insi de this issue:
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University of Maine at Presque Isle Volume 39 Issue 8
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Journalism for Northern Maine
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FEBRUARY 4, 2011 Sports p. 12
Community p. 13
Voice p. 16
Lifestyle p. 18
The Gift of Hope and Justice Mika Ouellette STAFF WRITER
Although it may seem a bit early to be thinking about graduation gifts, members of UMPI’s class of 2011 are not the only ones receiving them this year. Both the Society of Student Social Workers, or SOSW, and UMPI’s senior class have decided to donate money as organizations to the Hope and Justice Project. The Hope and Justice Project is a local organization that deals with domestic violence victims and their needs. The money came from fundraisers such as bake sales held by SOSW and will be presented in two checks, with a first smaller check being given now and a larger check being given at graduation in May. The first check for $150 was presented by SOSW member Heather
Dionne to Hope and Justice Project Director Francine Stark at SOSW’s January 27 meeting. As the organization serves 1,200 clients per year in the County alone, the donation was very much needed and welcome. “Our hope is that we can provide people with the hope that their lives will be better,” Stark said about her organization as she received the check. Stark then went on to talk to SOSW members about her organization and volunteer opportunities at Hope and Justice Project locations around Aroostook County. These locations include offices such as the one in Presque Isle and shelters for domestic violence victims. Whether it be a donation of time or money, anything that’s given to the Hope and Justice Project is not just a gift but a gift of hope to victims of domestic violence.
Check donation to Hope and Justic. Left to right: Francine Stark and Heather Dionne.
Cleaning House
Pullen Hall to see renovations coming summer 2011 Ben Pinette STAFF WRITER
It’s been a long time coming for Pullen Hall, but it will soon see some much-needed renovations taking place to the interior and exterior of the building. The building, which was built in 1969, is home to classrooms, ITV classrooms, the International Studies Center and an art gallery. Although the willpower of teaching hasn’t changed in 41 years, technology and general wear-and-tear has put the building on a list for potential upgrades. Charles Bonin, the vice president of administration and finance here at UMPI recently discussed what will be transpiring in Pullen just a few months from now. “Well, we did Folsom about two summers ago.
Folsom was phase one, and Pullen is phase two. We have a third phase, which is going to take care of the elevator and anything else we missed. The elevator is safe, but it doesn’t meet today’s standards.” There are a number of projects slated for work. “All of the asbestos floor tile will be done, energy efficient lighting, new ceiling, and a new heat system. The one we have now is steam, but will give way to one that is hot water, which is the same as the Folsom side. It will also have the heat pumps tied to it. The solar on the top will generate electricity that will help the costs of the system, so it should replicate Folsom and will be more energy efficient and should
cut down our costs.” Funds and grants are available for the project. “We have three funds for this project. We had an earmark from the federal government, which is taking care of the solar voltaic on the top of the building. We have a $750,000 grant for the biomass boiler, which has been ordered. We have bond money, as well, that will be set aside for it. We’re using grant money for the solar voltaic panel and the boiler, which is about 60 years old, so we know we’re going to have problems with it sooner than later.” Bonin is hopeful for a smooth timeline with the project.
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University Times
ampus
February 4, 2011
Letters From The Editors
Dear readers,
The University Times Staff Editor Lanette Virtanen Assistant Editor Ben Pinette Sarah Graettinger Staff Writers Kayla Ames Rebecca Bouchard Stephanie Corriveau Nathan DeFelice Naima deFlorio Michael Greaves Stephanie Jellett Mika Ouellette Angie Paul Henry Pelletier Ben Pinette Jeremy Thomas Lanette Virtanen Contributors Dick Harrison Kyle Huston Dakota Koch Sarah Sjoberg Jim Stepp Don Zillman Adviser Dr. J
The U Times welcomes submissions from the campus campus. Send digital versions of articles, photos, etc., to utimes@maine.edu and jacquelyn.lowman@umpi.edu
Welcome back! I hope that everyone had a great break and that you’re enjoying your classes. Don’t forget that UMPI has great tutors available and now is the time to get help if you need it. And that’s not all that UMPI has to offer. Keep your eyes open for all the different events that are happening on campus as well as off campus. One example is the biathlon this coming weekend with the opening ceremonies right here on campus. Other things to watch for are all the CAB events planned. If it’s the outdoors that you’re interested in, then watch for all the OAPI outings that are coming up. Just remember to bundle up when you’re out in this weather. We’re already into February and before you know it, the temperature will start rising and it’ll be spring. Lanette Hello, The student media lab is once again busy with upcoming events. At this moment, WUPI is broadcasting live from the 2011 IBU World Cup Biathlon. Tune in for updates before, during and after the race. Tune in February 3, February 4 and February 5 for live and local coverage. The U Times will be there as well. Look for coverage in our next issue. This is also a great time to talk about joining the U Times. Have you ever wanted to write for a newspaper? Do you like layout and design? What about taking pictures? If you said Yes to any of these, then the U Times is the right fit for you! Come join us every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. in Normal 102. We also have a lot of fun, and it’s a great resume-building experience. That’s it for now. I’m off to write another article or two. Ben
D at es fo r Sub m issio ns t o t h e U T im es
Feb. 7 Mar. 28
Feb. 28 April 11
Mar. 18 April 25
Any submissions recieved after a deadline will be published in the following issue. If you have any questions please contact Dr. Lowman at 768-9745.
Univer si ty T i me s ! CAMPUS ! Feb r ua r y 4 , 2 01 1
From Don’s Desk Adventures in Adoption—Canine Style
A major part of our holiday season involved the addition of a new four-legged member to the family. You may have already seen (or heard) Vinnie around campus. He’s a year-old rescue German shorthaired pointer. He’s been with us for six weeks, now, and we’ve had a steep learning curve. We’ve had pure or mixed breed German shorthairs in our family for 20 years. After the death of our fractious, but beloved, Matisse in November, we wrestled with what next. The appeal of a rescued or shelter dog was overwhelming. Reading the stories of abandoned animals is enough to melt the hardest of hearts. We imagined we could become the “forever home” of an abused or returned pet. Enter the Internet. We punched up German shorthaired pointer rescue expecting very little. Instead, we were overwhelmed with websites to organizations whose purpose was finding new homes for abandoned canines. The tales of how
dogs and cats had been found and what was known of their prior lives told you much
a part of the holiday break in New Mexico. So we laid out our map of the 2,700 mile
Vinnie: UMPIʼs new big dog on campus. more about human beings than about the animals. We were planning to spend
trip and agreed to focus on German shorthairs located within 50 miles of our travel
site. We soon had half a dozen prospects from as near as New England to as far as Arkansas. The shelters and rescue services were thorough in their screening. Linda and I were screened for ownership more thoroughly than I’ve been vetted for some jobs. Our search soon centered on a year-old male GSP with a tough prior life of abandonment and abuse by other dogs. Vinnie’s temporary home was in the Sacred Heart Shelter in southern Ohio. We did the mapping and prepared for a visit. Our stopover day turned out to be a snowy day in the Cincinnati area. We headed off the main road for four miles to a rural home with a very large fenced area in the back. The presence of at least 20 dogs outside told us we were in the right place. One of the first dogs we saw was a spotted German shorthair that just had to be Vinnie. We visited with shelter owner Mary and some of the other 60 dogs waiting rescue. Mary was a rare combination of saint and super-organized
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CEO. We got more information about Vinnie. He was disturbingly thin, but Mary assured us he was putting on weight. Watching him fly around the fenced areas, we felt comfortable (or worried) about his boundless GSP energy level. Two hours later we got back on the road with an additional passenger and a little bit of OMG what have we done? Linda started the bonding process, while I carefully edged the car along the icy roads at 20 mph. Gradually, the weather improved, the speed picked up, and Vinnie started to recognize that his life had changed. He is now in his third week in Presque Isle and making yet another adjustment in his complicated first year of life. Every day is a new adventure for all of us. Despite his gruff bark, Vinnie has already recognized he can have some great friends on campus. Please feel free to add yourself to that list. Don
Remembering: Tears and Laughter Angie Paul STAFF WRITER
In December, the university unexpectedly lost a young, ambitious student. Felicia Dawn Cochran of Perham died from a car accident on December 20, 2011. Although she’d only completed her first semester, Cochran had already had an impact on UMPI. She is especially missed by the Native Voices group, to which she had been voted in as treasurer. The group misses the enthusiasm she brought to the Native Voices meetings as well as her presence at the center. When asked what he remem-
bered most about Felicia, Eddy Ruiz, who runs the Native Student Center at UMPI, said
Felicia Cochran
“The things I remember most about her is that she was just a bubbly, funny girl who was always willing to lend a hand to anyone in need.” Cochran was born on May 1, 1992, in Caribou, to parents Terry and Theresa (Pickard) Cochran. Cochran also had a twin sister, Melissa Cochran, and an older sister, Samantha Cochran. She was an honors student who graduated from Washburn District High School class of 2010. A memorial for Felicia is being coordinated by the members of the Native Student Center to be placed in the Wabanaki Garden on campus.
Mistakes are a part of life, but that doesn’t mean all are excusable. Some aren’t. Case in point: the U Times printed a story about Marie Dumais, who works at the campus store known as C3. We mistakenly called her Marie Gomez. For this, we are deeply sorry. Despite this grevious error, we hope you can forgive us and that you continue to read and enjoy the U Times.
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Univer si ty T i me s ! CAMPUS ! Feb ru ar y 4, 201 1
Cou nselor’s C om m en ts standing of issues and problems. This would also serve as an informational outlet for issues on health, mental health
Greetings from the counseling office of student support services located in 101 South Hall. My name is Ralph McPherson and I am a clinical social worker. I was hired last semester to provide counseling services to students who might be in need of some support. The fall semester was busy and it was great to meet some of the students and staff of the university. I have a fond history with many memories from this university. I graduated in 1987 and was very involved with campus life. I worked for residential life my last two years and was president of the senior class. There have been many changes since I graduated, but the one thing
that has remained consistent is a pleasant campus environment with friendly people. I continue to have social contacts and friends from my years at this fine university. This semester we’re introducing a new concept. The University Times is a great venue to reach the student body and campus community with information and announcements. This semester, I’d like to write a monthly article for the Times to highlight different topics and issues. Some topics can be relevant to raise awareness and increase under-
Ralph McPherson
Stephanie Courriveau
bookstore website. Renting can be done in a few easy steps. You must first log on to http://www.ecampus.com/ courselistselect.asp. There’s a list of all of the textbooks available for the spring semester on this site. Choose the books that you want to purchase and click on “Submit Selections.” After confirming that the items you selected are correct, you can “Proceed to Checkout” and ultimately pay for the rental books with a credit or debit card. The site requires that you enter information about your mailing address since the books are sent directly to your doorstep in a matter of days. Returning the books is just as simple and doesn’t cost you any extra money. All you do is print a prepaid shipping label, attach it to the package and ship it back. If you have issues with the
rental process, call the phone number that’s listed on the rental website. UMPI bookstore manager Greg Doak said that a contracted outside agency offers the rental site. One major bonus of the site is that the rental textbooks cost roughly half the price of purchasing them. Doak explained that these cost savings are beneficial for college students. “We know students need to save money,” Doak said. Doak encourages those individuals who use the rental site to provide feedback about their experiences. He shared that the site should be available for use during the fall semester and hopes students will consider using the service. “We really think this format will work well for the students,” Doak said. So the next time you need to buy a book for a course, keep the rental site in mind. Along with saving money, you can get the textbooks you need from online to on your doorstep in no time.
STAFF WRITER
It’s the start of the semester, which means it’s time to buy all of your textbooks for your spring courses. But, before you prepare to head to the campus bookstore, you may want to consider another option. This alternative doesn’t even involve your leaving your dorm room or home. With the help of your computer and Internet access, you can now rent all of your required books from the online
and substance use. I’d like to dedicate this article to our services and how we can help students. The role of a counselor is to help people who may need some support in a life area. Some of these areas may include: time management, relationship issues and career guidance. Some other issues may involve sad or difficult feelings, excessive worries or issues of substance abuse. Regardless of the issue, the counseling center is here to serve students in order to enhance their academic pursuits.
From Shelves to Site: Bookstore Goes Online
Referrals can be made through student support services or you can just call my office. I’m here MondayFriday, from 3:30-7:30 pm. My office is located at 101 South Hall and my extension is 768-9791. It’s OK if you’re not sure what you want to talk about. I’ve had some students just come by my office and introduce themselves. You’re always welcome. This is a free service to students and information is kept confidential. Please feel free to contact me with any issues, concerns or problems you may be experiencing. I wish all students a fun and exciting time this semester. Thank you, Ralph B. McPherson, LCSW
Univer si ty T i me s ! CAMPUS ! Feb r ua r y 4 , 2 01 1
UMPI Is Alive With the Sound of Music Kayla Ames
STAFF WRITER
It’s not every day that we here at the University of Maine at Presque Isle or in the surrounding community have a chance to hear a group as notable as the Northern Maine Chamber Society play. In the Campus Center on Jan. 22, starting at 7 p.m., however, we had that exact opportunity, with almost 30 people taking advantage of it. “Welcome and thank you for coming out on this warm evening,” Susann Herold said, making audience members laugh since the weather that night was anything but warm. Herold played first violin along with Madison Outing, Kristin Macek and Dustin Denbow. Steve Boody, Monica Hewitt and Janet Hanson played second violin. Herold stood up front as the orchestra, made up of more than 20 musicians, paused to tune and practice throughout the perform-
ance. She also introduced conductor Waldo Caballero, a native of Andes and a resident of Maine for more than 29 years. Caballero introduced the musicians, talked a little about his experiences and how he became involved in music and encouraged donations while Herold took some time to thank their sponsors. They corrected a few mistakes made in the program, righting the wrongs done to Ann Warton and Harrison Roper, then began to play. Instruments such as violas, cellos, flutes, bass, clarinets, the bassoon, French horns, the trumpet and percussion accompanied the violins. The concert featured mixed classical music. For the first part of the performance, they played “Light Cavalry Overture” by Franz von Suppe and “Andante” by Harrison Roper, which featured Susann Herold on violin and Rueline Geishecker on cello. After the intermission, they performed Ralph Matersky’s
Weekdays Noon-1 p.m.
“When Johnny Comes Marching Home” and “Symphony No. 96” by Joseph Haydn, consisting of three parts entitled Allegro, Menuetto and Finale. The music inspired a variety of emotions and reactions. S o m e audience members tapped their feet while others closed their eyes o r plucked imagin a r y instruments. Several songs seemed familiar as a result of their use in movies and on television. Franz von Suppe is known for his descriptive nature when it comes to music and “Light Cavalry Overture” was no exception. The song was
energetic, changing rhythm and tone frequently. Roper’s “Andante” went from powerful and gripping to soft and romantic to lofty and triumphant. During the following intermission, UMPI ‘s coordinator of student affairs, April Sue Platt, complimented the event. “At other places you go and you have to pay for tickets. It’s expensive. You’re on balconies so it’s hard to see. Here it’s intimate. It’s a great evening out, and free, so why not?” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” by Matesky was one of the most recognizable. Stirring and spirited, it awoke memories of vintage soldiers marching to or from battle with confidence. Youcould almost imagine the floor shaking as the procession passed by. Hadyn’s “Symphony No. 96, “nicknamed “the Miracle,” was complex and seemed to be made of many different layers of music all working in harmony. It sounded as if it belonged
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in the music hall of a palace and felt as if it were trying to share its energy with all those in attendance. As the final notes died, the orchestra stood for the last time and accepted the final round of applause. Herold thanked everyone for coming a second time and offered a few words of farewell. Upon questioning, she admitted she would have liked a bigger turnout but understood why more people didn’t show up: the performance had to be moved up because of the approaching biathlon, the concert was short and the week had been cold and slow. On a more positive note, Herold said that the orchestra just celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010. Considering the quality of their music and the chance each performance affords people such as those here at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, we can only hope they stick around for another 25 years.
Cleaning House continued “We’re going out to bid now. We hope to start it right after graduation and finish it around August 15. When school starts next fall semester, it should be up and running and going.” Students shouldn’t worry about the construction taking place during the summer if they’re attending classes. “Pullen will be closed during the summer so it will not affect anyone’s lear ning throughout the process, including the art gallery.” The U Times will have a follow-up on the renovations of Pullen in our first issue, next fall.
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Univer si ty T i me s ! CAMPUS ! Feb ru ar y 4, 201 1
R e l a x , Henry Pelletier STAFF WRITER
Ian St ewart and
Out for a drive.
his fol lowers .
Relaxation is something we all need to relieve stress, but did you know that it’s the key to being hypnotized? Many UMPI students went on stage at Wieden auditorium on January 25 and chose to relax and be hypnotized. Ian Stewart started h i s hy p n o t i s m c a r e e r a s a medical hypnotist: meaning he hypnotized people into not feeling pain, quitting bad habits and other medicinal u s e s. K n o w i n g t h i s a n d k n o w i n g t h a t h e ’s b e e n an entertainer for 12 year s proved he can make our friends do some crazy things. As the students began to relax and fall asleep, Stewart began weeding out the people unable to be
hypnotized. Some were noticeably unable to relax, but others seemed to be under hypnosis just fine. There was a student in the audience who became entranced in her seat. Stewart tried to wake her up, but ended up bringing her up on stage instead. Once the group was hypnotized, Stewart began giving them suggestions that they would follow. Some of the suggestions entailed applying sun screen, playing an instrument and speeding in a new Ferrari. The hypnotist acted as a police officer and asked each of them why you were speeding. One student responded with, “T he police were chasing me.”
Univer si ty T i me s ! CAMPUS ! Feb r ua r y 4 , 2 01 1
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Then Do As I Say
Flexinʼ thos e muscles.
After the car incident, he made them all conscious, only to have them find out their belly buttons were gone. He had stolen them! Even an audience member had to come up and ask for his belly button back. S a d l y, t h e h i l a r i o u s show had to come to an end, and people needed to remember what happened. Stewart told them that once they left the room, they could remember everything that happened. While still in the room, the UTimes asked a few people if they remembered what had happened, and none did. Outside the room,
when asked what it felt like to be hypnotized, Zachery Barnes (who was in the middle of peeling off BandAids from his face) said, “I slept. It felt l i k e I w a s s l e e p i n g. ” D u r i n g t h e s h o w, the crowd was continually roaring with l a u g h t e r. A l l c o u l d t e l l it was a ter rific time. Je r e my I r e l a n d s a i d , “ I t w a s a m a z i n g. H e k e p t e v e r y o n e g o i n g. E v e r y o n e w a s l a u g h i n g. It was a g reat time.” This was a fantast i c s h o w. N e x t t i m e UMPI has a hypnotist come, if there’s any way you can get to the s h o w, d o i t .
ep warm. e k o t g in g Hug
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Univer si ty T i me s ! CAMPUS ! Feb ru ar y 4, 201 1
Excitement in Off-shore Wind Energy Production Angie Paul STAFF WRITER
If you’ve ever spent much time off the coast of Maine, you know that the wind can be intense. What’s the best way to harness this for environmentally friendly renewable energy? Dr. Robert Marvinney, Maine State Geologist and director of the Maine Geological Survey talked about this at the UMPI
indicated by the results of the study as being viable areas for off-shore wind energy production. The information learned in the study is a step toward the reality of off-shore wind turbines in Maine. Marvinney fielded many questions from the audience, including, “How much damage to the sea floor do the anchored wind turbines cause?” Marvinney said “It gets disrupted on a small area for some period of time. But if it’s designed right, it would probably be re-occupied by creatures pretty quickly. If there was a large farm of 100 turbines put in place offshore, those cables could produce a pretty thick web at that depth which could interfere with other kinds of activities.” President Don Zillman closed the lecture, informing the audience to stay tuned for further developments on the topic in the newspapers and on TV.
“This is going to be some of the real excitement in the
t i o n o f t h e r e a d i n g. A t t h e re a d i n g,
poetry and short stories, onstage to an
intimate affair held in the Owl’s Nest of
UMPI students read their own original works, including both
audience of staff members and fellow students. It was a small,
UMPI’s Campus C e n t e r. Re f r e s h m e n t s were also served to
Campus Center on November 16. Marvinney spoke about the process that the Department of Conservation had conducted to determine possible sites for off-shore wind turbine energy production here in Maine. He explained that the State has jurisdiction for up to three miles off the coast of Maine, which the survey focused on. Four potential test sites were
Dr. Robert Marvinney
state of Maine in the years to come,” Zillman said.
Poetry in Promotion
Mika Ouellette STAFF WRITER
Fo r t h e p a s t c o u p l e of years, UMPI’s online literary journ a l , “ U p C o u n t r y, ” h a s not been active. But the English Department is out to change that by reviving it. A poetry readi n g h e l d o n F r i d a y, Dec. 10, 2010, was the first event to kick off the jour nal’s revival. “This reading was created in hopes of fostering a stage for all writers who wish to share their work with others within the comm u n i t y, ” N a t a l i e S t . Pier re, the student cochair of the project, said in her introduc-
both reading participants and audience members. As for promoting the literary journal, the participants’ works will be published in the journal during the upcoming s e m e s t e r. According to Candice Rivera, the second cochair of the project, these works will be the first new works added to the journal in two years. Along with adding new material to the literary journal, the staff of “Up Country” also hopes to hold at least two more poetry readings this c o m i n g s e m e s t e r. M o r e details on this will be featured in future issues of the U Times.
Univer si ty T i me s ! CAMPUS ! Feb r ua r y 4 , 2 01 1
The White Lady: A Local Legend in One Small Town Naima deFlorio STAFF WRITER
Megan Linscott, a student at UMPI, lives in a town with two roads going out of town: one is the main road and one the back road. “The back road has been haunted for as long as I can remember and everybody knows about it. You ask anybody about the white lady and they’ll say, ‘oh, yeah, she’s out on the back road.’” So, here’s the origin of the white lady. When Linscott’s mother was 16 or 17 years old in high school, a couple of her friends called her and asked her to go out with them in a white sheet. They went out on this back road and they took tur ns running across the road covered by the white sheet every time a car went by on the road. It was busier back then and there was more traffic. They got more daring as the night went on and went closer and closer to the cars. The last car that went
by was actually a tour bus, one of those big Cyr buses coming back from Quebec. It was full of little old ladies who had been out on tour. One of these boys who her mom had gone to hang out with scared the bejeebies
out of the people on this bus and they called the cops. Linscott’s mom’s friend was about 5’2” and she got wrapped up in this sheet and she went to get
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closer to the next car than the boys did by bus. She waits and she waits and she sees headlights and she books it out in front of that car and the blue lights come on. She gets so scared, she trips over the bed sheet. Linscott’s mom books it out of the bushes and drags her out to the side of the road and they hide in the bushes while the cops searched it. This was the talk of the town for weeks afterward and since then, the white lady has been infamous in Linscott’s hometown. Her favorite part of this whole story is that her grandmother had heard about it at the time because she had friends on the bus and only found out in the past two or three years about how the white lady story originated with Linscott’s mother. This brings another dimension to the old question “Do you know where your children are?”
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There will be a AARP-Tax Aide Program happening each Saturday starting Feb 5 to Apr 16 in CC 118. It’s free of charge to all community members. All volunteers have undergone the proper certifications and are the proper tax certifiers. FMI contact Lowell Glidden at 768-7651. The Pizza Box ! 12 flavors of wings ! Delivery Avaliable ! College ID $1.00 off any large HOURS:
Mon.-Wed. 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Thurs. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sun. 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Call 760-8344 527 Main Street Presque Isle