At their latest meeting on Sept. 21 at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, the University of Maine System (UMS) board of trustees unanimously approved appropriations calling for more funding from the state of Maine in order to keep tuition frozen across all campuses in the system.

In 2012, UMS officials and the state agreed to keep funding the state’s seven universities at their current level in exchange for the schools holding tuition levels flat.

According to the UMS Executive Director of Public Affairs Dan Demeritt, Maine’s public universities are currently receiving $5 million less in state appropriations than the level provided in 2008. The tuition freeze, which is currently in its third year, has allowed Maine public universities to keep tuition at the same level despite being flat funded over the last couple of years by the state.

The system received $176.2 million for fiscal year 2015 and is looking to extend the tuition freeze by another two years by asking for 3.4 and 3.8 percent increases for fiscal years 2016-17 respectively, resulting in a total baseline increase of 7.3 percent. This would push the system’s budget up to approximately $182.2 million for 2016 and $189.1 million for 2017 in order to offset the anticipated cost of inflation for the next two years.

According to Demeritt, if the request is granted by the Maine Legislature, it would mark the longest tuition freeze in the history of the system.

The UMS is currently facing a $69 million budget shortfall by fiscal year 2019. In order to address this deficit, trustees voted to cut $22.7 million from the fiscal year 2015 budget, which was achieved through the cutting of a number of academic programs. The system also pulled an additional $11.7 million out of its reserve funds.

The cutting of academic programs and faculty positions drew a lot of criticism from students and faculty earlier in the year, when the cuts were first announced. Several student groups from both USM and the flagship campus banded together in solidarity to protest the cuts, demanding more say in what was going on.

With the sponsorship of Rep. Ben Chimpan of Portland, students from the University of Southern Maine (USM) drafted an emergency bill that was brought before the Legislature in March. The bill, if passed, would have instituted a one-year moratorium on layoffs and budget cuts by the UMS in the hopes that another solution could be found in the meantime. It also called for the creation of a stakeholders group of students and faculty that would study the system’s finances and make recommendations over the course of the moratorium. The bill didn’t pass.

The trustees have also voted to scrap the USM’s American and New England studies and geosciences programs as well as the Arts and Humanities program at the Lewiston-Auburn campus. Trustees are also considering closing the Bangor office, which has a total operating cost of $141,000 per year.

9/19

8:28 p.m. – Drunken state plus eight

A Residence Assistant in Gannett Hall called the University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) to report underage drinking on the first floor. Eight students, all of whom are 18, were drinking and taking shots with the door propped open. An officer arrived shortly thereafter. The students, five females and three males, were cooperative with the officer and were all referred to Judicial Affairs. The incident marked the first time any of those particular students had committed an offense.

11:08 p.m. – Malyota malfeasance

An RA in Gannett Hall called UMPD to complain about underage drinking in a room on the fourth floor. The officer arrived at the room in question to find four people, three students and one non-student drinking wine and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. The three female students, ages 18, 19 and 20 respectively, were drinking with a 21-year-old non-student, Warwick, R.I. native Pavel Malyota. The three students were referred to Judicial Affairs, while Malyota was summonsed for furnishing alcohol to minors.

9/20

12:44 a.m. – Regurgitation situation

It was the end of a rough night for 18-year-old, Leah Dodier. An RA on the third floor of Gannett Hall called UMPD when he found Dodier vomiting in the bathroom. Dodier was transported to St. Joseph’s for alcohol poisoning and was given a summons for possession of alcohol by consumption.

9/21

2:28 a.m. – Laying pipe

A vandal, presumably from Maine Maritime Academy, caused $325 worth of damage in the men’s bathroom on the second floor of Cumberland Hall. An RA who was patrolling the hall found that someone had disassembled a drainage pipe under one of the sinks, causing water to spill all over the floor. The following message was written on one of the stalls: ‘F**k UMO, I love MMA.’ The message was accompanied by a drawing of a large penis.

2:35 a.m. – Sanitation conflagration

UMPD and the Orono Fire Department were called to the scene of a raging fire in the dumpster located at the south entrance to Knox Hall. Neither the complaintant nor the security cameras spotted the culprit who ignited the fire. After the fire was extinguished, the case was turned over to the Orono Fire Department for further investigation.

9/22

8:58 a.m. – Field hockey feelin’ jockeyed

UMaine’s Athletics Department called university police to report break-ins to the Alfond skybox and Field Hockey shed. Both incidents are thought to have been committed by the same person[s], who as of yet have not been identified. The perpetrators broke into the Field Hockey shed and stole equipment, as well as breaking holes in the shed with field hockey sticks. The perpetrators also broke the glass window in the skybox door to gain access, although nothing appeared to have been stolen. Police believe that the burglars may have been after the beer and food that is kept there. The damage to the skybox is estimated to be $500 while the damage to the shed is estimated to be $200 with $1,400 in equipment having been stolen, including sticks, goalie masks and a gear bag.

At last Monday’s Orono Town Council sub-committee meeting, Town Manager Sophie Wilson and Orono Police Chief Josh Ewing proposed several changes to Orono’s law enforcement ordinances regarding disorderly properties and fees. Changes were made to the penalties for landlords in the hopes that the changes would encourage management at large-scale student housing complexes to better control their tenants.

According to Wilson, large-scale parties, such as the one earlier this month at The Grove in which officers from nine different precincts were called, are the main reason these changes are being proposed.

“Our recent issues in Orono have brought to our attention that the current code, with some tweaking we think would give my staff the tools it needs to enforce council’s vision on these two ordinances; the fee for service ordinance as well as the disorderly property ordinance,” Wilson said.

In order to see what changes could be made, Wilson and Ewing approached the town attorney for suggestions that could make the ordinances more enforceable for large scale student housing complexes such as The Grove.

“These ordinances by themselves have issues in terms of management […] and enforcement in a way that’s transparent,” Wilson said. “Last week, we rolled out to council our thought that we have several ordinances in our current code that need some work. The way it was written made it pretty much un-enforceable in the large complexes.”

According to the current iteration of the disorderly ordinance, one disorderly event can be charged per property over the course of a 24-hour period. If a property receives two disorderly event charges within 60 days, it is then deemed a disorderly property, with subsequent fines and penalties for every time law enforcement is called to the location. This ruling can be changed after 180 days.

One of the proposals is to allow for more than one disorderly event write-up per 24-hour period, meaning that a property could potentially be deemed disorderly within the course of 24 hours instead of 48 hours under the old ordinance. Wilson and the council also discussed increasing the amount of time a property is classified as disorderly from 180 days to 360.

“Part of what we’re trying to do here is to make owners put the tools in their toolbox to have to be able to manage what happens on their property,” Wilson said.

Several councilors expressed concerns over this sort of change, fearing that it could heavily penalize property managers who may not have been present to control the situation and could cause undue strain on their business.

Ewing countered by stating that more pre-emptive action is required by landlords to control their tenants.

“As a landlord, what have you not done to communicate to your tenants that if we come in your house to [disperse] an event, you’re gonna get booted,” Ewing said.

In order to lessen the burden on landlords, a provision may be put in effect so the first visit from law enforcement to the property would act as a warning, with subsequent visits carrying disorderly event penalties. Council also suggested that landlords include information regarding the disorderly ordinance and fees in their lease agreements so tenants could have a better idea of how their actions affect property owners, who could pass charges down to tenants to pay.

A public hearing is being planned for October in which a final draft of the disorderly ordinance will be shown to the public for comment.

It was overcast, typical Maine weather for an atypical Maine Day celebration. Among the usual raft of events happening across the University of Maine campus, there was one that stood out. It wasn’t a volleyball match, a dunk tank or even a concert. It was the chance to make history by breaking a record that had stood for 10 years.

The event, aptly named Unwrapping the Not-So-Sweet Truth of Relationship Violence, was created by the Male Athletes Against Violence, a student group that works to spread awareness about domestic violence and the problems it causes as well as possible solutions and preventative measures. Its name stems from the theme of the event. MAAV called on students to join them in attempting to break the Guinness world record for number people unwrapping candy at the same time.

Graduate student Spencer Wood is a member of MAAV and played a major part in planning the event.

“We’ve been marketing this event really hard. We first talked about it in class in February. It’s been a building process,” Wood said. “I’m gonna be real happy when we see the final number.”

Doors opened at 4 p.m. at the Alfond. At first, there was a slow trickle of people who wandered away from lawn games and studying. The trickle soon turned into a stream, which evolved into a flood as word spread about what was going on. Tarleton State’s benchmark of 614 people was in reach, and everyone knew it.

Upon entering the Alfond, students were given MAAV buttons as well as a stick on which they were told to write one thing they would wish for if they could wish for anything to better the university. This was used as a way of keeping track, a tally that would later tell whether or not the record had officially been broken. Otherwise the number would be an estimate, something that simply isn’t acceptable for the folks at Guinness.

Spruce Run, Rape Response Services and the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence were all on hand with tables that featured informational pamphlets as well as candy for participants. Fifth year child development student Erin Phillips was running the table for Spruce Run .

Her favorite candy is anything chocolate. However, to avoid her chocolate cravings, she will be unwrapping a Jollyrancher.

“I truly believe in healthy relationships and ending the violence against women.” Phillips said.

Morgan Bragdon is a first year student who is part of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. She, along with her sorority sisters were part of the large Greek Life presence at the event. Her favorite candy is Almond Joy.

It was 4:15 and the seats were getting filled. It was getting close. Event workers walked back and forth in front of the students, throwing candy and little rubber basketballs and footballs into the stands. The crowd was growing impatient as they realized that it may take longer than they realized to accrue the necessary amount of people. They had volleyball games and barbecues to get back to. It wasn’t long before the balls and candy were being thrown in every direction. No one who was standing was safe.

Sensing the tension, Wood picked up the microphone from his spot on the rink and addressed the students.

“We are 50 people short, so get on your phones and call everyone you know. We need to get people down here.” Wood sad.

The updates came every five or so minutes. Forty people short. Twenty people short. Members of the Greek Life community could be seen on their phones, rallying more troops for the occasion. Then, at approximately 4:25, a wave of brothers from Sigma Alpha Epsilon arrived, putting the total at 616, two more than the record.

Wood’s voice echoed through the building once again.

“Alright everybody, we’ve got the numbers. So let’s unwrap in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” Wood said.

Among the banter could be heard a subtle crinkling sound as 616 people unwrapped all matter of candies ranging from Tootsie Roll’s to loli-pops, officially putting the University of Maine into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Although this was a high for everyone involved, the underlying purpose of the event was to spread awareness about much darker subject matter. On hand to speak about domestic violence was United States Marshal Noel C. March, the lead Marshal in Maine. March was also the lead advisor for MAAV during his time as a public safety official at the University of Maine.

“I’ve spent eight years [at UMaine] as a public safety official. I carry with me into my [position as Marshal] the lessons that I learned here at the University of Maine, and that is that communities are safest when we look out for each other. The community doesn’t like the police looking over their shoulder … and we don’t like to be there either so we like people looking out for each other.” March said.

Ten years ago a benchmark was set, and on April 30, 2014, it was raised by the University of Maine but a total of two. Here’s to ten more years.

The University of Maine Orono’s fraternities will receive highly visible address signs close to the road after requests from local emergency response organizations. According to UMaine Police Department Lieutenant Robert Welch, the new signs will significantly aid emergency response divisions such as the Orono Fire Department in responding to calls quickly.

“[Emergency response services] get these calls, and we have no idea where it is because none of [the fraternity houses] have numbers,” Welch said.

The new address signs will be posted close to the road and are highly reflective so they are more visible at night. According to Welch, the push for these signs began last summer when police were responding to a medical call at one of the fraternities but couldn’t locate it.

“We went back and forth trying to find the house. We probably passed it three times,” Welch said. “I voiced my frustration to President Ferguson.”

President Ferguson responded to Welch and granted him the funds to have highly reflective metal signs created for greater visibility as well as to comply with Orono Code Enforcement, which has jurisdiction over the fraternities on the opposite side of College Avenue to the university.

Welch proceeded to send notices out to all of the fraternities in January, calling from a representative from each to meet with police for full disclosure about the sign installation.

“We want them to know we’re not putting a camera or anything like that,” Welch said.

Seven of the 11 Greek houses agreed to have signs put up and will assist UMPD with installing the signs in front of their houses after the parade on Maine Day, April 30.

The four fraternities who did not agree were given until March 1 to respond to UMPD’s notice. These fraternities are Alpha Gamma Rho, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Phi Kappa Sigma and Phi Eta Kappa.

“If they don’t participate and Code Enforcement knocks, they’re on their own,” Welch said. “They’ll have to pay [for signs] themselves.”

4/9

3:04 a.m. The tennis court lot is the place to smoke, folks

An officer on routine patrol near the New Balance Recreation Center saw a vehicle in the tennis court parking lot with several students inside and decided to investigate. The officer could smell marijuana as he approached the car. The officer confronted the driver and noticed that the inside of the car smelled very strongly of marijuana. At this point, the officer had the students exit the car and proceeded to conduct a search. The three male first-year students complied. The officer found a small amount of marijuana as well as a glass pipe. Ryan Edes, 18, was charged with possession of a usable amount of marijuana while his friend John Thomas, 19, as well as Edes, were both charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. The third student was referred to Judicial Affairs for the incident.

4/10

10:01 p.m. Dirty Lew Foo

A patrolling officer was driving down Long Road when he noticed several students shoving each other on the sidewalk in front of Patch Hall. The officer pulled over to investigate and confronted the group. The officer smelled alcohol on the students and began questioning them. The officer recognized one of the members of the group but couldn’t recall his name. When questioned, the subject gave the officer several false names before the officer was able to get his actual identity. The subject was Lewiston-native Jama Ahmed, 19, a non-student who had been summonsed for trespassing in the fall of 2013. Ahmed and 19-year-old student Ryan Laverdiere were drunk and having an argument, which progressed into a shoving match. Ahmed was summonsed for possession of alcohol by consumption as well as criminal trespassing, while Laverdiere was only given a summons for possession by consumption.

4/13

2:01 a.m. N00b

UMPD received a call from an R.A. in Androscoggin Hall about an underage student drinking on the third floor. Officers responded and, when they got to the third floor hall, they found Connor Morrison, 19, in his room with the door open. Morrison admitted that he had been drinking and also admitted to being in possession of beer. Morrison was summonsed for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor.

7:50 p.m. Pot bust, big whoop

R.A.s in Aroostook Hall called UMPD to report an odor of marijuana coming from a room on the fourth floor. Officers responded and made contact with the building staff to find out where the odor was coming from. They were able to narrow down the odor to the room of Eli Saville, 20, and knocked on the door. Saville responded and, after being questioned about the odor, admitted to smoking and allowed the police to search the room. The following search turned up a small amount of marijuana in Saville’s backpack. Saville was summonsed for possession of a usable amount of marijuana.

The Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium hosted its penultimate show, “Origins of Life,” on Friday, April 18 as focus shifts to the new Emera Observatory. The planetarium, which has served as an educational tool for students and the public since 1954, will be turned into office and storage space for other departments, such as Student Records.

“It’s worth noting [the planetarium] is coming to an end after 60 years. It’s the end of [one] era and the beginning of another,” said Alan Davenport, planetarium director and observatory coordinator for the Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium. “[The planetarium] is a shadow of what we’re going to have.”

The age of the planetarium and all of the equipment within it was a major reason for the construction of the Emera Observatory, which will have state of the art technology that will allow for both better observation of the night sky as well as a more visually immersive viewing experience for planetarium shows.

The current planetarium was built in 1954 and houses a telescope that is a century old. The dome used for planetarium shows is also dwarfed by the new facility and relies on a central projection system, dotingly named “Franklin” by the planetarium staff.

“[The planetarium] hasn’t been able to advance with the industry and technology,” Davenport said. “The new facility will have new technology, it’ll be a very valuable tool.”

Located at the intersection of Rangeley Road and Long Road, the $5.2 million Emera Observatory project was partially funded by an anonymous donation of $3 million, with an additional $1 million coming from Emera Corporation as a naming gift. The plans for the planetarium design were laid out by architects WBRC and Kasian, while Nickerson & O’Day Inc. were in charge of construction.

The new observatory will have a number of high-tech features. Some of these include a new 20-inch PlaneWave CDK 20 telescope which will allow students to do astrophotography, a first for the UMaine campus, as well as a 33-foot diameter dome with a high resolution projection system that can mimic the night sky without the need for the central projection system that the Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium uses.

“There’s going to be a steep learning curve with the new technology. I’m glad I’ve got good students that can help figure it all out,” Davenport said.

There will also be a parking lot lighting system that will light up red to help people using the telescope to retain better night vision.

“[The parking lot would be] a great place to have a Halloween party [with the red lights],” Davenport joked.

Construction of the observatory began in the fall of 2013 and is due to be complete by the beginning of next semester. Although he is excited to begin anew at the Emera Observatory, Davenport has fond memories of the planetarium, where he has been presenting shows and educating for over 30 years.

“It’s a blend of different jobs that are interesting. It’s fun, it’s colorful,” Davenport said.

Davenport particularly enjoys the educational aspect of the planetarium shows, and especially likes to teach kids who come in as part of school groups.

“[Young kids] are learning and they’re interested,” Davenport said. “We do a lot for school groups.”

The new Emera Observatory will have the same programs and outreach as the old planetarium and will also offer shows on a larger and more elaborate scale. Davenport also hopes that the capabilities of the dome’s digital visualization system can be used for interdisciplinary purposes rather than being limited to astronomical displays.

“Origins of Life,” a show which examines the history of life on this planet as well as the search for life on other planets, will be shown one more time before the Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium closes. The final show will take place on Friday, April 25. Cost for tickets is $3 per person, with students gaining free admission with a MaineCard.

Upon scanning the list of Pulitzer Prize winners for 2014 I noticed one glaring omission: no award had been given for feature writing. Although the other categories have plenty of gravitas, feature writing really provides that glimpse into humanity that hard news and even photography can’t quite manage.

Assuming that the reason for this travesty was due to indecision on the part of the judges, I browsed through the finalists and ended up reading each of them.

“The Girl in the Closet” by Scott Farwell — for The Dallas Morning News.

This told the story of Lauren Kavanaugh and the hell that she went through at the hands of her biological mother and stepfather, who sexually, psychologically and physically abused her for six years.

The descriptions and firsthand accounts of what Lauren looked like when she was found as well as the testimony of her adoptive parents serve to both break the readers heart and demonize the biological mother, who went against every natural parental instinct in the torture of her daughter.

The magic of this story is in the way Lauren has recovered from the abuse and, despite being severely developmentally handicapped, risen to be a fairly normal young woman.

My one gripe with the story is the repetitiveness. The story is told in multiple chapters that were published at different times, meaning that each chapter has an element of review so that a reader who didn’t read the previous chapters has some reference. Although this may have been a good idea, it makes the story repetitive at times when read in one sitting.

“The Manhunt for Christopher Dorner” by Christopher Goffard, Joel Rubin and Kurt Streeter — for the Los Angeles Times

This should have been the winner in my opinion.

The Christopher Dorner manhunt was plastered all over national news for a week last year and left the state of California trembling right up until its fiery end. Although the story seems scary enough from the national coverage, the amount of in depth detail and anecdotal style of this story really hits the sense of fear and confusion home.

This story follows an exact timeline of the events from the perspectives of law enforcement, their families and civilians who either witnessed attacks or were confronted by Dorner while he was on the run. The pace of the story is particularly noticeable, as each chapter ramps up in intensity and always ends with gripping, staccato lines.

“The Course of Their Lives” by Mark Johnson — for the Journal Sentinel

This story describes a group of medical students and their first foray into the morgue to dissect human cadavers. First thoughts are that the story would be graphic in detail of the procedures involved. However, very early on it is apparent that this isn’t the case.

The story delves both into the feelings and reasoning behind the medical students’ decision to follow this career path and the distinct honor that they hold for the people who donated their corpses. It also delves into the former lives of the cadavers, describing their thoughts of what would happen to their bodies and why they decided to donate for science.

3/27

9:10 a.m. Fender bender

During the early morning rush to find parking spots in the commuter lots, two cars collided on Rangeley Road near the entrance to the CCA parking lot. The first car had slowed due to another car being in front of it. A third car coming from behind hit the first car, causing significant damage to both vehicles. Officers were on the scene quickly, as the accident took place within 30 yards of the police department. The driver of the car that had been hit reported neck pain and was transported to the hospital to be checked.

3/29

12:41 a.m. Ooh, that smell

An R.A. in Hart Hall called police after noticing an odor of marijuana in a hall on the first floor. After arriving, officers narrowed down the source of the smell to the room of 24-year-old Janelle Moriarty. Officers then knocked on Moriarty’s door to confront her about the smell. Moriarty answered the door, revealing a strong odor of marijuana in her room. Moriarty was compliant to the officers’ demands and turned over a jar of marijuana as well as a pipe. Moriarty was referred to Judicial Affairs.

2:05 a.m. Come at me, bro!

Officers were called to reports of a fight taking place on the fourth floor of Knox Hall. Residents of the floor called to complain of a fight that was going on near the elevator. Once the officers arrived, the fight was over and the students had gone to a room on the fourth floor. After speaking to the people who reported the fight, the officers went to the room to confront the combatants. Three male students, two of them age 19 and the other age 20, were referred to Judicial Affairs for disorderly conduct. The 20-year-old student, Gennady Solovey, was also summonsed for possession of liquor by a minor, as he was found to be intoxicated. According to the reports, Solovey had said some things to purposely offend the other two students, resulting in a shouting and shoving match with no serious injuries.

3:36 a.m. Come at me, bro! Pt. 2

Officers were called back to Knox Hall again to disperse a large group of students who were in the hall arguing about the fight that had happened earlier in the night. Officers escorted everyone who wasn’t a resident of Knox Hall from the building, ending the debate.

3/30

3:17 a.m. Sorry for party stoppin’

Officers responded to a report out of Androscoggin Hall about a possible party on the third floor. According to the R.A., there was loud music playing as well as a strong odor of marijuana coming from one of the rooms. The room in question belonged to 19-year-old Samuel Stanhope. Officers arrived at the room and knocked after hearing the loud music coming from within. Stanhope answered the door, revealing a large number of students in the room. The officers ended the party and had all of the students come out of the room. Stanhope was compliant and revealed that he had been drinking and smoking. Officers searched the room and found Ritalin pills in a backpack belonging to James Strohm, 19, who is also resides on the third floor of Androscoggin Hall. Because Strohm didn’t have a prescription, he was summonsed for illegal possession of a Schedule-Y drug as well as possession of a usable amount of marijuana. Stanhope was summonsed for illegal possession of marijuana, illegal possession of alcohol by a minor and sale and use of drug paraphernalia. Both students were also referred to Judicial Affairs for the incident.

4/1

4:59 p.m. April Fools

The Orono Fire Department as well as UMPD responded to a fire alarm in the East Wing of Knox Hall only to find that there was no fire to extinguish. After the fire crew left, officers reviewed security footage of the East Wing and saw a young female pull the alarm. The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Lindi Forsley, was interviewed afterward by police. The Cumberland Hall resident admitted to pulling the alarm as an April Fools joke and was summonsed for causing false public alarm.

On Friday, April 4th, the brothers of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity will be hosting a 24 hour video game competition which will be streamed live online. The fraternity will be accepting donations during the stream and have created the event as a way of raising money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Here is the official lineup of games that will be played:

1. F Zero X Multiplayer
2. Ocarina of Time Three Heart Challenge
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee
4. Dark Souls Giants Hammer Speed Run
5. Halo 3 Multiplayer
6. Mario Cart Double Dash
7.Fallout 3 / New Vegas
8. Monaco
9. Battle Block Theatre
10. Halo Aniversary/ Reach Campain
11. Pokemon Blue Speedrun
12. 007 Goldeneye 2 Controllers
13. Mario Party 5 100 Turn Challenge

To watch the stream, visit http://www.twitch.tv/wherearetheadults