The Memorial Union was abuzz on Wednesday with students hanging out with friends, preparing for their final classes and starting to study for final exams. Up on the third floor, things were a little quieter, but there were still more people than usual. The Bodwell Center became a little pocket of quiet within the Union, with third-year marketing student Emily Mitchell working as the receptionist.

Mitchell originally got involved in the Bodwell Center through volunteering events like the annual blood drives and Maine Day meal-packouts with the Honors College. When she found out there was an opening for a work-study position she jumped at the opportunity.

“I’ve done Bodwell Center volunteering before so I thought this would be a cool job,” Mitchell said.

When asked what her favorite memory at the University of Maine has been so far, she automatically identified Maine Day, especially the devotion to bettering the community on that day.

“The focus on volunteering I really love. The whole campus comes together to work toward a common goal that UMaine stands for… Just coming together and being a family.”

Every year on Maine Day she participates in the meal-packing event with the Honors College, one of the many annual community service projects.

In addition to her love for volunteering, she also has a strong UMaine spirit.

“I just love UMaine. I love the atmosphere, the people, the community and the classes I take.”

Mitchell sees her work at the Bodwell Center helping her in her future career goals. As a marketing student, she wants to market for a company, but not just any company.

“I want to work in marketing. I want to market for Target because I love Target,” Mitchell said.

It’s more than just a love for the store though. She also loves their priority of the community and the customer, as well as their focus on volunteering and being active in your community.

“[Target] has such a focus on the customer experience which is something that I care about,” Mitchell said. “My work in the Bodwell Center has given me people skills and given me new experiences in the community, which is something Target is really big on — community engagement.”

As Mitchell moves closer to that dream job through her classes and work at UMaine, she has  strong feelings about volunteering and the importance of everyone contributing and working together.

“I love helping people, so when everyone comes together to improve things in the community and we are working toward it, then it’s more likely to happen… Pushing that message that volunteering is important and it does help people, is really important to me.”

On Saturday the University of Maine women’s hockey team (12-6-3, 6-3-2) traveled to Vermont for their third consecutive game against Hockey East rival, the University of Vermont (5-12-3, 3-8-2). The Black Bears finished the game on top, scoring in every period to win the game 4-1.

The scoring started late in the first period for the Black Bears. Fourth-year forward Catherine Tufts shot the puck after fourth-year forward Brooke Stacey had three back-to-back shots on goal about a minute before the end of the period, to no avail. Both Stacey and first-year defender Anna Zikova got the assist. This was Tufts’ seventh goal on the season for her 11th point.

The Catamounts didn’t let this score go unanswered, netting a goal of their own 1:25 into the second period. Fourth-year defender Amanda Drobot passed the puck to second-year forward Eve-Audrey Picard who passed it back to fourth-year defender Taylor Willard to shoot past second-year goaltender Carly Jackson and net a powerplay goal. This was Willard’s fourth goal of the season and ninth point, putting her at third on the team.

It took the Black Bears most of the period to be able to net another goal, but with just four minutes remaining in the period Stacey netted her first goal of the game with an assist from second-year forward Tereza Vanisova and Zikova. This goal brings Stacey to nine goals on the season and 22 points.

A minute later the Black Bears scored again bringing the score up to 3-1. First-year forward Daria Tereshkina and Stacey passed the puck between themselves until Tereshkina shot, getting it in around second-year goaltender Sydney Scobee. Third-year defender Alyson Matteau got the assist with Stacey. This was Tereshkina’s third goal on the season.

The Black Bears netted one final goal of the game at the 2:59 mark in the last period as the Black Bears found themselves on a power play opportunity shortly after killing a penalty of their own. Second-year forward Lydia Murray got the puck from Matteau and Tufts to shoot a one-timer, finding the back of the net to give the Black Bears a 4-1 game-winning lead.

Both teams played aggressively on the ice with the Black Bears getting 10 penalties throughout the game, while the Catamounts racked up five of their own, allowing both teams to net powerplay goals.  The two teams were pretty tightly matched for the number of shots, as the Black Bears recorded 31 shots on goal, while the Catamounts had 29.

Jackson took the win on the night over Scobee bringing her record in the net to 10-5 and her save percentage to .925. Scobee sits at 4-8 with a .921 save percentage.

The Catamounts will play one final tournament of the year when they travel to Montreal, Quebec for the Concordia Tournament on Friday Dec. 29 – Dec. 31. The Black Bears have almost a month off as their next game won’t be until the new year when they take on Boston University on the road. This game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 6.

University of Maine Police Department (UMPD)

Dec. 1

10:12 p.m.

A resident assistant (RA) on rounds detected a marijuana odor on the third floor of Hancock Hall. Officers located the offending dorm room and confiscated the burnt end of a marijuana cigarette. A 19-year-old female student was issued a referral for the possession of marijuana.

10:38 p.m.

Officers on patrol observed a group of males walking from Hilltop lot, carrying a bag. They saw the officers, dropped the bag and walked away. The bag contained alcohol, paraphernalia and marijuana. Of the four students, one took ownership of the bag and was issued a summons for marijuana and the use of drug paraphernalia and alcohol. The three other students were referred.

10:44 p.m.

An officer doing rounds observed a female first-year student puking in the parking lot on Rangeley Road. University Volunteer Ambulance Corps (UVAC) did an evaluation, but no transport was made. The student was referred for possession of alcohol.

11:05 p.m.

An RA complaint was issued for odor of marijuana on the second floor of Somerset Hall. Officers located the odor coming from a room where they found a glass bong and a smoke buddy in plain view. One summons was issued to a 19-year-old student for the possession of drug paraphernalia. Two other students were referred. The students were compliant with officers.

Dec. 2

12:57 a.m.

An officer on foot heard someone throwing up on the second floor of Knox Hall. The female first-year student was evaluated by UVAC but no transport was made. She was referred for possession of alcohol.

10 p.m.

An RA in Gannet Hall issued a complaint of underage drinking. Officers found a 12 oz Bud Light in the room and the female student was referred.

11:42 p.m.

An RA made a complaint of an odor of marijuana resulting in three students being referred for possession of alcohol by a minor and one being issued a referral for possession of marijuana paraphernalia. The students were cooperative and the 20 oz. Natty Light that was shared between the three was disposed.

Dec. 3

12:13 a.m.

An RA reported an intoxicated male. Officers found three students who had been drinking. One had passed out in the stairwell and the other two had admitted to drinking. The male passed out in the stairwell was evaluated by medical services, but no transport was made. An 18-year-old student from Massachusetts received a summons for possession of liquor by a minor.

12:29 a.m.

An intoxicated male student was found in Somerset Hall, having come back from a party where he drank a significant amount of Fireball. He was evaluated by UVAC, but no transport was made. He was referred to conduct.

1:02 a.m.

An RA reported underage drinking on the third floor of York Hall. Two males, one student and one non-student, gave up some Coors Light and were referred to conduct.

1:23 a.m.

A 17-year-old non-student was found unresponsive on the third floor of Gannett Hall. She was severely intoxicated and UVAC arrived and transported her to EMMC. Her parents were notified.

1:31 a.m.

A female was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital for intoxication. She had returned from an off-campus party to York Hall and Orono Fire transported her.

Dec. 4

3:19 p.m.

There was a report of someone having their tires slashed between Friday and Monday in the Aroostook lot resulting in $150 of damages. There are no suspects at this time.

9:24p.m.

An RA reported an odor of marijuana on the third floor of Knox Hall. Officers investigated and the students produced a wooden box with paraphernalia and marijuana as well as a bong. Three first-year students, two 19 and one 20, were issued summonses and referred for possession of marijuana and visible marijuana.

Dec. 5

1:41 a.m.

A UMPD officer on patrol stopped a car for having a license plate light out. Upon approaching the car, the officer smelled an odor of marijuana coming from the car. The officer found blunts, rolling papers and a marijuana pipe with marijuana residue. Since the driver was under 21, she was summonsed and referred for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Orono Police Department

Nov. 29

around 10 a.m.

A male who lives at Orchard Trails came into the station to report that the side window of his truck had been broken and the rearview mirror damaged. There was a pre-printed business card that said, “Hey f—nut, you suck at parking” left on his car, but there are no suspects at this time.

Nov. 30

2:15 a.m.

The officer saw males at the University Credit Union, where it appeared that there was some type of disagreement. One of the males left after this apparent altercation and headed toward downtown Orono. When the car saw there was a police officer following, it pulled into a driveway at random. The homeowner called the police and the officer approached the car. The driver said that he was trying to go to the Maine Maritime Academy and his GPS took him the wrong way. He smelled of liquor and the officer did a field sobriety test, when the male admitted to drinking two Bud Lights earlier in the night. The officer arrested him and did an intoxilyzer. Since he was under 21, he was deemed to be in violation of the conditions of his license and was issued a summons for operating without a license.

Dec. 1

Around 12 a.m.

An officer on patrol around midnight saw a car near All Town Market that didn’t stop all the way for the stop sign coming off of campus and turned into Orchard Trails. The officer stopped the car and it smelled of marijuana and alcohol, coming from the 19-year-old female driver. She admitted to having a glass of wine earlier and said the smell of marijuana was coming from her clothes from her friends smoking earlier. She was given a field sobriety test and was arrested for zero tolerance. She did an intoxilyzer test and was charged for operating without a license and given a summons. Upon a search of her car, there was marijuana found in the car and so, since she was under 21, she was also charged with a marijuana violation.

Having just come back from studying abroad in Chile, when I saw a book at the library with a road backed by a beautiful mountain scene and a clear sky titled, “Patagonian Road: A Year Alone Through Latin America,” I was automatically intrigued. The title was enough to draw me in and the description on the back sold it to me. It starts, “Spanning four seasons, ten countries, three teaching jobs, and countless buses…” explaining the journey that author, Kate McCahill, shares throughout the book.

McCahill starts her journey long before it actually begins, by reading Paul Theroux’s “The Old Patagonian Express” and wanting to create her own journey, following a similar path to Theroux, but taking time in Latin America. Instead of just riding the train all the way through, McCahill stopped in in several spots to make the most of her experience. She experiences the towns and cities, teaching in a few of them, meeting people and most importantly falling in love with some of these places.

Starting in Guatemala City, Guatemala, McCahill travels through Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina over the course of a year. She only returned to the United States once for a wedding in New Mexico, traveling by bus, from town to town and hostel to hostel.

The one thing that I loved about this book was her honesty. McCahill tells it all. She tells us her personal thoughts, experiences, fears and hopes each step of the journey. About halfway through the book McCahill and her significant other end a serious relationship, greatly affecting the rest of her journey. She seems more free after she gets over this, doing things because she wants to without the concern of having to write or call someone to let them know she is all right.

In her prologue McCahill sums up her journey perfectly by saying, “How little I knew about the world before I left for Latin America. How little I understood about what it meant to be a white American woman in the twenty-first century and how much, in my lifetime, I’ve been spared…How much I underestimated the power of the road, which turned out to be a mostly welcoming, often beautiful place…”

Throughout this journey, McCahill writes how what she experiences differs from what she expected and from the stereotypes of these countries that the rest of the world has. At times, her experiences match perfectly to these descriptions of her expectations.

The book is written in a way that the reader is also able to experience this journey as well. Through the eyes of McCahill we are transported to Christmas Eve in Xela, Guatemala and to an English class in San Roque in Quito, Ecuador. Up until her last stop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, she tells us of the journey she takes. The one thing that bothered me was at times, her descriptions were lacking. It could have been that she didn’t want to write a 1,000-page novel or maybe she didn’t remember much of her time in certain places, but there were times where her stories seemed to be missing something. For the most part they were complete, but there were some places that she seemed to not devote enough pages to, leaving me wondering what else happened there.

In conjunction with this, the book ends very abruptly. She is about to leave Buenos Aires and the book just ends. There is no resolution or discussion of her return to the U.S. She is talking to the man at the laundromat on her second-to-last morning and the book just ends. It leaves the reader wanting more, some type of resolution, but by doing this, it leaves the conclusion of her journey, her flight home and her return to the U.S. all up to the reader’s imagination. I understand why she does it, I just don’t like it.

Another issue I have with the book is that she never actually made it to Patagonia, which is a region in southern Argentina and Chile. The farthest south she goes is Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although she does base her book off of Theroux’s journey, he made it farther south, all the way to Esquel, Argentina, where the actual Old Patagonian Express runs. She never made it that far, making her title slightly misleading.

Reading “Patagonian Road” is a journey. It isn’t a feel-good book, but you will walk away from it feeling like you’ve learned something. It may make you want to see these towns for yourself or it may make you reconsider the places you want to travel. No matter how you feel at the end of the story, it isn’t an easy book to forget.

On Saturday, Nov. 18, the University of Maine Women’s Hockey team (9-6-1, 4-3-1) traveled to Boston, Mass. to take on the Northeastern Huskies (7-5-2, 5-4-1). Despite numerous opportunities for Black Bear power plays, the Huskies shut out the Black Bears 3-0.

Northeastern started scoring in the first period when Maine’s second-year forward Tereza Vanisova was given a penalty for interference 12 minutes and 50 seconds into the first period. This gave first-year defender Skylar Fontaine the opportunity to score a power play goal, 14 minutes into the period. She was assisted by second-year defender Codie Cross. This was her second power play goal of the season and her third goal in her freshman campaign. Cross notched her fifth assist on the season.

Despite Maine’s inability to net a goal, the Black Bears and the Huskies both had 10 shots on net in the first period. In the second period, the Black Bear logged 12 shots on goal, while Northeastern only logged nine.

Just five minutes and 54 seconds into the third period, the Huskies found the back of the net once again, this time directly following a penalty kill. Fourth-year forward McKenna Brand was able to get the puck from third-year defender Allyson Matteau and was able to make it down the ice and made a wrist shot into the net, bringing the score to 2-0 for the Huskies. This was Brand’s seventh goal on the season. She has netted three power play goals on the season and has 10 points on the season.

Northeastern was able to net another goal with just 25 minutes remaining in the game. Redshirt third-year forward Taytum Clairmont was able to net an empty-net goal, shooting from center ice after the Black Bears pulled second-year goaltender Carly Jackson from the net. Third-year defender Maddie Hartman had the assist on the goal. This was Clairmont’s fourth goal of the season and her first empty net goal.

Despite the Huskies being the only one to score, the Black Bears led the period in shots on goal with 17 compared to the Huskies’ seven shots.

In the goal for the Huskies was first-year goaltender Aerin Frankel who got the win on the night, making a career high 39 saves on the night. Frankel has a .95 average in the net. Jackson took the loss on the night, making 23 saves on the night, bringing her record to 6-5-1. Her average in the net is .913 for the season and for this game.

Stacey leads Black Bears to shutout Northeastern

After being shut out by the Huskies the night before, the Black Bears turned the tables to earn a shutout of their own Sunday afternoon, winning 2-0.

Fourth-year forward Brooke Stacey scored both of the goals of the game: one in the first period and the other in the second.

Six minutes and five seconds into the game, first-year forward Michelle Weis got the puck from second-year defender Brittany Colton, taking the shot, which was blocked by Frankel. The rebound went into a cluster of players in front of the net, from where Stacey was able to get the puck into the net, giving the Black Bears a 1-0 lead.

The first period saw 10 shots on net from the Black Bears, while Northeastern logged six. The next period was when the Huskies really hammered Jackson with shots, logging 16 shots on net compared to the Black Bears’ nine. Lucky for the Black Bears Jackson stood strong, not letting any shots in, while Stacey was able to sneak one past Frankel.

The play started with first-year defender Maggie Blair passed the puck from behind the net to Vanisova who passed it to Stacey. Stacey was able to net it off the post with a one-timer. These two goals bring Stacey to eight goals on the season with this being the third multi-goal game.

Although the third period saw no scoring, Maine made nine shots on goal, while Northeastern had six, bringing both teams to 28 shots on the day.

Jackson picked up the win, getting her first shut-out of the season and the second of her career, her first being against the University of Connecticut last year. This was also her third highest number of shots saved this season.

Although Frankel took the loss, she still managed to save 26 shots, which is also her third highest on the season.

Northeastern will go on to to play No. 1 Wisconsin on Friday, Nov. 24 in Washington D.C. Puck-drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Black Bears will also play on Friday, Nov. 24 going to Schenectady, N.Y. to play Union College at 6 p.m.

After 29 years of service to the United States, Captain Thomas Dearborn retired from the U.S. Navy on Oct. 1. This was the culmination of a long career with a nontraditional start to being an American citizen.

Dearborn was born in South Korea in 1965. His mother came from a traditional Korean family, while his father was a member of the U.S. Army stationed in Korea. Because Dearborn’s father married his mother, it made Dearborn a U.S. citizen as well as a South Korean citizen. When Dearborn was young, his father left, leaving him with his mother, and they have not had contact since. When his mother became ill, she put him up for adoption in the United States, where he was adopted by the Dearborn family of Mount Vernon, Maine.

“I was very blessed. Back in 1975 there probably were not any Koreans in the state of Maine. The town of Mount Vernon really welcomed me with open arms,” Dearborn said.

Dearborn came to the U.S. when he was 10 years old. He was dropped into a new culture and community without any knowledge of English.

“My very first day in the fifth grade, all of my classmates really welcomed me and helped me transition into their culture. I spoke no English when I arrived in this country and through the full immersion experience and the help of a lot of folks, I really picked up on the language,” Dearborn said.

Similar to many Maine residents, upon graduating high school Dearborn’s adoptive parents encouraged him to go to college. The University of Maine was a logical option, and Dearborn entered the school’s college of agriculture.

His third  year of college, he joined the newly created Navy ROTC, which really started his career in the Navy. Having previously been involved in the Army ROTC and having a desire to serve his country, the recruiters made an efficient pitch that got Dearborn to join the Navy ROTC.

“Because I was raised in Korea and adopted, I always had a great appreciation for the United states and everything it stood for,” Dearborn said. “I wanted to give back for all the opportunities I’ve had. I’ve always had an affinity for the military and I thought it was the best place I could serve my country and at the same time learn some valuable life skills.”

Dearborn graduated from UMaine in 1988 and went to work for the Navy.

“The military is such a diverse organization which I quickly learned when I entered the Navy and served on my very first ship, the USS Denver in San Diego in 1988, and I met people from all walks of life,” Dearborn said. “It was clearly a melting pot of cultures and ethnicity.”

In his almost 30-year career in the Navy, Dearborn was involved in many operations including Desert Storm, the Balkan Conflict, Operation Iraqi freedom in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

When asked which tour was his favorite, Dearborn immediately cited his first tour as a commanding officer which took place on the USS Tempest working with the U.S. Special Forces Command. Their purpose was to operate with and carry the Navy Seals all over the globe. During their tour, Dearborn brought the ship to the Southern Command Area (South and Central America) as well as crossed the Atlantic in the Central Command Area in the Persian Gulf.

“It was a tremendous learning and maturing experience for me as a person and as a naval officer and it really prepared me for all my subsequent tours,” Dearborn said of this tour.

This was Dearborn’s first position as the commanding officer but not his last. He went on to be the commanding officer of two other ships, the USS Underwood and the USS Somerset.

“Not many folks have the opportunity to command one ship so with me having the opportunity to command three ships, I consider that an awesome privilege that you would not get anywhere in the world except in the Unites States,” Dearborn said.

The Navy didn’t just give him the opportunity to command ships. It also gave him the opportunity to further his education. Dearborn later attended the Naval War College, earning a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies.

“One of the things the Navy promotes is a tremendous amount of personal and professional growth with higher education. I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend the Naval War College.”

After his retirement from the military, Dearborn drove across the country with his wife, from San Diego to Mount Vernon. He then went down to Florida, stopping in Norfolk, Va. to visit his daughter who is also in the Navy, serving aboard the USS Mason as the assistant supply officer.

“I’ll take a couple months off and then put myself back in a position where I can serve,” Dearborn said.

He wants to work as a mentor to help people at the local junior ROTC or work with the local or state government in a capacity where he can share his experiences and lessons.

“I feel very very blessed. The opportunities that were given to me were shaped by the thousands of people I have come into contact with, from when I first arrived in 1975 to those I have served with and led. It was really them who have made me successful. I couldn’t have done it alone,” Dearborn said.

After a long career in the military he expressed thanks for all that has been given to him since arriving in the country.

“As a 10-year-old half Korean boy, I never thought I would have retired as a Navy Captain after 30 years,” Dearborn said.

The rain on Friday afternoon drove many people into the Memorial Union to socialize and do homework, but fourth-year Kirsten Daley didn’t mind the influx of people as she tabled and tried to raise funds for the Black Student Union’s (BSU) trip to Washington D.C. for the Unity March for Puerto Rico.

“We are trying to go to DC to go to the Unity March for Puerto Rico to stand in solidarity with Puerto Rican hurricane survivors as well as protesting the Jones Act, which is keeping aid from getting into Puerto Rico where it needs to go,” Daley, who is president of BSU, said.

Although they were able to receive funding from student government for transportation and hotel costs, they recently found out that student government will not provide funding for gas or tolls.

This briefly set the group back on their plans to go to DC. Daley called an emergency meeting of the officers to come up with a solution. After meeting for just 35 minutes they came up with 11 ways of raising the $500 they would need for the trip. Some of these events included fundraising at Culturefest, 50-50 raffles at sports events, the Darling’s ice cream truck and the Block Party Friday.

The Block Party was originally scheduled for last Tuesday, Oct. 31 with a Halloween theme, but the weather changed that plan when school events were canceled due to the power outages. Instead of giving up on the idea, the group rescheduled it for Friday, Nov. 3.

“I think that just speaking that into the universe, that we are going to DC, not if we go to DC,  when we get to DC, when we do these programs, when we make this change. I think that that helps me stay on track and it helps people around me,” Daley said.

The trip on Nov. 19 for the march will not be BSU’s first trip to D.C.

On Sept. 30, they attended to the Black Women’s march for reproductive justice. This time around, the trip will take close to 14 hours, and with the number of members going there doubling, the group has to take two vans.

“It’s a pretty long drive and people who want to go, they desperately want to go to do this type of underground advocacy and see what that looks like,” Daley said.

Although this type of advocacy has existed for a long time, the BSU has recently been reactivated here at the University of Maine. Daley reactivated the club in the fall of 2016, after being contacted by the Office of Multicultural Student Life.

“I came into college wanting to do advocacy work for marginalized people. And once I started to get into anti-racist activism, I was contacted by the Multicultural Student Life Office.”

The office heard that she was interested in BSU and were putting out feelers because there was no actively running BSU at UMaine.

“Getting involved was definitely me deciding that BSU was going to be a thing and just finding people who wanted to do that,” Daley said.

Although they were re-started last year, this year they have been doing more programming. Last year they did events for Black History month in February, but a big issue they had was getting people involved and willing to dedicate time.

“It’s hard to get people’s time. Getting students to do things is a lot like herding cats. Just getting everyone in one space together and motivated for one goal is incredibly difficult, but we have been lucky enough to have people sign up this fall who were ready to work and ready to get things done,” Daley said.

Her work with the Multicultural Office is helping her with her future career goals. After college she wants to go into the Americorps with a service fellowship. She is currently looking at positions in Baltimore and New Orleans where she would be able to work within school systems with youth at risk and help them get into college.

After that, she plans to go back to school to get her graduate degree.

“I just need a break from homework for a little while,” Daley said.  

She hopes to go to graduate school for Black Studies and Restorative Justice. Since UMaine does not offer undergraduate or graduate programs in Black Studies, she hopes to go to a school near where she ends up with Americorps.

Daley works frequently with student interested in advocacy and is herself an advocate. Her best way of dealing with the emotions involved in this type of work is being self-aware.

“If you wake up one day and you don’t want to do anything and think, ‘hey I can’t deal with politics that day,’ then that’s something that you need to be aware of.”

“Guys We F—-d,” as one could assume by the title, is not for everyone. It delves into some uncomfortable topics throughout its course. Hosted by Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson, two comedians based in New York City, the podcast was started as a way to openly talk about sex and slut shaming. Throughout the show, Fisher and Hutchinson interview people with whom they’ve slept, as well as fellow comedians and well-known people in the sex industry.

With the goal of informing and making sex a topic that everyone can talk about, Fisher and Hutchinson use comedy and their experiences as a method of exploring these themes.

The first episode and every episode following starts with the intro, “You are now checked in to Stand Up New York Labs, Oh yeah. Welcome to Guys We F—-d, Guys We F—-d, I’m Krystyna and I’m Corinne and we’re sorry about last night, coming to you from Stand Up New York Labs, Guys We F—-d, the anti slut shaming podcast… they never stop…”

This podcast discusses topics that are rarely talked about in a safe environment, where no one is judged for their current or past sexual encounters. Since both hosts are comedians, the mood is upbeat, with jokes thrown in all over the podcast. While this helps make the podcast more approachable, it does sometimes downplay their ultimate message.

The podcast first aired on Dec. 6, 2013 and has been produced weekly ever since. Although the podcast wasn’t an instant success, the audience has grown consistently. It now has 623,000 followers on SoundCloud, when in 2014 they had less than a third of that number. I would recommend to new listeners to start with the older episodes and make your way to the newer ones.

Both Hutchinson and Fisher are very outspoken and have no issues telling listeners how they feel about the topics that come up. This adds to the podcast, giving it a more raw and natural feel, but at times you just want them to shut up and move on.

Despite being in their mid-20s, Fisher and Hutchinson still have a much younger mindset at times. Living in New York City, they are always telling listeners about their nights out in town, and for anyone in the audience who doesn’t particularly like that lifestyle, this could also be a turnoff.

I had recommended this podcast to one of my friends and after listening to the first episode, he was not impressed. He found the hosts to be annoying and over-opinionated. After some convincing, he agreed to keep listening and found that he actually enjoyed the podcast.

That is just the charm of this podcast — even though the hosts may not be your favorite people, the information and the topics they are discussing are things that need to be discussed but never are. Since the hosts have experienced many of these things throughout their own sex lives, they are the perfect people to host it.

One of the greatest things is that when they are not as informed about certain issues, they invite special guests to talk about them. Some of these included a woman who had an abortion, some of their gay friends, people who have worked as escorts and a woman who had a baby at the age of 18. All these people bring their experiences and knowledge to share with listeners.

Their more traditional guests are the guys they f—-d, who range from ex-boyfriends to current boyfriends (in Hutchinson’s cases) to random hookups and flings. With each guest they discuss how everything went down and then dissect it a little more, asking questions that you wouldn’t usually ask someone with whom you had sex. With the underlying message being that men and women should both be able to talk about and take part in the sexual acts that they wish, this podcast is a step in the right direction.

If you are looking for something a little risque that will undoubtedly have you laughing at every episode, then “Guys We F—-d” may be the podcast for you. Give it more than just the first episode before passing judgements and you may be surprised at what you find. “Guys We F—-d” is available on SoundCloud or wherever you find your podcasts.

On a sunny Friday afternoon, third-year student Kaleb Traverso-Penn was sitting on the mall, with a chocolate lab by his side. The first thing he said on being approached was, “It’s not my dog, but you can pet it.”

This is not a rarity for Traverso-Penn. He has built a relationship with professors and staff on campus where when they bring their dogs to work, he takes them for a few hours and will take them for walks and play with them before bringing them back to their owners.

When asked about it, he said, “Walking dogs is more of a hobby. I don’t charge anyone.”

It all started out about a year ago when Traverso-Penn befriended a professor and offered to walk her dogs.

“I just randomly walked into her office and we started talking. We sort of developed a friendship and then I was like, ‘If you want, I can just walk your dogs for you while you work.’”

Now it has become a regular occurrence. Traverso-Penn currently walks six dogs and whenever professors have them on campus, they call or text him to see if he’s not busy to take the dogs and play with them.

“As long as the dogs are tired by the end of it, then I did a good job,” he said.

This isn’t just a nice weather hobby either. He does it year round, no matter what the weather is.

“Well, dogs like snow and I like snow,” Traverso-Penn said.

Since he lives on campus, he can’t have a dog, but if he could, he would get one in a heartbeat. “I kinda want a husky lab mix,” he said.

When asked about horror stories, he said he didn’t really have one, but he did have a funny story.

“One of the other dogs I watch loves puddles. We were out by the field hockey field, in the back where it’s all grassy. And we were playing frisbee and he brought it back to me and then he went over to the side. And I’m like, ‘Please don’t let there be a puddle there.’  And he looks at it, then he looks at me, I was like, ‘Don’t you even think about it.’ All you heard was ‘splash.’ I brought him back all wet and she’s [the professor] like, ‘What happened?’”

It’s not just the dogs he walks that he loves. It’s all dogs in general.

“I love dogs so I’ll just walk up to any dog and play with it. Most dogs I’ve seen I just go up to their face and if they growl, well I’ll fight them.”

In addition to his dog-walking hobby, Traverso-Penn is also studying new media with a graphic design minor. He describes it as being similar to computer science, but with many different directions that he could explore.

“I’ve done graphic arts for like six years now. So I might as well do graphic design. I’ve always been interested in the new media aspect of it because our technology is constantly changing.”

When he graduates, he hopes to do work in web design or advertising, as he enjoys learning how to program.

Coming from Sanford, Maine, Traverso-Penn chose the University of Maine because of the low in-state cost of tuition and the campus.

“I love the campus. I like nature in general and this is a very open campus, so I get to go explore trails and do all that type of fun stuff.”

Lucky for him, the trails are the perfect place to walk dogs too. Since he lets them off the leash when they go on the trails, he only brings the dogs that he knows will listen to him.

“Next week I have the older labs with me and I’m going to take them out to the trails.”

“My community is not very diverse. We’re this small rural town community…Just the sheer number of people here is something to get used to,” first-year Jordan Miner said.

Coming from the small town of Baldwin, Maine, near Sebago Lake, Miner’s graduating class from high school was only 87 students. Coming to the University of Maine, the biggest thing she noticed was the diversity that the school holds, especially when comparing it to her home town.

Although it’s different from her hometown, coming to UMaine in the first place wasn’t a hard decision to make.

“I live in Southern Maine, so in-state tuition was a factor and my dad was an advocate for UMaine as well, and their engineering program is very strong,” she said.

Miner’s family lives just two and a half hours from UMaine, so she enjoys being closer than she would have been at a different school.

Coming in, Miner has already jumped right into life on campus. During her first semester here, she has already joined the bioengineering club as well as the equestrian team.

Miner is on the club portion of the team, which is not as big of a commitment as being on the show team, but she still gets the opportunity to ride.

“We ride over in Dover-Foxcroft. I just ride either once a month or once every two weeks,” Miner  said.

They also do a lot of fundraising as they were just made an official club sports team, which requires a set amount of fundraising.

The bioengineering club has done different activities throughout the semester. Last Saturday, Oct. 21, the club members went to hike at Acadia, something Miner was looking forward to. Despite being from Maine, she hasn’t been to the national park since she was younger.

This wasn’t her first hike of the semester either.

“I went to Katahdin over Columbus Day weekend. I didn’t hike to the top because it was so cloudy that you couldn’t see anything, but it was still fun hiking,” she said.

In addition to her involvement in club activities, Miner has also enjoyed attending hockey games.

“I love hockey and meeting all the new people. I’ve made some really good friends here,” Miner said.

Miner has big expectations for UMaine. She is studying bioengineering and is a student in the Honors College.

“I’m used to the chaos of it, but it’s still a lot to juggle with engineering and honors,” she said.

When talking about bioengineering, Miner said there are many different places you can go with it, from designing prosthetics to modeling systems that can detect cancer. She is also planning to have a minor that will help her specialize in what she wants to do. Currently she’s thinking of a pre-med concentration and a minor in electrical engineering.

Miner plans on doing research with her advisor next semester to learn more about her field and get some experience doing different things.

“I’m excited to see what my major holds. Bioengineering is such a broad spectrum that there are so many things. I’m just interested to see where it brings me,” Miner said.