University of Maine at Presque Isle Who is this? Find out on p. 2
Campus p. 4 Volume 37 Issue 5
Editorʼs note: Due to enormous popular demand, University Times reporter Laura Hunter will be continuing her investigations into the misdeeds and misconduct happening on the UMPI campus. Stay tuned for our next issue, which will include continuing coverage of “Betrayed.”
Community p. 7
Journalism for Northern Maine
Sports p.12
APRIL 14, 2009
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A new approach to the three R’s
By Kim-Anne Perkins CONTRIBUTOR
In a continuing effort to work with the community and promote educational opportunities, the university has partnered with The Carleton Project, an alternative private school for students wishing to complete high school. During a ceremony on Friday, April 3, students, community members and university officials witnessed the unveiling of the new location of the Carleton Project in Park Hall Pit. Approximately 10 years ago, Alan Morris, a full-time project teacher, founded the project. Morris works out of the project’s location at the Houlton Higher Education Center. There are three project locations in all: Presque Isle, Houlton and Livermore Falls. The goal of the project is to offer students in grades nine through 12 an alternative method to attaining a high school diploma. As part of the goal of high school graduation, Carleton Project students must develop a post-graduate plan that includes a college education. Now that the project is on the UMPI campus, students will have more opportunities to check out what happens on a college campus as well as the possibilities that come with a college degree. Maggie Pierce, the second project teacher, will work at the Presque Isle setting, where currently between 15 and 20 students work toward their high
school diploma. The Carleton Project’s executive director, Jennifer Walker, explained, “We’re here to support and work with students who are serious about graduating and reaching their goals for the future. One of our objectives is to work very hard to have these supports and partnerships available for each student and that’s why this partnership with the University of Maine at Presque Isle is so important.” Discussions about this collaboration began last fall between Carleton Project board members and the campus resource, KimAnne Perkins, chair of the Center for University Programs. In August 2008 there was a meeting between Walker, board member Roger Shaw, Perkins and President Zillman. Zillman was very supportive and immediately recognized the win-win of this partnership. Others also see the potential. “Since the students have started coming to the Park Hall location, they’ve become interested in some of the campus activities and are beginning to access the library” Jim Stepp, associate dean of students, said. “We look forward to including Carleton Project students in activities for the UMPI students and hope they’ll consider UMPI in their future plans.” Currently, there are four Carleton Project alumni attending UMPI. With these kinds of educational collaborations, UMPI should benefit even more.
Over April break Keren Ruth, an UMPI Campus Crusades member, volunteered building a battered womanʼs shelter in Machias,Maine. More on page 5.
One million cans
By David Hamilton EDITOR
As a black Toyota Tundra pulled into the circle in front of Preble Hall, on March 26, it signaled an end to the UMPI Collegiate FFA’s latest effort to help its community. The National FFA and Toyota challenged FFA chapters through-
out the country to help in the struggle against hunger by participating in the Million Can Challenge. The goal was that all the chapters together could collect one million cans. Throughout campus, Jessica Blackstone, FFA adviser, and the UMPI FFA chapter put out the word.
“We’re happy with the support from faculty, staff and students,” Blackstone said. UMPI FFA was the only college in Maine to participate in the challenge. FFA chapters in Ashland High School and Middle School, Caribou CANS, Campus 8
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The University Times
David Hamilton Editor Sarah Graettinger Advertising Representative Rachel Pinette Online Editor & Art Director Jack & Jill Advice Columnists Staff Writers Sarah Graettinger David Hamilton Laura Hunter Leah McEachern Pamela Perkins Rachel Pinette Alicia Sisson Natalie St. Pierre Contributors Morgan Berube Lindsey Blackstone Christine Corsello Darylen Cote Greg Doak Elizabeth Gagnon Jeff Lovejoy Alex McIntosh Kim-Anne Perkins Ben Pinette Chelsea Sadler Julie E. Stephenson Jessica Stepp Jim Stepp Don Zillman Adviser Dr. J The University Times, a nonprofit student publication, is printed at Northeast Publishing Company in Presque Isle, Maine. Articles and photographic ideas for submission may be left at the University Times office Normal Hall, Rm. 102 at UMPI, 181 Main St., Presque Isle, ME 04769. Advertising rates are available upon request. The newspaper takes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. All rights reserved.
University Times
April 14, 2009
The U Times is very much a student vehicle. It’s an excellent place for students to gain experience in writing, photography, design, layout, editing, artwork, business, advertising - you name it and we can probably use it. It’s a chance for students to stretch, grow and tap aspects of themselves that they didn’t know existed.
This academic year, the U Times has undertaken a number of new and exciting initiatives. We’ve gone out into the community and are starting to give broader coverage. We’ve begun partnering with area high schools. And of course, thanks to our editor-in-chief, David Hamilton, we’ve got a great new look. We’re also in the process of rolling out our new Web site. You’ll note the new URL on the cover. We plan to have an open house to celebrate this, soon. We’ve gotten lots of positive feedback: too much to share. We do, however, occasionally get some negatives. One involved our recent April Fools’ Day issue. It read:
“I can’t imagine how UMPI can put money into such a crazy project while at the same time laying education teachers off. We have money to publish an April fool’s paper but we can’t afford to keep awesome teachers on the payroll. Hmm.”
Student Senate (which is supported by student activities fees) and advertising. So we either raise our money or it comes from student support. Hence, it isn’t UMPI that funds us. No money that we use is taken away from teacher support. If we didn’t use the money, it wouldn’t retain any faculty and staff. Further, the cost of the print run for an issue is nominal: it wouldn’t sustain anyone for more than a few days. Perhaps most important, this April Fools issue was a student idea. The students wanted to do this as a gift to the UMPI community. They thought that during these tough times, people could use a laugh. That paper may have looked easy to produce: but it took a great deal of planning and effort. People nearly killed themselves working on it all during break week as a gift to the UMPI community. The students get paid nothing to do this. So although the issues don’t cost much monetarily, to paraphrase MasterCard, I think that makes them priceless. As always, thanks to our readers for all your support. You’re our reason for being. We couldn’t do it without you.
Many thanks to the writer for sharing her thoughts. This gives us a great opportunity to clarify a few things. Take care. Be well. As I said earlier, the U Times is a training opportunity and is student run. It is also stu- Dr. J. dent funded. Our money comes from the
The University Times welcomes your submissions (letters to the editor, poetry, articles). We reserve the right to edit all submissions for grammar, clarity, language, length and libel. Submissions must be received no later than Noon on the Thursday before publication, and must include your name, address and telephone number. Upon submission, all material becomes the property of the University Times. Submissions may be sent on a CD or written in letter form and dropped in the UTimes mailbox (102 Normal Hall or faculty mailroom). Material also can be left in the mail slot on the office door or be e-mailed to utimes@maine.edu. The University Times does not impose length restrictions on letters to the editor, but advises “the shorter, the better.”
Chrisʼ Corner University Times
April 14, 2009
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window
overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never
The Window
get to see anything? It didn’t seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window. And that thought now controlled his life. Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button, which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of
Correction: In the March 6, 2009 issue of the University Times a headline read, “A slam drunk for UMPI.” It should’ve been, “A slam dunk for UMPI.” We apologize for the error. Thanks, The U Times staff
Give up?
It’s Hootie!
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breathing. Now, there was only silence—deathly silence. The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away—no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Author - unknown Moral of the story:
The pursuit of happiness is
a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy. The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors, like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.
University Times
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I’m just finishing a fascinating week around UMPI and around the State of Maine. Our work on campus connects to so many different things. Let me give a brief sample. Saturday: I dodged raindrops and very swollen rivers en route to the University of Maine at Farmington. The mission was to discuss UMPI’s wind turbine project and other campus green initiatives with the statewide student sustainability conference taking place on the UMF campus. Our project continues to excite and inspire students from around the state. Likewise, ventures on other campuses are well worth considering for UMPI. Sunday: I attended more of the UMF conference. This time we discussed food and eating locally. There were some good talks from local farmers and the campus about buying and selling produce close to home. I heard further good ideas for us to consider. Then I headed over to Colby College for a nice visit with their student Colby Volunteer Center folks who are sponsoring a fundraiser 5K road race. I slogged around the hills and caught up with an UMPI PE grad who is helping
From Don’s desk A week in April
coach Colby athletes. After recovery, I got to visit Colby’s Andy Warhol photo exhibition at the Colby Art Museum. I have fun knowing that we had our first Warhol show six months earlier. Nonetheless, it’s a fine exhibit and an inspiration for further collaborations among the three Maine Warhol collections—Colby, U Maine and UMPI. I end the day in Augusta and the elegance of Motel 6. I start preparing for Monday’s work by reading a large stack of resumes. Monday: The resumes describe the very strong field of candidates for the prestigious post of United States Attorney for Maine. The U.S. Attorney is the top federal law enforcement officer in a state and is appointed by the president on recommendation of the senior federal legislators of the president’s party. Congresspersons Michaud (our graduation speaker and honorary degree recipient) and Pingree honored me with the invitation to serve on a five person panel to review the candidates. Face-to-face interviews ran from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a short lunch break. Plenty of terrific candidates made the job a very challenging
Winds of Change Part 2
one. Surprisingly, our recommendations were nearly uniform and we presented our work to the congressional staffers. Tuesday: I got back to UMPI and another interviewing session: this time for a possible UMPI position. As with the day before, expectations from the paper resumes change— both upward and downward— when the paper record joins with a live candidate. The nicest moment of the day was the dedication of the portrait of former UMPI President Nancy Hensel. Artist Pat Collins was present for the event. Stop by the president’s office to see the very attractive portrait. Wednesday: What a wonderful University Day! Despite the raw weather, large crowds attended most events during the day. I visited all or parts of seven programs ranging from European customs to DNA research to the Guatemala trip to Sarah Palin (you remember her). Our students made fine presentations. More than 200 students were involved in one or more programs. Food accompanied two other programs. At noon, the potato bar provided the backdrop for honoring our By Greg Doak CONTRIBUTOR
The Ides of March have come and gone, and the snow is quickly receding. We’ll soon be able to see construction efforts on the horizon as the wind turbine assembly progresses. According to President Don Zillman, all parts for the turbine have arrived safely in the United States. Several trucks carrying the parts for the enormous crane used to erect the tower have arrived on campus in recent weeks. The crane itself is a construction marvel, arriving in multiple sections on flatbed trucks. It’s awaiting assembly before it’ll start hoisting sections of the windmill into place.
Young Alumnus of the year. The honoree couldn’t get away from his National Park Service duties in Alaska to be present in person. But his wonderful video got me excited to head to our wildest state someday soon. In late afternoon, our Young Professionals Institute continued its eight week look at the talents needed for professional success with a role-playing exercise responding to economic crisis—the proposed closing of a major employer in town. And in the evening, our Distinguished Lecturer Robert Wiener briefed us on rural housing issues in times of economic recession. Thursday: That economic theme continued at an excellent business breakfast talk by USM faculty member and unofficial Maine state economist Charlie Colgan. Charlie’s lucid presentation of the state of the economy was sobering but with enough silver linings to persuade me that good times will come again and that we have an important job to do in preparing for those better times. Charlie’s most sage observation reflected on the aging of the Maine and the U.S. population. The younger generations
April 14, 2008
MUST BE the best educated in history because they have to support the rest of the population. There is a challenge for higher education. From there I went to a polycom meeting with chancellor’s staff and my fellow presidents. Sadly, much remains uncertain about whether the federal stimulus legislation can give us help and whether the ever-changing Maine economic forecast might demand further cuts in our expenditures. In a phrase that is becoming too familiar, I hope we will know more next week. My last stop was an afternoon visit with Senator Snowe and a roundtable’s worth of business and civic leaders. It’s safe to say that the Senator struggles with the issues that trouble us. She remains upbeat, although she doesn’t underestimate the challenges of what Charlie Colgan called the worst economic crisis since the end of World War II. I close with Winston Churchill’s defiance of Nazi Germany: You do your worst and we will do our best!
Don
The road to the construction site is currently blocked to traffic because of the state of the ground. Mud season in Maine makes construction on unpaved surfaces challenging as the Pieces of the turbine have arrived! ground thaws and the frost exits, leaving behind a spongy tive of just how large the pieces are. The sleeping giants will be combination of mud and ice. But the site is accessible by standing soon! Keep an eye foot. And it’s certainly worth toward the horizon and on the the walk to admire the tower U Times as the excitement pieces and gain some perspec- begins this month!
University Times April 14, 2009
A different way to spend Spring Break
By Pamela Perkins STAFF WRITER
Being a college student is tough. Anyone who is or was knows this. Some of the challenges that students face are homework, jobs, parents, children and homesickness. It’s no wonder that college students long for their breaks. And we all know that Spring Break is always the best of the breaks. Many people plan trips that they feel they deserve as a needed break from the stress of college life. All work and no play is not cool. With that said, it’s the break where people seem to have the wildest and craziest fun. For a group of eight UMPI students, fun they did have. But it wasn’t the same type of fun most people think of having over spring break. These eight put in more than 400 hours of hard work—without even getting paid. This was something that the club, Campus Crusade for Christ, does every spring break. Members pick a place to go, which they call their mission trip, where they can serve others by whatever means they can. Along with serving others, they also have devotions and fellowships, which give them a chance to grow spiritually and personally. So for these eight people, instead of going to warmer weather or catching up on their homework, they went to Machais, Maine. There they worked on stripping walls on a mission trip called Operation: Shekinah House. Usually Campus Crusade will go out of state. It has gone to Ohio and New Orleans to work in the past. But after learn-
ing that Maine is one of the top three states in the U.S. with churchless people, group members felt that Maine needed them more than any other state. So to Machais it was! While there, the group got to meet new people, serve others and help the community of Machais come together to work on a great cause. Once there, the UMPI students were able to get some of Machias’ students and students from USM Gorham to come and volunteer as well, making a grand total of 12 workers. The Shekinah House is being rebuilt for a Battered Women’s shelter. The group members from UMPI can be proud of themselves, as they were the first team to work on the building that once completed will hold eight apartments, a chapel and a common room, while providing a faith-based residence for victims. Further, the group was able to fundraise a donation of $2,500 (not including other expenses). Another thing that group members did was to take a break in a coffee house, which was a place where people could go and listen to music of worship and mingle with others. Dean Lawrence, the adviser for this mission trip, is hoping that someday there could be a coffee house like this in the Presque Isle area. Not only would it serve as place for people to relax, it would also be used as an afterschool program that would be like a youth group for younger children. Plans for this are still in the developing process. The group would like to thank all who helped out with
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What they learned...
UMPI Campus Crusade and volunteers
Not only did we tear down walls in the house, we tore down walls mentally. It was a huge team building experience for members of campus crusades at UMPI and Machais. We were also able to bring three campuses together (UMPI, UMM, USM Gorham), which goes to show that anything is possible.) -Reanne Thompson, UMPI Campus Crusade
Robbie Arnold: “It was both Keren Ruth: “This was the first rewarding for us and also for mission trip I took and it blew the house we help to make. “ me away. It gave me the chance to look at the bigger picture and open my eyes to see more beyond myself.
this trip. Without your help, this trip wouldn’t have been possible. Campus Crusade will give a
presentation on this mission trip on Thursday, April 16, 7p.m., in the Campus Center, room 118. There will be a slideshow of
Andrew Ciszewski: “What made this trip so successful was because of the deep fellowship that the group had.” what the group did, along with testimony of what the people leaned and took away from the trip.
University Times
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By Darylen Cote CONTRIBUTOR
In the fall semester, a new work group formed as part of an effort within student affairs to achieve elements of the university’s strategic plan. Originally the mission for the group entailed “creating a student-centered campus.” The group decided that, because faculty and staff are integral to student satisfaction, the scope of the group should be the entire campus community and named itself the “Campus Quality Improvement (CQI) Work Group.” CQI Work Group members brainstormed several projects they thought might help clarify issues with student/staff/faculty satisfaction and what actions may be needed to address them. In order to seek widespread participation and input, the group established an e-suggestion box, umpi-suggestions@maine.edu. Comments are confidential. No names are shared with either the work group or with senior administrative staff. This group is not a decision-making body, but rather an information and resolution-seeking group. We aim to make our community as hospitable and satisfactory as possible for all its members. Since began in December, the e-suggestion box has received more than a dozen communications. The CQI Work Group has reviewed the suggestions. . We need to refer some appropriate department or senior staff member. We were able to investigate others ourselves. Below is a summary of suggestions and our responses.
April 14, 2009
A piece of your mind
Suggestion – Extend library hours on weekends and school breaks.
Answer – We like it, too!
Answer – According to Dean Corsello, we tried extended hours on wee nights and Sundays. After the library monitored usage, the numbers wouldn’t suggest that more hours are needed. It’s also a budget issue. We can’t hire additional staff. We’d welcome specific suggestions for changing the hours of operation, recognizing that the total number of hours can’t increase without more staffing. Suggestion – Put a garbage can in Folsom Lounge in addition to the recycling bin for bottles. Having both would be an improvement to an already great lounge and would help the environment.
Answer – We agree. It should be taken care of by the time you read this response.
Suggestion – Faculty and staff should have specific time frames in which they should respond to requests or inquiries. Those time frames should be posted. If they can’t meet the timelines, they should offer an explanation. Answer –CQI Work Group members are developing a list of tips for students, faculty and staff. We’ll incorporate in some way.
Suggestion – MaineStreet is not user friendly. Why do we need it? Answer – The system had to be upgraded from the Isis system created in the ‘70s. We’re all in a learning curve and hope we can be patient with ourselves and the system.
Suggestion – More room for designated commuter parking, especially in the library parking lot. Suggestion – Stop the spam from “everyone” eAnswer – Parking is an issue mails! for everyone. We‘ll take this up with the vice president for Answer – E-mail is our offiadministration and finance. cial mode of communication on campus. That’s why we Suggestion – Please differ- receive so much. Electronic entiate student parking into communication is critical to resident and commuter both saving funds and saving spaces. There aren’t enough trees! While you may not spaces for residents near the appreciate the volume, othdorms. ers appreciate the information. Dean Corsello monitors Answer – Again, parking is the messages and includes an issue for everyone. We only those that are relevant need to defer to the VP for to a wide audience. You’re administration and finance, not required to read every and let you know if any plans one. Feel free to hit delete if are in the works to further it’s not information you feel you need. designate student parking.
Suggestion - Reinstate ski passes at Big Rock for employees.
Suggestion – More sand Answer – Passes for 50 peron the sidewalks and parking cent off skiing are available lots. for employees in the HR Answer – We agree! We’ll office. Stop by to pick one up refer matter to the CFO and each time you want to ski at facilities manager. Big Rock. (Maybe next year.)
Suggestion – Thanks for the new student lounge in Folsom!
Suggestion – Provide dropin child care when finals are held on Saturdays, a time when it ‘s often difficult to find child care.
Answer – This suggestion has been brought to the dean of students and the committee is investigating possibilities. More later.
Suggestion – We need a working printer in the Whooo’s Hut so that students don’t have to run upstairs, down the hall and around the corner to get to the one in Ed Dery’s space. Answer – A brand new BIZHUB was installed in that area to facilitate students’ needs for printing. The lounge area is not intended to be another computer lab or work space, but an area to relax, eat and create a community space. Suggestion – Make printers more widely available, especially in the new student lounge. Answer – A new BIZHUB has been installed in Ed Dery’s area in Folsom/Pullen for student use.
Suggestion – Improve the staircase from the library parking lot to Wieden and maintain it in the winter. Answer – Referred to our CFO. We intentionally do not maintain those steps in the winter for safety’s sake. When funds become available, we’ll consider rebuilding and maintaining the stairs.
Suggestion – The folding desk/chair combos in 104A Normal Hall are so small they impinge on the ability to concentrate in class. Answer – We’ll recommend to Dean Corsello that some tables and chairs could be moved in from another room so that those who find the folding desks uncomfortable will have another option.
Suggestion – Please put a covering around the smoking gazebos, as well as keep them cleared of snow.
Answer – We agree that if there’s to be a smoking area, it needs to be accessible. We’ll refer this to the dean of students and the facilities manager.
Please keep your suggestions and comments coming (umpisuggestions@maine.edu). Current members of the CQI Work Group are: Ingrid Allen, student advising; Doug Miles, student; Darla Craig, business office; Marteen Hester, computer services; Erica Jortberg, admissions; Karen McCosker, lecturer of language arts and student support services; Jennie Savage, financial aid; Flo Soucie, residential life; Keith Madore, development and alumni relations; and finally Darylen Cote, upward bound who also facilitates the group. Dr. Lynn Eldershaw and student Leah Finnemore have also contributed significantly to the group.
University Times
April 14, 2009
From the smallest town to the biggest city
By Leah McEachern STAFF WRITER
From March 14 to the 18, five members of the U Times staff traveled from UMPI to the Big Apple in order to attend the spring national College Media Advisers convention. For somebody who had only been to a city the size of Halifax, it was a very alien yet thrilling experience. The long journey from the university was exhausting and the hostel was just a step above a horror movie set (I’ll never complain about the
The UTimes in New York
dorms again). But the time we all spent together and the places we got to see more than made up for it. Although attending the various sessions at the convention was a lot like attending a lecture or schoolwork, I was able to draw a lot out of them. My eyes were opened to a lot of little things that added up, such as how to write a cutline for a photograph properly or how to write the introductory paragraph to a story in such a way to get the readers to read until
the very end. I got to talk to students from other college newspapers from Maine and other states as far away as Texas, California, and even Hawaii. Midway through each day, a celebrity guest, including Byron Pitts, Brian Storm and Charles Gibson spoke to everybody at the convention. Exploring the city itself afterward is nearly impossible to describe. It was amazing to wander through the streets and tilt your head all the way back
in order to see the tops of the massive buildings, or go to the top of the Empire State Building and gaze across the seemingly endless sea of concrete from 86 stories up. My highlights of the trip were visiting the Hershey’s chocolate store in Times Square and visiting the American Museum of Natural History. Regrettably, we were supposed to allow three hours minimum to wander the museum but arrived an hour and a half before closing, so we didn’t get to see the entire
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thing. The trip was definitely a once in a lifetime adventure, and although I admittedly was scared to go at first, I don’t regret my decision to go at all. We learned a great deal, both at the convention and during our sightseeing escapades. We all got to know each other a lot better, and we discovered many of ways that we can make the U Times better than it already is. We hope to attend the convention again sometime in years to come!
NYC: Culture shock and growth
U Times NYC trip 2009 from left: Leah McEachern, Pamela Perkins, Dr. J, Sarah Graettinger, and Dave Hamilton
By Sarah Graettinger STAFF WRITER
The national College Media Advisers convention meets in New York City every year. The U Times went to this convention to learn how to develop the paper and so that its staff writers could learn better writing techniques. It was a major culture shock to some of the group and a big learning experience. On the way there, many people had fun playing the license plate game, listening to music and reading. The train ride down there was a quiet
one, where most of the group rested. In the County, everything is really quiet and not much happens in the rural areas. But in New York, people were walking everywhere. We walked to the conferences every morning and had lots of picture-taking opportunities. One thing that was really funny was that we thought the Chrysler Building was actually the Empire State Building. We got to go up the Empire State: all 84 floors to the observation deck. It was awesome and you
could see a lot of the city. The Statue of Liberty was really blurry, but you could tell it was there. We also had the chance to go the Museum of Natural History and see some of the sights that way. There was a gemstone room in the museum that has many precious stones. One of the biggest was a piece of jade that was more than 10 feet tall. Put your hand on it and it’s still really hard to believe. There were also a lot of dinosaurs in the museum. Some of the great things in
the city were the different types of foods. Among the favorites were the pizza and coffee. Thin pizza with many toppings: what can go wrong? Indian food is really spicy, but it was a change. Italian food was really good. The conference sessions were really insightful and helped make people realize how to improve writing, design and newspaper journalism. The group loved the keynote speakers who came to speak. One was Charles Gibson with ABC World News Tonight. He was really excited to see so many
aspiring writers for journalism. He was worried about newspapers dying because of the Internet. Many people are reading the news online and not paying for newspapers. But now there are new ways to get information out there. “Journalism keeps the nation informed about what’s happening,” Gibson said. What’s the lesson of the New York trip? If you don’t push yourself to new places, you’ll never know what you’re capable of.
Free for all University Times
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By Pamela Perkins STAFF WRITER
We all know how the economy is today. It’s affecting us today here at UMPI with budget cutbacks and tuition increases. Jobs are being lost, and the people who have jobs are holding onto them—some for dear life. With the economy the way it is, can any of us can work for little paid yet alone for free? Can anyone really afford to do so?
The answer is yes. There’s one student here at UMPI who can. This student shows pride in the community. He‘s nicknamed “the heart and soul of the U Times.” He works at a local hardware store and is a full-time student majoring in international studies. He’s also my fellow peer and editor. This student is the winner of the student of the month for March, David Hamilton.
Jacqui Lowman, adviser for the U Times and nominator, jokes when she says, “I only did it because I knew it would make him squirm and I wanted him to get a little recognition for all that he does for UMPI.”
From left: Jacqui Lowman, Dave Hamilton and Claire Exner
But she says it with genuine gratitude and pride from her heart. (Anyone who knows Lowman and Hamilton’s relationship knows that they are a playful duo with a love-hate relationship.)
When Lowman first came to UMPI, she was not only thrown into a new job in a new area, but she was asked to be the new adviser of the paper. But she had inherited virtually
Battling cabin fever UMPI style
By Sarah Graettinger STAFF WRITER
Question: What do people do when they’re fed up with winter? Answer: If you’re at UMPI, you turn it on its ear with Winter Frenzy II. Northern Maine is one of the few places where a temperature climbing to freezing prompts people to break out their shorts. This year, the official start of spring didn’t take place until break. But by Thursday, March 19, the last full day people would be on campus, folks were itching to celebrate and chase Ol’ Man Winter out the door. So people put aside their books and work. They played games out in the snow instead of being cooped up. One of the favorite games was the tug-ofwar, the most competitive
game. Another was the ice chunk throw. People had fun trying to hit the target in the middle. Capture the flag turned out to have a really big turnout. REC 232 put in a lot of work to set up these events. All who showed up got a winter hat. They also had hot chocolate, courtesy of Aramark. Two people won iPods. Everyone left with prizes. “Every time someone would run in the snow, they would sink,” Bonnie Devaney, chair of the UMPI Pride Committee, said. At the end of the frenzy, there was a bonfire so that everyone could warm up. S’mores were all around and people enjoyed the drying off. “It was a good turnout and I hope it will be bigger next year,” Dean Chris Corsello said.
no staff. Lowman asked Hamilton, then a student in her journalism class, to help her work for a couple of hours on the paper. This reporter can say that Hamilton made the same mistake as all the other reporters did. He foolishly said yes, and Hamilton basically has never left the paper since. Hamilton, who thought he was just going to help a couple of hours a week, quickly
Cans
became the editor of the paper. Since then, Hamilton has been working hard to change the face of the paper. This prompted an observation from Dean Corsello, head of the UMPI Pride Committee.
“It looks greats, and is an improvement on the quality it once was.”
April 14, 2009
He also writes, guides, edits, leads staff, designs layouts and goes into high schools in the community to get students excited about the paper and to put the seeds of journalism into them. All for free. Many nights you can see Hamilton working in the journalism lab, located in Normal Hall. Some of us reporters think he might have a secret bed in there.
He has also found the time to help out in a research project for the Fort Fairfield’s Historical Society. Kim Sebold, another nominator said: “Rarely will a student take the time to make this kind of connection with the community nor has the time to attend many meetings of the Frontier Heritage Society. He is an example of a student who when given a chance and the right direction will thrive and go beyond what is asked for him.”
Cong rats, Dave! And from the U Times staff, thanks for all your work and leadership.
The paper has gotten a total face-lift from Hamilton. Contributions by Sarah Graettinger
from page 1
From left: Gordon Tidd; Dana Morrell, Maine FFA VP; Erin Susee, State Sentinel; and Jessica Blackstone, UMPI FFA adviser Regional Technical Center, also raised donations for the started at the end of February,” Blackstone said. “Everything Central Aroostook High cause. “The UMPI chapter that’s raised will go to Feed the School, Easton Junior/Senior High and Presque Isle Regional received 207 canned goods, County in Caribou (a part of Career and Technical Center which is good considering we Catholic Charities).”
University Times
April 14, 2009
Page 9
The University Senate
By John DeFelice CONTRIBUTOR
The University Senate met on Friday, Feb. 13. There were a number of important reports and actions made during this meeting, the first since November 2008. The December meeting was canceled due to inclement weather. Administrative reports included comments by Don Zillman, Mike Sonntag, vice president of academic affairs, and Charlie Bonin, vice president for administration and finance. President Zillman reported on several important developments with UMPI’s financial issues. While we enjoy the support of the Maine Legislature, and the numerous meetings concerning the budget crisis are running smoother than expected, we still have had some faculty layoffs and the potential for additional layoffs of faculty and staff later
Takin’ Care of Business
this semester. Besides the budget shortfall this year, next year there may be a shortage of up to a million dollars. We’ll have to spend money carefully and we must save wherever we can. There is good news. Our education program has completed a reaccredidation process and we hope to recruit new students from a program we’re developing with China. Mike Sonntag, reported that some Chinese academics would be visiting our campus as part of this program the weekend of Feb. 14-16. In March he’d visit China to continue working on this program. He also reported that the Carlton Project, an alternative high school program, has recently moved to campus. Charlie Bonin, reported that our windmill is now complete and
“The Times, They Are A Changin’’ By John DeFelice CONTRIBUTOR
The UMPI University Senate spent most of its meeting Friday, April 3, planning its future as a governance institution. While we all agreed that the university senate is an important institution, it has become increasingly difficult to fill standing committees, vacancies on the senate itself and obtain reports from the various assemblies. It’s apparent that some parts of the organization are either not necessary, important or functional. So we decided to conduct a review. Part of the review process will involve reviewing our constitution and structure. There are a number of preliminary questions that we generated for the process. Does universi-
ty senate need every standing committee? Can some of these committees be formed ad hoc when the need arises or be served by the senate as a whole? What role should the various assemblies play? How often should they meet, and what should constitute their charge? How often should the senate itself meet? This will be the major task of the senate for 2009-2010. We want every activity to be relevant and necessary for our university community. Areas of activities that have not been fruitful will not be put on life support. We as a university are simply too busy. At the end of the process, I anticipate a leaner, more focused senate. Preliminary work will start over the summer.
in the process of being shipped. It’ll be here by midApril. He also requested that especially during this economic crunch all in the UMPI community should do their best to save energy and reduce waste as much as possible. Under New Business, the university senate discussed changing the way senate committees are composed. Currently, any senate committee has to be
Meeting Synergy By John DeFelice CONTRIBUTOR
Most of the last senate meeting was spent listening to Mike Sontag, the VPAA, describe his trip to China and a few of the details of the new program that will bring Chinese students from several schools to UMPI as early as this fall. The senate warmly received the proposition. It’s exciting! We held elections. John DeFelice elected as president for a second term. Jonathan David Clark, a stu-
chaired by a member of the senate. This has proved to be impractical. Anja Whittington proposed that future senate committees need only have a senator as a member of that committee. This senator would be a liaison between the chair of that committee and the university senate. Such a change would require a constitutional change and the senate agreed to begin the revision process. Tomasz Herzog of the diversity committee reported that his committee plans to use an hour of air time on WUPI for international music, interviews and discussion of Native American issues. The committee is also discussing having monthly international food days at the Campus Center cafeteria. Several faculty senate members expressed concern over the
dent representative from the student senate, will serve as vice president. We confirmed Todd Russell as a new senator.
We spent the rest of the meeting discussing the future of the Senate. All present agreed that we had a real purpose on this campus and the university senate needed some redirection. Many of our faculty members felt overloaded, attending both the faculty assembly meeting and the university senate meetings each month. There seemed to be significant overlap where the administration made the same presentation to both bodies. President DeFelice suggested that we combine the faculty assembly and university senate meetings into one afternoon. It would pre-
number of Friday meetings called thus far in the semester by the administration. Friday afternoons should be reserved for faculty research. If this trend continues, the senate or perhaps the faculty assembly should remind the administration of this policy. Finally, Chuck Weiss reported that the student senate has almost completed its budget process. He also reported that some new senators have joined the student senate as part of the UMPI honors program. Chuck also mention that as a member of the Flannigan Task Force, he and the student senate will do all they can to encourage students to participate in the upcoming open meeting on March 5. The next university senate meeting was scheduled for March 13 in CC118 from 3 to 5 p.m. serve a Friday afternoon for faculty research, allow the administration to make only one monthly presentation instead of two, and make it easier for interested people to attend both meetings. We decided to try this experimental schedule April 3, the date of the next faculty assembly meeting. The university senate meeting will be from 1-2 p.m. (Everyone welcome).The president and the administrative council will report from 2:10-3:10 (combined address to the senate and faculty assembly). The faculty assembly will meet from 3:20-5 (the usual attendance rules apply). We hope this will be part of what is necessary to revitalize the senate. We’ll focus next on mission and how we can best serve our university.
Community University Times
10
From Ship ma t e s P. I. High’s N e w s By Jessica Stepp CONTRIBUTOR
High school is full of drama…well, life is full of drama. Drama is what everyone sees and deals with. I’m not talking about “Oh, did you hear…?” kind of drama. Presque Isle High School’s one act competition play is what I’m talking about. “The Marriage of Figaro” is a French opera by Beaumarchais, cut down into a 40-minute play. The students traveled to states in Bangor in mid-March and received an honorable fourth place rating. Some
High school drama
students came back from the weekend disappointed. But everyone let them know how amazing they were. The “drama” or best part of the story came when the cast and crew learned several days later that PIHS was invited to represent Maine against other schools in the New England competition on the UConn campus in April 18, 19 and 20.
It turns out the first place team, as well as the second
and third, is losing half its cast and crew due to a
time with his wife and daughter. After the keynote address, the young authors, along with their parents, made their way around campus to various workshops. The workshops this year provided an assortment of ways for the writers to explore some new avenues for poetry and story writing. One workshop held in the Owl’s Nest called “Some place warm” focused on the use of water color as a means for creating a story. Abby Stevens an eighth grader from Fort Kent Elementary, really seemed to enjoy the water color project.
“This has been really funshe taught us step by step how to paint a palm tree,” Stevens said. When asked what she was going to paint next, she replied, “I think I’m going to paint another palm tree, only better.” Cassidy Ouellette and Melana Marquis sixth graders from Dr. Levesque School talked a bit about how they were chosen for Young Authors and what they hoped to learn from the workshops. “We turned in our stories to our librarian and then we were chosen,” Ouellette said. “We are going to get to explore different writing strate-
April 14, 2009
Europe trip planned for that weekend. Some of the cast and crew include Zach Fowler (who played Dr. Seuss in the play during the fall), Katy Schneider, Kori Kinney, Matt Flora, Rich Flora. It takes a lot of people to make something happen, and they did it successfully. To their surprise and excitement, the actors in “The Marriage of Figaro” get to perfor m one more time. PIHS wishes the best of luck to all who are involved with “The Marriage of Figaro” in their next round of competition.
Creativity: Young authors, potatoes and pencils
By Natalie St. Pierre STAFF WRITER
A couple hundred of Aroostook County’s youngest writing talent crowed into Weiden Auditorium and anxiously awaited the kickoff of this year’s Young Authors Institute Workshop series. The keynote author was Paul B. Janeczko. Janeczko is a Maine author who was upfront with the aspiring writers about how much he used to dislike school. Janeczko said, “I didn’t like school. I did as little homework as possible.” He even claimed he wasn’t much of a reader either until he was given the first book in
the Hardy Boys series. “Frank and Joe set me straight about the joys of reading.” When he’s not busy touring the globe talking to kids about developing their craft, Janeczko is hard at work reminding the kids of how important it is to explore each and every possibility within their writing, as well as life. “I tell them never to settle for OK. I used to call myself a visiting poet. Now I realize visiting poets is what I do,” Janeczko said. Janeczko has 40 books to his credit. When he’s not away at schools or writing, he spends
gies,” Marquis said. Cassidy was chosen as a young author for her poem titled “If You Really Knew Me” Marquis was picked for her story, “The Scary Adventure.” Both these pieces are in this year’s anthology, a compilation of all the chosen works called Potatoes and Pencils. There were workshops such as, Creating a Children’s Book, Jazzing Up Your Writing, and I’m a Poet and I Didn’t Even Know it. Students learned many skills and had much fun at this year’s celebration of Aroostook County’s Young Authors.
Fair and balanced? University Times
April 14, 2009
From the Arcturus Caribou High’s News By Ben Pinette CONTRIBUTOR
A recent Bangor Daily News “Letters to the Editor” article about a Bangor area radio station only showcasing conservative talkers such as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh made me wonder if this is an issue here in Aroostook County. Listening one day, I caught the same programming on local AM talk station WEGP 1390 in Presque Isle. All the right wing voices are there: Rush Limbaugh, Howie Carr, Laura Ingraham.
I wonder about the program directors of the radio station. What would be the problem of adding some liberal talkers to the lineup? As the only AM talk station in the region, why can’t its voices be less biased? It needs to mix it up with some liberal and moderate voices. I know that there are some liberal listeners in the area. Of course, I must bring up that it’s not just the fact that with these voices are flooding the airwaves that bothers me. It’s what they’re saying. I understand the First Amendment and freedom of speech. I know that I can’t stop people such as Rush Limbaugh voicing his opinion. But when he says that he wants the presi-
dent to fail, I don’t think that kind of attitude is helping the nation. I think in this time of economic troubles, we don’t need so much negativity coming over the airwaves. With the economy in a downturn and more and more jobs being cut every day, people need to hear more positive encouragement and need to support the president. I know I can’t control the program directors of the radio station. But I think I’d like to hear a more balanced repertoire of voices over the northern Maine airwaves. Is it right to say that dead air could be more entertaining for me than listening to AM talk in the afternoons?
WUPI Elections Thursday, April 23 at 3 p.m. in the Owls’ Nest POSITIONS OPEN: STATION MANAGER PROGRAM MANAGER MUSIC DIRECTOR ADVERTISING DIRECTOR If you’d like to be on the ballot contact Larry French at larry.french@maine.edu
Rush Limbaugh
Cat of the Week
Mikie is a friendly feline who enjoys attention and playing with toys. He is very friendly with children and is litter box
Admission: $5 for adults - $3 for 18 and under
Name: Mikie Approximate age: 1year Sex: Male Breed: Domestic short hair Description: Tiger Vaccination: Yes Current Address: Central Aroostook Humane Society Future Plans: To be adopted by a loving and caring family
trained. Mikie has lots of love to offer interested families. Come and see Mikie today!
Dog of the Week
April 16 @ 7 p.m. Join the Washburn High Seniors as they perform “American Idle... The Search for the Laziest Teenager”
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Girl arrived at the Central Aroostook Humane Society March 18 because her former owners did not have enough time for a pet. She is young and energetic and loves to go for walks. Girl has a great personal-
Name: Girl Approximate age: 1 year Sex: Female Breed: Boxer/ Aussie mix Description: Tan and black, medium size, short hair, docked tail Vaccination: Yes Current Address: Central Aroostook Humane Society Future plans: To be adopted by a loving and caring family
ity and enjoys playing with children and other dogs. Her favorite foods include dry dog food and treats. She would make the perfect friend and watchdog for a deserving family.
Leave it to the Beavers Washburn High School news
Carnival to remember!
Drawn by Lindsey Blackstone
Page 12
By Morgan Berube CONTRIBUTOR
Washburn District High School hosted its annual Spring Carnival during the week of March 23. The race was close, but at the end of the week, the class of 2011 won the four day event. Washburn High School’s physical education teacher, Tammy Tatlock, organized the whole week of events and worked very closely with the student council to put on a remarkable experience! There were many events this year. Basic ones included basketball, indoor soccer, snow sculptures, floor hockey and volleyball. There were also many other events that were a lot of fun, including pie eating, ping-pong races, an art contest and a baby bottle sucking event.
The students also enjoyed trivia, Jenga, Uno, chess and “Name that Tune.” Perhaps the most popular event was the obstacle course sponsored by the National Guard. A huge blow-up obstacle course filled the Doc Albert Gymnasium for an entire morning. The students participating had to run through this course, jump through “tires” in fire boots, do the crab walk across the gym, pick up and carry 50 pound bags of potatoes. Students had to do the “army crawl” to the next station, jump over four hurdles and tag the next member. It was an event to remember! The winners of Spring Carnival 2009 are as follows: Sophomores-1st; Seniors-2nd; Juniors-3rd; and Freshmen-4th. The competition level was very high all week. Each class put on
April 14, 2009
quite a show! The most memorable event, the spirit chain, took place outside the events. The NHS sponsored an event where students purchased a link for $.25. The money will benefit a charitable organization that helps children in African countries attend school. The seniors won this event, purchasing more than 300 links. The event raised more than $200 for this very worthy cause! As a student here at WDHS, I’d like to send a special big thanks out to Ms. Tatlock for making Spring Carnival 2009 possible. Thank you to the student council for helping Ms. Tatlock. And another big thanks goes out to all the faculty and staff of WDHS for everything!
NHS convention: Hope for the future
By Elizabeth Gagnon CONTRIBUTOR
Each year, the Maine Principal’s Association works with the National Honor Society State Board to plan a state convention. This year, it was held on March 12 and 13 at the University of Maine at Orono. The convention allows NHS chapters from all over the state to join together, mingle and learn in one place. This convention started off with a banquet at Jeff ’s Catering in Brewer. After everyone ate the delicious meal, they
enjoyed a presentation by noted author and artist, Robert Shetterly. His book, “Americans Who Tell the Truth,” catalogs many of the paintings he created based on inspirational Americans who shaped and changed the world in a positive manner. A dance followed the presentation, allowing NHS members to meet new people and dance the night away. On day two of the convention, candidates running for
state board positions gave speeches and voting took place. There were two more guest speakers who gave presentations. Steven Rowe, a former Maine Attorney General, spoke
about how one small thing can change a person’s life. A third speaker focused on his work in Africa. He worked in several small communities on the continent and brought attention to the dire need for education and supplies in the hospitals of the most rural communities. The final speaker was actually a family that benefitted from the Make a Wish Foundation.
The NHS state convention gathered more than 500 of the brightest in our state. This type of event allows students from around the state to meet and network with other members. It allows advisers to meet and discuss issues. It gives students a peek into the world they’ll enter, soon. With all of the doom and gloom lately, it was great that the theme for the convention was “hope.” It certainly gave NHS members a great deal of hope for our future and the future of our nation.
University Times
April 14, 2009
By Jeff Lovejoy CONTRIBUTOR
Two articles in the last issue of the Times stood out for me: Laura Hunter’s fine investigative piece on misappropriation of funds within Klub Kampus and Elder Dan Ennis’ essay on respect. If there had been respect for all persons within the club, and respect for the club itself as an entity helping nontraditional students (which I was myself not too many years ago), this sad chapter might have been avoided. Notice I did not say “tragedy.” Our hyper-
The Other Voice bolic world seems to like to throw words like “genius,” “tragedy” and “catastrophe” around like so many swizzle sticks. Fargo’s 90,000 residents flooded out of their homes would be a tragedy. Mr. Ennis’ “original boat people” driving the natives nearly into extinction: that was a tragedy. Israel’s recent invasion of the Gaza Strip was a human tragedy. Nevertheless, trust was broken. Again, I refer to the cotton commercial and its “fabric of our lives” theme. Our lives and our relationships are a woven
Scribbles Respect
fabric, even if we cannot see the weave. So Mr. Kilcollins has lost some trust. Other people in that club have lost some trust. Not only Mr. Perry, but other people on campus, as well, may be a little more reluctant to join clubs, to attend functions, to become more interwoven into the fabric of the university community. And that’s a shame, because most people on campus are reliable, are willing to help, are honest. But this episode shows how it takes only one dishonest person to tear the fabric of trust.
It’s perhaps a bit ironic to find this happening so close to home, but a bit instructive as well. I spend a lot of time—in my life and in writing my columns—looking at the larger world we live in. I talk about environmentalism, the United States economy, our frayed relations with the rest of the world, about the Mideast, about megacorporations, responsibility, etc. But the folks at AIG got their start somewhere. People don’t suddenly get out of high school and begin embezzling millions of dollars or cutting corners that
U-Day harassment
Kudos to the Committee! Things ran smoothly yesterday – another successful U-day! Just one small negative incident at the end of the day. When I went back to disassemble and collect the items from the display for the Gay-Straight Alliance, I was first surprised to find that the tables had been removed and the displays in that hallway placed on the floor (it was still
during the last session and the day had not “officially” ended, so I don’t know who was in such a hurry to close up shop). The GSA display board was folded and the papers placed in a pile - but when I picked up the papers, someone had stuck a large wad of chewing gum between some of the pages. I don’t know who’s responsible for this incident,
13 count into the billions. People learn to be honest or reliable or responsible—or not— at home, in high school, on college campuses. We make dozens of little decisions each day that turn us into who we become when we are older. I could not better Mr. Ennis’ “I am part of creation. I refuse to be part of its destruction.” We are all connected, so let us take the learning opportunity the Klub Kampus incident affords us and try to repair the fabric of our campus family, each in our own individual ways.
but I wanted the Committee to know of this “harassment” / “hate crime” action. It was a deliberate move on someone’s part, whether it was the person/s who took down the tables or someone else, I don’t know. Dick Harrison
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Lifestyle
Get Involved!
How to make a Japanese origami turtle By Leah McEachern STAFF WRITER
Spring is here! The sun is coming out, the temperatures are getting higher and the snow is melting (and we hope that it stays that way). But since the blizzards have stopped, we’ve been getting rain instead. And what comes with rain? Mud. Lots of mud. You might find a turtle this time of the year in a mucky area . But if you can’t manage to find one, here’s how you can make your own paper turtle. Instructions: Get a perfectly square piece of paper. Fold it in half so that it looks
By Sarah Graettinger STAFF WRITER
Want an easy meal that you can eat on your way to class or in your apartment? Well, a bagel or English muffin pizza is the way to go. All you have to do is take the English muffin or
like a triangle. 3-5. Fold two of the corners down to touch the third, making it a square shape again. 6-8. Fold the two bottom points up to the top to make two smaller triangles. 9-11. Fold the same points outward slightly so that they make two more tiny triangles. 12. Cut the bottom half of the shape with a pair of scissors from the bottom point to the middle. Make sure you only do this with the top piece of paper! 13-15. Repeat steps 9-11, but this time do it to the bottom half of the shape. 16-18. Fold the side points
inward so that they touch in the middle of the shape. 19-20. Fold the top point down. 21-22. Fold the top point upward again, but only partway. 23. Flip the whole thing over, and you’re finished!
This is one of the simplest animals to make, so you shouldn’t need too much practice before you nail it. It’s fun to make these turtles out of organic coloured paper such as green or brown, and then draw designs on their “shells” with a marker. Of course, feel free to try all sorts of things. An easy, basic animal like this leaves a lot of room for experimentation.
April 14, 2009
Club of the Week:
OOPS
By Pamela Perkins STAFF WRITER
Have you ever been in a class where you wanted to ask a question but felt that it was a stupid one, so you didn’t? Or had a question that would make your peers think you were an overachiever? Well, there’s a club on campus that offers its members to ask anything they want. “Ask any question about psychology that you want to know but were afraid to ask” the adviser, Allen Salo, said. It’s one of the few clubs on the UMPI campus that offers the chance for its students to get a more in-depth understanding of a subject. This club is called, Organization of Psychology Students (OoPS). OoPS, which Salo jokes about not being a Freudian slip, is a club whose goal is to offer a better understanding of the field of psychology. It lets people learn more about the subject than they can in a classroom. Harrison Kilpatrick, the president, jokes about having Salo for adviser. “If you didn’t get enough of his bad jokes in class, you can get more of them here!” On a more serious note, Kilpatrick is a great club booster. “It’s a chance to enhance a person’s understanding and bring it to a level that (a student) might
In the Mood for Food
bagel and toast it. Next put on some pizza sauce, cheese or any other kind of toppings to your What you need: liking. Then put it in the 1 English muffin or bagel microwave until the cheese 1 container pizza sauce melts. Now you have the ulti- Shredded cheese mate takeout pizza!
Mini Pizzas
Assorted additional toppings
not get in the classroom.” Though it is more geared toward people who have a psychology major, OoPS is open to any and all people who would like to be a part. So if you have an interest in or question on psychology, don’t be afraid to join! OoPS would like to have members who like to be in leadership positions and are serious about being in the club. So far, the most committed people are Harrison Kilpatrick, Hannah Smith and Dan Fournier. In the past, students in OoPS have had a chance to travel within New England to go to conferences where they could see firsthand new research and methods being used in the field of psychology. They’re hoping to go again this year. They also bring people from AMHC so that they can talk to students who might be interested in having a career in psychology. In addition, they’re in the process of developing a Web site that’ll offer students more information about certain topics. This will be a resource students can use for their papers, projects or any other use. OoPS meets on Thursdays at 1 p.m. in the Library Conference Room. For more information on the club, you can e-mail Harrison Kilpatrick at Harrison.kilpatrick@maine.edu.
Split and toast the muffin or bagel. Top with pizza sauce, cheese and whatever else suits your fancy. Heat in microwave until cheese melts. Enjoy!
April 14, 2009
By Jim Stepp CONTRIBUTOR
Many people have difficulty understanding the difference between astronomy and astrology. When I was a kid newly discovering astronomy, my dad used to ask me, “What do the stars say is in my future?” or “If you can tell the future through that telescope, tell me what the lottery numbers will be?” I know, or at least I think, my father really knew the difference, but he wanted to mess with me. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary online ( www.merriam-webster.com ), astrology is the “art or practice
that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers of the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions and aspects.” In other words, it’s the ability to predict the future based in the alignment of the stars, planets, sun, moon or other heavenly bodies.
Astronomy versus astrology University Times
Astronomy is described as “the study of objects and matter outside the earth’s atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties.” Although astronomers can predict future events by studying the movement of celestial objects, they do not claim to be able to predict future human related events. Astrologers study the future. When astronomers look at celestial objects, they actually are studying the past. The objects astronomers look at are very far away and it may take millions or even billions of years for those objects’ light to reach the Earth. Therefore, what we see is actually the image of what the object looked like long ago. Here are a couple of examples. When you look at the moon, you’re seeing it as it was two seconds ago. When you look at the sun, you see it as it looked eight minutes and 20 seconds ago. When you look at Saturn on April 17, 2009, you see Saturn as it was one hour 11 minutes and 47 seconds ago. Finally, when you look at the Andromeda Galaxy, you see it as it looked 2.5 million
years ago.
The Night Skies
After April 21, the ISS is visible in the morning sky. 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 www.skymaps.com.
Sun and Planet Visibility for April 15, 2009 Planet visibility times are based on the planet being at least 5 degrees high and 30 minutes from either sunrise or sunset. Sunrise 05:44 Sunset 19:20 Mercury 19:50 – 20:20 Venus 04:46 – 05:14 Mars 05:08 – 05:14 Jupiter 03:56 – 05:14 Saturn 19:50 – 04:24 Uranus 05:07 – 05:14 Neptune 04:04 – 05:14
04/12 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes first man in space http://russianarchives.com/gallery/ gagarin/
04/12 1981 First space shuttle Launched http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pag es/shuttle/main/index.html
04/13 1970 Apollo 13 experiences an explosion on the way to the moon 04/15 1452 Leonardo da Vinci born
04/16 at 05:15 a.m. Moon at apogee (furthest from the sun, 251,178 miles/404,232 km) 04/17 at 09:36 a.m. Last quarter
04/18 at 12:17 p.m. Venus 5.6 degrees north of Mars
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Moon 2.3 degrees north of Jupiter 04/21 1972 Apollo 16 lands on the moon http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history /apollo/apollo-16/apollo-16.html
04/22 Earth Day
04/22 at 07 a.m. April Lyrids Maximum, best viewing between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. (up to 20 meteors/hr) 04/22 at 09:36 a.m. Moon 1.1 degrees north of Venus
04/23 1990 Hubble Space Telescope Launched - http://hubblesite.org/
04/24 at 12:05 p.m. Venus Close to Mars (4.1°)
04/24 at 11:23 p.m. New moon
04/19 at 12:28 p.m.
Flick Picks - Fast and Furious By Laura Hunter STAFF WRITER
“Fast and Furious” – Rated PG13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references. Starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. In theaters now. There’s an extraordinary thing that occurs after watching a high-octane movie. Driving home afterward, suddenly you become Steve McQueen, flying through the hills of San Francisco. Suddenly, you’re in the Batmobile, streaking toward Gotham. Suddenly, your beatup, broken-down, passed-itsprime vehicle becomes the Mock 5 and you’re trying to outrace Racer X. It’s only when you realize that what you just zoomed by and barely missed wasn’t so much a nefarious villain as a moose, that you begin to slow down and the delusion fades away.
I drove home at a respectable 45 mph after watching this movie. “Fast and Furious” wasn’t particularly fast. Nor was it anywhere near furious. It was more like “Driving Miss Daisy” and mildly pensive. Then again, Vin Diesel’s pensive face looks a lot like his happy face, his angry face and his really angry face, so maybe I missed his furious face somewhere in there. It seems that with the fourth installment of the franchise, they’ve tried to add depth to characters that audiences really don’t want to see. Who goes to a Fast and Furious movie for character depth? I wanted to be entertained. That means fast cars, crazy driving, big explosions and pithy one-liners thrown out here and there by Diesel. And yes, the requisite hot girls are there, in barelythere shorts and microscopic minis. With the original cast back together, this should have been the perfect lead-in for the sum-
mer blockbuster season. Rodriguez is the only one with enough sense to kill off her character once and for all, and she disappears in the film early on. The other three, however, stick to it till the bitter end. The movie opens in the Dominican Republic, where Dom (Diesel) and Letty (Rodriguez) are attempting to hijack an oil truck. The mission almost ends in disaster and in an incredible moment of what the audience is supposed to believe is noble self-sacrifice, Dom walks away from Letty in order to protect her. Really, all he does is sex her up one last time and sneak out in the middle of the night, leaving her a wad of cash on the nightstand. Some romance. Meanwhile, Brian (Walker) has graduated from the LA Police Department to the FBI and is part of a team trying to catch a drug dealer who uses street racers as mules to get his product across the Mexican-U.S. border.
Dom, now hiding from authorities in Panama, receives the news that Letty has been murdered and he heads home to the U.S. in order to avenge her. Surprise! The murderer’s the same guy Brian’s after. Neither wants the other to get in his way, and neither of them can compromise the other’s true motives without giving himself away. So they grudgingly work together to bring down the bad guy. The car races are tame, the story is weak and the dialogue is stilted and laughable. There’s plenty of eye candy for men and women in this film to keep it from being a total disaster. But if you want depth, go rent “Milk,” starring Sean Penn,
or “Doubt,” starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
University Times
Page 16
Dear Jack & Jill, I have a problem with my roommate, “Sally.” No, she doesn’t snore, or play her music too loud or leave piles of clothes everywhere. It’s a little more embarrassing than that. About a month ago, she and her boyfriend, “Harry,” came back to our room and began making out! I’m not opposed to them having sex, but I am opposed to them having sex while I’m in the same room, trying to sleep! I didn’t say anything because I thought it was a one-time thing. But now it’s happening two or three times a week! After all this
ADVICE FROM JACK & JILL
time, what can I say to her? The main event doesn’t last long — seriously, dude needs to buy a book or something — so it’s not like it goes on all night. But it’s annoying and the lack of sleep is starting to affect my grades. What do I do?! Signed, Unintentional Third Party
Dear Unintentional, Jack: Two or three times a week? Jill: Seriously, who has the time? Jack: I wish! Jill: Anyway, whether it’s two minutes or 20… Jack: My personal best
What Killed the Dinosaurs by Sandy Igel
is 40… Jill: On what planet? I was being generous giving you 20. Jack: Hey! Jill: Like I was saying, whether it’s two minutes or 20, it’s that much too long. Jack: If you’re too embarrassed to talk to Sally, then your options are limited. Jill: Grab a bucket. Jack: Fill it with water. Jill: The next time those two start to get down… Jack: Throw a bucket of water in the general vicinity of Harry and Sally. Jill: Their moans of passion will quickly turn
to screams of outrage, waking the entire floor. Jack: When everyone comes running… Jill: And they figure out what happened… Jack: Harry and Sally will be too embarrassed to show their faces together again. Jill: They’ll break up. Jack: And there’ll be no more late night rendezvous. Jill: You’ll get your sleep. Jack: Until you’re awakened in the middle of the night by her crying. Jill: Because she misses Harry. Jack: Pretty extreme. Jill: Not really a good
April 14, 2009
plan. Jack: You’re just going to have to get over any embarrassment and tell Sally. Jill: “Look, I’m not sure if you realize that I can hear you when you two are ‘together.’ It’s really awkward and uncomfortable. Can we work out a schedule so that I’m not here while you two are getting romantic?” Jack: Much better plan. Jill: Unless Harry and Sally get their kicks out of other people hearing them. . . . Jack: Then you might have to get the bucket. Jill: Till next time readers!
Comic by Bhava Albert