April 17,2023

THE FREE PRESS

April 17, 2023

Vol. 54

ISSUE 10

Inside: Weed and It’s Wonders pg. 4

The Textbooks on Reserve Program pg. 12

The 23rd Annual Royal Majesty Drag Show pg. 15

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www.usmfreepress.org

EDITORIAL

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kelly Ledsworth

NEWS EDITOR Doug Banks

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Ben Reed

COMMUNITY EDITOR Dakota Eddy

SPORTS EDITOR

WEB EDITOR Deklin Fitzgerald

STAFF WRITERS Cayley Bowman, Kayla Hoggard, Deja Driscoll, Rhiannon McQuaide

COPY EDITORS Robin Davis

EDITORIAL BOARD: Kelly Ledsworth, Will Fudge, Ben Reed, Doug Banks, Deklin Fitzgerald, Dakota Eddy.

BUSINESS MANAGER Lucille Siegler

DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY

DESIGN DIRECTOR Kelly Ledsworth

DESIGNERS Alivia Halza

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Will Fudge

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Cammie Breuer, Deklin Fitzgerald, Deja Driscoll

FACULTY

FACULTY ADVISOR

ADVERTISING

ADVERTISING MANAGER

CITED SOURCES ARE POSTED ONLINE

COVER BY KELLY LEDSWORTH

To advertise, contact our Advertising Manager at 207.780.4080 x3 and look at out advertising rates on our website. We reserve the right to reject advertising. We will not accept discriminatory ads. In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, veteran or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The University will regard freedom from discrimination and discriminatory harassment as an individual employee and student right which will be safeguarded as a matter of policy. Any employee or student will be subject to disciplinary action for violation of

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Editor-in-Chief

People today have many different pets, all coming with the pluses and minuses that come with owning a pet. The most common pets you think of are cats and dogs, or at least that’s what I think of. Whenever I’m substitute teaching the topic comes up: “Oh do you have a pet?” Then everyone goes around and guesses if it is a dog or a cat. Either option is the wrong answer. I have two pets and they’re both considered exotic–at least according to veterinary status. The people who know me or have seen me in everyday life are probably saying in their heads right now, “no, you’re the rabbit person!” This is true. I am the rabbit person. I love my rabbits dearly. I care so much for them, and I spent lots of time thinking it over before getting one. Any pet is a big commitment, especially when you’re fresh out of high school and have your first dwelling to yourself; it’s a big deal. It can be a little lonely at first and you’re trying to prove yourself as a good adult who can take care of yourself and others. Some people start small, like a fish. I had two fish starting out. They were both betta fish and I had a divided tank so they were sharing the same water but there was no way for them to try to fight each other. I got both of these fish at the same time. One’s name was Fabian. He was this beautiful betta with blues, purples, and reds, and even some green. This was one of the most colorful bettas I’ve ever seen. Now my other betta, his name was Trout. He had a condition with his swim bladder. This meant he had trouble controlling his buoyancy, so he often floated toward the top of the tank or sunk toward the bottom. He was a brownish-gray color and was half-off at Petco. I am a sucker for a good deal and this poor baby couldn’t swim right and he had to live in a cup that was far too small. The store employees said he was probably going to die soon so I figured I might as well give this little lad the best life I could. Trout lived for about 8 months before he went belly-up, and not in the normal way. But boy was that fish happy. His color even changed slightly to be more brown than gray, which probably meant that he was really not feeling great in that cup on the store shelf. Fabian, on the other hand, lived for what felt like forever. I had this fish for a solid two years and I don’t remember him dying. I just remember there no longer being a fish in the tank. I kid you not, I never saw this fish belly-up or scraggling at the bottom of the tank; I just remember going to feed him and he just didn’t show up. I remember thinking, “oh he’ll pop up,” and he just didn’t, so I let the tank hang out for

Being a Pet Owner

up all the furniture and he was nowhere to be seen. Now, I felt really bad about this, so I just let that tank hang out for a long time until the water had evaporated, which I know sounds horrible. But I don’t know, I was 19 and felt really bad that I couldn’t find this fish, so I just let the tank hang out just in case. All fish endeavors aside, what I really wanted was a rabbit. The fish were kind of a starting point to prove that I could keep something alive for a good amount of time. What sparked it is that I went to the Topsham Fair and saw these very cute adorable baby bunnies. And of course, at the fair they let you hold them and pet them and they were for sale and I couldn’t get it out of my head, “oh my gosh I want this rabbit,” and the initial mentality is “ooh I’m an adult with adult money I

Finding a vet was one of the main concerns because rabbits are considered exotic pets. This means that normal veterinarians are not trained in how to take care of rabbits’ little bodies; a lot of them are just trained on cats and dogs. If my furry little friend were to get hurt or sick I couldn’t just take them to any normal vet, so I had to figure this out. I made many phone calls and found out that there are not very many. The smartest phone call I made was to an animal shelter. Because they had rabbits for adoption, they knew who could be a vet for rabbits in the area. It worked out that there was one in Portland.

I had to bunny-proof my house, much like baby-proofing except rabbits’ teeth will chew through furniture, carpets, cords, shoes, and really anything any other animal would or could destroy. I got a tie for my curtains, and an enclosed shoe rack so they could not be easily accessed, and I started saving some cardboard. I thought that I did a really great job: my house was spotless, and I figured everything was out of reach. I would later learn things were not in fact out of reach of a rabbit and after many new charging cords and a rug I learned what the routine of destruction would be.

Kelly Ledsworth / Design Director

can make this decision,” but I really had to stop and think about the fact that it’s not just me, it’s this small creature’s life also at stake. So I went in and did my research. I watched many YouTube videos, particularly from Lennon the Bunny, who is a YouTuber that goes over all of the things you should expect when having a pet rabbit. What I found out is that rabbits are not easy to care for. Yes, they are cute and cuddly and look like they’d be the perfect pet if you want it bad enough. The main thing though is that these are not for children. The amount of care and effort and money and energy that you have to put into these animals in order for them to survive adds up. Before I was going to make a commitment like that I needed to know that my space and I would be prepared for it.

Then it was time and I went and picked out the biggest rabbit I could find from the local animal shelter. Her name was Pickles, and she was an eleven pound rabbit. She is part Havana and part Silver Fox. This means she is all black with flecks of silver starting halfway down her back, and she has the cutest little white and black toes. This rabbit was meant to be mine and it was instant love. The people at the animal shelter said she was distant and had been adopted four times before, but returned for being mean. The last home had multiple rabbits and they would fight one another, even drawing blood, and it was not a good place for her. When I brought her home she ran around, lounging in sun spots and coming up and just plopping down next to me. She was even binkying and I felt so special. Binkying is something a rabbit does when they are so full of joy they jump up, wiggle, and contort their bodies in the most miraculous way.

She has grown over the years to trust me so much and I’m grateful. She is completely litterbox trained and wellbehaved. I have taught her tricks such as spin, and jump up, and she comes when she is called. I have become so used to her that when she is not feeling well I know.

Read the rest online: usmfreepress.org

Eurydice Rises Through Adversity

Department of Theatre Produces Final Main Stage Production of The Year

Ben Reed Arts & Culture Editor

As the final act in their main stage season, the USM Department of Theatre has produced their show of Eurydice Rising, in collaboration with the opera workshop program and Rachel Price Cooper. The story follows the Greek myth of Orpheus, a man who was blessed by the gods with supernatural musical abilities, who follows his bride Eurydice into the underworld to bring her back to the land of the living, and away from Hades, the god of the underworld. The production relied on elements of opera, dance, and acting performances

to create a strong, final product. One of the first things that stuck out to me prior to the show was the set. It was made up of layered, gray, and flexible walls, with openings high and low for cast members to appear on stage. This set would’ve worked really well for the department’s production of Into the Woods. Although it definitely served its purpose in this production, the mystical energy that this set would have suited the previous production a bit more than the set that was used. The set also had detailed projections of the settings, such as meadows and fields, which worked really well to create the changing atmospheres of the show.

The characters of Orpheus and Eurydice were each played by three separate pairs of actors on stage, seemingly to communicate that Orpheus and Eurydice could’ve looked like anybody. A lot of the dialogue was fixed to address the characters with singular-they pronouns so that the gender of each character could remain ambiguous. I thought that this was a very creative way to add a new layer of meaning to the show, especially where the original myth is very

rigid in its description of events and characters. It makes it more open-ended for the audience to interpret the meaning of Eurydice Rising.

In combining the prowess of three performers to characterize both Orpheus and Eurydice, respectively, Kaleigh Hunter, Shae-Lynn Pagurko, and Bella St. Cyr each brought separate energies of Eurydice being a person of wonder, perseverance, hope, and an independent spirit. Even as the fate of Eurydice is one in which they are forced to stay in the underworld, Eurydice’s final lament is one that offers hope as they believe they can find their way in this new world, similar to how they lived in the world above. Lucious Finston-Fox, Rebecca Goff, and Oliver Scott offered up an Orpheus who was a passionate, vulnerable, and brave person chasing after their bride, and who after their ordeal now has a new perspective on life. Although they have lost their great love, they can now use their musical gifts to heal, and change the world.

One character that stuck out to me was Hades, played by Jack Dodd. Through his operatic introduction, Dodd added

a lot of flair to the character that was almost reminiscent of the characterization in the animated Disney film, particularly as he interacted with Persephone (Caroline Woods) and Eurydice. As Orpheus rescues Eurydice from Hades, the latter is sympathetic to the pair, and offers them freedom, though cautions them that should Orpheus turn around to look for Eurydice as they climb back toward the land of the living, Eurydice will be forced to remain in the underworld forever. The gentleness of Hades contrasted heavily with my own understanding of the character, influenced by Disney and other popular media, where I expected him to be both flamboyant and spontaneous in presentation, yet malicious and evil in intent.

The overall production was a grand showcase of the amount of talent and creativity the Department of Theater has in its arsenal. The dance and opera elements used as integral parts of the show are a testament to the strength of the department’s faculty, as well as its student performers.

The cast of Eurydice Rising performs in Russell Hall on Gorham Campus.

Photo courtesy of French’s Fotos

Kaleigh Hunter, Shae-Lynn Pagurko, and Bella St Cyr all perform as Eurydice in USM’s production of Eurydice Rising.

Photo courtesy of French’s Fotos

Orpheus (Rebecca Goff) laments Eurydice’s death beside her mother and sister.

Photo courtesy of French’s Fotos

Weed and it’s Wonders

Cannabis Can be Used for More Than Just Medicine

Kayla Hoggard Staff Writer

Some people know it as cannabis, some people know it as Mary Jane. Many also may know it as pot or ganja, but for me personally, the word “weed” sounds like music to my ears. For years, weed has been in the spotlight. However, it was not always used to get “high.” According to History.com, “Marijuana, also known as cannabis or pot, has a long history of human use. Most ancient cultures didn’t grow the plant to get high, but as herbal medicine, likely starting in Asia around 500 BC.” Fast forwarding a little bit to the ‘60s and ‘70s, during the hippie movement, cannabis was used for much more than just medicine. It was used for more of a statement and a social movement. People smoked weed to rebel against the government. They would even risk getting fined up to $20,000. What a time!

Times have definitely changed, especially now that weed is legal in some states. Many people use weed for many things, from relaxation, to partying, to sleeping, and medicine. The list goes on. In my eyes, weed is a wonderful and colorful plant that can not only help you

smoking and gotten an idea that you thought was the best

business, or maybe you just simply start thinking about life and our existence, and you say the most outrageous theory, and all your friends start to laugh at you as if it was a joke. That’s the power of good, old Mary Jane! According to Maxim.com, “Cannabis enhances neural activity in the frontal cortex of your brain, which is essentially command central. It handles everything from attention and problem-solving, to personality and temperament. When you toke up, the THC allows your brain to form new connections and pathways that didn’t exist before, thereby guiding your thought process into enlightened territory.” I believe this to be very cool. I normally like to light up when I am creating a piece of poetry, writing music, or even just daydreaming. I find that the ideas and thoughts that come to my head feel like I am in a whole other dimension.

Of course, when it comes to cannabis you definitely want to glorify the pros, the amazing facts and the cool insights. However, it is important to know that cannabis is a drug which means it can become addictive. One way that I keep track of my weed smoking so it doesn’t turn into an addiction is to make sure that I smoke when all of my responsibilities are complete. You want to make sure that when you use cannabis, you are not doing it to

Kelly

/ Design Director & Editor-in-Chief

distract yourself from the responsibilities of the world, whether assignments or work obligations, etc. I normally do not smoke during the day when I have a lot to do, and save it for nighttime before I go to bed. Another way I like to gauge my smoking is to make sure that when I smoke, it is not to escape from internal feelings of sadness, depression, or anxiety. When you use weed as a coping mechanism, it stops being fun. This is because you are relying on it to make you happy and distract you from what you are feeling. Doing this will trigger your brain to depend on it and use it more than you need. This will also cause you to lose touch with reality. The third way I gauge my smoking is by being aware if I am using it only to make myself eat. As you smoke, your appetite can disappear when you are sober. This makes you only eat when you’re high, building a dependency. This is something that we don’t want. It becomes easier and easier to tell if you are dependent on weed by thinking of how much you use it. It is important to stay aware of your cannabis use, and how it is affecting you! If you or a friend think that you may be having a problem with dependency on cannabis, feel free to reach out to the University of Southern Maine’s health center at 207-7805411 for Gorham, or 207-780-4701 for Portland.

Ledsworth

Dried bud from a Marijuana plant taken from under a microscope.

Kelly Ledsworth / Design Director & Editor-in-Chief

Marijuana plant from really close up.

Credit Scores

How do These Numbers Affect Your Life?

Abshiro Ali Financial wellness GA Nancy Varin Assistant Director of Financial Aid

WHAT IS CREDIT?

Many of you might have heard the term credit or credit score or FICO score. How do credit or credit scores affect your life? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a good credit score? Understanding these questions is essential for financial wellness and using credit cards effectively. Credit allows people to purchase goods and services using borrowed money from lending services, such as banks. Credit can be in several things, such as credit cards, student loans, personal loans, or mortgages.

WHAT ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CREDIT?

There are a couple of credit options: revolving credit and installment loans. Revolving credit is a credit line that remains available as you pay it off. Credit cards are examples of revolving credit. There is no fixed payment; however, you must pay back how much money you use at the end of the billing cycle. If you carry a balance on your credit card at the end of the month, the lending bank will charge you interest. Paying interest defeats the whole purpose of using a credit card. Installment loans require monthly payments of the same amount for an extended period. An example of installments are auto loans, mortgages, and student loans. Credit lenders make money from a borrower by applying an interest rate to the money used on credit. The higher the balance on the credit card and the higher the interest rate, the more you are charged in interest. It is crucial to pay your credit card statement balance in full each month to avoid being charged interest. Interest rates are fixed annual percentage rates (APR). If individuals miss credit card payments to lenders, this will decrease their credit score.

WHAT IS A CREDIT SCORE?

Many of you may have heard of the term FICO or FICO score. FICO stands for the Fair Isaac Corporation. FICO is a method used to calculate credit scores based on an individual’s information collected by creditors. Credit score and FICO score are used interchangeably and mean the same thing. FICO score is a tool lending institutions use to determine how risky an individual is when applying for a loan. Credit score estimates your trustworthiness in paying back a loan in the eyes of the lender.

HOW ARE CREDIT SCORES DETERMINED?

Five factors that determine a person’s credit score include their history (35%), the amount owed (30%), length of credit history (15%), new credit (10%), and credit mix (10%).

Each credit factor weighs a different percentage of the total. Three credit bureaus report credit information: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion.

DOES A BETTER CREDIT SCORE MEAN BETTER CREDIT OPTIONS?

According to the credit bureau, the higher the credit score, the lower the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on credit cards, car loans, home loans, or other credit products. If you need to borrow money, having a high credit score makes you more likely to be approved for a loan and get better terms, like a lower interest rate. Another advantage of a higher credit score is higher borrowing power. Having higher borrowing power is not without the risk of paying higher interest if you carry a balance on a credit card.

HOW DO YOU BUILD A GOOD CREDIT SCORE?

If you do not have any credit history or have bad credit, the best way to build good credit is by getting a secured card through your current bank or any lender you feel comfortable with. What is the difference between a secured versus an unsecured credit card? With a secured credit card, you must put down collateral as a cash deposit, which sets your credit limit with a financial institution. For example, you give a bank $500, and they provide a secured credit card with a $500 credit limit. An unsecured credit card is revolving credit, and you make your monthly payment. When looking for a secure credit card, you want to make sure of a couple of things: the secure card does not have an annual fee or a monthly maintenance fee, and you can get rewards points or cash back. Another important thing when selecting a secure credit card is making sure the secured credit card can graduate into an unsecured credit card. You want to do your research before applying for any secured credit card. I cannot stress enough the importance of paying your balance in full every month on your secured card as this will prove your creditworthiness with the lending institution.

THE DISADVANTAGES OF USING CREDIT

It can be easy to overuse credit cards, carry a balance, and pay large amounts in interest. The borrower must pay the total credit balance to avoid paying interest and to benefit from credit card use. Late or missed payments will lower your credit score, and using credit too much can result in monthly payments that are not sustainable.

ADVANTAGES OF CREDITS

Advantages include earning a cash-back credit card that gives you a percentage back for purchases. A better credit score will help you get a better interest rate for car, personal, or mortgage loans. It also helps with unauthorized charge protection. You can take short courses on iGRAD and learn more about your credit score, what credit means, and the types of credit. These free courses are accessible to USM students and staff from beginner to intermediate levels to improve their financial wellness. I have added a QR code to get into the course.

Asylum Seekers Arrive in Portland Homeless Population is on The Rise

Rhiannon McQuaide Staff Writer

Portland, Maine–a quaint city by the ocean with a population of just under 70,000 people. Like other cities, every avenue in Portland is unique. Some are home to stunning new apartment buildings and tall skyscrapers, while others contain some of Maine’s best restaurants and bars. There’s an ice rink at the intersection of Spring Street and Cross Street, home to the Maine Mariners, one of Portland’s three professional sports teams, and on Myrtle Street, the famous Merrill Street Auditorium. Portland is known for its character and its charm, but what you’ll find at Deering Oaks Park is much darker than the allure Portland is famous for.

Roughly one hundred tents are set up in the park. These tents are home to the hundreds of homeless individuals who weren’t lucky enough to find space in Portland’s few homeless shelters. Many of these individuals are asylum seekers from African countries who have escaped turmoil in their home countries, causing Portland’s homeless population to skyrocket and homeless shelters to reach their

During the past couple of years, hotels in Portland have teamed up with the Maine State Housing Authority to provide shelter for these individuals. However, these arrangements have been short lived as the number of participating hotels has slowly decreased. By late April, the last of the participating hotels will have to kick out their lodgers due to complaints from the community, leaving them with nowhere to go but the streets. Many of these hotels, including Comfort Inn and Days Inn, eagerly joined the partnership in order to make up for revenue they lost during the pandemic. However, Portland municipal leaders are putting pressure on these hotels to retract their participation, as there has been an influx of emergency calls to the hotels since they began operating as shelters, as well as a high number of complaints from concerned citizens who worry about potential crime that may come with allowing homeless asylum seekers to live in their community.

Dissuading hotels and churches from operating as shelters for the homeless won’t stop them from flocking to southern Maine cities like Portland and South Portland though. This is because

Maine has some of the most lenient federal immigration laws in the nation, which makes the state a popular destination for people who have illegally entered the country or are seeking asylum. Portland Interim City Manager Danielle West estimates that since January 1 of this year, almost a thousand asylum seekers have arrived in Maine. Many of these asylum seekers are coming from African countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola; many however are coming from other U.S. states. Maine Senator Susan Collins has stepped up and requested that the federal Department of Health and Human Services put a halt on the transportation of asylum seekers to Maine, but this hasn’t stopped them from continuing to arrive in droves.

South Portland is facing a similar dilemma, and City Manager Scott Morrelli acknowledges that there is an issue with how the city is handling the issue of homelessness. “Our current zoning and license ordinances really are insufficient, or don’t deal with the issue of shelters, in particular homeless shelters,” Morrelli said at a board meeting on January 24. One of the solutions being considered by the South Portland City Council is to provide cityowned buildings to nonprofits with intentions of building more shelters. “The building cost is what most non-profits will struggle with,” said South Portland District Three Council Member Misha Pride.

Meanwhile, in Portland, a shelter with approximately 208 beds, called the Homeless Service Center (HSC), opened in March 2023. The shelter provides meals and beds, along with medical, dental, and psychiatric care. “Every day, we’re seeing more people arrive in the city of Portland who need housing, who need shelter, and who need services,” said Portland Mayor Kate Snyder at the shelter’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. She also mentioned how it will take numerous shelters like HSC to aid all of the individuals in need of housing. “We know that these 208 beds will not serve everybody who’s in need.”

Getting people off the street will be a community effort and it is a job that needs to happen sooner than later, as Portland law is slowly beginning to prohibit homeless people from camping on public lands like Deering Oaks Park. In June 2022, West announced that “unauthorized campsites on public property may have significant public health and safety consequences, and so enforcement of various ordinances is a necessary preventative tool.” If Portland intends to clean up the city by eliminating homeless encampments from its streets and parks, it cannot simply ignore the issue that is causing people to end up in these circumstances. Maintaining Portland’s beauty and charm won’t happen overnight; it will happen when officials and community members alike decide to reach out a helping hand to their neighbors in need.

Will Fudge / Director of Photography

Electric vehicle charging stations are mounted to the wall of the Days Inn by Wyndham in South Portland.

Usm’s First Annual Week of Pride A Week of Events Celebrating and Supporting The Queer Community

Kelly Ledsworth Editor-in-Chief

Pride & Pretzels event, joining WMPG to a chill night of tunes. Playing songs from artists such as Freddy Mercury, Claro, Girl in Red, Phoebe Bridgers, and more. While music was playing, there was a make-your-own trail mix table, where people could walk up and customize their own ziplock bag of trail mix. All the regular fixings for trail mix such as chocolate chips, M&Ms, pretzels, chex mix, and a few other things. After a treat, you could walk over to a table to talk about the different events as well as a bowl of pronoun pins. While relaxing, you could see people drawing or catching up on homework while enjoying the atmosphere.

March 29th saw a Transgender Day of Visibility Panel held where there was space given for a diverse panel of students and staff to speak about their experiences. A lot of discrimination in both social and legislative circles against transgender people has become more evident recently in the U.S. It was powerful to have the panel come together and discuss how they have been feeling and what the impact has had on the community. This reminds us all how important having safe spaces for the community is.

year, and was a nice opener to the flag raising event that happened at 4pm in Gorham. This is a new tradition that they plan to continue doing annually. While the flag was raised on all three campuses that day, Spaulding, Kip Foster, and Sarah Holmes all gave speeches to commemorate this event. In events earlier in the week, there were five different iterations of the pride flag on display throughout the week. The flag that was raised was the most recent iteration of the flag, the Intersex Progress Pride Flag. This newest iteration has added the intersex symbol to include folks who don’t fit in the binary.

On the final day of the Week of Pride there was the 23rd Annual Royal Majesty Drag Show. This is always a landmark event at USM, with the event selling close to 200 tickets this year in Hannaford Hall. A variety of student performers were able to showcase their talent and art in both competitive and passive settings. The show was cohosted by Boston and Portland drag royalty, Ariana LaDessé and Kori King, with the competition being judged by a variety of USM faculty from various departments.

University Of Southern Maine’s first annual Week of Pride offered a wide array of programming for queer populations on campus. The Week of Pride was hosted by the Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA), with support from LGBTQIA+ USM faculty and staff. While talking to Bryan Spaulding, a board member of the QSA, he mentioned how he really wanted more representation for the queer community on campus. After having found out there had not been a pride week at the university for quite some time, he wanted to create one. Spaulding talked about some of the inspiration behind the idea: “Especially with everything that’s happening in the world, especially with the bans of trangender rights, healthcare, drag bans. As a drag queen myself, I knew we needed something uplifting.”

Pride month happens in the month of June, and most people are not on campus. It can be hard for a lot of students who are not out to their family at home, or feel like they don’t have a welcoming community for themselves outside of school. Usually during pride month, there are a lot of events that bring people together to celebrate themselves and the culture that they’re a part of. Having just a small portion of that be available at USM outside of the month of June gives students that opportunity to celebrate queer identities. During this week, many residential and commuter students, faculty and staff were able to partake in the activities these events had to offer.

This week of events kicked off on March 28th with a

The week was a much needed assortment of queer centered events. This was just one week out of the whole year to celebrate one another in this diverse community. Pride -

Kelly Ledsworth / Design Director & Editor-in-Chief

Students enjoying the snacks at a Pride & Pretzels event, with the five iterations of the pride flag in the background.

Image courtesy of @usmqsa on instagram

Sudoku

Level of difficulty: Medium

The object of a sudoku is to fill in the remaining squares so that every row, every column, and every 3 × 3 box contains each of the numbers from 1 to 9 exactly once.

Word Search

Search for the list of words in the grid of letters. Grab a pen and circle each word as you find them.

Theme: Summer Lovin

clumsy, sleepy primate.” mental clarity while deeply relaxing.

3. A sativa-dominant hybrid. Smokers often

9. A sativa strain that is uplifting and has

Across:

4. A hybrid mix with an intense body buzz and relaxation, a calming sensation that can help reduce stress and anxiety levels.

5. Indica-dominant, but the sativa effects are prominent. Uplifting and euphoric, provides mental clarity while deeply relaxing.

6. A mild sativa-dominant strain that delivers many cerebral, head-high effects that keep users feeling energetic and happy.

flavor profile that is smooth on the exhale.

10. A hybrid strain with a near 60/40 indica/sativa split. A powerful and relaxed extended high.

11. A popular sativa strain, with effects of a blast of mental energy and a feeling of heightened creativity.

12. Indica-dominant, will make you feel relaxed and sleepy. along with relaxation. Often reported that this strain is uplifting.

13. A pure indica strain with the effect of complete relaxation and a feeling of sedation.

Horoscopes

Aries (March 21 - April 19)

Your mental powers should be especially acute today, Aries. Your mind will be quick and receptive and your communicative abilities exceptional.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

A memory, dream, vision, or meditation could trigger a rush of spiritual energy,

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

A message from a friend could make your day, Gemini. The good news may involve travel, money, or a love relationship.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

A lot of different possibilities have opened up for you recently, and you’re trying to figure out which is the most appropriate now.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)

Talk of traveling to distant and exotic places could come up at a gathering of family and friends, Leo.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

You have a keen intellect and unparalleled persuasive powers, Virgo. If you aren’t an attorney, you should be.

Libra (September 23 - October 22)

So many fascinating ideas have come your way over the past few days that your mind is spinning.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

A deep, intimate conversation could take place today between you and a romantic interest, Scorpio.

Volleyball

Barbecue

Road Trip

Sunset Breeze

Hiking

Sunscreen

Sunrise

Camping

Picnic

Summer Lakes

Swimming

Walking Running Warmth Beach

Ocean

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)

This morning you may wake up from a dream with many inspiring new ideas. If you’re into creative activity of any kind, you will want to jot these down.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

You are always on the go Capricorn. Don’t forget to take time for yourself during your busy life.

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)

You might be feeling down today Aquarius. If so go outside today and get some fresh air.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

Books that you may have received as gifts could have you thinking deeply about spiritual or philosophical matters today, Pisces.

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD Down: 1. Green Crack 2. Grape Ape 3. Island Sweet Skunk 4. OG Kush 5. Tangerine Dream 6. Pineapple Express 7. Granddaddy Purple 8. Northern Lights 9. Blue Dream 10. Girl Scout Cookie 11. Sour Diesel 12. Skywalker 13. Purple Kush

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Ben Reed

Arts & Culture Editor

Children of Nintendo and the Super Mario Bros. video game saga have rejoiced with the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The animated film stars an ensemble cast of Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario & Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach and Jack Black as Bowser, with Keegan Michael-Key as Toad, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. The movie follows Mario and Luigi as they are transported from Brooklyn to an alternate universe and are caught in a battle between Princess Peach and the Toad Kingdom, and Bowser and his army of Koopas. The film has already had meteoric success at the box office, with it becoming the most successful opening weekend for a movie that is adapted from a video game, as well as becoming the most successful opening weekend for any animated movie worldwide, beating out Frozen II by $19 million at the box office.

It became very apparent within the first 20 minutes that this movie was made more for kids. I, at 20 years old, and a disciple of Mario-Kart in my childhood, was still delighted to see all of the familiar characters come to life in an almost exclusively light-hearted manner. The characters and onscreen events do not have a lot of depth or emotional weight other than what needs to be conveyed for the age bracket of kids that the movie seems to be intended for. The film is very fast-paced, and is very straightforward with its dialogue. An example: “We need to save the world,” to which someone responds, “Okay,” and then they spring into action. Very simplistic, without a second thought to it. With all of this, the movie falls into a lot of cliches that the Mario characters possess in their mythology: The Brooklyn-based plumbing duo fake Italian accents for the purpose of branding their new plumbing startup, while Peach and Mario have a flirty friendship. In contrast to the games, Princess Peach is not a damsel-in-distress. Instead, she is an empowered character who is able to assist Mario in saving Luigi from Bowser. When the trailer was released for this movie, the sight of Princess Peach in a biker suit added a modern twist to the character that I was very excited to see executed in the movie. Giving her autonomy and the ability to fight Bowser and his forces made me more excited to see where she would go over the course of the movie.

To older audiences who have grown up playing the various games across the Super Mario Bros. franchise, there is a lot of representation for the wide catalog of games. Elements of Super Mario, Mario-Kart, Luigi’s Mansion, and

Event listings

April 18, 2023

Destination Solar System

Southworth-Planetarium Science Building, Portland Campus

1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.

$6.00 – $6.50

April 20, 2023

Plant Palooza: The Free Plant Giveaway!

All USM Libraries

11:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.

April 20, 2023

USM Softball vs Saint Joseph’s College of Maine

Gorham Campus

4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.

April 20, 2023

Veterans’ Graduation

7th Floor of Glickman Library, Portland Campus

5:00 P.M. - 6:30 P.M.

Free

April 21, 2023

Just Friends and Beyond:Osher Jazz Ensemble Directed by Chris Oberholtzer

Corthell Concert Hall, Gorham Campus

Super Mario 64, among others are shown at various points throughout the film to really make it a true Super Mario Bros. movie. Although it possesses a lot of light-hearted humor and dramatic flair, compared to say, Frozen, whose story carries a bit more emotional weight, the film’s nostalgic energy had me peering through the film to look for any easter eggs from my childhood favorites.

This is a great movie to watch, and one that anyone of any age could find enjoyable. A lot of critics hold discourse about how strong this movie is, while audiences have been receiving it well. While it is mainly targeted toward children with its execution, it is a great movie to check out with friends either at the theater, or from the comfort of your own living room when it becomes available for digital download in the future. A post-credit scene depicting a Yoshi egg (who was only briefly featured) is shown cracking, which I felt left an opportunity for the Mario franchise to grow and have more presence within the film industry. As a child of Peach and Yoshi in Mario-Kart, I’m very excited to see what the future holds for this new film franchise.

7:30 P.M

$5 - $10

April 22, 2023

USM Spring Craft Show

Field House - Costello Sports Complex, Gorham Campus

10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

April 23, 2023

Weather: A Concert for Climate Change and Social Justice

State Street Church, 159 State Street in Portland

5:00 P.M.

$5 - $10

Want to submit an event?

arts@usmfreepress.org

Photo courtesy of IGN.com

Russel Scholars and Kids’ Poems

Great Falls Elementary School Write Poems About The Hawkes Preserve

Cayley Bowman Staff Writer

On March 29, the Russell Scholars gathered together with Lisa Hibl, director of the Russell Scholars Program, and traveled to Hawkes Preserve in Gorham. The academic group was led through the trails by Brenna Crothers, who works for the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust and knows the trails well. The trails wind all the way along the Presumpscot River, including the Cumberland and Oxford Canals. While giving the Russell Scholars a tour of the trails, Crothers made sure to explain the different types of trees, plants, tracks, and signs of animals.

After the Russell Scholars were led through the trails with a group of 5th graders, a group of 3rd graders went on the trails, led by Allie Rimkunas, an art teacher at Great Falls Elementary School. Each child took a sketchbook on the trail, so they could sketch what they saw in nature. The children were encouraged to stop and observe the nature around them, allowing them to take time to later draw what they saw in better detail. These books would be used to help the kids write nature poems with the Russell Scholars on April 10.

On April 10, a group of 2nd graders joined a large number of Russell Scholars. Their art teacher was very energetic, fun, and colorful. The poems written by the

kids will be combined up into one big poem, which will be included in a book about all of the land trusts across the state of Maine, with one specific chapter on the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust. The children were worried about beetles and ticks during the exploration, shouting warnings of danger to one another. However, they did get to enjoy watching turtles come out of hibernation in between their moments of fear. On this excursion, the kids were asked to write about different parts of nature that were visible to them, and a question that they had about nature. They were then asked to answer their questions in their poems.

“It’s important to explain that this is a collaboration between not just Russell Scholars and Great Falls Elementary, but an initiative including the Presumpscot River Land Trust. The end goal is that the kids’ poems about the trail right at their school will be published next year in a book alongside info about the land trust itself. Proceeds from book sales directly benefit the land trusts. In other words, this is environmental activism” says Hibl. The poems project is a part of Writing the Land, “a collaboration between poets and protected lands.” The poems are written by poets who are inspired by the land preserves and want to share that inspiration with others.

The Hawkes Preserve Trails are open to the public and

offer many activities. These activities include hiking, running, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Directions for the trails can be found on their website. The listed rules for the trails are no hunting, picking up after yourself, and bringing out what you bring in. The trail is one mile and the difficulty is considered easy. The trail can be accessed from two points, Tow Path Trailhead at the end of Route 202 in Gorham, or Great Falls School Trailhead at the back of the school parking lot.

Photo courtesy of Brenna Crothers

Students exploring Hawkes Preserve in Gorham.

Photo courtesy of Brenna Crothers Students drawing picture at Hawkes Preserve in Gorham.

The Textbooks on Reserve Program: Free Textbooks for Students Of Course I Only Learned About This During My Last Semester Here!

Doug Banks News Editor

It’s easy to say college students spend too much money, from room and board for a dorm that’s too small, to a Sodexo meal plan where the salads sometimes have caterpillars and razor blades in them. Textbooks are some of the most regular and expensive purchases a student will make. Sometimes it’s for a class that will serve no purpose to them after the semester, or even better, sometimes the teacher will use a third-party site like Cengage where students pay close to $175 for the teacher to barely teach them. Then there are the students who are taking a class they are passionate about and need the information from the textbooks that the teachers give out but can’t afford the cost. The Textbooks on Reserve Program serves those students’ needs while they are in a college financial system that seems to keep making obstacles with rising costs.

The Textbooks on Reserve Program offers students 100 and 200 level textbooks for no cost. As part of Libraries & Learning, the program gives students the chance to borrow a textbook for two hours per day and photocopy the specific pages and chapters they need for class that day or week. The Textbook Reserve also offers Ares E-Reserve,

with online versions of 100 and 200 level textbooks that students can download specific chapters or pages from at no cost.

The service is partially funded by the Student Government Association and the Student Body President’s Office each year in order for the Reserve to keep up with new editions of textbooks and to allow them to keep a large stock of books and items on file. According to Access Services and Technology Support Coordinator William Sargent, who has worked with the program since it began, with a yearly budget ranging from $5,000 - $10,000, the program has spent around $2,500 per semester towards those new editions and versions. Between the Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston-Auburn campuses there are approximately 2,100 items on the physical reserve with the possibility of having 2,500 items due to the space available, according to Sargent.

Although the Textbooks on Reserve Program is not widely publicized, it does get regularly used by the students who are aware of its existence. According to Sargent, by mid-March of this semester, the Portland campus had recorded 234 items checked out, and the Gorham

campus had recorded 122 items checked out. The numbers represent the checkouts of the individual reserve item, not the amount of students who checked out an item since some of the items get checked out multiple times per day/ week while others only get checked out a few times per semester.

The Ares E-Reserve side of the program does have a different set of stipulations that students must adhere to but most items on the E-Reserve can be accessed by an unlimited number of students at one time, according to Sargent. When purchasing online textbooks, the goal of the Reserve Program is to buy them with the unlimited-access feature in order for any number of students to access it, but there are some cases where it is only possible to purchase a single or three-user license textbook which limits how many students can access the textbook at one time.

“Textbooks are expensive,” according to the Dean of Libraries & Learning Zach Newell. “We make sure students can check the books and know that it will be available for other students to use too. We feel like we have an obligation to help defray the expense of textbooks because they are so expensive for students.” With this in mind, Newell and his colleagues go through the process of purchasing as many textbooks as possible in order to help cut the costs some students will pay during their time in college.

According to Newell, it’s historically been a part of the libraries’ nature to give students these forms of services.

“Honestly, the library has played a role in really pushing for more equitable services,” said Newell. “Equitable access to technology with checkouts for laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, webcams, and this [Textbook Reserve Program] is just an extension or add-on to try and build more equity for students.”

The decision as to which books the Reserve should purchase is made by figuring out which classes have a large student enrollment along with how expensive the textbooks are. According to Carrie Bell-Hoerth, the Coordinator of the Gorham Library & Learning Commons, “when we’re looking at purchasing books that are assigned to different courses, the way we’ve been trying to do it is for example, this Math 101 book costs ‘this-hundred’ amount of dollars, and we know that a ton of students take that course. That seems like an important one to purchase because we’re weighing how many students will this be helpful for, how much are students being asked to pay for it and using that to determine what we’re purchasing first.” There are also different ways the Reserve figures out which textbooks the

Will Fudge / Director of Photography

A USM Librarian stands in front of a cart of reserved textbooks.

students need the most. “We try to accommodate student requests and hear what students need,” said Bell-Hoerth. “If I’m working at the desk and I have several students say, ‘I’m looking for the ESP 200 book,’ and we don’t have that book but there have been several requests for it; that’s a sign to us that we should probably find the money to purchase it.” This kind of attention to students’ needs has allowed the Reserve Program to grow a vast collection of books in order for students of different majors to be able to use the Reserve’s services. Aside from 100 to 200 level physical and online textbooks, the Reserve also offers an array of different items that could be useful to students. According to Library Collections Manager Shiloh Parker, “any course text or material can be made available for the Reserve. We have textbooks, academic non-fiction, novels, biogra-

phies, graphic novels. Then we have a bunch of interesting items that are not books. For example, we have an anatomy skeleton, a crate full of bones. We also have compasses, a collection of rocks for the geology courses, and the Lewiston-Auburn Campus’s Library Reserve has a ton of sports equipment you can go and check out.” Even if the three USM campuses don’t have what you are looking for, the Reserve Program will work with you. “If we don’t have it here, usually we can arrange to get it for you through our inter-library system,” said Parker. “Now if it’s a book related to a course, we generally have it or know where you can find it in the University of Maine system. But, if you need a book and no-one has it we can still order it for you.”

Bill Loveridge and Samantha Aho are two USM Student Library Advisory Board members who advocate for students to use the Reserve Program and understand the responsibility of working with their fellow students’ ability to learn and keep up with their rigorous course schedules.

Loveridge, a graduate student in the Education department, found out about the program through the Glickman Library staff when he was looking for textbooks to borrow. Since then, he has used the Reserve Program for almost all of his textbooks. He shared that if a professor notifies the library of their course texts and asks for them to be put on reserve, the library will stock it, but they will only stock it at the library in the town in which you take your class. So if your class meets in Portland, your textbook will be on reserve in Portland. He also stated that he wishes the Reserve could extend the 2-hour time limit a student is allowed to borrow a textbook so that they won’t rush and possibly not retain the information.

Aho, an English major, found out about the Reserve

Program while she waited for the textbooks that she had ordered to arrive when a professor said that the textbook she needed was available in the Textbook Reserve. She stated that she is in favor of the program and hopes that more textbooks and items can become available for students to use. Aho herself has helped students borrow textbooks and understands that some students who are on tight budgets could benefit from this program. She noted however that a lot of people don’t know about the program and hopes that professors could be more proactive in telling their students if their textbook is available on reserve and how to use it.

That’s where the issue lies: Not a lot of people know about this program’s existence. Two anonymous USM students who were interviewed for this article stated that if they had known about the Textbook Reserve Program, they would’ve used it at the start of the semester. They stand behind the mission of the Reserve Program and believe that it is extremely helpful in more ways than one, but they didn’t know of its existence before the interview.

A program like the Textbook Reserves may get lost in the mix of all the other clubs, groups, organizations, and programs that are offered at USM. Some of these clubs are just around in order for students to establish themselves in some kind of social clique with no real benefit to their financial and educational well-being. When a program like the Textbook Reserves is going under the radar, something needs to change, and it may need to start with the teachers. If a higher number of teachers were willing to work with the Textbooks on Reserve

Program, then word should spread about this program. Nonetheless, the fact that USM, and more specifically USM’s Library of Learning, is looking out for their own students by having this program in a financial climate that keeps bearing down on us with no exit strategy is appreciated more than they know.

If you don’t want to make the same mistake I made by never using this program during my whole expensive time here, go to any of the libraries on the three USM campuses and ask at the front desk for the Textbooks on Reserve Program.

Will Fudge / Director of Photography

Patrons of the Glickman Family library leave through the main exit.

Will Fudge / Director of Photography

Textbooks on the shelf at the USM Glickman Family Library in Portland.

Will Fudge / Director of Photography

Textbooks that are put on reserve are often from sections of courses that have not been taught in a few semesters.

USM’s 13th Annual Book Arts Bazaar Connecting The Community Through The Book Arts Niche

Dakota Eddy Community Editor

Every year, USM’s Kate Cheney Chappell ‘83 Center for Book Arts holds their Book Arts Bazaar, which they have been hosting since 2011. It’s a craft fair like no other. On April 2nd, scattered throughout different rooms in Wishcamper Center on the Portland Campus, vendors were selling their various crafts, from sketchbooks, cards, prints, lampshades and poetry books to little kits to make your own book from scratch.

Some of the vendors offered workshops and classes, such as “Turning Research Into Artist’s Books” presented by Maine Media Workshops, where they shared their knowledge of how to transform important,

dent Press, a community print studio located in Portland in the SPACE Studios building on Congress Street. They provide tools and supplies for printmaking, lithography, risography, screen printing, and many other forms of art. According to the Pickwick Independent Press website, “By sharing the burden of equipment costs and studio rental fees, our artists can focus their resources on their work.” Clearly it was working, as all of the artists that attended the bazaar had varying styles of beautiful, meaningful art.

“This year’s Book Arts Bazaar was my first, as an attendee or participant,” said Lia Goncalves from Portmantoad Prints.

“I have tabled at my share of art or craft markets in the past few years. The Book Arts Bazaar is unique because it is specific. While I am rarely the only printmaker at an event, I have never been surrounded by so -

marily working with tools like linoleum or soft-cut style blocks. They began their printmaking journey in 2016, around the time they graduated from college. In their -

lery showing of prints by Käthe Kollwitz, an artist who is most well known for her

way of depicting poverty, war, and hunger. After graduating, Goncalves recalled feeling a need to stay connected to what they had learned in school as they transitioned into the full-time working world. “I was lucky to have received a beginner’s block printing kit as a gift around that time,” they said. “Since then, I have come to understand my art practice as a way to help regulate my nervous system.”

Nat Shacklett, another printmaker at the event, explained that they were drawn to linoleum block printing because of its accessibility. They currently work out of a small studio in their home, where they hand-print most of their work.“I try to create work that I would want to see in the world - encouraging and inspirational messages, silly references to people or experiences,” Shacklett said. “As a current 4-8th grade teacher, I also find inspiration in my students. My print “Perfect is a Lie” was inspired by observing students (and myself) get far too caught up in their work or ideas being just right. You have to be open to the final design changing and coming together during the making process.”

It was evident walking through the event that each artist poured their heart, soul, and emotions into their art. A common form of art throughout the bazaar were “zines,” short and small magazines that include various forms of art. Some used this medium for poetry, with each page containing a line and giving their poem an extra layer

of depth. Others held drawings and prints, telling a story in pictures and colors instead. Each artist was sharing a small part of their story with us in each zine. It was a beautiful reminder of the power art can hold, and how it can benefit people.

“Connection is my goal, both with the recipients of my work, and with my own body and environment,” said Goncalves.

There were real magazines at the event as well, specifically SICK magazine, founded and edited by Olivia Spring and designed by Kaiya Waerea. According to their website, “SICK is committed to elevating the voices of sick & disabled people by publishing essays, features, poetry, visual art, interviews, and more. Our aim is to increase representation of sick & disabled people in publishing and the arts, and to challenge the harmful stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding disability.”

The Book Arts Bazaar is a wonderful opportunity for people in the USM and Portland community to engage with other members of the community, share ideas, and show support for one another. “In a sense, it serves as a conference of similar makers with a low barrier to entry and the ability to make a profit,” Goncalves said. “I am grateful to all the organizers, especially Annie (Lee-Zimerle), who helped ensure that the event ran smoothly and was well attended. I was able to have great conversations with other participants and with curious and thoughtful attendees. On the whole, I was delighted to be included, and hope to come back next year.”

Photo courtesy of Nat Shacklett

Nats table of artwork at the Book Arts Bazaar showcasing linocut prints, journals, and buttons.

(QSA) Royal Hall Center allies, decorations sources the awareness matization; that ers QSA thing vocated Portland-area and tition art ing by drag the in judged entation MacGregor, brarian; specialist

Photo courtesy of Olivia Dyer Olivia Dyers artist book titled “Inspirational Women’s Voices.” This book is made from fabric collage, paper, gouache and ink.

Photo courtesy of Olivia Dyer Linocut prints that are on T-Shirts. The were

The 23rd Annual Royal Majesty Drag Show

Ben Reed Arts & Culture Editor

As part of the Queer-Straight Alliance’s (QSA) Week of Pride events in March, the Royal Majesty Drag Show took Hannaford Hall by storm on April 1. The Abromson Center was full of queer people and their allies, with colorful, pride-filled outfits and decorations in full view. Community resources for LGBTQ+ programming, such as the U=U campaign, which advocates for the awareness of HIV status and ending stigmatization; the Equality Community Center that opened in Portland this fall, among others were present at the event.

The Royal Majesty Drag Show is a major QSA event in which anything and everything drag is expressed, enjoyed, and advocated for. The event has been hosted by Portland-area drag performers in the past, and mainly acts as a light-hearted competition for USM students to showcase their art and express themselves in a fun, freeing way. This year, the show was co-hosted by Arabella LaDessé and Kori King, two drag performers from Boston. LaDessé is the only one of the two to perform regularly in the Portland area. The competition was judged by John O’Connor, Director of Orientation & First-Year Experience; Megan MacGregor, the Instruction & Outreach Librarian; Adinah Barnett, the digital imaging specialist at the Osher Map Library; Profes-

sor of Business Richard Bilodeau; and Letta Dicken, a board member of the QSA, and the winner of last year’s show.

The competition was split into three categories: a runway walk across the stage that introduced each of the five competitors, a solo performance to a song of their choice, and an interview question. The lineup of competitors included Carmelita Baraz, BDE, Nympho Mania, Domitheytrix, and The Raw Beef. Guests performances were made by Drag Extravaganza regulars Shlomo and Cherry Whine. Each of the competitors were announced by LaDessé and King, who emerged from backstage and strutted in their individual unique styles, showcasing their ensembles.

Carmelita Baraz wore a patterned red, black and silver dress, with her hair streaming down her shoulders. The outfit helped enhance the sensual performance that Baraz gave, as she ventured out into the audience to engage with some of the 200 spectators. BDE, in their edgy, big-drag-energy wore a mesh, black long-sleeve top and skirt combination that was adorned with bright crystals. For their performance, BDE unleashed their inner rockstar, filling Hannaford Hall with their impassioned rocker vocals. Nympho Mania, who sported a red dress under a dark denim jacket that was scribbled with rebellious phrases and drawings, used the entire stage to their advantage, crawling,

head-banging, and even jumping off the stage to time with the song. Domitheytrix took to the stage in a bright orange jumpsuit that contrasted with their long, silver hair. The performer took to the back of the stage, using their bold makeup to lure audiences from all parts of the stage. The Raw Beef initially walked out in a more masculine ensemble, wearing a beanie hat, and their black long-sleeve deconstructed so the sleeves were separate from the torso. During their 2000’s-inspired performance, The Raw Beef tore away their ensemble to reveal a sparkly bodysuit, and uncovered their black-streaked blonde hair to mesh the masculine and feminine energies their drag persona embodies.

In between numbers, LaDessé and King showcased their talents with various performances and costume changes throughout the show. They were accompanied by guest performers Shlomo and Cherry Whine, as well as Letta Dicken, whose use of a pink money gun during her Material Girl by Madonna performance had the audience cheering.

For the third act of the show, each competitor was asked what the art of drag means to them and why it is important in today’s culture. The answers from the competitors seemed to reverberate in a single message: Drag is an art form that propagates selfdiscovery and expression that is for anyone and everyone regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. As USM students, the

performers collectively shared their experiences of navigating diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and using the art of drag to explore themselves and have fun while doing so. In today’s political climate, where legislative forces nationwide are criminalizing drag performances and marginalizing transgender populations, shows like the Drag Extravaganzas and the Royal Majesty Drag Show have never been more important for queer visibility and solidarity.

As the judges deliberated outside Hannaford Hall, LaDessé and King improvised an audience-oriented lip sync competition, in which four willing audience members were chosen at random to come onstage, and participate in two rounds of lip sync performances. Even though this segment of the Royal Majesty was completely improvised, it successfully engaged the audience as some of their own pranced around on stage. Round one of the lip sync battle saw all four audience members dancing to Love on Top by Beyoncé. The top two performers moved onto the next round. Danny Walters, ‘25, reigned victorious as the winner of the final round of the lip sync battle as he sat on the edge of the stage and reapplied his lip gloss mid-lip sync.

The Raw Beef won The Royal Majesty Drag Show to thunderous applause and chanting of “Beef!” from the audience. Nympho Mania placed second, and Domitheytrix third.

USM Royal Majesty Drag Show cast and judging panel.

Photo courtesy of Zach Boyce

The Raw Beef (right) came in first place, Nympho Mania (center) and Domitheytrix (left) were the runner’s up.

Photo courtesy of Zach Boyce

Sports

It’s a Long way from home for Jakub Suran An Interview With USM’s Czech-Born Ice Hockey Player

is a tourist town surrounded by mountains, where locals and visitors alike enjoy skiing and snowboarding. Another favorite pastime of theirs: playing ice hockey.

Suran, a defenseman, began playing hockey soon after he learned to walk. When he was eighteen, he came to the United States for the first time to play for a juniors team in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was there that he perfected his English. “I studied English for a long time in school,” he said, “but I only got good at it when I was using it every day.” In addition to helping Suran become fluent in English, playing juniors in the U.S. allowed him to travel to several states along the West Coast. It wasn’t until after he had already committed to play at USM that he came to the East Coast for the first time.

On a roster made up of Americans and Canadians, Jakub Suran is unique. He is the first athlete from the Czech Republic to play on the USM Men’s hockey team.

Suran is from a city called Liberec, a place that is geographically smaller than Portland but home to over 100,000 people. It is about an hour from Prague, the capital city, and just a short trip away from Germany and Poland. Liberec

“The first time I came to Maine was when I was moving in. That was the first time I had seen the school. Coach Harding gave me a tour of the rink and the campus,” Suran said. He chose the University of Southern Maine for its academics and its hockey program; however, there were several other schools he considered, including the University of New England, Curry College, and St. Michael’s. Suran admits that choosing where to play was a tough decision that he spent a long time making: “I weighed the pros and cons of each school, the academics, and the hockey program.”

Suran, a computer science major, chose to attend college in the U.S. for the opportunity to play collegiate hockey. The school structure here is much different than in the Czech Republic. There, bachelor degree programs are three years instead of four, and collegiate sports aren’t nearly as competitive as they are here in the States. In fact, in Europe, school and athletics are completely separate. While European universities do have sports teams, the level of competition is very low and student athletes aren’t given support balancing academics and athletics like they are in the U.S. At universities in the U.S., professors are generally understanding and lenient when it comes to making accommodations for student athletes who have to occasionally miss class for games. This is something Suran says you wouldn’t see in the Czech Republic, as universities there are solely for education.

In Suran’s debut season with the Huskies, he had a goal and four assists in eighteen games (fourth in points for defensemen) and was second on the team in blocked shots. He is also a member of the USM men’s tennis team.

“I’ll never forget the experience of attending school in the United States and getting to play college hockey. It’s definitely something I am extremely grateful for,” Suran said.

This Week in Sports: Men’s & Women’s Lacrosse Teams

The University of Southern Maine’s Women’s Lacrosse team opened conference play with a win against Castleton University on April 1. Graduate student Rachel Shanks led scoring with four goals, while sophomore Emily Cloutier added three. Juniors Jill Nichols and Kaiya Gatchell, as well as freshman Maddie Kinney, contributed two each; goalies Cece Racine and Lydia Laslavic split time in net, limiting Castleton to just three goals between the two of them.

Their second conference game of the season took place against Eastern Connecticut on April 8. This was the first meeting between the two teams since they faced off on Hannaford Field for a playoff game last season and USM came away with a 18-3 victory. The Huskies battled their way to another win with Shanks scoring a game-high seven goals.

They are currently 2-0 in conference games and will play at UMass Dartmouth on April 14 (6pm).

The Men’s Lacrosse team opened conference play with an unfortunate loss to Massachusetts Maritime Academy on March 31. Despite an unfavorable result, four Huskies got on the board with multiple points including senior Omar Contreras (4 goals, 1 assist), junior Schulyer Wetmore (2 goals, 1 assist), and sophomore Tucker Nussinow (2 goals, 1 assist). The Huskies played their second conference game on April 8 but fell short against Keene State. Wetmore and senior Nick James each had 4 goals in the contest.

They are currently 0-2 in conference games and will play again on April 15 at Hannaford Field against Western Connecticut State (1pm).

Rhiannon McQuaide Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Jakub Suran

Photo courtesy of Deja Driscoll Goalie Cece Racine looks to clear the ball.

Jakub Suran playing ice hockey at USM

Rhiannon