Everything’s the same. In terms of seasons, there’s only summer and winter and slow recoveries of each. Fall? It’s trees breathing a sigh of relief from all that hot air, shedding a few leaves in the process. We’re winding toward winter, don’t be fooled. There’s nothing to see here.

When thaw sets in after winter’s end, flowers bloom, trees resume their parapets and the beach becomes a popular destination for things other than penguins.

During the winter I find paths blocked off by snow and shortcuts that are inaccessible. I’ve got to walk around and it seems an inconvenience to me. That is, until I realize that inconvenience soon becomes a matter of habit, and it ceases to inconvenience me. When 50 degrees becomes a triumph to reach, some time during what is humorously referred around here as spring break, the snow banks recede, the grass shows up again and suddenly there’s something new to contend with.

Mud. Whenever you moisten the ground you find it. On a scale of one to 10 of things that show up uninvited, it sidles in at No. one, No. two, No. three, No. four, No. five, No. six, No. seven, No. eight, No. nine, and, well, No. 10. It generally takes over. Remember those shortcuts? You can’t cut across the mall without walking through the mud. It’s said around here to be its own season, and since we’ve already established that spring isn’t real, mud shows up to claim its spot.

As if melting snow isn’t enough of an invitation, this time of year also brings forth rain, which is a very sadistic way of making sure that mud sticks around for longer than anyone really wants it to.

Despite my feeble argument to the contrary, however, spring is real. But what kind of name is spring for this season? Do things start to spring out at you after winter? Does it appear out of nowhere, like some kind of maniac at the airport selling locks of Michael Bolton’s hair?

You might note how other parts of this very country don’t even have winter as we know it. Those states are known as “Here We Come” by the majority of college students, since no sane student will go to, say, Alaska to celebrate the end of winter. What do these states do for spring break – come up here? It’s a challenge I will never know since I’ve just seen my last spring break.

I’ve got to wonder, though, why we have our spring break so early, when MTV is only this week holding its annual salute to the tradition by bringing us countless hours of people who will soon be flunking out of college.

We’re in thaw here, mud and thaw. Somewhere, someone is singing “it’s springtime for Saddam and his regime,” and not only are they confusing sand for mud, they are also copping a tune from Mel Brooks. Anyway, I guess spring really is here.

Anthony Laplume is a senior English major.

I’ll admit that I was a bit nervous since this was my first time buying alcohol. I am also one of the three or four out-of-state students here at UMaine, making my license a bit odder than Maine’s archaic, laminated index card.

I forked over my Massachusetts temporary license and it hit the fan. The front-end manager was called in and soon my flimsy piece of paper was whisked away to the customer service desk for “official” verification. Long story short, they refused to sell me beer.

I have since received my permanent license but the fun hasn’t stopped. Since I renewed my license three days before I actually turned 21, I have an “Under 21″ license. In Massachusetts., this means that your license is vertical. I won’t try to dance around the facts – the vertical license looks really messed up. But, simply because the license looks different doesn’t mean it should be nullified by places of business.

I can list several places that require out-of-staters to present two forms of photo identification with the birth date present on both cards. Just this past weekend, I was not able to purchase beer at Thriftway for this exact reason. The person I was with instead took the duty of purchasing the alcohol. It was with malicious pleasure that I handed over my license to the cashier when she asked “to see mine also.” Assuming that she thought I was under 21, I dance a fit of furious joy when she resigned to the fact that I had an out-of-state license but was somehow still getting beer. Gasp.

Orono’s Citgo, Big Apple and even Thriftway are being ridiculous. While some of these establishments require two forms of proper identification, others will not even accept out-of-state licenses.

I’ve seen all the tricks. They whip out their handy, dandy little “2003 Licensing Identification Manual” and peruse through the pages attempting to make me sweat. I am not a criminal. I don’t beat small children for the fun of it. Hell, I don’t even pee with the toilet seat down. For those reasons and many more, I should not be treated as though I were an illegal alien from some far off country when I’m trying to get-my-drink-on before the weekend begins.

Just to let everyone in this state know, I do not plan on ever breaking down and spending my hard earned money on something as stupid as a state-identification card just so I can buy beer without hassle.

It’s odd how a government document from a different state would be good enough for a Maine state trooper to issue me a speeding ticket, yet it’s not good enough for some po-dunk package store to sell my a six-pack of beer.

Marshall Dury is a junior journalism major.

I look forward each week to picking up a copy of The Maine Campus and browsing through the articles keeping in touch with campus activity. However, when reading an article titled “Learning about Yourself” by Tracy Collins, I was shocked about just how ignorant some writers can be.

Throughout her article, Collins demeans Greeks and downplays their role in the community. She also doubts philanthropic motives, labeling them as “one more flashy item on a Greek’s resume.”

Collins also makes the assumption that all members of a Greek organization are alike. This could not be farther from the truth. Throughout my experience as a brother of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, I have learned more from my fellow brothers than I could ever hope to learn while sitting at a bar with a stranger.

Collins continues to say that all members of the group have the same beliefs and entering such a group would limit the well-rounded nature of one’s education. Now this is a broad assumption, which has limited her own opinion. Socializing with people who share similar goals, hobbies and ideals is the nature of friendship. I am not saying that those who are outside of Greek organizations lack true friendship because I do not paint pictures with the type of broad brush with which Collins enjoys labeling others.

Finally, I point out that Collins again judges Greeks by saying that they know no self worth and depend on the group for that. Do I even need to mention that this is again another one of her many unfounded and ignorant assumptions? I only wish that Collins would take the time to investigate her opinions like any responsible journalist instead of sitting at the bar with a beer.

Michael D. Morrison

Sophomore mass communication major

Protest music has had a long history. Its origins can be traced back to slavery and freedom songs, such as “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Folk music would adopt the protest tradition in the early 20th century with the “Little Red Songbooks” put out to “Fan the flames of discontent.”

Civil rights were an important part of protest music in the ’50s and ’60s from Pete Seger and Woody Guthrie to Billie Holiday and James Brown.

But few songs have made more powerful statements than those dealing with the ideologies of war and peace. The Vietnam War was one of the first examples of widespread vocal protest and dissent. The country was torn apart over war and the feelings of anguish, anger, and confusion found their way into popular song. Whether eloquently, as with Dylan or crudely, as with Country Joe & The Fish, artists put their thoughts and feelings on the issue at the forefront of their music.

Time has allowed us to label many of the brilliant artists of the ’60s and ’70s as classic. Protest music today is as wide-ranging as ever, focusing on issues like disease, diversity and poverty. And, despite lack of press, many musicians have already made their opinions on Iraq and the “war on terror” known.

“I fear that our true motivation is about oil and our own flailing economy; about the failure to destroy al-Qaeda and about revenge,” singer Dave Matthews said on his band’s Web site. “It is criminal to put our servicemen and women in harm’s way and to put the lives of so many civilians on the line for the misguided frustrations of the Bush administration. Bottom line: this war is wrong and this war is un-American.”

Salon.com recently featured an “Anti-War Sampler.” It features music from artists such as Ani DiFranco, the Beastie Boys, Billy Bragg and John Mellencamp speaking out against the war in Iraq. It represents a growing range of musicians who have made protest songs available for free in MP3 format on the Internet. The Clash frontman Mick Jones and former Rage Against The Machine singer Zach de la Rocha have also followed suit on their Web sites.

Rocker Lenny Kravitz recently recorded “We Want Peace” with Iraqi pop star Kadim Al Sahir, as well as Lebanese percussionist Jamey Hadded and Palestinian strings musician Simon Shaheen.

“This song for me is about more than Iraq. It is about our role as people in the world and that we all should cherish freedom and peace,” Kravitz told Rock the Vote.

R.E.M. has also been performing a new anti-war song, “The Final Straw.” System of a Down’s “Boom!,” which was written to protest the first Gulf War, has found renewed interest.

Reactions have been mixed. “We’ve played [the Beastie Boys' "In a World Gone Mad"] a few times and gotten some mixed reactions,” said Kevin Weatherly, program director at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, on the station’s Web site. “We found a lot of people interested in it and agree with where the song is coming from, and there’s some that were pissed off and didn’t think the message was necessarily one they agreed with.”

There has also been some response from musicians with a pro-war stance. Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)” was written in favor of a military response after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He performed with fellow country musician Darryl Worley at a military base in Tampa Bay, Fla. and cited war protestors as “anti-American.”

Whatever their sentiment or stance, musicians continue to make their voices heard, and continue to prove music as an important element of society. Protest music continues to be an important part of American freedom of speech and opinion, and an example of a peaceful and intelligent means of dissent.

You can’t support the troops and not the war, Whelan said.

“Do you want us to lose?” he said. He agrees with high-ranking military officials like Gen. Wesley Clark, who didn’t consider the war a smart choice.

“How much is the civilian leadership listening to its generals?” he asked.

Now that U.S forces are in Iraq, however, he sees no other option than to support the effort because he doesn’t want the country to be humiliated.

“I just hope the military leaders know what we’re doing,” he said.

Whelan went to Vietnam with Special Forces for his first tour in January of 1965, returning to Fort Jackson to “train kids to go.” The next time he went to Vietnam as a district senior advisor, giving advice to the regional chief, for whom he had great respect. It was during this tour that Whelan “realized the war was un-winable, particularly in the way we were fighting it.”

There have been many comparisons between Vietnam and the war against Iraq, but to Whelan, they don’t add up.

They are very different situations with “different terrain, dynamics and culture,” he said.

One of the strengths of the Viet Cong was that they were organized all the way down to the hamlet level, Whelan said. “I would guess that 80 percent of people wanted us out.”

The Vietnamese also have a strong history of repelling invaders. Whelan doesn’t know how the average Iraqi feels about the United States or how well the opposition is organized, but he worries that the U.S. government doesn’t understand the culture and history of the Iraqi people and has made the risky assumption that the United States will be greeted with open arms.

“You can go into a fantasy world if you’re not very careful,” Whelan said.

The U.S. military is much different than it was during the Vietnam War, and even during the Persian Gulf War, according to Whelan. Now the military is comprised as a volunteer army, modeled after the British. That may mean that it is more professionalized, with better discipline.

“American discipline went to hell,” Whelan said of Vietnam. He didn’t notice a difference between the volunteers and the draftees in Vietnam.

The size of the Army has also changed drastically.

“Our army is half the size it was during the first Gulf War,” Whelan said.

Comparing the number of troops, the U.S. doesn’t have a distinct advantage over Iraq. The U.S. military does have air and technological superiority and is possibly better trained, Whelan said. But the U.S. supply lines are very long, which makes them vulnerable, especially if the Iraqis decide to use guerrilla warfare. Whelan said the possibility exists that the United States did not calculate for the worst-case scenario.

“Do we have anyone advising us about ‘the enemy’?” he said.

Even so, Whelan doesn’t anticipate U.S. military defeat.

“We probably will prevail, but what will that mean?” Whelan said. “The problem will be when we try to ‘nation-build.’”

Whelan worries that adequate resources may be lacking in Iraq.

“The government pooh-poohed the projections of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki. He told the U.S. government leaders how many troops and resources will be needed [to create a new government in Iraq.]” Whelan said he hopes post-war resistance has been taken into account.

“Know your enemy,” he said. “Don’t ever underestimate them.”

Part of Whelan is overseas, “thinking about those poor guys and gals and what they have to sacrifice.”

Whelan offers advice to them as a veteran.

“Try not to fall into the trap of dehumanization, both of yourself and the enemy you’re fighting,” he said. “Don’t paint everybody with the same brush.”

When the resolution for a war against Iraq was first introduced in October of last year Maine’s senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins supported the idea. Both Snowe and Collins, issued statements expressing their support for the resolution and the potential for war.

“I have come to the conclusion, based on the facts, that Saddam Hussein’s continued, aggressive production of weapons of mass destruction present a real and immediate global menace,” Snowe said.

“The risks are simply too catastrophic for the world to allow Iraq to continue on its present course,” Collins said. “Given Saddam’s insatiable desire to possess chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, this danger will not disappear on its own.”

Now that the war is underway, both senators continue to support it.

In a statement issued March 19, the evening of the commencement of military action in Iraq, Snowe said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the courageous men and women in uniform who are carrying out this vital mission on our behalf.”

Other Maine representatives are not as supportive of the war. On March 20, Congressman Michael Michaud issued a statement saying, “The failure of diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful resolution to the threat posed by Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction leaves me deeply troubled.” He went on to express support for the troops and his desire for the nation to unite “regardless of our perspective on the use of military force in Iraq.”

At the Feb. 10 meeting of the Orono Town Council, the council voted 5-0 to oppose a war with Iraq. Statements were made on both sides and, in the end, five of the seven members voted for the resolution.

Opinions of the war have been greatly affected by how close to home some of the early casualties were. Following the deaths of Maj. Jay Aubin and Cpl. Brian Kennedy, both with relatives and ties in Maine, several officials issued statements relating their sympathies. On March 26, Gov. John Baldacci ordered the United States and State of Maine flags to be flown at half staff on Saturday, March 29, to show respect for the two men and their families.

“They demonstrated courage and a profound sense of duty,” Baldacci said. “We will not forget their sacrifice.”

Others made similar statements of praise.

“Their brave sacrifice and their courage will not be forgotten,” Collins said. “My heart goes out to these families.”

Despite opposing viewpoints on the war, the one sentiment that seems to be held by all officials is a desire for the nation to unite and for the war to end with as few casualties as possible.

“I know Americans will support our armed forces,” Michaud said. “I add my own prayers for the safe and swift return of our young men and women.”

A man was issued a summons following a fight at Ushuaia on Sunday, March 23 at 1:05 a.m. Officers responded and found a bouncer holding a man, later identified as Sean Cunningham. The bouncer stated that Cunningham had attacked another bouncer. After talking with the bounce who was attacked, it was learned that Cunningham had been involved in a fight and the bouncer had pulled him off another man. Cunningham was held by the bouncer and told to calm down. When the bouncer loosened his grip, Cunningham immediately punched him in the groin. The bouncer stated that he wanted to press charges. Cunningham denied attacking the bouncer. He was issued a summons for assault and was given a criminal trespassing warning and told to leave.

A man was issued a summons following a series of events at the University Motor Inn beginning on the evening of Thursday, March 20. Management at the inn called the police on Friday, March 21, in regards to a theft that had occurred the night before at the Staar Club, located in the basement of the inn. Someone had tried to steal a bag of potato chips, but was stopped. However, the management decided to watch the surveillance video just in case. The video showed two men leaving the bar at roughly 12 a.m., and one of the men left the bar through the door to the kitchen. He was then seen reaching into the beer cooler three times. The bartender identified the man as Jamie Matthews, 26. She was able to identify him because he used a credit card to pay for his drinks. An inventory report showed that there were at least 12 beers missing from the cooler.

The following evening, Saturday, March 22 at 6:30 p.m., the owner of the club called police stating that Matthews was back at the club. Officers arrived and approached the man, asking him to come talk with them in the lobby. Upon arrival in the lobby, Matthews stated, “I did it.” When asked what he did, he explained that he had taken bottles of beer from the cooler. He said he was highly intoxicated and was very sorry for his actions. He claimed to have only taken four beers. As a result of his confession, he was issued a summons for theft and was asked to leave the club.

Scott Reynolds and Ryan Clark were sworn in as ROC president and vice president, respectively.

“I leave ROC in the best hands it’s ever been in,” former ROC president Aaron Sterling said.

Reynolds, a third-year engineering major and former vice president of ROC, ran unopposed for president. Clark, a first-year journalism major, won the election against challenger Benjamin Jewell in the election held Tuesday, March 4.

Clark previously was vice-president of the Hancock Hall governing board.

Reynolds plans to create a Presidents’ Council to help residence halls improve their hall governing boards, and he hopes to create open discussion of how to make students happier with the services of the university.

“We want to ensure that students enjoy their time on campus,” Clark said.

“With [Reynold's] and [Clark's] leadership and vision, we can anticipate great things to come,” Sheri Cousins, a guest speaker at the ceremony, said.

“Water from the ground seeped in through the basement walls. It had melted the snow outside and water started to show up on the lawn,” Dave Ricker, plumbing supervisor, said. “You could tell something was leaking out there.”

UMaine’s grounds and plumbing department was called to figure out the extent of the problem. Once they began digging in front of the residence hall, workers realized the problem was holes in the water pipe from corrosion.

Once workers dug about 40 feet, they still saw holes in the pipe and continued digging until they reached 175 feet, where the holes stopped, according to Ricker.

“Usually it’s just a single break and you can repair that in one spot and that’s it. But once we dug it up, we kept finding more and more holes in the pipe and it was rusting,” Ricker said.

The water pipe was said to be so corroded because where the pipes lay underground in front of Gannett Hall is where a landfill was located. Within this landfill, workers found trash such as cans, bottles and newspapers, surrounded by coal ash.

“They put [the coal ash] right around the pipe, which was the big problem,” Ricker said. “If they’d used good dirt right around the pipe we’d probably have been ok.”

Ricker assumes this is where the ashes from a heating plant were once discarded. To his knowledge, this is the only building on campus that has a landfill and coal ash located on its property near water pipes.

“It was in real bad shape,” Ricker said. “We’d found places where we’d replaced before that had many holes in them again.”

In order to dig all the way around the residence hall as deep as 175 feet, one tree was cut down and another was trimmed.

“We had to cut that down in order to get the excavator there to dig it out, because that’s where the water pipe had so many holes,” Ricker said.

The road in front of the residence hall was also blocked during working hours for several days.

A new ductile iron water pipe replaced the old cast iron pipe. It was put into the ground and surrounded by sand instead of the preexisting coal ash. A new water valve was also replaced, as the old one was leaking, according to Ricker.

“We don’t usually end up replacing that much pipe. That’s not normal. Usually there’s a hole in one small part, and you repair that,” Ricker said. “It’s kind of unusual. We didn’t plan on digging up 175 feet from the start.”

Holes in water pipes are common, especially after long, cold winters, according to Ricker.

Gannett’s water was turned off for a few hours Tuesday, but was soon hooked up to the fire hydrant in front of the building by using 400 feet of fire hose from the Orono Fire Department.

Residents could then use toilets, sinks and showers. Since the nights were warmer, the water was left on.

“It’s worked out pretty good. At least it kept them in water, which is the big thing for a dorm,” Ricker said.

As of Friday afternoon, Gannett’s water was still supplied through the fire hydrant. Ricker said he is waiting for someone to test the hall’s water from the new water pipe to make sure it is safe to drink.

A specialist will test the water this morning and the water should be switched from the fire hydrant back to the new water pipe some time Tuesday, according to Ricker.

Though the problem was located and fixed, it was not without some inconvenience to several Gannett residents.

“I know a lot of people agree with me that this has definitely been a nuisance. I think getting woken up every morning is starting to get old,” Michelle Gallant, a Gannett resident, said.

“The workers did a good job of getting that hose hooked up as soon as they did,” Lynn Montgomery, president of Gannett’s hall governing board, said. “The lack of water was definitely an inconvenience, but everyone survived. Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen again anytime soon.”

The Programming Fund helped sponsor events such as Family and Friends Weekend, International Students Oronoka parties, Black Student Union celebrations, the Beautiful Project, Pride Week, Rock Against Rape, guest lectures and comedians.

“We were disappointed that we ran out of money, but [we are] still satisfied because that means people are using the money,” said Andrea Gifford, assistant to the dean of students. “We feel good that we’ve been able to help.”

The money in the Programming Fund comes from the unified fee paid by all students each semester. Students with up to five credit hours pay $50 per semester, students with six to 11 credit hours pay $155 per semester, and those with 12 or more credits pay $420 per semester, according to Dawn Glidden, associate bursar.

The unified fee is a mandatory fee “to cover the fixed cost of providing overall educational services that are not directly associated with tuition charges,” Glidden said.

The Programming Fund receives a total of $59,882 from the money generated by the Unified Fee. The Programming Fund is now base-funded-it will receive the same dollar amount each year unless there is some unforeseen change, Gifford said.

“For now, that’s what we can plan on each year,” Gifford said.

The fund is divided into two components, the Program Fund and the Services Fund. This academic year, the Services Fund started with $20,539 and the Program Fund had $39,343. Student groups may apply for the Services Fund to cover up to 80 percent of services-related expenses, such as Public Safety officers or catering.

“It sounds like a lot, but when you’ve sponsored 35 some-odd events, it’s really not a lot,” Gifford said.

The money is awarded only to organizations recognized by either Student Government or the Association of Graduate Students. The group in need of funding must fill out an application describing the event, how many people are expected to attend and include a detailed budget with specific expenses.

Events are not funded 100 percent by the Programming Fund, and the committee encourages organizations to seek other sources of additional fundraising.

The committee considers the number of people expected to attend and the overall cost of the event. Additionally, the event must be open to the entire UMaine community and must take place on campus, unless a specific reason otherwise is approved, Gifford said.

The group then must present its case to the Programming Fund committee, which meets twice monthly. The committee consists of seven members, including a graduate student, four undergraduate students, Associate Dean of Students Calli Sanders and Gifford. The students on the committee can not be officers of an organization with a budget greater than $5,000. There is a lot of interaction between the committee and the group representatives, Gifford said.