Dec 16, 2021 | Exclusive, Feature, News |
By Ashley Ward, Secretary and Assistant Editor
FARMINGTON 一 Over the next two weeks students at UMF will submit their final assessments and projects, bringing the Fall 2021 semester to a close. Finals are often a high-stress part of the school year for students, as they require a significant amount of effort and are typically worth a larger portion of the student’s final grade for a class.
Stress affects well-being in all aspects and mental health is just as important as physical health. For some students, their first experience with an academic final is in college and stress levels can skyrocket as a result. Sophomores Grayson Koelbl and Katelyn Ryan impart advice for any frazzled first year students:
“Remember to prioritize your mental health. This is easier said than done, because there are times when I don’t follow this. But have faith in yourself and make sure to check in with yourself mentally from time to time. Don’t forget, water is your best friend. Screaming into a pillow helps too,” Koelbl said.
“My best tip would be to really organize your time. Try to make a little schedule for finals week and the week before, making note of when you’ll be studying for exams or working on final projects and papers, as well as when you’ll be taking some time for yourself,” Ryan said.
Oftentimes, increased stress is followed by a lack of sleep as students scramble to find the time for everything they need to get done. Getting less than six to seven hours of sleep a night is not ideal and can lead to further stress-induced complications. Budget time to allow for sleeping/waking up at the same times every day, especially during finals week.
There is a hard cut-off deadline for turning in Fall 2021 assignments on Thursday Dec. 16 at 3:00 p.m.. Assessments or projects turned in after this point are not supposed to be accepted, so it would help to keep that deadline in mind when organizing your time.
Dec 16, 2021 | Feature, News |
By Ashley Ward, Secretary and Assistant Editor
FARMINGTON 一 Table Gaming Club (TGC) is preparing to host their biannual Game Fest on Nov. 12, starting at 7p.m. and ending at 7a.m. the next day. Open to UMF students, TGC invites everyone to come by the South Dining Hall and enjoy games, food, and raffle prizes.
A club established in the 70s, TGC holds their meetings every Wednesday in Roberts 028 at 6:30pm. With an average attendance of 15-30 people per meeting, Table Gaming Club is riding the involvement high that several tabletop gaming communities have seen during the past 18 months.
“We think that part of it has something to do with the fact that tabletop games are very easy to translate into an online format. So, it’s not really just a phenomenon that our club has seen, it is tabletop gaming communities as a whole that have seen immense growth over the pandemic,” President of the Table Gaming Club Quinlan Boyle said.
Barring the last three semesters, TGC has hosted the Game Fest twice a year, once in the fall semester and once in the spring. Game Fest is a 12 hour-long table gaming marathon that runs from 7p.m.-7a.m. the following morning. UMF students are encouraged to stop by to play a wide variety of board games, participate in raffles, and have fun.
“We set them [board games] up so people can bop around playing whatever game they want with other people that have shown up. We have a raffle that goes on during Game Fest with prizes that we think people might enjoy. We usually bring out the Nintendo Switch and set up Smash Bros or Mario Kart for people to play together. It’s really just a bunch of the games that we have and take out of storage so that everyone can play them,” Boyle said.
Boyle said that Game Fest is always held on a Friday evening into a Saturday morning, so that waking up for classes the next day isn’t an issue.
Game Fest is TGC’s largest event, usually turning out an attendance number between 75 and 100 students. Another large event led by the TGC, Humans versus Zombies, hasn’t come close to the involvement that Game Fest pulls, not even with the record-high number of 57 participants this semester.
If you are unable to attend the Nov. 12 Game Fest, keep an eye out for the one next semester in Spring 2022. For more information about the TGC or Game Fest, contact club President Quinlan Boyle.
Nov 1, 2021 | Feature, Uncategorized |
By Ashley Ward, Contributing Writer.
What do you think UMF can do to be more mindful about its relationship with the land we use and its history with Indigenous tribes?
Grace ‘24: I think that having actual Native Americans that come and speak and give presentations instead of using our white voices to empower them would be better than just speaking for them. I feel like giving indigenous people the voice instead of just speaking for them is something that UMF is not the greatest at doing. I think they just need to include indigenous people instead of talking about them.
Farrah ‘25: Maybe just talk about it more. Like, advertise it more because I don’t really get any ads for anything, so I didn’t know that there were any events going on. And to just be more respectful of the land in general.
Will ‘25: Understand their culture, I guess. Compassion for where the land came from and that they [Indigenous tribes] were the first people here is also important.
Eme ‘24: Reaching out to people who are knowledgeable on the topic could help to get more respect on the land and more recognition that this is not our land.
Nov 1, 2021 | Feature, News |
By Ashley Ward, Secretary and Assistant Editor
University of Maine at Farmington conducted a week of events surrounding issues affecting the Indigenous communities within Maine as a response to Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 11. Several of the days following the holiday featured a different event dedicated to spreading awareness amongst the UMF community and members of the public.
Monday’s event on October 11 consisted of a virtual teach-in, where attendees were offered the chance to observe three short films: “The Penobscot: Ancestral River, Contested Territory”, “The Saga Continues”, and “Kihtahkomikumon (Our Land) – #IslandBack in Passamaquoddy Territory”. More information about these short films and links to watch them can be found at https://www.umf.maine.edu/diat/indigenous-peoples-week/.
The event held on Wednesday, October 13, was a comprehensive presentation and discussion on the meaning and significance of #LandBack, as well as water rights and decolonization within Wabanaki territory. The discussion was moderated by Executive Director of Bomazeen Land Trust Mali Obomsawin and Sunlight Media Collective member Lokotah Sanborn. The presentation was held by Penobscot Nation member Dawn Neptune Adams and Maine Indian Land Claims historian Maria Giouard. Together, the four speakers represent Penobscot and Abenaki communities, as well as Wabanaki led organizations.
Adams and Giouard discussed waste mismanagement in areas near to Penobscot and Passamaquoddy lands, the legal proceedings surrounding land claims, and current water quality issues at length during Wednesday’s event. Adams cautions that future wars will be fought over water, rather than oil.
“We protect the water, not for ourselves, but for the next seven generations,” Adams said.
On the evening of Thursday, October 14, an event was held on the Mantor Green by UMF College Democrats President Celia Canavan about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Students led a teach-in about this transgression and asked attendees to wear red as a sign of solidarity. A poster circulated by the UMF College Democrats states: “Their fight is our fight.”
A presentation and discussion was led on Friday, October 15, by Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Maine Darren J. Ranco of Penobscot Nation. Ranco discussed decolonization at campus level and what that entails, as well as how it affects members of the UMF community. Ranco also introduced the topic of Traditional Knowledge Labels and their importance within Indigenous communities.
During Indigenous Peoples’ Week at UMF, an Indigenous Land and Water Acknowledgement was unveiled. Written by Obomsawin and Ranco, UMF’s Indigenous Land and Water Acknowledgement addresses the history of the space the UMF campus occupies and the effects of colonization on surrounding lands and their people.
For more information about the events, the presenters, or UMF’s Indigenous Land and Water Acknowledgement, visit the site found at: https://www.umf.maine.edu/2021/10/umf-recognizes-indigenous-peoples-day-with-week-of-events-exploring-issues-vital-to-the-wabanaki-people/.
Oct 10, 2021 | Exclusive, News |
By Ashley Ward, Secretary and Assistant Editor
FARMINGTON 一 Extracurriculars at the University of Maine at Farmington have reported a struggle with student involvement and membership over the last 18 months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, group leaders believe that there is hope on the horizon.
For on-campus clubs, it was nearly impossible for students to engage in activities. Those that did join were faced with the responsibilities for several in-club positions.
“We took a hard hit last year with the pandemic and got all the way down to one member,” said Artemis Monteith, President of the Nightmare Club. According to Monteith, the club went all the way from 20 members to almost disbanding. Now the club has up to 16 members.
Learning Commons Coordinator William St. John noted increased difficulty in making new tutor hires for this academic year. “I’ve sent out dozens of emails…offering students jobs. Saying, ‘I’ll hire you! And you get to work your own hours, and get paid 12 bucks an hour!’ and most of them never replied,” St. John said.
St. John said that even though students haven’t been as aggressive at seeking out academic help from tutors, numbers are on the rise.
“…tutoring this semester is doing better than it was last semester at this time,” St. John said.
Despite the limited student participation last year, organizations on campus are optimistic about student interest levels returning to pre-pandemic levels with enough time. Advisor of the Student Senate Kirsten Swan said each incoming class of first year students brings a wave of reinvigorated enthusiasm back to extracurricular activities on campus. The increase of participation is observed in the demographics of several clubs and their members, as well as in the Student Senate.
“I think the future is pretty bright for the Student Senate. Everybody on the executive board is new, except for the President, and there are a lot of first and second year students that are Student Senators. There seems to be a lot of good energy in terms of wanting to get involved and wanting to find out what the Student Senate is all about,” Swan said.
