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Art and activism intersect for Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 10/15/18

Beginning in 1981, October has been recognized as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the University of Maine’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality (WGS) department has been hard at work spreading the word across campus.

The month-long series of events kicked off on Oct. 3 with a March to End Domestic Violence, followed by the installation of New York City-based artist and education activist Traci Malloy’s recent collaboration “Against My Will” on the University Mall.

Molloy was brought to campus through coordination between Director Susan Gardner from the WGS department and Assistant Professor Susan Camp from the art department. Camp and Malloy are co-founders of the Lithops collective, a collaborative group dedicated to social practice, and Camp brought the idea to Gardner this summer.

“We’re interested in getting people thinking about how sexual violence happens all over, and often by people we’re not expecting, whether it’s our spouse or significant other or the person living down the hall from us,” said Gardner.

“Too often we are told that the rapists and abusers are those who lurk in bushes in the dark,” said Gardner, “but partner and peer violence is by far the most prevalent.”

The discussion of domestic violence often goes hand-in-hand with discussions about sexual violence, which is the topic of “Against My Will.” In a July of 2018 statement for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Molloy described “Against My Will” as a “site-specific installation featuring 22 double-sided vinyl light post banners made in partnership with individuals that experienced trauma due to sexual assault.”

Molloy collected stories from 22 women who currently attend or are alumni of Alfred University, Molloy’s alma mater, about their experiences with rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.

“Many of the project’s participants have never shared their assault stories with anyone prior to this collaboration,” Molloy wrote.

Molloy gave a talk on her project on Thursday, Oct. 4 in Minsky Hall. According to Gardner, Molloy is interested in returning to campus in April 2019, where she would do a similar project, this time using students from UMaine. This would align with Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but funding is a key issue.

“Against My Will” will be featured on the Mall until Oct. 25. There are still more Domestic Violence Awareness Month events to come, including Take Back the Night on Oct. 16 in the North Pod, hosted by the Feminist Collective. There will also be a showing and discussion of the “The Voiceless,” a documentary centered round five male survivors of sexual violence, on Oct. 24 in the Donald P. Corbett building, room 100.

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Free speech debate continues with community “lunch and learn” event

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 9/24/18

Students and faculty spilled out of a packed Multicultural Center last Wednesday, where the Office of Multicultural Student Life hosted “Free Speech & Our Campus Community,” the latest installment in its “Lunch & Learn” series. The one-hour event was part lunch — attendees were encouraged to fill their plates with tacos, chips and salsa — part lecture and part group discussion on the topic of free speech on the University of Maine campus.

Director of the Office of Multicultural Student Life Silvestre Guzmán established from the beginning that the event wasn’t supposed to be a debate but rather an opportunity to help educate students on the legality of offensive speech, specifically as it applies to minorities on campus.

The featured speaker was Director of Community Standards David Fiacco, who opened by encouraging everyone to read the Constitution. The issue of free speech versus hate speech is rooted in the First Amendment, which grants freedom of speech but does not specify any further. Fiacco said that universities are supposed to be places where different opinions and ideas are discussed, not quieted. Because UMaine is a public university, people are free to gather, debate or protest on campus.

However, some restrictions apply, such as making loud noise in the middle of the night, disturbing the flow of traffic, or using sound amplification devices such as microphones or megaphones that disrupt classes, all of which could warrant university or police action.

Two members of the Orono Police Department (OPD), Officer Travis Morse and Chief of Police Josh Ewing, attended the event of their own volition in an effort to bridge the divide between police and students, especially students who are members of marginalized communities.

“A lot of people don’t have a great relationship with the police, and we want them to know that they can come to us and get results,” said Chief Ewins. “We want people to see us as a resource.”

UMaine cannot bar someone from speaking on campus based on their political views, and has an obligation to ensure safe events for any guest speaker. Controversial speakers who may spark a strong reaction require extra security, which can cost the university tens of thousands of dollars. The financial burden may prevent UMaine from hosting these speakers, but the school cannot place restrictions based on content.

The pop-up panel organized by the Rising Tide Center and the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies program earlier this month addressed the same issues discussed at this event. At the panel, students and faculty explored the difference between free speech and accepted speech, and whether people should be allowed to use hate speech on campus where paying students can be negatively impacted.

At the “Free Speech & Our Campus Community” event, Fiacco established that speech is no longer protected when it incites violence, which brings up another complex issue: what constitutes violence? Some define it as a physical altercation, while others see it more broadly, including emotional violence. Officially, these issues are handled on a case-by-case basis, because “different words impact different people in individual ways,” according to Fiacco.

These blurry definitions make it difficult for anyone to reach a consensus on what should be protected speech. Because of that lack of clarity, members of the UMaine community will continue having these conversations and working towards solutions.

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As demand rises, local brewing company looks to expand to new building

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 9/17/18

After over a year of work and preparation, Orono Brewing Company will be opening a new location at 61 Margin St. later this fall.

After realizing that the local demand for beer was greater than the previous facility could meet, owners Abe Furth, Mark Horton, Heather Furth and Asa Marsh-Sachs purchased the property in 2017 with the intention of expanding the production capacity of their business.

Formerly a rock-crushing facility, the old building sat empty from 2013 to 2017.

Orono Brewing Company already has locations in Orono and Bangor, but these lack the space and equipment the owners need. A small canning unit means that they can only send out canned beer about once a month, if that. It was becoming difficult to produce enough beer just to sell in-house.

The new Margin Street facility allows the owners to not only expand physically but to increase their production capacity. With their new, nearly fully-automated canning line, they are able to can beer regularly and send out multiple cases a week.

The new space allowed brewmaster Asa Marsh-Sachs to purchase fermentation tanks and brewing equipment—complete with a catwalk that makes ladders unnecessary—from the Maine Beer Company in Freeport, which recently underwent an expansion of its own.

Marsh-Sachs believes in the importance of making connections and building relationships in the brewery community, as well as treating the Orono community well.

“I grew up on a flower farm,” said Marsh-Sachs. “So I’m excited to plant flowers, trees—make it an exciting place for people.”

One of the reasons why the Orono Brewing Company team works so well is that they recognize that each person brings unique strengths to the table. This spirit of collaboration is also a piece of what drives them to expand. Orono is a close community and the owners of this business want to create a new space where people can have drinks, play ping pong and spend time together.

“We have goals both locally and statewide,” said Abe Furth. “Now we’re able to take care of statewide demand, and we’re excited to offer a fun and energizing atmosphere for the town.”

Furth told the Bangor Daily News in May 2017 that they are “dedicated to slow and incremental growth,” building the business slowly in order to maintain quality.

The Margin Street location also has a full-sized kitchen, giving the brewery the chance to develop a food menu similar to that of Woodman’s Bar and Grill, also located in Orono and owned by Horton and the Furths.

While an exact opening date has not been set, the 61 Margin St. location will open in the fall of 2018.

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UMaine disrupts flow of typical school day to welcome accepted students

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 4/16/18

Choosing a college is one of the biggest decisions a teenager has to make during their high school years. For many, an undergraduate career can take place across two or three different universities — a 2015 report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that around 37 percent of students transfer colleges, and of those students, 45 percent transferred multiple times. The first school doesn’t always stick.

Accepted students days have long been used as a way for prospective students to test the waters at their potential future schools. While individual universities have their own versions of what the day looks like, including mock classes, group field trips, a cappella performances and assemblies, the goal remains the same: giving accepted students a glimpse into college life.

However, that picture isn’t always accurate. Accepted students day is a cultivated event, which gives incoming students an overview of many clubs and organizations but doesn’t necessarily reflect the experience of a typical college student. The job of Team Maine volunteers is to draw visiting high schoolers in and make them want to attend, highlighting the most exciting and engaging aspects of campus life.

“[My favorite part is] dancing at the bear head! Even though its early in the morning (8 am), I love jamming to the music n greeting others,” third-year psychology and pre-med student Phoenix Mitchell wrote.

Even with Team Maine’s help, accepted students day isn’t easily accessible for all students. According to the University of Maine website, the school has students from 49 U.S. states and territories, as well as 67 countries, many of whom could not make the journey for their accepted students days. “I didn’t go to my Accepted Students Day,” Matthew James, a third-year anthropology student from Hingham, Massachusetts, said. “It was hard being out of state and coming up at the time.”

While he didn’t have his own accepted students day experience as a high schooler, James has experienced interruptions to his daily routine due to an influx of potential students and their families. “There are definitely disruptions at dining halls and at the Union,” he said. “It’s already hard to find seats, but the increased number of people makes it even harder.”

On accepted students days, current UMaine students receive an email from Parking Services advising commuters to “please consider carpooling, using the bus or walking if possible” due to an increase in visitors. Parking spaces in the Collins Center for the Arts and Belgrade lots are used for accepted students, making it difficult for commuters to park. On one recent occasion, Rebecca Archer, a second-year political science student, parked her car on campus at 7 a.m. to beat the crowds and ensure a close spot, then went home and rode her bike back to school when class began.

Regardless of hurdles, accepted students day will likely remain an integral part of the university. In a recent interview with the Maine Campus, Director of Recruitment for the University of Maine Christopher Richards said that accepted students day is crucial. “Nothing is more powerful as a recruitment tool than for a student considering attending UMaine to hear the true student perspective from a current UMaine Black Bear.”

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New concert date puts Maine Day focus back on volunteerism

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 4/9/18

Since 1935, Maine Day has been a beloved tradition at the University of Maine. At its conception, then-President Arthur Hauck wanted to dedicate a day to volunteerism, cancelling classes to give students this opportunity.

More recently, a key part of Maine Day for many students is the Maine Day concert, held on the last Wednesday of the spring semester. This year, through a collaborative effort from the UMaine administration, Student Government and the town of Orono, the focus of the day will be shifted back to its original intent — volunteering. Rather than holding a concert on the night of Maine Day, Student Entertainment is hosting a new concert, titled the Maine Event, on Saturday, April 14.

April 14 was one of two potential date options, but the other potential weekend, April 28, was too close to Maine Day and would make the events appear linked. According to Vice President of Student Entertainment Jared Dumas, some members of the Orono community wanted Maine Day stopped completely, and the separation of the two events is intended to quell people’s concerns.

“Massive parties aren’t good for the community,” Dumas said.

The new date isn’t the only change the concert is undergoing — the Maine Event will be held indoors at the Alfond Arena, rather than outdoors as past Maine Day concerts have been. The town of Orono, like many other towns, has an ordinance that qualifies excessive noise after 10 p.m. as a civil offense. Holding the concert outdoors meant it had to end at 10 p.m., but an indoor show can run longer, serving a dual purpose — providing a bigger concert for students to enjoy, and keeping students occupied later into the night in order to minimize trouble.

While Maine Day has become almost synonymous with the concert, the events haven’t been linked for long; the first Maine Day concert was held in 2015.

“The reason it seems like such a shock is because the current seniors were freshmen then,” Dumas said. “It’s just what they’re used to.”

Prior to 2015, the concert could have been held in the fall or in the spring, but often was in April.

Student Government has been working closely with the administration as well as the town to keep the concert while also re-focusing the purpose of the actual Maine Day.

“Maine Day is about service and volunteerism,” Vice President of Student Government Logan Aromando said.

Aromando also said that they are working towards getting outdoor concerts back in the future.

The Maine Event features headliner Lupe Fiasco with supporting artists Action Bronson and Felly, and is open to UMaine undergraduate students only. Tickets are free with a Maine Card.

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Maine Senate President speaks in Orono

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 11/6/17

On Thursday, Nov. 2, the University of Maine hosted Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau as the 2017 Distinguished Maine Policy Fellow. The program is sponsored by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, a research and public service center at UMaine.

Distinguished Maine Policy Fellows are, according to the Margaret Chase Smith Center’s website, “individuals with past or current careers as policy makers in Maine — people of distinguished status and extensive experience.” Fellows are brought to campus and spend a day meeting with undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members, giving lectures and discussing research and public policy.

Sen. Thibodeau began his day on campus with President Susan Hunter, who hopes every year that the chosen Distinguished Maine Policy Fellow will leave a positive impact on the school.

“People on campus get a chance to talk about what they do to someone with fresh eyes,” Hunter said.

The aspect of the university that piqued Thibodeau’s interest the most was the engineering department, specifically its recent work on biodegradable cups.

“The University is very proud of its program,” Thibodeau said.

UMaine has plans in the works to expand the engineering department, but funding is partially up in the air. The Senate is currently debating how much state funding the expansion should receive.

At his guest lecture, Thibodeau spoke with political science students about the function of the Maine state government. He served for four years in the Maine House of Representatives, beginning in 2006, and is now nearing eight years in the Senate after being elected President in 2014.

“He’s been a very fair President,” Senator Jim Dill, Old Town, said.

A reception for the day was held in the University Club in Fogler Library Thursday evening, where Thibodeau, Dill, Amy Blackstone from the Sociology department and the Margaret Chase Smith Center and President Hunter attended along with others.

“He’s very willing to talk and listen to both sides.” Dill said.

Thibodeau and Dill discussed the importance of working across the aisle, as Thibodeau is a Republican and Dill is a Democrat.

“It isn’t about whether or not we agree on the issue. Folks have strong opinions but you have to try to understand,” Dill said.

“Each and every member of the Senate loves our state,” Thibodeau said. “And sometimes it’s the debate that brings out the best in us.”

Also present at the reception was Mary Cathcart, who has been with the Margaret Chase Smith Center since 2004 and started the Distinguished Maine Policy Fellows program in 2006.

“Every time we have visitors to campus, I learn something new about what students are doing on campus, and what they’re doing benefits us and benefits Maine,” Cathcart said, before presenting Thibodeau with a plaque and a Margaret Chase Smith bobblehead.

“I am honored and privileged to see all the hard work that’s going on at Maine’s premiere University,” Thibodeau concluded, commending UMaine for its dedication to the next generation of Mainers and commitment to keeping young people in the state. “We need people to stay here and be Mainers for the rest of their lives.”

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UMS Chancellor James Page visits UMaine

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 10/30/17

The University of Maine system’s Chancellor James H. Page held an open forum on Thursday, Oct. 26 at the Wells Conference Center. Around 75 members of the University community were provided updates on the system’s legislative agenda, budget, strategic resource allocation and academic transformation.

Page congratulated UMaine Orono on leading enrollment within the system, emphasizing a need to educate Maine residents while also drawing new people into the state through the university. He also applauded the successful partnership with the University of Maine at Machias.

Page announced successes within the legislature, such as adding $4.6 million to the base budget. He and his staff have conducted a comprehensive study evaluating the needs of the facilities on campus. They identified a need for $600 million in repairs and updates over 10 years, and broke that amount down into two-year periods. The university was granted $50 million for two years, half of the projected need, to expand the engineering department.

Page closed his portion of the forum with the hope that the remaining $50 million will be granted during the legislature’s January session.

Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration & Treasurer Ryan Low laid out a budget timeline, reporting that the university’s Service budget is currently about $45 million and increases are limited to 0.4 percent.

Low also said that a peer selection survey is available for university community members as part of an effort to choose similar universities to compare with the UMaine system.

Robert Neely, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, focused his presentation on the expectations of modern college graduates. “Our world is changing rapidly,” Neely said, citing challenges universities face in keeping up with technological advancements.

Students today are less traditional than in the past few decades. Rather than being only students, they work at least 20 hours a week, they only attend school part-time or they have spouses and children to support. Neely acknowledged the need for universities to cater to the needs of the modern student.

Neely quoted Phil Gardner, director of the Michigan State University Collegiate Employment Research Institute: “There are really only two choices for graduates who want a lot of employment options — to be a technically-savvy liberal arts graduate or a liberally-educated technical graduate.” Universities are expected to provide students of all majors with the foundational skills required for most job opportunities.

Several ongoing initiatives were introduced, including the Maine Nursing Summit, Early College programs and the UMaine system peer analysis.

The forum concluded with a question and answer session, where Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Emily Haddad thanked the Chancellor and Vice Chancellors for their support of a liberal arts education.

Vice Chancellor Low answered a question from a community member regarding the amount of savings the current budget provides.

“We’re absolutely getting the value of the savings side, but we need to continue working on the service side,” Low said, referring to the continued need for repairs and renovations around campus.

Low also encouraged people to make appointments with him if they had specific budget questions or concerns.

Vice Chancellor Neely explained that not all expectations are system-wide; some are specific to each campus based on differences in mission statements and UMaine Orono has its own challenges.

“We’re going to have to work on making sure our technical folks have the foundational skills they need to be successful,” Neely said.

The forum closed with a question from Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs Robert Dana about issues on the horizon.

“We need to look at how we allocate resources,” Page said. He plans to minimize competition between UMaine campuses and focus instead on bringing students into the system.

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Flag is raised in honor of Coming Out Week

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 10/23/17

This Monday, Oct. 16  marked the start of the University of Maine’s 33rd Coming Out Week, a collaboration between UMaine’s LGBTQ Services, the Rainbow Resource Center and Wilde Stein. Coming Out Week celebrates members of the LGBTQ community on campus as well as their allies.

The week kicked off with the raising of the rainbow flag in front of Fogler Library at noon on Monday. Silvestre Guzman, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Life and the Rainbow Resource Center, was the first to address the nearly 50 students and staff gathered on the mall, thanking everyone for supporting the event. Guzman also announced that the week would culminate in a two-day conference, in collaboration with Equality Maine.

Jennifer Iwerks, the Staff Associate for Diversity and Inclusion spoke on behalf of Wilde Stein, the queer-straight alliance on campus.

“I’m so happy that the people who identify with this flag are here,” Iwerks said.

She also acknowledged the allies present, but emphasized that simply showing up is the beginning of allyship, not the end.

Coming Out Week was created to celebrate UMaine’s diverse student population, as well as honor the strength it takes to come out.

“Coming out can be a difficult time, and we want to offer support,” Mark Dube, the graduate assistant in the Rainbow Resource Center, said. “It takes a lot of courage to admit that you’re different. We publicize so we can bring people together.”

The week also showcases collaboration between groups on campus. Dean of Students Robert Dana thanked the Feminist Collective, known until its recent name change as the Student Women’s Association, for working with Wilde Stein.

“Things have changed here in Maine. It’s a society that celebrates people,” Dana said, noting the university’s long-standing tradition of holding Coming Out Week. “Diversity makes UMaine stronger, and we are so very thankful for every member of this community.”

As the ceremony was winding down, a protest surrounding a religious extremist outside the Memorial Union was beginning. He carried a large sign with slogans including “God is angry with the wicked every day” and “Repent or Perish”, as well as a lengthy list of sins. Students gathered around him armed with glitter, rainbow flags and signs hastily scribbled on notebook paper, chanting “Love Trumps Hate” and “God is gay, so are we.”

The peaceful protest continued for nearly six hours, eventually migrating to surround the rainbow flag, where first-year Sociology major Andrea Michaud led a rally emphasizing pride and love.

“It’s really unproductive to follow hate with hate,” Michaud said, who came out as transgender when she arrived at the university in August. “UMaine is a place where I feel safe. I don’t want other trans people to feel like they can’t be themselves.”

Michaud spent four or five hours protesting and wished others would do the same. “You gotta stay, you gotta fight, you can’t back down.”

The mission behind Coming Out Week is to promote acceptance in the UMaine community, and the ceremony as well as the protest demonstrated the spirit that LGBTQ students and allies hoped the week would have.

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Women in Maine government

Denise Tepler never intended to go into politics.

She is a teacher, a wife, a mother. She holds a master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. She volunteered in her children’s schools and around her community, the small town of Topsham, Maine with a population of about 8,500 people. She is also the District 54 state representative.

Through her volunteer work, as well as her part-time teaching at the University of Southern Maine’s off-campus centers, Tepler explored a passion for service, and eventually was asked to run for school board. “I had some frustrations with the school system and was interested in making change and serving my community, so I agreed,” said Tepler. “I enjoyed feeling that could make positive change for our children and our community but also realized there were some tough choices to make. I learned I had skills as a thoughtful change agent.”

After her experience on the school board, Tepler set her sights on the state legislature in 2008. Before she tackled the campaign process, though, she applied to Emerge Maine, a program that aids women who want to run for office. Tepler credits Emerge as her inspiration. “I came to understand about the lack of women in politics and how important our voice and our style are to governing,” Tepler said.

Emerge’s goal is “to increase the number of Democratic women leaders from diverse back- grounds in public office through recruitment, training, and providing a powerful network”, ac- cording to Executive Director Sarah Skillin Woodard. “The end goal is to have gender parity in Maine and across the country. This includes having parity for women of color whose representation is far lower than women in general.” This is particularly relevant in Maine, which is the whitest state in the country, according to a 2015 census report.

Women make up over half of the United States population, but hold less than one third of elected offices. Despite its status as a world leader, the U.S. ranks 104th globally in number of women serving in national legislature.

In the United States, there have only been 37 female governors, and only 27 states have ever had a female governor, according to statistics gathered by Emerge. Women make up 19.4 percent of the United States Congress, and 24.8 percent of state legislatures. Of cities with a population exceeding 30,000 people, women make up 18.8 percent of mayors.

Maine has had 74 governors and each one has been a man. Only 4 women from Maine have ever been in Congress. The Maine State Legislature is 29.6 percent women. Currently, Maine has one female mayor, Emerge alumna Samantha Paradis of Belfast, a town of fewer than 7,000 people.

Each year, Emerge graduates around 25 women with political aspirations, after a 6-month, 70 hour program. Recently, the program has also trained 25 women to staff political campaigns. In the 2016 elections, Emerge Maine had a 72 percent success rate — every incumbent who graduated from the program held onto her seat, and 12 alumnae won House seats. Additionally, Speak- er of the House Sara Gideon (D-Freeport) and House Majority Leader Erin Herbig (D-Belfast) are Emerge Maine graduates.

“Women in elected office overwhelmingly support and push forward democratic principles like equality and fairness. When women hold public office they are more actively involved in a variety of gender-salient issue areas, including healthcare, the economy, education, and the environment,” said Woodard. “Women legislators are more responsive to constituents, value cooperation over hierarchical power, and find ways to engineer solutions in situations where men have trouble finding common ground. The entire country benefits when we have more women in elected office. Our legislatures work better and our leaders are able to forge important agreements. Everyone wins.”

Recently elected Bangor City Councilor Laura Supica is an Emerge Maine alumna as well, and incumbent Sarah Nichols is an alumna as well as a current board member. City councils function differently than state legislature, in that they are locally focused and much smaller. The Bangor City Council consists of only 9 people, and prior to this year’s election, only one councilor was a woman.

Alongside Supica, Clare Davitt, a reference librarian at the Bangor Public Library, was elected and sworn in last month. “It is obvious to me that as citizens, we deserve to be a part of the process that affects our lives daily,” Davitt said.

So why aren’t there more women in office? In 2012, American University government professor Jennifer Lawless and Loyola Marymount University political science professor Richard Fox determined seven primary barriers to women running for office, including lack of self-confidence, responsibilities in the home, and fear of poor treatment due to the nation’s response to women like Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.

While it’s true that many women have familial responsibilities that a political campaign would disrupt, the skills gained through running a household are actually valuable tools in politics. “Women have always been the kind of people that take care of everything, not just taking care of kids at home,” said Nichols. “Before deciding to run, many women have to figure out how to work it into their lives. When you already think like that, you have an advantage on making policy. You already think about how it will affect other people.”

In Tepler’s case, she had to be convinced to run — both her school board campaign and her legislative campaign were kickstarted by encouragement and invitations from friends already serving. When she ran for school board, her youngest daughter was only 3 years old. “I am the primary home keeper in my family and had been available to do so for many years,” Tepler said. “My husband does not often cook. He does dishes and laundry but is busy during the day. It has taken him some adjustment to deal with a wife who is working a lot and is not always home to cook dinner, but he’s very cooperative and excited about my service.”

Another of Lawless and Fox’s barriers, fear of negative treatment or reception, is not unfounded. Tepler was elected to the House of Representatives in 2014 after then-incumbent Andrew Mason withdrew from the race and Tepler was chosen as the new candidate. “I don’t think we have a great support system for women in government beyond the partisan Emerge network. I have experienced sexist attitudes and have also found that being the only woman in certain rooms leaves me somewhat on the outside and my opinions not taken as seriously,” Tepler said, citing her work on the Tax Committee and the Democratic House Appropriations Caucus. “I have experienced the classic women’s meeting experience of having a man repeat something I said previous- ly and suddenly it’s heard.”

At 61 years old, Tepler says that she does not experience sexual harassment and “come-ons” on the job, but she’s aware of it happening around her. She says that it’s not always men perpetuating sexism within government, but rather women treating each other as competitors rather than colleagues. Men can be sympathetic to the issues women face on the job, but are hesitant to talk about it: “I have had some support about sexism from men, but it tends to be private rather than public. They will come offer support after witnessing a sexist incident, but will not publicly con- front it.”

Female legislators prioritize things differently than their male counterparts, which in turn gives more voice to topics deemed ‘women’s issues’, such as affordable and available daycare and menstrual products. “Issues that are important to women, from reproductive health care to the taxation of tampons and diapers, get more attention and are taken more seriously with women in the room — the more the better”, said Tepler. “There are issues that women are attentive to, such as child care, that I have found men, especially older men, tend to brush under the table. Women tend to be better at working cooperatively in groups, and therefore are more productive in legislative settings.”

Similarly, female legislators who work on policies that help women pave the way for more women in government. “Access to reproductive health care and improved policies regarding paid leave and childcare will make government jobs more accessible to women — they will have more control over their personal lives and the time and ability to serve in office,” said Nichols.

Since women make up more than half of the population, it’s crucial to have a similar percentage in government to ensure equal representation of all people. Women of color, disabled women, immigrant women, and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women are further underrepresented, and many of these women do not have access to the resources they need to run successful campaigns and be elected.

“Women are leaders,” said Davitt. “Women are strong and competent and are more than capable of creating policy and representing our constituents. Girls and young women need to see them- selves reflected in leadership positions to help motivate them and give them a sense that they matter.”

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Farmers’ Market a spot for students to de-stress

Originally published in the Maine Campus, 10/16/17

After a long week of work and school, Saturday mornings are times for rest and recuperation, as well as preparation for the upcoming week. For many residents of the greater Orono area, the Orono Farmers’ Market provides just that.

The market has been a staple of the town’s culture since 1994, when the inaugural market was held in the Steam Plant parking lot with 20 vendors. Two and a half decades later, the tradition continues almost unchanged. Although 33 farms are currently members, students and community members can find around 20 stands set up at the Steam Plant every Saturday morning, where small vegetable and plant farms from all across Maine sell their goods.

This week’s market was moved temporarily to its winter location at the Pine Street parking lot due to Homecoming weekend. After Thanksgiving, the market will move there until commencement in May, when it returns to its summer location at the Steam Plant.

While the lineup has changed over the years, some farms have been participating in the Orono Farmers’ Market for much of its existence. Grassland Organic Farm has been a part of the Orono Farmers’ Market for the last 10 years. For them, the market serves as the business side of their farm, which is primarily a dairy farm and is located an hour away in Skowhegan. The farm itself is for production, and is typically closed to the general public, so the market is their chance to interact with their customers.

Other members are much newer, though; Ironwood Farm in Albion was voted in as a new member just this year.

“We’ve had a lovely experience in Orono,” Nell Finnigan, the farm’s owner, said. She had been selling at farmers’ markets just north of Boston before moving back to Maine and purchasing Ironwood. “It’s a really nice community of people.”

Marr Pond Farm, located in Sangerville, has spent two years at the Orono Farmers’ Market, as well as two years at the Waterville Farmers’ Market.

“It’s a great market,” Courtney Williams said citing the loyal regular customers as a reason for the market’s success. Marr Pond Farm is a Community Supported Agriculture farm, which means customers purchase “shares” and receive a box of products, typically vegetables, each week of the farming season. This helps farmers make more money and gives customers fresh food and increased awareness of how food is grown.

Some farms sell exclusively at markets, but others, like Marr Pond, sell wholesale — they send larger quantities of food to various local stores and make sales through them. Marr Pond’s products can be found at the Natural Living Center in Bangor, Axis Natural Foods in Auburn and food co-ops in Belfast, Blue Hill and Portland.

The Orono Farmers’ Market has drawn members for nearly 25 years, providing a sense of community as well as a more intimate knowledge of where food comes from, and will likely remain an integral part of life in Orono for many years to come.

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English professor placed on leave twice in one year

For the second time this year, University of Maine English professor Tony Brinkley has been placed on paid leave while under university investigation.

Brinkley, who has been teaching at UMaine since 1983 and served as the English Department chair from 1999 to 2004, was originally placed on leave in January for the spring semester after two female graduate students filed complaints against him. The case, brought by Paige Melin, who obtained her master’s degree from UMaine in 2016, was closed on May 3, just before the end of the semester.

Though that investigation, run through UMaine’s Office of Equal Opportunity, ended and Brinkley was allowed access to the campus over the summer, the Bangor Daily News reported on Aug. 30 that Brinkley would be on paid leave again for the fall 2018 semester.

The current investigation is run by UMaine’s human resources department and aims to focus on anything the equal opportunity investigation may have missed. The Bangor Daily News obtained a letter to one of the complainants from Assistant Vice President for Student Life Kenda Scheele, who said that there “may be immediate and longer-term consequences of this fact finding.”

Brinkley isn’t the only professor who has been placed on leave due to sexual misconduct allegations. Theater professor Tom Mikotowicz is also on his second paid leave of the year, again due to continued investigations by human resources.

While investigations are ongoing, UMaine administration is doubling down on promoting the anti-discriminatory values the school advertises.

“Today, like every day, is a perfect time to reflect on and confirm that for UMaine there is no higher value than making our community a kind, caring and compassionate place,” Robert Dana, Vice President for Student Life, said in an email, “We continue to advocate for the values of unity, inclusivity and civility, and these values are unwavering. Our commitment to an environment where all people are dignified, respected and supported is central to what makes this a wonderful place to live and study.”

In her Aug. 24 open letter to the UMaine community, UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy established the type of atmosphere she wants on campus.

“We must never tolerate sexual harassment, misconduct, or discrimination across our campuses —in our field sites, labs and facilities, as well as in our classrooms, residence halls, athletic venues and workspaces,” Ferrini-Mundy wrote. She called for “every member of the university community” to review policies regarding sexual misconduct and the process of reporting an incident.

Kim-Marie M. Jenkins, Interim Chief of Staff for the president, said that the situation is “still ongoing and will not be open for comment or discussion.”

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“We can get there from here”

High school teacher Steve DeAngelis enters the race for governor

It’s not easy for a Clean Elections candidate to win a gubernatorial race. In fact, no Mainer has ever done it. It’s also not easy to get a teaching job with no prior experience, or to lead teams of high school athletes to 30 state championship victories, but Steve DeAngelis is adept at achieving the unlikely — he persists until he’s successful. This attitude has guided him through his career, and he hopes it will guide him through his campaign.

“I’m not becoming a politician,” DeAngelis says. “I’m just running for governor.”

To DeAngelis, community is crucial, and he has always felt confident in his role within his. In Readfield, a small town near Maine’s capital with a population of under 3,000 people, DeAngelis teaches high school science and coaches the ski team at Maranacook High School. He takes his position seriously, focusing his attention on being the best public servant he can. While he sees his newfound political goals as an extension of that desire, he never ran for local office because it just wasn’t where he was meant to be. Two years after getting a civil engineering degree from the University of Maine, DeAngelis felt drawn to teaching, to the delight of his mother and the dismay of his father, and took an open position at Maranacook. 40 years later, he’s ready to take on a new challenge, bringing his hard-learned skills as an educator to the world of politics.

“As a teacher and a coach, I bring together diverse groups for a common goal,” DeAngelis says. “Everybody has a role and a responsibility. I have to make people understand that what they do matters.” A good team centers around teamwork, not winning, a lesson DeAngelis learned in his early days of coaching. When he looked to successful coaches, he noticed the environment they created for their teams, one where “everybody buys in”. This is how he envisions his ideal Maine; a place that welcomes people from across state borders as well as across oceans, a place where diverse ideas are celebrated and young entrepreneurs and visionaries create newer, stronger communities. Maine has a reputation for being the oldest and the whitest state — according to the 2016 census, Maine’s population is 94.8% caucasian. This is a demographic that DeAngelis knows intimately, but he doesn’t think that it has to hinder Maine’s evolution. “We can support the traditional independence of the Maine people, but we have to welcome new people as well.”

DeAngelis has long loved the state of Maine. After moving between military bases in Kentucky and West Virginia as a child, his family settled in central Maine in the 1960s, in the midst of a January blizzard. School was cancelled for five days in a row, a 12-year-old’s dream, and a young Steve fell in love with the state right away, asking his mother why they hadn’t lived here his whole life. After graduating from Brewer High School in 1972, he didn’t have to look far for his ideal college, moving just 10 miles away to attend UMaine. His civil engineering degree granted him job opportunities all over the country, but DeAngelis knew that he was here to stay.

As a teacher and a coach, DeAngelis makes it his mission to examine students’ individual needs, rather than forcing a “one size fits all” approach. As a political candidate, he wants to build his team the way he would for his students. Taking the Clean Elections route, one where his campaign is publicly funded, makes the journey more difficult, but he sees it as the only option. “Run the campaign the way you’re going to govern,” he says. DeAngelis sees the governor’s job as one that exists to serve the public, and believes that his nomination would send a strong message to Augusta that the Maine people are ready for change.

He became a teacher because he wanted to give back to the state that had already given him so much. He’s running for governor for the same reason. “If you’re successful,” DeAngelis says, “it’s only because other people helped you get there.”

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All men are created equal:

A renewal of the century-long battle for an Equal Rights Amendment

“It’s not an ankle replacement, it’s an ankle fusion.”

The metal detector beeped as each woman entered the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building in Bangor. The security guards carefully checked each one, as if these gray-haired women with spiral-bound notebooks were secret assailants. Instead, they were political forces of nature, armed with statistics, personal anecdotes, and enthusiasm for change.

The women on the front lines of Equal Rights Amendment Maine are under no illusions. They know that their policy issue of choice is not at the top of many political priority lists, and that their work will be long and likely arduous. They also know, though, that their cause is important, and are more than willing to put in the time.

ERA Maine was founded last fall, after a colloquy at the Blue Hill Public Library led by Posie Cowan of Brooksville, Maine. Cowan took a special interest in women’s rights activism in 2004, after discovering that her great-grandmother, Sophie Meredith, was an avid suffragist in the late 1800s and early 1900s — Meredith established the Virginia branch of the National Woman’s Party in 1915, and was a leader in the original push for an Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was first proposed by activist Alice Paul after the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920.

The 19th amendment guaranteed the right to vote, but did not lay out any other equal protections for women. The ERA was proposed to end legal distinctions between men and women in legal situations, including property and divorce. The amendment didn’t gain any real traction in the legislature until 1971, on the heels of the politically charged social atmosphere of the 1960s. The amendment gained bipartisan support and was nearing ratification until opposition arose from Phyllis Schlafly and the conservative women’s movement, who argued that the ERA would have unintended, negative consequences for women, disrupting the family.

The ERA needed 38 states — a supermajority — to ratify in order to pass. Throughout the 70s, it received 35. After Schlafly’s movement, 4 states rescinded, and momentum was lost.

However, the amendment still has supporters, and the movement in Maine shows no sign of slowing down. In April, Cowan met with Carol H. Woodcock, State Office Representative to Senator Susan Collins, alongside fellow ERA Maine leaders Linda Nelson, also of Brooksville, and Susan Snider and Robin Lincoln, both of Brooklin.

“We’re not nervous, we’re not nervous, we’re not nervous,” Cowan repeated as a mantra, as the 4 women reviewed their notes and clarified speaking order in the break room of the Federal Building.

It wasn’t all meeting-induced anxiety; there was excitement buzzing in the room, too. “We’re hoping to actually meet the senator someday,” said Linda Nelson, as the group headed up to the second-floor office where the meeting with Woodcock would be held. ERA Maine has attempted to reach out to as many influential politicians and policymakers in the state as possible, with little results; Angus King has been tied up with election details, while Bruce Poliquin has been difficult to track down. While Senator Collins splits her time between Washington D.C. and Maine, her staff in Bangor is more accessible.

In true Maine fashion, the meeting began with questions about Woodcock’s family; what her husband does and when she moved to the area and when her children were born. “Thank you”s and “you’re very welcome”s were exchanged before any information was shared.

Woodcock was living in Washington D.C. in the 1970s, during the original “big push” for the passage of the ERA, but has lost familiarity with the issue, as many have. According to Cowan, around 80 percent of Americans think that the ERA is part of the Constitution.

As they explained in the meeting, ERA Maine holds showings of the documentary Equal Means Equal, with a question-and-answer session following. The film is one of the most effective ways to introduce people to the issue; several members of the organization themselves were unaware of the lack of an ERA until they had seen the documentary, but now they swear by it — when Woodcock said she was unfamiliar with the film, Lincoln immediately pulled a DVD out of her bag and passed it along.

Although Collins is a Republican, the women of ERA Maine don’t see partisan differences as a barrier. “We believe that equal rights for women is not a political issue,” Nelson said.

“Coalition building, securing allies, is really key to the ERA movement,” said Snider. “We’re seeking support from notable individuals. It’s really about strength in numbers.”

According to Nelson, Nevada ratified the ERA in March 2017, re-sparking the issue. Illinois is projected to ratify on May 30, which would bring the count up to 37 states — just one shy of a supermajority.

If so many people believe the amendment is already in place, what’s holding states back from ratification? “The opposition is coming mostly from the Republicans,” said Cowan. “They are saying that the law already protects women equally.” She said that opponents are using “scare tactics” around equality to discredit the movement: if men and women were truly equal under the law, women would have to sign up for the draft, they would lose alimony in divorces, and family structures would be challenged. Opponents also cite the 14th amendment, believing equality has already been reached.

“We know there will be litigation around the expiration date when the 38th state ratifies, and litigation surrounding whether or not it’s legal to rescind,” said Snider. “But just because there’s been litigation doesn’t mean it’s a bad amendment.” Since 1982, there have been questions surrounding whether the amendment has “timed out” — Congress set an expiration date, but it remains unclear whether it was legally binding. The same goes for the states that rescinded in the wake of Schlafly.

The crux of the meeting was that ERA Maine calls upon Senator Collins to voice her support for an Equal Rights Amendment, and to co-sponsor the bill at a federal level.

“We need to find out of she wants to be involved,” said Woodcock. “When she [Collins] gets involved with a new issue, she doesn’t just sit on the sidelines.” According to Woodcock, Collins has been attending up to 4 hearings a day in D.C.; the President’s budget was late, so appropriations committees are scrambling to catch up.

“This is not a Republican issue,” said Woodcock. “Even if you get some Republican co-sponsors, it’s not going to anywhere this year. You’re right to just chip away at it.”

Chipping away is, for now, all that can be done, but that doesn’t mean anyone has given up hope. The recent success of the Me Too and Time’s Up movements have gotten more young people interested in political action, though many of them haven’t yet faced the discrimination that the ERA seeks to eliminate. “It’s this issue that’s underneath everything; it’s not staring everyone in the face,” said Lincoln.

“My granddaughter is 18, and after college, I want her to have a level playing field,” said Snider, evoking a Ruth Bader Ginsburg quote that the organization has on their website: “I think we have achieved [equal rights] through legislation, but legislation can be repealed, it can be altered. So I would like my granddaughters, when they pick up the constitution, to see that notion — that women and men are persons of equal stature — I’d like them to see that is a basic principle of out society.”

Cowan’s daughter is 35, and didn’t experience gender-based discrimination firsthand until applying for medical residencies. Cowan has been fighting this fight for nearly a decade and a half, and she picked up the torch from her great-grandmother. “Today, almost 100 years later, we are still urging Americans to fight hard for an Equal Rights Amendment. If we are successful, we can be a legitimate global leader in equal rights for women,” said Cowan in a 2016 Bangor Daily News editorial. “Following my great-grandmother’s footsteps, I have joined the growing momentum both at the national and state level to get the ERA passed.

I hope my great-granddaughter won’t have to fight this same battle.”