Volume 40 Issue 11

inside this issue:

Next In Office?

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University of Maine at Presque Isle Volume 40 Issue 11

Team Spirit!

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Journalism for Northern Maine

Visit us at utimes.umpi.edu

APRIL 13, 2012

A Real Team Player Stephanie Corriveau STAFF WRITER

We’re all passionate about something. For Reneé Moore, that something is basketball.

Although it’s early spring and the basketball season finished several weeks ago, the basketball spirit continues to live on for Moore. And this spirit has been a part of her now for many years. Moore’s experiences with basketball started at an early age.

“I’ve been playing basketball since I was 7 or 8,” Moore said.

A sophomore from Lisbon, Maine, Moore has been a part of the UMPI basketball team for the past two years. She has been in the position of post player. Moore has greatly enjoyed playing for the team.

But unfortunately, she may not be able to continue being a

member next season. She has wear, Moore said that it wasn’t a medical condition called of much assistance. Once she scoliosis. Moore explained reached high school, her physithat instead of having a usual “Sshaped spine,” hers is “C-shaped.” She said that playing basketball was painful, but will soon have surgery to help with her scoliosis.

Moore first found out that she had this condition when she was in sixth grade.

“They told me not to worry about it, but it started to become a problem by eighth grade,” Moore said.

Although she was Renee Moore in Gentile Hall. given a back brace to

cians began to recommend surgery. She didn’t want this to happen, though, bec ause sh e knew it wo u l d a f f e c t basket bal l .

“I ’d h ave t o st o p pl aying after I g ot su rger y,” M oo re sa id .

Moore said that the physicians continued to watch over her scoliosis.

They again recommended the surgery at the end of high school, but she wanted to continue pursuing her love for basketball.

After a difficult time playing at UMPI with scoliosis, Moore felt she might have to go ahead with the surgery.

“This past December, I knew it was about time,” Moore said.

Moore said that one of her doctors thinks the surgery will prevent her from playing while the other told her it was her decision to make. She feels that she won’t be able to continue. Moore is quite optimistic about her condition, though. She’s extremely grateful for the time she has spent playing, and for the wonderful coaches she has had and the excellent athletic training staff who’ve assisted her.

“I’ve learned a lot just getting the chance to play two years of college,” Moore said.

S e e P l a ye r, Pa g e 6

Hope for the Future Taylor Lawrence STAFF WRITER

Some may think a missions trip is completely about doing this and that for a different group of people in need. But the members of the CRU missions trip to Hope for the Future Ministries, located in Farmingdale, N.Y., quickly learned that a missions trip is just as much for the benefit of the missionary as for the mission.

“The trip taught me a lot about what it means to serve

God and others. It was hard work with long hours, but we impacted people’s lives. We saw what it is like to have nothing and how fortunate we truly are.

Yes, it was difficult, but it was also rewarding, exciting, and beneficial,” Courtney McHugh, a CRU member, said.

McHugh, Courtney Cray, Johnny Mu, Kimberly Francis and Taylor Lawrence of CRU went on the week long trip.

They were joined by community members Nancy Lavway, Matt Bartlett and Dean Lawrence, along with UMPI

staff members Mary Lawrence and Vanessa Pearson.

“I made many new friends,” Mu said.

Started in 1987 by Pastor Dianne Dunne, Hope for the Future serves more than 500 meals to homeless and low income families each week.

Dunne goes out on the streets, sets up the prepared food, and serves it all with the help of groups that come in. The week of March 25th was the specific week in which CRU served.

From left to right: Courtney Cray, Courtney McHugh,

S e e H o p e, Pa g e 6

Taylor Lawrence and Johnny Mu.

C

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The University Times Staff Editor Lanette Virtanen Assistant Editor Kayla Ames Stephanie Jellett Staff Writers Kayla Ames Stephanie Corriveau Donna Delong Cole DuMonthier Shara Gardner Sarah Graettinger Kathi Jandreau Stephanie Jellett Taylor Lawrence Mika Ouellette Ben Pinette Jessie Rose Carlos Villoria Lanette Virtanen Kathleen York

Contributors Chris Corsello Dick Harrison Jim Stepp Don Zillman

Adviser Dr. J The U Times welcomes submissions from the campus. Send digital versions of articles, photos, etc., to utimes@maine.edu and jacquelyn.lowman@umpi.edu

University Times

ampus

April 13, 2012

Dear readers, Now that University Day is behind us, we here at the U Times are looking forward to our annual Open House on April 26. Come to Normal Hall and see where the paper comes together, have a quick snack and maybe even win a prize. Itʼs a chance to meet members of the club and who knows, maybe youʼll decide that youʼd like to try your hand at being a club member and seeing a story that youʼve written get published. Until then, have fun and hope to see you at the Open House.

Greetings, Did we fool any of you with our last issue? I hope it entertained you or at least sparked some laughs. Stephen King says you canʼt deny laughter, and I hope none of you tried. Though simple, it can help in all areas of life. I know laughter shared with friends is sometimes the only thing that keeps me going and sane. Iʼm sure you can relate.

While I hope the U Times informs first and foremost, Iʼd like to think some parts or issues also make you smile. Maybe this one will do both. Either way, I hope everyone had a pleasant Easter. See you at the Open House!

Thank you,

Lanette

Kayla

D at es fo r Subm issi o ns t o t h e U T im es Apr. 23 Any submissions received after a deadline will be published in the following issue.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Lowman at 768-9745.

Univer si t y T i me s ! CAMPUS ! A pr i l 13 , 2 012

From Don’s Desk

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UMPI Struts Its Stuff April 11 is University Day on the UMPI campus.

It is my favorite day of the year and one that I’m delighted to show off to visitors to campus.

On University Day, we shut down our normal academic schedule. Instead we feature a three, or four, or five ring circus of presentations about the work that goes on at UMPI for the rest of the year. Visitors can stop by Folsom-Pullen Hall and pick up a schedule. They can then either pick a favored program and attend all of it or graze from presentation to presentation. In a single 60 minute period, visitors can learn about student participation in science faculty research programs, international student experiences on campus, student involvement in criminal justice or social work activities in the community, or student participation in national and international travel that relates to their course work. Faculty members are present, often looking like proud parents, as they watch their students present their work. But the students

are the center of attention.

We also hold a campuswide lunch that brings all or most of us together. One of the highlights of the lunch is the recognition of our outstanding young alum of the year. I was thrilled with the quality of the nominees this

our Distinguished Lecturer Gary Marx.

University Day highlights the changing nature of university education. Not so long ago, when I was pursuing my education, a university class was understood to be a faculty member lecturing to a group of students that could range from a dozen to several hundred. Students might be allowed an occasional question during the lecture. You needed to be braver than I was to raise your hand in a crowd of 300 students. This Faculty also held office hours for more extensive discussion.

Student performance was usually measured by an end of semester examination.

That form of education certainly describes many U-Dayʼs Dinstinguished classes today at UMPI and Lecturer Gary Marx. other universities. year and the diversity of Increasingly, however, there their accomplishments are other models. These new inside and outside of Maine. models engage students The day ends with a talk by much more closely in their

education. Students may collaborate with faculty members on research.

Students may be involved in

than from traditional “lecture, note take, exam” classes.

University Day highlights engaged learning and that is

yearʼs U-Day artwork created by Rowena Forbes. a workforce project that produces useful real-world results. Students may take responsibility, with faculty guidance, for the presentation of some part of the curriculum. These programs go by different names. But they are all engaged learning.

Evidence from around the country indicates that students value engaged learning and that they retain more from it

why I’m so fond of it.

I was distressed to learn that our chancellor had scheduled a meeting of presidents in Bangor on University Day. I need to be there. I’ll share with my colleagues what is going on for U-Day at UMPI (many of them have similar days on their campuses). And I hope to be back for Gary Marx’s closing lecture. Enjoy.

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Un iver si t y T i me s ! CAMPUS ! A pr il 13 , 2 0 12

Chris’ Corner

If Life Could Be Like Play-Doh I wasn’t aware that I needed a can of Play-Doh. Apparently, however, I did. A friend of mine gave me some goodies. I am the proud owner of a can of Play-Doh (colored green, to be precise). He also gave me a bottle of bubbles, silly putty and three juggling balls. I have never, in my whole life, been able juggle. The whole thing completely escapes me. I’m not proud of this…I was a college athlete and consider myself having excellent hand-eye coordination – the whole bit, but…can’t juggle. Not knowing exactly what to do with my loot, I placed some items on my shelf and others in my desk.

Those damn juggling balls continue to silently taunt me.

One day, recently, I was wishing I could start the day all over. It had been a long, rough day and some things that had made perfectly good sense earlier in the day now

seemed like the worst thing since “Pink Slime.”

During my mini crisis, it caught my eye: my can of green Play-Doh. I’m still not sure what made me reach for it,

but it changed my day completely. It wasn’t that opening a can didn’t bring back a flood of great memories. It did. PlayDoh has a unique smell and squishing Play-Doh in your hand is a surefire way to bring back kindergarten memories.

It felt good to mess around with

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this soft green stuff.

I decided to make a little green man. I tried, unsuccessfully, to replicate the human form. Each time things didn’t work out the way I liked, I started over again.

And that was when it struck me. The great thing about Play-Doh was that nothing was permanent.

If I made a mistake, I simply squished everything back into a ball and started over.

So unlike life.

It’s hard once we have done something to erase it from our permanent record.

Whether that record is kept in our own mind, the mind of our friends and loved ones or in the mind of a stranger, we leave deep impressions with every action that we take. Sometimes those actions are stored permanently on grade reports, discipline reports, computer files, etc.

I wish life could be more like Play-Doh: the ability to squish all the mistakes back together and say, “Wait, that wasn’t what I meant. Let me try again.” It’s that time when we all might be filled with the hope of a “clean record.” A chance to start again. A time to squish the Play-Doh. So, as the semester winds down, perhaps we should remember the beauty of a fresh start. Maybe we should talk less, listen more. Perhaps there could be more “I love yous,” more “I’m sorrys.” As stress rises, we should do more for ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We can stop sweating the small stuff – don’t worry about who doesn’t like

you, who has more, or who’s doing what. Instead, cherish what you have and the relationships you have. Seize every minute…look at it and really see it…live it…and never give it back. Everyone has the chance to have his or her own can of Play-Doh and start over.

Finally, if there is anyone out there who has any good ideas on how to get little pieces of Play-Doh out of a computer keyboard, I sure would appreciate hearing from you.

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Univer si t y T i me s ! CAMPUS ! A pr i l 13 , 2 012

Hopeful Candidates Ben Pinette STAFF WRITER

Jon Connolly

Meet Jon Connolly, one of three presidential candidates to visit and introduce himself to UMPI as well as members of the surrounding community.

Connolly is no stranger to Maine as he graduated from the University of Maine in 1996 with a degree in biological sciences. He also went to Colby College in Waterville in 1983 with a degree in biology and geology. Connolly is currently the vice president for academic affairs at Sheridan College in northern Wyoming. Connolly thought that the time was perfect to transfer from a two year institution to a four year institution such as UMPI. “I had the opportunity to become the interim president at Sheridan College and Gillette College for about five months.

In this time, I learned that I would like to function at the very highest level I could. But where?” Connolly said.

UMPI was an answer to that question.

For Connolly, it was UMPI’s respect toward students and the kind of teaching that takes place here that tipped him off to the idea of becoming its new president.

“UMPI seems very studentoriented. UMPI is special with respect to certain kinds of things, such as teaching and learning. You don’t see that.

Even if an institution believes in that, they don’t necessarily express that, and UMPI does.

To me, this is a very important indication of the kind of place I would like to be at. It’s a special place,” Connolly said.

If he became president tomorrow, Connolly would be open to any and all ideas the college had to offer. He would even consider those that have been held up for various reasons, including financial.

“There may be all kinds of virtuous things that this University has chosen not to do, so it will be my job to remove those blocks and open the opportunities for those programs and ideas,” Connolly said.

Connolly also hopes to listen to all campus members’ opinion and see what they have to say.

He would like to work with people both in the community and on campus about ways that UMPI can move forward, including increasing enrollment and securing financial stability.

These ideas certainly sound promising. All that’s left now, it seems, is to wait and see.

Linda Schott

Have you met Linda Schott, one of three presidential candidates? If not, you should know Schott originally grew up on a goat ranch in rural northwest San Antonio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in both history and German with a Ph.D. in

history and humanities. Schott comes to us from Fort Lewis College in Colorado where she is the dean of arts, humanities and social sciences. It’s Schott’s love for smaller schools that had UMPI calling to her.

“I’ve come to realize that I’ve been at institutions as large as 25,000 and as small as 1,000. I like the smaller ones better. The fact that UMPI is in pretty much a rural area is attractive to me and my family.

The institution is just appealing to me because it’s small and I can come in and have a positive impact,” Schott comes to UMPI willing to listen and learn new ideas from everyone.

“I come with a willingness to listen and learn because I’ve done a lot of reading about the institution and the region, but I surely don’t know much yet. But I’m willing to come in and have a chance to really listen to people and get some sense of what the issues are,” Schott said.

One of Schott’s biggest strengths is learning about what’s happening on campus.

“I’ve been a student and a faculty member through every level. I have a deep understanding of higher education and roles by staff and faculty members and I can translate that understanding of what’s going on, on campus to those off,” Schott said.

Schott’s hope is to reach out to different levels of people, including legislative members and other higher-up educators.

“I believe I can be an advocate for the institution, explaining what great things are going on here and helping people support this institution in greater ways,” Schott said.

Schott is very grateful to UMPI and hopes to become president here next fall.

“It seems like a pleasant place. I’ve had the chance to walk around and take in the sights,” Schott said.

One thing is for sure: if Schott becomes president, she’ll have plenty of time to keep enjoying them, along with everything else UMPI has to offer.

Michael Sonntag

You might recognize the name. Michael Sonntag has been at the University of Maine at Presque Isle as vice president for academic affairs since 2007.

He also earned another title, that of provost, this past July.

Sonntag is a finalist in the search for the next president of UMPI. What you may not know about our current vice president of academic affairs, though, is the unique road he took before coming to UMPI. “I was born and raised in Texas. I went to school at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. I attended graduate school in Fayetville, Arkansas. I took my first teaching job in South Carolina. I was there for 11 years, where I did a number of different jobs in my teachings. Then I decided that I wanted to try my hand at fulltime administration, and that’s what brought me here,” Sonntag said.

After more than four years as vice president for academic affairs, Sonntag felt it was time to apply for the presidency.

Before that, the thought never crossed his mind.

5 “I came here and took on more and more challenges of working with different groups and problems. I really see Don [Zillman’s] departure as an opportunity for me,” Sonntag said.

Sonntag hopes to help the entire campus by unifying it and making it so that everyone can work well together.

This would include bringing the relationships and partnerships built within the campus out into the community. Sonntag also hopes to increase enrollment in t h e u n i ve r s i t y i f he bec om es presiden t.

“They are going to cap tuition, so we won’t be getting increases in tuition for the next few years. The only way we can cover the basic expenses is to try and bring in new students. I’ve already worked with recruiting Chinese students and I’m working on other global destinations that have students who would like to come here,” Sonntag said.

He hopes that, in the end, his past experience with UMPI as vice president for academic affairs can help him land the job of president.

“I have relationships with everyone in the U Maine system and so I come with some knowledge about the system that the others don’t. I don’t want to lose that consistency of leadership. I have been an agent of change since I got here. I’m not stagnant on the subject of change,” Sonntag said.

Whether you see it as a large or small change, Michael Sonntag may be named our next UMPI president. Then again, maybe Jon Connolly or Linda Schott – the other two candidates – will get the position. Keep an eye on the proceedings and we will find out soon enough.

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Un iver si t y T i me s ! CAMPUS ! A pr il 13 , 2 0 12

Player

Continued from Page 1 Moore is a true team playe r a s we l l .

She has e n j oye d i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h all of her teammates. In addition, she said that she has been blessed to be on the team with her sister, E m i l y, a n d h e r c o u s i n , Amber Cloutier.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better g roup to share t h e ex p e r i e n c e w i t h , ” Moore said.

Moore’s coach, Marc Heidorf, speaks highly of his player.

“Renee is the type of p l aye r t h at eve r y t e a m should be lucky to have,” Heidorf said.

She puts a lot of effort into her game and Heidorf has said that even though she might be in pain, you wouldn’t be able to tell.

Hope Continued from Page 1 Every day included loading crates, preparing meals, and loading them. During the week, C RU h a d t h r e e o p p o r tunities to hit the s t r e e t s o f N e w Yo r k and provide for those

“She’s not a complainer,” Heidorf said.

Moore had told Heidorf that she was g o i n g t o h a v e s u r g e r y, and he said that he had an idea that this might be her last season.

Heidorf could identify

with her since he also had scoliosis. He also shared that some of M o o r e ’s t e a m m a t e s d i d n’t know about her condition.

Heidorf believes that having found out about it,

though, serves as a source of inspiration.

“T hey’ve lear ned to appreciate the g a m e a l i t t l e b e t t e r, ” Heidorf said.

Heidorf also feels that next season, the team will think about Moore’s dedication to the g a m e.

T h ey might be reminded of how mu c h M o o r e l ove s the sport and would want to continue playi n g, a n d w i l l want to respect her by giving it their all.

“That’ll be a rallying point next y e a r, ” Heidorf said.

Heidorf believes that people should not be nece s s a r i l y s a d t h at M o o re has to have the surgery.

who are less fortunate.

Donations are what keep Hope for the Future running, and people, such as the members of C RU, donating their time saves the ministry thousands of dollars.

This is the second time some of the member s have gone to Hope

of the Future Ministries. They have the kind of experience that makes people want to return.

Tr i p s t o m i n i s t r i e s like Hope for the Future are definitely i n C RU ’ s f u t u r e . T h e group had a great time in fellowship a n d m i n i s t r y.

R at h e r, he said t h ey should consider h ow the mu ch operation will help her to take part in activities she might not h ave been able to participate in.

“This is a happy stor y,” Heidorf said.

Please keep Moore in mind as she prepares f o r s u r g e r y.

And as Moore has d o n e, b e s u re to keep the b a s k e t b a l l Renee Moore, a true team player. s p i r i t a l i v e ! Photo by Andy Parker.

T h e r e ’s no fo r t h e s p o r t w i l l c o n t i n d o u b t t h a t h e r p a s s i o n u e t o p reva i l .

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Univer si t y T i me s ! CAMPUS ! A pr i l 13, 2 0 12

7

You’ve Got a Friend Kayla Ames

STAFF WRITER

T h e ro o m e ch o e d w i t h applause and the sound of cheering fans. The aw a rd s at i n i t s h o l d e r ’s hands, waiting to be passed on. And then it was. A deserving man stepped forward and claimed i t , s m i l i n g. I f t h e heartfelt congratulations were any i n d i c at i o n , h e w a s n’ t t h e o n l y o n e wh o w a s h a p py h e h a d wo n .

N o, t h e d e s e r v ing man – Cody H u m p h r ey by n a m e – i s n o t a c e l e b r i t y, at least not in the typical sense.

UMPI did not host a n a w a r d s s h o w, e i t h e r. R a t h e r, s t u dents and faculty n o m i n a t e d H u m p h r ey f o r Fe b r u a r y ’s student of the month award and he won. A celebration in his honor t o o k p l a c e o n T h u r s d a y, March 8, starting at 1 2 : 1 5 p. m . N o m i n a t o r s and fans gathered in the cafeteria to compliment him and watch as he was g i ve n h i s d u e.

H u mp hrey is a j u nior f r o m N e w G l o u c e s t e r, M ai ne. H e’s m ajo r i ng i n bu s i n e s s m a n a g e m e n t a s we l l a s min orin g i n MI S a n d G IS. A regul ar o n th e d e a n’s l ist, H um p hrey is a l s o i nvo l ve d i n s eve r a l ex t r a c u r r i c u l a r a c t i v i t i e s su ch a s th e g olf te am, th e baseball team and the professional business l e a d e r s c l u b. A c c o r d i n g t o th e n o m inati on for m s, h e ’s a lso known fo r serving on the Spring Ball c o m m i t t e e, vo l u n t e e r i n g a t U M P I ’s c o m m e n c e m e n t a n d h elp i ng ou t at the Presque Isle

Opportunity Tr a i n i n g Cent er.

B a r b a r a D e v a n e y, direct or o f c a reer ser vi ces, sta rt ed the ce le br at i on by t a lking br i e f l y a bo ut t h e P R I D E c o m m i t t e e, whi ch sp o nso r s st u d en t o f

t h e m ont h , a mo n g oth er p r o g r a m s. Fo r e x a m p l e, you have them to th an k f o r p a s t Fr o z e n Fr e n z y a c t i v i t i e s, t h e u p c o m i n g

spirit p h o to co nt est an d th e st udent appre ci at io n barbe que t h at ’s sch ed uled f o r M a y. O t h e r s w h o showed up on Hump hrey’s beh alf were President Don Zillman, Chris Corsello, Erin Be nso n , Cla re E xn er an d C aro lyn Do r sey.

C o r s e l l o, t h e d e a n o f s t u d e n t s, s t a r t e d o f f by t e l l i n g eve r yo n e p r e s e n t that Humphrey is a G e o rg e M i t ch e l l s ch o l a r.

That in itself is very i m p re s s i ve a n d s o m e t h i n g s h e ’s proud of.

H u m p h rey i s a l s o a b i t o f a s p o r t s nu t .

“He’s a pret ty bi g f a n o f U MPI spo rt s a l tog et h e r. . . . C o d y, yo u r e a l l y, t r u l y a re a t e r r i f ic ro l e mo del ,” Cor sell o sa i d .

Follow in g t h i s, t h e d e a n p a s s e d t h e m i c ro p h o n e o n t o t h o s e wh o t oo k t h e tim e an d en erg y t o n o mi n at e h i m.

Erin Benson spoke next. She’s director of admissions, not to mention one of

Humphrey’s bosses.

“The only thing I can a d d i s t h a t h e ’s a t e r r i f i c b a b y s i t t e r, ” Benson s a i d . “ H e ’s a w e s o m e a t C a l l o f D u t y. ” Asi d e f ro m bein g good w ith ch i ldren a n d a t al en t ed video g ame pl ayer, H umph rey g ives m any of t h e camp us t o ur s for the Admissions O f f i c e.

Benson considers him a part of the family and e v e n j o k e d t h a t h e ’s do i n g “God’s work.” S h e desc ri bed h i m as p o pular, l oyal an d inspi rat i o na l.

C lare Ex n e r, p ro fesso r of busi n ess ma na gem en t , chose to focus on H umph rey’s prof ession a li sm a n d desire t o lea r n .

Rather than go into a c lass sim ply h op in g to g et a g ood g r ade, h e w an t s t o walk away with more knowledge and experienc e. E x n er also sa id t hat fa mil y is ver y im por t ant to Humph rey.

Caro lyn D o r sey e la borat ed on his vi ew s con cer ning education. She

agreed with Exner and added that Humphrey tries to make learning f u n . H e ’s a p l e a s u re t o have in c l ass.

“H e real ly br in gs a n i c e, re f re s h i n g at t i t u d e to the classroom,” D o r s ey, a s s i s t a n t p ro f e s so r of bu si n e ss m a na geme nt , sa id.

In bet ween g ivi n g t o u r s, b a by s i t t i n g a n d vo l u n t e e r i n g, H u m p h r ey ke e ps up w ith ac adem ic s, works in t he a dmi ssions office and earns the resp ect o f peop le aro un d hi m – pro fe ssor s an d st uden t s a like. Anyone in t h e cafeteria on March 8 wo uld h ave see n evi de nc e o f thi s as h e st e pped fo rwa rd t o ta ke his cer t ific a t e, p a p e r w e i g h t a n d $20 gift certificate to G over n or’s re st aurant . It seems that the commitme n t , g ene rosity a nd c reat i vi ty of which no m inators spoke is only the beg in n i ng, th e n, o f wh at ma kes C o dy H umph rey so deservi n g o f t h is aw a rd .

From left to right: Clare Exner, President Don Zillman, Cody Humphrey, Erin Benson, Carolyn Dorsey and Dean Chris Corsello.

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Univer si t y T i me s ! CAMPUS ! A p ril 13 , 2 012

Here’s the Drill

Stephanie Corriveau STAFF WRITER

Who knew that dental drilling and filling could be so much fun? This word probably isn’t the one that normally comes to mind when you think of your teeth and drills.

But participants in the dental simulation on March 2 had a blast playing the roles of dentist and assistant. The event was hosted by UMPI’s BioMedical Club. Co-adviser Dr. Rachael Hannah invited University of New England representative, David Burtt, to campus.

Burtt brought to UMPI a simulator: a head with a mouth full of fake teeth. The simulator was built into an adjustable chair. There was also most of the equipment that you’d see during a regular dental visit. The feature piece of Burtt’s visit, of course, was the drill.

The event began with a brief presentation by Burtt.

He showed some Google images of mouths and teeth with severe damage. Burtt talked a little bit about the UNE dental school, which has plans to open in 2013.

He also addressed how there’s

a current shortage of dentists.

“Especially in rural counties of the state, there is a greater need for dental care,” Burtt said.

After his short talk, Burtt showed attendees how to correctly use the drill. Two volunteers then stepped up to the challenge with other participants watching intently. Many people tried out the roles, with some individuals going more than once.

UMPI student Bradley Trask enjoyed the event. He learned that dentistry takes practice.

“You have to be very precise and it’s almost an art or skill that you need to work on,” Trask said.

Another student, Jacob Fillebrown, wants to pursue dentistry as a career. He said the event exposed him to some of the dentistry techniques. “[I participated] because I wanted a good hands-on experience and actual simulation is the best way to get that,” Fillebrown said.

The dental event was a great way for participants to step out of the patient’s chair and see what life’s all about in the dentist’s seat.

From left to right: Emily Bartlett and Jacob Fillebrown trying their hand at dentistry.

All Smiles: Success In a Dental Career Stephanie Corriveau STAFF WRITER

Have you ever wondered how you could become a dentist?

On March 9, the BioMedical Club hosted two guest speakers familiar with dentistry: Judy Feinstein and Dr. Mike Blandon. Feinstein is director of the Maine Center for Disease Control’s oral health program. Blandon is a dentist in Fort Fairfield.

Feinstein also invited Renée Bragdon, who works at ACAP and promotes dental education in the community.

The presentation began with an overview about some of the work that the oral health program does.

Feinstein emphasized how important it is to have good oral hygiene.

“Poor oral health is a risk factor for a whole number of chronic diseases and conditions,” Feinstein said.

Unfortunately, Maine has a shortage of dentists.

This takes a toll on the people in the state, especially kids, whose teeth are developing.

“Dental disease is the fifth most common disease of childhood,” Feinstein said.

Feinstein explained that certain helpful programs have been started with children’s oral health in mind. From For instance, there’s a fluoride program at schools that allows students to get anti-cavity mouth rinse.

Since Maine needs dentists, there’s a desire to have dental students return to the state to practice. And with the dental school that will open at UNE, students might not have to leave Maine. Feinstein spoke about the school. She also provided handouts about the

application criteria.

“The UNE dental school only wants to start with about 40 seats,” Feinstein said.

Blandon, a Temple University graduate, also discussed applying. He shared statistics about how competitive the process is.

“Your objective in the

only after a certain date.

“When that date opens up, be prepared with all of your documents,” Blandon said.

Blandon encouraged students to write an essay with lots of personal examples.

He also wanted students to do research before an interview. This included having an adviser or friend ask practice questions.

“Sit down and have a mock interview with them,” Blandon said.

Most important, Blandon said students should get involved with different kinds of activities. Schools will look for people who have dental or healthcare experience.

The talks provided students with lots of information about

left to right: Dr. Mike Blandon and Judy Feinstein. application process is trying to separate yourself some way,” Blandon said.

Blandon also talked about the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service. There is a general application that must be completed before your information is given to the dental schools you choose. This application can be accessed

dental school. There were also some handouts that discussed financial aid. If you weren’t able to attend but are interested in more information, e-mail stephanie.l.corriveau@maine. edu. Going to dental school could lie in your future. Using the tips that Feinstein and Blandon gave, the path could be smooth and successful.

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Bringing the Outdoors In Sarah Graettinger STAFF WRITER

The annual Sportsman’s Show was held at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on March 23 and 24. This event

Snapper the owl. was held in Gentile hall, with many venues for sports and outdoor activities. Many booths

were there, including those for a trout fishing pond for children, rehabilitated animals and a bee bee gun shooting range.

Nick Archer, the vice president of the Presque Isle Fish and Game Club, had a lot of great things to say about the show.

“We have had this show going on since 1997. A lot of work goes on when we start the year to put on the show. We get vendors together, and just a lot of things so people get the experience of exploring the woods and enjoying the show,” Archer said.

One of the great things about the show was the animals that were rehabilitated. One was a bald eagle who was 20 years old, whose name was Erica.

Another was a great horned owl named Snapper.

All of these animals are there so people could see what types

of animals were in the wild in show. That is where you put things at this show. They northern Maine. feathers and ribbons on were drawn in by everything People walking around came hooks so that they look like from ATVs and fishing, to up to a trout pond where chil- bugs. It is a method used to animals and people just dren were able to catch a fish. It catch fish. Children got to talking with others about was a catch and release pond, have a chance to put one sports in the Maine woods. so they got the experience of together with guidance and All in all, this was a great simply catching a fish. many had a great time.

Sportsman’s Show with a lot “What we are going to People were excited and of great things to lear n do with the fish after the energized by the different about the outdoors. show is release them into M a n t l e L a k e, ” Archer said.

Many Maine guides and game wardens were there to explain what it’s like in the woods and what you can expect.

Handouts were distributed concerning what different animal tracks look like and what types of fish are in the lakes in Maine.

There was also f ly-tying Some of the booths that were in Gentile Hall. booth in the

Student Events 2012 April

19th--Walk In Her Shoes, Owlʼs Nest, 2 p.m.

19th--Condon Casino Night, MPR, 7-9 p.m.

23rd--Exotic Animal Adventures, MPR, 6 p.m.

25th--Movie Night: Green Lantern, Wieden Auditorium, 8 p.m.

May

2nd--Dinner & A Movie: Forks Over Knives, MPR, 6 p.m.

3rd--Student Appreciation BBQ 12th--Commencement

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Let’s Talk Science Stephanie Corriveau STAFF WRITER

Coming Together Taylor Lawrence STAFF WRITER

The GSA on the UMPI campus is a club that represents diversity. It is well known, sponsoring many dances, speakers and events on campus. The GSA, according to Tammy Johndro, a freshman at UMPI, is, “a Gay-Straight Alliance, where gay people and straight people come together in support of each other.”

The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) was started only a few years ago. A Rainbow Club, a similar group, was in UMPI’s past, but only consisted of a few members. The Rainbow Club would be resurrected in the latter part of the ’00s with more members and more student support.

“I joined the fall of 2009, and I think the greatest thing I’ve seen in the GSA the past year is membership involvement and how the group has formed from two-five to a group of 10-15,” Jeff Rhoads, the GSA treasurer, said.

Dick Harrison is the advisor for the GSA. He also attends many of the events. His support has been phenomenal, and he continues to lead the rest of the group. The group’s intent is to keep the alliance between straight and gay people strong.

The GSA hosted the UMPI Gay Awareness Days earlier this past semester:

Bright yellow shirts covered the top of the registration table at the University of New England. These shirts, which had the word “NURDS” printed across them, were for the symposium that UNE was hosting.

NURDS stands for Northeast Undergraduate Research and Development Symposium. This was a fun event during which participants could give presentations as well as listen to other research poster sessions and talks.

NURDS took place on March 10-11. UMPI students Scott Belair, Robyn Oster and Stephanie Corriveau were poster presenters. Oster said that she attended NURDS to practice giving a formal presentation.

“I wanted the experience discussing a research project and it gave me the opportunity to see what other students in the New England area were researching,” Oster said.

Belair was also excited about the chance to attend a symposium and see what other individuals were working on. His favorite part of the presentation was getting to talk with fellow participants. Belair said

that he connected with other individuals with common research interests and developed a few contacts. The poster that he presented was titled, “The Effects of Forest Type on Arthropod Abundance and Food Use by Birds.” This was for a project that he was completing with UMPI professor Dr. Jason Johnston.

Belair shared that he worried about presenting because he wasn’t sure how the session would go. He soon discovered, however, that he was comfortable explaining his work because of the time he had spent doing it.

“I felt that I was really well prepared,” Belair said.

Belair placed in the top ten for his excellent poster presentation. This was quite an honor, especially winning among a group of roughly 200 students from the northeast region.

“It was exciting to be recognized out of so many projects and presentations,” Belair said.

Oster and Corriveau’s poster was called “MicroRNAs let-7i and miR-101a are regulated during zebrafish caudal fin regeneration: Fishing for MicroRNAs.” It was based on work the students had done

with Dr. Rachael Hannah, Dr. Voot Yin of MDIBL and fellow UMPI classmates. Oster said the presentation was successful.

“I thought it went really well.

It was fun to have other people interested in what we had been doing,” Oster said.

The symposium also had a variety of talks on topics such as medical biology, chemistry and physics. In addition, there was a keynote presentation by Dr. Michael Grace of the Florida Institute of Technology. Participants had the chance to sign up for interesting workshops, too. Oster got the chance to see seals at UNE’s Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center.

“It was interesting to learn more about marine organisms,” Oster said.

All of the UMPI students wo u l d s t ro n g l y encourage others to attend next year’s NURDS. “It’s well worth it. You’ll get to learn about a lot of other research,” Belair said.

The NURDS symposium left the UMPI students with great knowledge and experience…and bright yellow shirts as reminders of their wonderful time.

Oct. 3 through 5. Oct. 4 was the Blue Jeans Day, done every year at UMPI, where students who support gay differences can wear blue jeans. Two speakers from GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, came on Oct. 5.

UMPI Gay Awareness Days take place every year to show that the GSA is active and that there are gay people in our community.

The GSA also hosted the Go Red Dance on Dec.1, World AIDS Day. The dance was to raise awareness for AIDS prevention. ACAP, the Aroostook County Action Program, gave out free condoms and offered free AIDS tests. The GSA is active in promoting AIDS prevention through safe sex.

The GSA also attends the annual Rainbow Ball, which is a prom hosted by the University of Maine at Machias.

“Unfortunately, in the later part of this year, the GSA has seen a drop in membership, but that has mainly been due to classes and people focusing on school work. Events are still attended by members,” Rhoads says.

The GSA has definitely affected the campus and will continue to do so. With Jaron Gray as the new president this semester, the organization will From left to right: Robyn Oster, Stephanie Corriveau and Scott Belair. continue the alliance.

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Univer si ty Ti m es ! CAMPUS ! A pr i l 13 . 2 0 12

Pick Your Path

to graduation and considering possible jobs.

“For juniors and seniors, it On March 20, the upstairs actually is an opportunity to floor of the campus center make those connections and to was abuzz with activity for the find out how to go about Career and Job Fair. applying for a job,” This event was sponDeVaney said. sored by the Human Two of the graduate Resource Management school representatives were class and Career Nicole Chase and Scott Services. Booths filled Delcourt.

Chase reprethe room and people linsented the University of gered to talk with potenNew England.

After her tial employers and grad office heard from UMPI, school representatives. she came to the fair to let The university has held students know what prothe event now for several grams the school has.

She years. Bonnie DeVaney, mentioned that UNE had director of career services, a previous partnership said that this year’s fair with UMPI. Chase hosted 14 employers lookexplained that the UMPI ing to hire students. She students who had entered was also pleased that three Tonia Groff of Northern Maine UNE’s programs were graduate schools had repstrong. This influenced the resentatives so that stu- General at Career Fair. decision to attend the fair dents could get informaeveryone and was perhaps espeto attract future students. tion concerning the application cially valuable to students close “We know that we get valuprocess. DeVaney wanted the Stephanie Corriveau STAFF WRITER

fair to help students interact with employers, learn about job options and discover how they could prepare for a future career. The fair was open to

able students,” Chase said.

“One’s better than none,” Delcourt was from the Foster said.

University of Maine.

He Look forward to attending explained that he makes it a next year’s fair! It’s a wonderful point to visit the Maine system way to find a job and move forschools to talk about what ward on your career path UMaine offers. through life.

“Career fairs are a great opportunity to come up and meet with students,” Delcourt said.

Other fair participants included representatives from U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ office, WAGMTV, Northern Maine General, the Hope and Justice Project and other local organizations. The career fair was a beneficial opportunity, not only for students, but also employers and schools. Perhaps Tammy Foster of Loring Job Corps summed it up best with her statement about attending the fair Scott Delcourt of UMaine at Career Fair. and recruiting students:

Learning Outside the Box

Shara Gardner STAFF WRITER

Education is constantly changing and evolving. The College of Education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle has set out to bridge the gaps between the public schools and higher education by developing new and innovative ways to strengthen these relationships. Professional Development Schools give a better education to the students in the public schools and to the interns who are educators in training. This is a winning relationship for everyone involved!

UMPI entered into a PDS relationship with the Teague Park Elementary School in Caribou in 2008. This relationship expanded to include other schools in the Caribou district: the high school and middle school, which have both been involved, but to a lesser degree.

“I absolutely love it! I feel the PDS really has given me better opportunities to learn,” Danielle Pelkey, Teague Park PDS intern, said.

In the following year, 2009, UMPI signed a memorandum of understanding with the Presque Isle School district, with the high school, middle school, and Pine Street elementary school all becoming actively involved.

And in 2010, UMPI signed an MoU with the Maine School of Science and Mathematics.

Although no research projects have been developed, anecdotal evidence overwhelmingly supports the yearlong-internship as being a superior experience to the traditional 15 week student teaching practicum.

“I feel that I’ve made connections with the students, my

cooperating teacher and the other faculty that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to make during the traditional 15 week student teaching placement,” Stephanie Pemberton,

Presque Isle middle school PDS intern, said.

The interns are treated as — and act as — full faculty members.

“You are their (the students) teacher: they listen to us. They know and respect me. I feel

like I’m a staff member at Teague Park and not just a student teacher intern,” Alexis Gerebin, Teague Park PDS intern, said.

This is based on numerous conversations between UMPI PDS members and our PDS partners, including mentor teachers, school administrators and student teaching supervisors. It is a goal of the UMPI PDS members to document this information with scientific evidence – and to include our PDS partners in the research project.

Documentation collected from teachers at Teague Park and Pine Street Elementary schools demonstrates that our students are progressing toward the Maine State Initial Teacher Standards. These documented observations are collected fol-

lowing our visits to their schools when students implement their Before, During, and After reading activities.

The overwhelming sentiment from all of the PDS interns and their cooperating teachers is that this is a far superior student teaching opportunity when compared to the original standard 15 week placement. The students and teachers benefit from having an extra hand in the classroom. The interns benefit from seeing the entire school year from start to finish, which is not something that can be done during the standard student teaching practicum. SAD#1 Superintendent Gehrig Johnson, was quoted as saying his district views these interns as teachers who already have a year’s teaching experience when they are applying for jobs.

Everyone benefits when PDS is an option!

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U n i ve r si ty Ti me s ! VOICE ! A pr il 1 3 . 2 012

Meeting of the Minds

Stephanie Corriveau STAFF WRITER

In real life, the human brain may appear gray, but that doesn’t mean you have to paint it that way. On March 14, students and community members painted human brain molds in a

Hannah said.

After the short clip, Hannah spoke about the brain’s “wiring.” She also gave attendees a handout skewing the different brain lobes. Once she finished her presentation, the group went to the art studio and

Participants using their brains. variety of shades, from bold streaks to bright and flashy colors. This event, which is called “NeuroArt Night,” was hosted

by Dr. Rachael Hannah and Hyrum Benson for Brain Awareness Week.

The event kicked off with an introduction by Hannah, who spoke to the people in attendance about the brain.

“We had a short presentation where I showed my latest [brain] video that I liked,”

the creative juices began to flow. Before the event, Benson had used a Halloween Jell-O mold to create brains from plaster. Since there were enough brains, people could keep their creations.

“Everybody had the choice to take a brain if they wanted to,” Hannah said.

Hannah was impressed with the variety of ways people in attendance painted the

brains. She said that one cou- may only be utilizing 10 per- about a scientific matter,” Jennings said. ple took turns decorating cent of our potential.

NeuroArt Night participants Bryan Jennings took part halves of their mold. Another person painted their brain as in the event to learn about also had the chance to get great if a stroke was taking place. how the brain functions. He brain awareness materials, such Robyn Oster, a student partic- enjoyed getting to view the as brochures, pins, pencils, ipant, enjoyed painting her final painted products and stickers and brain-shaped brain. She explained that, while they worked, the participants also asked Hannah questions about the brain and its functions.

“It was fun to just have an open discussion about the brain,” Oster said.

Hannah also appreciated the chance to have this discussion.

She said that, although some of the answers are still unknown, she believes that medical technology will help uncover more about the brain’s mysteries.

The NeuroArt Night event achieved its purpose: to educate people about the brain. “[The goal was] to give people a forum to think about our brains and give them more information about what our brains are doing at any given moment,” Hannah said.

In addition, Hannah said she Rachel Hannah with students and community wanted to correct the myth that members. people only use 10 percent of erasers. Overall, the event was their brains at any given time. hearing Hannah’s talk.

“My favorite part was lis- an exciting way to get people This doesn’t mean that we use only 10 percent of the brain’s tening to Dr. Hannah and how thinking about the brain, structures. Rather, she said we enthused she was to talk beyond the shades of gray.

Missing In Action Ben Pinette

STAFF WRITER

It was quite a shock to Justin Fereshetian, president of UMPI’s disc golf club, when he noticed something just wasn’t quite right about the disc golf course one day. According to Fereshetian, the basket for hole 14 had been stolen.

“I first noticed that the basket was missing at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, and the last time I saw it was at 4 pm on Friday, March 23, so the theft had to have happened sometime in between those two times,” Fereshetian said.

Fereshetian acted quickly and called the Presque Isle Police Department and filed a report. As of April 3, unfortunately, there have been no leads in regard to who took the basket.

“It was evident that someone drove their truck up to it, attached some chains and ripped it out of the ground,” Fereshetian said.

There’s one piece of equipment that may help the police and the disc golf club learn just who could have stole the basket: the security cameras located around campus.

“I’m hoping that our secu-

rity cameras on campus and the Presque Isle Police Department can help us narrow it down,” Fereshetian said.

In the meantime, Fereshetian and the disc golf club wasted no time, deciding to go without hole 14. A disc golf tournament will be held on Saturday, April 14. All proceeds will go to raising funds for a new basket.

“I was planning on doing a disc golf tourney anyway at some point this semester probably something in conjunction with University Day, but not as a fundraiser. We decided it would be a great idea for the club to recover from the recent

theft,” Fereshetian said.

Donations have come in already from businesses in town such as Lowe’s, The Pizza Box and Harry’s Honda for the tournament on April 14. For more information about the tournament fundraiser, or if you have any leads into who stole the basket, contact Fereshetian at jfereshetian@yahoo.com or the Presque Isle Police Department at 207764-4476.

Since this story was written, the disc golf basket has been found, repaired and put back in place.

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13

There’s Gotta Be an Easier Way

Kathleen York STAFF WRITER

Dancersize the Pounds Away Mika Ouellette

answer to your question.

Dancersize is an exercise Two months into your New program involving aerobic Years’ resolution to exercise exercise done through dancing more, you’re became bored that is similar to the popular with your current exercise rou- dance and exercise routine, tine. You wanted to try a new Zumba. It began this past and far more exciting form of semester on campus in exercise than just going to the February and will continued to gym and zoning out on the be held until March 22 on treadmill with your iPod. You Tuesdays and Thursdays at wondered what to do until you noon in Gentile Hall. This class was open to all UMPI students, faculty and staff. You did not need to be an experienced dancer to sign up for this class.

“We do simple, repetitive dance moves that work the arms, legs and mid-section,” Emily Keaton, UMPI student and program instructor, said.

Keaton is a junior majoring in elementary education and an experienced dancer. She began dancing at the Maine Dance Academy in her hometown of Caribou at the age of 8. She was inspired to begin Dancersize by the love her academic advisor, Barb Chalou, has for Zumba.

Keaton also had a desire to offer Emily Keaton, program such an exercise program on campus. Keaton is also the choinstructor. reographer and vice president of UMPI’s dance team.

Although the program has saw a flier for a new exercise class on campus called ended, don’t be afraid to get “Dancersize.” At the time , involved. For more information, might have wondered what it you may visit the Admissions was. Then you found the Office on campus.

STAFF WRITER

into the UMPI home page, go here, sign in to Blackboard....

Well, if it’s the same username and password, why am I signing in so many times?”

The portal, she said, will fix that. Once members of the UMPI network — be it a student, faculty or staff member — sign in to the portal, they’ll be able to access everything that’s UMPI-related through either a LaunchPad or deeplinking. Deep-linking is a link that, for example, takes you directly to your grades on MaineStreet. And all you have to do is sign in once to the por-

messages, announcements and much more.

All of this content is being tested and perfected by a few “borrowed” technicians from UMF, Wallingford, Computer Services and Dr. Jacquelyn Lowman’s Business Communication class. The class is fixing most of the actual content, as well as checking links and making sure the portal overall is in working order.

Divided into four teams of five, the class has split the workload among themselves and will continue to work on it until the end of the semester.

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to log in to more than one place at a time but couldn’t? You want to check your e-mail, MaineStreet and Blackboard, but you don’t have much time to do so. Like other UMPI students, faculty and staff, you go to the home page and scroll through the tabs, looking for the link that will bring you to MaineStreet and Blackboard. When you finally find them and click on them, you are redirected to their respective pages and are prompted to sign in. With email, particularly G-Mail, you have to log in again just to get to that as well. In total, you have to log in three times to get to all these places, four times if you’re working on a network computer on campus. Have you wondered if there’s a more convenient way to get to all these places by logging in only once or, at most, twice?

Thanks to the new portal that’s being developed for UMPI, there will be.

The portal is an intranet that was first developed in the uni- Erin McIntyre and Pat Kinsey working on UMPIʼs portal. versity system by the University When the question arose of Maine at Farmington. tal to do it.

“Now it’s less confusing,” about the class’s thoughts on Within the last few months, the board of trustees has decided Wallingford said, as she logged the portal, they were of the that every school in the in to her work-in-progress por- same opinion.

“It has a long way to go,” UMaine System will have its tal account and went straight to own portal in the hopes of MaineStreet without having to Pat Kinsey, a student, said with a grin. eliminating repeated log-ins to log in again.

On top of decreasing the “The portal has a long way sites such as MaineStreet, number of times a person needs to come, but it will be a useful Blackboard and G-Mail.

JoAnne Wallingford, UMPI to log in, the portal will also tool,” Erin McIntyre, another library director and one of the have links that are provided on student, added.

“The portal, if all goes well, people on-campus involved in the UMPI Web page that are the project, was asked about tailored specifically to seasoned will be up and running by the the UMPI portal. Her first students, faculty and staff who end of the semester, if not and foremost point concerned are familiar with the content. shortly thereafter,” Wallingford These links will include content said. “It will at least have the convenience.

Sitting at her computer, she for Academics, the Writing LaunchPad and some deepdemonstrated the lengths that Center, the Library and linking ready.”

When the portal goes faculty, staff and students have Athletics. Also, each member of to go through just to get to the portal will have personal live, the portal team will be something such as a Blackboard options for a blog, adding eager for suggestions of class or to input their work Friends through the portal, pri- how they can make it better. hours on MaineStreet. “Go vate messaging among Friends, Stay tuned.

C

ommunity

14 !

April 13. 2012

Cole DuMonthier STAFF WRITER

On Saturday, March 17, Gentile Hall was filled with thundering cheers as the Aroostook Snow Dogs charged into the gymnasium. This team of fine athletes has been training since November with help of some of UMPI’s own basket-

A Team of MVPs

ball players. As soon as the game began, it was obvious that the Snow Dogs had come to play as they scored the opening points of the game. The gym roared as the Snow Dog made basket after basket. Snow Dog head coach Brian Hamel, who also did a magnificent job as a referee, made sure that every

Snow Dogs and UMPI athletes after a well played game.

member of his team got a chance to play and also handle the ball. The Snow Dogs showed the skills they had learned during the last few months and played exceptionally well as a team, with lots of nice passes and hand offs.

“Lots of lessons were learned by both teams. Skills

have improved since November. There have been a lot of life skills learned,” Hamel said about the game and the experience.

After the game was finished and the Snow Dogs took a team picture, they were presented with gifts by UMPI men’s basketball head coach Jim

Casciano. Each player received a few gifts such as t-shirts, wrist bands, posters with UMPI game schedules and also an invitation to attend any and all UMPI basketball games. As the Snow Dog players received their t-shirts and posters, the UMPI players in attendance signed posters and t-shirts presented to them. There was a lot of camaraderie between the UMPI players and the Snow Dog team.

When asked about the road to the game Snow Dog, supporter Sally Burnell said, “It was a lot of fun. We improved greatly, didn’t have much conditioning before.

We really improved playing as a team.”

Both teams did exceptionally well and it was great to see such devoted and enthusiastic players on both sides. We hope that we will see the Snow Dogs back for another game soon.

Want to help a great cause?

UMPI Relay For Life team is selling tickets for its gift certificate bag. (Itʼs a shopping extravaganza -- an almost $1300 value. You get them all if we draw your name.)

Tickets are: 1 ticket for $1 or 7 tickets for $5.

You can purchase them in the Financial Aid Office here on campus.

Drawing will be June 1 at our Aroostook Relay for Life event in Caribou.

All proceeds are going to the local American Cancer Society.

S

ports April 13. 2012

! 15

Field of Dreams

the sox ended up being elimi- high, as always. But this year “I hope they finish third,” nated after such a big advan- is different: they have a new baseball head coach Leo tage. Long faces and comments manager, a new general man- Saucier said.

What happened last season such as, “I can’t believe what ager and all baseball fans are The coming Major (2011) will go down in infamy in just happened” and “This is talking about it.

League Baseball season will the history of the Red Sox, to what the Red Sox do, they We asked a couple of stube one of the most exciting the joy of the Rays. The Red break your heart” were comdent what they expect for this of the last couple of years.

Sox had a bad month, despite mon in the dorms. new season.

Red Sox fans remember the Anyway, Tampa played in the “I think they will go deep way last season ended, with playoffs but they didn’t so well: into the playoffs. But since they the Rays knocking the Red like division fellow the New are under new management, Sox out of a playoff berth York Yankees. The Yankees met they won’t go as far as every- on the very last day. So this the Tigers in the division series body hopes,” UMPI student season all Red Sox fans are and were knocked out in the and baseball player Jake looking for atonement. first playoff round.

Fillebrown said.

Toronto had one more year to stay at least 50 percent of games won. This is something the Orioles have not been able to boast for several seasons, since after a good first quarter last year, they fell sharply during the next three.

Once again we face the most competitive division in all of Major League Baseball.

Why? Because the Yankees are getting old but are still the Yankees. Because the Rays were able to fit very well last year and the addition of players this year, they are expected to be even stronger. It is expected that the Red Sox will take a winning road with a new management staff.

It seems that this is the year where anything can happen in the east, even to repeating the same teams who are candiEvan Longoria (RAYS) after he hit a walk off homerun dates. But this time any team could win the American to eliminate the Boston Red Sox. League east division. It’s true having a team full of stars that of the playoffs in a dramatic that experience shows that anything is possible between had been neck and neck with final match. these five teams, rather than As a New England team, the Yankees for the American everybody at UMPI had been just the top three.

Dustin Pedria, second baseman for the Boston Red League east division. The following.

After that episode, The expectations for the Sox. experts had projected about they kept talking about how Red Sox this year are very 100 wins last season.

Carlos Villoria STAFF WRITER

Instead we saw the slaughter of a team that had a ninegame lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the wild card race with one month to go.

But it wasn’t enough for the Red Sox and they finished out

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April 13. 2012

GOP: Gay-Obsessed Party

Dick Harrison CONTRIBUTOR

Last December in a Washington Post opinion piece, Post editorial board member Jonathan Capehart pointed out how Republicans have become a gay-obsessed party. “They’re either signing marriage pledges or bemoaning the demise of ‘don’t ask don’t tell,’ the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military….

GOP candidates are openly discussing how they would block gays from sharing fully in the American Dream and avail themselves of the rights, responsibilities and protections it provides their families.”

Here’s just a small sample: Congressional candidate Samuel Werzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber: “It’s wrong.

People don’t understand the dictionary — it’s called queer.

Queer means strange and unusual. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual.

And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children.”

Michele Bachman: Homosexuality is “personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement.”

Opposing a resolution honoring their 100th anniversary, Indiana State Representative Bob Morris called the Girl Scouts “a radicalized organization” that “promote[s] homosexual lifestyles,” and is “subverted in the name of lib-

eral progressive politics and the destruction of traditional American family values.”

“Boys who decide to claim a transgender or cross-dressing life-style are permitted to become a member of a Girl Scout troop, performing crafts with the girls and participating in overnight and camping activities – just like any real girl.”

Janice Daniels, mayor of Troy, Michigan: “I think I am going to throw away my ‘I Love New York’ carrying bag now that queers can get married there.” And then, after meeting with the Troy High School Gay-Straight Alliance, which was seeking to mend ties with the mayor, Daniels said she wanted to invite psychologists who would testify that homosexuality is a mental disease.

The honorary chair of Rick Santorum’s Florida campaign, Rev. O’Neal Dozier: Homosexuality is “something so nasty and disgusting that it makes

God want to vomit.” After Florida Governor Jeb Bush appointed Dozier to serve on a key judicial nominating commission, Dozier claimed, “I helped [Bush] pick his judges in the state.”

Rick Perry: “I don’t agree that openly gays should be serving in the military. ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was working.”

Michigan Senate Republicans passed a bullying bill — not an anti-bullying bill — that allows kids to be bullied by anyone: teachers, fellow students, school employees, volunteers and parents, if they can provide a so-called religious or moral reason for their actions.

Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona: Straight marriages deserve “special” rights and gay marriage is a “threat to the nation’s survival.” He would “absolutely . . . support” the impeachment of President Obama over the Administration’s refusal to defend the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court.

Her man Cain supports a federal ban on sames ex m a r r i a g e.

The Republican executive committee in Laurens County, South Carolina, unanimously approved the requirement that GOP candidates sign a pledge that they are not gay, did not or will not have sex before marriage, and will not watch pornography.

New Hampshire State

Representative David Bates led the effort to repeal the state’s same-sex marriage law; repeal was defeated.

Newt Gingrich: “I think (same-sex marriage) is a temporary aberration that will dissipate. I think that it just fundamentally goes against everything we know.” “It’s pretty simple: marriage is between a man and a woman…. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it’s a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization.” Gingrich referred to married gay couples as “friends,” rather than spouses.

He told a gay Iowa voter that gays should vote for Obama, especially if marriage equality is at all important to them.

There are at least 131,000 married same-sex couples nationwide (per the 2010 census, before New York State legalized same-sex marriage in 2011). Rick Santorum wants to un-marry all of them with an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to prohibit samesex marriages. He has referred to Woodstock as “the great American orgy. This is who the Democratic Party has become. They have become the party of Woodstock. They

prey upon our most basic primal lusts, and that’s sex. And the whole abortion culture, it’s not about life. It’s about sexual freedom. That’s what it’s about. Homosexuality. It’s about sexual freedom.”

Santorum has falsely claimed that President Obama “has instructed his military chaplains to marry …gays and lesbians.” The Department of Defense memo actually says, “A chaplain is not required to participate in or officiate a private ceremony if doing so would be in variance with the tenets of his or her religion or personal beliefs.”

Mitt Romney: “I think (Obama) is very aggressively trying to pave the path to same-sex marriage. I would, unlike this president, defend the Defense of Marriage Act. I would also propose and promote once again an amendment to the Constitution to define marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman.” On “Meet the Press,” Romney claimed, “I don’t discriminate,” but also said, “I oppose same-sex marriage and that has been my view.” He balks at having same-sex relationships called marriage. “There is every right for people in this country to form long-term committed relationships with one another. That doesn’t mean that they have to call it marriage.”

Uni ve r si ty Ti me s ! VOICE ! A pr il 1 3 . 2 012

Nature or Nurture Dear Ms. Lowman, Re: “Hate Groups Push AntiGay messages.”

Mr. Harrison writes that “The SPLC’s list of anti-gay groups is based on their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities….” If one of the falsehoods is that gays are born that way and therefore cannot change, this is flatly untrue. Both older and more recent scientific studies show that while genetics does play a role in sexual orientation, it

is not the only factor.

Take for example quotes from the following articles: Homosexuality 101: What Every Therapist, Parent, And Homosexual Should Know Julie Harren, Ph.D., LMFT “Homosexuality is an issue that has often been mishandled by therapists due to misinformation on the topic.

Although not supported by the research, many therapists believe that homosexuality is solely biological in nature, and therefore unchangeable. Yet despite ongoing efforts, researchers have not discovered a bio-

logical basis for same-sex attractions. In fact, many researchers hypothesize that a homosexual orientation stems from a combination of biological and environmental factors.” http://narth.com/docs/hom 101.html Latest Twin Study Confirms Genetic Contribution to SSA Is Minor.

As in previous studies, identical twins usually differ for SSA.

By N.E. Whitehead, Ph.D. “Twin studies are favorites of mine because of the potential light they throw on the origins

of same-sex attractions (SSA).

The latest one (Santtila et al., 2008) is three times larger than any previous study -- in fact, larger than all the rest put together. Does this latest study teach us something new? Quick answer: No. It confirms the best recent studies, which tell us that genetic factors are minor; non-genetic factors are major....

Also, we see a continuation of an already-established trend — the more recent and betterconducted the study, the smaller the detected genetic influence on SSA.” http://narth.com/docs/ismin or.html

SAVE THE DATE!

17 2002 Study Shows The I m port ance Of Soc ial Fac t o r s, C an no t Det ect Genetic Factors in SSA

By N. E. Whitehead, Ph.D., Lower Hutt, New Zealand “T he c onclu sion is th e same: current data provide little evidence to support the conclusion that homosexuality is hardwired.” http://narth.com/docs/d etect.html And the list goes on from there.

Chris Hearn tohearns@yahoo.com

16th Annual Spring Ball Theme: Fire & Ice FRIDAY, APRIL 27 6:30 - 11:30 p.m.

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April 13. 2012

i fest yl e

The Reel Deal: ‘Soul Surfer’

Stephanie Corriveau STAFF WRITER

PG 106 minutes **** You’ve heard the saying that “life isn’t always easy.” In the movie “Soul Surfer,” Bethany Hamilton — Anna Sophia Robb — faces one of the hardest challenges that life can throw. Based on a true story, “Soul Surfer” tells the tale of a young female surfer.

Hamilton’s at the top of her game, with people convinced

she’ll be a professional surfer one day. It seems as though she’ll certainly reach her dreams until a shocking shark encounter changes her fate.

The shark takes her arm.

Hamilton wants to return to the waves, but she discovers how much of a struggle this will be. Will she be able to surf and be successful once again? Or will she change her path in life?

You may have heard about Hamilton’s story on the past news shows. It’s truly inspirational. Even if you don’t

know much about surfing, you can still identify with Hamilton. After all, if you wouldn’t be able to participate in an activity that you’re passionate about, you’d probably be discouraged as well. “Soul Surfer” can make you consider how lucky you are, even on your bad days.

Although the film isn’t new (it’s been out for a while now), it may be one of the movies that you just haven’t had a chance to see. Don’t let “Soul Surfer” sit on the store’s movie rentals’ shelf any longer.

Announcing: UMPI’s Creative Spirit Photo Contest Here is the chance for you to show your creative spirit. Share your view of the UMPI campus through your eyes.

Between now and April 20, take pictures of UMPI-- the students, staff, activities, grounds, snow, buildings, etc.

Select your favorite photos and enter UMPI’s Creative Spirit Photo Contest.

Contest Criteria Must be a current UMPI student Must submit your own work Photographs must be 4x6, 5x7 or 8x10 Subject must show or be about UMPI (A student may enter up to two photos in each of the 3 categories) Most CREATIVE UMPI Photo· Having FUN at UMPI Photo· Best Photo of UMPI Scene Photos must include your name, contact number, category you are entering, title, specific location where photo was taken and names of subjects if applicable on the back of the photo. The photograph(s) will be returned to the student.

Please bring your photos to the Reception Desk in South Hall by Friday, April 20, 2012.

Pictures will be displayed and voting will be done by students, faculty and staff.

Winners will be announced at the Student Appreciation Picnic on Thursday, May 3, 2012.

For more information: Contact Bonnie DeVaney, UMPI Pride Committee chair, 768-9750, 205 South Hall, Barbara.devaney@umpi.edu UMPI’s Creative Spirit Student Photo Contest is sponsored by the UMPI Pride Committee.

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Unive r si ty Ti m e s ! LIFESTYLE ! A p ri l 1 3 . 2 01 2

Six Billion Planets Jim Stepp

CONTRIBUTOR

As late as the 17th century, many people believed the Earth was the center of the universe.

Then a Polish astronomer by the name of Miko aj Kopernik (in English, Nicolaus Capernicus) wrote a book called ”De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” or “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres.” This book was published just prior to his death in 1543. In this book Copernicus outlined a revolutionary idea: the sun was the center of the center of the universe.

Few astronomers of the time believed in Copernicus’ model of a sun centered universe.

Then came Galileo. Through the use of his primitive telescope, Galileo was able to see the phases of the planet Venus, he discovered the four large moons of Jupiter and saw them revolve around it, and he observed the rotation of the sun. Each of these items provided proof that the Earth was not the center of the universe.

Of course, none of this provided proof that the sun wasn’t the center of the universe.

At this time, the Catholic Church was all powerful in Europe and it was common belief by the church that God would surely place us at the center of the universe. If the Earth wasn’t the center, then the sun must be. It was also believed that since the Bible didn’t mention other planets, there could not be planets or life anywhere else in the universe.

Now let’s look at what we know 469 years after “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres.” It is now accepted in astronomy circles that neither the Earth, nor the Sun, is at the center of the universe.

Evidence is also mounting that there are a large number of planets circling many of the stars.

There is an article in the April edition of the journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” discussing recent research that

has attempted to answer the question of “just how many planets are circling stars in the Milky Way galaxy?” This study looked at 102 red dwarf stars, the most common star in the universe, to see if these stars had planets orbiting them and if these planets were in the star’s

this study, please go to www.space.com/15060-billions-habitable-alien-planetsred-dwarfs.html.

THE NIGHT SKY The International Space Station is visible in the evening sky between through April 28.

Sunrise Sunset Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus

– Farthest from the Earth – This is the second most distant apogee of the year – 406,500 km or 252,600 miles from Earth.

04/25 04:26 18:34 03:48 – 03:54 18:36 – 22:30 19:06 – 02:36 18:48 – 19:36 19:06 – 03:54 Not visible

04/22@15:29 Mercury degrees north of Uranus.

04/13@05:49 Last Quarter Moon.

04/14@19:50 The ISS passes 0.5 degrees from Venus.

04/15 Wilbur Wright was born 145 years ago (1867).

04/15 Leonardo DaVinci was born 560 years ago (1452).

04/15@00:00 Mercury at Aphelion – Furthest from the sun - 69.8175 million km or 43.3826 million miles.

04/15@02:20 The RMS Titanic breaks up and sinks after hitting an iceberg two hours and 40 minutes earlier.

04/15@12:00 Saturn at Opposition – Directly behind the Earth and closest to the Earth – 1,304 million km or 810.6 million miles.

habitable zone, the correct orbital distance at which liquid water may exist on a planet.

This study showed that there were nine earth sized planets found orbiting around the 102 stars in the study. Of these nine planets, two were in the habitable zone around their parent stars. Given that the Milky Way has about 300 billion stars, this study would suggest that there could be as many as 27 billion earth sized planets and possibly six billion earth sized planets in the habitable zones of their parent star. With six billion possible earth like planets in our galaxy, the odds of another planet with life on it look good.

For more information about

The International Space Station is visible in the morning sky after May 20.

Go to www.heavensabove.com for exact times and locations. You will 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 Planet visibility times are based on the planet being at least 5 degrees high and 30 minutes from either sunrise or sunset.

04/18@12:23 Mercury at greatest elongation – 27.5 deg. west - visible in the morning sky.

04/18@15:00 Moon degrees from Mercury.

04:20@23:36 Mercury Dichotomy/Half Phase.

7.0 at

04/21@02:18 New Moon – This is the farthest away New Moon of the year.

04/21@03:00 April Lyrids visible from 19:42 to 03:24 - five meteors/hour.

04/22@02:00 April Lyrids peak visible from 19:42 to 03:18 – seven meteors/hour.

04/22@09:02 Moon at Apogee

04/22@19:00 Moon degrees from Jupiter.

2 3.2

04/23@03:00 April Lyrids visible from 19:42 to 03:18 - five meteors/hour.

04/23@19:28 The ISS passes 1.2 degrees from Arcturus.

04/24@20:04 The ISS passes 1.5 degrees from the moon.

04/24@20:42 Moon degrees from Venus.

6.7

04/25@19:12 The ISS passes 1.3 degrees from Saturn.

04/26@19:48 The ISS passes 1.3 degrees from Betelgeuse.

04/28 Day.

National Astronomy

04/29@04:57 First Quarter Moon.

04/30@17:06 Venus at its brightest – Magnitude -4.52.

05/01@03:29 Moon degrees from Mars.

7.3

05/04@19:18 Moon degrees from Saturn.

7.4

05/05@22:35 Full Moon – This is the biggest Full Moon of the year.

05/05@22:40 Moon at Perigee – Closest to the Earth – This is the closest perigee of the year – 356,900 km or 221,800 miles from Earth.

05/12@16:46 Last Quarter Moon.

05/13@08:23 Jupiter in conjunction with the sun – furthest from the Earth.

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Have you heard?

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s e z i r P r oo

Gam es

The U Times and WUPI will be having an Open House!

When: Thursday, April 26 Time: 4-7 p.m.

Where: Normal Hall 102 Come on down and meet the staff writers and the DJs, enjoy some delicious food and have some fun!