Oct 27, 2017 | News |
By Collin Regan – Contributing Writer
UMF students and their families packed the Mantor Green on a dark and beautiful fall
Friday night on October 13th to watch the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus.
UMF Community Assistants Michaela Zelie, Kendra Burgess and Sam O’Neal teamed up to create the event to add to the experience of Family and Friends Weekend at UMF.
Senior CA Michaela Zelie said, “the attendance is huge for this program every time.”
With the feeling of Halloween in the night, Friday the 13th featured one of the most successful and populated programs that UMF has seen so far this year. Along with the film, there was also popcorn, donuts, candy, a variety of hot chocolates, coffee and apple cider available for the UMF community. Students snuggled in their blankets and their eyes never left the screen as people relived some of their childhood memories.
This was the second year that Hocus Pocus was shown on the green. Last year, the event was created with the name Campout Cinema to give residents the chance to watch movies on a bigger screen. Senior Brennah O’Connell remembered last year’s program and was excited to see it come to life again this fall.
“I love that this is becoming a tradition,” said O’Connell. “A lot of people were looking forward to it this fall.”
Tyler St. Pierre, a junior at UMF, was also at the event and enjoyed the atmosphere. “It
was perfect. It was a good way to get into the Halloween spirit,” said St. Pierre.
One of the best parts about the event that had campus buzzing was the movie itself.
“Hocus Pocus is known as one of the classic movies, and it’s good for kids and adults,” said St. Pierre. “It’s a great family movie and really worked out for Family and Friends Weekend.”
Over the course of a semester, each CA has to put on a total of five programs or events
for residents at UMF. The goal of these programs is to build a sense of community. While
most programs are aimed towards a specific residence hall, this program was targeted towards
the whole campus and community, which added work for the three CAs.
“This is easily the hardest program I’ve done because it takes so much time. However the end result is always my favorite,” said Zelie with a smile starting to grow on her face. “To see that many people show up is wonderful.”
The CAs involved with the program had to communicate with several different people
across campus in order to make the program as successful as it was. Some of these
departments included Facilities and Student Life in order to get the rights for the movie. While the process was lengthy, it seemed to be worth it. Kendra Burgess, a first year CA and
sophomore, was impressed with how this program turned out.
“I think it gave a good example of the kinds of things CAs try to do for the community over the entire year,” said Burgess. “I think it was good for families to see this as well, as it fell on Family and Friends Weekend.”
Zelie and Burgess hope to continue more Campout Cinema events during this upcoming
year. “Because Hocus Pocus was such a success last year, the university bought their own screen,” said Zelie. This makes the event more manageable as the extra step of renting a screen is taken out.
Zelie and Burgess urge residents to be on the lookout for all programs that their CA’s put on, and especially potential future Campout Cinema programs.
Oct 27, 2017 | News |
By Elina Shapiro – Contributing Writer
Eric Mina, a life coach and certified hypnotherapist from Scranton, PA, hypnotized ten students at UMF during his show on Friday the 13th.
At the start of the show, Mina invited anyone in the audience to come on stage to be hypnotized, to which students responded eagerly. “[Hypnosis is] being in subconscious mind which is highly suggestible,” said Mina. “You inlay suggestions to help people or have fun on stage.”
Throughout the show, volunteers’ bodies went completely limp, and they believed exactly what they were told. When Mina said he was blue, participants reported that they saw a blue man. They made comments that generated roaring laughter in the audience such as, “You should probably see a doctor!” and “Are your parents blue?”
When Mina said that he was invisible and carried a shoe across stage, participants screamed in horror, believing that the shoe was floating. When they were told they were dogs, they followed Mina’s orders and rolled over, sat, barked and waited for a treat. When participants were told that an audience member was Channing Tatum, they dangled off the stage trying to shake his hand.
Although the experiences were dictated by Mina, they felt like reality to those who were hypnotized, even though the students were just on the stage of Nordica Auditorium.
“The surrounding experience was real; I was really a dog, and I was really a cat, and a dancer, and a model,” said Cody Curtis, a freshman and Visual Arts and Graphic Arts Major with a concentration in Theater at UMF. “It was really weird. I saw the cameras, and it was as if people were coming out with cameras and there were ones coming from above that looked like they were dangling and moving, and I was on stage.”
Some students found the experience to be similar to dreaming. “I wasn’t actually sleeping, but I felt completely relaxed,” said Sarah Jenkins, a senior and Elementary Education major at UMF. “My eyes were heavy, my breathing changed, that was really weird.”
Time was distorted in the minds of the hypnotized. “It felt like it happened for maybe five minutes, but it was an hour and a half,” said Jenkins, laughing. Students reported that they knew the audience was there, and they knew what they were doing was strange, but they had no control. “I could see [the audience] but I didn’t care, and usually I totally would have cared,” said Jenkins.
Mina ended the show by having those who were hypnotized “see” themselves in a film about their future life in which they make better choices and feel more confident about themselves.
“I became what I want to call myself a ‘Dream Achievement Specialist,’” said Mina. “I want to help people achieve their dreams and goals in their lives and get over their biggest hurdles so they can have the life they’ve always wanted.”
In addition to leaving the stage with a new life vision in mind, students felt peaceful.
“It’s very relaxing, you feel wonderful after. Shaky, tingly, but you feel wonderful,” said Curtis. “I felt very relaxed, I felt like I just slept for like a day. But at the same time, I am kind of tired.”
Mina loves his job as a hypnotherapist because he can do performances on stage, where he feels at home. “What I love about hypnosis on stage is that I get to show [how the mind works] in a very fun and interesting way, it makes people a lot more interested in listening to the information,” said Mina. “I love entertaining and I love inspiring people and seeing that their minds are more powerful than they realize.”
Oct 27, 2017 | News |
By Leah Boucher – Staff Reporter
Nancy Prentiss, UMF Lecturer in Biology, has announced that the Tropical Island Ecology Course for May of 2018 will no longer take place, due to the devastation from Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
Prentiss was in the middle of planning the 13th annual trip to the island of St. John when the hurricanes hit. She knew that the trip was not possible after hearing that there had been total destruction of roads and homes throughout the Virgin Islands, but especially on St. John, where structures that had been around for hundreds of years were in complete ruins. The two hurricanes that swept through St. John left the entire island without electricity, which will likely not be restored for several months.
VIERS, although not completely destroyed, sustained damage from Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
(Photo courtesy of The Virgin Islands Environmental Research Station Facebook Page)
The Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS), where past UMF students have stayed for the entire 10 days on the trip, was affected by the hurricanes but still left standing.
“At VIERS, the roofs are still on the buildings, but all of the buildings got knocked off their posts,” said Prentiss. “It is likely that a high wall of water actually pushed the cabins off their posts.”
Michaela Wright, a sophomore Elementary Education major who took this course in May of 2017, distinctly remembered what initially drew her on this trip.
“When I first saw pictures of the island on a slideshow Nancy showed to students who were interested in the trip, I fell in love with the landscape and the beautiful coral reefs,” said Wright. “It’s difficult to think that the places I once visited around St. John are extremely damaged or completely destroyed.”
Ron Butler, UMF Professor of Biology and the other professor who teaches this ecology course, is hoping that despite all this damage in the Virgin Islands, VIERS will be back up and running by 2019 for another trip to take place.
“For me, St. John has a unique magic,” said Butler. “It’s hard for me to imagine finding an alternative site that would offer all of the learning opportunities for UMF students that are available in the Virgin Islands National Park, where VIERS is located.”
Although the general infrastructure of the island has been destroyed, nature on St. John has been resilient. “After the two hurricanes went through, the island was completely brown and dead looking,” said Prentiss. “Every leaf was gone, but now leaves are already coming back, and the two days of heavy rain from Hurricane Maria provided water for parched, dry land, slowly making the island look green again.”
Butler is aware that time is needed to help the island recover. He knows that more attention needs to be given to the St. John natives whose lives have been intensely altered from the two natural disasters.
“The island’s ecology will recover, but there are people who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and in some cases – their lives.” said Butler. “With the devastation in Texas, Puerto Rico, Florida, and California, coupled with the tragedy in Las Vegas, the plight of people in the US Virgin Islands has essentially disappeared off the nation’s radar–we tend to forget that those people are American citizens, too.”
One major way people can help with recovery efforts is by directly donating money; St. John Rescue is one reputable organization on the island, where 100% of the funds go directly to helping the locals begin to recover. Prentiss believes that sending money is better than trying to go down and help right now.
“If you go down to the Virgin Islands, you become another person who needs food and water and a place to stay,” she said. “Local people may not have a place to go home to, but they are beginning to get their basic needs met.”
To donate to St. John Rescue, visit their website at www.stjohnrescue.com/donate
Oct 27, 2017 | Feature |
By Cheyenne Judkins – Contributing Writer
As tattoos are on the rise on the UMF campus, many students are getting them for very special reasons. These art pieces come in many shapes and sizes, but they’re all significant, some even have a story. Some people get tattoos for family members, lost loved ones, or more personal reasons, but each one is unique. Here are some around UMF…
Rachael Chavarie, junior Elementary Education Major.
(Photo courtesy of Rachael Chavarie)
Rachael Chavarie, a junior and Elementary Education major at UMF has a faith over fear tattoo that is near and dear to her heart. “I got this tattoo based off my favorite bible verse, ‘When times I am afraid, I will trust in thee’ Psalms 56:3” Chavarie said. She described herself as someone who often worries and overthinks things she has no control over, but her faith has always been there for her to lean on. “Throughout my life I’ve also come to realize that God has never let me down once and that he always has my best interest at heart,” Chavarie said, “I decided to get this tattoo as a permanent reminder to always keep my faith above any fear I have no matter how little it may be.”
Mikayla Wyman’s symbol of her grandparent’s love story.
(Photo courtesy of Makayla Wyman)
Mikayla Wyman, a junior Early Childhood Education major has a dove tattoo with French words on the back of her neck to represent her grandparents love story, “Je t’aime means ‘I love you’ in French, and it’s written in my grandmother’s handwriting” Wyman said. This tiny token is a constant reminder for her of how her grandparents fell in love.
Amanda Swart’s tribute to her grandfather.
(Photo Courtesy of Amanda Swart)
Amanda Swart, a junior Outdoor Recreation, and Business Administration major also has a tattoo for one of her grandparents. “I got this tattoo in memory of my grandpa,” Swart said, “the rose stands for ‘Rosie’ which he always used to call me, and the writing is his own from postcards he’d send me once a month for my entire childhood,” Swart says he was the greatest man in her life, and she continues to fall more in love with her tattoo every day.
Areyanna Yslava’s matching Mario tattoo with her fiance.
(Photo courtesy of Areyanna Yslava)
Areyanna Yslava is a junior Elementary Education major, she decided to get a mushroom tattoo from the game Marion with her fiance, “Most people look at my tattoo and see something from a video game,” Yslava said, “but to me its not just a silly cartoon, the mushroom is an extra life, a second chance at being happy and having a fulfilling life, which is what he [her fiance] gave me.”
Christina Taylor’s compilation of all her artistic interests.
(Photo courtesy of Christina Taylor)
Christina Taylor, a junior Business Psychology major designed her own custom tattoo with her artist, “It encompasses all of my artistic interests,” Taylor said, “costuming, sewing, theater, and music are all incorporated.” She shared the treble clef is backwards so she can see it clearly in a mirror, and she chose the color pink because it’s her favorite color.
Tattoos may seem small and meaningless to someone glancing at it from across the room, but they often have an underlying meaning for the person they belong to. The ink under these peoples skin are not just drawings or art pieces, they’re stories.
Oct 27, 2017 | Feature |
By Leah Boucher -Staff Reporter
The sun shone on a Friday morning through the basement windows of Dakin into the dance studio, where red and dark blue costumes reflected their sparkles onto the walls. Three mirrors placed together on the front wall captured a choreographer in leggings and a comfy green sweatshirt mouthing the count of the music while the floor vibrated with the bass of hip-hop music.
Kayla Tremblay, the dancer in front of these mirrors, can be found here for at least a half an hour each Sunday through Friday dancing in eight different routines for Bust-A-Move Beavers (BAM), the dance club on campus she has been a member of since the first semester of her freshman year.
Kayla Trembley, senior Elementary Education Major at UMF
(Photo courtesy of Kayla Trembley)
Tremblay, a senior Elementary Education major, smiled and leaned back on the wall filled with old dance showcase posters from the 90’s as she thought back to her previous years of dance. “This will be my 19th year of dance, and I started dancing at Steppin’ Out Dance Centre in Saco, Maine, at the age of three,” said Tremblay. “It has always been a way for me to let my stress from work and school out.”
Her motivation to continue dance past high school even led her to participate in a clogging competition with Danica Lamontagne, another BAM member, this past spring, where they placed first. “This was the first competition that I signed up to do without being part of a competition team,” said Tremblay, “and being able to make the choice by myself was a big step of independence and confidence for me.”
This stress relief activity is helpful now more than ever, as Tremblay has been a member of BAM, Rotaract, the Rugby Team, French Club and chair of the Spring Fling committee, as well as Alpha Lambda Delta, in which she holds the position of President. She also just finished mailing out cards for “Brocktober” at UMF, where people write and decorate Halloween cards for a terminally ill boy named Brock in Biddeford. Her natural leadership abilities led her to organize this event all on her own while encouraging the clubs she is a part of to contribute, as well.
“When I first heard about Brock, I knew I wanted to get involved,” said Tremblay. “I knew if I reached out to other UMF clubs and organizations, they could help to make this event bigger than just myself writing several cards to him.”
Tremblay wiped off her forehead as if to get rid of the sweat from just thinking about her hectic daily schedule. “I work about 15 hours a week in the Partnership for Civic Advancement office, and with a full load of classes, plus all my clubs, sometimes I am forced to eat dinner on the run or do my homework in 15-minute increments,” said Tremblay.
Reflecting back on her four years in BAM, Tremblay’s face became solemn, but she then quickly switched back to her usual radiant grin. “It’s bittersweet knowing that I’m leaving such a supportive group when I graduate this May,” she said. “Everyone is willing to block out everything else that they may have going on to be an active part of rehearsal, but if someone does need support, there’s 41 other people to listen and help–it’s the perfect family network to be a part of.”
