Amidst the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities across the nation have been doing their part to provide ample assistance to their students in need. The University of Maine has created dozens of online resources and multiple websites that are now available to students, parents and university faculty. 

Not only does the university have online resources for students centered around learning and academic information, but they also have routinely updated information about COVID-19. The Collins Center for the Arts (CCA) website and the Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard website are just a few of the newly-created online sources meant for students to enjoy. 

The CCA has created a temporary website to give students access to hundreds of videos, event updates and performances, including a virtual talent showcase. There are six sections of the webpage available, and each has its own list of activities and resources.

One of these sections is the Virtual Talent Showcase, a contest created by the CCA to keep students making music and creating art. The center will award three winners with cash prizes of various amounts, giving away $1,000 in total. The judges are looking for videos of self-produced music unaccompanied by background tracks or music that isn’t the artist’s own. Students must upload submissions to YouTube and submit the link on the talent showcase online form. The deadline to enter is May 15 at noon. The top 10 videos will be posted to the CCA website and their YouTube channel.

The Cooperative Extension is an online resource for home gardeners who are looking for a community to connect with and share gardening videos, tips and tricks. There are hundreds of videos listed on the website that are available for free viewing, and they range widely in topic and type of gardening. There are video categories on insect pests and plant diseases, general gardening, fruits, vegetables, pruning, lawn and composting. The website also includes a list of related resources that include links to UMaine site pages on topics like soil testing and food preservation. 

The Cooperative Extension website also includes a link to their publications catalog, which is home to a variety of free and paid articles, books, journals and other gardening-related reading materials. The catalog includes texts like “The Bee Keeper’s Handbook,” “GardenPro Answer Book,” “Home Composting” and over 19 pages of other texts. 

The University of Maine is doing its part to provide ample resources and entertainment for students who are engaging in online course work while social distancing and staying at home. Although the UMaine campus is currently closed, its online presence is more prominent than ever and includes many resources to help keep students active, involved, engaged and learning. 

Social distancing, shelter-in-place guidelines and self-isolation have become the new normal for many Americans over the last few weeks. Although forced to stay separated from many loved ones and friends, students and other young adults have been finding solace in animal companions. 

Household pets have been known for their ability to help provide relief and aid for pet owners who suffer from mental health disorders and many common illnesses. Certain adults who suffer from anxiety or depression can often turn to pets to calm their stress levels and provide companionship in times of struggle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever that people find ways to stay calm and enjoy themselves while being cooped up and separated. 

“Having my cat with me during this difficult time has been so helpful and allowed me to keep up with my mental health,” fourth-year secondary education and math student Becca Campbell said. 

There have been thousands of reported statistics showing the negative effects that social distancing and self-isolation can have on a person during this time, and many medical sites and news articles are offering possible tips and tricks for helping to “fight the corona blues.”  Household pets have been one way that people are trying to combat these feelings of depression and self-isolation, allowing the chance for millions of animals to be adopted out of shelters around the world.

“My dog has definitely been spending more time with me, he usually doesn’t like to. It’s gotten to the point where he follows me upstairs for bedtime,” third-year social work student Mariah Davis said. “He’s been really comforting, especially when I’m having a bad day and he comes into my room and just lays next to me. He’s an almost 14-year-old rat terrier.”

Dogs and cats are two of the most popular household pets to own and adopt among college students due to their activity levels and emotional support. Pets can allow you to stay active and make sure you are having fun while being away from friends and unable to do many everyday activities. Although many beaches and parks are closed in the country, there are still a variety of natural outdoor locations where students can spend time isolating and making sure their pet gets everything they need to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

“I bond with my dog Hermes because his personality is similar to mine. Whenever he sees me stressing, he lays down on me and forces me to calm down, and it’s exactly what I need at that moment,” second-year anthropology student Autumn Rogers said. “My other dog, Apollo, is extremely energetic and loves playing, which helps get me out of a depressive episode when he drops a toy on my lap. They both greet everyone in the family and give us so much love.”

Bangor Humane Society and other adoption centers in the local area have seen an influx of students and young adults coming by to adopt a new pet. Many adoption centers around the country have announced their lack of availability due to the increase in adoptions, and some are now completely empty, with all the animals in a new home. One positive thing that has come out of this pandemic is the fact that thousands of pets now have homes and can keep their new owners company while also providing them relief and aid during this time. To see the Bangor Humane Society’s current listings of animals available for adoption, please visit https://www.bangorhumane.org/adoption/pet-listings/dogs-and-puppies/.

Moving to online classes has been a challenging transition for both students and faculty at the University of Maine. With in-person classes suspended for the rest of the spring semester, UMaine has shifted to holding university classes online, leading to an increased need for access to online platforms and resources. 

Many professors and faculty are turning to online programs such as Zoom and Blackboard to communicate with students and assign materials. Zoom, a downloadable video chat program available to UMaine students, is a free way to interact with students and peers in a virtual classroom setting. Blackboard, a commonly used online academic resource, is also being used by a majority of teachers and students in order to continue classwork from home. Both can be accessed by logging into Mainestreet or email and provide a foundation for moving all classes online. Students are also completing schoolwork via Google Classroom, Box and other sites.

During this time of change, there are many ways to tackle online assignments and to find help from home. Zoom and Blackboard are efficient for use in communication and submitting assignments, but there are plenty of other online tools out there to help with studying and organizing online materials. There are hundreds of online study websites and blogs available to students free of charge that could end up being a saving grace while trying to manage online classwork. 

Quizlet 

Quizlet is a free website (Quizlet.com) that can be used for studying and creating online resources. The website provides access to thousands of pre-made study sets that can be narrowed down via search terms like class name, number and subject. Quizlet also gives you the opportunity to interact with those study materials or create and use your own in an easy-to-use platform. Flashcards, tests, quizzes and study games are all available for free and are automatically generated and created by the website once you enter in the information you want to study. 

GoConqr

GoConqr is another academic site that includes many of the same study tools as Quizlet where both students and teachers can create and share materials. What is unique about GoConqr is the ability to create mind maps on the site, which allow you to organize your studying material in creative ways that match your pattern of thinking.

Grammarly

Another widely-used resource for students, Grammarly is a free online writing assistant that aids in finding small grammatical errors in papers and other pieces of writing. The site is free but can be upgraded to premium. Grammarly also has a new feature called a “tone detector” where students can get feedback on the tone and friendliness of an email or writing sample. You can add Grammarly to Safari or Google Chrome to be able to have access to it while writing on platforms like Twitter, Gmail, Facebook or Google docs. It can help find synonyms, check spelling, fix grammatical mistakes and also help check for plagiarism in the paid version. 

Although in-person instruction has come to an end for the spring semester, resources like Grammarly, Quizlet and GoConqr are free and available to college students online. For more resources and study tips, visit online.umaine.edu/tips-for-online-students/ or usm.maine.edu/agile/covid-19-academic-support-resources. 

In light of recent situations, many students have been turning to Netflix to cure their boredom and blues. One show that has blown up on social media is Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” a limited miniseries that came out in March. The series is a tell-all documentary about the life of Joe Exotic and his crew, who reside in Oklahoma. Joe Exotic owned a cat park for big cats called Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park and takes pride in his large collection of big cats. Exotic will do anything and everything he can to keep his cats and keep his money, bullying and illegally breeding tiger cubs, which has caused a stir in the animal rights community and has raised questions about the possible abuse the animals could be facing. 

Exotic exposes his eccentric personality to viewers in this series and makes it known that he will never be forgotten, even as he sits in jail. The series is rated TV-MA, and features seven episodes averaging about 45 minutes each. Each episode contains footage of Exotic’s daily routine running the park.

One of the main plotlines of the show is Exotic’s interaction with other big cat park owners and animal rights activists. Carole Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida, is Exotic’s enemy in the series and is the topic of much of his conversations and over-the-top rants. Baskin owns the largest exotic animal sanctuary in the country and has competed against Exotic for decades. 

Exotic is notorious for his lavish lifestyle in this series, and is regarded by his employees and friends as very eccentric and rule-bending. He always seems to be on the hunt to make more money, which drives much of the events in the show and encourages many of his enemies to try and take his business down. 

Each episode includes a variety of interviews that feature past employees of the zoo, Exotic’s family and friends and his romantic partners. Exotic and his lifestyle have been the inspiration for a number of memes on social media, mocking him for his eccentric personality and unique country music performances. He has also been the focus of public critique in his aggressive treatment of Baskin and the videos he has published online taunting her.

Exotic uses humor and drama to captivate the people in his life and to keep them coming back to work for him. He is a gun-wielding patriot who takes pride in having freedom and being able to defy the law and get away with it. Ironically, Exotic is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for a variety of charges including a murder-for-hire conspiracy. There is currently talk on social media about Exotic’s request for pardon from the president of the United States, as well as talk of a second season of “Tiger King.”

Although Joe Exotic might not be the most honest or morally virtuous man on the planet, he is definitely entertaining. 

On March 7 in the Margaret Smith Policy Center of the York Complex, Andrea Mercado and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) hosted a panel discussion titled, “Supporting Diverse Women’s Life Experiences.” Featuring three panelists’ presentations and a question and answer style discussion, the event lasted for over two hours and allowed community members to interact with women who each had unique experiences. 

Mary Cathcart, a member of the AAUW Penobscot Valley Branch, began the event with an introduction and explained the goals and purpose of the AAUW organization, which was founded in 1865. The organization helps to put on events and raise money for scholarships for college-aged women. It also provides funding for different women’s organizations. Many of the women involved in the organization were present at the event to answer questions.

“It’s so important to celebrate people of diversity on campus and in our community,” Cathcart said. “One of our goals is to advocate for women and girls, particularly in education.” 

The first panelist of the discussion was University of Maine Professor Paige Mitchell. Mitchell presented on “Dolls and Divas: Women and Self-Actualization.” She reported her findings that she has discovered through research, as well as from working with both university women on campus and with incarcerated women from the Penobscot County Jail. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. through the university while also working in the English department’s Writing Center, training students to become peer-tutors, and teaching English 101, among other courses. 

Her work focuses on how terms used to describe women, like “mistress” and “diva,” now have negative connotations and are no longer terms of power and strength as they once were. Mitchell described her different experiences working with women who come from different backgrounds and socioeconomic status, and how this impacts them in various settings among peers, whether it be in jail or in the classroom. 

Catalina Piedrahita was the next panelist to join the discussion. She spoke at length about her job at Preble Street, working in anti-trafficking services as an intensive case manager. Originally from Columbia, Piedrahita worked as a physician before she came to America and decided to help victims and survivors of trafficking. 

Preble Street works closely with labor, domestic servitude and sex trafficking victims, and is a non-profit organization that helps to provide housing, clothes, food and safety for victims who want to escape. Preble Street has a main location in Portland, and also has locations in Lewiston and Bangor, where Piedrahita currently works. 

The last panelist in the discussion was Cheryl Golek, a mother of three who discussed her struggles growing up in poverty in rural Maine and the cycle of generational poverty that plagues many families in America. She was able to overcome obstacles and was introduced to a job opportunity that allowed her to co-found The Vicarage by the Sea in 1998, which is an alternative care home for adults with dementia. Golek raised two of her children as a single mother in low-income housing for many years of her life and is now working to end the stigma around struggling families who use social services resources such as Section 8 housing vouchers, food stamps, medicare and more to survive.

She described her hopes for the future, and how raising her young daughter now is so different from when she was raising her two sons in poverty. Golek also shared her goals for the future, and a list of changes she thinks should be made to the social services system.

“The people in poverty in this country aren’t broken. It’s the system,” Golek said. “As a society, we assume people are poor because of the choices they make; that’s not it. People who are in poverty should be more educated and informed of social services resources, and shouldn’t have to find things out for themselves.” 

To get in contact with the AAUW or join their organization, visit penobscotvalley-me.aauw.net. 

Rating: 4 stars 

On March 6, singer and actress Mandy Moore released her new album “Silver Landings.” With a retro vibe and the ‘90s sound we have grown to love, Moore shares with fans lyrics from her new life experiences as an adult. 

This is Moore’s seventh studio album, following her last album, “Amanda Leigh,” which was released in 2009. 11 years later, Moore’s new album includes 10 songs and has a run time of 41 minutes. Her first album, “So Real,” was released in 1999, and though she took an 11-year hiatus, the release of her new album makes her a music career total over 20 years to date. In addition to her career as a musician, Moore has appeared in dozens of movies, including “A Walk to Remember,” “The Princess Diaries,” “47 Meters Down” and “Tangled” as the voice of Princess Rapunzel.

The cover of “Silver Landings” is impressive and eye-catching, featuring Moore standing outside with arms outstretched in a vibrant orange silk shirt. It very well reflects her personality and the theme of the album that deals with new beginnings and celebrating what life has to offer.

In the first song of the album, “I’d Rather Lose,” Moore talks about the current world of phones and technology that makes everyone able to be watched and seen. In her lines, “If the only way to win is by breaking all the rules / I’d rather lose,” she brings out a country tone in her voice as she expresses herself and her thoughts on things going on in the world today. This introduction to her new sound and more mature personality sets high expectations for the rest of the songs in the albums.

The third song in the album, “Fifteen,” is one of my favorites by far. Moore sings about her young and carefree self at the age of 15 and reminisces in those memories with her soulful lyrics. She was traveling, spending time with her mom, learning how to drive and beginning to discover her passion for making music. Moore sings about old memories, and about how her 15-year-old self will always be a part of her.

Moore reveals to fans a little about her traumatic past and the struggles she has faced in her song “Forgiveness.” She makes subtle references to her relationship with her abusive ex-husband, musician Ryan Adams, throughout many of the songs on this album, and she isn’t afraid to show the dark and emotional parts of herself that she felt needed to be shared at this point in her life. She has accepted the things that she can’t change from her past and sings about forgiving the people who have hurt her and only trying to spread love and happiness from here on out.

As the album progresses, it almost seems like Moore’s autobiography, but written out in lyrics. She takes us through the journey of her life as a teen and how her music career blossomed out of a want for her voice to be heard. She moves to new places, struggles to find herself and her signature musical sound and navigates through new relationships and career opportunities. All of these details are revealed to us in each song with an elegant, soulful rock sound.

On Friday Feb. 28, cast members of the University of Maine School of Performing Arts (SPA) presented “A Wilder Night: Three One-Act Plays by Thornton Wilder.” The performance was also held on Saturday, Feb. 29 and Sunday, March 1. Each performance took place in the Hauck Auditorium of the Memorial Union. 

Thornton Wilder, an American novelist and playwright, has won many awards for his work, including Pulitzer Prizes for fiction and drama. He was known as one of the most prevalent playwrights of the 20th century. Other plays that Wilder wrote include “Our Town,” “The Skin of Our Teeth,” “The Matchmaker” and dozens more. Wilder also wrote seven novels, the first titled “The Cabala,” written in 1926.

The three plays UMaine SPA performed, “The Long Christmas Dinner,” ”Pullman Car Hiawatha” and “The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden,” were all written in 1931. 

Each play, directed by Ljubi Matic, showed a different side of Wilder to share with the audience. In “The Long Christmas Dinner,” the cast relied on pantomime to serve as props for their dinner table, and the act spanned dozens of years while following generations of the same family. With intricate and dramatic lighting, and a set that well reflected the mood of the 19th-century setting, every element of the show came together to create a reflection of Wilder’s typical style, described on the show’s website as “his use of the stage manager as a character, his use of pantomime, minimal scenery and farce, as well as his signature connection between the commonplace and common dimensions of the human experience.” 

The play also took a humorous twist as male cast member Curran Grant played the role of Mother Bayard, the grandmother in the performance. The cast for “The Long Christmas Dinner” also included Pooja Bawat playing Lucia, Peter Bacon playing Roderick, Connor Bolduc playing Cousin Brandon, and others who also took on roles in the later performances. 

In “Pullman Car Hiawatha,” cast members acted out scenes from a train that was traveling from New York to Chicago. The set for the performance was arranged to look like the top and bottom sections of a moving train car, with chairs set up in rows for the audience to view each member on board. The members took turns sharing their internal thoughts with the audience with the help of humorous Grant, this time in the role of the stage manager. The projection screen behind the set in the auditorium allowed for changing black and white video clips and pictures to help create a more realistic feel and help viewers understand the setting. 

Sarcastic humor and lighthearted personalities set the stage for unexpected events that took the act in different directions. Some of the actors who appeared in this play included Katie Luck, Wiliam Bickford, Rowan Jellison and Jacob Siegel.

The last of the plays, “The Happy Journey To Trenton and Camden,” included a small cast of six members and followed the Kirby family on a seemingly-pleasant road trip. The cast included Grant, Vanessa Graham, Mark Muir, Karissa Cooper, Travis Burr and Luck. 

In each of the three one-act plays, the costumes were representative of the 1930s, the era that the plays were written in. The cast wore intricate gowns, servant costumes and suits to help differentiate between the changing times, personalities and scenes in Wilder’s plays.

In the first of the three one-act plays, “The Long Christmas Dinner,” each cast member who played an older generation adult was fit in a flowing, high-neck gown or suit and dress coat. As the show progressed, each new generation brought with them more modern clothes and language that represented the time period they were growing up in. With deaths, plot twists and complex character development, Wilder uses elements such as character conversation and setting to tell his audience a story. 

The show is running this coming weekend March 5-8. The next showing of the plays at UMaine is on Thursday, March 5. Tickets are available online in advance or at the door of Hauck Auditorium. To see a list of upcoming events by The School of Performing Arts, visit umaine.edu/spa/.

Fourth-year student Kim Stoddard walks through the Mall on her way to her outdoor leadership class, enjoying her last few months at the University of Maine and reveling in the natural space. 

As a parks, recreation and tourism student, Stoddard is often surrounded by the outdoors and even enjoys studying outside when the weather permits. She also studies outdoor leadership and management.

After graduation in May, Stoddard will be working for the National Parks Service as an Interpretive Park Ranger. She will serve as both a guide and educator who handles educational materials and signage throughout the park. She hopes to move to Oregon and begin her career there. 

“My old high school basketball coach was the one who first got me interested in studying the outdoors in college. I very much enjoy being outside, and decided that I should just go to school for it,” Stoddard said. “I love the wide range of seasons, and with each season comes different opportunities. There is so much to do outdoors, and there are activities for a wide range of people. You can walk, hike, ice climb, mountain bike, swim, kayak and do so many other things during the winter months alone. The possibilities are endless.” 

Stoddard originally chose to attend UMaine as an engineering student and hoped that the opportunities and available connections through the school would benefit her in her career and in her future. 

“I love the community here on campus, and love the people that I have met. Being able to have classes outside and participate in outdoor labs is such a unique experience that not many college students get to be a part of,” Stoddard said. “I have gotten to identify different trees and what kills them, and have gotten other amazing opportunities that exposed me to things I will be working on after I graduate.” 

Stoddard’s favorite courses she has taken at UMaine include a paddling course and a field experience course to fulfill her minor requirements. During her paddling course, she learned basic canoeing paddle strokes and got to practice them out on the water. For Stoddard’s field experience, she spent 10 days at the Bryant Pond 4H Center, where she participated in activities such as mountaineering and ice climbing. During her time at the center, Stoddard also worked with first-year students from the Telstar school, teaching them how to use compasses and maps and how to snowshoe. 

“Being outside is super important for your mental and physical health,” Stoddard said. “Some of the classes I have taken at UMaine have taught me that outdoor education helps student development, and there are actually proven benefits to being outside.” 

Stoddard worked at York Dining Hall for three years on campus, and currently lives off-campus with friends in Old Town. Her favorite activities include walking the Orono trails, hanging out with her sorority sisters, and exploring the Demerit Forest. She also enjoys going to the Maine Bound Adventure Center and using the climbing wall when she gets the chance. 

4 stars

On Feb. 14, 2020, Justin Bieber released his new 17-song album, “Changes,” reintroducing Bieber’s soulful pop sound to the world. 

After marrying his wife Hailey Bieber, formerly Hailey Baldwin, in September of 2018, Bieber took a hiatus as he spent time with his loved ones. As an avid fan of Beiber’s music as a young teenager, with posters of him from teen magazines covering my bedroom walls, I was eager and excited to hear that Bieber was back and producing music. This album is unlike any he has produced before, and his voice is more mature and powerful than ever. 

With five studio albums, 54 singles, a movie and many features on other artists’ songs, Bieber is no stranger to the spotlight and fame. His last album, “Purpose,” was released in November of 2015, and this is one of the first times we have heard from him since. 

Bieber’s career started when he was just 13 years old in 2008 when he was signed to RBMG Records, now known as Def Jam. His first EP, “My World,” was released soon after in 2009, and he spent most of his young life appearing on tour and producing pop music that made him a teen heartthrob.

The first song of his latest album, “All Around Me,” talks about Justin’s journey through life and the creation of his music, honestly discussing the ups and downs he has gone through to get to the place he is today. He also talks about needing the ones that mean the most to him by his side and his unconditional love for them.

The fourth song in the album, “Intentions,” was the third single, released on Feb. 7, 2020. The song was popular on many radio stations and had fans eagerly awaiting the album release. The song is upbeat, mixing pop and hip hop and features Quavo from the rap group Migos.

“Intentions” and the song following it, “Yummy,” are by far the most well-known and chart-topping of the songs appearing on the album. “Yummy” talks about Justin making money to support his wife and the joy and pleasures that come with being in love and falling for someone. Much of the same topics and feelings that are discussed in Bieber’s earlier albums are present in this one, but in a much different way. Bieber’s personal growth and maturity shines through in this album, and his new lyrics and voice create the image and sound of a more grown-up version of Bieber.

“Second Emotion,” featuring Travis Scott, was one of my favorites on the album. The pop artist and rapper work together to discuss what true emotion feels like and describe what it’s like to be infatuated with someone and want to touch and be around them all the time. The lyrics, “Try to bite my tongue but I can’t take it / I got whiplash from the turn in my head,” give the chorus of the song a very emotional and deep meaning that carries through the rest of the album. Bieber isn’t afraid to share how he feels and openly discuss his struggles and his successes, and I think this album is a true reflection of who he is now.

On Thursday, Feb. 20, in the Lown Room of the Memorial Union, the University of Maine’s Active Minds group held the annual Mental Health Monologues.

The event included many speakers from the club who told stories surrounding mental illness and shared inspirational messages meant to raise awareness for mental health and create a comfortable environment. Four speakers from the organization shared their stories and then opened the floor up for guests and audience members to share stories as well. 

Active Minds is a nation-wide non-profit organization that has been implemented on more than 500 college campuses, including Bates College, Colby College, Saint Joseph’s and other schools in Maine. The slogan of Active Minds is “Changing the conversation about mental health.” This organization, completely student-led, was created to help break the stigma around mental illness and raise awareness about mental health and available resources for people in need. 

Many students present at the event were returning from last year’s Monologues. The UMaine community hosts various events throughout the year that help raise awareness of mental health and provide opportunities to learn more about it. 

Other mental health services that are available on campus include the Mind Spa, which is located on the first floor of the Memorial Union in Room 120. The Spa provides many different resources, events and activities to help de-stress and spread mental health awareness on campus. The UMaine Counseling Center, which is next to the Cutler Health Center, and the UMaine Police Department are also resources for students who are struggling with their mental health or who might seek treatment.

Topics surrounding mental health that were discussed at the event included eating disorders, beauty ideals, suicide, sexual assault and harassment, alcoholism, depression, domestic violence, self-harm and anxiety. Although the topics were heavy, Active Minds spread positivity and love during the event and spoke about the importance of having a safe space and a comfortable sharing environment.

Guests could register to speak at the event beforehand online and were also able to volunteer to share once the floor was opened up for people to speak. Each speaker got to take home a planted succulent and other free items, such as buttons, stress balls, cookies and popcorn. Active Minds sold tee shirts at the event for $5 each with the slogan “Grow Through What you Go Through” and held a raffle for two baskets of goodies to raise money for the organization. 

Active Minds meets Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the Senior Skulls Room in the Union. The meetings include open conversations about mental health and discussing coping skills and methods for overcoming adversity and dealing with stress. 

To get involved in the University of Maine’s Active Minds chapter, please contact justine_bouthot@umit.maine.edu, or follow UMaineActiveMinds on social media for more information.