most frustrating aspect is what Terrell Owens is faulted for, and is a leading contributor as to why the NFL is drowned in its own unique almost drug-like fueled environment of today. Terrell Owens, and his antics, drew me even closer to the game, and to the product that it distributes. Selection is dominated by the pre-disposition and radical agendas of the members of the media that vote to induct the players. What kind of criteria determines that there is consistency across the board regarding hall of fame selection? Would a certain standard have to be achieved, or do we rely on the thoughts and personal agendas of MEDIA members that elect them? Voters that choose inductees are protected in a shroud of anonymity. The selection committee, on a singular basis, cannot be challenged since no exact vote totals are
announced, per the official website of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Only the committee and its members can be questioned. This only leads to the subjective nature of Hall of Fame induction, since individuals in the committee are protected, and never should defend the stance they are taking. Canton can include the likes of Lawrence Taylor, Jim Brown, O.J. Simpson, but look down on a player like Terrell Owens. The hall will induct Terrell Davis, who only played for 7 years, but consistently gloss over players like Jamal Lewis and Shawn Alexander, who both had far better numbers than Terrell Davis. If it wasn’t for one super bowl win, a player like Davis goes without being nominated, let alone inducted. It’s fair to say that having Owens on your team may not lead to a conducive winning environment. It doesn’t change the fact of his numbers, which are far better than any receiver that is eligible for the next few years, except for Randy Moss.
From the Desk of the Managing Editor Building Networks of Positive Change By Alex Serrano
Every other week I start this column with something like “The world is in an interesting place,” “The world doesn’t seem too normal right now, but-,” or “These are difficult times.” Well no more, because despite these sentiments being truthful and honest from a certain broad perspective, neither are very helpful in these divisive times. We have to quit soliloquizing the death rattle of a free America and begin building. Building networks that hopefully lead to positive change for all, regardless of your ethnicity or origins of birth. Nearly everyone has skills and capabilities to contribute towards the greater good of humanity. Some work at soup kitchens. Maybe you volunteer at Planned Parenthood. For others it’s church-based
charity. Whatever you do, you’re making the world a better place to be a part of. Here at the Beacon, we write so that hopefully somebody somewhere will be more informed on the issues around the world and on our little campus in Maine. The conversation within the editorial staff of the Beacon has focused on the paper taking on the role of being an agent of positive support for the SMCC community. Yes, we stand by our conviction that the paper is a forum for all rational voices, regardless of their political stance. However, we also stand by our beliefs that we need to speak out against the abuse of power especially when others are dehumanized by such manipulations. So, what does SMCC do as a campus to make the world a better place? Should we establish ourselves as a sanctuary campus as other schools, and even cities, have done across the country, prior to and in response to the Immigration Ban? This mostly ceremonial action, seems like the first logical step to protecting our diverse student body. In November and more recently, President Cantor addressed these concerns in an all campus email. He also asked the advice of Amy Homans, the MCCS lawyer to address these concerns. The most pertinent quote from the email reads as follows: “If law enforcement officials with proper legal authority request student records, the college is obligated by law to comply. Designating the college a “sanctuary campus” is a largely symbolic gesture that would not have any effect on the college’s legal obligations.” No, SMCC will not be joining the Sanctuary movement. However, there are legal statutes in place, for example, FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The federal law is specifically designed to maintain the confidentiality
of information in every students’ education records, including their status as undocumented and/or subject to DACA, and legal precedents in place which stop law enforcement from barging in and requesting information on students without a warrant or court order. For now, it seems that this is enough. With any luck, knowing that luck does not favor the disenfranchised, it will be.
Fat Equals Ugly By Jessica Spoto
Fat means you are ugly. If you are fat, you are ugly. If you are ugly, you must be fat. Okay, okay, let’s back this up a bit. No, fat does not mean you are ugly. In no way does fat mean ugly. Ugly shouldn’t even exist in our vocabulary, because everyone is beautiful in their own unique way. Society pounds into us this ideal body for men and women to have. Of course people think fat is ugly — because people grow up learning society’s standards of beauty. Men need to be tall, muscular, and handsome, while women need to be skinny, have long hair, and wear makeup. The main major issue that arises everywhere is fat. If a person has fat and lots of it, they are treated a whole lot different that someone who has the “ideal” body. They are looked down upon in society. People call other people who have extra fat “whales,” “cows,” and “pigs.” Comparing a person to an animal isn’t humane at all. Let’s stand up for what is right. Let’s break free from these unrealistic beauty standards that men, women and everyone else encounter. We are beauty. We are something more than just fat. Embrace your body! You are beautiful!
O pinion & E ditorial
Punching Nazis: A Moral Meditation By Alex Serrano
By this point you’ve probably seen the video of Richard Spencer, Alt-Right leader and white supremacist (excuse me, “race realist”) getting punched in the face by a masked protester. This of course was followed up by news organizations and the general populace with discussions over the morality of punching an alleged neo-Nazi. How do we respond? Do we lash out in self-righteous anger or protest with peaceful pragmatism? Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X? Or do you believe that the nature of violence is much more complex? Donald Trump’s executive orders, if you’re still in the “let’s wait and see what kind of president he’ll be” camp, have become increasingly morally repugnant by the minute. Averaging two executive orders a
day — including a ban of seven countries’ worth of predominantly Muslim immigrants and the go-ahead for the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline — the Trump presidency is already shaping up to regime-like standards. To varying degrees of success, rallies and marches have erupted around the country in opposition to Trump, his cabinet, and the rhetoric he displayed on the campaign trail. People are scared, and for some, anti-fascist anarchist “black-bloc” groups provide what they believe is the answer. On the other side of the spectrum, Alt-Right white nationalists have presented opposition to these radical leftist groups. These clashes between the radical left and the radical right have resulted in riots and violent outbreak, most notably at UC Berkeley this past week outside of a Milo Yiannopoulos rally. Vio-
lence may not be the answer, but it gets the headlines rolling. Not all protests are, or have to be, violent. By most accounts, notably from the Washington Post, the demonstrations at UC Berkeley started out peaceful before “a blackclad mob of a few dozen started breaking windows and setting fires at the campus.” Just as most protesters believe that civil disobedience and marches are their only way to sway entrenched government authorities, anti-fascist and alt-right protesters alike seem to believe that the answer is actually a step further, resulting in headline-grabbing destruction and chaos. While violence may not be the answer, the spike in riotous behavior in America is certainly evident of a deep, growing division between the left and right of the nation. Both of these factions are intimidated by
one another and catalyze each other to belligerent ends. Finding a common enemy would surely be a herculean feat, as the AltRight now has a seat in the White House. “Give him a chance” implies that at some undeterminable point in the future, Trump will quit his racist, misogynist, xenophobic demagoguery. But fourteen executive orders and countless ostracized Americans later, he shows not a sign of stopping, nor a any sizable administrative opposition. So if you’re scared, organize. Volunteer at the ACLU or Planned Parenthood. Call your senators and representatives in every legislature. Go to marches, keep marching, and stay involved, especially if you’re not overtly affected right now. All we have is each other, and each other is all we need to bring about effective change. Keep fighting.
on thousands of homes, and who stashes his millions in offshore tax havens (Mnuchin); a climate-skeptic EPA chief who did the bidding of oil companies while serving as Oklahoma attorney general (Pruitt); and a labor secretary who’s praised the advantages of replacing human workers with robots (Puzder). Did I mention that none of these people have any experience in government? That many of Trump’s other picks (DeVos, Carson, Perry) are fantastically unqualified? That several (Sessions, Bannon) are bigots? Or that Trump’s cabinet is the wealthiest in history? • Dangerously reordering the National Security Council. President Trump’s second national security memo demoted the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the highest-ranking officer in the armed forces!) to part-time membership. At the same time, it made a spot on the Council for alt-righthand-man Steve Bannon. As head of Breitbart News, Bannon signed off on headlines like “The Confederate Flag Proclaims a
Glorious Heritage”; now he’ll be weighing in on diplomacy and drone strikes. There’s much more cause for concern: the blizzard of unhinged Tweets, the standoff with Mexico, the fate of the Affordable Care Act, and the other ominous campaign promises. I can’t cover everything here. The bottom line is that President Trump deserves to be met with resistance. Marches and demonstrations are important. They grow visibility, solidarity and morale. But we can’t neglect the old, unexciting political channels: we must fire on all cylinders. Call your legislators! (You may get a pre-recorded message, but don’t be discouraged. It just means their lines are flooded.) Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is a critical swing vote in the battle over Trump’s
cabinet. Rejecting any of the nominees will require peeling off three Republicans, and she could well be one. She needs to hear from us. We’ve also got to be thinking ahead. Like them or not, Democrats are our best hope for holding back Trump’s agenda. We must work to get them elected in as many House districts as possible in 2018. All 435 seats will be up for grabs, and whoever holds them at the time of the 2020 U.S. census gets to fortify their incumbent advantage by redistricting. (AKA gerrymandering — it’s one reason for the present Republican stranglehold on the House.) Thirty-three Senate seats will also be open. I haven’t researched important races yet, but I know I’ll be phone-banking when the time comes.
We’re in Trouble, Bigly By Ben Riggleman
Are you worried? Angry? Disgusted? Good. If you’re an American who’s been paying attention, that’s what’s called for. There’s no excuse for apathy. Let’s recap. Here’s some of what the 45th president has been up to at the time of writing ( Jan. 30): • With an executive order, slamming the door on Syrian refugees indefinitely, cutting overall refugee admission by more than half, freezing the refugee-admission program for 120 days, and banning people from seven arbitrarily chosen Muslim countries from setting foot in America. “Extreme vetting” is the buzzword of the hour — never mind that the old refugee-vetting system is a tortuous, 20-step process including two background checks, three fingerprint screenings, and an “extensive, in-person interview with [a] Homeland Security officer.” (Source: New York Times, Jan. 29.) (And if you think the travel ban will help stop terrorism, remember that natural-born citizens are responsible for the vast majority of terror attacks on U.S. soil. What’s more, out of all the high-profile American Islamist terrorists of the last 20 years, I count only one — last year’s Ohio State gunman — with ties to a country on the ban-list. The list does not target radical hotbeds Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, or Afghanistan — or, tellingly, any country where The Trump Organization has done business (Source: Washington Post, Jan. 28.) It does target Iraq, though, despite Iraq being one of our biggest allies in fighting ISIS. Finally, consider the order’s propaganda value to jihadi recruiters. They sell the line that America hates Muslims.) • Imposing a “blackout” on the Environmental Protection Agency by executive memo. Social media and blog posts, website updates, and press releases are all verboten for now. In addition, all business activity by the EPA has been put on temporary hold; the agency cannot award any grants or contracts. Similar orders have gone out to two other environment-focused departments, Agriculture and Interior. (Source: Los Angeles Times, Jan. 24.) • Packing his cabinet with a lineup of swampy characters: a secretary of state with business interests in Russia (Tillerson); a treasury secretary whose banking corporation is under investigation for foreclosing
Poker Club Building Bridges Dinner February 12, 2017 @ 5:00 p.m. All are Welcome! Building Bridges Dinner Sunday, February 12th, at 5:00pm St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish Hall 150 Black Point Rd., Scarborough, Maine
The stakes couldn’t be any higher…
Members of the Christian and Muslim communities will gather to share food, music, and fellowship. Volunteers will prepare some traditional Muslim main dishes.
Texas Hold ‘em
Guests are asked to bring salad, bread, vegetable, or dessert (no pork, bacon or ham, please).
Flushes, straights and full houses all are welcome But the Royal straight flush rules ‘em all
Families are encouraged to bring their children.
The Poker Club meets Monday, Thursday, Friday 7pm Locations to be announced For more information please contact: Jacob Locke, jlockey44@gmail.com
RSVP by Feb 8th to Judi Logue at judi.logue@portlanddiocese.org or 799 5528. Please specify the number of people attending and what dish you will be bringing. Sponsored by:
Cluster 22 Social Justice & Catholic Service Committee Refugee and Immigration Services Catholic Charities Maine NEAAO (New England Arab American Organization) Gateway Community Services Project G.R.A.C.E.
The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017 7
A rts & F eatures Marshall on Cinema By Ryan Marshall
THE DIRECTOR’S PROFILE
Lyne Ramsay
The Music of Connor Holmes By Max Lorber
Talented, creative people oftentimes have difficulty applying their craft to something tangible. Dreams continue to be only dreams that never transpire into a reality. Connor Holmes, an accounting major here at SMCC, was stuck in that artistic no-man’s-land a short year ago. His medium is music, producing and mixing house is his passion, doing a set for huge crowds is his dream. Recently that dream is becoming a reality as his name begins to circulate around the country. In the house music scene he goes by Cholmes, and he’s booking gigs that seemed impossible not too long ago. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play in New York,” he said with a childish sort of excitement, days before he was set to spin at FTB in Brooklyn on February 1st. That was a paid gig, by the way, in another state; a huge step for a DJ. He got that job by networking, playing shows at different places around Maine and New Hampshire and meeting as many people as possible. Cholmes also joined up with a music collective called the Rhythm Alliance — a conglomerate of around 15 DJs around the New England area — a connection that has helped him network further. Cholmes’s music is interesting. He likes to blend funky voice-over samples that hover over the mix before the beat drops. He is also good at combining a vibrant, happy, energetic drum beat with some spicy, earthy tones and samples. But whatever he plays always depends on where his set is, and what time he is going on. This is the mark of a good DJ: someone who acknowledges the audience and recognizes what their needs are. “It always goes back to house, I always play house,” he says. “When and where changes the tone of the music, but I stay true to my sound regardless.” Rocking at FTB is a small, yet significant step. The music business is a tough nut to crack, but Cholmes seems to be up for the challenge. Stay tuned.
8 The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017
The “style over substance” argument seems to be a never-ending one, and yet few have made a better case for “style as substance” than Lynne Ramsay. The Scottish writer/director, born December 5, 1969, has hardly a handful of feature and short films to her name, and yet each is marked with the sort of intuitive mastery of form as exquisite poetry that one would be hard pressed to find elsewhere, at least in this precise variation. Ramsay began her career with a trio of ambitious short films: 1996’s “Small Deaths” and “Kill the Day,” and then “Gasman” two years later. In 1999, Ramsay made her feature debut with the marvelous “Ratcatcher,” a haunting portrait of a child growing up in early 1970s Glasgow who must confront grownup guilt in the event of his best friend drowning. She followed this up three years later with “Morvern Callar,” perhaps
her most underrated effort, which stars a hypnotic Samantha Morton in the titular role, that of a young woman who flees to Almeria with her best friend following the sudden suicide of her boyfriend.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until 2011 that Ramsay returned with “We Need To Talk About Kevin,” a portrait of a mother’s (Tilda Swinton) fractured psyche in the wake of an unspeakable tragedy, which proved to be worth the wait not only for the artist’s faithful audience but also for her own creative well-being, as she had
been developing an adaptation of “The Lovely Bones” (a project she aborted after encountering unnegotiable creative differences) in between “Callar” and “Kevin.” For all the struggles to maintain artistic integrity (another unrealized project being “Jane Got a Gun,” which was eventually directed by Gavin O’Connor after Ramsay walked off the set), Amazon Studies has come forth to distribute — at last — what one can assume will almost definitely be the director’s next film. “You Were Never Really Here” is scheduled to be released sometime later this year and is sure to be a challenging, hypnotic knock-out much like the director’s past work. When it comes to thorough meditations of grief, growing pains, life and death alike, she is unparalleled: a skilled world-builder unafraid to meld the deeply emotional with the subtly intellectual.
MOVIE REVIEW
The Love Witch
Anna Biller may be one of the cinema’s last truly exceptional auteurs. Sure, the term itself is thrown around a lot, and sure, it’s particularly challenging to register as one when dealing almost exclusively in homage. Somewhere and somehow, Biller — born and raised in Los Angeles — finds a way, but regardless of the individual viewer’s tolerance for the director’s unabashed parading of influences and intent, her voice is positively one of a kind. Nearly an entire decade may have separated Biller’s feature debut (2007’s “Viva”) and her latest oddball offering, but the same powerfully progressive voice remains unmistakably intact. “The Love Witch” concerns, as you could probably guess, a contemporary witch, Elaine (Samantha Robinson) pursuing a suitable male companion by means of black magic. Holed up as the new tenant in a gorgeous Victorian-style mansion, she practices making potions, but as we learn from her voice-over narration in the coastal cruise intro, Elaine’s still got a lot to learn. The heroine’s quest is initially driven by the desire to be desired — preferably by all who should happen upon her but more specifically by men. The trail of gullible bastards she leaves in her wake
— including but certainly not limited to suave University professor Wayne ( Jeffrey Vincent Parise), a police inspector (Gian Keys) perplexed by the prospect of a tampon submerged in a bottle of piss, and even her own ex-husband — ultimately leads the witch on a path to reclaiming
individuality that is as hysterical as it is genuinely insightful. Firmly rooted in a bygone era (or several), the film features, among other seductive delights, exceedingly over-thetop performances, vintage costumes and décor, and music borrowed from the likes of classic gialli “A Lizard and a Woman’s Skin” and “The Fifth Cord” (both scores courtesy of Ennio Morricone). And M. David Mullen’s photography is spot-on in recreating even the most seemingly insignificant ticks of ‘60s/‘70s occult-sleaze cinema to a tee. It’s a seamless evocation of everything it claims to be, but there’s much more to this beatific brew than an ornate toast to the silver screen of yester-
year. Biller would rather her indignant criticisms fester on the surface, which allows for a remarkably articulate confrontation of gender stereotypes that feels empathetic where it could have just as easily been perceived as preachy. “The Love Witch” neglects to give off the impression of a work influenced too much by invasive contempt, instead seeking to explore equality by way of humility. A medieval-style wedding late in the game, complete with faux duels and a puppet-toting jester, holds the key to the filmmaker’s stance on both passion and passiveness alike. Elaine’s maturation, twisted as it is, is hardly glorified; in fact, she’s just as damned as her predominantly male victims. It’s easy to surrender to the film’s campy, hallucinatory charms but Biller’s decision to balance her immanent cinematic fetishisms with such a biting, subversive critique is the true stroke of genius. Getting lost in “Witch’s” candy-colored ocean is one thing, extracting individually invaluable observations is another. Once again, the filmmaker reaches into the past in order to look to the future and the culmination of this particular excursion speaks for itself, loud and clear. It announces its spectacular existence until it knows that it doesn’t have to, and if this is indicative of where we’re headed, we might just be in good hands.
Ryan Marshall is a Communications & New Media major focusing on cinematic journalism. You can also see his writing at podcastingthemsoftly.com
A rts & F eatures
Hooptie Confessionals By Max Lorber You can catch me pulling up to the school parking lot in a rusty silver ‘98 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a dark green driver-side door. One look and you will know that yes, this is a hooptie; keep your distance, proceed with caution. The brakes may give out, the bumper may fall off, a cloud of black smoke may blast out of the muffler. The whole thing just might go up in a ball of flames. I mentioned the door. Allow me to elaborate. The original door had begun to fall off about a year ago — I had to rig it up with a few bungee cords and a wad of duct tape to keep the road away from me. In the junkyard the only replacement I could find was this filthy dark green door. It had been a month and half of the bungee cords; I said fine, let’s make do with a bit of patchwork. Off-color silver and muddy green kind of go together, right? And my car gets a bit moody if I go over fifty. The whole frame starts to shake, I can feel this gnawing vibration in the wheel and on my seat, the rearview mirror will shudder, the tape player will clap up and down like it’s about to fall out. After the engine fires up you can hear a definitive gurgle, a
steady percolating. It sounds as if a coffee maker is under my hood brewing up a dark Colombian roast. And it’s not like the gurgling stops after I drive for a bit — no, no, not at all; it persists, even worsens at times. The left windshield wiper barely does anything but dance, the water just runs down the glass like it’s mocking me. When I switch from reverse to drive too quickly, the engine shakes violently and stalls out. Sometimes it refuses to start back up for another ten minutes or so. It’s sensitive, that’s all — I gotta remember to switch gears slowly. I’ll even go from reverse to park, just to give it a break, then put in gear and drive off.
I try to be good to it. Sometimes we fight. My Jeep can be difficult, especially in the morning when it’s cold. It’ll cough and wheeze, and when we go from 2nd to 3rd gear it’ll make a big production out of it. So theatrical. When we sit still, the RPMs drop down and the whole thing lurches forward. It’s just not a morning car, that’s all. It’s not really a date car, either. “Is this car safe?” I get that question a lot. Sure, honey, it’s safe. We will be okay. “What’s that noise?” Nothing, don’t worry. Then I turn up the radio and change the subject — it works most of the time. “Why is it shaking like that?” Oh, don’t worry, it’s just dancing. Yes, I know what you must be thinking: that redundant question asked by everyone I know, “Why don’t you take it in, get it looked at, fix it up?” People throw those words around like loose change, as if car
repairs don’t cost any money. My vehicle’s current state just doesn’t bother me. I have gotten used to witnessing its slow death. Is it safe? Whatever. I’ll take that as it comes. Safety is a relative word. My front tires are balder than the top of Larry David’s head. Breaks are questionable. I once went to get an oil change, and the mechanic took one look under the car and just laughed. ‘Look, I’ve had a long day. There ain’t no way I’m working on this thing. It’s a safety issue, you know?’ It’s a time honored hooptie refrain: pretend the problems aren’t there, and perhaps they will solve themselves. Since the dawn of the age of the automobile people have been driving hoopties, slugging them along the roads until the bitter end. I am carrying on that tradition. Anybody else driving a hooptie? Inspection sticker been up for a year and a half ? Strange noises coming up from under your hood? I know I’m not the only one. Don’t be embarrassed; take pride in your rust-bucket. One day we will build our credit and lease a Nissan, or start making car payments on a brand-new Subaru. We’ll land that dream job, maybe even whip a used Benz. Who knows? But for now, I’m hooptie all the way. And proud of it. ILLUSTRATION BY PAUL MOOSMAN
Pictured here, left to right: Allie Norton, Justin Chochran Olivia Bean and Eliza Hopkins
Are You a Theater Geek? By Eliza Hopkins, A-Step Club President
Do you know what the KCACTF is? According its website, “The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 20,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide annually.” The program, which was created in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, now brings together theater departments from over 600 schools. For the past five years, students from SMCC have attended this conference, joining students from all around the country. And, for the past two years, there have been huge snowstorms during the festival, causing tons of mayhem (ahem, to borrow a word from SMCC’s famous film festival). In spite of the weather, all of the students registered on Tuesday, and made their plans for workshop and show attendance.
By the end of the conference, they had attended workshops on lighting, crafting, speaking, directing, producing and acting. Eliza and Justin even won prizes. ASTEP was conceived by Broadway Musical Director Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth using the most powerful tool they had: their art. Today, ASTEP connects performing and visual artists with underserved youth in the U.S. and around the world to awaken their imaginations, foster critical thinking, and help them break the cycle of poverty. To join the A-Step Club, check in at the CeCIL office for details. For more info about the KCACTF, see http://www.kcactf.org/home/index.html.
The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017 9
U pcoming E vents
10 The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017
SMCC S ports
Seawolves (continued from back cover) Another positive for the Seawolves has been the offensive play of Venese Barnes. In a losing effort against Dean College, Barnes scored a season high 18 points against a very aggressive Dean defense. With Barnes starting to be more of a presence offensively, in addition with Alicia Ruth and Kayla Abdul remaining consistent, the Seawolves offense could easily move to the next level of efficient play. On the men’s side of the court, while compiling a seven and two record since winter break, the Wolves find themselves riding a mini two game winning streak after losing to Dean (89-70), on Jan 28th. The Wolves enter Wednesday night’s contest in solid health as no one has suffered any debilitating injuries. It has been rumored that CMCC stand outs: Rob Skinner and Pietro Badalassi have been fighting injuries. Still the Mustangs come into Wednesday’s game riding a five game winning streak, and having to play two games (Sunday and Monday) before traveling down the Maine Turnpike on Wednesday. Offensively, the Seawolves have a few team stats that shed light on their success. They are out scoring their opponents by an average of 15 points give or take a fraction per game, while scoring an average of 84 points per game and allowing 69. As a team, the Wolves are shooting 45% plus from the field while their opponents are shooting 39.1%. On the boards, the Wolves have been out rebounding the opposition by 13 boards a game. All of which has played a positive role in the 19 wins of the season. If there is one statistic that plays more of a role in the game, yet is not kept in a manner that adds insight into understand the games intricacies, the offensive foul. Given the offensive nature of the men’s game in the YSCC, one could say the league is built for guards who are encouraged to drive to the basket, creating and taking an offensive foul can be seen then, as an integral part of a sound defense. Defensively, the Wolves have a high-energy mind-set that is geared in creating turn overs and disrupting the opponents offensive flow. The Wolves generate close to 10 steals a game, while averaging just north of three blocks per game.
Kenyon Lambert secures an offensive rebound, and looks to put back the basketball en route to 56-53 win at The H.U.B. against UMA. Lambert finished with 10 points and 5 boards. While there is no hard statistic that highlights the player, who takes offensive fouls, one would have to think that Dylan Silvestri would easily be the top holder of such a record. Currently, Dylan is averaging 16 minutes per game, averaging close to eight rebounds a game, while tallying 24 steals and five blocks. Yet, on numerous occasion during the recent home stand, Sylvestri has generated and taken numerous offensive fouls, stalling the opponent’s offense. Offensively, the Wolves have a litany of threats that should prove worthy, however, there have been moments where the team has synched allowing the beauty of the game, when five players work in unison to achieve the goal, to surface. Highlights of the last four games, would include the first half against University of Maine-Augusta and Dean College. Against the Moose of Augusta, the Wolves worked with offensive purpose which helped them easily double UMA’s first half offensive output (62-31). In the first half against Dean, the Wolves used balanced scoring (Dylan Silvestri ten, Chase Soares
seven, John Morgan six, Mathew Tenny five, and Ryan Cloutier four points) ad a solid presence underneath to grab a sven point half time lead.
Whereas he Wolves would cruise to a 114-75 win against UMaine-Machias, Dean would run past SMCC in the second half, outscoring the Wolves 58-32, walking to an 89-70 win. The Wolves would take the next two against NHTI and Unity with solid wins (97-90 and 76-65 respectfully). The variable offensive line ups with Morgan, Soares, Cloutier, Harmon, Lambert, Silvestri, Tenny, Dixon, Kavutse and Cummins have clicked in both games. Three of the starting five have hit double figures in the scoring column and players coming off of the bench in relief have contributed significantly. There remains one statistic that can be found at the bottom of the women’s and men’s am statistics pages that remains disconcerting: the average attendance at the games. Average overall home attendance for the women’s team tops out at 49, while the men’s overall home attendance peaks at 54. Considering that the YSCC Elite 8 tournament is returning to SMCC, that the SMCC teams are seriously competitive and have talented athletes on their squads, that there is a wealth of talent in the YSCC, one would think that here would be, should be, and could be higher attendance from the SMCC community at the regular season games, and especially at the Elite 8 tournament.
The Seawolves hit the court Wednesday evening against CMCC. Join your classmates to honor the seniors on Senior Night.
Women tip off at 6pm and the men at 8. Catch the YSCC at its best, Feb. 16th through 19th for the Elite 8 Road to Unionville post season tournament. Four games quarter-final play Thursday and Friday, semi-finals Saturday and championship games Sunday.
4 days, 12 games, 560 minutes of YSCC basketball, the winner head to Uionville.
The Beacon ■ February 7 ■ 2017 11
SMCC S ports
Seawolves Poised for Tournament Run Squads Dominant At Home: Obstacles Remain The Beacon Sports Staff
With two games remaining in the regular YSCC season, the Seawolves basketball squads look to end the regular season on high notes and enter the Elite 8 tournament with momentum and purpose. Tomorrow evening both squads will be tested as the Mustangs from Central Maine Community College will visit SMCC for the last regular season home game for the Seawolves. Wednesday evening is also Senoir Day at SMCC where seniors: Jennifer Conrad, Michael Harmon, Keanyon Lambert, John Morgan, and Chase Soares will be acknowledge for their time on the Seawolves teams. On Saturday, the Wolves will travel to Randolph Vermont to end the season on Vermont Tech’s court. The Wolves and Mustang’s last went at it in the last game of the fall semester in Auburn. Interestingly, both SMCC squads dropped their games to by 15 points. The Lady’s fell in the evenings opener 71-56 and the men followed this strange coincidence 72-57. Since then, the Wolves - women and men, have gone on quite the run. The Seawolve squads have won six of eight, both beating University of Maine-Augusta, dropping their games to Dean College and then returning to the winning column with victories over NHTI and Unity. To date, the women’s team has posted a 21-2 record while the men stand at 19-5 overall. In conference play the Lady Seawolves hold a 12-1 record, as the men are 11-2 The Lady Mustangs walk into the Hutchinson Union
building with a 24-1 overall record and are undefeated in YSCC play at 11-0. CMCC’s men have posted an undefeated conference record at 11-0 while maintaining an 17-8 overall record. Regardless of the records, who won last time the Mustang’s and Seawolves played, from the opening tip of each game, one thing is for sure, CM and SM will be battling it out, if not for the standings,
for pride, and of course short lived bragging rights. The Lady Wolves, while racking up wins faces the possibility of taking to the court without senior forward Jenifer Conrad. In the closing minutes of the Dean game, Conrad suffered a concussion when she turned into an elbow from a Dean player. The Seawolves were trailing by one point with less than 30 seconds to play, when a stolen inbounds pass lead to Conrad being elbow in the side of her head. Conrad’s presence underneath the basket, whether driving or posting up, has complimented the guard play and opened the three-point shot with passes from the interior to the perimeter. On the perimeter, the Wolves have a hand full of players who can connect from downtown. Alicia Ruth is shooting a whooping 43.6% from beyond the arch after draining 42 out of 94 attempts in conference play. If Jen Conrad cannot return to play, the Wolves will need to find the resources to make up for what Conrad has given them: 14.6 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game, a 70.6 free throw shooting percentage, 32.6 three-point shooting percentage, and a 43.3 field goal shooting percentage, all of which were in conference play. However, considering the offensive mind-set that Coach Bergeron has instilled in the squad, it is easy to imagine the Lady’s staying competitive against CMCC, grabbing a win in Vermont, and having a long run in the tournament.
Top: Ryan Cloutier takes the Opening tipoff in the January 28th matchup against Dean College at the Hub Gym. SMCC fell to Dean’s explosive offense 89-70. Middle: Vaneese Barnes times her jump to capture a rebound in a 60-55 victory against NHTI. Barnes has evolved from a defensive specialist, to one of the leading scorers in the SMCC backcourt. Bottom: Hannah Heald swings the ball around the perimeter to teammate Alicia Ruth against Dean college on the 28th. SMCC lost a tough matchup at home, 67-66. Ruth leads the nation in 3 PT. shooting.
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