Back in the summer of 2015, the University of Maine’s celebrated Women’s Resource Center was quietly and quickly erased from existence on campus, leaving a void of resources and safe spaces. The Student Women’s Association, backed by support from students and alumni alike, is waging a campaign to bring it back.

Sam Saucier, a third-year sociology and women and gender studies student and Lori Loftin, a third-year mathematics and women and gender studies student, are the co-presidents of the Student Women’s Association (SWA) and are spearheading the campaign to reinstate the Women’s Resource Center (WRC). They have heard students voice their displeasure at the lack of resources available to college women dealing with issues of pregnancy, sexual assault, domestic violence, women’s health and more and are determined to change the administration’s stance on putting women’s issues first.

“Most people are really surprised to hear that this is a problem and a fight that we’re still having, actually,” Loftin said, adding that they’ve experienced an outpouring of support for the campaign from UMaine students, faculty, student government, student groups, other universities and the Women and Gender Studies department. SWA has created a petition and a coalition document from other student groups on campus to try and emphasize the need for the center and both have garnered their cause a lot of attention.

The contradiction of the administration’s response to their campaign hasn’t been lost on Saucier. “You can find condoms all over campus,” she said, “but there’s not a ton of information on other forms of contraceptives or free menstrual products, like tampons and pads, which are a huge necessity.”

Jessie Carignan, a fourth-year sociology and women and gender studies student and active member of SWA, also believes the WRC is needed back on campus.

“Unfortunately this country has a very shameful and embarrassing attitude towards sex education and a lot of women come to college not knowing many crucial things about their own bodies, how to make healthy sex decisions and what services there are to offer. At the WRC, women can get all the answers, services and support they’ve been denied.”

Amber Hathaway, a physics Ph.D. students, has been at UMaine since 2008 and can remember all the benefits previous WRC provided students. “One of the most valuable resources it offered was the Safe Campus Project, which was a space for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault,” she said. “The Safe Campus Project offered confidential counseling and helped put survivors in touch with the different local organizations that could help them through the recovery process. So if someone needed to talk to a counselor but didn’t want to report their experience they could. If they did want to report their experiences to the school or to police, or if they needed someone to go with them to the hospital after an assault, the Safe Campus Project would either help this individual directly or get them in touch with a community organization that could help.”

“I think it needs to be reinstated because the needs of the campus community that the WRC used to serve are no longer being met,” she said. “While the WRC offered many important services, I think the two services that it offered that we need the most are a resource center for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence and a safe space for women and femmes on campus. The mandated reporting policy on campus infantilizes survivors by assuming that they are not competent enough to make the appropriate decision for themselves and it gives them even fewer people they can turn to.”

The University of Maine has a student body of over 11,000 students and all of the faculty (including student workers), are mandatory reporters, meaning if someone comes to them to talk about a sexual assault incident of any measure they are required to report it to law enforcement. According to Loftin and Saucier, the ideal WRC would have a staff member who is not a mandatory reporter to cater to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence who need an outlet to talk to, but do not want to involve the police.

In addition, the WRC would ideally be a handicap accessible and centrally located space on campus, providing free menstrual products, information on sexual and reproductive health, information on healthy relationships, a safe space for women’s groups to meet and function out of and an overall environment of acceptance, understanding and support. The goal is to create a strong foundation for the WRC that can be improved on and adjusted in the years to come.

“About the only group on campus exempted from mandated reporting are the counselors at the Counseling Center,” Hathaway said, “but they’re already understaffed and as far as I’m aware they’re not specifically rape crisis counselors. There needs to be someone on campus who is not a mandated reporter who has the training and the availability to help survivors in whatever capacity they need.”

For anyone looking to get involved in the campaign, the Student Women’s Association meets weekly on Mondays at 7 p.m. in the Totman Room of the Union.

Grade: A+

All you really need to know about Moe’s Original Barbeque is this: the food is incredibly good. It’s reasonably priced, served hot and the portions are plenty — not to mention the staff is friendly. To put it boldly, if you like meat, come here.

The joint, located at 650 Broadway Street in Bangor, is pretty small with limited seating, but still clean, welcoming and decorated with engaging artwork. It’s not fancy enough for a special occasion, but perfect for a cheap and delicious meal out. There’s a small bar option, but let’s be real; if you do decide to stop by, you’re coming for the delicious barbecue.

The menu is basic, but packed with amazing choices. For starters, your options are Redneck Nachos (only served on Fridays and Saturdays) or “1lb O’ Wings”— both priced around $8 and both worth every dime.

They offer sandwich meals for $9 with meat choices of pulled pork, smoked chicken, smoked turkey, southern fried catfish, fried shrimp “Moe Boy” or a vegetarian option of marinated tofu. Each sandwich comes with your option of two sides, which is where choosing gets extra tricky. Baked beans, marinated cole slaw, potato salad, a bag of chips, banana puddin’ and cornbread are the staples. If those don’t float your boat, there are daily specials as well so make sure to check the board, you just may get lucky and score some mac’ and cheese.

Their platter options are the most popular and where you’ll get the most bang for your buck. They cash in at only a dollar more than the sandwiches and also come with a choice of two sides and an added bonus of cornbread. Your meat options are pulled pork, a smoked half chicken, smoked turkey, southern fried catfish and some pricier but delicious ribs (a small is $12 and a large is $14, or ribs for two people is $26.50).

Moe’s also offers a great kids meal option similar to the platters but with less food; for $6 they offer you a choice of pulled pork, smoked chicken, two ribs, grilled cheese, chicken tenders or four wings in additional to one side. You can also add on a drink or extra side to any meal for an additional $1 and their drink options range from a traditional soda machine with classic choices (Coke, lemonade, ginger ale, etc.) to a sweet tea (and a not so sweet tea) option.

I opted for a pulled pork platter with sides of marinated slaw and baked beans and a cup full of the not so sweet iced tea. And I’m not an expert on barbeque, but all I know is that every bite of my meal was better than the last and I left there feeling full and happy. I lathered the pulled pork in their house made sauce, buttered the already generously buttered cornbread, munched on the crunchy and peppery home made slaw and downed my portion of good old fashioned baked beans. My only regret was that I was too full to go back for seconds, as I would have loved to try their “banana puddin’”. But there’s always next time — and believe me, there will be a next time.

The intersection between spirituality and mental health is a complex concept and something that everyone may come across in their lifetime but not discuss openly. The University of Maine’s Wilson Center recently provided a platform to tackle that issue in one of their “Come to the Table” events.

The monthly events, hosted at the Wilson Center, are usually structured around a hearty meal followed by a discussion, craft or movie. Discussions start in one large group with guiding questions and then break off into smaller groups for more in-depth dialogue. Some of the topics covered in the past have been happiness, feasting and fasting, mystical experiences, religion and sex, welcoming differences and clarifying misconceptions about Islam.

The center strives to create a safe and inclusive environment — and achieves that through offering vegan and vegetarian meal options, as well as cultivating discussion based on respect and understanding of all people. Their mission statement reads, “The Wilson Center is an independent, progressive religious & spiritual voice on campus. Our most central value is the equality of all people — we welcome people of all genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, races, religions, ethnicities, abilities and economic backgrounds. We believe that we as a community and as individuals are enriched by diversity. We welcome seekers, agnostics, questioners, atheists and traditional believers.  We welcome interfaith and multicultural events of all kinds.”

Baidehi Roy, a Ph. D. candidate in forestry, says she’s been attending the events regularly because the welcoming and judgment-free environment cultivates “a place where I can make great friends.”

This past Wednesday, roughly 20 people, including students from UMaine and local community members, gathered to enjoy a meal of chili, cornbread and salad before delving into the topic of mental wellness. Everyone there was in agreement that mental well-being is something that everyone will deal with in their lifetime at some point or another and many people in attendance had dealt with struggles in the past or know someone who has. Some were even still struggling and sought solace and advice from the discussion.

The opening question of the night asked participants describe in a few short words what comes to mind when you hear the term mental health. The responses ranged from positivity and the pursuit of happiness, to self-care and proactivity. But along with answers of hope came answers of judgement, with some answering shame, struggles and challenges.

After breaking up into small groups, people began to confide how their spirituality has affected their perception of mental health. People with backgrounds in Catholicism, Atheism, Judaism and more all agreed while the attitude about those struggling with mental wellness has improved, it still has a ways to go as well.

That being said, people still expressed the sentiment that taking care of your own mental health should be a priority. “Every day I say thank you for another day,” Sam Cruss, a third-year sustainable agriculture major, said. “Thank you for the sun, thank you for the trees, thank you for the wind, thank you for the food in the cupboard. Positive thoughts can make all the difference.” Cruss strives to live by this positive mantra routinely.

“Helping other people helps me when I’m not feeling good myself,” third-year child development major Danielle Gluckman said about how she copes with her mental health. “Focusing my energy on something positive, like helping a friend with something, in turn creates something positive for myself.”

To round out the night, the group congregated once more in a large circle and went around sharing their favorite methods of self-care. Talking with loved ones, exercise, writing, listening to music and mediating were just a few of the given answers. One person even replied that coming to the Wilson Center’s events was their personal self-care technique, citing its friendly and comforting environment as a means to feeling more stable and wholesome.

The next “Come to the Table” event will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, with the discussion topic surrounding sympathy versus empathy.

For any University of Maine students looking to escape from their hectic school life into the realm of art, the Lord Hall Gallery is currently featuring faculty artwork and is free of charge to the public. The exhibit features a mixture of full-time and adjunct professors and will continue through March 17. Often credited as an annual celebration of UMaine faculty work, each piece is the culmination of hours of time and effort coming to fruition for the event. Each year a mix of different professors is featured — and this year the seven professors are Constant Albertson, Susan Camp, Kerstin Engman, Wayne Hall, Samantha Jones, Andy Mauery and Matthew Smolinksy.

The curator of the event, Professor of Art Laurie Hicks, was especially excited for this batch of artwork to be displayed, as most of it “has a political concept behind it.” From politics to war to environmental concerns, all of the art has a message.

Some messages are evident by the piece’s title, like Constant Albertson’s Children of War. The ceramic frames each narrow in on specific humanitarian crises around the globe that affect children negatively. From the deaths of Michael Brown and Freddie Gray, to the Flint water crisis and the Gaza War, her pieces reflect messages of sorrow and mourning, but also justice and hope. Albertson explains how her pieces were initially influenced by her reaction to the Gaza War, but she expanded her horizons to cover all “the varying consequences to children across the world,” specifically in places of war and conflict.

In addition to the varying messages portrayed through the artwork, all of the art this year has a three-dimensional element to it. Bold sculptures and woodworking pieces are some staples of the exhibit, but even something as simple as using shadow boxes to frame pictures of Orono and Old Town creates a different way for viewers to interact with each piece visually.

Each faculty member featured gets to choose what to display and how to display it and Hicks explains how the artists “pull from their experiences,” taking into account “events on the social and cultural levels.” Artists are really responding to the sociopolitical climate that this new year has ushered in, and are incorporating “contemporary concerns from this world,” as Hicks explains, into each piece.

“Letting go of having a predetermined plan…sometimes your hands know more than your mind…” Adjunct Professor of Art Samantha Jones said in advice to others. “[creating art] is a magic thing that sometimes happens outside of my mind.”

She has two pieces featured in the exhibit, one of which is prominently displayed and could catch anyone’s eye as soon as they walk in. Featuring bronze poured vaginas hanging from chains reaching from the ceiling to the floor, Jones explains that this piece deals with the topic of the femme. Her inspiration came from her time in Rome where many of the artwork touched upon divine femininity — and that she had this specific piece in the works for quite some time.

The exhibit has already garnered attention from the local art community —both on campus and off — and the exhibit will usually average between 300 to 400 visitors over the course of its time there. You can find the exhibit in the Lord Hall Gallery for the next few weeks. A student exhibition will take the place of the current faculty one in late March and will remain featured for a few weeks after.

Grade: A

If you’ve been in the college town of Orono for long enough, you might have stumbled upon the gem that is Thai Kitchen. A small operation nestled in the back of a parking lot off Park Street, Thai Kitchen is strictly takeout. But Thai Kitchen also offers an array of reasonably priced Thai dishes with hearty portions and fast service, so it still fulfills all the needs of any college student in the Orono area with a hankering for some pad thai or curry.

I indulged in a feast of Thai food for Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend and was thoroughly impressed by the speedy delivery, especially considering the two feet of snow that had freshly blanketed the roads. The menu, accessible by an online blog (Google “Thai Kitchen, Orono” and it’s the first result) promotes their daily lunch specials (at a steal of $7.95) and even offers free delivery with no minimum to the Orono area.

You can tab through the appetizers, salads, soups, house specials, fried rice, noodle dishes, curry dishes and stir fries and their dessert and beverage options are listed on the front page. The curry dishes are my personal favorite, which are priced between $11 and $12 (depending on the meat or vegetable options you prefer) and are served with rice. The spiciness is ranked in stars accompanying each option and I opted for the less spicy mango curry with tofu. Not only was it the perfect amount of spice, it was served hot and ready with plenty of add-ons and the mango and coconut milk base was tropically delicious for a cold Maine evening.

My boyfriend decided on the orange chicken, and we split an appetizer of crab rangoon. Both proved to be delectable and our plates were quickly emptied. We also tried the vegetable fried rice with tofu, and although the tofu was lackluster, overall the dish was packed with vegetables and fried egg and was an excellent addition to our meal.

When it comes to desserts and beverages, the Thai iced tea they offer is a delicious Thai delicacy that pairs especially well with spicy food. If you’re looking to try something new, the iced tea is a sweet and creamy option. It is shockingly orange in appearance, which adds to its allure. As for desserts, their options are scarce but tasty nevertheless. I was feeling adventurous so I tacked on sweet sticky rice with custard at the end of my order (it’s just an extra $5). When I first opened it I was taken aback, it’s initial appearance is unsettling, but I was determined and I tried it anyway. It was surprisingly delicious! The custard was sweet and tart and the sticky rice was even sweeter. I wouldn’t get it again but I have to admit I finished it all in one sitting, so if you’re feeling daring I would say go for it.

With a mix of Thai food staples and exotic house specials, Thai Kitchen is a must try for all University of Maine students who like their Thai food sweet and spicy. The service is quick and the food is reasonably priced, and with free delivery to the Orono area it’s easy to justify a quick lunch or an convenient dinner date.

Grade: B+

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, lots of UMaine students are scoping out where to treat their loved ones to dinner this week. With a number of tasty choices in the area, agreeing on a cuisine can be hard. Mexican food is undeniably a popular choice, but Chipotle does not provide the romance that a sit-down restaurant offers. Miguel’s Mexican Restaurant on the Hogan Road is a good compromise.

I made the trek to Bangor and arrived at Miguel’s at around 6:30 p.m. last Wednesday night. The place was pretty packed, but as a party of two we got sat in a booth immediately. The décor is undoubtedly Americanized  Mexican, but charming nonetheless. Chips and salsa were provided almost immediately and proved delicious. The chips were warm and crisp and the salsa was flavorful but not too spicy.

Drinks were ordered and served relatively quickly. Miguel’s offers a wide array of alcoholic options, ranging from beer, wine, cocktails and smoothies. No Mexican restaurant is complete without a few tequila and margarita options and Miguel’s doesn’t disappoint. I personally steered clear because I anticipated a full night of studying ahead of me, but for anyone looking to get a little tipsy with dinner, Miguel’s is a solid bet.

One of the biggest perks of Miguel’s is the sheer size of the menu. Appetizers, soups, salads, quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, dinners, sandwiches and desserts galore, this place has all of your Mexican food cravings covered. Miguel’s has a lot to offer, complete with daily specials and a children’s menu. The price range for most items is around $15, give or take some extras. Most entrée options also come with refried beans, Miguel’s Spanish rice and sour cream.

After weighing my options for a solid five minutes, I was leaning toward trying out the chimitas as a starter. Our waiter informed us that nachos were half off on Wednesdays, which threw a wrench in my plan. I decided to treat myself, so both chimitas and a small portion of nachos were chosen. Both proved delicious and our plates were licked clean.

Choosing an entrée was equally difficult with so many enticing options. My waiter was happy to suggest the grilled fish tacos and who was I to disagree? My boyfriend Jordan opted for the enchiladas mole, enticed by the description of a “rich, dark, hot, but sweet Oaxaca-style mole sauce.” Our chips and salsa supply was replenished and we continued to happily gorge ourselves as we waited for our main course.

The mood of the restaurant was relaxed and many patrons appeared to be seasoned regulars, joking and catching up with the bartender and wait staff. While perhaps not the classiest joint in Bangor, Miguel’s didn’t disappoint in its welcoming nature and we certainly felt right at home.

Just as we began feeling full, our meals were served piping hot and ready to eat. The food is undeniably delicious and the portion sizes could easily fill up two people. The fish tacos were tasty and refreshing and no pesky little bones were in sight. Jordan’s mole sauce lived up to its infamous description and we were admittedly smitten with our dishes.

Overall, Miguel’s is a hit for any Mexican food lovers who want an upgrade from Mexican fast food like Chipotle or Taco Bell. The service is slow, but undeniably friendly. And there are chips and salsa on hand to tide you over while you wait. You certainly get your money’s worth of food and it’s impossible to leave hungry. The pricing is reasonable and it’s easy to see that Miguel’s has the college student in mind when targeting its clientele. So, if your sweetheart is craving Mexican food this Valentine’s Day, Miguel’s will fill your bellies without breaking the bank.

Many UMaine students are, by now, aware of the refugee crisis raging on in Syria and Palestine. And it’s easy for students to feel as though they cannot make a difference, sitting are thousands of miles away with their own responsibilities to uphold. Well, the University of Maine Honors College has a solution.

A donation collection has been set up in the Student Union for the past two weeks and will continue into this coming week. New or slightly used clothes (all seasons), winter jackets, hats and gloves, shoes, winter boots, feminine hygiene products, bedding, paper products (cups, napkins, plates, cutlery, etc.), baby diaper boxes and sleeping bags are all suggested donations being collected by members of the Honors College. The donation bins are accompanied by an Honors College member passing out flyers and educating interested passersby. They are also looking for cash donations, which will be used to pay for shipping.

The project is the brainchild of Aliya Uteuova , a Maine Campus staff writer, Honors Student Advisory Board member and Kazakhstan native. She coordinated a similar donation drive last semester, which produced a truck-full of clothing shipped to Jordan and Lebanon. She brought the idea to the Honors College this semester in hopes of coordinating an even more successful drive this spring.

“[The] refugee crisis is a huge international/humanitarian problem, and the Honors College strives to help whatever causes it can…[and the] Honors College does everything it can to support its students’ endeavors,” Jack Brown, a second-year psychology and sociology honors student, said about the endeavor.

The Honors College partnered with Student Government and Helping Hand For Relief and Development for the project and has been met with support by everyone involved.

“[Helping Hand] is a global relief and development agency that provides resources and aid to places around the world that are in emergency or disaster situations,” Abby Bellefleur, a fourth-year communications honors student , said. “Currently their focus is on helping Syrian refugees, in light of current events.” The organization plans to drive to Maine from its Massachusetts location, pick up the donations and ship them in containers to refugee camps in Syria and Palestine.

Bellefleur has helped out by passing out flyers and tabling as much as she can to encourage donations. “What’s really interesting, and also important, is that they take all the different items and set up a shop where Syrian people can come and pick out the items they want,” Bellefleur said. “It helps them retain some of their dignity and sense of self, considering the situation they’re in.”

The success of the project has been evident, according to the group’s members. “Projects like these really show the best of what can be accomplished when different groups work together under a common goal,” fourth-year business management and sustainable food systems honors student Brady Davis said. “We have received support from UMaine Student Government, members of Greek Life and by people who have made individual donations. The success of our project has come from the willingness of others to partner with us and help further on our mission to provide aid to refugees in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon.”

Bellefleur could not agree more, as she noted that members of the Honors College have enlisted the help of their other students groups to help the cause. Alpha Tau Omega, CASE and even Dean of Student Life Dr. Robert Dana have shown support.

So for those who feel powerless in the face of the Syrian refugee crisis, especially in today’s sociopolitical environment, donating what you can makes a difference. Whether it’s a few old sweaters that you’ve outgrown, or leftover change from a lunch bought at the Student Union, small donations can make a world of a difference in the life of a refugee.

The Honors College will continue to table with collection bins in the Student Union until Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Grade: A-

Let me start by saying that if you’ve had Cup Noodles, your mind is about to be blown by Umami. The restaurant, located on a bustling corner in downtown Bangor, is the perfect place for a warm bowl of ramen on a snowy Maine evening. The place appears a little run down from the outside, but is clean and welcoming nonetheless. Finding seating isn’t an issue, with many two-tops available lining the large windows encasing the restaurant. These seats are perfect for people watching, but can get very drafty. So what better way to warm up than with a steamy bowl of ramen?

I arrived with my boyfriend around 5:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night and the place was scattered with a few other patrons, but was calm and quiet. An alternative music radio station played lightly in the background and made me wish I had brought work materials so I could study and sip ramen at one of the booths.

The appetizer selections are limited and all follow an Asian-fusion cuisine theme, but prove tasty nonetheless. Edamame, Gyoza, Scallion Pancakes and Umami Wings are among the starter options, all averaging around $6. I opted for the vegetarian scallion pancakes. Arriving pre-cut on a platter with sweet chili sauce, they were delectable. Very crispy and sometimes hard to chew, but they paired great with the sauce and altogether were a great starter.

But if you visit Umami, you’re really coming for the famous ramen, with bowls starting at $9.25. Signature bowls are a mix between fan and employee favorites, like the Tokyo Tonkotsu, Woodland Forager, Vegan Venture, Big Easy and Employee Meal. While those choices are tempting, many people opt to create their own bowl, myself being no exception. The process of creating your own custom ramen bowl is laid out on the menu, but the employees are always willing to walk you through with any questions you may have. Every bowl already comes with carrots, scallions, sprouts, dried shallots, nori and sesame seeds, so they’re already packed with flavor.

Step one: choose a broth. With options like veggie, chicken and pork, beef, yellow curry, miso and the exciting Tom Yum, there’s a ramen base for everyone.

Step two: choose a noodle. Ramen and rice noodles are staples, but egg noodles, soba and udon are offered as well (at an additional $1).

Step three: add a protein to your meal. Tofu, portobello, chicken, pork, beef and kielbasa as options make deciding difficult, especially considering pork belly and shrimp are offered as well (at an additional $1 and $2 respectively). And let me tell you, the pork belly is worth the extra buck if you’re looking for added flavor.

Step four really amps up the experience with any add-ons. Every add-on increases your total by $1 to your total and this can rack up pretty fast. But if you’re looking to splurge, any one of the following could enhance your ramen experience. Broccoli, snow peas, napa cabbage, kale, spinach, eggplant, boiled egg, sautéed onion, shiitake mushroom, jalapeno, skillet corn, pickled daikon and kimchi round out the array of potential flavor additions. They could all contribute to the quality of the ramen, so it’s tempting to overload, but keep in mind your bowl already comes with some staples.

After lamenting over the decision, I finally chose a miso broth with egg noodles, tofu, eggplant, onions, mushrooms and two boiled eggs. Two eggs may seem overboard, but I stand firm in my belief that they are the highlight of any ramen bowl. And right I was. My custom ramen bowl arrived steaming hot about 10 minutes after I placed my order and every bite was better than the last. There’s no need to include as many add-ons as I did to create a memorable ramen bowl, but if you’re okay with splurging I would highly recommend it.

There was only one employee working the counter, but he certainly made up for any shortcomings with his friendly, energetic and helpful manner. Everyone coming in was welcomed heartily and when anyone left they were wished a good night. Ordering was done at the back of the restaurant, but afterward you were free to take a seat wherever you pleased and the food was brought to you. At the end of the meal we cleared our plates at a dish station, with accompanying trash and recycling bins.

Overall, my dining experience at Umami was positive. The hearty portion sizes and the delicious and diverse ramen options could lift anyone’s spirits and depending on how creative you get with your choices it can range from cheap to pricey. Regardless, you still get plenty of bang for your buck and if you don’t finish the giant ramen bowls, takeout containers are available upon request. Umami also provides a convenient takeout option, which you could call ahead for or order in person. For any UMaine students looking to warm their bellies on a cold night (and don’t mind the drive to Bangor), I would recommend Umami.

Located on 1 Main St. in Bangor, Umami opens everyday at 11 a.m. and serves food and drinks until 9 p.m., with special late night hours on Friday and Saturday till 3 a.m.