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Forum lacks solution
Ah, the Student Forum on FirstClass – home to the malcontents, the misanthropes, the misguided, the occasionally misogynist, and generally ill-at-ease of UMaine. Could there be a more appropriate pedestal upon which to wax languidly on the injustices that surround us? Is it possible that a better venue for the free exchange of democratic ideals exists? Well, yes actually – it’s called your world, and every moment spent finger on key, locked in the library computer cluster, is one less moment that you, John or Jane UMaine, could be out changing it.
The Maine Campus supports wholeheartedly the concept of an electronic entity, devoted exclusively to open discussion among students; however, the Student Forum, as of late, has denigrated into an insult-laden, solutionless sludge match among no more than 30 individual students. The patrons of the forum should seek to strike out onto the campus green and affect the very change they claim so virulently to admire. The Student Forum belongs to discussion, not denigration.
Creative voices
Kudos to Valerie Doyle and Joshua Harriman for finding a place to say “anything worth saying.” When “Hemlock,” a literary magazine founded by Doyle, and co-run by Harriman, hits the shelves later this month, the UM community will have these two students to thank for a new and independent voice on the Orono campus. With a focus on poetry, fiction, art and opinion, “Hemlock” is a promising forum for liberal arts students, whose work often goes unappreciated. Although literary magazines are perennial occurrences at UM, “Hemlock” is the first such recent publication to enter the fray under only student leadership. This is significant. UMaine is notably lacking in autonomous student publications – The Maine Campus hopes the trend towards establishing a loud community voice continues. Look for the first issue of “Hemlock” on Oct. 20.
