Volume 41 Issue 7

inside this issue:

Right In the Pie-Hole!

Details on page 12

University of Maine at Presque Isle Volume 41 Issue 7

Cassie Green STAFF WRITER

Who runs the world?

Women! President Linda Schott reinforced this as she took time out of her busy schedule Nov. 7 to eat some pizza and talk to female freshmen at UMPI about the importance of female empowerment. Schott sat down with a dozen students in Merriman Hall’s second floor lounge as part of a floor program developed by resident assistant Jen Steeves. The topic at hand? The ways women may become empowered and what empowerment truly looks like in all aspects of life.

Schott created a casual and laid-back environment with the female freshmen, wearing jeans and an UMPI sweatshirt and cracking jokes. Sitting in a large circle, the women faced each other and listened to the important insight and experience that Schott had to share while sharing their personal

Fight the Good Fight Details on page 18

Journalism for Northern Maine

DECEMBER 14, 2012

Girls Rule!

stories as well.

The program began with Schott talking about her upbringing, her education in Women’s Studies and her history as an educator, Dean of Students and now president of UMPI. She then handed out two timelines breaking down the lives of two seemingly separate women: Woman A and Woman B. The Woman A timeline was filled with educational experience, job opportunities and successful relationships. Woman B’s timeline included child abuse, date rape, a failed abusive marriage, battles with depression and constant relocation or career changes. Toward the end of the program, discussing which woman appeared more empowered and successful, Schott revealed that both timelines were combinations of real events from her own life.

Freshman Julie Stevens was surprised to hear that both Woman A and Woman B were a

combination of president Schott.

“I had a feeling that Woman B was her, but I was shocked that both women happened to be her,” Stevens said. “But it showed that a person can go through a lot and have a big comeback from it all.”

Body image was a big part of Schott’s discussion. She focused on the negative images that media offer women and how unrealistic they truly are.

“Be healthy, exercise and have your body take whatever shape it wants to take,” Schott said. “It’s not how you look, it’s how healthy it makes you.

Healthy brain, healthy body!”

Schott also took time to discuss other important issues, such as the definition of female empowerment and what that looks like. Attendees learned some scary but realistic statistics of date rape and domestic abuse toward women, Schott shared that women are more likely to be raped as a first year college student if previously

A few of the Merriman residents feeling empowered.

Visit us at utimes.umpi.edu

President Linda Schott. abused as a child.

Schott then also shifted to critical discussion about women in the workplace. She asked attendees to share their experiences as a female in the workplace and any examples of sexual harassment or gender discrimination that took place.

Schott also discussed the gender difference in the workplace in terms of salary as well as the importance of negotiating salary when hired for a new job.

They went over numerous reasons for the gender salary gap and looked at national statistics on a handout.

Schott also discussed the fact that most women are expected to go for lower paying jobs such as nursing, teaching, administrative assistants and daycare workers. Men on the other hand, are encouraged to work more labor-intensive jobs and receive higher pay without the need for further education.

Steeves felt like this program was important for her residents in order to help them

get to know president Schott in a personal setting.

“The program helped the girls recognize more faces on campus and get to talk to someone very important in a casual, face-to-face setting,” Steeves said. “It allowed them to open up and share stories and feelings with someone different and with their peers.”

Steeves felt that the event went very well, though she would always like to see more people attend. She would like to do something similar in the future and bring in other people to talk about the issues they’ve faced.

Schott’s presentation left the female students reflecting on their own lives and futures as well as realizing their full potential. Word has spread quickly across campus and more students have shown an interest in hearing some of her wisdom.

Who knows? In the near future, you just might get a chance to learn from Schott and other faculty or staff members!

C

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The University Times Staff Editor Lanette Virtanen Assistant Editor Kayla Ames Stephanie Jellett Ben Pinette Staff Writers Kayla Ames Cole DuMonthier Nicole Duplessis Sara Gendreau Cassie Green Stephanie Jellett Mika Ouellette Ben Pinette Lanette Virtanen Kelsey Wood Emily Wright

Contributors Derek Boudreau Chris Cosenze Dick Harrison Kathi Jandreau Yuning Lu Jessica Stepp Jim Stepp Carlos Villoria Kathleen York

Adviser Dr. J The U Times welcomes submissions from the campus.

Send digital versions of articles, photos, etc., to utimes@maine.edu and jacquelyn.lowman@umpi.edu

University Times

ampus

Dear readers, This semester has passed so fast. It seems like just yesterday that I was writing “Welcome, freshmen.” Next thing you know, Iʼll be writing it again in January when we come back for the next semester. One week left and then off for the Christmas break. Take the time during your break to spend time with those who are close to you and try to talk to those who arenʼt. The time you spend with those you love is something you should cherish.

To those of you who are graduating in May, along with some of us here at the newspaper one more semester, May will be here and then weʼll be gone. Take the time to meet new people and enjoy the friends that youʼve made since coming to UMPI. Youʼre getting so much more than a degree and an education. Youʼre getting lifelong friendships and experiences that you couldnʼt have gotten anyplace else. Enjoy your break and Iʼll see you around campus.

Lanette

Hi everyone, It's hard to believe another semester is behind us.

As I write this, I'm looking out the window, watching the snow fly and the roads becoming painted with salt. That must mean winter is here in northern Maine. I think I speak for a lot of people in that itʼs been a very interesting semester. We're happy to bring you a jam-packed issue of stories, once again. Some of our contributors were students in Dr. Lowman's PCJ 212 class. Make sure to check out their articles throughout!

Over break, I plan to regroup, enjoy eggnog, enjoy Christmas with my family and get ready for my last semester at UMPI. It's hard to believe four years have almost come and gone. Where has the time gone?

Hoping you have yourself a happy holiday and a great new year! See you in 2013!

Ben

December 14, 2012

Greetings, As my colleagues have already pointed out, this semester is coming to an end. It's been hard. I've encountered a number of difficulties over the past few months I never could have predicted. It's not enough to say that I'm ready for a break. I NEED one. *laugh* There are several holiday stories in this issue.

Most of them center around Christmas. To those who don't celebrate it or simply celebrate differently, I wish you just as much happiness and reward.

And, by reward, I don't mean presents. Brigham Young said "Love the giver more than the gift."

Young is a very religious figure, but this time of year doesn't necessarily have to be about religion.

Rejoice in whatever way you see fit, but please take time to appreciate, to think and to love this holiday season. That, in my opinion, truly is the greatest gift of all.

I encourage you to keep reading the U Times and I thank all patrons as well as contributors. It wouldn't be possible without you. With much appreciation, Kayla Hi everyone!

Well, it looks like the snow is here to stay. At least weʼll have a white Christmas! I was getting a little worried for a second, but Mother Nature decided to dump snow on us after all. Personally, Iʼm not a snow fan at all—I know, I donʼt sound Canadian!

But, I think snow is only good for three things: snowball fights, building snowmen and making Christmas day even more beautiful than it already is. Now, I know a lot of people would like to throw me in a snow bank right now and tell me Iʼm wrong, but letʼs be honest here, it gets COLD! Instead of snowboarding and skiing (or any other winter sport I fail at) in below zero weather, Iʼd much rather be cuddled up on the couch with a blanket and hot chocolate, reading a good book.

I hope everyone has a great break! Youʼll be seeing me in about eight months. Iʼm migrating to Hawaii (in my dreams). Stephanie

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Jim’s Journal

A Time of Giving

Jim Stepp.

There are many holidays in December. Perhaps the biggest three in the United States are Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa. Each of these holidays brings with them a spirit of thanks-giving.

As a child, this time of year was always about receiving for me. Like all children, I would watch the TV commercials and

want everything. Because I grew up in a poorer family, I was usually lucky to get one or two things a year, but I appreciated everything I got. The true meaning of the season came to me when I was seven. This is when I learned what it was like to give.

My family may not have had everything we wanted, but we

usually had everything we needed. When I was seven in 1968, my father became ill and was in the hospital for most of the month of December. My mother decorated the house, but told my sister and me that there would be no presents that year and Christmas dinner would be just a normal meal. With my father being in the hospital, we didn’t have the money to buy a ham and the fixings like we would normally. There was to be no giving or receiving in my house that Christmas.

Around 6 p.m., a knock came at our door. People from our church had gathered food and toys and dropped them off at our house. I can remember there being a ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls and a few toys for both me and my sister. I can still remember my mother crying tears of joy and thanking each of the people who brought these items.

A short time later several of our relatives stopped by. They also brought over the items

needed to provide a Christmas meal and a few toys for me and my sister. What had started out as a time of sadness had gotten much better. My mother again wept and thanked everyone.

My sister and I counted the toys we had each received and realized this would be our best Christmas ever.

Shortly after my relatives left, we heard another knock. This time, it was several of the people my dad worked with. You guessed it, they brought more food and toys. My mother continued to cry and my sister and I recounted the toys. We now had three full dinners and more new toys than old.

Then came the lesson in giving. After everyone had left, my mother sat my sister and me down and said we needed to give two of the meals away and that my sister and I could only keep two of the new toys each. My sister and I were heartbroken.

There must have been a good 10 toys each. This was our big

3 strike. How could she ask such a thing?

Although my family didn’t have much, there were others in our neighborhood who had even less. My sister and I each picked out the two toys we wanted and put the rest with the food on a toy wagon and visited a few of our friends.

I couldn’t tell you what toys we kept or how long they lasted before being thrown away.

But I can tell you the lesson I learned that day has lasted until the present. I learned that it truly is better to give than receive.

My hope for this season is that all of us will have an opportunity to feel the happiness that comes with giving.

Do something nice for a friend, a family member or a complete stranger. Call someone you haven’t talked to for a while, donate your time at a nursing home or a food shelter.

Giving doesn’t have to cost money. Sometimes the best gift you can give is your time.

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Ben Pinette

Perfection in Every Sense of the Word

STAFF WRITER

When it comes to being involved in school and maintaining good grades, Taylor Ussery quickly comes to mind.

Ussery is a fourth year business administration major with a concentration in management and a minor in professional communication. She was also recently named October’s student of the month.

“I was shocked when I found out,” Ussery said.

Ussery originally hails from La Verne, Calif. some 3,216 miles away, but who’s counting? It wasn’t by accident that she ended up all the way in Presque Isle, Maine, either.

“I’m one of those people who likes change. I was looking for something different, and UMPI gave me the best scholarship,” Ussery said.

Since coming to UMPI in the fall of 2009, Ussery has been very involved in various campus activities, both on and off campus. She’s been a

Jessica Stepp CONTRIBUTOR

Can you believe that it’s finals week and Christmas break is right around the corner? I personally feel that this semester has gone by very fast.

At the same time, I’m glad that it’s almost over. Before anything else, though, I would like to thank everyone who voted in our elections. I would also like to announce that Leah Rodriguez is 2013 president and Mike Muir is 2013 vice president of Student Senate.

Now I’d like to talk about why getting involved in groups can be important. Most students pay the Student Activity

member of the varsity soccer team for four years and varsity basketball for a year and a half. Ussery has worked as a writing center tutor and special services tutor for accounting, been a volunteer with the club “Bible Blitz,” a volunteer for the Raven Food Pantry and contributor for the University Times.

Carolyn Dorsey, assistant professor for business management here at UMPI, has had Ussery in many of her classes over the years and has always been impressed with her willingness to learn and help others.

“I’ve consistently found her to be an exceptional student in every capacity. Her academic work is impeccable and if there’s an area that she’s having difficulty with, She’ll put forth every effort to gain a better understanding of the material and its relevance in the world around her. She’s always willing to help other students that may be struggling. She has a

way of connecting with each person on their level,” Dorsey said.

Clare Exner, another professor of business management, has had Ussery as a student for many years, but saw her shine in a different light.

“Most of us are very committed to UMPI but how many are willing to get really, really dirty for UMPI? As goalie, in UMPI’s final soccer game, Taylor was the embodiment of team effort despite a tough opposing team with a history of serious rivalry. She’s an excellent student, diligent and conscientious. In her quiet, unassuming way, Taylor does it all,” Exner said.

Ussery graduates in May and plans on going to graduate school. She hasn’t decided on a major just yet. She also plans on owning her own business.

Ussery has enjoyed many things over her four years here, including some of the great opportunities she’s received at such a small school.

Fee (SAF) and Student Senate allocates the money to the campus’ student groups. With these funds, the different student groups put on different events

for the students. For example, the Student Activities Office (SAO) has been putting on events all semester with funding from SAF. The following are

“I didn’t expect the same opportunities here like I would have gotten at a bigger school, like being a writing center

I didn’t feel it at the time of starting here,” Ussery said.

Congratulations, Taylor, on your recent accomplish-

Taylor Ussery, Octoberʼs student of the month. tutor, volunteering for the junior Olympics and all the service learning projects I’ve done. I feel accomplished, even though

ment! Faculty, staff and fellow students alike are proud to have you as a part of the UMPI family.

just a few of events that have been put on: hypnotist Paul Ramsay, open mic night with Jason LeVasseur, comedian Jasper Redd, movie night Jaws in the pool and mentalist Christopher Carter. Many clubs have been known for putting on dances.

If you’re thinking “what if I don’t have time right now to join a group? Don’t worry! I understand working and doing your best in school—trust me, I do. But by attending events, you’re showing support for the student group!

Even if this is your first or last year, student groups help you find people who have the

same interest as you. Then you can make many college friends and memories. There’s a Club and Community Fair in September and you can change your mind about joining a group at any time. To find out when a group meets, visit the Student Senate Office or Student Activities Office. Both offices are located in the Campus Center.

I hope everyone has a safe holiday break!

Final Thoughts

~Jessica Stepp Office Campus Center 104 Phone 768-9561 Email:umpi-senate@maine.edu

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Back In Session

Ben Pinette

STAFF WRITER

After a long absence, the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s University senate has met again this semester to discuss issues at hand between faculty, staff and the student body. The University senate is primarily meant to be an advisory body, meaning decisions discussed at their meetings go straight to the President and administration.

John DeFelice, professor of history here at UMPI, is a current senator and has been a chair of the University senate in the past.

“What happens is, representatives of each of the parts of the campus meet on a semi-regular basis to discuss things that concern everyone, such as students, physical plant, clerical, professional staff and faculty,” DeFelice said.

One of the biggest reasons the senate was on a hiatus was so that they could retool the committee. According to DeFelice, the committee’s old senates were largely dominated by faculty.

“A lot of individuals who weren’t involved with faculty

senate was some of the original members 10 to 15 years ago. As most of these people retired from UMPI, the senate was left standing.

This is when DeFelice came in and became the chair.

But, it wasn’t an easy start to this old venture.

“About two or three years ago, I was asked to be the chair, but we didn’t find an agenda for it.

After about a year of running senate meetings, we suspended meetings of the senate. So, we ended up turning it into an advisory body for the university in general that deals with campuswide issues,” DeFelice stated.

DeFelice and the newly formed University Senate made a few changes right away. First of all, they got rid of all the standing committees. Second, they changed frequency and times to meet the needs of committee members.

“After we put it all together, it was just a matter of waiting for a campus-wide issue to create a test case of how the senate is going to work,” Defelice said.

One of the first topics on the

L-R: Dr. DeFelice and Dan Lalonde, members of the University senate. issues didn’t have much of a buy-in. As academic committees starting migrating out of the senate, nothing came in to replace it and the body started functioning without an agenda,” DeFelice said.

Another reason for the domination in the original

agenda was the future tobaccofree campus initiative. The senate has actually met more frequently because of the controversial nature of this issue. Dan Lalonde, a current chair, was surprised at the number of meetings the newly formed sen-

ate has had because of this issue.

“We started out with a really open schedule and planned on meeting once or twice a year, but we’ve already had two meetings and are planning a third,” Lalonde said.

DeFelice likes getting them up and running, even if it does take a lot of time and effort.

“It’s nice to see the senate have a heartbeat now.

Everybody wants to get involved with it,” DeFelice said.

The last senate meeting took place on Nov. 9. Senators Dick Harrison, Brent Andersen, Dan Lalonde, Rachael Hannah, John DeFelice, Jeff Rhoades and Rill Stevens were present.

So was president Linda Schott, Charles Bonin, vice president for admissions and finance and Jim Stepp, dean of students. The main issue they discussed was UMPI’s smoking policy and the system-wide changes that it’s undergoing.

Other campuses in the U Maine system are moving towards a smoke-free campus.

The senate discussed ways the campus can take a proactive approach to this issue before the system settles it for them.

There’ll be more about UMPI’s steps to creating a tobacco-free campus in the next edition of the U Times, which will be out in early February. In the meantime, DeFelice is happy to see the senate alive and doing well once again.

“We’ve really worked hard to give [the senate] good structure. The structure is only part of it. If you don’t have interest, you don’t have anything. We were lucky to have an issue to draw on, and there are a whole bunch of issues to draw on in the horizon. Every single issue on this campus impacts students,” DeFelice said.

For more information about the University Senate, contact chair Dan Lalonde at daniel.lalonde@umpi.edu, vice chair Brent Anderson at brent.anderson@umpi.edu or senator John Defelice at john.defelice@maine.edu.

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Shedding Light on GSA Chris Cosenze CONTRIBUTOR

UMPI has diverse people from all walks of life. Some come from “across the pond,” some from five minutes up the road. Some of them have different sexual orientations.

UMPI has a group that promises to cast no judgment on its members. It’s an open community. Jaron Gray is the president of this group known as GSA, or Gay-Straight Alliance.

“GSA exists to create a safe space for the LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered and questioning] communities,” Gray said.

This group is open to any members of the campus and local community. It supports anyone on campus, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Recently, GSA hosted a dance, the proceeds of which went to an AIDS foundation.

They also host many campus events such as Gay Days in October. Gay Days usually consist of blue jeans day, a movie night and a key note speaker.

Also, they hosted a “no judgment” panel, which they hope to organize again.

When asked about where he would like to see GSA in the

future, Gray said, “I’d like to see GSA become a well-rounded group with many individuals from different backgrounds and career paths. My main goal is to have a group where everyone is welcome and no judgment exists and where members can thrive in the campus community.”

There are many groups on campus and many opportunities out there. Please consider taking the time to look into new and different campus organizations such as the GSA. If you’re interested in gathering more information on GSA, contact Gray or Like the UMPI GSA page on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/U mpiGsa.

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Giving More than Thanks Cassie Green STAFF WRITER

Everyone knows that it’s the season for giving thanks and appreciating what we have, but some forget it’s also the time to give to those in need. PULL

“Fill the Cart.” This was a food drive for the local community that lasted from Nov. 12 to 18.

PULL Programmers Stephanie Jellett, Chris Cosenze and Stephen Thorne rolled a shopping cart that

doors and asked students to donate any non-perishable food items they might have.

Many students were very generous offering items such as cans of soup, Ramen noodles, vitamin waters and even

From left to right: Stephen Thorne, Chris Cosenze and Stephanie Jellett. programmers took the season of giving seriously and challenged residents on campus to

was donated by Wal-Mart around the three dorms on campus, they knocked on

boxed potatoes and stuffing in time for Thanksgiving.

Kayla Ames, a resident of

Merriman Hall, made a generous donation alongside her sister/roommate after seeing posters that advertised the e v e n t .

“We wanted to help,” said Ames. “I guess that mostly comes from the knowledge that, while we might not be able to volunteer at pantries or anything like that, we can at least make sure they have something to serve.”

PULL programmers delivered the non-perishable items to Catholic Charities in Caribou on Nov. 19. They were very pleased to receive the large donation from UMPI, especially since Thanksgiving was right around the corner. PULL programmers were very happy with the outcome of the food drive and the amount of food students were willing to donate.

“The program allowed us to do something good for the community and I was really happy with the

amount of non-perishable food we collected,” said Thorne. “It was great!”

The building that offered PULL the highest percentage of food was Merriman Hall by a landslide, donating more than 230 servings of non-perishable food to the cause.

Merriman Hall was rewarded with a pizza party to celebrate their generosity.

The food drive left a lasting impression on those who took the time to give to locals in need.

“It’s something small, something inexpensive that everyone can do, and I think it makes a big difference,” Ames said. “It’s wonderful, knowing someone didn’t go to bed hungry, all because you spent a few bucks or gave a moment of your time.”

Presque Isle: 260 Main Street, 764-5500 Caribou: 556 Main Street, 493-3030 HOURS: Sun - Thurs: 10:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Fri - Sat: 10:30 a.m. - Midnight

FREE DELIVERY TO UMPI CAMPUS!

Pizza, Subs, Salads

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BOT Debates Student Debt Issues Cole DuMonthier CONTRIBUTOR

Exploring FCA

Chris Cosenze CONTRIBUTOR

UMPI has many different organizations on campus— everything from business clubs to religious clubs. Josh Shaw is the President of one of thesenamely, the fellowship of the Christian Athlete or FCA. Different UMPI athletes part-take in this wonderful group on campus. It represents most sports from the ski team to the soccer team.

Many outside high school students also attend these meetings. The head women’s volleyball coach advises this group. Currently, they have 10 members.

When asked about FCA, Shaw said, “It’s a time where

all are welcome. We get together and talk about fellowship.” He also said, “This is a community-based organization, and you don’t have to be a current athlete to participate, or even go to UMPI.” For those seeking more information, FCA has a Facebook page. Look up UMPI FCA. That will bring you to their page, where you can Like them. Meeting times are on Mondays and are open to anyone interested. If you would like to speak to Shaw, he can be reached by email atjoshua.shaw@maine.edu.

Here’s to hoping that you take the time to look into the wonders of this organization and find out what it has to offer.

On the weekend of Nov. 3, the University of Maine at Presque Isle played host to the University of Maine Board of Trustees. This meeting was to discuss matters related to the entire University of Maine system.

UMPI president Linda Schott took a moment to talk about a few of the things discussed during this meeting. These issues will have a direct impact on UMPI and its students.

One of the first issues that president Schott spoke about was the setting aside of funds for schools. The Board of Trustees is discussing moving toward a system of performance-based budgeting. Schott explained that schools would be given more if they were to meet certain goals. These goals

might include overall graduation rates, graduation of students in particular fields and goals that each system sets for their own area.

“So UMPI, UM Fort Kent would have an opportunity to say this is a particular need here in our part of the state and so we’d like to be rewarded for meeting that need,” Schott said.

Student debt is a major problem in this country. Part of this problem is that students are taking classes that aren’t necessary for graduation. The next big issue that the board is working on is the ease of transfer credits between system schools. This will, they hope, help cut down on the number of classes that students are taking. They plan to work first on a system that makes a set list of general edu-

cation courses that will transfer between all system schools.

“The goal is, we don’t want students buying a whole lot more credits than they actually need,” Schott said.

The long-term goal is to, eventually, expand this ease of transfers from just system schools to the community college system.

For the Board of Trustee meeting to be held at UMPI is a somewhat rare occasion.

Most of the meetings are held down south, closer to the majority of the board members. It’s nice to know that the board members had positive things to say about the campus and that they in general, had a wonderful time in the county.

We look forward to the next time they’re able to visit as well as the positive changes they’re hoping to implement.

ATTENTION ALL ARTISTS!

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Gobble, Gobble Kayla Ames STAFF WRITER

UMPI students, faculty and staff had an opportunity to gobble up some great food from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15. That’s

when cafeteria personnel generously supplied a Thanksgiving-themed meal for the hungry masses, no doubt longing for home. For some, it was the first of several lunches or dinners. For others who couldn’t return to their families, it may have been the first and only one. Good thing, then, that there was so much to go around!

Attendees walked in to find the cafeteria had changed. The stations held different food, and new faces greeted them. They could choose between herb roasted turkey and ham with pineapple as their main course.

Fixings included brown bread, green beans, cranberry sauce, polenta and cornbread stuffing.

Plus, there was an array of desserts. People went through the pies quick. Though the cafeteria workers put out 12 over time, they ran out before the festivities had ended. Magic bars and other goodies soon took their place.

Food wasn’t the only thing in abundance that night, either.

Those new faces belonged to some of UMPI’s very helpful faculty and staff. They gave up their own time to make the evening special for others.

Bonnie Devaney, Flo Soucie and Laura Bouchard were three of 10 servers. They described the experience as fun and rewarding. There’s an art to serving food, according to them, and they had a good time. It was so satisfying, they didn’t really consider it a job.

“I think it’s great, you know, from a staff ’s standpoint. It’s nice to see ya,” Devaney said.

It’s been at least five years since those outside of the cafeteria could come in and serve food

“Here, have some more!”

President Linda Schott and Tom Fuhrmark adding to studentʼs plates. the way they did.

“I wish we had a chance to do it more often,” Bouchard said.

Other servers were Sheila Blair, Heather Ouellette, Lorelie Locke, John Harrington, Kim-Anne Perkins, Tony Albert and Jim Stepp. President Linda Schott and her husband also lent a helping hand.

“What can I get you?”

Jim Stepp (far right, front) helping attendees have a brighter holiday.

“I think that it’s cool that they do this because it brings everyone together and the staff serves,” Michelle Bucci, a student, said.

This level of closeness was obvious in the laughter between friends, the conversation among peers, and the consideration strangers showed each other.

It’s what the holiday season is

all about. Even though approximately 300 people passed in and out of the cafeteria that night, each made their own contribution to the festive atmosphere. An enormous thank you all around, then, to the servers, the cafeteria personnel and everyone else – down to the last satisfied student – who made it all possible.

A few of the servers/”artists.” L-R: Laura Bouchard (back), Bonnie Devaney (front) and Flo Soucie.

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The Man With Many Titles Cole DuMonthier CONTRIBUTOR

As many of you know, there were positions that needed to be filled for this current academic year. We’ve gained a new president, but several full time positions remain that must be filled.

Until the time that someone is found for these positions, current members of UMPI’s faculty have been pulled in to fill them. Two of the positions include the dean of students and the vice president of academic affairs. In order to keep things orderly, our very own Jim Stepp is filling both positions temporarily. Stepp has also retained his position as director of resident life.

All of these positions are an important part of the academic process here on campus. He explained that there are several reasons students might come to him due to his various roles.

Stepp acts as a guide, helping students find various offices around campus, which helps them succeed in college.

“I act as an advocate to the students. In this role, I try to help students with issues they may meet on and off campus related to their education,” Stepp said.

At this point, there’s uncer-

tainty as to whether this position will be made fully available June 30 of 2013 or 2014. In either case, Stepp will be looking to apply for the position full-time whenever it becomes available.

When asked about how this position has affected him, Stepp said, “It has affected me by making me a little more visible

campus events while balancing family and his re l at e d ro l e s. o t h e r, This is certainly a time of change, as well as a time to embrace new ideas and systems.

Stepp’s taking on of these two positions is just one example of our educational evolution.

Although this particular

Jim Stepp: dean of students, vice president of academic affairs and director of resident life. in some situations. Things like Student of the Month and things like that. Normally, I wouldn’t have been participating in things like that.”

Stepp manages to attend

change may only last a year or two, it’s still a learning process for the school community. We wish Stepp the best of luck and look forward to what the future might hold here at UMPI.

Deck the Halls

Chris Cosenze CONTRIBUTOR

As we all know, we’re well into the holiday season. Christmas is just around the corner and it will probably be here before we realize. The holidays mean a lot of different things depending on whom you ask. People might say it’s all about giving. Others might say it’s about religious views.

Maybe someone would say it’s the presents that make it special.

Recently, PULL programmers had the idea to try and spread some holiday spirit.

They held a program entitled “Deck the Halls.” They gave residents of Emerson, Park and Merriman supplies to decorate their doors and the halls if they wanted.

“I think the program went well, considering so many people were busy and not able to participate at the time. I think the decorations add a nice festive touch to the residences, so that students can get into the holiday spirit and remember that Christmas festivi-

ties are at the end of the final exam tunnel,” Cassie Green, a PULL programmer, said.

PULL brought in three guest judges for this festive event.

They were Keith Madore, Sharon Roix and Charlie Bonin.

All judges were in general agreement that all the floors did a wonderful job in decorating. In the end, they picked Park third floor as the overall event winner.

After floor decorating was done, students could enjoy some cookies and hot chocolate as well as create origami snowflakes and sign Christmas cards for whomever they wanted.

Programmers then went around Emerson hall with leftovers.

This was a festive event for all involved. With the holiday season in full swing, take some time to think about what this time of year means to you.

Maybe spread a little bit of holiday cheer to those who live beside you or other community members you may or may not know.

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A World Without Speaking

Ben Pinette STAFF WRITER

If you were to walk into Polly Earl’s ASL 100 class, you’d probably be a little lost.

What makes this class unique is that most of the interaction that takes place is nonverbal. If you haven’t figured it out already, this is a sign language class. Earl is the chief instructor of the ASL and language development classes here at UMPI and she brought up the idea of having a sign language class taught on campus.

“It started with a language and development class I taught which talked about disabled kids and communication problems. Sign language is what they do, so why not teach a separate class about it?” Earl said.

This is Earl’s second year teaching ASL 100 here at UMPI. For the past two years, the class has remained very popular, with most reaching maximum capacity for students. Earl attributes its success to general interest from a lot of people and the different ways people learn a second language.

“I’ve found that some people

Students in Instructor Polly Earlʼs ASL 100 class signing “I Love ASL.” don’t do well with spoken languages. If it’s a visual language, people are better off learning it.

One group is visual learners, the other is more tactile,” Earl said.

In a typical ASL class, towards the end of the semester, Earl would direct hand signs to the class as they try to figure out what she’s saying. For the first 15 or so minutes, there’s absolutely no talking. Everything is done

through sign language. The essence of ASL is learning about different signs as well as about the deaf community, its culture and the technology they use.

“It’s a rich class in that it covers all of the areas with lectures and discussions. We learn to laugh a lot because people make mistakes, but we always learn from them,” Earl said.

Justin Pelkey, an UMPI sen-

ASL 100 students in the holiday spirit signing “Be Merry.”

ior in the ASL class, has learned a lo t .

“We learn something new every week. Even the first week, I felt like I was picking up new things and learning them,” Pelkey said.

ASL 100 will be offered again in the spring and then the fall of 2013. Earl is thinking about adding an intermediate level ASL class to the rotation as well, most likely in

spring 2014. In the meantime, Earl is excited about how well this class has been received.

“Everybody’s interested in the class. Just a lot of eager learners. I love teaching this class,” Earl said.

To find out more about ASL 100, contact Earl at polly.earl@maine.edu. Space is filling up quickly for the spring class, so make sure to sign up soon if you’re interested!

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Emily Wright STAFF WRITER

The holiday season is here.

Over the next few weeks, people across the nation will get together to celebrate and while doing so, enjoy something that probably gets all of us excited:

food. Regardless of the time of year, the United States loves to eat. Roughly 33 percent of the nation is obese and experiencing health consequences.

Fast food restaurants have played directly into growing concerns about the nation’s increasing belt size.

“It’s amazing what we can consume and how it makes us feel,” As Dr. Rachael Hannah, an UMPI professor and neuroscientist said.

During November, Hannah presented the Oscar winning documentary “Supersize Me” in Merriman Hall. PULL programmer Jen Steeves invited the assistant professor of biol-

A Supersized Problem ogy to speak about the massive toll fast food can take on a person’s health. The film follows a man named Morgan Spurlock as he explores the results of a one month long diet exclusively of McDonald’s food. Hannah asked students to focus on Spurlock’s change in physical health as well as his mental/emotional state. What began as a fun break from his typical eating patterns quickly turned sour for Spurlock as he became ill. Roughly two weeks into his binge, Spurlock experienced discomforts that he referred to as the “McSweats,” “McTwitches” and “McTummies.”

After making it past day three, Spurlock claimed that, because of the food, he was “feeling a little McCrazy.”

Specialists strongly advise against any routine consumption of fast food. Numerous health risks increase when a person eats such significant sources of unhealthy fat, sodium, cholesterol and calories.

Chances of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, stroke, respiratory problems and gynecological issues increase notably when people become overweight or experience rapid weight gain.

Spurlock met with multiple health specialists over the month. Each one was highly

concerned with his rapid weight gain, spike in cholesterol count, a remarkable change in body mass and emotional symptoms that were similar to depression.

Despite evidence gathered time and time again concerning fast food’s negative effects, people have continued – and will continue – to be customers of the industry.

“It’s tough when you have our busy lifestyles.

By the end of the day, you don’t have energy to make dinner,” Hannah said.

Hannah’s childhood didn’t include fast food.

Raised in rural Vermont, she never ate from a restaurant such as McDonald’s until junior high. Her insight into its damages, however, is substantial.

“Certain areas of your brain get turned on when you consume that much fat, and you can get addicted,” Hannah said.

This may help explain the most dramatic increase in America’s obesity between 1990 and 2010.

If that’s not startling enough, it gets worse.

Hannah explained that excessively high fat content can prevent vital development.

“In developing brains, excessive fat will actually cause an inflammatory response.

That response will inhibit neurons’ development. And here we are feeding our kids this!”

Hannah said.

Students, who attended the movie showing and talk, certainly seemed to learn a lot. Jason Fortin is an example of this.

“The movie reminded me of how bad McDonald’s was for a person.” Fortin said.

With health awareness on the rise, the rest of the nation is also being reminded just how bad fast food is.

Attendees of the program received McDonald’s USA nutrition fact sheets, a McDonald’s 2012 “Progress Report” and an article

11 describing McDonald’s launch of healthier meal items in 2004. That year appears to be when things at McDonald’s began to change and meal choices grew to include apple slices and low-fat milk.

There’s “healthy” junk food available now, with, as Hannah commented, smaller sizes in happy meals in addition to alternatives.

Coincidentally enough, “Supersize Me” was previously debuted in 2004.

McDonald’s dirty laundry was displayed to its consumers and the corporation was less than impressed. It strived to re-shape its image in an attempt to keep the damage under control.

Mysteriously enough a nutrition fact sheet prior to 2004 is impossible for the public to find. It seems as though the franchise realized the potential liabilities it would run into if it didn’t undergo serious change.

McDonald’s did set an example, though, inspiring other restaurants to introduce healthier options.

Even though fast food restaurants have, as Hannah said, “infiltrated everywhere,” these positive changes may prevent America from developing into a full- fledged fast food nation.

Given what happened to Spurlock – not to mention what could happen to us – as a result of fast food, this should give everyone hope.

Come one, come all!

Ellis Paul, originally from Presque Isle, will be performing on Jan. 12 at Wieden Auditorium at 7 p.m. Paul is a nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter who has spent more than 20 years tutoring as a musician.

For more information, visit Paulʼs website at: www.EllisPaul.com

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In Your Face!

Congratulations, WUPI 92.1! They organized a fundraiser for Wednesday, Nov. 13. People could bid on pies and winners got the chance to throw it in the faces of volunteer faculty and staff. They raised more than $300, $60 of which was thanks to Dr. Michael Sonntag -- who got five pies in the face. Erin Benson won a pie baked by president Linda Schott. As you can see, everyone involved had a really fun time!

Dr. Herzog.

Dr. DeFelice somehow emerges looking dignified.

Erin Benson giving Bonnie Devaney a facial.

Nicole Gray helping Jim Sepp with a new conditioner for his hair.

From left to right: Carolyn Dorsey, Lisa Leduc and Bryan Thompson.

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Lighting Up the Streets Nicole Duplessis STAFF WRITER

Hot chocolate warmed many of those who went out to enjoy the Presque Isle Light Parade’s Christmas spirit on the evening of Dec. 1. People gathered on the sidewalks, spent some time in the boutiques and stores that remained open and enjoyed the company of family and friends.

Christmas music filled the streets and raised the anticipation of all those waiting patiently for the parade to begin.

Sirens blared in the distance.

Soon, the parade was making its way through Main Street.

Almost every float was accompanied by music, and of course, each was originally decorated with Christmas lights. People gave bags, candy and books to young children. The smiles on their faces were priceless. Some of those walking in the parade even came around giving free hugs and really helped spread the joy of Christmas.

Volunteers from the Presque Isle Fire Department also walked. They gave out candy

and spread holiday joy to all warm.

McKenzie Turner, another those standing by.

“It was a great event, had a UMPI student, didn’t have to lot of different groups as well as worry about the cold because neighboring towns handing out she watched the parade from the candy and all sorts of gifts. The comfort of her own dorm room. food bank was there to collect donations too,” one volunteer said.

The Presque Isle Fire Department also had Sparky the dog, their mascot, walking around and hugging children.

“It was cold!”

Bob Wagner, an UMPI student said.

In preparation for the chilly weather, people came bundled up.

Kids jumped up and down to stay UMPIʼs float in the light parade. warm. Some people didn’t remain in the same spot “I thought it was very well put throughout the parade. They on and everyone seemed to continued to walk back and enjoy it quite a bit,” Turner said. forth in order to stay reasonably Whether inside or outside, the

parade was the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Attendees and participants had the opportunity to gather at UMPI’s Gentile Hall afterward. There everyone enjoyed

snacks and warm beverages.

They also heard the winners for each category as they were announced.

The overall

parade champion was ARTS for their art’s express float.

The best business float was Donovan’s Tree Service. The best nonprofit float winner was the Mapleton Fire Department. It was wonderful to have businesses and organizations from other towns involved. The best faith-based float was the State Road Advent Christian Church and the best general entry was Big Rock. Each winner received a trophy for their success and had their picture taken.

This was a great way to kick off the holiday season.

Participants did a terrific job, including viewers as well as float builders and walkers who surely didn’t disappoint. Considering the Presque Isle light parade only happens once a year, it sure is worth dealing with cold and putting some time aside. Given all the participant’s hard work and dedication, it was wonderful to see such a large turnout.

Despite the chilly weather, the spirit of the parade will last throughout the rest of the holiday season.

members of OAPI decided, however, that they needed to change the name and logo.

When asked why, Baker said, “We were finding a lot of new students didn’t know what OAPI meant.”

So, the name was changed to something simpler: the UMPI outing club. Like all campus clubs, it’s a student-run organization and it meets the first and third Thursday of every month.

Events organized by the outing club are open to both students and Presque Isle community members. Although there’s a cost associated with most of the events, students can get a discount. Along with this cost factor, there’s also an age limit on many of the events, which

“So, we’re gonna do some dog sledding there. We’re hopefully gonna have a big air competition on campus with snowboarding and downhill skies,” Baker said.

These are just a few of the events we have to look forward to.

Not only does Baker help plan the outing club activities.

She also has a great deal of outdoor supplies that can be rented out. These supplies include sleeping bags, lanterns and cooking implements. Most of it can be rented free of charge by students.

Community members can also rent equipment but there’s a rental price for either day or weekend use. All you have to

do is go to Baker’s office and sign out the supplies that you want and then return them when you’re done. There is, of course, a fee for any damaged or missing gear.

The outing club is one of many organizations on campus that offers opportunities for students and community members. All you need to do is take the time to go and find the club that fits you. The outing club meets every first and third Thursday of the month. If you have questions about swimming pool or rock wall programs or more immediate questions about the outing club, visit Amanda Baker down in Gentile Hall. She’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Making Adventures Possible Cole DuMonthier CONTRIBUTOR

Aroostook County has many wonderful outdoor adventures to offer UMPI students and Presque Isle community members. To help students and community members gain access to these outdoor adventures, UMPI has Amanda Baker. Baker is UMPI’s recreation program coordinator.

This means that she’s in charge of creating programs for Gentile Hall’s swimming pool and rock wall as well as managing intramurals and advising the UMPI outing club.

The outing club used to be known as OAPI, which stood for Outdoor Adventure Program International. The

community members should be aware of. To sign up, participants must be at least 16 years old, in most cases.

Baker and the outing club are already planning some exciting trips for next semester including

ice climbing at Grafton Notch, a possible trip to Utah, ice fishing and a kayak role clinic. The outing club is also going to help organize UMPI’s Frozen Frenzy next semester.

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Phi Eta Sigma The Best Donation of All! Mika Ouellette STAFF WRITER

L-R: Jeff Rhoads and Rebecca Stepp doing their part for the troops.

Last year, UMPI’s branch of Phi Eta Sigma took part in a very successful service project for an organization known as Treats for Troops. The deadline for this project was Nov. 1. Phi Eta Sigma missed the deadline for this project but the troops will not be missing their gifts. This year, they sent Christmas cards for the troops to enjoy.

At the same time, they also helped out victims of Hurricane Sandy by holding a bake sale and supply drive along with their Christmas card drive.

“Since we didn’t get everything together in time for the Halloween candy drive, we’ve decided to do another similar activity instead,” Becky Stepp, a Phi Eta Sigma member, said.

The group had tables set up in both the Campus Center and Folsom/Pullen

during the week before Thanksgiving Break. At this table, those who wished to do so could sign Christmas cards for the troops, buy baked goods or donate supplies or money to the Red Cross for hurricane victims. Items collected for the hurricane victims included things like cleaning supplies, personal care products and nonperishable food.

The event was nearly as successful as last year’s Treats for Troops candy drive. Phi Eta Sigma sent almost 100 Christmas cards to the troops – 92 cards, to be specific. As for the group’s Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, they went just as well. They sent two boxes of supplies to the hurricane victims and a $75 donation.

The best donation Phi Eta Sigma made, however, was a brighter holiday season for those they helped through their project, no matter where they may be.

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Gives Back

How Many Honor Students Does It Take to String Christmas Lights?

Mika Ouellette STAFF WRITER

Phi Eta Sigma standing tall in front of the newly decorated tree.

Cole DuMonthier all decked out.

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With the holiday season comes the task of decking the halls with boughs of holly. That’s in between all of the activities that come with the busy holiday season including cooking, entertaining and shopping. As a part of their annual service learning project, UMPI’s Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society chapter did some very rewarding decking of their own for a local nursing home. Members of the organization took time out of their busy schedules in order to help decorate the Presque Isle Rehab and Nursing Center for the holidays.

The event took place the afternoon of Nov. 30. The members of Phi Eta Sigma met on campus Friday around 1

p.m. and then carpooled to the nursing home. Once there, students unpacked and assembled artificial Christmas trees. After that, they decorated the trees and left them on display in locations designated by the nursing home activities staff.

“It’s an event that we look forward to every year,” Becky Stepp, a Phi Eta Sigma member, said.

It’s not just the members of Phi Eta Sigma who look forward to this annual event. The residents and staff of the nursing home also look forward to this service project because they get to enjoy the finished product for the duration of the holiday season. By helping to deck the halls of the Presque Isle Rehab and Nursing Center, Phi Eta Sigma does its part in spreading some holiday cheer.

A few members with some of the residents.

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University Times

ommun ity

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December 14, 2012

Cold Weather, Warm Hearts Kathi L. Jandreau CONTRIBUTOR

With the end of the fall semester comes the holidays, cold weather and warm hearts.

After all of our hard work, we can finally take some time off

to relax and enjoy our families and friends. During the holiday season, though, it can be easy to take our simple pleasures for granted and forget about those in need.

You may be surprised at the amount of charity work done in such a small community as ours during this busy time. Many local businesses take part during the holidays, and the local charity organizations work double time to reach out and touch lives. There’s a lot being done in our community to help children, families and veterans have a special Christmas.

“We take part in the campaign for the Salvation Army.

All money goes to help people in the County who may need fuel, food or clothing. We’re here four weeks out of the year,” said a volunteer bell

ringer at the local Wal-Mart.

Each year, the Salvation Army takes part in the Red Kettle Campaign to help those in need.

“This season, we’ve done real well,” said the volunteer.

“We’re still looking for volunteers to help out, but people are reaching deep down this year.”

Another local business that helps children during the holidays is Pyro City in Presque Isle.

“We’re taking part in the campaign Toys for Tots. It was started by the Marines in 1947. We basically collect toys to be distributed to needy children,” said Pyro City’s general manager.

Anyone who donates a brand new toy at Pyro City will receive 40 percent off anything in the store.

“This season is going really well. They’re trickling in but, as the word gets around, more and more toys keep coming every day,” the manager said.

As for the County Federal

Credit Union, they do their own charity work from within the bank.

“About eight years ago, the Credit Union decided to stop buying gifts for its management.

We would pool our resources and do what we call ‘adopt a family.’ Each year, we select a needy family from one of the communities we serve. We ask employees to donate and then we go out and purchase gifts for that family,” a bank employee said. “We try to pick a family that has children because a lot of us at the Credit Union have children. Christmas is about children, so we try to make a family’s Christmas.”

Dollar Tree, a newer local business, also does some charity

work within their local chains.

“We’re doing what we call Operation Home Front. It’s for military children whose parents are deployed during the holidays. We take up donations of toys for them,” a store employee said. “Customers can purchase a one dollar toy at the checkout counter and these will go into a pool, which will be distributed between families by the military.”

Catholic Charities, which has two thrift stores in the community, helps needy people all year round.

“The work we do around the holidays isn’t much different than the work we do 12 months out of the year. What we do is feed people in

Aroostook County. There’s a lot more attention to the cause during the holiday season, though,” Dixie Shaw, the coordinator for Catholic Charities, said. “We always need volunteers to help us. It’s incredibly labor-intensive, the work we do. One hundred percent of the profits we make at the thrift stores goes to feed people here in Aroostook County.”

As you can see, there are many ways you can help others while helping yourself. It’s comforting to know that so many businesses and organizations in our small community put special attention into making someone’s holiday special. This is something for all of us to take pride in as well as take part in.

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A Spudtacular Place Need a Hug? Cole DuMonthier CONTRIBUTOR

On Nov. 11, The Whole Potato opened for business in downtown Presque Isle. This café and commons is the brainchild of Carol Ayoob, a graduate of UMPI and current student at the University of Maine Orono. Ayoob’s vision for the café is for it to eventually be supplied mostly by local farmers. As it stands right now, most of their ingredients are coming from within the state of Maine.

This idea of locally grown ingredients came from Ayoob’s desire to see a more sustainable farming system. After taking an elective course down at UMO, Ayoob grew attached to the idea of permaculture, which is a design for sustainability, and using local products. While still building connections with local farms, The Whole Potato is well on its way to using completely local ingredients.

The Whole Potato doesn’t just have food to enjoy, it also offers some live entertainment.

On Friday night, there’s an open mic night where you can show off your singing talent. If you feel like getting up and moving, you should come on Saturday night, when the enter-

tainment will be focused on getting the crowd up and moving.

Ayoob said, “There’s an energy in dancing and moving together.”

These events start at 8 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m. The Whole Potato

The Whole Potato. is also beginning to develop a Jazz brunch that happens on Sundays.

When asked about what other plans she has in store for the Whole Potato, Ayoob said, “I’d like to use this space as a place to do special projects around permaculture, such as a community garden and just learning some of the principals of permaculture.”

The spread of permaculture and its practices is the main goal

that Ayoob hopes to accomplish Kathleen York through this experience.

CONTRIBUTOR The Whole Potato is open You might have seen them at every day. During the week, the this year’s Light Parade on Dec. hours are 11a.m. to 7 p.m. and — a humble group of people 1 on the weekends, the hours for carrying cardboard signs.

Every year, the signs are the same: FREE HUGS. Many people in our area are unaware of the Free Hugs Group. Is it really free? Why are they doing it? Where did it start? What do they hope to gain from it?

The local group is organized

by Long Cao, a resident of Presque Isle. When asked about the group, he explained its origin and how it’s more than just a County-run group.

“The Free Hugs Group is just a group of people who give out free hugs at public events,” Cao said. “It’s been going on for about five years now, including this year.” the kitchen are 11 a.m. to 8 Like most good things, the p.m. During the events on the group started small, and on weekends, they’ll continue to quite a whim. sell desserts and coffee until the “It started as kind of a joke,” events are done at 11 p.m.

Cao admitted with a laugh.

Ayoob says that these are win“But it’s a movement, actually, ter hours and they’ll probably not necessarily one organized change during the lighter sumgroup, and ours is pretty informer months. If you have more mal.

The movement has been questions, feel free to visit The going on for a while, longer than Whole Potato’s website at the time we’ve been doing it.” www.thewholepotato.com or Cao also said that if anyone call 554-4258.

is interested in participating in this group, his contact information is readily available.

“It’s too late to do it this year, obviously, but anyone can email or call me and if I can’t get them the right information, I’ll point them to someone in the group who can. We do it at every Light Parade.”

Their signs are humble, their task even more so, but the Free Hugs Group is a necessary part of this holiday season. Their kindness reminds us to spread cheer in our own lives every day.

Give a hug today: it’s free and its benefits can’t be undervalued.

If you would like to participate in the Free Hugs Group, contact Long Cao at short.cao@gmail.com or by phone (207-551-5859).

Volunteer: Honor Our Vetarans Kathi L. Jandreau CONTRIBUTOR

We recently celebrated Veterans Day on Nov. 11 here in America. Taking the time to recognize and to thank our veterans for the sacrifices they’ve made for our freedoms is very important. The Maine Veterans Home in Caribou serves several of the older generation of veterans from our local community. Each day, the employees here take the time to care for these veterans and give them the respect they deserve.

Rita Worley, the activities coordinator at the Maine Veterans Home, took the time to describe what Veterans Day

means to her.

“Veterans Day means a lot of pleasure in serving the veterans who survived and helped save us from catastrophe with other countries. They truly deserve the best when it comes to us being here to serve them,” said Worley. “On Veterans Day this year, we started out with a home-style breakfast. The children from the Catholic youth ministries came and dropped off cards and visited with the residents. We also had a ceremony with many other veterans and the Job Corps students came and displayed their flags and did a presentation.”

The Maine Veterans Home

serves veterans from all walks of life, some who served as far back as Pearl Harbor.

“We have one remaining Pearl Harbor survivor on the nursing unit. Pearl Harbor survivors were all dignified men who showed great pride,” said Worley. “Our mission here is to keep the residents safe, healthy and happy. We devote time to the family of the residents as well, to keep them content throughout the week.”

If you want to meet some of these veterans or take the time to volunteer at the Maine Veterans Home, there are always opportunities to do so.

“We have quite a few volunteers here we’re always looking for more. We have different areas they can work in. They can do one-on-ones, play games with them and take them out for group activities. It’s a full calendar and we always need new volunteers,” Worley said.

One of the most important holidays we celebrate in America is Veterans Day. With this, we can take the time to honor those who served in the armed forces, both men and women who have fought and died for the freedom we have in this country.

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Local Sisters Battle Polio

Sara Gendreau STAFF WRITER

As this semester dwindles down to the last couple exams, it’s important to remember what the first half of this school year brought us outside of the classroom.

One of the most successful

Polio is a disease affecting muscles and nerves throughout the body. It often causes stiffness, pain and paralysis, which are all usually temporary. It’s contagious and spreads through people very easily.

Because there’s no cure for polio, the best protection is

Lona Watson, a 70 year survivor of polio, signing her name at the Aroostook Center Mall on October 24. programs UMPI took part in was World Polio Day awareness through the Purple Pinkie Project. That’s when people donated money for vaccines to fight polio and signified their donation by dying their pinkies purple. There was a station in the Owl’s Nest, Northern Maine Community College and yet another at the Aroostook Center Mall. Together, volunteers raised more than $1,000 all of which will go toward vaccines for people who can’t afford them and are threatened by polio.

prevention. Vaccines cost as little as 60 cents and can protect someone against this crippling disease for a lifetime.

Though the vaccine seems affordable to us, third world countries aren’t as fortunate.

And though many think that this is limited to developing areas, people here in the United States who contracted polio before a vaccine was available are still living with the disabling effects of the disease today.

On World Polio Day, at the station set up at the Aroostook Center Mall, volunteers were

fortunate enough to have a brief conversation with Lona Watson, a local who had polio at a young age. Even now, decades later, she’s still dealing with the consequences of catching it.

On Sep. 15, 1942, Watson—then five years old—began to experience a strong headache and a very stiff neck.

“I took it, being the second one that took it,” Watson said.

She knew what was happening to her because her sister, Roberta, had gone through the same thing only a few days before and she’d been diagnosed with polio. A day later, her youngest sister, Rosella — two years old at the time — also began to experience the painful symptoms.

Their parents called the doctors, but the house was immediately put under quarantine.

Only their mother and father were allowed to be around them.

This meant they were responsible for changing hot packs every 15 to 20 minutes, the popular treatment back then.

The hot packs were used supposed to relax the muscles so they wouldn’t stiffen up.

“They would change one [hot pack] and it would already be time to change the other,” Watson said.

Eventually, the paralysis grew too serious for Roberta and she was admitted to the Polio Clinic in Fredericton, New Brunswick. At one point, all she could move was her toes. She was in treatment for seven months.

Meanwhile, still dealing with severely stiff muscles back home, Rosella and Lona would lay under long johns that had been soaked in hot water because the hot packs were no longer working. Their father had to use a stick to pull the material out of the water and cover the girls because the water was too hot to touch.

“It was as hot as our bodies could stand it,” Watson said.

The girls’ mother traveled from home to the hospital and back. She would board the train at 4 a.m. every morning until all three girls could come home.

Watson, too, was eventually admitted to a nearby hospital because the disease so heavily affected her breathing.

“I just missed the Iron Lung,” she said.

Roberta received outpatient treatment because polio mostly affected her legs. The girls exercised in large tubs of water to build up their leg muscles. Watson described her sister’s tremendous courage and strength during

this time. They had a can-do attitude, saying they would try and “make a go of it.”

Lona Watson and her sisters eventually underwent several operations to improve their mobility and comfort.

These operations ranged from knee procedures to removal of the muscles in the feet. All three women can move around more easily now. Roberta recently had her leg straightened and is currently recovering from surgery.

More than 70 years after Lona, Rosella and Roberta were diagnosed, their story serves as inspiration for all of us. It also proves that we should work to increase awareness of polio.

“Everyone needs to have a shot or protection from polio. It’s very different today than it was, but it’s still a terrible disease,” Watson said.

Even in this day and age, four countries are dealing with polio outbreaks. With vaccines readily available, organizations such as the Purple Pinkie Project help get the immunizations out to people still in danger of contracting it. But they need help. Our event on campus in collaboration with the Northern Maine Community College was successful in raising both awareness and money towards this meaningful cause.

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Ready for a Successful Season Carlos Villoria CONTRIBUTOR

In his second season as a head coach of the UMPI Owls, Jim Casciano has

really high expectations for this upcoming season. The University of Maine at Presque Isle men’s basketball team is prepared for the challenge.

With a strong nucleus of returning players, the men’s basketball team will have more experienced leaders who are ready to help new players understand coach Casciano’s system.

They all come back stronger, in better shape, and with a better understanding of my system,” said Casciano.

Six first-year players are going to join the returning players and improve the team in defense and offense.

“Together, the new and old so far blended very well.

ber of wins, giving experience to the young players and sur-

Michael Warner, Aaron Hutchins and first year play-

ers Jayson Burke, Claude Louis and Nate Chisholm.

The men’s basketball team started their season last Friday, Nov. 16, at Wieden Gymnasium. They left with the UMPI Owls Star City classic: a weekend with one win and one loss. The Owls won their opening game against Maine Maritime 74-38 thanks to a stunning performance by Claude “Shmoke” Louis, with 21 points. The loss came in the second game against Southern Maine—87-48.

Remember to support UMPI athletics and the men’s basketball team by coming to the home games and following them online at the athletics school website: http://owls.umpi.edu/landi ng/index.

game happens. There, you can also see the live video broadcast of the game, with commentary done by Tyler Michalowski, a history major here at UMPI. When asked about his experience doing this, Michalowski said, “ I really get into the games. I love doing video editing of the games. That’s where I get the most fun out of this,” Michalowski went on to say that he has to learn the opponent’s names and put names to players, which can’t be easy. The longer he does it, the easier it has become.

UMPI is taking big steps in

the multi-media world.

Michalowski’s goal is to someday be able to do a three minute sportcenter-type show highlighting big plays from the weeks’ games. He’d also like to keep the community informed about what’s happening in UMPI sports.

With many fans unable to watch games, the goal of this is to have fans from around the world be able to watch their favorite player make an impact on the owl’s basketball team. Fans not able to make it to home games should tune in online to not only listen but watch the next UMPI home game.

Patrick Manifold, from “across the pond.”

The chemistry has been good,” said Casciano.

The goals for this team will consist of improving the num-

prising a lot of people.

The team will be lead by Patrick Manifold, Gerardo Vasquez, Brad Trask,

Menʼs Basketball team.

Live in Prime Time

Chris Cosenze CONTRIBUTOR

UMPI athletes come from Maine as well as all around the United States and some from “across the pond,” or the U.K. The people who don’t live in the area find it

hard to watch their star player. That’s changed. You, the fans, are now able to watch all 23 UMPI men’s and women’s home games live online, making it easy to watch your favorite player drop buckets.

To access any video of a home game, all you have to do is go to the UMPI owls athletics website, which is owls.umpi.edu. Then, click on men or women’s basketball, then live stats. This will bring you to a full stat page, which is updated live as the

20 Carlos Villoria CONTRIBUTOR

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is lucky to have a person who dedicates so much time into the athletic department. Connie Levesque is one of those people you probably haven’t heard about, but is there. She’s so important for the athletic department that probably any athletic team wouldn’t be able to play any game without her.

Six years ago, Levesque joined the athletic department after being on campus since 1983. Next year, it will be 30 years since she first stepped into the university.

Her role in the athletic department is to arrange everything that a team needs to compete, including bus drivers, meal money and hotels. Coordinating these aspects isn’t easy.

“It is very difficult. When baseball and softball travels,

Uni ve r sity Ti m e s ! SPORTS ! De c em b er 1 4, 2 01 2

The Face Behind the Athletic Department they’re gone for 10 days at a time and that takes a tremendous amount of coordination between hotels and bus drivers. That is my biggest chal-

she needs to do before each sport season begins.

Levesque is also in charge of organizing the Hall of Fame dinner, which is hosted during

do is the athletic awards ceremony, and that’s the evening for the student-athletes to shine,” Levesque said.

Her favorite part of her job

The dedication and commitment that she gives to the athletic department is hard to replace.

Student-athletes should be grateful for all the

lenge, putting together a 10 day trip,” Levesque said when asked about the arrangements

homecoming weekend, and the athletic awards ceremony.

“My most favorite thing to

is working with the student – athletes and getting to know them on a personal level.

work that Levesque puts into arranging their trips and making everything go perfectly.

Doing a Little Something for UMPI Carlos Villoria CONTRIBUTOR

After Christine Corsello, former athletic director, resigned her position last spring, UMPI started searching for an interim athletic director. Paul Stone decided to run as a candidate for this position.

“It was a short internal search. They [the athletic board] were l o o k i n g fo r a c a n d i d at e i n c a m p u s, ” S t o n e s a i d wh e n we a s k e d h i m a b o u t t h e a p p l i c at i o n p ro c e s s.

The athletic department had a couple months without

any athletic director.

“A lot of decisions that needed to be made were put off, put off,” Stone said.

The first two months in charge, Stone was really stressed. He still is a little bit.

It’s not easy being athletic director and nordic skiing head coach.

“When ski practices started October. 2, I thought that I had a really hard time to keep up with my email,” Stone said.

He’s been doing everything possible to keep up with both positions.

There are a lot of things

that the athletic department will have to change or improve, starting with finding a conference. This will guarantee that different sports teams have more home games and they won’t have to travel as much as they do right now. Another important aspect they’ll need to work on are the facilities for baseball and softball. These are the only two teams that don’t have a field or somewhere to practice on campus. Right now, the baseball and softball teams use the Presque Isle High School fields, but they

have limitations when they use those facilities.

For the UMPI athletic department, academics are a priority.

“Academics always come first. People are here to get an education,” Stone said.

After having been at UMPI for three years, Paul Stone knows the weaknesses a nd strengths of t he athle tic de partme nt. He has th e co mm itm ent to ma ke th e Un iver sity o f Maine at Presque Isle a winning school and one of the top athletic schools in the area.

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Not Just a Knock on the Head Carlos Villoria CONTRIBUTOR

Concussions are a surprisingly common occurrence in sports. High school and college athletes suffer thousands of concussions every year, most often in football, ice hockey and soccer. Concussions don’t always involve being knocked out or a loss of consciousness.

A concussion occurs whenever a person’s mental status changes as a result of trauma, usually a blow to the head.

Patrick Baker, head athletic trainer, knows a lot about concussions and their symptoms.

Sports-related concussions often result in mental and physical symptoms.

“The symptoms of concussions are possibly dizziness,

headache, nausea, balance problems, short term memory and long term memory

days, and they typically don’t last more than several months.

In some cases, concussions lead

deficit,” Baker said.

For many athletes, the symptoms disappear after about 10

to long-lasting physical, mental, emotional and behavioral problems, sometimes referred to as

post-concussion syndrome.

It’s not known whether persistent post-concussive symptoms result from primarily medical or psychological causes. In rare cases, when repeated concussions occur over a brief interval, athletes may suffer from second impact syndrome, a pathological response of the brain that can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Parents should seek careful evaluation and management of any sports-related concussion.

To get cleared to play after any hit to the head, studentathletes must complete an on-field assessment test, these test. This test is called SCAT 2, or Sports Concussion Assessment Tool.

“SCAT 2 is used widely across the world. The test gives orientation questions. If they know where they are, if they know what the score of the game is and those kind of things. We also test balance, word recall and these types of exercises that make them use their brain,” Baker said.

Concussions are very serious. They’re a challenge for many reasons. They occur to players of all ages and at all levels. Even if everything seems to be all right with a concussed athlete, neglect could have devastating results.

Parents, coaches and players must be mindful. We’re dealing with flesh and blood and gray matter too. Be warned, be wise, and be aware.

A League of Their Own Carlos Villoria CONTRIBUTOR

The University of Maine at Presque Isle men’s soccer team hosted the youth basketball league on Sunday, Nov. 11. This fundraiser has been held for the past five years and it’s organized by, Alan Gordon the men’s soccer head coach.

As a former basketball coach, Gordon had the idea to host a basketball tournament with the Aroostook Youth Basketball League, or AYBL, teams. This would give them the opportunity to play three games in a day at the UMPI facilities, including Gentile Hall and Wieden Gymnasium.

“This year, we had 18 teams, nine boys teams and nine girls teams,” Gordon said.

Every team had between six to eight players, girls and boys, making this tournament a big

one. The teams were all from Aroostook County, Caribou, Presque Isle, Houlton, Limestone, Fort Kent, Central Aroostook, Southern Aroostook and Fort Fairfield.

For the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the community is very important, and coach Gordon knows that.

“This is the kind of opportunity for us to make a goodwill for the community and also allows us to make a little bit of money for our program,” Gordon said.

Unfortunately, there’s not a soccer league outside schools, like basketball has.

That makes it impossible to create or start a tournament.

For next year, coach Gordon and the men’s soccer team plans to have this tournament again, making this fundraiser a tradition for the AYBL and the Aroostook County community.

Lou Holtz (Left) with Andy Giles (Right) before theTangerine Bowl game in 1970. Andy was drafted by the Oakland Raiders shortly afterwards.

Winners from last issues’ contest who guessed it right were: Emily Staples & Taylor Dulmage Congratulations!!

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December 14, 2012

Dick Harrison CONTRIBUTOR

Cadet Chapel, a landmark Gothic church and a center for spiritual life at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, hosted its first same-sex wedding Dec. 1.

A West Point graduate and her fiancée exchanged vows before 250 guests in a ceremony conducted by a senior Army chaplain. This was the second samesex wedding held at West Point in as many weeks.

The year 2012 is a banner year in Queer American History. Gays are no longer excluded from serving openly in the U.S. Armed Forces, and the string of ballot victories for the right to marry marks a shift in public acceptance of LGBTQ people.

Maine is the first state to pass

A Sea of Change a referendum initiated by the people to permit same-sex marriage. Maryland and Washington State passed similar measures in response to initiatives to deny gays the right to marry. Minnesotans defeated a “man-woman only” definition of marriage for that state’s constitution.

Opponents of same-sex marriage spent at least $11.3 million this year to fight ballot measures in those four states and lost every single battle. The largest financial backer of this anti-gay movement was NOM, the National Organization for Marriage, which spent approximately $5.2 million.

The Catholic Church spent an estimated $2 million. These four wins in the U.S. came on the footsteps of Spain upholding its samesex marriage laws and France

pushing forward with theirs.

A columnist on Salon.com wrote, “Opening hearts and changing old norms is going to take a whole lot of time and incredible effort.”

Marriage equality has economic consequences. Estimates for wedding-related spending for in-state couples in Maine is expected to be about $16 million in 2013. Weddings in Maine will be legal beginning Dec. 29, 2012.

Gay rights advocates have identified seven more U.S. states ripe for marriage equality wins as early as 2014: Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island.

As a result of the November elections, the number of openly LGBTQ members in our legislatures has dramatically increased.

Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin is the first out lesbian elected to the U.S. Senate. The U.S. House of Representatives will have seven out members, hailing from Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. The Wisconsin win marks the first time an openly queer Member of Congress will be followed by another in the same Congressional District: Marc Pocan succeeds Tammy Baldwin.

Krysten Sinema from Arizona is the first openly bisexual Member of Congress. Legislatures in 28 states will see openly LGBTQ members next year, including in the “red states” of Georgia, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Maine has four queer state representatives, including the nation’s youngest legislator, Justin Chennette, age 21, from Saco.

The next speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives is a lesbian and the next speaker of the Colorado House is a gay man.

The Washington State Senate will have an out gay man as majority leader.

Despite polls and pundits saying for weeks that the presidential contest was “too close to call,” New York Times columnist Nate Silver predicted that Barack Obama had a 91.6 percent probability of winning a majority of Electoral College votes. Silver, who is openly gay, also predicted the results correctly in 50 out of 50 states.

is becoming a global festival. For many decades, the Chinese just celebrated their own traditional festivals. Now, many Chinese— especially the younger generations from the large Chinese cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai—also celebrate Thanksgiving.

This means that Thanksgiving

is becoming a typical mark of American “cultural output.“ We affect each other. Shared holidays are a sign of this. And because they give us more in common, because they bring us closer together, they’re something we should be thankful for.

The “Output” Festival Yuning Lu

CONTRIBUTOR

These days, you can find some holidays that are similar to the Chinese Spring Festival. One is American and Canadian Thanksgiving. People drive home and reunite, making the fourth Thursday in November a very important festival in the United States. Thanksgiving Day is probably one of the most important festivals for every family. No matter how busy they are at ordinary times, family members everywhere

get together to enjoy one big turkey meal and four days of relaxation.

Many Chinese describe Thanksgiving Day as the Chinese Spring Festival.

“We have many kinds of the holiday similar to the Thanksgiving Day, such as the Chinese Spring Festival,” said Chinese student Lei Wen. During Thanksgiving Day, people prepare the turkey, decorate and go shopping. Turkey is the typical food. During the Chinese Spring Festival, the

typical food is a whole cooked.

Just like with American families, the reunion is important to every Chinese family. All the family members get together to enjoy their typical Chinese meal on the eve of the Chinese Spring Festival.

“During these days, all the family member would get together and sit down around a large round table for dinner,” Wen said.

In recent years, more and more countries have started to celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day

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What’s So Good About this Time of Year?

Lanette Virtanen STAFF WRITER

Do you have conflicting emotions about this time of the year? It’s the end of a semester, the end of classes and the beginning of winter. For some

this is the best time of year.

Maybe winter is your favorite season because everything looks

clean and new with fresh snow on the ground. It’s great for those who like to get out and go snow-shoeing, skiing, sledding or take part in other outdoor activities. That also means you get to come in out of the cold and have hot chocolate or sit in front of a fireplace. Christmas is another reason some people love winter.

“For me, it’s my birthday, so it has to be good. I’m celebrating Jesus’ birthday and my own,” Sandy Woollard a community member said.

Gail Lawrence, Sandy Woollard’s sister says she loves being with her family, particularly her children and grandchildren.

“It’s the perfect excuse to spoil them and get away with it,” Lawrence said.

For some, this is a time of celebration. For others, this time of the year is the hardest.

It could be that you’ve lost someone close to you and this will be the first Christmas without them. Plenty of us hate that it’s cold outside, that it’s wet, slippery and hard to drive on the roads. For those who work retail, this can be the

worst time of the year.

Imagine walking into your favorite store to find that perfect gift for the one you love.

Imagine hearing Christmas music as soon as you walk in the door and, as long as you’re in the store, it’s the

decorations out for almost two months already. This can do a lot to change how some people feel about Christmas.

Miranda Akeley, an UMPI student and an employee at Sears, admits that it can be frustrating working retail around

only thing you hear. Now imagine that you have to work there five or six days a week.

How do you think you’d feel hearing those Christmas songs over and over, all day long, every day that you work, until Christmas?

It’s not only the music. The stores have had their Christmas

the Christmas season. Shoppers seem to be so stressed while looking for the right gift for that special someone.

“I sense a lot of the time people losing sight of the true meaning of the holiday, which is to celebrate the birth of Christ and be together with their families. It’s actually

Getting to Zero Yuning Lu

CONTRIBUTOR

World AIDS Day marks an internationally recognized event aimed at raising awareness about HIV and AIDS around the world. Across the globe, the event is recognized in many ways, collectively symbolized by wearing red ribbons, a sign of support for those living with HIV. Lei Wen, a student from China, described them as, “the mark of the World AIDS Day.“ The red ribbon is probably one of the most iconic images

in use today.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is contracted through sexual contact via anal, oral or vaginal intercourse, blood exchange, shared intravenous syringes, or from mother to child during pregnancy, labor, delivery or breast-feeding. It originated in primates but ultimately transmitted to humans. The first cases were discovered in Africa in the 1950s and 1960s. After that the disease spread rapidly throughout the globe.

Scientists still aren’t sure where

the AIDS virus first started but, in the short time since the virus has been discovered, they’ve learned a great deal about it. One thing they haven’t worked out, however, is how to cure it. All over the world, research teams are working on ways of slowing and stopping its spread.

“The AIDS or HIV is directly harmful,“ Wen said.

AIDS or HIV hurts humankind and also has a huge negative impact on society, the economy and ethics.

Started in 1988, World AIDS Day isn’t just about raising

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grounding for me because it reminds me of why I celebrate Christmas to begin with,” Akeley said.

Another problem with this break between semesters for college students is that they don’t always get to go home.

Some return to their families while others have to stay in the area because they’re too far away. There’s also the added pressure of getting gifts and not having enough money.

Students struggle with having enough for books and supplies.

Add to that wanting to buy for family and friends and you have more stress.

There’s a solution, though, or at least a brighter alternative.

Instead of worrying about that perfect gift or getting enough for the people you care about why not just give them the gift of your time. What makes the holidays special is being able to reconnect with those you love.

So spend the break with your family and remember those who can’t get home for the holidays. Don’t take it for granted.

Maybe what would make their holiday special would be getting to do something with friends.

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Keeping Those Christmas Tunes Turned Up Ben Pinette

STAFF WRITER

When I start to see the snow flying and the Christmas wreaths being hung, I know that Christmas is coming and I need to start thinking about a

Christmas story for the U Times. This is my third and final Christmas article geared toward music for the University Times, so I knew I needed to make it special. Two years ago, I wrote about the “Top 10 worst Christmas songs.” Last year, it was the “Top 10 best Christmas songs.” Continuing with the theme, I thought I would talk about the “Top 10 most popular Christmas songs,” according to Billboard. This list comes straight from Billboard.com, meaning I didn’t pick out the list this year. But, as you will find out, I like most of these songs and their placement on this list. #10- “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”- Andy Williams, 1963 I think it’s safe to say we all know this song and hear it every Christmas. The first time I heard this song was when I

watched “Home Alone” the first time. Yup, gave away my age right there! #9- “Last Christmas”Wham!, 1984 In 1984-1985, Wham and George Michael were one of

the hottest acts around with “Wake Me Up Before You GoGo” and “Careless Whisper,” which both hit number one.

So, when Wham made a Christmas song, it was sure to be a hit. Unlike most ‘80s Christmas songs, this one is still heard regularly today. #8- “White Christmas”Bing Crosby, 1942 It’s hard to believe this song is 70 years old this year! What’s also interesting about this song is that it was originally introduced in the middle of the summer for a soundtrack Crosby made for the film “Holiday Inn.” It was Christmas in July for Crosby. #7- “The Christmas Song”- Nat King Cole, 1960 The first few lyrics, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” may ring a bell. It’s a classic at my house, as I’ve heard it all my life, and another mainstay Christmas song for genera-

tions to come. #6- “Holly Jolly Christmas”- Burl Ives, 1964 The first time I ever heard this one was during the annual CBS television special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” I try not to miss this every year, and I always know Christmas is coming when the song plays.

“Holly Jolly Christmas” also spent 15 weeks atop the holiday songs chart since 2004. #5- “Feliz Navidad”Jose Feliciano, 1970 This one surprised me a little bit. It’s not my favorite Christmas song, but you know the holidays are coming up when you hear this song—partially in Spanish that most of us can’t make out. #4- “Jingle Bell Rock”Bobby Helms, 1957 At the same time Rock and Roll was infiltrating our homes, so was this classic from Bobby Helms. Unlike most of the songs on this list so far, this hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart just before Christmas in 1957. This is another classic that I couldn’t see going a Christmas without. #3- “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”Trans-Siberian Orchestra, 1996 The Trans-Siberian Orchestra does a great job performing some of the classics, but this one is their most wellknown. All I can think of when this song comes to mind is the overly decorated house with the flashing lights. Go on YouTube and type in this song to see what I mean. #2- “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”- Brenda Lee, 1958 I think every single Christmas party ever celebrated at work or home has played this song at some point. It’s a classic. Lee was only 14 years old when she recorded this song.

She had one more Top Five hit the following year before becoming a “two hit wonder.”

But, we’ll always remember this one, every single Christmas.

And finally, the number one song according to Billboard is….. #1- “All I Want for Christmas Is You”Mariah Carey, 1994 A little surprised by this one, but what can you say? Mariah Carey was at the top of her game in 1994 with already 10 number one singles on the Hot 100 before this song came out.

Remember, this list is of the best songs according to how

each song charted the year it came out. Carey’s song may be newer than the works of Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole, but she might have introduced a new generation to a new song that will be popular for years to come.

This is my final Christmas music column I’ll be writing for the U Times. I hope you continue to listen to the songs that remind you of years gone by and, most importantly, make some memories at your home with these songs on. There’s nothing truly like it around. Have a happy holiday!

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Meanwhile, Around the World...

Kayla Ames STAFF WRITER

When you think about Christmas, what comes to mind? Oranges and carp?

Doubtful. Clothes and basic, if any, decoration? Probably not.

If you asked people from other cultures this same question, though, you might get answers such as these. And what about our own traditions, the ones we’ve observed and celebrated for years? Surely those are safe and familiar. Surely we know everything there is to know about them. Well, the history behind what we see and do might shock you.

First, consider Poland.

Tomasz Herzog, an UMPI professor, lived and celebrated many Christmases there.

Poland is often viewed as isolated and mostly Catholic, but Herzog discourages those stereotypes. It’s not necessarily all about religion.

“Originally a religious holiday, Christmas has become a family holiday,” Herzog said.

“That’s why it is equally celebrated by Catholics and nonbelievers in Poland these days.”

There, Christmas Eve is called Wigilia. Herzog thinks of it as a family reunion. They celebrate on the 24th rather than the 25th, with a symbolic 12 course meal. Like a lot of families, his leaves an extra place at the table as a symbol of their willingness to share with those in need. They usually buy their Christmas tree on the 23rd or 24th rather than a while before, but they also keep it around longer, into January. There isn’t a big difference in how they decorate, and Herzog usually does so with his daughter as a way to stay close to her.

Some people fast before the holiday, either for religious or health reasons. They also make and enjoy different food, often depending on what part of Poland you come from. Herzog, for instance, is from western Poland and fish soup is a main dish.

So is carp.

“When I think of carp, it’s Christmas,” Herzog said.

Some families won’t drink any alcohol during the festivities.

They usually prepare the Bible and have someone – a child or the oldest person present – read a passage, followed by brief prayer.

Then everyone gets a piece of a wafer known as oplatek. They break off pieces and share while wishing each other well.

Presents are a big deal, of course. Still, Herzog believes that he and many who grew up around the same time are pretty much immune to commercialism. When he was born, Poland was in an economic crisis. Food shortages meant standing in line for hours without a guarantee of getting anything at the end of the day.

Even after coming to America, Herzog was haunted by this.

For a long time, he associated Christmas with waiting and enormous effort. He saw oranges in the store and was amazed because that was one of many items you could never get.

This has taught him humility, to appreciate what he has and what he gains along the way.

Herzog said he values Christmas because it’s a chance to slow down and enjoy being with your family even more than usual. Admittedly, it’s a little bittersweet for him and others far from loved ones.

He says there’s a way to combat this homesickness, though.

“When you live away, you start to appreciate some of those traditions or you try to cultivate them so they don’t get lost,” Herzog said.

Our second stop is Tanzania, which is located in East Africa.

Though information varies, on the mainland, approximately 30 percent of Tanzanians are

Christian, 35 percent are Muslim and another 35 percent practice indigenous beliefs.

Most of the people on the island of Zanzibar – one of the two islands that make it up — are Muslim.

Godfrey Willy, however, considers himself Christian. A student at the Tanzania Institute of Accountancy, he comes from the Chaga tribe located in the Kilimanjaro region. Willy shared that, in Swahili, Christmas means “sikuku ya kuzaliwa Kwa bwana Yesu.” It’s one of their biggest holidays and they also celebrate on the 25th.

They start by shopping, usually in the months before Christmas,

such as October and November.

Those who do shop tend to get clothes and shoes – in other words, practical items. Parents try to make sure their children have something nice to wear.

“It is not like in other countries that youth and children want to hang out and do stuff.

Here, they are focusing on going to church with new clothes to show others. When parents get all the things to the children, then the children will actually be happy for the coming Christmas,” Willy said.

People in Tanzania don’t go out of their way to decorate. If

they

do, it’s minimal.

“Out of 10 houses in Tanzania, you might find only one house with a Christmas tree in it and, if you find a house with a Christmas tree, it is not so decorated,” Willy said.

It’s also not common practice to give gifts to parents. They focus on going to church early in the morning and preparing a large meal. Families gather and pray, thanking God for being alive to celebrate the birth of Christ. Because most of the Chaga tribe are business people, they travel a lot. Christmas is a time for them to come together.

Though they know they’ll have to leave, Willy and others, no doubt, find comfort in that opportunity to reconnect.

But what about our own traditions?

There’s more to them than you might think. For instance, we often pass nativity scenes this time of year. Some show Mary’s husband, Joseph, as young and healthy with a brown beard. Others feature a much older version with a gray beard. The latter is the result of a religious work entitled “ T h e Protoevangelium of James.” In it, Mary is wed to an aged, holy widower – gray-bearded Joseph – in order to protect her purity.

“So when Mary is found to be pregnant, it’s a double scandal for Joseph! The story continues and the virgin birth is confirmed by a midwife after the birth of Jesus in one of the more interesting stories in early Christian literature, so Joseph is off the hook!” Dr. DeFelice, UMPI history professor and early church historian, said.

After the Protestant Revolution, marriage was held in higher regard – as even more admirable than no sexual activ-

ity. Martin Luther wrote that Joseph and Mary went on to have children after the birth of Jesus, “the regular way.”

Because of this, Protestant nativity scenes feature a young, vigorous Joseph capable of fathering children – in other words, the brown-bearded J o s e p h .

Some other interesting facts?

The Three Wise Men weren’t Jewish or Christian. Rather, they came from Persia, or modern Iran.

“They were Zoroastrians and they were seeking a messiah of their own faith,” DeFelice said.

Nativity scenes usually feature three because that’s the number of gifts they brought, but some show anywhere from three to eight. And, get this, our ancestors didn’t decide on December 25th until the year 336. Before that, they proposed days in March, April, May, November and January, mostly based on evidence that indicated Jesus was born in the springtime.

Christmas trees, Yule logs, Santa, elves, gift exchange and mistletoe all come from other religions. Santa Clause is based on the image of Odin, a Norse god.

The tradition of him coming down the chimney originates from the Winter Solstice and Italian religion. During the 17th century, Father Christmas was considered the patron saint of sailors and children. Rather than ride in a sleigh, though, he reportedly rode a goat.

In Germany and Alpine regions, Santa has an evil twin named Krampus. These are just a few things you might not have known!

No matter where you come from, some things never change. Most in the United States, Poland and Tanzania recognize the importance of family as well as the value of small, simple things. We all like to take this time to relax and reflect. Whether you partake in oplatek, come from the Chaga tribe or unknowingly write letters to a modified Norse god, this holiday can bring you and your loved ones closer together, despite being worlds apart.

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University Times

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December 14, 2012

ifestyle

The Reel Deal: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Stephanie Jellett STAFF WRITER

PG-13 6/5 Stars In all seriousness, this movie is the absolute best! No other can replace its awesomeness. Once you think you have it figured out, something else happens and confuses you.

Then, once you think you know how it’s going to end, it happens again. The movie blows your mind and you’re left amazed.

Gotham City has a new bad guy named Bane, played by Tom Hardy. Bane was exiled from the League of Shadows and he threatens to destroy and take down Gotham’s rich as well as expose the true

Harvey Dent. It’s been eight years since The Batman — also known as Bruce Wayne, played by Christian Bale — has taken the fall for Dent’s death and he hasn’t shown himself since. That is, until Bane forces him out of retirement. Batman teams up with a few new allies: John Blake, played by Joseph GordonLevitt, and an elusive jewel thief named Selina Kyle, who’s played by Anne Hathaway and who may just be the key to stopping Bane.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, this film took emotions and action scenes to a new level. Viewers will probably find themselves heartbroken during many of the scenes, especially a particular one fea-

turing Alfred, our favorite stoic butler.

Bale did an excellent job as Bruce Wayne and delivered a stellar performance, handling a very emotional role with apparent ease. The intensity of the character really drives the film home. Hathaway isn’t particularly known for sexy, seductive, physical roles such as Catwoman, but she did a phenomenal job too.

Overall, the word that best describes this movie is awesome! Seeing it in theaters then waiting five months to buy it on DVD makes it feel like Christmas day. The most anticipated movie of the summer thrilled Batman fans and left many believing it is the best of the series.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the raffle for our Johnson guitar and guitar case will be starting next semester. If youʼre still interested in the guitar and its case, please contact Lanette Virtanen (lanette.virtanen@maine.edu), Kayla Ames (kayla.ames@maine.edu) or Ben Pinette (benjamin.pinette@maine.edu).

Thank you!

Uni ver sity T ime s ! LIFESTYLE ! De ce m be r 1 4, 2 01 2

December 21, 2012: The End of the World? Part 4 Jim Stepp

CONTRIBUTOR

There are many events that are predicted to happen on or around 12/21/12. These include potential effects from a galactic alignment, shifts in the Earth’s magnetic field, large solar storms, the close approach of a wandering rouge planet named Nibiru and the ending of the Mayan Calendar. In this, the last of four articles about December 21, 2012, we’ll be looking at the end of the Mayan Calendar.

First, it may be interesting to get a little information about the Mayan Calendar. Our calendar is divided into days, months, years, decades, centuries and millennium. The Mayan calendar was divided into Kin (day), Uinal (20 kin/days), Tun (18 uinal or 360 days or about a year), Katun (20 tun or 7,200 days or about 20 years) and Baktun (20 katun or 144,000 days or about 394 years).

December 21, 2012 will mark the end of the 13th Baktun.

Changes in the Baktun were believed to be periods of change or reorganization. Archeologists have found no reference to a 14th Baktun, so this has led some authors to assume that the end of the world is at hand.

Before getting worried about 12/21/12, there are a couple of things to consider. First, our current calendar is a continuous one. 2010 rolled into 2011, 2011 rolled into 2012 and 2012 will roll into 2012.

The Mayan calendar is the same. Baktun 12 became Baktun 13 and Baktun 13 will become Baktun 14. But you may be thinking that archeologists have no evidence of a Baktun 14. My answer would be, “so what?” A Baktun consists of 394 years. It’s now 2012. In 394 years, it’ll be 2406. Can any of you go out today and find a calendar for 2406?

Probably not.

As stated in an earlier article, there have been hundreds of end-of-the-world predictions in the last 50 years. These predictions have all ended the same way: nothing happens.

The only thing that has been proved true about these predictions is the person who writes them makes a lot of money.

This set of articles discussed a galactic alignment, a magnetic field shift, large solar storms and shifting calendars, all of which have occurred many times before. We also looked at the possibility of a large unseen heavenly body causing us problems. After looking at all of these possibilities, I have only a couple words of advice for you.

1) Stress over your finals instead of the end of the world. Your grades will mean more to you.

2) If you were planning on buying gifts for someone, go ahead and do it.

For more information on the Mayan Calendar, please go t o www.webexhibits.org/calendar s/calendar-mayan.html THE NIGHT SKY The International Space Station is visible in the evening sky until January 2. The ISS will become visible into morning skies beginning on January 8 .

Go to www.heavens-above.com for exact times and locations.

You’ll need to register at this site and load your location to be able to get exact times. The University of Maine at Presque Isle is located at 68d00m7.8s West longitude and 46d40m45.6s North latitude.

To get a free sky chart, go to w w w. s k y m a p s . c o m Sun

and

Planet

Visibility

1 2 / 2 0 / 2 0 1 2

Sun Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn

Rise Set 06:00 – 05:18 – 16:00 – 16:00 – 02:54 –

1 2 / Sun Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn

3 0 / Rise Set 06:42 05:48 16:30 16:12 02:18

07:13 15:46 07:00 07:12 05:36 05:36 06:36

2 0 1 2 07:17 15:53 – 07:00 – 07:18 – 17:48 – 04:48 – 06:42

12/13@02:00 Geminid Meteor Shower – 19/hour 12/13@03:41 New Moon 12/13@16:00 Geminid Meteor Shower Maximum 12/14@02:00 Geminid Meteor Shower – 28/hour 12/14@17:00 Moon 7.5 degrees from Mars 12/15@02:00 Geminid Meteor Shower – 5/hour 12/15@02:46 Moon 5.5

degrees from Mars 12/20@00:19 First Quarter M o o n 12/21@ Predicted last day of the Earth 12/21@06:12 Southern Solstice – Winter begins in the northern hemisphere 12/25@16:06 Moon at Apogee – furthest from the Earth 406200 km or 252400 mi 12/25@18:48 Moon 1 degree from Jupiter 12/27@16:41 ISS passes 0.6 degrees from Jupiter 12/28@05:21 Full Moon 12/28@15:51 ISS passes 0.6 degrees from Jupiter 01/01@07:17 Latest Sunrise of the year 01/01@23:37 Earth at Perihelion – Closest to the Sun 147 million km or 91.4 million m i 01/03@21:48 Mercury at Aphelion – Farthest from the Sun - 69.9 million km or 43.4 million mi 01/06@18:38 Moon 3.6 degrees from Saturn 01/10@05:20 Moon at Perigee

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– closest to the Earth - 360100 km or 223700 mi 01/10@06:30 ISS passes 0.6 degrees from Saturn 01/10@06:42 Moon 1.9 degrees from Venus 01/11@06:56 Moon 5.8 degrees from Mercury 01/11@14:43 New Moon 01/12@06:27 ISS passes 0.03 degrees from Vega (alpha Lyra) 01/12@17:12 Moon 8.2 degrees from Mars 01/17@05:29 ISS passes 0.4degrees from Deneb (Alpha C y g n e s ) 01/18@03:54 Mercury passes behind the Sun – Superior conjunction – farthest from the E a r t h 01/18@18:45 First Quarter M o o n 01/21@23:00 Moon 1 degree from Jupiter 01/22@05:45 Moon at Apogee – farthest from the Earth 405400 km or 251900 mi 01/24@03:56 Mars at Perihelion – Closest to the Sun 206.6 million km or 128.4 million mi

Happy Holidays

See you next year!