Early last Sunday morning on Crosby street in Orono, four University of Maine students, Summer Blaisdell, Charles Carroll, Marcus Paes and Braeden Cunningham violently assaulted a local Orono man in his own front yard. The man who confronted and filmed the students trespassing was kicked and beaten in the head. The students even choked him, temporarily cutting off his airway, all the while yelling homophobic slurs and threats at the man.  

This isn’t who we are. During our time here, Orono has welcomed us with open arms. Meanwhile, some students throw beer cans in people’s lawns, vandalize signs and in this case, commit hate crimes. 

It’s obvious to any level-headed individual that this is disgusting and inexcusable behavior. Students need to acknowledge that there is a deeper rooted issue. Students are disconnected from the Orono community, leading to a culture of disrespect and a strained relationship. 

I will say that the serious problem-causing students are in the minority. The average UMaine student cares about our community. However, that doesn’t excuse us from collective accountability. At the end of the day, they were students who committed a terrible crime, and one still even participated in Maine Day, unbothered.  

I am torn over the local Orono residents referring to this as a student problem. On one hand, if you replaced “student” with “elderly,” “women,” “immigrant,” etc., then it would be unacceptable. On the other hand, this is a neighborhood that has had to deal with serious consequences of housing students.  

If the Wooster neighborhood residents are reading this, I want them to know that the majority of students find this behavior despicable and disgusting. YikYak, a popular social media platform for our students, erupted after the Thursday BDN article. Students were outraged, calling for the criminals to be removed from the university.  

Unfortunately, there were a few bad apples- as there always will be- defending the criminals, saying that the BDN story was one-sided, and that the man was creepy for filming them. On YikYak, posts with five ‘downvotes’ are automatically removed. All of those posts were downvoted off the app. UMaine students know right from wrong. We know those students did a terrible thing.

UMaine students, as a whole, are not trashy, partying, homophobes that these four individuals portray us to be. However, neutrality is not enough. Students need to be empathetic, involved members of the Town of Orono.  

The Orono Town Council has been trying to improve the town’s relationship with students for years. It’s time for students to buy in. Keep the streets clean and treat Orono with respect. If you live off campus, meet your neighbors, and learn their stories. Just because they aren’t students, doesn’t mean they aren’t part of our community. 

Early last Sunday morning on Crosby street in Orono, four University of Maine students, Summer Blaisdell, Charles Carroll, Marcus Paes and Braeden Cunningham violently assaulted a local Orono man in his own front yard. The man who confronted and filmed the students trespassing was kicked and beaten in the head. The students even choked him, temporarily cutting off his airway, all the while yelling homophobic slurs and threats at the man.  

This isn’t who we are. During our time here, Orono has welcomed us with open arms. Meanwhile, some students throw beer cans in people’s lawns, vandalize signs and in this case, commit hate crimes. 

It’s obvious to any level-headed individual that this is disgusting and inexcusable behavior. Students need to acknowledge that there is a deeper rooted issue. Students are disconnected from the Orono community, leading to a culture of disrespect and a strained relationship. 

I will say that the serious problem-causing students are in the minority. The average UMaine student cares about our community. However, that doesn’t excuse us from collective accountability. At the end of the day, they were students who committed a terrible crime, and one still even participated in Maine Day, unbothered.  

I am torn over the local Orono residents referring to this as a student problem. On one hand, if you replaced “student” with “elderly,” “women,” “immigrant,” etc., then it would be unacceptable. On the other hand, this is a neighborhood that has had to deal with serious consequences of housing students.  

If the Wooster neighborhood residents are reading this, I want them to know that the majority of students find this behavior despicable and disgusting. YikYak, a popular social media platform for our students, erupted after the Thursday BDN article. Students were outraged, calling for the criminals to be removed from the university.  

Unfortunately, there were a few bad apples- as there always will be- defending the criminals, saying that the BDN story was one-sided, and that the man was creepy for filming them. On YikYak, posts with five ‘downvotes’ are automatically removed. All of those posts were downvoted off the app. UMaine students know right from wrong. We know those students did a terrible thing.

UMaine students, as a whole, are not trashy, partying, homophobes that these four individuals portray us to be. However, neutrality is not enough. Students need to be empathetic, involved members of the Town of Orono.  

The Orono Town Council has been trying to improve the town’s relationship with students for years. It’s time for students to buy in. Keep the streets clean and treat Orono with respect. If you live off campus, meet your neighbors, and learn their stories. Just because they aren’t students, doesn’t mean they aren’t part of our community. 

I am part of the class of 2025, meaning my freshman year was the last year we had Wells Dining Hall. For those of you who haven’t been on campus as long, the ghost-kitchen pub on campus used to be Wells Dining Hall. Just like Hilltop or York, a student with a traditional meal plan could get breakfast or lunch there. It was heaven. 

That’s why students were outraged when they closed Wells my sophomore year. At the time, our dining services were provided by the University. Later that academic year, Sodexo was contracted to facilitate dining services. We were promised many things: a renovated York Dining Hall, reopened Wells and increased access to retail dining on campus.  

In my junior year, there was still no Wells, but now a plan for Wells to be turned into a pub, which provided fried food, beer and wine. Students like myself were confused, but would have been livid if we knew just what this meant.  

If one of the corporate decision makers at Sodexo asked us about this before they began renovation we would have told them that isn’t what students want, or even a feasible concept on this campus. The majority of the students living on campus are not of drinking age, and the ones that are do not seek to drink on campus. No one asked students if we wanted this. Rather, we were informed these changes were happening. Many students voiced concerns about access to nutritious, warm meals in that part of the campus. Concerns were ignored, and the pub was built.

Now, it is my senior year. Wells Pub has great seating, amazing employees and is empty. Wells Pub is actually so empty that I walked in there to interview people for this article and I couldn’t find anyone. There was one employee making a pizza for Sal’s.  

Why are we writing about this now? This past week, Wells stopped serving the pub menu. You can still order a microwaved meal from Mr. Beast Burger but the pub food is what worked for Wells. I did not go there to eat at a ghost kitchen, I went for the wings and poutine. 

It’s insulting to students. When we tell leadership what we think will work and won’t work and are ignored, it’s offensive. Any student could have predicted the emptiness of Wells Pub last year. I was originally told years ago that the closure of Well’s Dining Hall was because of low enrollment. Contrary to this, UMaine has seen an increase in enrollment and an increase in first-year retention. Wells needs to find a way to cater to students with traditional meal plans. Wells needs to cater to students period.

Kiwibots have taken the University of Maine by storm ever since their arrival in the fall of 2023. You see them rolling around campus at almost all hours of day, delivering food to hungry students. Kiwibots, by nature of their service and purpose, have taken away social aspects of eating on campus. Furthermore, the phenomenon and fandom surrounding their existence leads to serious questions about the empathy we have for each other. 

Earlier this month, a watermain broke right in the center of campus, causing construction in a heavily-trafficked Kiwibot path. A dump truck rolled over a Kiwibot, causing the robot to burst into flames, sending thick, black smoke into the air.  

I understand that people are not genuinely remorseful over the untimely explosion of this Kiwibot, but the incident grasped a great deal of attention. Our campus has shown that they have the capacity for empathy and have chosen to spend it on a robot. This semester we had an auxiliary services staff member pass away on the job. This university has shown more respect and remorse for a Kiwibot than a human employee. The official UMaine Instagram account shared pictures of the Kiwibot memorial. This, unfortunately, has become normal.  

Meanwhile, people are using Kiwibots so that they do not have to go to the dining halls anymore. This is fine from time to time. Even I have even used the Kiwibots when I was sick. However, Wells pub is empty most nights. A bar and pub, that is intended to promote socialization and chance encounters, is mostly utilized as a space to fulfill Kiwibot orders. 

In defense of the Kiwibots, students told Sodexo that they wanted Wells to have a traditional dining hall format in some capacity, and we were ignored. Maybe Wells was never destined to be a space for socialization. 

If students are opting out of socializing with their peers at meal time, then what else are they opting out of? Are students who are not willing to go eat in the dining halls, willing to walk across campus to attend a club or concert? There is no universe where maximizing the number of sad meals you eat alone in your room allows you to build relationships on this campus. This year, that reality is more acceptable than ever. Now, any student with an unlimited meal plan can use Kiwibot services for free. Unlimited meal plans are primarily held by first-year students. This decision is an economic equalizer, but also opened the floodgates for sad and secluded students to isolate themselves in a small dorm room.  

It is fun to see a Kiwibot roll across campus. I even chuckle when one beeps at me and flashes heart eyes. However, the Kiwibots in their current form limit natural interaction with other students, and expose them to the empathy we allocate to inanimate objects over real members of our community. 

Millions across the United States took part in the “Hands Off” protests this weekend. People went out into the streets to tell President Donald Trump and his administration to take their hands off of the various government departments and programs that have been shaved and shaken by the push for so-called “government efficiency.”

Maine specifically has been targeted ever since Governor Janet Mills talked back to Trump at a White House event with all the governors. First, it was a Title IX investigation into the state Department of Education. We allow transgender track athletes in our state and that will not be tolerated by Trump. Then, we were the only state in the nation to have our Sea Grant removed. This funding is essential to marine education programs at this university, as well as marine assistance across the state. All of these actions are entirely unnecessary, and hurt everyday Mainers.

The Maine Campus urges the Trump Administration to take its hands off our university.

President Trump and his administration have chosen to target our beautiful state and university because he was bothered that our governor had the courage to challenge him. Trump is taking that challenge out on us. It is disgusting and despicable the way our university has been turned into a bargaining chip by this deals and trades administration.

While one of the first, the University of Maine is not the only university to be targeted by the Trump Administration. Many universities have been punished by the administration. Notably, many Ivy league universities have been subject to attacks from the Trump Administration for the protests against the United States’ involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict. UMaine is a public university that serves this entire state.

This university is vital to the state of Maine. If the Trump Administration’s goal is to shut down our university, this state would end up with no engineers, nurses, teachers, etc. Trump is not aiming to dismantle this state, he’s aiming for pure punishment. Trump aims for chaos as a retribution tool. Much of the attempted attacks on this university have been reversed in a short amount of time, especially those that are targeted directly at the University of Maine, rather than consequences of nationwide executive action.  

The rhetoric that Republicans in power are creating around universities can be just as threatening as the funding cuts. The political science professors at this university typically share flyers for clubs related to politics. However, after Professor Rob Glover shared a poster for the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to the department email list, he was quickly persecuted by the Maine Wire, a right-leaning media outlet. Republicans dangerously took normal practice out of context to create social media backlash against a professor who was just doing his job. 

Our university is not a pawn on the oligarch’s chess board. Our university is filled with hardworking staff and students. From professors losing their research grants to the students losing their campus jobs, we are victims of an administration that does not care who it hurts to get their way. Donald Trump needs to get out of our university and get out of our state.

My job is to share the opinion of the Maine Campus. However, our place is to elevate and showcase the stories of real impacted community members. If you work or learn at the university and have been directly impacted by the Trump Administration’s attack on our university, share your story to opinion@mainecampus.com. 

On Feb. 28, after the University of Maine Men’s hockey team beat the University of Vermont 4-1, UMaine Athletics listed tickets in sections EE and FF of the student section for sale on their website. That means for the following game on Saturday, the student section will have less seats available to students. 

While the bleachers may be uncomfortable, and tight. Many would be surprised to realize that the student section holds the most expensive seats in Alfond Arena. If you are paying full price to attend the University from out of state, you could be paying upward of $40,000 a year for your seat in the student section. That is more expensive than any general season ticket in the venue.

Occasionally, UMaine will sell student section tickets during academic break. These games typically see lower attendance from students. However, this game is in the middle of the semester, and is the very last regular season game seniors can attend in Alfond arena. They should not be selling our $40,000 seats for $27.  

UMaine athletics should not be able to sell our seats without our consent. People would be outraged if they sold traditional season ticket holders’ seats because they did not think they would show up that night. The student section is what makes the Alfond nationally recognized as the greatest atmosphere in college hockey. 

The student section has had problems with the seats being sold to the public before. Traditionally, the student section is standing only when a puck is on the ice. However, people buying our seats become frustrated with students standing around them. As a student, I become frustrated with them ignoring the cultural norms of the student section. The public is generally unhappy with the experience they receive in the student section if they are not prepared for it.  

UMaine violates the social agreement they have with their students when they sell our student section tickets. Unfortunately, students do not hold the power. If we did, we could pull our tuition out of the salaries of axillary staff that maintain the Alfond. We could pull our tuition out of the potholes filled in the Alfond parking lot. While we don’t directly fund athletics, a complete separation from athletics, of what our tuition pays for, would devastate the sports facilities here. 

As students, we need to start showing up to games so that they have no excuses left. We need to be loud, proud and make our presence known. Students are scared to go to hockey games because of the long line outside. For most games, you must wait a long time if you want to be in the front row. Those are our seats. We have pre-paid for those seats to be reserved for students. UMaine must stop selling student section tickets. Hockey-ticket revenue is higher than it has ever been. UMaine does not need to cut into the student section to make a quick buck.

Being a fourth-year student at the University of Maine, I have witnessed a lot of change during my time here. I remember when parking tickets were $30. Now, if you are a student and you park in the wrong lot, you have a $50 charge added directly to your student account. This is an outrageous amount of money for an action that did not cost the University any money. 

I do want to clarify that I am a defender of UMaine parking and transportation services. Parking Services offers benefits, such as jumpstarts and bus vouchers. I am not upset about Parking Services ticketing cars, because they are just doing their job. I know that the student employee who tickets my car did not decide the price. Receiving a parking ticket is (typically) my fault. However, the repercussions for parking in the wrong color lot far outweigh the offense.  

We pay tuition to go here. Auxiliary Services should not rely on parking-ticket income for filling potholes in the parking lot. That is general maintenance that a university of this size and scale should be able to afford without overcharging students. Fifty dollars is my groceries for over a week. It should not cost a student a week’s worth of groceries to pay for a small mistake. And if we are being honest, it is not fair that a University department, like Auxiliary Service, that provides essential services on our campus, requires money from parking tickets to sustain their budget. That is not a reliable source of income.  

I would say UMaine is a car friendly school. Many schools do not let students bring a car their freshman year, and schools like University of Connecticut charge over $1000 per year for some of their students to park. Maybe the incentive to allow so many cars on campus is to maximize ticket “profit.” At $50 per ticket, the University certainly maximizes parking income. It would be more reasonable for UMaine to match the price of other similar tickets in Maine. At the University of Maine Farmington, a parking ticket will cost you $20.

These are not $50 tickets for parking in handicapped spots or a firelane. This is for a student parking in the wrong lot. The University should fund Auxiliary Services and parking services so that they do not rely on expensive tickets to stay afloat. As “cross-charging” flourishes at this University and our bills are becoming increasingly itemized, the University needs to lower parking tickets. We as students need to be vigilant and aware of any ticket price increase, so we can mobilize to speak out against it.

As I was reading through the bills introduced to the Maine state legislature this session, I came across LD 233, titled “an act to prohibit biological males from participating in school athletic programs designated for females when state funding is provided to the school.” LD 233 would prohibit transgender women from participating in any activity that is designated as “women’s” at the University of Maine, and at all publicly-funded schools in the state. UMaine thrives because of our transgender classmates, who add significant value to this university. Lawmakers should be ashamed they are legislating against our classmates, who have done nothing wrong.

The Maine Campus firmly stands against this bill and all others replicating its purpose. This week Donald Trump signed an executive order, banning transgender women from participating in sports. These ignorant bills hurt the transgender community, and create deep divisions in the United States.

These bills are created to stop an issue that does not exist. Nationwide there are only 10 transgender NCAA athletes. Out of 500,000 NCAA athletes only 0.00002 percent are known to be transgender. As a woman who once participated in UMaine club sports, I never felt uncomfortable or endangered by the idea that one of my teammates or competitors could be transgender. Part of the reason I never thought about it was because it is infrequent enough, to the point that legislation against it is a waste of lawmakers time, therefore a waste of my tax dollars. Perpetuating these bills have created a culture and conversation around transgender individuals that is dangerous. Republicans, primarily, have created enemies for their entire base. Many republicans I have spoken to can not name anyone they personally know who is transgender, they can only legislate against them.

Oftentimes, it appears legislators create problems so that they do not have to solve the real issues we face everyday. UMaine has a billion dollars in deferred maintenance, and young people in Maine cannot economically compete with people moving here from wealthier states. However, this bill does not actually improve students’ lives. This bill does not make any of the universities in Maine better to attend. This is a bill that is built out of ignorance, not the desire to improve students’ lives.  

While some legislators occasionally introduce legislation that helps students, this is a great example of why young people are disconnected from politics. The bills being introduced rarely intend to make students’ lives better. And sometimes, when bills aim to make our life too good, the University turns around and lobbies against us. However, we cannot allow others to disconnect us from our government.  

If you want the legislature to pass bills that actually improve our university, you can use this website to contact legislators, and tell them yourself. You can also give testimony over zoom on any bill introduced. You can advocate for all students right from Orono. We encourage lawmakers to stop dividing us with legislation, and encourage students to speak out against these bills.

Now that “syllabus week” is over, I am certain many University of Maine students heard about the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their course. Whether in favor, opposition or neutral, professors across campus have taken the time to address AI’s place in the classroom.

I have heard all about academic integrity, but nothing about climate integrity. It’s time as a community that professors address the environmental impact of generative AI in the classroom. 

Every time you ask ChatGPT to summarize an article or write your discussion post, it takes a toll on the planet. It has been proven that the water and energy consumption for a prompt in ChatGPT is far greater than a Google search. An average Chat GPT conversation (20-50 questions) consumes 500 ml of water. That does not even include the energy used to power servers.

It is not fair to immediately shun and scrutinize the students using AI. To us, AI has been marketed as a resource to make school easier. Students may not have been exposed to the dangers of AI. Even if they are aware, generative AI is now intertwined with many web browsers and apps. That’s where the University and our professors come in. Every time students hear a disclaimer on AI, the planet must be included in that conversation. 

UMaine cannot market itself as an environmentally-conscious and innovative University without addressing artificial intelligence’s proven environmental impact. The University has not only left the use of AI up to the discretion of the professors, but has even encouraged and enabled students to use Google Gemini, a generative search engine. How dare we call ourselves a green campus. UMaine had the opportunity to be innovative on AI policy, and has chosen to let our planet be destroyed. It is not too late for the University to include the planet in their AI guidance and the Maine Campus calls on administration to do just that. 

Besides the University, professors can also create an educational moment surrounding AI. It is already the hot topic of syllabus week. Not once have I heard a professor provide a climate centric AI disclaimer. On the contrary, professors who discourage the use of AI have started using AI detectors that run on the same servers. This means their grading procedure includes AI. 

It does not stop at professors being complacent. Last semester, an environmental science professor assigned me an assignment that instructed students to use AI. An environmental science professor has the perfect platform to engage and educate students on the climate impact of AI. 

You do not have to be a climate scientist to engage students on personal environmental responsibility. I expect all of us, as individuals with access to every educational resource, to be mindful of our consumption and impact. Next time a classroom conversation on AI comes up, be the advocate that our professors and the University aren’t.

With finals season in full swing, we all need a good study spot on campus. While Fogler is iconic, 12-hour study days sometimes require a change in scenery. Here are five alternative spots to study on campus. Each will be rated on factors like crowds, noise, sunlight, flexible seating and location.  

CCA 

I have gatekept this spot for long enough. The Collins Center for the Arts, colloquially known as the CCA, provides a quiet space. This study spot is surrounded by beautiful museum art. Do you feel limited by the library’s food policies? This CCA study spot is food safe, as it is used as a cafe during shows and performances. Keep in mind that the hours are about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., accounting that they must prep that area for late night shows.

Crowds: Nonexistent. I am typically one of two people utilizing the space. 

Noise: A little bit noisy if staff are prepping for a show. 

Sunlight: Not dark by any means, but no direct view to the outside. 

Flexible seating: Two options: four person tables, or a bar top. The tables can be moved. 

Location: Perfect for commuters that utilize the CCA lot or the community connector. 

Leadership Lounge, Boudreau Hall Room 210 

This room is centrally located and newly renovated. This is a small and intimate space provided by the Cohen Institute on campus. With plenty of outlets and a variety of furniture, this is perfect for your group study session, or a one-on-one with a friend. The recent renovation has kept the historic Bodreau Hall true to itself, while providing a fresh coat of paint, and new carpeting. 

Crowds: Usually empty. 

Noise: Remarkably quiet for an academic building. 

Sunlight: A large window, relative to the space, with a view outside. 

Flexible seating: Either a chair set around a six-person table or a firm leather couch.  

Location: Nicely in between Fogler and the hilltop dorms.  

Buchanan

This study spot is only available during finals week. Every year, Buchanan Alumni House sponsors ‘study in a place like home’. During this time, they let students take over the building to study while providing snacks. This beautiful building is the perfect study spot to feel both sophisticated and locked in. The hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows will make you feel warm during this cold and grey season.  

Crowds: A little more active than the previous study spaces. 

Noise: Typically quiet.

Sunlight: Dependent on which room you chose to sit in. 

Flexible seating: There are so many options, from lounge seating to traditional office furniture. 

Location: Poor. This building is far from all on-campus residence halls. 

IMRC 

This funky and creative space will inspire you to finish your final projects. This building includes flexible seating options and is conveniently located on Stewart Quad. This space includes a large whiteboard wall for art. However, I can see someone using it to plan out a paper or work through a problem.  

Crowds: While the seating itself is not usually crowded, there can be heavy foot traffic. 

Noise: Can be noisy if people are working on projects. However, I never had a noise problem. 

Sunlight: This is a dim space. 

Flexible seating: Three great options. 

Location: This is an amazing location for hilltop and Stewart Quad residents. 

Ferland 

Ferland is not just for engineering students. This recently-constructed hall includes a variety of seating options and quick access to “Quick Byte,” a cafe that serves coffee shop-style goods. The beautiful natural light will leave you feeling sunny even in the winter. You can choose between private booths or a large open table to share with friends  

Crowds: The most crowded of the study spaces listed in this article. 

Noise: Ferland can get loud with tours, events, group study and its coffee shop. 

Sunlight: Incredible sunlight. There is no other place on campus that compares. 

Flexible seating: Great options for every student need. 

Location: Convenient for students in Stewart Quad or the “H2O” complex.