If you haven’t yet heard about the moment where actor Will Smith stormed the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face at the Oscars, then you missed what was ultimately one of the clearest displays of celebrity privilege in the history of Hollywood. 

At the Oscars, which took place last Sunday, March 27, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Rock took the stage to present the award for best documentary feature. On stage, Rock made a joke about actress Jada Pinkett Smith and her shaved head, comparing her to the main character in the movie, “G.I. Jane.”

The joke was met with a mixture of laughter and grimacing faces from the audience, one of which belonged to Pinkett Smith herself, but when the camera panned to her husband, he was laughing and smiling. A few seconds later though, Smith walked onto the stage and violently slapped Rock across the face. 

Any regular spectator of live television may have thought that this was just a prank or a scripted skit, but it soon became very clear that no one in the room, least of all Rock, was expecting that blow. 

Rock handled the situation as well as one could expect, even following the hit up with a joke.

“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” Rock said.

Only 40 minutes after this abrupt and unnecessary act of violence, Smith returned to the stage to accept the Oscar for best actor. His speech was full of sobs, a few excuses and apologies strewn to everyone except Rock. He also tried to defend his actions by comparing himself to the man he played in the film, “King Richard.”

“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said during his emotional speech.

Smith didn’t take responsibility for his actions and he wasn’t given any immediate consequences. In fact, his speech was met with a standing ovation. 

Not only did Smith’s actions display his overwhelming celebrity privilege, but it took away the spotlight from every other attendee and award winner there that night. There were people there that worked just as hard as Smith and didn’t assault someone who deserved to be recognized properly. 

Troy Kotsur won his first Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role as the father of a deaf family in Apple TV’s “CODA.” The actor himself was born without hearing, making history as the second deaf person to ever win an Oscar. Ariana DeBose’s win for best supporting actress in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “West Side Story” also made history, as she became the first openly queer woman of color to win an Academy Award, according to The Massachusetts Daily Collegian. 

These awardees and trailblazers should have been the highlights from the Oscars this year, but instead, Smith’s violent slap will forever be the biggest standout memory. 

The Academy’s response was to post on Twitter. 

“The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world,” the Academy tweeted.

When the producer of the awards show, Will Packer, was interviewed about the incident, he said he advocated for Smith, according to Entertainment Weekly. 

“It couldn’t be made right in that moment because of what had happened,” Packer said. “But I think we were hoping that he’d made it better, that he’d stand on that stage and say what just happened minutes ago was absolutely and completely wrong. ‘Chris Rock, I’m so sorry, please forgive me.’ That’s what I was hoping for. I felt like he was going to win [best actor], and I was hoping, if he stayed, that he said that.”

Celebrities need to be held accountable for their actions, just like anyone else. There have been so many instances of celebrity privilege, where unjustifiable actions are excused or are met with very little repercussions. Smith violently assaulted someone on live television, but was not forced to leave and was in fact, encouraged to stay. This is not only a horrible example to set for young viewers and fans, but it has set the precedent for how much famous people can get away with. 

Twice a year, the times on our clocks change: once in the summer months, when they advance one hour forward and another in the fall, when they go backward one hour. We all dread that lost hour of sleep, that one hour closer to getting up for work in the morning and the hour of sunlight we lose. Although this may seem like a minor loss, the repercussions on mental health resulting from an earlier sunset can be debilitating, especially for those who live in a cold environment that’s already prone to less sunlight. 

In the Northern Hemisphere, many, but not all, countries use daylight saving time (DST) in the summer. DST in the United States begins each year on the second Sunday in March, when clocks are set forward by one hour. They are turned back again to standard time on the first Sunday in November as DST ends. The only U.S. states that don’t participate in DST are Hawaii and Arizona according to TimeandDate. 

DST originated in Canada in 1908 and was used to save energy and make better use of daylight. However, the idea only became widely popular when Germany began using it in 1916 in order to minimize the use of artificial light to save fuel for the war effort, according to TimeandDate. Despite the benefits this time change may have provided during this time period, the cons of its use in our modern world far outweigh any rationale. 

Seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons, beginning and ending at about the same times every year, according to Mayo Clinic. Most people struggling with SAD have symptoms that start in the fall and continue into the winter months, diminishing their energy and making them feel moody. 

Symptoms of SAD can include low energy and sluggishness, insomnia, increased drowsiness or other sleep problems, trouble concentrating, feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness, changes in weight or appetite, losing interest in favorite activities, sadness on a daily basis, and social withdrawal, according to CollegiateParent. 

With this large con of DST in mind, the U.S. Senate recently passed legislation that would make DST permanent starting in 2023, ending the twice-annual changing of the clocks in a move promoted by supporters advocating brighter afternoons and more economic activity, according to Reuters. The change would help enable children to play outdoors later and reduce seasonal depression, according to supporters. 

With the permanence of standard time and the ridding of a twice-yearly time change, we will have plenty of hours of sunlight year round, thus decreasing the risk for seasonal depression and avoiding the inconvenience that it provides. Although this issue is a minor one, sitting amongst talks of war, fights for equality and a variety of other worldly matters, it is something that can be solved and will have positive effects for many across the U.S., which in and of itself is a win. 

As a University of Maine student, you may be all-too familiar with the sulfur, almost rotten egg smell wafting through UMaine’s campus, perhaps even making its way into your dorm on particularly windy days. The pungent odor’s origin is the ND Paper Old Town Mill. 

The mill closed in 2015, but reopened in the fall of 2018 after it was purchased by ND Paper, a subsidiary of the Chinese company, Nine Dragons Paper Ltd., according to the Bangor Daily News. The mill has been in operation for over 150 years, fluctuating between opening and closing, bouncing from owner to owner. 

Despite its benefits of revenue and providing jobs for hundreds of Penobscot County locals, the pungent odor and the negative environmental effects far outweigh the positives. 

ND Paper produces unbleached softwood kraft pulp at the Old Town Mill, which can be used to produce paper, cardboard or construction products, according to The University of Maine Office of Sustainability. This process involves the use of caustic soda to break down wood chips, which contains sodium sulfide, which along with the gas mercaptan, produces the familiar rotten-egg smell. The mill also produces air pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, which can cause changes in air quality and gather in waterways via rainfall, causing a variety of environmental issues that can be detrimental to human health, according to the University of Maine Office of Sustainability. 

The smell aside, the mill and its production have negative effects on the environment and on the residents in its own community. There seems to be a large lack of regulation when it comes to what NP Paper is allowed to put out into the environment. 

The argument for stricter regulation was further validated in October 2020, when a spill of more than 30,700 gallons of harmful chemicals flowed from the ND Paper Mill into the Penobscot River. 

Brian Kavanah, the director of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Water Quality spoke about the negative environmental impacts the spill had, saying that the specific material that spilled into the river was a caustic, sodium hydroxide substance that caused a significant rise in that part of the river’s pH level. After the leak happened, the pH value of the water in the spill area was up around 12 on a scale of 14, according to Maine Beacon. 

“It appears it created a fish kill because there were 40 to 50 fish found soon after the leak was discovered in that area,” said Kavanah. 

Old Town is the home to roughly 7,395 residents from all walks of life, who are active and proud of their community. It is also home to the beautiful Penobscot River, which houses a variety of fish, some endangered, who provide life to eagles, osprey, kingfishers, otters, seals and more. However, this flourishing ecosystem and the residents surrounding it are in danger. Without significant repercussions, discussions of more intense regulation or closure, ND Paper is polluting our air and filling our water with toxic chemicals. 

Maine is one of the most naturally beautiful states in the country, with wildlife and greenery filling every square mile and a very proud population of people, but if environmental regulation isn’t prioritized, then there won’t be much left to admire. 

Since the introduction of streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV, binge-watching has become the new norm for many people around the world. With the press of a button, viewers can access practically any movie or show on demand. Watching TV has taken on a completely new form. 

Add a global pandemic that has forced everyone to stay inside, isolated, with limited things to do and subscriptions for streaming services skyrocket, with binge-watching becoming a daily activity for many. Almost 12 million people in the UK signed up for a new streaming service during the lockdowns, according to The Conversation. 

There are many researchers that argue that watching TV for multiple hours straight can have a negative effect on mental and emotional health, but there is a lot of evidence that supports the opposite. 

Dr. Renee Carr, a clinical psychologist, discusses the feel good effects of binge-watching. 

“When engaged in an activity that’s enjoyable such as binge-watching, your brain produces dopamine. This chemical gives the body a natural, internal reward of pleasure that reinforces continued engagement in that activity. It is the brain’s signal that communicates to the body, ‘This feels good. You should keep doing this!’” Carr said. 

Through this binge-watching phenomenon, many people have found their “comfort show,” which is a show that can be played at all hours of the day, while cooking, cleaning or even taking a shower. It’s a form of entertainment and company for many and is usually a show that they have already seen. 

As long as people are being responsible about how much TV they watch, having a comforting thing like that should be encouraged, not solely written off as negative, especially during isolated and unprecedented times such as these.  

Another clinical psychologist, Dr. John Mayer, explains the positive effects of binge-watching, including stress management. 

“We are all bombarded with stress from everyday living, and with the nature of today’s world where information floods us constantly. It is hard to shut our minds down and tune out the stress and pressures. A binge can work like a steel door that blocks our brains from thinking about those constant stressors that force themselves into our thoughts. Binge-watching can set up a great boundary where troubles are kept at bay,” Mayer said. 

There is such a negative stigma surrounding the binge-watching phenomenon, perhaps due to its name or the negative portrayal of it in movies and television, usually depicted as a teenage experience after a breakup. However, research not only contradicts these assumptions, but encourages those living a stressful lifestyle to take a break every once in a while and shut off your brain through binge-watching. 

There is nothing wrong with escaping the reality of the world from time to time and if for some people that’s watching eight episodes of “Parks and Recreation” or re-watching “Gilmore Girls” for the fifth time, then so be it. Everyone is trying their best to survive day-by-day during these difficult times and watching a few episodes of a show in a row isn’t harmful in moderation. So, grab some popcorn and a cozy blanket or two, turn on your comfort show and shut off your brain for a while. It might just do you some good.  

For some college students, a night out may look like drinking a couple of beers with friends over dinner, or having a margarita or two after a particularly stressful day of classes. However, for many, it’s guzzling as many drinks as possible after avoiding eating for much of the day, followed by a miserable night of sitting on the bathroom floor “pulling trig” — making yourself throw up after drinking too much. This pattern of self destruction is becoming more and more apparent in college students, particularly young women, and the language surrounding it is becoming far too normalized. 

It’s not uncommon to hear that people have avoided eating all day, so that they have less in their stomach to soak up the alcohol. Coupled with “pulling trig,” these practices are talked about casually and glorify neglecting yourself and abusing alcohol on a regular basis. These behaviors have become the norm for college-aged people, getting as drunk as possible by any means necessary, but society has little to no concern for the damage young college students are truly doing to themselves in this process. 

A study done in 1996 investigating the link between alcoholism and eating disorders, explains that the lifetime rates of any comorbid eating disorder among  Alcohol and other Drug [AOD]-abusing women are significantly higher than in the general population, ranging from 15 to 32% Additionally, 72% of all female alcoholics under the age of 30 had lifetime histories of comorbid eating disorders, compared with 11% in the entire sample. Again, the majority of these patients (89%) suffered from either bulimia nervosa or binge-eating/purging anorexia nervosa. Thus, the association between eating disorders with bulimic features and alcohol-use disorders appears to be particularly strong among young women. 

Binge drinking is a dangerous act, where the drinker consumes excess amounts of alcohol in a short period of time, which can be particularly dangerous to do on an empty stomach as it increases the risk of alcohol poisoning, memory loss and alcohol-related injuries, according to Alcohol Rehab Guide. 

There needs to be a drastic shift in the language and behavior used regarding college-aged people drinking. We should praise taking care of yourself properly over getting drunk quickly.

Many college students may feel as though attempting to get as drunk as possible every weekend is a rite of passage due to social pressures and depictions of college-aged students on the big screen. Add in social media, with companies like Barstool that profit off of posting videos of college students doing stupid things when they’re drunk, and the stigma around drinking in college continues to worsen and becomes even harder to break. 

However, this pattern can be broken if the consequences of excessive drinking in college, as well as the connection between binge drinking and eating disorders, are taught far more generously to younger generations. The use of language that glorifies eating disorders and excessive drinking is not only far too normalized, but can be very triggering for those already struggling with eating disorders and/or body dysmorphia. It is time to change the narrative surrounding drinking in college. In fact, it is long overdue. 

On Nov. 14, students and faculty received an emergency alert from the University of Maine. “Crime Alert: UMaine Police received a report after 10 p.m. of an assault that occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. today, Nov. 14 in the vicinity of East Annex on campus” the alert read. “An unknown male subject grabbed a female from behind, threatened with an unknown object, pushed her to the ground and ran off. Suspect is described as 6 feet tall, wearing dark clothing and gloves.”

Another similar incident occurred earlier this semester when a woman was assaulted by a man on the University Mall in September. Police say that they received an anonymous tip in which the caller told them the man allegedly briefly choked the victim, yelled a slur at her for wearing a pride shirt and then ran off, according to Q106.5 FM.  

The article then went on to state that local police remind students to always try to find someone to accompany them when going outside late at night and that they should be mindful of their surroundings and keep a safe distance between themselves and potential hiding places, according to Q106.5 FM. 

This advice is not going to protect the women at UMaine’s campus. These women should feel safe while getting their education. There needs to be more security on campus, as well as more information provided regarding these incidents and what is going to be done to ensure these assaults won’t happen again. 

UMaine, along with many colleges and universities across the country, have blue emergency boxes set up sporadically all around campus, which provide a phone that has a direct line to campus security. Once the call is made, the person experiencing an emergency must wait until help arrives. This system is ineffective in helping those who are experiencing a true emergency. If a woman is being attacked and can not reach the emergency phone, she is left to her own devices. Even if she is able to reach the phone, it takes time to make the call and for help to arrive, at which point she may already be in grave danger. 

Many universities use the emergency light system as a response to assaults on their campuses, but it is not enough. It is a symbol of security, not an active solution. 

Despite hearing stories of assault and attacks on our own campus again and again, we tend to hear very little about whether the suspect was caught or what authorities are doing to apprehend the assaulter. 

This makes people afraid on campus, knowing that someone is capable of attacking someone and won’t be reprimanded.

The disparities between the treatment of men and women is far too prevalent in many aspects of daily life. Athletics at any level, amateur, college and professional, are not immune to this inequality, and unfortunately, it isn’t something new. Men’s sports have higher attendance rates, more promotional opportunities and better training and performance facilities. 

As a student at a Division 1 university, attending sporting events is one of the most exciting and fun aspects of the University of Maine. I’ve attended countless football and men’s hockey games, along with thousands of other students. This was typically because their schedules were advertised and on game days, there was intense chatter surrounding the sporting event. 

Women weren’t given the right to equal opportunity in sports at educational institutions until 1972, when Title IX of the Education Amendments Act was passed. That is 107 years after UMaine was established and 91 years after UMaine’s first intercollegiate team was founded. 

Prior to this amendment, support was solely given to men’s sports, and there was no need to even specify that it was a ‘men’s’ sport because there was no alternative. 

But it is now 2021. We are in the height of advocating for women’s rights in every aspect of society. Recognition and representation in collegiate sports is something we need to advocate for as well. 

This past March, videos and images of the women’s facilities at the Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament were shared amongst fans and athletes online. When compared to the facilities that the men were provided during the March Madness tournament, the contrast was shocking. The women were provided a single rack of dumbbells and a stationary bike, while the men had countless squat racks, bench presses and many other equipment items. CBS News interviewed the NCAA women’s basketball Vice President Lynn Holzman about the inequality. “We want to be responsive to the needs of our participating teams, and we are actively working to enhance existing resources at practice courts, including additional weight training equipment,” Holzman said.

Here on our own campus, there is a shocking and disappointing payment discrepancy between the female field hockey coach, and the male football coach. 

UMaine’s football team has a current record of 4-5, with two regular season games left to play in the 2021-2022 season. UMaine’s field hockey team, on the other hand, had a record of 15-7 and were the America East champions, with an appearance in the NCAA tournament. 

Despite this feat, the head coach of the football team, Nick Charlton, has an annual salary of $153,000 according to GovSalaries, while the head coach of the field hockey team, Josette Babineau, has an annual salary of $76,494.14 according to OpenPayrolls. 

Payment of coaches should be based on the performance of the team rather than the sport, gender or fan attendance. If this was the case, Babineau would be and should be making far more than Charlton. 

Students wait in hour-long lines to get into the Alfond Arena to see UMaine’s men’s hockey team face off against their opponents. Hundreds of UMaine students and alumni tailgate in the parking lot before the football games, followed by spectators packing the stadium. However, this same enthusiasm and pride has failed to engulf women’s sports not only here at UMaine, but at hundreds of other colleges and universities across the country. 

There has to be extreme advertising and word of mouth in order for there to be a significant attendance at any women’s sports match, and even then it is nowhere near the amount of people that show up for men’s sporting events, which typically can draw a crowd with very limited advertising. 

There needs to be more effort put into not only supporting collegiate women’s teams through fan attendance, but into increasing funding, getting better equipment and proper payment for their coaches. The inequality between the treatment of men’s and women’s athletic teams has come a long way, but there is still a lot of work to do. 

Incoming first-year college students usually hear about how college will be the best four years of your life, but for many of us, they have now become a struggle with the onset of COVID-19. We are rapidly approaching the two year anniversary of the closure of the University of Maine, along with most schools and businesses all around the world, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet the side effects of COVID-19 physically, mentally and emotionally, still retain a strong grasp on us all. 

When the pandemic began, I was a sophomore, barely 20-years-old and looking forward to the remaining years of my carefree college career. COVID-19 hit and now suddenly, I’m a senior, almost 22 and looking ahead to graduating in May. That’s a lot for anyone to come to terms with, but college students especially are struggling with this acceptance, along with the daily pressures that being a university student offers. 

UMaine students remember that gut-wrenching email, indicating that the severity of the pandemic had increased and that we would all be forced to go home and continue our education online. This online education continued for the majority of students in their fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters, but with the increase in accessibility to vaccines, UMaine students excitedly returned to campus for their fall 2021 semester. However, this transition back to in-person learning has been anything but easy. 

This transition was not as simple as opening up the classroom doors and everything going back to normal. Our idea of experiencing a normal pre-COVID-19 education will never exist again. That’s a very difficult thing to come to terms with, but it’s essential to understand in order for universities and colleges across the country to better help assist their students in their transition back to in-person education. 

We have to remember that students are not only trying to adjust to being back in-person and learn how to be in group environments again. Students are also dealing with their own mental health struggles, dealing with COVID-19 exposure and infection, trying to regain their social lives and simply trying to enjoy being a college student again. With this pandemic comes anxiety, stress, sickness and grief. When classes get out, students are still human beings that are dealing with all the loss and trauma that this pandemic has resulted in. 

The grace that was provided during the last year and a half needs to continue as students go through this difficult transition and try to regain the lives they had before COVID-19. There should be no penalties of any sort when it comes to students missing class due to illness. We are still very much in this pandemic and resources should be provided to ensure that no student is left behind due to something that is out of their control. The last thing a student suffering from COVID-19 should be worrying about is if they’re going to lose points for not being able to go to class or do their work. 

Driving down College Avenue, alongside the University of Maine, you’ll pass numerous, extravagant fraternity houses with large Greek letters proudly displayed above their doorways一a representation of an age old tradition on many college campuses across the country. You’ll see members of UMaine’s 16 fraternities suntanning on their porches or playing frisbee in their front yards. 

However, you don’t see the women that make up the eight sororities on UMaine’s campus. You won’t see any Greek letters of these organizations above any doorways. There is no indication that these sororities even exist on College Avenue. Instead, you’ll find these women in the basements of the residence halls on campus. Each sorority is assigned an underground oasis to perform all the duties that are required of them as a chapter, while up above, the fraternities of this campus are provided their very own homes to do so.

 But this may not be the case any longer.

Chrissy Skidgel, a fourth–year nursing student and a sister of Alpha Omicron Pi at UMaine, began a sorority housing initiative last semester after learning that it was in fact possible for the women of Greek life at UMaine to have houses, but this possibility was never openly talked about.

The so-called “brothel rumor” could explain this discrepancy. The rumor says that only a certain number of women can live in a house before it’s labelled a brothel, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian.   

Skidgel sent out a questionnaire to all members of Greek life, as well as posted it on the Facebook pages of the UMaine classes of 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. The form posed multiple questions, including if the participant was a member of Greek life themselves, if they were aware that sororities were permitted to have houses on campus, if they had heard of the “brothel rumor” and if so, what their understanding of it was as well as if active sorority members would be interested in having housing for their chapter on UMaine’s campus. 

Skidgel emphasized that her main point in beginning this process was to ensure that sorority women had the opportunity to have a recognized house. 

There were 217 total responses with 136 responses attributed to Greek life members. When these Greek life participants were asked if they had heard of the “brothel law” myth, 89.7% of them said that they had. For those women in Greek life, 94.1% said that they would be interested in having sorority housing.

During a recent All Greek meeting, Skidgel presented her housing initiative to all of Greek life. Her call to action was initiated by the question: “Who has heard of the brothel rumor as the reason why sororities are not allowed to have houses on campus?” Every hand went up in that room.

“That’s why I talked at the All Greek meeting. Because we decided that if this is going to be something that actually works, it needs to be all hands on deck. It just catches wind better if you have everyone involved, so I wanted to get a representative from each chapter to basically give me their own perspective on what their own chapter would want,” said Skidgel.

“The pandemic … revealed a lot of the inequality between [fraternities and sororities] on campus, because with all the pandemic restrictions, none of the [sisters] could go in their chapter rooms. All the [brothers] had their houses,” explained Skidgel as her primary motivation for beginning the housing initiative. 

This fight is far more than just about sorority members being able to live in a house, but represents the sexism that permeates in all levels of society. These women don’t just want to be able to have a house to say that they have a house, but they want to be as equally represented as the fraternities on campus. If things are to change, we must begin at the root and work from there.