It can be nerve-racking to go home for Thanksgiving. It’s especially difficult knowing that someone is bound to say something political that you disagree with. We have been taught to look at the ground and plug our ears. It is tradition to ignore what you disagree with. This Thanksgiving, you should say something.  

Since the election, tensions have been high between progressives and conservatives. One of the root causes of this tension is a lack of understanding. Most people vote as a reaction to their circumstances. Whether that’s economic struggles or reliance on the affordable care act, our votes are a reaction to the pressures we are living under. When we challenge people’s beliefs, we get to find out where their beliefs come from. Understanding where people are coming from is critical to discern how they vote. Before you write off your relatives for being too conservative or liberal, remind yourself that their political actions may be the result of a struggle.  

Hard conversations can be especially important for relatives who may only have access to critical political dialogue at Thanksgiving. We often set up political echo chambers in order to feel more comfortable in our beliefs. If you only put yourself in spaces of people who agree with you, you will never have to dig into your beliefs and defend them. If you always watch news sources that confirm your bias, you won’t ever have to change it. Today, with so many media options, your facts and what you believe to be true of the world are catered to your beliefs and biases.  

With all this said, you know your family better than I do. If you do not feel safe this Thanksgiving, it is not worth causing chaos. This is intended for people to break out of their comfort zone, not jeopardize their physical safety or mental wellbeing. 

We need to stop ignoring political beliefs we disagree with because beliefs aren’t permanent. When we break through that echo chamber and show another perspective, we have the ability to change people’s minds. If you are continuing to ignore your family members at Thanksgiving, that approach may be more ignorant than their beliefs. It is not your fault, though. We have been conditioned to look the other way. Questioning is considered debate and debate is considered disrespectful. We need to change the narrative that discourse has a time and place. This Thanksgiving, challenge the political views of your loved ones.

On Nov. 18, the University of Maine System (UMS) Board of Trustees (BoT) held their meeting at the Wells Conference Center. These meetings consist of the governing body of the University system reviewing and approving major capital investments, contracts and receiving updates on UMS campuses across various system-wide projects. 

The meeting started at 8 a.m. with an executive session. At about 9:40 a.m., public testimony began. Much of the testimony surrounded proposed changes to UMaine’s free speech policy and divestment from Israel. Twenty one community members gave testimony, including staff, students and alumni.

Following citizen commentary, the UMS presidents went into round robin. This is when they each share news and accomplishments from the University. 

President Ferrini Mundy mentioned the ceremonial commencement of construction for Green Engineering and Materials (GEM) Factory in her round robin, as well as the women’s soccer team attending the NCAA national tournament.

Many of the community members giving testimony spoke about proposed red lines, or revisions, to the UMS policy on protected freedom of speech. Following the round robin session, Trustee Barbara Alexander gave a clarification on the intention of those red lines. 

“There was never any intent to restrict in any way the current rights and remedies of students and faculty. Some of the language in the current policy simply had no basis in law and we used words that the legal folks know what they mean,” said Alexander. 

Following that clarification was the Chancellor’s report. System-wide enrollment is up while the rest of the country is trending down. UMaine in particular is thriving. The fall 2024 incoming class had an increase of 206 students over last year. That is 11.4%  higher than fall 2023, showing a resilience to national trends of decreasing enrollment.

The Board then voted to approve the collective bargaining agreements for Universities of Maine Professional Staff Association as well as The Associated COLT (Clerical, Office, Laboratory, Technical) Staff of the UMS system.  

After a lunch break, the investing and budget report was discussed. Most of the UMS schools, including UMaine, are budgeting relatively close to their projection. 

In the afternoon, the BoT heard updates from Chief Information Officer, Dr. Robert Placido. UMS is still in the process of implementing the High Point Course Auditor. This is a more advanced version of  the current degree progress report software. Placido also presented on the unified course search. This allows for a system-wide search of all the courses being offered. Completion of both projects is projected for Spring 2025.

The BoT heard and passed the consent agenda, which usually entails small building projects and major course catalog changes. For UMaine, this includes the final approval of the lease on the Heritage house to Sigma Chi, and the addition of a new B.S. program to be offered. UMaine will now offer a Bachelor of Science in “Computer Science and Business.” This program is a collaboration between multiple colleges on our campus. 

The meeting ended in an additional executive session around 2 p.m.

A “Stop the Sweeps” rally was held at the Bangor City Council meeting on Nov. 13. The purpose of the rally was to protest the proposed sweep of Camp Hope. Camp Hope, also colloquially known as “Tent City,” is a homeless encampment behind the Hope House on Corporate Drive in Bangor. The proposed “sweep” is currently scheduled for Dec. 31. 

The rally started at 6 p.m. outside of the council meeting. This included speeches by unhoused individuals on their experience, and leaders of local aid organizations. Many called for Bangor to cancel the sweep as freezing temperatures and displacement can lead to dangerous outcomes.  

At 7:30 p.m., public testimony started inside the meeting where many addressed the city council. There were 22 individuals who delivered testimony to the councilors, the majority speaking out against the sweep of Camp Hope. 

“Would any of you like to have your house broken into and taken from you? That’s what it’s like to be homeless,” said an unhoused Bangor resident in their statement.  

Proponents of the encampment sweep say that the encampment poses a safety risk. A man died in a tent fire on Nov. 10 while trying to keep himself warm.  

An estimated 60 people currently reside in Camp Hope. This week, the Bangor Homeless Response Manager Jena Jones announced they will move forward with the sweep as planned.

The Board of Trustees (BoT) is the governing body for the University of Maine System (UMS). They approve new buildings and infrastructure alongside deciding tuition and room and board rates. The board is made up of 16 people appointed by the governor of Maine. On Nov. 18, the board will be meeting on the Orono campus with an opportunity for public testimony. I encourage members of our campus community to use this time to voice their concerns and opinions on the daily function of UMaine.

I frequently give testimony at the BoT meetings. For me, it started my freshman year with the divest movement. Divest UMS worked to divest the UMaine system from fossil fuels. Due to the tireless activism and pressure from the group, the University started the process of divesting from fossil fuels. Divest is proof that testimony to UMaine administrators can spark real change. 

Since Divest, I have testified about 7 times on many topics, from the cost of tuition and fees to campus privatization. Every time I come out of those meetings, I feel like I actually made a difference. I didn’t wake up and scream into the void. I chose to take action.

Even if the BoT has minimal legislative power over your concern, these meetings typically attract people who do have power. University President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and the Chief Financial Officer Kelly Sparks typically attend every meeting. Many more administrators watch the meeting on YouTube.Your concerns and issues will be heard by an audience of people who either can control it, or know someone who can. Giving testimony at these meetings is an easy and effective way to have your voice heard by the administration.

UMaine students have a problem. Too often, I see students voicing their concerns on Yik Yak or with their friends at Hilltop. If we take UMaine’s issues seriously, we can turn complaining into advocacy. We can then turn our advocacy into progress. I love UMaine, but without student advocacy, this school will turn into an engineering research facility with only online classes. 

Monday, Nov. 18, at 9 a.m. is your chance to make a difference at UMaine. This is your opportunity to voice your concerns. At worst, everything stays the same. At best, we have a more student-centric UMaine system.

The average person doesn’t spend too long planning for election day. You may need to figure out what time you are voting, and you might have to google the ballot. For a College Democrats president, the planning starts in July.

I must make sure we are ready to recruit a kick-ass team of door-knocking Democrats. Having a pitch ready for the organization fair is vital.

Once we recruited the students, we were off. Starting September, College Democrats canvassed every weekend. We made a targeted effort to reach students. Overall, we knocked on 2,000 doors in two months.  

After knocking on all those doors, we weren’t done. We also tabled every week this semester. We brought our local Democrats with us. It is so important that we give candidates the Memorial Union lunch-rush audience. More importantly, we give students the necessary accessibility to their elected officials.   

Why do we do this? Why do we give up our weekends to make sure students hear about their local democrats? We know that democrats represent student interests. Orono is in State Senate District 8. We have the Republican Candidate Leo Kenney challenging the Incumbent Democrat Mike Tipping. Senator Tipping has worked with student groups, including ours, on passing bills. He actively encourages students’ input and assists in our advocacy.

The election of Leo Kenney would be detrimental to student voices. He actively avoids student questions, and I have no doubt he would continue that pattern upon election. We know this and we know the weight that our organizing holds. We do not just organize for Democrats to win the election. We work to ensure students are represented by officials in Augusta.

Now it is Tuesday, Nov. 5. I have a few more hours to make sure as many students get to the polls as possible. I can only hope we make a difference in this election. True student representation only occurs when we encourage and assist voting. After this, College Democrats move straight into lobbying season. Our lobbying capacity and ability is directly determined by the results of today’s elections. I encourage all my fellow University of Maine students to vote today.

Orono has a history of unfinished ballots. In 2020, the last presidential election cycle, 260 voters left the state senate portion of their ballot blank. Further down the ballot, 942 voters left the probate judge blank on their ballot. Orono has some of the highest numbers of unfinished ballots in the state. I urge every student to enter the voting booth ready to fill their entire ballot.

I understand not wanting to vote for someone you don’t know. However, it is a choice to know the candidates. It is easy to research your ballot ahead of time and find the candidate’s policies.Taking your phone into the booth and searching right there is just as easy. If you want to learn more about the down ballot candidates, check out their websites and social media. If they are an incumbent, it is easy to see how they have voted in the past. With the Orono town council elections, both candidates have bios on the town website. 

It is critical to fill out your ballot all the way to the bottom. The presidential race is “flashy” with national media coverage, but the margins that the local races are decided at are much smaller than a presidential race. Last election, our state senate district had an 896 voter margin between the two candidates. I predict that the margin will be smaller this year. As UMaine students, we have the power to sway local elections. We must vote all the way down the ballot to give ourselves as much power as possible. 

These local races directly impact the lives of students. With a federal government more gridlocked than ever, we rely on our state governments to carry the full burden of legislating. Our state legislators are doing important work that affects Maine. We attend a state-funded university. These down-ballot legislators fund our programs. 

This is your opportunity to make an impact in our community. Do your research and head to the polls this Tuesday, Nov. 5. Fill in all three pages of your ballot.

Most freshmen at the University of Maine are required to live on campus for their first year. After that, it is completely up to the students. Many students choose to move off campus to major apartment complexes. The Avenue, The Reserve and Orchard Trails are three complexes off campus that only host students as their tenants. These complexes only harm the students in Orono. These apartments have predatory leasing policies, and actively ignore the health and safety needs of their tenants.  

Just this week, the Avenue sent an email to UMaine students. The email said “Now is the time to secure your spot at The Ave before rates go up!” with the subject line “Act Now- Limited apartments available…” 

The Ave, with some of the most expensive leases in Orono, is implying that you must apply to their complex immediately, or you will not be able to afford to live off campus next year. This messaging worked. There were students in tents outside the Ave’s leasing office the night before leases opened up. Spending a night on the cold concrete to live in an apartment is unnecessary and motivated by this predatory leasing language.

Orchard Trails, another popular complex off campus, sent similar emails. It is misleading to receive an email with the subject line “don’t miss out” for an apartment complex that still had open units at the start of this academic year. Another example of creating a false sense of urgency to pressure students into signing a lease.

It is not normal or necessary to have to sign leases for apartments ten months in advance of moving in. The leasing culture in Orono is based on students feeling rushed to make a decision that is not in their best interest. They will either be rushed to sign a lease they cannot afford or sign a lease to live off campus, when they still do not really know how living on campus benefits them as a student. There are plenty of houses and apartments in Orono with cheaper leases than these complexes. However, this pressure to “act now” takes students out of shopping around for the best priced apartment.  

As someone who visited Orchard Trails, I am astounded to receive an email that implies I would be “missing out” if I do not live there. The only thing that I feel like I am missing out on from Orchard Trails is dirt-covered hallways, smoke alarm battery beeping and trash littered throughout the buildings. The condition of Orchard Trails, and to an extent the Ave and Reserve as well, is disgusting. With higher-than-average prices, these complexes pride themselves on ripping off their tenants. What does $800 a month go toward? Students at these complexes are being mistreated by corporate landlords. There is no universe where the filth of an Orchard Trails building is acceptable from a landlord.  

Outside of filthy, overpriced apartments, these complexes rarely have the student’s best interest in mind. Going online, you can find countless horror stories of tenant experiences at the Ave. One tenant was charged $18 for a battery added to their smoke detector. No reasonable, non-predatory landlord would ever charge $18 to change the battery in a smoke detector. The Ave turns a blind eye to student safety. Every year, on Maine Day, there is a large gathering of students in between units at the Ave. This gathering is typically dangerous with numerous students being sent to the hospital in years past. The biggest issue is binge drinking. UMaine wanted to make Maine Day safer for students. On the Maine Day task force, there was at-length discussion about bringing trash cans, water and medical aid to the Ave for Maine Day. The property manager immediately shut it down, actively discouraging harm reduction at a notoriously-dangerous gathering. 

If you are a student thinking about moving off campus, wait it out. Do not feel pressured by corporate slum lords to sign up for an $800-a-month cardboard box. These complexes exploit young students in Orono every day. These major complexes are one of the worst things to happen to Orono and UMaine.

While everything was not better in the old days, as a senior reflecting on my time at the University of Maine, I can definitively say that this university and its students have been damaged by the introduction of privatized dining services.

In my second year, Sodexo took over UMaine dining. What was once run as a non-profit service by the University was taken over by a large corporation. We soon saw the results of a corporate takeover on campus. First was the Costa Coffee vending machines. While convenient, they don’t replace the quality of coffee made by real people. Then, the virtual dining concepts or “ghost kitchens” were added, which are only accessible by ordering online. Fast forward to today, we have Sal’s pizza, Starbucks and eatNOW. Students have been hurt by the introduction of for-profit corporate dining.

As Sodexo has come in, I have only seen prices rise. Meal plans that cost $2,730 in my first year are now $3,245. Anyone that has been to the Bear’s Den recently would know how prices have soared. Chicken sandwiches that were once about $4 are now around $6 and stir fry is up to $7.99. It is a coincidence that under corporate dining, food prices have risen faster than the national inflation rate. As a student who lives on campus without a meal plan, I have been priced out of eating on campus.

Wells Central is back open for the 2024-25 school year. However, it has been reimagined into a pub and pizza shop. In my freshman year, Wells was a residential dining hall just like Hilltop and York. I understand that in the past two years, we have had a low number of residential students, but we have returned to max residence hall capacity. However, we have not returned to max residential dining capacity. With Wells no longer catering to residential students, Hilltop has been overflowing with students. Going to Hilltop after 7 p.m. means there will be no food left, and no clean tables. Hilltop is not made to accommodate the number of students eating there. When we had comparable residence hall capacity we had three residential dining halls.

Besides the loss of affordable and accessible dining, these corporations are currently in the national spotlight for their poor labor relations. Starbucks has been seen disciplining and firing workers for engaging in union activity. Students would much rather give money back to their university than give it to Starbucks. One entity will use that money to union bust and another uses the money to invest back into UMaine. 

While Amazon’s eatNOW does not have a high amount of employees as an automated convenience store, Amazon still profits at the end of the day from its technology on our campus. Amazon is known for disciplining workers for unionizing, spending money on hiring union busters and for general poor working conditions, particularly in distribution centers. Our money should not be going to large, union busting corporations. I remember a time when the money we gave to dining services stayed at UMaine.

Nonetheless, I cannot say that these changes are all bad. We have more late-night food accessibility than we’ve ever had, and Wells is no longer a vacant building. This has all come at a cost. Now, stir fry is $8 and all that profit goes to union busting corporations who couldn’t care less about our students.

Last week, I tested positive for COVID-19. It felt like half the campus was sick with me. You would be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t know someone sick. While the University of Maine and our community is in a post-pandemic rebuilding phase, the coronavirus is still rampant on campus. It appears that the University and its students are intentionally ignoring that COVID-19 still exists. 

The University needs to return pandemic infrastructure back to campus. Americans finally normalized wearing a mask when sick. However, the mask boxes that were scattered across campus in my freshman year are now hard to come by. I had to go to four buildings before I found a box of masks. There used to be masks in every hallway and at every RA desk. While wearing a mask is no longer required on campus, the CDC still recommends masking when showing symptoms of a respiratory virus. The convenience of being able to grab a mask right outside the classroom enables and encourages students to cover up and stop the spread of disease.

UMaine no longer offers mass-free COVID-19 testing. In my freshman year, Estabrooke Hall had COVID-19 testing facilities and every student was given an at-home test at the start of the semester. I understand the demand for testing is lower, but testing still needs to be easy and accessible for students, otherwise they won’t do it. Buying a $16 dollar test at Hannaford can be cost prohibitive to students, even if they have the resources to get off campus to buy that test.

The University is not the only one to blame for this viral uptick. Students are not taking proper precautions when they are sick, and openly admitting to not testing for coronavirus because they do not want it to be positive. Students are openly admitting to not masking because of perceived peer judgment. However, UMaine is enabling this behavior. With COVID-19 tests now being cost prohibitive and mask boxes fading away, students are choosing to spread disease out of convenience.

The prevention of disease benefits everyone. Testing and staying home allows you to properly treat yourself. For others, getting coronavirus could be more serious than a sniffle. You do not know if a fellow student lives with an immunocompromised family member. You do not know if a fellow student can’t afford rent if they miss work for three days because they are sick. Masking and testing protect our most vulnerable community members, even if for you, COVID-19 is “just a cold”.

It’s convenient to pretend you are not sick when it is easier to do so than to take proper precautions. That’s why UMaine needs to make it easier for sick students to take precautions. We should return to starting students off with a coronavirus test in their dorm. We need to reinstall mask boxes across campus. As students, we need to take responsibility and proper precautions to prevent the spread of disease. 

The University of Maine withdrew its decision to sell The Frederick Hutchinson Center to Calvary Chapel Church Belfast. The University–facing financial challenges–initially sought to sell the building, as it has been underutilized in recent years.  The bidding process will reopen later this month.  

The Frederick Hutchinson Center in Belfast was donated by the Bank of America to the University of Maine in 2007, and the building was built in 2000. Following the pandemic, many assert that the Hutchinson center has been under-utilized. No degree-seeking student has had a class there in several years, and the center has also seen a decline in space rentals from outside organizations since 2020.

Unable to keep up with daily operations costs, UMaine and other schools in the system have been selling properties to generate revenue and cut expenses. This summer, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the University of Maine system approved the sale of the Hutchinson center. However, this is not a traditional commercial real estate sale. After input from the Belfast community— and to keep with the original mission of the property— the University opted to have local nonprofits submit creative proposals to purchase the building.

A few parties submitted bids to the University. The primary bids were from The Future of the Hutchinson Center Steering Committee, Waterfall Arts (FHC-WA), the Calvary Chapel Church Belfast and Waldo Community Action Partners (WCAP). The FHC-WA proposal was for a local hub of non-profit spaces. This would include spaces for senior citizens and a space for the chamber of commerce. The Calvary Church Belfast plan was for the space to be home to many of their programs, including a homeschool co-op, a drug and alcohol recovery program and their Sunday service. The WCAP plan included spaces and programs that assist low-income Waldo County residents.

In August, UMaine announced that it had elected Calvary Chapel Belfast as the winning bidder on the Hutchinson center. Both WCAP and Calvary Chapel Belfast submitted bids of one million dollars. 

This decision sparked public outcry. Members of the community were concerned with losing the initial purpose of the Hutchison center, the public education mission. Others came out with stories of how the church carried and promoted views that could be considered extremist and politically conservative. Many members of the Belfast community voiced frustration with the loss of a public entity. 

Furthermore, there were concerns about an internet hub located in the building. The Hutchinson center contains a Networkmaine internet connectivity hub that powers the internet for local entities including public schools. There were concerns about a private owner’s maintenance of this critical community infrastructure.  

In the past two weeks, UMaine revoked its bid to Calvary Church Belfast. In a public statement, the University claimed proper procedure was not followed during the bidding process. However, members of the church have been publicly vocal about their perception of religious discrimination. About 30 members of the church came to the BoT meeting on Sept. 16 to express their frustrations. The BoT has no say in the sale of the Hutchinson Center. 

UMaine expects to re-open the RFP bidding process on Sept. 26. At that point, all the previous bidders are invited to resubmit their bids. Greg Huston, pastor of Calvary Chapel Belfast, publicly stated that the church will be pursuing legal action against UMaine. In a Sept.17 interview with The Maine Wire, Huston said, “We are pursuing litigation. If we were an LGBTQ+ group, this would never have happened.”