Volume 36 Issue 3

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NIVERSITY TIMES

THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT PRESQUE ISLE’S STUDENT VOICE

Volume 36, Issue 3

www.umpi.maine.edu/utimes

Friday, November, 7, 2008

What is this? Somewhere on campus you can see this. Do you know the answer? Find out on page 16

The rising seas:

The future of Miami, the barrier islands and Eskimo villages

JARED MONAHAN Contributor

On Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008, Dr. Orrin Pilkey, a James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of Geology, conducted a talk on the concerns of rising sea levels and costal erosion. He spoke of how coastal erosion happens faster than is realized. Within a few years a beach can be pushed inland several feet. When a major storm like Hurricane Katrina moves

RACHEL RICE Contributor

With these sand movements, the composition of the beaches drastically changes. This can become a problem in areas that are developed near the coast. Homes and businesses can become closer to the shoreline because the beach that was present before is no longer there. Hotels and resorts near the shore are

now faced with trying to find a way to build back the beaches or find ways to move a giant hotel. Both of these plans have thier own ecological issues associated with them.

The talk drew a large crowd of both students and faculty from a wide area of fields. The Northern Maine Museum of Science and the GeoEcology club as a part of UMPI’s anual Science Day sponsored the event.

University celebrates Folsom Hall improvements with rededication

The University of Maine at Presque Isle celebrated the completion of $2 million in improvements and energy efficiencies to its major classroom building with an official Rededication Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting at noon on Thursday, Oct. 30. The event provided community members with their first opportunity to view the renovation work that was done at Folsom Hall, which includes three floors of science labs, computer labs, traditional classrooms, and the University’s major lecture hall. Construction crews outfitted the building with new floors, windows, ceilings, ADA accessible bathrooms, exterior News from the Top - p. 3

in, it has the force to take large amounts of sand and place them up and down the coast.

President Zillman was speaking to the crowd gathered outside the south entranc of Folsom Hall. Seated from left: Rick Nadeau (general contractor/owner A & L Construction), architect Mark Carter, Manager of Physical Facilities Dave St. Peter, absent: Charles Bonin, VP for Administration & Finance, Barry McCrum UMS Board of Trustees member, and President Zillman. facades, and updated heating and venti- North Peak Architecture of Presque Isle lation systems. A&L Construction of completed the architectural work. The Presque Isle served as the general con- renovations, the first significant tractor on the renovation project and improvements Folsom Hall has received

Campus News - p. 5

Sports - p. 10

INSIDE

Enterainment - p. 12

Dr. Orrin Pilkey, James B. Duke Professor Emeritus

since it was built in 1966, have provided vastly improved educational facilities for students and faculty. “We are so pleased to be able to say that the University kept its promise to move quickly on this major building improvement project, spend our money wisely and bring construction jobs to the area,” President Don Zillman said. “And we’re delighted to be celebrating the hard work completed by County workers – on time and on budget – with this official Rededication Ceremony. This work is providing a much improved learning environment for our students and the community.” President Zillman led the afternoon’s ceremony, which included greetings from Barry McCrum on behalf of the

Mixed bag - p. 13

See Folsom page 5

Food for Thought - p. 16


Letter from the Editor

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UNIVERSITY TIMES

Friday, November, 7, 2008

Change is everywhere. For the past 20 months, all we’ve heard about is change from both political parties – change that’s necessary but won’t have an effect at least until January. But here at UMPI, we’re going through our own changes. Oct. 30 saw the Folsom Hall rededication ceremony. The renovations show that through green initiatives, businesses and communities can save the planet while saving money. For example, the improvements to Folsom will reduce fuel oil consumption by 25,000 gallons.

At this time we’re watching as our wind turbine draws ever nearer to its construction. UMPI’s in the forefront of advocacy for wind power. Two weeks ago, UMPI held a forum on wind power and its future in Maine. UMPI is a leader in the U Maine System for alternative energy. We’ll be the first campus to construct a power plant where there are zero emissions for the electricity it produces.

Aside from these, an even bigger change is happening. It’s a change that will affect us all, that many of us curse and praise all in the same breath: winter. Already we’ve seen the first snow fly. Now is when all the memories of last year come back to us: shoveling snow every other day, going off the road, falling on the ice and trudging to class. Despite our grumbles, though, deep down, I think that we all enjoy the snow. It’s when the holidays come around and kindness touches us all, when it’s OK to act like a kid and build a snowman or slide down a hill.

The U Times is also going through changes. Our readers will notice that the newspaper looks different. These changes are meant to enhance its readability. We made these changes in response to reader feedback. Without our readers, it wouldn’t make sense to have a paper. We’re looking to grow and we encourage feedback. It’s hard to change if we don’t know where to improve. We also encourage people to lend their voice to the U Times – this is a chance to share with our readers your experiences. If there’s an issue or event on campus, learn about it, talk to people and then share your findings with the community. Contributors are always welcome to submit their work – one time or many times. We’re always looking for ideas and content. And if you think you’d like to be part of our exciting future, we can tap your talents, whatever they are. Come to a staff meeting and try us on for size. We meet every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in Normal 102. If that is a bad time for you e-mail us at utimes@maine.edu.

With change there is opportunity. Take it easy,

David Hamilton

Editor

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The University Times welcomes your submissions (letters to the editor, poetry, articles). We reserve the right to edit all submissions for grammar, clarity, language, length and libel. Submissions must be received no later than Noon on the Thursday before publication, and must include your name, address and telephone num ber. Upon submission, all material becomes the property of the University Times. Submissions may be sent on a CD or written in letter form and dropped in the UTimes mailbox (102 Normal Hall or faculty mailroom). Material also can be left in the mail slot on the office door or be e-mailed to utimes@maine.edu. The University Times does not impose length restrictions on letters to the editor, but advises “the shorter, the better.”

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News from the Top Chris’s Corner

UNIVERSITY TIMES

CHRISTINE CORSELLO Dean of Students

Recognizing that the semester is already half over, the leaves have fallen, the snow has already flown and things are hectic, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind us all to try to seek a balanced life. Sounds good, but what does that mean? I suggest that this could perhaps be achieved by arriving at satisfactory conclusions to four life decisions. You can think of these as the four food groups of a balanced life, if you wish.

Decision number one: What will be your life’s work? Put another way, what will you contribute? What will you leave behind? It has been said that “the purpose of life is a life of purpose.” What will be yours?

It always helps me to go back and recall an experience of an old, dear friend. He was in his third week working in a missionary hospital in West Africa. If you haven’t been to a Third World, just know that it will change your life. In this very crowded little hospital, surrounded by people with terrible illnesses, he began to feel pretty discouraged. While he could help one or two of them, he knew they would go back out to the same environment, and the same conditions that caused them to be ill would still be there. So, he was feeling pretty low about this and wondering, “Why am I here?”

A young farmer had been admitted – almost dead – the night before with fluid around his heart from tuberculosis. They were able to draw off the fluid and bring him back to at least temporary health. He stopped my friend and said, “You know, you are different. I have the sense that you haven’t been around here very much. And I have a sense that you are wondering why you are here at all.” My friend was a little taken aback. He didn’t know it was quite that obvious. The farmer said, “I want to tell you something. You came here for one reason. You came here for me.”

And it was at that moment that it occurred to my friend - that is all it ever is about. To reach out to one person, to make a difference in one life, that is really what we are here for. So, have your grand dreams. Have your great plans for what your life will be, but don’t forget that it is one person at a time where we really leave a legacy. Decision number two: What are you going to do about love? Simple –love another.

Listen to Jefferson’s words: “Nature implanted in our breasts a love of others. A sense of duty to them. A moral instinct, in short, which prompts us irresistibly to feel and suffer their distresses. The creator would indeed have been a bungling artist had he intended man for a social animal without planting in him social dispositions.” Act on them, to all your brothers and sisters. Sadly, prejudice still abounds in our society. Though genetics is teaching us that there is no scientific basis for drawing sharp boundaries around ethnic or racial groups, we still focus on physical differences of skin color, facial features and hair texture as if they meant something biologically profound. They do not. At the DNA level, we are all 99.9 percent the same.

Laughter and tears do not have a foreign accent or come in different colors or hair textures. Wherever you go in the world, and wherever you find yourself, people might look different, sound different, dress different, but when you get down to the basics, we are all striving for the same things in life: health, happiness, peace of mind, a slice of success and love.

I don’t agree with the saying that “the trouble with loving is that pets don’t last long enough and people last too long.” Yet, our fast-paced and material world places love at risk all too often. So, whether you have found your life’s partner or are still looking, decide to become the crazy glue in someone’s life and watch your own life

Friday, November 7, 2008

blossom. Make love a priority of the highest order.

Decision number three: What will be your attitude? How will you handle life’s challenges?

It’s true that there are things that happen to us in life that we don’t have any control over. And these things that we have no control over will continue to happen to us every day. But what we do have control over − and this is the absolute greatest thing about being human − is our reaction to what happens to us. Your reaction to what happens to you is what shapes your destiny. I’d like to share a quote by Charles Swindoll, a minister from Texas, who wrote about the importance of ATTITUDE. He said,

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstance, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…an organization…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you …you are in charge of your attitude.”

Remember, life is like a tapestry. A tapestry is a colorful scene consisting of thousands of pieces of thread. The threads are the experiences we have

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every day. If you flip the tapestry over, you see the knots holding it together. It’s not a pretty sight. Those knots represent the difficult times in our lives. We often only see the knots. It is only at the end of our lives that we can step back and see the beautiful picture that each of those knots has created. We can’t live without the knots, and in fact, they make us strong. The knots make the story of our lives and your attitude will make the difference between simply getting by or having a wonderful adventure in the quest to lead a balanced life. Decision number four: How will you keep fun in your life?

Yes, fun. Life is full of enough sobering and tragic moments. Don’t forget to exercise your sense of humor: you are going to need it. Listen to Winston Churchill, “You can not deal with the most serious things in the world unless you also understand the most amusing.” It is my hope for that you find multiple ways get involved in this great adventure called life. It’s important to remain excited and enthused about lifelong learning and your ongoing education. Being here at UMPI is proof of your commitment to that. But don’t let today be the end: let it be the beginning. When all is said and done, you leave two legacies in life: The job you’ve done and the way you’ve lived your life. All the rest is window dressing. Make your life the very best it can be. Strive for a balanced life: Make a difference in one life. Make love a priority. Have a positive attitude. Don’t forget to have some fun along the way.

Enjoy your adventure!


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Finding opportunities in economizing UNIVERSITY TIMES

I want to share with you Chancellor Pattenaude’s memo of Oct. 15, 2008, to all campus presidents on Spending Control Measures for the rest of this fiscal year (to June 30, 2009). The second document, System Wide Services Spending Control Measures, provides directives to the SYSTEM office to reduce expenses. Paragraph four of the chancellor’s message to the presidents asks EACH CAMPUS “to implement similar cost control measures at your university.” Yesterday, we received a second message from the Chancellor’s office asking for information on what we have done to implement the earlier directions. Charlie is responding to that message. We offer the following guidance for UMPI actions. 1.

We are NOT in a hiring freeze. We are confident that we can justify all of the present searches we are undertaking. We are sharing that information with

Let me update everyone on events since the signing of the contract with the Lumus Corp. Dave, Charlie and I had a good face-to-face meeting with the Lumus president, Sumul Shah, and his team last week. We were well impressed with their capability and their eagerness to get moving. Starting this week, Lumus personnel will be on site, doing surveying and other preliminary work. Within the next two weeks, weather allowing, dirt will start moving at the turbine site (the hilltop west of the baseball fields). Major construction activity will not begin until Nov. 15 for

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Thursday, November 6, 2008

System. Any additional searches will need my approval before they move forward.

We view the advice in Compensation Increases, Overtime, Printing and Mailing, Meals and Refreshments, and Contracts and Purchases to apply to all of us and to be subject to emergency exceptions granted by Charlie, Mike Sonntag, Chris Corsello or Don as appropriate. As one small example, I plan to reduce entertainment expenses by combining the Holiday Light Party and the annual President’s House Open House into one lower budget function.

We are asking everyone to be attentive to the Travel specifications. Let us use this document as an opportunity to reduce intra-System travel that burdens

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us hugely. Insist that those calling in-person meetings explain why a polycom or conference call cannot serve the same purpose. I plan to do that. As to other professional travel (including faculty development fund travel), we ask that everyone take a very hard look at the necessity of such travel. Do participate in conferences where you are presenting a paper or serving in national leadership. Do think hard about attendance at other meetings. Likewise, give hard review to student co-curricular travel. If it is of only modest value to some or all students, consider not going. Where it is essential to our educational objectives, travel but economize.

We will implement the energy conservation measures to the best of our abilities. We will

Catching the wind

permitting reasons.

All of this depends on the weather. Either heavy snowfall or serious ground freezing could shut us down until late winter. If so, we are probably looking at late May or early June completion and operation. If we catch a break on weather and can complete the tower base by mid-December, we could be several months earlier. The Lumus personnel promised to keep us informed as the project moves forward. They were also quite willing

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not risk health or endanger our buildings. But, we think we can save considerable money and have life be just as pleasant with attention to temperatures.

We will begin meeting with our budget advisory committee next week. We will consider some of the issues raised in the departmental budget reviews section of the chancellor’s document.

Thanks to all for your willingness to economize. Please understand that these are immediate actions to be taken for THIS FISCAL YEAR. We will continue to work with the System and the budget advisory committee on the financial situation for the longer term, most immediately the 2009-10 Fiscal Year.

- Pres. Don Zillman

to provide regular tours of the site and information for all of us as the project moves forward. This strikes me as a wonderful teaching and learning opportunity for all of us. Lumus does ask that we recognize that this is a construction site. Ask permission to come within the yellow tape areas and prepare to wear a hard hat. I suspect that will become part of my wardrobe very shortly. -Pres. Don Zillman

PRIORITY REGISTRATION

WISH LISTS ARE OPEN ON MAIN STREET UNTIL NOVEMEBER 18TH GET READY FOR NEXT SEMESTER

FOR QUESTIONS CONTACT: OFFICE OF STUDENT RECORDS AT 768-9607


Campus News Gift of life

UNIVERSITY TIMES

LEAH MCEACHERN Staff Writer

On Thursday, Oct. 23, the American Red Cross came to UMPI to accept donations of blood. Although the organization sometimes directs drives for specific use, the event (which was organized by Residence Life and Robin Lindsey) was only for collection of blood for general use. All the blood collected is to stay in our region and be used to help ailments like bleeding disorders and trauma and for surgical use. When I went to the Campus Center Multipurpose Room, I spoke with Mr. Aaron Hoovler, the head nurse present at the event. He has been a part of the Red Cross for a year. They had been in Maine all week conducting their blood drives, going anywhere in the state that had the potential for a good number of donors, sponsors and volunteers.

There was a steady good, turnout of donors, composed of UMPI students and faculty, as well as many people from around the community all through the afternoon. It was fairly busy around the middle of the afternoon, when most people were finishing up their classes and leaving their jobs for the day. As an extra incentive to participate, there was a contest between the dorms. The floor that donated the most received a pizza party. But most of the students

Teaching healthy habits

PAMELA PERKINS Staff Writer

Hundreds of people, the elderly to the young, gathered at Gentile Hall on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. for TAMC’s Health Fair. There were about 37 different vendors on the site, telling people about what they do and what they have to offer the community. There were local business there offering information to people who might be interested in working for them.

The event was a way to spread knowledge to the community in a way that was fun, as opposed to getting the same knowledge in a doctor’s office. Some of the brochures that people could pick up were on breast cancer, autism, osteoporosis, heart disease, sexual assault and many other types of medical conditions. Other information that you could have picked up included:

Tips on what to do to stay active in the wintertime, such as doing an outdoor sport like skiing or going to the indoor pool. What to do when you have an injury.

Friday, November 7, 2008

who participated weren’t doing it for any reward.

All of the nurses present were very kind and understanding, frequently offering people snacks and refreshments before and after taking blood. If anybody was afraid to donate, they didn’t push them. Instead they spent a little extra time talking them through the procedure and letting them know exactly what was going to happen. Contrary to what most people feared, the nurses did not “stab” into you if they couldn’t find a good vein or force you to donate if you got cold feet. The only reasons people

Folsom

continued from page 1

University of Maine System’s Board of Trustees; project history and details by Charles Bonin, vice president of finance and administration, and Dave St. Peter, How to support a friend who may have manager of physical facilities; and sentibeen gotten cancer. ments from Dr. Mike Knopp, vice chair of Tips on child care. the College of Arts and Sciences, and People could pick up recipes for Chuck Weiss, student senate president, healthy eating, such as butternut about what the building improvements and apple harvest soup, and freebies mean to faculty members and stusuch as candy, books, pencils and dents. magnets. There were many differPresident Zillman, Bonin and St. ent door prizes that people could Peter also presented a token of appresign up for as well, including a $100 gift certificate for Wal-Mart, cloth- ciation to the construction team in ing, many different types of gift order to recognize the amazing effort baskets, $50 of home heating fuel the crew put forth in completing the and food. project on time and on budget, with People could get free flu shots or as minimal a disruption as possible to screenings—for cholesterol or faculty and students. blood pressure. For the kids, there The event ended with an official ribwas Dance Dance Revolution, a chance to climb the rock wall, and a bon cutting ceremony in which bounce castle for them to play in. If President Zillman declared the you wanted, you could have signed Folsom Hall renovation work offiup to become a bone marrow donor, cially completed and ready for many where you could possibly save a life in the future. Food and drinks were more years of campus and community use. provided by our own Ammarak. Major funding for the Folsom Hall Healthy cooking demonstrations and tips on how to make healthier meals for your family.

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weren’t allowed to donate were if their iron was low, they had a cold or fever, or their blood pressure was not within a certain range.

Only about 5 percent of people give blood. When asked, Mr. Hoovler said the best thing students can do to help is to tell people about donating—to spread the word, because the Red Cross loves volunteers. It’s very important that you only donate every 56 days, however, and to make sure you have a good meal and lots of fluids the day before and the day of donating.

The Red Cross wants to tell UMPI and the community of Presque Isle that it has had a good history of positive reactions in Maine. It appreciates all the hospitality extended to them. The Red Cross will return in three month’s time and hopes for as even more successful blood drive.

renovation project was approved by voters last fall. Bond Question 3 asked whether voters would spend $43.5 million for brick and mortar improvements at universities and colleges across the state. The University stood to receive $1.4 million, along with an additional $600,000 from the University of Maine System. On Nov. 6, the question passed with 51 percent support statewide. In Aroostook County, support was significantly higher for the initiative, at 55.6 percent. The University had promised that if Question 3 passed, renovation work would begin as soon as physically possible. Initial work began four months later, in March, and was completed this fall – less than a year after voters approved funding for the work. Following the ceremony and ribbon cutting, attendees were encouraged to take tours of Folsom Hall so they could explore the building from top to bottom and see the major building improvements firsthand.


Hot profs

UNIVERSITY TIMES

6 HARRISON KILPATRICK Staff Writer

On Oct. 29, 2008 Vice President of Academic Affairs Michael Sonntag presented research to the faculty and students of the University of Maine at Presque Isle that was recently published in the journal “Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.”

Dr. Sonntag, with colleagues Jonathan Bassett and Timothy Snyder of Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., examined the cogency of the ratings students gave professors on the Web-based RateMyProfessors.com. Basically, the goal of the research was to determine whether RateMyProfessors.com stood up to well-established student evaluation measures of university professors. Two independent domains of ratings were considered: easiness and overall quality.

At the end of each semester, each student takes an institution issued student evaluation form. You know, the forms that ask your expected grade, your current GPA, and other indicators of yourself as a student followed by about ten items asking you to rate the performance of the professor and the class overall. Sonntag and colleagues used student evaluation data from 126 professors of Lander University and compared their scores on the institution issued forms to the scores that students gave them on RateMyProfessors.com. The results were surprising and compelling.

As it turns out, the public Web-based rating system’s scores were closely correlated to the scores given on the student evaluation forms. Ratings of “clarity”’, “helpfulness” and “overall quality” had a positive relationship with “excellent instructor” and “excellent class” as pro-

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vided by student evaluation forms. This means that professors with more positive ratings on RateMyProfessors.com have a better chance of receiving a high score on student evaluation forms. Also, professor easiness and grades assigned by the professors had a significant positive relationship (e.g., the easier the professor, the better the grades of their students).

The research was presented to the faculty and students during a faculty noon seminar. The subject prompted a vigorous discussion of UMPI’s current student evaluation forms.

RateMyProfessors.com is a public online community that allows individuals to login, rate their professors and leave any additional comments they find pertinent. The site also offers a chili pepper rating index that allows you to rate how “hot” (or physically attractive) your

professor is. Though Dr. Sonntag’s research provided evidence to support the accuracy of these ratings, let us see how accurate you feel they are. A quick synopsis of the ratings of UMPI professors on RateMyProfessors.com follows. Only professors with 4 ratings or more were considered.

Among the highest rated professors in “overall quality” at UMPI include John Harrington, Dave Putnam, Malcolm Coulter and Kim Sebold. Some of the ‘hardest’ include Dick Ayre, Stuart Gelder and Deborah Hodgkins. As for the hottest professors on campus, Mellissa Crowe, former professor of English, takes the cake. Ray Rice and John DeFelice have the second and third (respectively) highest average of chili peppers. If you disagree, visit RateMyProfessors.com and rate them for yourself.

Helping hands warming community

CHRISTINE CORSELLO Dean of Students

In conjunction with National Make a Difference Day, on Saturday, Oct. 25, the UMPI Student Senate and the Dean of Students office sponsored a Help Your Seniors Day. UMPI worked with the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging and visited approximately 18 homes in Presque Isle, Caribou and Fort Fairfield.

About a dozen volunteers from the UMPI student body, as well as faculty, staff and administrators, got together and helped our neighbors with winterization projects. Volunteers installed plastic around windows, covered exposed pipes with foam, inserted energy efficient light bulbs, caulked and sealed holes and draft areas, spent time chatting with senior citizens and performed other odd jobs for the seniors. Once again, the service project was a great success and very rewarding for both seniors and volunteers.

This event was the second time UMPI has worked with the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging. Last spring, UMPI volunteers provided local senior

Several members of the women’s basketball team took part in the Help our Seniors Day on Saturday, Oct. 25. This was a project sponsored by the University as a part of National Make a Difference Day. Shown here are some of the women’s basketball team with a new friend and UMPI Owls fan! From left to right: Kathy Kilfoil, Cassie Green, Emily Moore, Mavis, Melissa Borjas, Kathleen Higgins and Whitney Flint.

citizens with assistance in cleaning up their yards and homes from the harsh winter (e.g., raking leaves, picking up trash and debris) and preparing for the spring and summer seasons.

During each event, volunteers were easily spotted on lawns across the county wearing their bright orange Helping Hands T-shirts. Each event was topped off with a BBQ/cookout dinner

provided by Aramark. Look for details this spring about our continuing community outreach program as we will once again assist our community members with another service project.


The cost of all promises UNIVERSITY TIMES

KALYN DEVOE Contributor

As the 1968 Retrospective draws near, what better way to get the students of UMPI geared up than to give them a little education about where some of their professors were during that crucial year? Looking for a great story, something with drama and charisma, I looked to Claire Davidshofer, or as many know her, Madame. She took me on a whirlwind of an adventure of 1968. In 1968, you could find Davidshofer at the Université d-Aix-enProvence in southern France. She was studying for her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and American Literature. Davidshofer was very studious. She made several references to being worried about her courses. She also went on to talk about how different the final exams were in France. “In those days, you took courses for a whole year and only took one test, the final test, at the end of the university year. If you failed the test, you were allowed to try one more time in September. If you failed again, then you had to repeat the course,” she said. In May of 1968, all the students had been following such events as the

JENNY CRAWFORD Contributor

“Prague Spring.” The students were sympathetic to Alexander Dubcek and his followers, as they “watched with horror the reprisals of the Soviets,” she said. When discussing riots or protests, Davidshofer said, “I took part in a march to call an end to the general strike and the

Claire Davidshofer

Friday, November 7, 2008

end of the crisis that could have plunged the country into anarchy.” Events were even taking place within her university. The university administrators were unsatisfied with how its curriculum was being taught to the students. The university was also unhappy

restoration to order in the country with my parents and sisters. Millions of French citizens took part in that march in towns and cities all over France. This determined the

with how its students’ knowledge was being assessed through testing, so it canceled all courses. “I decided to stay in Aix-en-

Her classmate, Karen Hurst, was nicknamed “The Berkeley Girl” in the 1966 magazine “Look.” Berkeley refers to Berkeley, Calif., which was in the forefront of the social revolution that was occurring during the sixties. The nickname was coined because during the time of major lifestyle changes, Karen was riding around on a motorcycle and living with her boyfriend: something considered very daring then. It wasn’t until the early 1970s, because of the lifestyle changes that were happening around the country, that many universities introduced new courses to psychology programs on the Psychology of Women. The courses weren’t taken seriously right away because women weren’t taken seriously as powerful people worth studying. Alice reminisced about the events she remembered the most about the 1960s, not necessarily only in 1968, including the assassination of John F. Kennedy. She also remembered a Free Speech Movement

that happened at Berkeley, which was a short distance from Mills College. University officials were planning to build on park land, which students referred to as People’s Park. Students began to protest the proposed building. The protest against the building turned into a Free Speech Movement that caused the university to close for a short time because the riots became out of control. This was a time when police departments attacked students and one student was arrested for singing a patriotic song at an event! Another protest occurred in 1967, when black students and white students at Duke University formed an Afro-American Society that concentrated on making campus life easier for black students. They demanded a black dormitory and an increase in the number of AfricanAmericans allowed to attend the university. After the incident, black students formed Malcolm X University on campus and white students boycotted class. The

7 Provence for a while to see what was going on. Lo and behold, a general strike ensued, and I was left without any means of transportation to go home and no way to call home. Fortunately, my parents came to get me,” Davidshofer said. The events of 1968 didn’t change Davidshofer’s life in a blink of an eye. “Changes didn’t occur overnight,” she said. Davidshofer was upset that her finals were pushed back until September, but she understood that change was happening in her university. The university wanted changes in the way teaching and testing occurred. “I did not see many of them happen, because I left for the U.S. in August 1969,” Davidshofer said. When asked what she thinks about the retrospective, Davidshofer answered, “I think it’s a great idea!” She then added, “I believe that having such a celebration will help students live the events through the eyes of those who experienced them. There’s always much to learn from past events. I hope it will motivate students to keep informed of what is going on here in the U.S. and in the world and to get involved.”

The Sixties: A Social Revolution

At first glance, Alice Sheppard is simply an average, everyday woman. If you have ever sat down and talked to Alice on a personal level, however, you’ve realized that she is much more than that. In observance of UMPI’s 1968 Retrospective, I sat down with Alice to learn about her 1968 experience. Although our conversation was short and diffuse, she truly opened my eyes to her personal experiences 40 years ago and to the experience of millions of other Americans. In 1968, Alice was attending Clark University in Worcestershire, Mass., working on her doctorate in psychology. During this time, a social revolution was occurring and women were starting to stand up for their rights and freedoms. Alice explained, “People were determined to take over their own lives.” Before Alice attended Clark, she was a student at Mills College in Oakland, Calif.

university eventually gave in to part of the demands. Alice was only involved in one protest while attending Clark due to her rigorous study habits and the location of the protests, which weren’t often located on her campus. The whole campus walked up Main Street arm-in-arm. Universities in the 1960s were very different from what they are today. Timothy Leary, a psychology professor at Harvard, coined the catch phrase “Turn on, Tune in, Drop out.” He conducted experiments using LSD and other psychedelic drugs on himself, his associates and his graduate students. He used the findings for research purposes, but was discharged from Harvard in 1963 after being accused o f giving the drugs to undergraduate students. When current students and young adults are asked about the sixties, their reply usually pertains to drugs and Woodstock. See Revolution page 16


UNIVERSITY TIMES

8

HALLOWEEN

ACAP Trick or Treaters

AMY BARNES Contributor On Oct. 31, Halloween, the children from the ACAP Child and Family Center at UMPI had the opportunity to go on a harvest walk for healthy snacks. They also received crayons, coloring books, pencils and stickers.

The children had the opportunity to see the faculty and staff dress up in the university offices as well as Gentile Hall, the bookstore and the cafeteria. There were many smiles from the chil- Daycare trick or treaters in Preble Hall dren as well as from the faculty.

LEAH MCEACHERN Staff Writer

It was a cold and dark night, but that didn’t stop the kids from coming! On Thursday, Oct. 30 from 6 to 7 p.m., kids from the community (grades five and lower) came into the freshman dorms trick or treating. We spent about an hour decorating the floors with cobwebs, streamers, garbage bags, and rubber spiders in preparation for the event. We put lipstick on our hands so that we could leave “bloody” handprints on the windows. We wrote cryptic warning signs on police tape, plastering them to doors and spreading them across windows. We covered some of the lights with garbage bags or even removed power from them completely, giving the halls a very spooky atmosphere!

There was a contest between the different floors of each building for which was the best decorated. A prize was also awarded to the floor that cleaned up the fastest afterwards. In Park Hall, the prize for best-decorated floor went to the second floor. In Merriman Hall it went to the third floor. Everybody enjoyed fresh pizza after the event, even if they didn’t win anything! All were looking forward to the big event and were eagerly standing in their

Friday, November 7, 2008

Mall Monsters

The PE majors haunted house in the Mall was created and presented by Advisor Chris Standefer, Megan McCarthy, Andy Parker, Korrin Patterson, Aaron McLaughlin, Chris Moore and Ryan McPhedran

Trick or treating in the dorms doorways clutching their candy, eyes darting about anxiously as they exclaimed, “Where are the children?” When they finally came, the excitement reached a peak.

Pirates, ninjas, fairies and other familiar costumes were proudly displayed as the kids walked through the halls collecting treats in exchange for the promise of not playing any tricks. Famous characters such as Indiana Jones and Spider Man were also a frequent sight, along with the menacing Darth Vader.

Although some of the younger children were scared by some of the freshmen and décor, most seemed to enjoy the experience. Some that were little more than babies enjoyed taking the candy from us and putting it in their bags themselves, while others freely offered hugs.

Although the buildings were only open for an hour, they were very busy. The flow of foot traffic hardly lulled until the last fifteen minutes or so, and a lot more people attended than expected. At times there was some anxiety when candy was beginning to run out, but things all worked out.

From top left, clockwise: Alexis “Tinkerbell” Perkins trick or treating, a spider in The event was very enjoyable overall, Merriman, a spooky bat and a creepy door hanging , and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to it next year!


UNIVERSITY TIMES

Friday, November 7, 2008

SPOOKTACULAR Derek Russell murdered

KINDA LILLEY Contributor

The night of Oct. 31, 2008, was hectic for everyone while people rushed around trying to solve the murder of Derek Russell. About 165 people came to try to solve the grisly murder, and 51 of those people succeeded. The randomly selected top 15 will be announced on the radio soon.

ing questions, gathering evidence and interrogating suspects. And that was the easy part. Actually deciding “who dunnit” right before you left was much more difficult. Some actually came back to try again.

The event staff prepared for this day for months with numerous meetings and incessant e-mails. Getting the supplies, building the jail, inhaling spray paint, and making trips all over town were just a few of the experiences we

suffered through.

Replanning most of the rooms after a meeting with the fire marshal just 48 hours before the big day was the icing on the cake for stress. Yet the murder mystery turned out to be a complete success. The midnight coffee runs and doughnuts were a key part in our survival. Thank you, caffeine.

On behalf of the staff, I would just like to say thank you for all those who par-

9

ticipated, donated money and voted. It means a lot to all of us: we had a blast putting this into action. Personally, it was amazing getting to meet so many new and invigorating people whom I will continue to be friends with for years to come.

We hope to see everyone there next year! And don’t be surprised if you hear something about a live game of Clue coming in the spring. But “Shhhh!” If anyone asks, I didn’t tell you that…

Senior Service Auction Fundraiser Nov. 13 @ 12:30 p.m. in the Cafeteria Deadline for Graduation Application January 31, 2009

As the strobe lights flashed, the detectives wandered the halls and rooms ask-

KAPPA DELTA PHI Band showcase

From left: the band Party at Troy’s: Singer Mike McLean, bassist Chris Pelletier, on guitar Adam Umphrey and on drums Buddy Lacombe; Best costume Mandy Bradbury and sexiest costume Tore; and scariest costume Bryan McKloskey


10

Sports

Cross country: Preparing for Worst Leads to Triumph UNIVERSITY TIMES

KIMBERLY GRANT Contributor

“Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” –Lou Holtz

It seems pointless to many, a waste of time to others. But to the few men and woman of the University of Maine at Presque Isle cross country team, running is a way of life. The opening key to this fall 2008 season was simply development. Coach and respected colleague Christopher Smith believes in his athletes and stresses the importance of starting at each individual’s level of experience and progressing from there, not just throughout one or four seasons, but for a lifetime.

Smith says, “It’s something that very few people understand. Running is understood only by commitment and dealing with the time, effort and pain requirements, not by simply going out for a jog once in a while. These people are ‘joggers’ and NOT runners.”

Friday, November, 7, 2008

For those of you who are unaware, UMPI’s cross country teams are headed to Nashville, Tenn., after their qualification in Canton, N.Y. In fact, the women’s team came in first place!

Everyone has grown physically and mentally stronger throughout this season, and it definitely shows. Seniors Emerson Wright and Michelle Phillips have done an excellent job in encouraging their teammates to push themselves to their highest abilities. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but anything worth having usually isn’t. In order to be prepared for the worst, you must train in the worst. Come to practice prepared, because coach will hold practice ran or shine, sleet or hail. Come race time, you’ll be glad he did.

Cross country is a demanding sport: it takes determination and develops character. The goal this week before heading to Tennessee is to not mess up what we’ve worked so hard for. Everyone is in as good shape as they’ll get in for now. It’s now a case of taking everything we’ve done and putting it all to the test.

UMPI women’s NAIA Sunrise Conference cross country champions: Michelle Phillips, Hannah Shepard, Chandra Wisneski, Hannah Smith, Julie Rugg, Shelley Hanson, Heather Dionne, and Kimberly Grant. Coached by Chris Smith.

A season like an undulating green KYLE GROOMS Contributor

The UMPI men’s golf season went like a putt on an undulating green: up and down. The season ended on a high as the UMPI golf team claimed its first conference championship in school history. The team held high expectations going into the season, but didn’t hit its stride until the last two tournaments of the year, which the team won.

The men of UMPI’s golf team

The team struggled early in the season. In the Brunswick Invitational, we put ourselves in a good position on day one, being in the middle of the pack. We struggled on day two in poor conditions, ending up leaving with a disap-

pointing finish.

That was one of our worst finishes of the season. That tournament ended up foreshadowing it.

Our players struggled to perform at each tournament, and as the season went on, our players got more frustrated. A bright spot was when Brett Hooper teamed up with the captain, Matt Dubay, and took fourth in the Colby Invitational. Even though we had some good performances it seemed as if we couldn’t win a tournament.

That changed, though, when we played our match with Maine Maritime Academy. We used the momentum from that victory to propel us toward the Sunrise Conference Championship.


Lady Owls move into post-season UNIVERSITY TIMES

ERIN PELLETIER Contributor

Oct. 18-19 (Paul Smith’s, SUNY

Canton) The men and women’s soccer teams traveled to upstate New York on Oct. 17 to face Paul Smith’s College and SUNY Canton. On Saturday, the sun came out over the games versus the Bobcats, where UMPI took home two wins. The men ended the first half 3-0, with Devon Peaslee scoring the last goal off a penalty kick. The second half started strong after Corey Fournier crossed a ball into the box and Tony Hibbard headed it in. The rest of the game saw many shots by the Owls and the final goal was tucked away by Josh Peaslee by placing it on the ground, opposite net. The men ended the game with a win, 7-0. The women’s game followed, with the Owls dominating for most of the game. Carolynn Tuck scored the first goal for the ladies off a direct kick just outside the 18 yard line. Paul Smith’s college soon came back to tie it up. Not too long after, Amber Bradley knocked one in off one of their players and Paul Smith’s came back once again to end the half tied at 2. Going into the second half, the ladies knew they needed to rack up more goals and keep the Bobcats at 2. Erin Pelletier scored first for the Owls in the second half by placing it in the opposite top corner. Victoria Tracey and Pelletier each added one more and Desiree Smith scored two. The game ended 7-2, the Owls with the victory.

On Sunday, both teams faced SUNY Canton and on the Kangaroo’s turf field. The men were well matched in the game and stayed tied at 0 for the whole first half. Fifteen minutes into the second half of the game, the Owls made a goal that sent the fans into raucous cheers. Tony Hibbard crossed a ball to the opposite side of the mouth of the goal, where Devon Peaslee slid into the goal with the ball. The men held the Roos for the rest of the game until there was a minute and a half left, and SUNY scored off a header. The game then had to go into overtime, and eventually double overtime,

where Josh Peaslee rocketed a shot into the back of the net from 15 yards out. The UMPI men won 2-1 in a very well played match. Unfortunately, the women’s game ended differently, with the Owls giving up three goals very early on in the game and never being able to come back from that deficit. They ended the game in a loss of 5-0 against the reigning conference champions.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Owls were able to hold the opposing team scoreless, but unfortunately couldn’t catch up. Jessica Kinney scored the lone goal for the Owls in the second half by chipping it over the keeper, to end the game 3-1. The Owls are looking forward to next year’s matchup against the Bengals in hopes of returning the barrel to the UMPI trophy case. Oct. 25-26 (VT Tech, College of St. Joseph)

UMPI soccer’s Erin Pelletier and Tony Hibbard. Oct. 23 (UMFK) The traditional potato barrel games were played between the UMFK Bengals and UMPI Owls on Thursday, Oct. 23. The games were held on the Presque Isle High School turf field, under the lights, for the second year in a row. An influx of fans came to the games and braved the cold weather to support the UMPI teams. The UMFK men scored five goals by halftime, added an extra two in the second half and ended up returning to Fort Kent with the coveted potato barrel. The women’s potato barrel, only in existence for two years and won by UMPI last year, was sadly also taken back to Fort Kent after the UMFK women beat the lady Owls in a heartwrenching game. The University of Maine at Fort Kent women scored three goals in the first half, as the UMPI ladies struggled to get accustomed to playing on the turf field. In the second half, the

The last weekend of October saw the UMPI Owls’ last home games for the 2008 season. On Saturday, the teams faced Vermont Technical College for the second time. With 27 minutes left in the first half, Devon Peaslee scored off a hard shot to the opposite corner of the net. The Owls continued to dominate and with eight minutes left in the first half, Seth Dorr scored for the Owls after the ball slipped past the Vermont Tech goalie. After many shots and shot attempts in the second half, Trevor Hews blasted a shot into the net among the chaos in the box. Not long after, Dylan Harris scored off a penalty kick, followed by Craig Maffei’s header. Corey Fournier knocked in the last goal, to end the game with a win for the Owls, 6-0. The women’s game followed, with sophomore Chelsea Boudreau scoring early on off a pass from Erin Pelletier.

11

Jessica Kinney added the next goal by drilling the ball into the net after a few missed shots by her teammates. Pelletier scored the final goal, and the Owls came off with a win, 3-0.

The last home games of the season, on Sunday, were ones to remember. It had been raining since the night before, and the field was more than saturated. Even though it let up for part of the men’s game, there was no shortage of mud kicked up and slipping and sliding. Since the College of Saint Joseph’s men had only eight players, the two teams agreed to play only a 70 minute game, as opposed to the full 90. Devon Peaslee started it off by scoring for the Owls and Corey Fournier followed soon after with a shot between the keeper’s legs. Defender Ben Costello made a run to the net and scored after dribbling around a few of their defenders. Senior Tony Hibbard and sophomore Craig Maffei added in the last two goals of the half. At the beginning of the second half, the Fighting Saints scored, but then UMPI responded with a goal by senior Brandon Levasseur. The UMPI men won 6-1, with both seniors scoring in their Senior Game. The men will be playing in Boston Nov. 1— their last regular season game. By the time the men’s game had ended, the rain had picked up and field condition was worse than ever. Not only were there loads of mud puddles, there were also divots from where the men had slipped and ripped up the soil. Despite the field situation and shortage of players on the other team, the women agreed to play. The game only lasted about 30 minutes, but in that time, Chelsea Boudreau, Jacky Raymond, Victoria Tracey and Makayla Gahagan each scored a goal, and senior Erin Pelletier knocked in two. The game was called after a player for the Saints got hurt, bringing their numbers down to six. The lady Owls will also play in Boston Nov. 1, with the following weekend being the beginning of postseason play.


12 PAMELA PERKINS Staff Writer “A small but mighty crowd” was present in Wieden Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 25, to witness the crazy, high energy and amazing talents of an acappella group called Blue Jupiter.

To them this was fine because they got the chance to “get to know the crowd.” Marty, the vocal percussionist, even came into the crowd to personally sing to some ladies. You may have heard of them before without knowing it, because they are most famous for the updated version of the Oreo cookie jingle. This was their first time coming to the campus. The group formed in late 2001 in New York City. It has traveled to Asia six times, has sung for the troops in Japan

Entertainment

Blue Jupiter amazes audience UNIVERSITY TIMES

and recently has been on the VH1 “Save the Music” event. It has won numerous awards for talent.

It’s composed of four people, four microphones and four voices. They have no instruments at all. Everything that you hear that sounds like one is all done by their voices. The group is as follow:

Marty Gasper: vocal percussionist, baritone, and the founder of Blue Jupiter. Originally from New York.

Chris Chatham: high tenor and all the brass sounds, like the trumpets or saxophone. Originally from Pennsylvania.

Friday, November 7, 2008 M a t t h e w Flowers: baritone. Originally f r o m Wa s h i n g t o n , D.C.

Dania Preisler: Broadway actress and singer who does the McDonalds 99 cent menu ads and other TV commercials. Originally from Massachusetts.

The most important thing that all members bring to Blue Jupiter is their own personal music stamp. For example, Chris brings rock and metal influences to the group. Matthew brings soul and gospel influences. Dania brings

The good old days... PAMELA PERKINS Staff Writer

Wieden Auditorium was packed this past Saturday night, as the eager people there came to listen to folk singer and songwriter Dave Mallet. He came to UMPI to perform songs from his new CD, “The Fable True,” which is based on Henry David Thoreau’s “The Maine Woods.”

Dave Mallet

Before opening his show, Carol Ayoob, director of cultural affairs, showed the crowd a video of Mallet when he came to Fort Fairfield’s Potato Blossom Festival in 1967. He and his brother took the whole summer off, driving around in a Cole’s Express truck that only went 35 mph. Mallet just went playing his guitar and singing to each town that they visited. He later told the crowd that he enjoyed doing that and wishes he could do it again. This video can be found on youtube.com. Most of Mallet’s songs are based

Blue Jupiter performing Broadway musicals to the group. Blue Jupiter showed this when it performed “My Favorite Things,” a song from a Broadway musical. By mixing in a drum solo and a touch of heartfelt emotion, the group made the song its own. If you would like more information on Blue Jupiter you can look they up on Facebook.com or MySpace.com or at t h e i r W e b s i t e a t www.bluejupiter.com/forum.

on long-lost loves, finding love, the good old days, growing up in Maine and just generally having fun or having fun with music.

One song called “Main Street” was about how Mallet missed the good old days where you could walk into a store and everyone would know your name. Now there is a mall in his town: the little mom and pop stores where people used to go are going out of business or are being torn down. No one seems to spend time with one another, and in a bittersweet way, we as a society have to trade the old for the new. Mallet later joked that this song was being adapted into the new Wal-Mart song. The crowd gave Mallet a standing ovation when he was done.

If the name sounds familiar and has been bothering you, it may be because Mallet is most popular for having written the children’s book, “Inch by Inch: The garden song” that has become a favorite children’s storybook.


Mixed bag

The Kilpatrick letter

UNIVERSITY TIMES HARRISON KILPATRICK Staff Writer

Midterms have ended and depending on when this issue comes out, this is what has happened. The elections are coming up and we are all extremely excited to have one of the most liberal senators as POTUS (POTUS was a trendy term for President of the United States when West Wing was popular), or the elections have come and gone, and Barack Obama is the next Commander and Chief. On the campus front, the Oct. 24 University Senate meeting was, as always, enthralling and voluminous in content. Though the initial turnout of the meeting created uncertainty as to whether attendance would be adequate for quorum, or enough present members to vote, the meeting continued. Patric Edward pulled through and successfully chaired the meeting in the absence of John DeFelice.

One of the more pressing issues discussed was the budgetary challenges that the university may face in the not so distant future. Along with student enrollment numbers being down, approximately 5.7 percent, the impact of the slumping economy (as the subprime mortgage crisis is no longer a mortgage crisis, but a systemic and soulless beast that travels the world and has its way with any institution that uses money . . .) has yet to be realized. The decrease in students is thought to originate from the Canadian demographic, and with the Canadian dollar at the 80 cent range (in American dollars), it is possible that UMPI may seem less appealing to certification students and regular Canadians alike. Though the exact numbers remain unknown, the budget advisory committee will be making recommendations to the president as to where potential cutbacks should be instated. This will take place within the next year or so. Last year (if you recall), the University of Maine System lost

money because of the state’s fiscal deficit. The result, an overall increase in tuition. It is likely that the current (or should I say upcoming) budget fiasco is going to be as unpleasant as the one last semester.

The administration has remedied a cure for the lower than expected number of students and the lack of full tuition paying students: Chinese students. That’s right. The University is planning on setting up a system to recruit students from China. As many Chinese who are prepared for college are not getting in because of the lack of university positions for students in China, universities such as UMPI are stepping in to pick up the slack.

The university created a museum committee to decide the future of the science museum in Folsom. Their decision: the museum should continue in some form, but not in its current form.

America and Humility

invasion and occupation (costing, as it does, a cool $12 billion per month). If the press, the Congress Much has been written about the and citizens had been focused on l a t e S e p t e m b e r t h u m b s - d o w n doing their real patriotic duty and Congressional bailout vote and sub- calling this administration to sequent dive of the Dow. But two account, perhaps we could have things stood out to me during saved ourselves—and the Iraqis— much bloodshed, loss of money, that time. loss of dignity, loss of life and further erosion of America’s already One is that the press actually did feeble moral authority. its job and reported on much that the bill did and did not contain. Several pundits wrote, after the Another was that many thousands of citizens finally got involved Wall Street crash, that the American enough to say, in the immortal Empire is dead. Maybe that’s not words of Howard Beale in the such a bad thing. Maybe we can movie “Network”, “We’re mad as finally learn what it’s like to be what hell and we’re not going to take it President Bush promised way back in 2000. “If we’re an arrogant anymore!” nation, they’ll resent us,” Bush If only such an outpouring of out- said of the international commurage had appeared before the Iraq nity. “If we’re a humble nation JEFF LOVEJOY Contributor

Friday, November 7, 2008

but strong, they’ll welcome us.”

Maybe we will finally stop throwing our weight around in the world, militarily, economically, and philosophically. That is in some measure what happened to Great Britain at the end of their empire’s run. Though I fear that, our having been more of a white giant in astronomical terms, we may suffer a shattering implosion.

One story we study in my literature classes, “Dead Men’s Path,” by Chinua Achebe, unfailingly reminds me of our situation. Michael Obi is appointed headmaster to a school that he considers backward and wrapped in superstition. “Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas,” he tells an elder. He has a grand plan

13 Though everything may seem grim, and while you may have lost half your pension, there is good news. The University Day committee has decided on the theme: Connecting learning, life, & community. The theme for April 8’s University Day is intended to guide the feel of the presentations that occur on that day, though pretty much anyone willing to present on University Day is encouraged to do so. If you cannot relate your subject matter to the broad theme of learning, life, and community, then maybe you should hold off for this year.

If you have anything that you would like to see discussed in The Kilpatrick Letter, e-mail Harrison at harrison.kilpatrick@maine.edu. Likewise, if you wish to respond to The Kilpatrick Letter, submit something to the University Times at utimes@maine.edu.

to help the populace see the light. But his plan comes horribly unraveled when he decides, against the advice of town elders, to block a path that the villagers see as sacred. He ends disgraced and dishonored after a poor supervisory review. America has been Michael Obi writ large for a very long time, its leaders—and often its citizens— thinking that they were better, smarter, and more worthy than everyone else in the world. Maybe now we can take off our rose-colored glasses and see that, insofar as we have failed to live up to our admittedly inspirational ideals, we have largely failed to be the Americans the world had long hoped we would be.


Congradulations student of the month UNIVERSITY TIMES

14

CHRISTINE CORSELLO Dean of Students We are pleased to announce that Shirley Jewel has been selected S tu dent of the Month for October. Shirley, an Education major, has been instrumental as a member in student organizations and the Community of Practice for Project Compass focusing on retention. Shirley’s achievements are many - mother, Dean’s List student, officer/member of SEAM Student of the Month

and N ativ e Vo i c es , c o m m un i t y volunteer and an all-around positive role model. Quotes from the nomination form read:

“...Shirley has provided tutoring to Native American students serves as a part-time librarian at the Aroostook Band of Micmacs ... and has worked with Indian H ealt h a nd Ch i l d We l f are...

Friday, November 7, 2008

Shirley is a serious student... with a strong work ethic and commitment to service... She is a true role model for her peers.”

“Shirley has served as a peer adviser... and has impressed me w ith her k in d, s u ppo rt i ve demeanor when working with new students...She is a member of our U M P I chapter of t he Stud e nt Education Association of Maine. She helped get the organization

Nomination Form

Do you know a student who *

goes out of their way to help other students?

*

contributes to school pride?

*

serves as a positive role model for other students?

*

*

*

contributes to student life?

is open to all students and embraces diversity?

does community service?

Each month of the school year one student will be chosen to represent

off the ground and worked every event... Shirley is an excellent role model as a student, as a future teacher, and as a member of t h e A r o os took Ba nd o f She is thoughtful, Micmacs... dedicated, willing to do what is required and more, and at a very high standard.”

Wa t c h f o r d e t a i l s o n t h e upcoming celebration to honor S h i r l e y ’s achievements.

Name of Nominated Student_______________________________________________ Degree Program of Nominated Student (if known)_____________________________ Nomination Month/Year (i.e. October, 2008)__________________________________

Nominated by (name, student/staff or faculty member)_________________________

Can we reach you if we have questions? ___Yes ___No

If yes - what is the best way (i.e. phone number, email, etc.) ____________________ Please tell us why you think the above named student should be Student of the Month

UMPI as its "Student of the Month". Nominations will be accepted from ______________________________________________________________ anyone at the University. Completed forms should be submitted to the ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Dean of Students. The Dean of Students, along with members of the UMPI ______________________________________________________________ Pride Committee will review nomination forms and select a monthly recip- ______________________________________________________________ ient. The selected student will receive their award at the next Pride Event ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ and will be announced in the University Times and other campus media. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Nomination forms are due by the 15th of each month ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Return completed forms to the Dean of Students, South Hall ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Student of the Month program sponsored by Dean of Students and the UMPI ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Pride Committee ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ If you have any questions, contact Bonnie DeVaney, 768-9750, ______________________________________________________________ Barbara.DeVaney@umpi.edu ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________


The final frontier UNIVERSITY TIMES

JIM STEPP Contributor

Friday, November 7, 2008

1968: The year the Space Race ended

1968 was an important year for the U.S., NASA and the space program. The Cold Wa r w i t h t h e U S S R h a d b e e n going on for two decades and the Soviet Union was ahead in the race for the moon. But 1968 would change all of that.

To u n d e r s t a n d t h e i m p o r tance of 1968, we need to first look at the year 1957. The USA and the USSR were the two superpowers and each was working to convert the rest of the world to communism or capitalism. On Oct. 4, 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik 1, the E a r t h ’s f i r s t a r t e r i a l s a t e l lite. This event was seen by many as the USSR showing that it was technologically superior to the U.S.

Other events followed that kept the USSR ahead of the U.S. in the space race. Some of these include:

T h e N o v. 3 , 1 9 5 7 l a u n c h o f the first dog (Laika) into space.

The Sept. 13, 1959 impact on the moon (Luna 2).

The Aug. 19, 1960 flight of Sputnik 5, which brought the first plants and animals into space and returned them safely home. T h e A p r i l 1 2 , 1 9 6 1 Vo s t o k 1 l a u n c h o f Yu r i G a g a r i n , t h e first man to leave the Earth. T h e J u n e 1 6 , 1 9 6 3 Vo s t o k 6 launch of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to orbit the Earth. The Oct. 12, 1964 launch of Vo s k h o d 1 , t h e f i r s t m u l t i p l e person flight into space. For the U.S., the space

race started to change on Sept. 12, 1962, when P r e s i d e n t J o h n F. K e n n e d y spoke to a crowd at Rice U n i v e r s i t y a n d s a i d , “ We c h o o s e t o g o t o t h e m o o n . We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon

things, not because they are e a s y, b u t b e c a u s e t h e y a r e hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

On Dec. 21, 1968, the U.S. pulled ahead in the space race when the crew of Apollo 8 orbited the moon. L e s s t h a n a y e a r l a t e r, o n July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. The space race was o v e r.

L a t e r, t h e U S S R a n d t h e U.S. would work together in space. But in 1968, the space race was all about showing t h e w o r l d w h o w a s b e t t e r. E v e n t u a l l y, t h e s e i d e o l o g i e s were put aside and cooperation would win out. On July 15, 1975, Soviet cosmonauts and American astronauts

shook hands in space. This cooperation continues today as the ongoing missions of the International Space Station include Americans, Russians and astronauts from many other countries.

For more information about the space race go to: h t t p : / / w w w . s p a c e video.info/speech/19620912-jfkrice-text.html http://www.nasa.gov/ 11/18 through 12/11 ISS v i s i b l e i n t h e e v e n i n g s k y. Go to heavens-above.com for exact times and locat i o n s – Yo u w i l l n e e d t o register at this site and load your location to be able to get exact times. To g e t a f r e e s k y c h a r t g o t o w w w. s k y m a p s . c o m 11/08 19:00 Ur anus 4.0 degrees s outh of Moo n

11/11 22:16 N o r t h Ta u r i d s M eteor S how er Maximum 11/13 01:00 L e o n i d s Sh ow er Maximum

Look for Collection Boxes in the Builds

Please Donate

Non-Perishable Items and Paper Products

Help Make Happier

Holidays

Learn Which Fork to Use What to Wear

M e t e o r And How to Land that Killer

Job

11/13 01:17 F ull Moo n

11/14 05:07 Moo n at perigee – Closest t o t he Ea rth (2 23,095 miles or 358,961 km)

11/15 19:00 Francis Malcolm Science Center ’s Planetarium Show “Apollo 8: Christmas Around the Moon.” Space is limited so please call 488-5451 for reservations. 11/17 04:33 Leonids Meteor Shower Peak – 20 meteor/hour – Moon will interfere with this meteor shower 11/19 16:31 Last Quarter Moon

11/21 13:00 S a t u r n degrees n orth of Moo n

Food Drive in November

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5.482

11/24 Darwin’s “Origin of the Species” published 1859

Wednesday Nov. 19 From 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. At MPR in CC Six Course Meal Fashion Show Seats are Limited RSVP: 768-9750 or barbara.devaney@umpi.edu


16

Food for thought UNIVERSITY TIMES

Pizza Problem

Friday, November 7, 2008

Previous Problem: Which is more likely, getting at least on “6” in four throws of a single die or getting at least one boxcar (double sixes) in 24 throws of a pair of dice? Solution:

To solve this problem we need to first find the probability of not rolling any sixes. If we can find this, then we know that 1 minus this probability will be the chance of rolling at least one six. The chance of not rolling a six in a single throw of one die is 5/6, and the probability of doing this four times in a row is (5/6)^4. When we subtract this from one we get a chance of .5177 to role at least one 6 in four throws of a single die. There are 36 possible outcomes in a throw of two dice, and 35 of them are not boxcars, so the probability of throwing double dice 24 times without getting boxcars is (35/36)^24. When subtracted from one, this yields a chance of .4914 to roll at least one boxcars in 24 throws. So it is slightly more likely that you will roll a single six in four throws than a double six in 24 roles. Congratulations to Rose Webb for submitting the winning entry. Pizza is coming your way.

New Problem:

MISSWORM+ZIL LIONS = ZZZZZZZZZ

Each letter in the problem equals a number, for example all of the Z’s could equal 9, and all of the M’s could equal 2. What does each letter equal to make this equation true? Send your solution to umpicontest@maine.edu by November 13, 2008 if you want a free pizza, and watch for the solution and a new problem in the next issue of U Times.

Revolution

continued from page 7 Although psychedelic drugs were legal in the sixties and mini Woodstock celebrations happened frequently, the sixties were not only about hippies and drugs. The sixties were an important time of social revolution. Without the revolutions of the sixties, student unrest would still be rampant and our First

Amendment rights would still be questioned. The decade was truly a time of change. To learn more about feminism, visit the 1968 Retrospective here at the university on Saturday, Nov. 15, and listen to Alice Sheppard’s talk.

Comic by Bhava Albert

Give up on the picture? Its the pair of geese looking out the window in Normal 108 - right next to the stair way facing Folsom Hall


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