Oct 25, 2018 | News |
By Kaitlyn York Contributing Writer
The Aspiring Educators of Maine club at UMF plans to host Tales From the Classroom once again this November. Tales From the Classroom, a Halloween themed event, has been hosted by the Aspiring Educators since the club began, according to current President and senior, Brian Eldridge.
Students are encouraged to ask questions about being a teacher during the Q&A section (Photo Courtesy of Kaitlyn York)
“[It is an event that] that invites different educators from around the community, locally and nonlocally, to come and talk about their experiences in the classroom,” said Eldridge. “We have a range of grade levels and experience levels all the way from first year teachers to veteran teachers.”
The event includes a potluck to kick off the evening, which is then followed by a panel-style question and answer session. Vice president and junior Carson Hope said the club creates questions for the panel, asking about their stories from the classroom and advice on things club members are concerned about or would like to know more about from teachers.
The event then opens up and gives an opportunity for audience members to ask their questions. The stories are packed with “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” according to the club’s Facebook page.
“We invited all teachers who haven’t done it before so that we can hear new perspectives,” said Hope. “We also wanted to make a more diverse panel this year. In the past it has been a lot of secondary ed teachers, but we have a Secondary Ed teacher, a Special Ed teacher, and an Elementary Ed teacher this year.” Hope believes this is the first time there has been a special education teacher on the panel.
The club has made changes to the event over the years. The event used to be known as “Scarefest” and has since been changed to make it less intimidating, according to Hope. Aspiring Educators continue to host this event as they feel it is beneficial to prospective teachers.
“It gives some really valuable lessons and ideas for incoming teachers to understand kind of what they may or may not be able to expect, as well as, some of the everyday things that definitely happens that you can prepare for when you’re in the classroom,” said Eldridge.
People who have attended this event in the past seem to have enjoyed and valued the experience. Hope said people learn a lot from various experiences the teachers have had, including answers to questions that students may not learn about in their classes at UMF. Junior and Elementary Education major, Brooke Michonski, said she overall enjoyed and benefited from the event.
“I would attend again in the future because I think it is a very open place to be able to go and ask any questions that I have freely without fear of being judged and knowing that I’m going to get a direct answer,” said Michonski. “You can learn a lot from it, as an upcoming teacher I could always use advice from older teachers.”
This year’s Tales From the Classroom event will take place on November 1st in The Landing. The potluck will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the tales will begin at 6 p.m. It is a free event. For more information, go to the club’s Facebook page, UMF Aspiring Educators of Maine.
Oct 11, 2018 | Sports |
Emily Corbett dribbles the ball up field. (Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn York)
By Kaitlyn York Contributing Writer
The UMF Field Hockey team recently battled the Thomas Terriers in a regular season game that resulted in a 3-0 loss.
It was a brisk and windy morning, though that didn’t slow down the Beavers as they warmed up for the game. The team had practiced especially hard in preparation for facing the Terriers, knowing they needed the win to help to their record.
“We played a very good first half Saturday but unfortunately fell behind 1-0 by giving up a goal late in the half. In the second half we pressed a little too hard and the game got away from us,” said head coach, Cyndi Pratt, in an email interview. “It was a case of wanting something so bad and trying so hard that we played a little to tense and uptight.”
The Beavers work
UMF’s field hockey team stands at the begining of the game.(Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn York)
ed hard both offensively and defensively to hold off the Terriers for the first 22 minutes of the game.
Senior team captain, Torrie Nightingale, lead the team down the field numerous times in the first half and was just short of scoring a goal. “We were close during the first half and we were down there the whole time, in position,” said Nightingale.
Both teams came back with a bang at the beginning of the second half, each pushing harder than before on an offensive push. The Terriers scored another goal just three minutes into the second half putting them ahead 2-0. In an effort to get the game back, the Beavers pushed extremely hard to keep the ball on their offensive side of the field.
“We really connected on our passes and we worked well down the middle of the field and on the outside, so we just need to be able to finish” said senior, Gabriella Winslow. “We definitely need to be able to score some goals and out beat the opponent.”
In the last few seconds of the game, the Terriers scored their third and final goal determining the fate of the game.
“I think we played really well as a team, we just didn’t finish what we needed to,” said Nightingale, “we were the better team today, the score board just didn’t reflect that.”
“The Field Hockey program has a long history of success and tradition. Players in our program are hard working and committed to doing their very best each and every day,” Pratt said. “This year’s team is no different, we have a strong group of senior leaders and the underclassman are working hard and improving everyday.”
Pratt stated this years team lacks some playing experience at the collegiate level though she hopes that the regular season games will give them the experience that they need to be able to improve and win before playoffs. The team has seven more games in the regular season before they begin their journey into the playoffs.
“This team has a lot of character and toughness and they will keep working hard and competing to the best of their ability each and every game.” said Pratt.
Oct 11, 2018 | Feature |
By Elina Shapiro Staff Reporter
At his first UMF performance last Wednesday, comedian Jeff Scheen had students laughing within moments as he started describing Maine.
“Are there more bears than people here?” Scheen asked the audience that filled the Landing. “I grew up in the woods. I hate the woods. I came here, and I was like, ‘Oh God, I’m back home again.’” Although Scheen now lives in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up north of Detroit in an area similar to Farmington.
Scheen described his comedy style as different from other comedians. “I just tell personal stories that are often weird, and sometimes a little dark…You don’t have to worry about people stealing your stuff,” said Scheen in a phone interview. “If it’s your story.”
Throughout his performance, Scheen talked about being hit by a car as he ran to catch a bus, accidentally driving to Canada, and what it’s like to live with a big mouth, but a small throat.
Scheen didn’t always talk about his personal life, and his comedy wasn’t always dark. He started with a variety of styles and developed a routine that was right for him. “When I first started, I talked about soup and mundane things, and then I realized I don’t care about soup,” said Scheen over the phone.
Scheen explained that many comedians have been bullied and that comedy can be a coping mechanism. “If something bad happens, I always have the thought, ‘this sucks, but I could turn this bad thing into a bit and turn it into a positive thing.’ It makes it easier,” said Scheen. “Humor comes from self-defense. I’ll go with the funny route ‘cause I am good at it.”
Scheen said that he did terribly during his first open mic night ten years ago, but he enjoyed doing comedy so he has been performing ever since that night. He described how every mistake is a learning experience. “You bomb, you do really good, and then you bomb again,” Scheen said. “You have to grow as a person and gain confidence to be relaxed and comfortable on stage.”
Association for Campus Entertainment (ACE) is the UMF all inclusive club that asked Scheen to come to campus. Each year, members of the club attend NACA, the National Association for Campus Activities.
“It’s basically a giant event where you go and see people perform,” said Paige Hemond, a sophomore and a member of ACE. “Whether it’s a magic show, whether it’s comedians, whether it’s magicians, and if they’re available, you can book them.” Scheen was booked at last year’s NACA event.
Hemond said that it takes a lot of work to host a performer, even beyond figuring out who to book. “We need to have the equipment and everything. We have to make sure we have the microphone, and everything that the performer needs in order to perform,” Hemond said.
Hemond said that everyone is welcome to all events that ACE puts on. “Events are available; anyone can go to them; they’re free; you don’t have to pay anything; we take care of all that,” said Hemond. “We want everyone to be able to have opportunities to see what they want to see, so just communicating with us and telling us what they want to see.”
ACE puts up posters about upcoming events in the Olsen Student Center hallway, as well as signs on their door in the Student Center. Students can also find out about future events on their Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/ace.umf/.
Oct 11, 2018 | News |
By Brianna Robbins Contributing Writer
Humans vs. Zombies is about to rock the UMF campus once again, and just in time for Halloween. “Humans vs. Zombies is, at its core, a giant game of tag,” Cheyenne Candow, a participator for nine semesters, explained.
The game entails, as the title suggests, a hoard of people acting as “zombies” versus a group of humans. The goal on the zombie side is to tag all of the humans, converting them into a new, brain-loving zombie form. The goal of the remaining humans is to survive.
Humans are equipped at first with melee weapons made of socks, and gradually get to upgrade their weapons to include nerf guns. These upgrades can be obtained after nightly missions, which land this year on Sunday, October 21, 2018 through Thursday, October 25, 2018.
These missions are required gameplay to get participants active in the plot of the game. Candow went on to explain past missions: “Each semester, we pick a plot that will influence what kind of missions we have and how they’re explained. Some of my favorite plots have been: warring frats, forced cybernetic enhancements, and one where an ancient curse had been released.”
The person in charge of this semester’s campaign is Raven Walczak, who wrote the plot for the upcoming game. The central story involves a group of humans trying to stop a demon from opening the gates of Hell before the full moon.
When asked the challenges of heading the game, Walczak commented, “A lot of planning actually goes into Humans vs. Zombies. The plot writer is responsible for writing five missions that will happen each night from Sunday to Thursday during Humans vs. Zombies. Aside from the plot writer’s responsibilities, there is a moderating body that is constantly refereeing the game and making sure everything is safe, fair, and fun. Before I became a moderator I honestly didn’t realize how much [work] went into it.”
Walczak went on to explain their favorite part of the game: “Each semester has different missions, but there are trope missions that also happen each semester, like the discovery mission, holding location mission, and escort mission. My favorite would have to be the escort missions because we allow our escorts to do whatever they please when being escorted.”
When asked what her favorite part of the Humans vs. Zombies campaign was, Candow said, “My favorite parts are when a ton of people are playing and it’s midweek with sizable forces on both sides, and players are camping out in front of the student center, zombies waiting for openings, humans on guard.”
Candow continued, “There’s this awesome sense of camaraderie, and it’s one of the only times I feel any sort of campus-wide connection, even though it’s only like…ten percent of campus at most.”
If you would like to participate in Humans vs. Zombies this semester, it will be held from October 19, 2018 through October 25, 2018, and signs up will be held during common time.
Oct 11, 2018 | Feature |
By Nathan McIvor Contributing Writer
Purington residents had the option of delicately painting their flower pots or squirting globs of glitter on them at an evening event hosted by CAs in the Purington Hall lounge. Starting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29th, the hands on arts and crafts project was set up by CA Mia Emory, who supervised the event. Students decorated the miniature pots about an inch tall to use as dorm decorations.
Though diminutive, their small size ensures that the pots are easy to store in a dorm, making them a colorful object to place on a window sill or a shelf. Trouble arose during painting; the pots came with labels pasted onto their surface, requiring long fingernails to scrape off.
Those with long fingernails had an advantage with the task. However, a fellow painter said to “just get the label wet first with your brush,” which caused it to melt off like butter.
Residents clustered around two long tables, one for painting, the other for glitter glue, to work on their pot. The two tables were not necessarily exclusive: “Glitter really makes the colors pop,” said one painter, who switched from paint to glitter, hoping the latter would add more flair.
After drying their pot on a paper plate, the would-be artists brought their plants to another table to stuff them with dirt and plant a seed of their choosing.
Some overheard chatter from the seeding table:
“Green beans aren’t flowers, but they’re still cute!”
“Ohh… marigolds.”
“I really don’t care, but growing beans seems to be more practical. I guess I’ve made up my mind then!”
Attendees had their names put in a raffle for prize that while unknown “is very cool” according to the CAs, who spoke in tones suggesting the matter should not be pressed.
Emory was glad the event had a large turnout, as that bodes well for future programs. Though she has not yet decided what those will be, Emory seemed assured due to the success of her first program. The thirty-odd attendees seemed very pleased.
