Feb. 5

After midnight, University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) officers found a group of students smoking on the Hilltop Quad. They had their medical marijuana cards and were not charged but referred to conduct for having marijuana on campus. 

Jan. 30

At 11:14 p.m. in York Hall a female student was found to be smoking marijuana. She was found with drug paraphernalia and was under 21 so she was referred to conduct. The student relinquished the marijuana. 

At 10:06 p.m. 11 students were referred to conduct after cramming into a dorm room for a party. UMPD officers found lots of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and students hid in the closets when found by officers. Everyone was sent to conduct for the use of drugs, along with violating COVID-19 rules.

At 12:06 a.m. Alexander Brown, 19, of York Hall, was issued a summons for possession of alcohol by consumption. He was not cooperative. 

Jan. 29

At 11:12 p.m. officers arrived at the Hilltop lot where they found five people in a car smoking marijuana. Nobody had a medical marijuana card and Anthony Brenton took ownership of the marijuana. He received a summons for sale and use of drug paraphernalia. 

At 6 a.m. officers were asked to respond to the first floor women’s bathroom in Somerset Hall. A female student was found unconscious and transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center. She was with five friends. All were referred to conduct for alcohol possession and violating COVID-19 rules. 

UMPD officers were dispatched to the third floor of Cumberland Hall when a male student was punched in the face and maced. Makylee Chan, 19, was charged with assault and the criminal use of disabling chemicals. Her court date is April 8. 

 The minimum wage has been at the center of debates for years. Politicians have gone back and forth about what constitutes a livable wage, and the minimum amount people get paid varies by state. As of Jan. 1, the minimum wage in Maine increased from $12 to $12.15 an hour according to the Maine Department of Labor. People who are tipped workers, such as wait staff, are earning $6.08 an hour before their tips are factored in. 

The minimum wage has been steadily increasing in Maine in recent years.  Per the Maine Department of Labor website, as of July 1, 2018, “Portland’s minimum wage [was] $10.90 and connected to the CPI, per their local ordinance. The state minimum wage [was] $11 as of January 1, 2019, however Portland’s minimum wage ordinance may exceed the state minimum wage on July 1, 2019.”

 In November of 2020 the people of Portland, Maine voted to increase the minimum wage. According to portlandmaine.gov, over the course of three years, the minimum wage in Portland will increase to $15 per hour. Additionally, in 2022, people who work during an emergency declared by the state or city will be paid time and a half for their efforts. This change was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. The current minimum wage in Portland sits at $12.15 per hour. 

The University of Maine is complying with the wage increase that the state is undergoing. The student employment website states that everyone will be making at least $12.15 an hour, and those who are already making above $12.15  for an hourly wage will have their wage increased according to a pay scale that their office has generated. 

However, as tuition and the cost of living continues to increase, students have advocated for a $15 minimum wage at UMaine. Last year, a student created the “Fight For 15” campaign at UMaine after working for the school for a few years. Michael Redante, who graduated from UMaine in the spring of 2020 with a master’s in forestry, created this movement. The group has not been active on their Facebook platform since April of 2020, but in the past they have provided students with links to financial resources and have held in-person meetings. 

The fight for a $15 minimum wage has not only been heralded by students; over the past few months, the debate has reached the federal level. Since 1938, the federal government has been able to set a federal minimum wage. At its inception, the federal minimum wage was set to just 40 cents per hour. That figure was adjusted 22 times during 12 separate administrations, but has not recently been adjusted to match inflation. The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 was established in 2009, but many have noted that minimum wage has stagnated and left many out of a reasonable income. If minimum wage reflected current inflation values, it would be in the $20 per hour range. 

This has not gone unseen by political action groups, state and federal civil servants or presidents. President Joe Biden included a statement during his campaign for president that noted that it was “well past time that the minimum wage nationally be a minimum of $15.” 

Recently, an effort was made to include a federal minimum wage hike in the most current COVID-19 relief bill. However, the $15 minimum wage addendum was voted down in Senate discussion to move the bill through the Senate, and the package was only approved after Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in to cast her deciding vote.

Sen. Susan Collins has been outspoken about the current COVID-19 relief package, sharing her support for a bill which would target those who have the most financial need, but has noted that she does not feel that the current package should include an amendment to the current federal minimum wage. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders has stated that he will not back down from seeking to introduce legislation that will accommodate a raise to the minimum wage, and noted that he does not expect the minimum wage to be immediately changed. Rather, Sanders’ plan would raise minimum wage over a period of five years. 

As Maine continues to increase minimum wage, people are still struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing unemployment rates to soar. This change in wages in the near future could be the spark people need to feel a little more financially stable. 

Students in Kathryn Swacha’s technical editing and document design class, which is offered through the University of Maine’s English department, have been working with a local household goods bank called Welcome to Housing that provides furniture and other household items to people in need. Welcome to Housing has been known to give furniture to a variety of people including individuals and families who immigrated to the U.S., people who were formerly incarcerated and have their own place, veterans, or those displaced by domestic violence or a household fire . Welcome To Housing (WTH) is an entirely volunteer-run organization located in Old Town and run by founder Chris Olsen. 

Throughout the semester, students have been using the skills they learned in Swacha’s class like research, technical writing and editing and design skills to create newsletters and volunteer guides for WTH. These documents will only help the organization grow going forward, contributing to WTH’s ongoing efforts to increase its volunteer pool and destigmatize people seeking their services. Olsen has been grateful for the student’s help and feels it has benefited his non-profit greatly. 

“In addition to the intelligence and enthusiasm the students have put into helping WTH, there is a level of compassion that makes it even stronger,” Olsen said in a press release. “The insight from this demographic also is a plus for WTH as we want to keep our program current and we want to reach the widest group of people possible and the work they have done will help us reach new generations of young people who enjoy ‘giving back’ to their community.”

Olsen also expressed that he enjoyed working with Swacha’s class throughout the semester and with UMaine students over the past decade. He finds that students often provide creative solutions to issues and are always a pleasure to work with. 

“Professor Kathryn Swacha’s writing class has had and will continue to have a profound impact on Welcome To Housing and our organization’s growth and reach,” Olsen said. “We started with a handful of individuals in the autumn of 2011 and we’ve grown over the years to a point far beyond anything I could have envisioned. The biggest contributing factor is the support we get from the community. This writing class is a perfect example. Taking on several different angles to help WTH grow and raise awareness for the work we do and how important it is to people in need, the effect will be long lasting.” 

Students also feel that their experience with WTH has been rewarding. Fourth-year English student Jillian Ramsey, a student in Swacha’s class and an intern with WTH, shares how this experience has impacted her. 

    “Interning with Welcome To Housing has been nothing shy of amazing,”  Ramsey said. “Chris has only pushed me to be the best intern I could and for that, I will forever be grateful. This internship has helped me grow into the writer that I am today, and has given me the skills and knowledge of a real-life job. It has opened my eyes to a job position that I may want to apply for [and] take on one day. I have newfound social, writing and editing skills that I hope to use in my future, along with the pride I have acquired from working with such a wonderful organization.”

    It is great to see UMaine students giving back to the community while furthering their education and helping a local organization.  WTH is taking on another intern in the spring semester who will help continue the work students in this class began. To learn more about WTH, the services they provide, or ways to get involved, visit www.welcometohousing.com.

On Tuesday Nov. 17, the University of Maine held a talk with Richard Powell, a professor of political science at UMaine, about the outcome of the 2020 election cycle. These meetings, held via Zoom once a month, are part of a series and help promote alumni engagement. Before the election took place, the UMaine Alumni Association held an event as part of the series in October where Powell spoke on American politics and the projected winners of state and federal elections. John Diamond, president of the UMaine Alumni Association, opened the webinar with an address to the alumni. 

“Webinars have proved to be quite popular and will continue to be a regular part of our plans [and] we are really proud to have Dr. Powell with us. We are proud of all the work he does,” Diamond said. 

Although this webinar was supposed to feature both Powell and Robert Glover, Glover was not able to attend the meeting. Diamond noted that Powell had recently been the recipient of the 2020 Maine’s Distinguished Professor Award. The floor was given to Powell and he began talking about his opinion on this year’s elections. 

“Thank you for inviting me back. It’s great to see so many registered on Zoom right now. Obviously everyone is highly attuned to American politics right now. There are causes for celebration for both parties. Everyone is very focused on the presidential race… Obviously Democrats are quite thrilled to win the presidency. In the House of Representatives the Republicans fared very well,” Powell said. 

He then suggested that the group delve into a post-election analysis which would involve voting behavior analysis and analyzing campaign strategy. He wanted to open the floor to questions at any time, inviting guests to have a candid conversation about what the deeper implications of this election will be. Powell mentions that one of the notable aspects of this election was the voter turnout on both sides of the aisle. He said that 70% of people who were eligible to vote did so, and this type of voting behavior has not been seen in the U.S. since the late 1800s. 

Powell turned his attention to the senate race in Maine, which was between Sen. Susan Collins and Sara Gideon. This race was watched nationally and was crucial for the Democrats to regain a majority in the Senate. Sen. Susan Collins ended up winning another term. Powell thinks the nationalization propelled Gideon’s campaign but overall it is very difficult to vote an incumbent candidate out of office in the state of Maine, as proved by historical data. Powell then turned his conversation towards the amount of money that was spent in advertising and promoting both senate candidates. He theorized that the public did not react well to the excessive spending and the oversaturation of political ads. 

“I do wonder how much the excessive spending we had in the state had affected the race in a way that we could not have anticipated. Beyond the Senate race you see the continued concept of what we have talked about for generations, and that is the two Maines. That is a continued story we are going to want to watch in coming years as well,” Powell said.

When Powell mentions the two Maines he is referring to the fact that southern Maine has a tendency to be much more liberal than the traditionally conservative northern Maine. This leads the state to be split on key issues or elect candidates from independant or third parties for Congress. 

Lastly, Powell turned his thoughts over to the topic of polling and how the public has vieweds polling in recent years. This year there was a 2.5% national polling error that affected the projection of the presidential election. Joe Biden was predicted to win by a much larger margin, but the polls were still correct in choosing him as the winner. Biden was favored in upper Midwestern states in the polls, but he ended up winning by smaller margins than anticipated. Many states admitted that their polling was skewed and predicted numbers that were not accurate, and according to Powell, for the second election in a row, people are losing faith in the accuracy of public opinion polling. 

“Polling plays such a critical role in our society and it is the way we figure out meaning in our elections and what the public wants,” Powell said. “We are cut loose in a fairly scary way if we can’t make sense of public opinion in a large democracy in the U.S.”  

Powell speculates that since the polling had only begun to go awry in 2016 when Donald Trump first ran for president, and continued to be wrong in 2020 when Trump ran for a second term, that perhaps there is a link between Trump’s supporters and their trust in people who are conducting polls. 

“There may be  a phenomenon in which supporters of the president are less likely to answer polls because they have less trust in larger institutions. Polls usually come from large media outlets,”  Powell said.  

Because Trump has been feuding with major media outlets for years, most of whom do run their own polls, it is possible that his supporters do not feel comfortable telling the news media who they just voted for in exit polls. That being said, there is also a possibility that the technology and software used to conduct polls is broken and needs reforming. 

Powell then spoke on how the U.S. has become more divided than ever on political issues and Powell believes that the news people choose to consume is to blame. The issue lies in the fact that people disagree on the key facts of issues, not their opinion of the issues. People don’t agree on the facts because the facts are not being reported accurately by sensational news outlets which are popular amongst Americans. He mentions that 70% of Republicans believe that Joe Biden won the election fraudulently, and once Fox News, a conservatively biased media outlet, reported that Biden won the election the channel  lost many viewers and does not expect to gain many back. It appears some people only want to hear the news they like and not the actual facts, and Powell finds this to be a terrible thing for democracy. 

“This is absolutely one of the most worrisome things in our political system in recent years,” Powell said. “People are living in their own informational bubbles. The best thing you can do is try to focus on your media diet. If we think of it as a diet there is junk food out there which is not good for you, and there is broccoli also.” 

Powell mentioned that he personally recommends people tune into PBS Newshour or BBC for news that is not biased and that he is always discussing the credibility of news and sources with students in his political science classes. Although he says fact-checking websites are a great resource he does not personally use them because he prefers to do a lot of fact-checking himself. 

The next webinar from the UMaine Alumni Association will be held on Dec. 9, and it will focus on the topic of the significance of the month of December in many world religions.

Last week, Americans finally got some answers as to who their new president-elect and  vice president-elect would be. With 306 electoral votes, Joe Biden will be the next president and Kamala Harris will be the next vice president when they are inaugurated on Jan. 21, 2021. 

Kamala Harris is a powerful woman in politics and she will be the first woman in the role of vice president, as well as the first person of South Asian heritage and the first Black person as vice president. This accomplishment has inspired many women, Black people and people of South Asian heritage, and to see representation of women and people of color in the White House is refreshing to many. 

One person who is excited by all Harris has accomplished is Laura Cowan, the director of women’s, gender and sexuality studies at the University of Maine.

“There is much to say about this milestone for women. I think that it is interesting that Kamala Harris is what we call a ‘third wave feminist,’” Cowan said. “Hillary Clinton is a second wave feminist. I think there has been an assumption in the movement that the first woman in the executive office would be of Hillary’s generation. I think there are many good reasons that a third wave feminist can be the trailblazer. Barriers to women’s employment, education, etc. tend to cluster regionally in the U.S. so it also makes sense that Kamala is from California — which is a region that has been ahead of the game when it comes to legislation and policies for equity in many domains.” 

To further explain what Cowan means, it is helpful to understand the waves of feminism. The first wave of feminism is usually classified as the movement between 1848 to 1920 focused on women’s suffrage movement. Some noteworthy names from this time include Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The second wave of feminism can be classified as feminist movements that were taking place from 1963 to the 1980s  which focused on giving women more rights and protections, like the right to hold a credit card in their name. This wave also sought to stop sexual harassment, while also attempting to speak about racism by including women of color and protesting anti-Civil Rights movement policies and ideologies. Third wave feminism, which is the wave Kamala Harris belongs to, is harder to define because it is still occurring. It is said to have started in 1991 when Anita Hill testified before Congress that Clarence Thomas, a Supreme Court Justice who was going through the appointment process at the time, had sexually harassed her at work. This wave encompasses more allegations of sexual misconduct and includes the #MeToo movement, which started after Harvey Weinstein was accused and eventually convicted of sexual misconduct and rape. This wave of feminism also includes the election of women to powerful political positions, such as when 24 women were elected into the House of Representatives in 1992, the inclusion of more women on the Supreme Court, and now Kamala Harris as vice president-elect. 

Although there are many barriers that remain which make it harder for women to have political careers, Harris has broken a glass ceiling for women that many thought they would not witness in their lifetime. The term glass ceiling is used as a metaphor to represent barriers that exist for women and minority groups in the workplace. When the glass ceiling is broken, someone has made strides towards equality by breaking barriers that have not been broken before. In Maine, more women are on the ballot than ever before, and the two leading candidates for the Senate race were both women. Sara Gideon and Susan Collins both ran to represent Maine in the Senate in a nationally-watched race. Collins was re-elected for a fifth term, and although she is not new to the Senate, having women in elected positions can encourage more young women to engage in a political career and create different and more inclusive conversations in the political sphere. 

Before becoming vice president-elect, Harris was attorney general in the state of California. This history has prompted some wariness  in her crime policies, especially in an era where tensions between the police and the Black community are high due to police killing a large number of unarmed Black people. Cowan is optimistic and believes that politicians can evolve their ideas. 

“There will be nay-sayers among liberals that protest her background as attorney general in California. She was tough on crime. But I think this year’s election is all about learning from history and reflecting on one’s decisions in the past and moving forward. Both Biden and Harris have in the past held views they no longer hold and I think we should look at this as promising growth, not hypocrisy,” Cowan said.

Whether one aligns themselves with Harris’ political leanings or not, it is undeniable that her election has made history and opened the door for more women to seek high-ranking positions in the White House, a concept that may have seemed foreign not too long ago. 

Alyssa Dau, a second-year student at the University of Maine, was charged two class C felonies in relation to a fraudulent voting incident and both charges carry a fine of up to $5,000 and the potential for five years in prison. Dau was charged with voting in the name of another and forging the name of another on an absentee ballot after using her former roommate’s absentee ballot to cast a vote in their name. Dau’s roommate, Evan Suleiman, who prefers to be referenced by gender neutral pronouns, said that they were still able to vote, but they were not immediately aware that their ballot was tampered with. Suleiman said that their absentee ballot did not arrive at their new address and they called the town office to see if they would be able to vote in person instead. The office initially said yes, but the municipal clerk reached out to Suleiman the next day saying a ballot had already been cast in their name. After the municipal clerk marked the ballot as fraudulent, an investigation was launched and Dau confessed. Dau was charged but no information has been released regarding a court appearance. It is assumed that Dau committed voter fraud due to a personal dispute with Suleiman. Dau declined to comment when she was contacted by the Maine Campus. 

“Actual voter fraud, in which a person intentionally casts a vote illegally such as in another person’s name, is very rare in Maine and this case shows that the systems we have in place work to flag any questionable activities around voting and see that they are fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Kristen Muszynski, the director of communications for the department of the secretary of state explained.

The last case of voter fraud in Maine occurred in 2010 when a 65-year-old man voted twice, once in Dixmont and once in Newburgh. The state of Maine takes these cases very seriously and is working hard to resolve the current case. 

UMaine has not made a statement regarding this incident, however Sean O’Mara, who works for student legal services commented on the role UMaine plays in situations like this. 

“The University of Maine generally [doesn’t] involve itself in cases that [do] not directly involve the student’s role at UMaine, or that [don’t] occur at UMaine itself, but they’ve taken a broader approach in recent years,” O’Mara said.

 O’Mara does not believe that UMaine will involve itself specifically in this case because it occurred off campus and it would be difficult “to demonstrate how this threatens any educational process, legitimate function of the university, or the health and safety of any individual”. He shared that felony convictions do not bar anyone from attending the university, however, students must follow the Student Conduct Code, and if they violate it they can be dismissed from the university. 

This story is still developing as Dau has not been sentenced or appeared before the Penobscot County court. If you believe that your ballot has been tampered with please speak with your local municipal clerk. Everyone has the right to cast a challenged ballot to ensure that their vote will be counted; the town and state can work together to launch an investigation. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and any person still in line at the polls after 8 p.m. has the legal right to cast their ballot. 

Oct. 16 

At 11 p.m. officers from the University of Maine Police Department (UMPD) were called to the first floor of Oxford Hall and found a student smoking marijuana in their room. They were found to be in possession of a usable amount of marijuana and were referred to conduct. 

Oct. 17

At 9:55 p.m. Skyler Porter, 23, of Bangor was charged with assault and violation of conditional release.

After midnight UMPD officers were called to the first floor of Oxford Hall where they found Brayden Cole, from Kittery smoking hashm, a form of marijuana concentrate. He admitted to drug usage and UMPD confiscated his drug paraphernalia as well as issued a summons for the use of drug paraphernalia. 

Oct. 18 

At 2:17 a.m. Ryan Vickery, of Orono, was charged with two counts of assault. 

Oct. 19

UMPD received a report that property damage happened on the Hilltop quad overnight. 

Oct. 20 

At 4 a.m. UMPD was called to the Hilltop quad for a complaint of criminal mischief and property damage. A male student had flipped a bike rack, removed manhole covers and destroyed several picnic tables. He was caught on surveillance video and referred to conduct. 

At 12:42 p.m. a female student was captured on security cameras tearing down Turning Point USA flyers in the Memorial Union. UMPD is actively investigating this case and is planning to circulate the video footage on its Facebook page to identify the woman. 

Oct. 21

UMPD conducted an ‘operating under the influence’ arrest on Rangeley Road at 12:33 a.m. Dylan Beers, a first-year student from Brookfield, Connecticut living in Cumberland Hall, was going the wrong way on a one-way street with no headlights on. He was driving the car intoxicated and failed his field sobriety test so he was transferred to Penobscot County jail for a Breathalyzer test, which he also failed. In the car with him were his girlfriend, who is not a student, and a fellow UMaine student. 

Oct. 23

At 1:10 a.m. Kenneth Dare, 20, of Old Town was charged with illegal transportation of liquor by a minor

At approximately 2:30 a.m. a UMPD officer was on patrol and came across a car in the Aroostook parking lot with four first-year students inside. They were smoking marijuana and they were in possession of alcohol. Although one student did have a medical marijuana card, all of the drugs and drug paraphernalia were taken and the four students were referred to conduct. 

At 8:14 a.m. a police report was filed with UMPD for criminal mischief. An unknown suspect flipped tables on the Hilltop quad and caused $800 worth of damage overnight. The overall damage caused this week alone by criminal mischief in the Hilltop quad totals to $5,000. 

The COVID-19 virus is not the only pandemic the United States is experiencing right now. Another public health crisis has been going on behind the scenes as stay-at-home or work-from-home orders force people to spend more time at home, potentially with their abusers. This often underreported issue is domestic violence. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NACDV) defines domestic violence as “willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional abuse.” Domestic violence can range in severity, but all cases are extremely damaging to those affected. 

Each October, the University of Maine hosts the March Against Domestic Violence on campus. People from all different types of organizations are invited to speak at this important event. This year, due to the  COVID-19 pandemic, the actual march was canceled and the event went virtual. Instead, it was held on Facebook live on Oct. 7. Speakers included Vice President for Student Life and Inclusive Excellence and Dean of Students Robert Dana, President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Lieutenant Colonel Steven Veves. Veves is the new professor of military science for the Army ROTC Black Bear Battalion. All speakers gave their point of view on how domestic violence affects the community, and what can be done to end this crisis.

Joyce Benton, the president of the Maine Business School MBS Core Community Outreach Organization, hosted the Zoom event. She thanked everyone for taking time out of their day to devote their attention to this important issue. In her opening remarks, she stated that UMaine recognizes it is on Marsh Island, which was land that belonged to the Penobscot Nation. She continued to acknowledge the Wabanaki tribal nations are facing environmental and land ownership conflicts that are ongoing. 

“October is dedicated to bringing awareness to domestic violence, and today we take a stand against it,” Benton said. “In Maine alone, a domestic violence assault is reported to law enforcement every 2 hours and 22 minutes… these numbers are eye-opening as domestic violence is known as a silent crime that often goes unrecognized. It can be your neighbor, a close family friend or even a family member that has experienced abuse without you being aware.” 

According to her, it is important to be cognizant of the warning signs of domestic violence and understand what to do if you or someone you know needs help. Throughout the event, she continued to introduce speakers and facilitated more discussions.

Next, Dana stressed the importance of gathering for this event. He says he has an “absolute passion” for raising awareness for domestic violence and that he is “very thankful” to be a part of this annual event that is taking place despite unprecedented circumstances. 

“Violence against anyone is violence against everyone,” Dana said.  “Each one of us has a duty to both have each other’s back, to support each other, to call out acts of indifference and excessive privilege, to call out acts of hostility and violence, to help people that appear to need help [and] to extend our lifelines and our healing vibrations so that people can come to us and get help. Together we can make a difference.” 

Dana called on people to join forces and confront the darkness in the world, especially issues like domestic violence that are usually underreported and never talked about openly. Dana wants to reduce the stigma around domestic violence in the local community. Supporting and encouraging others and holding yourself accountable to advocate for this cause is the first step to creating a better environment for those affected by domestic violence. 

President Joan Ferrini-Mundy recorded a video of her speech which was played at the Zoom event.

“It’s important that we continue to educate ourselves and have conversations about domestic violence in all its forms,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “We must collaborate… to celebrate survivors and remember victims.” She closed her speech by thanking the UMaine community “for contributing to a campus, state and world in which relationships are positive and healthy.”

Becoming educated about the statistics surrounding domestic violence can help people understand how widespread this experience is, even when people choose not to speak about it publicly. It is impossible to know how many people are actually affected by domestic violence due to the fact that not every case is reported. According to NACDV, “In 2013, 5,487 domestic violence incidents were reported to Maine law enforcement, comprising almost half of assault reports. Many other domestic violence incidents went unreported. Arrests were made in only 17.4% of reported incidents.” Additionally, many homicides in Maine are linked to the issue of domestic violence. The NACDV reports, “In 2013, there were 12 domestic violence homicides in Maine, comprising almost half of all homicides. 46% of domestic violence homicides in Maine from 2012 to 2013 were committed using firearms.”

While there was no actual march, the virtual event still holds weight and was able to articulate the problems surrounding domestic violence and teach people how to become aware of this issue in the local community. It is important that UMaine takes a stance against domestic violence and raises awareness to keep its community safe. You can view the livestream of the seventh annual march against domestic violence here if you would like to learn more about domestic violence and how it impacts people in the local community. 

Most importantly, if you or someone you know is being affected by domestic violence, please know that there are resources available to help. Partners For Peace, located in Bangor and Dover-Foxcroft can help with shelter, legal services, emotional support, advocacy and childcare. Please call their 24 hour helpline at 1-800-863-9909 to receive assistance. 

 On Saturday, Oct. 17, the University of Maine’s UVote, a nonpartisan organization that promotes student voting, hosted in-person absentee voting in the New Balance Field House. Any Orono resident could participate even if they were not a student. The polls were open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and people could register to vote while they were there. Friendly staff helped people understand how to register to vote, what materials they needed to do so and what to do with their ballots after they were completed. 

People entering the Field House were greeted by a volunteer who explained that if they needed to register to vote they must go to the registration tables. There, a UMaine UVote ambassador handed a person a registration card and explained how one should fill it out. Even if a person was registered to vote in Orono during the last election or primary they would need to re-register if they changed their name or address since the last time they voted. Additionally, out of state students can vote in the state of Maine if they attend college here.

One such student is Sara Gundermann, a third-year food science and human nutrition student. She is from Palmyra, Pennsylvania but chooses to vote in Maine while she attends UMaine simply because it is more convenient. She was thrilled that she could vote in person on a day that did not conflict with her class schedule. Voting was easy and simple for her. 

“I think things went smoothly today. There were minimal lines and registering to vote was super easy,” Gundermann said. “The volunteers were really friendly and got everyone in and out in an efficient fashion.”

Proper COVID-19 protocols were taken to ensure everyone’s safety at the event. Everyone was required to wear a face covering and maintain a 6-foot distance from others. Voting booths were spaced appropriately and when registering to vote the voter and the voting ambassador were seated at opposite ends of a 6-foot card table. The envelopes which hold the ballots were sealed with tape instead of saliva to reduce the risk of viral transmission. 

One aspect of voting that is unique to Maine is rank-choice voting, and this is the first ever presidential election where rank choice voting is being used in the U.S. by the state of Maine. This method of voting allows voters to place candidates in a preferential order instead of choosing just one candidate to vote for. This means more people may be willing to vote for a third party candidate. Maine’s Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions further explains rank choice voting on their website, maine.gov. 

“Ranked-choice voting, sometimes called ‘instant run-off voting,’ allows voters to choose their candidates in order of preference, by marking candidates as their first, second, third, and subsequent choices. The votes are tabulated in rounds, with the lowest-ranked candidates eliminated in each round until there are only two candidates left. The one who is determined to have received the majority of the votes (more than 50%) in the final round is declared the winner. It is different from our previous method of voting, in which voters choose only one candidate for each office and the winner is determined by plurality (whoever gets the most votes),” the maine.gov website explains.

Since Gundermann is from Pennsylvania, she had not encountered rank choice voting before, but she said that it relieves anxiety about casting a vote for a third-party candidate and allows people to vote for who they really believe in without worrying about splitting an election by voting third party. She enjoys having the flexibility of rank-choice voting while living in Maine. 

In-person early voting provided a convenient and safe way to vote for Orono residents, but if you haven’t voted yet there are still plenty of ways to do so. UMaine’s UVote website provides information on how to cast your vote. For Orono residents, absentee ballots can be requested until Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. and people can vote in person at the Field House from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

On Oct. 8 at 1:47 a.m. three male students were referred to judicial affairs for an alcohol violation. UMPD officers found the men hiding behind vehicles and the officers decided to call UVAC because one student in particular was very intoxicated. That student was not transferred to the hospital. 

On Oct. 8 at approximately 5:40 a.m. Fenia Benet-Higgins of Orono was charged with leaving the scene of a property damage accident. 

On Oct. 10 at  5:09 a.m. UMPD officers responded to a noise complaint. A male student was intoxicated, making loud noises and admitted to drinking eight beers that night. He said he came from Beta Theta Pi. Officers gave him a disorderly conduct warning and referred him to judicial affairs. 

On Oct.11 at 1:30 a.m. UMPD officers responded to Somerset Hall. A male first-year student was found to be vomiting in the bathroom. He was evaluated and transferred by UVAC. He admitted to drinking vodka and was referred to judicial affairs. 

On Oct. 11 at 11:35 p.m. UMPD officers responded to Morse Field when one female student was captured on surveillance footage urinating on the football field. When they arrived they found three students in possession of alcohol and drinking. All three were referred to judicial affairs. 

On Oct. 11 at 5:09 a.m. James Treadwell of Veazie was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol. 

On Oct. 14 at 10:15 a.m. Lucas Hamlin of Old Town was charged with possession of a false identification card.