There’s been some complaining from smokers lately about the recent regulations on the habit. If you haven’t heard, there’s a new law in Bangor prohibiting you to smoke in a car when minors are riding along, and Baldacci wants to raise the tax on cigarette to a record-high $3 per pack.

Sounds good to me. Smokers will whine that it’s their choice to smoke and they’re right. For all I care, they can shoot heroin all day so long as it’s going into their own veins. Your rights as a smoker allow you to inhale that stuff into your own lungs.

But the Bangor ordinance? It’s taking away your right to expose children to cigarette smoke. Not exactly deserving of a Constitutional Amendment. You see, just as you have the right to smoke, I have a right not to. By smoking in front of a Dining Commons when I want to leave, you’re robbing me of that choice.

Sure, a little tobacco in my lungs isn’t going to kill me, but that’s not true about everybody. For many with allergic asthma, a whiff of cigarette smoke can close their lungs instantly, cutting off oxygen until they get an inhaler or a similar solution. For others, it’s just a reduction of air causing a period of dizziness. Less dramatic, but still nothing anyone deserves just for exiting a residence hall.

So how does this link to kids? According to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, children exposed to second-hand smoke are likely to have weakened lungs, and the group estimates that 26,000 new cases of asthma per year are caused by environmental tobacco smoke.

In addition, second-hand smoke is “linked to hundreds of thousands of infections of the lower respiratory tract … in infants under 18 months.” What you consider a ‘personal choice’ can severely affect others if not done responsibly.

Speaking of costs, taxpayers pay the medical bills for those who get cancer as a result of smoking and who have Medicare. I’m not suggesting we stop paying for their care; that would be downright cruel.

No, a more humane solution is already on the books: Tax smokers to make up for the cost of their treatment. It’s looking like the $1 increase won’t go through, which is unfortunate.

Plenty of smokers will still be convinced that their private behavior is none of the government’s business, and maybe it shouldn’t be, but smokers have made it a public issue by blowing their smoke all over the place.

We shouldn’t need a law that doesn’t allow people to smoke in a car with children or a rule prohibiting people from smoking near buildings on campus in the first place. With all we know about the effects of smoking these days, they should be nice enough to refrain from it.

Please keep your smoke out of my face, and I’ll keep my sneezes out of yours.

Tony Reaves is a fifth-year journalism and political sciece major.

One year ago, it was inconceivable that global climate change would be a major factor in the United States’ domestic agenda. It was even difficult to imagine this a couple of weeks ago. Yet here we are, and as of Jan. 23, 2007, one of the last doubters has apparently crossed the lines. That’s right, President Shrub acknowledged global climate change as a “serious threat.” I give it a 50-50 shot that this will go down in history as Bush’s Rubicon.

While it seems that our country may be getting on the right track, what is being done closer to home? What is the state of our university? While this task is usually reserved for someone in a much higher pay grade, I would like to take a moment to usurp that power. Within the last year, there have been major advances in UMaine’s efforts at sustainability. The most important may be the formation of the UMaine Sustainability Alliance (UMSA). The UMSA brings together representatives from the administration, Facilities Management, Auxiliary Services, faculty and the student body to initiate changes and make UMaine more environmentally responsible. Anyone interested in participating should send me an e-mail on FirstClass.

A number of steps toward sustainability have been made because of this group. A thorough accounting of UMaine’s energy use and pollution emissions was the initial step in planning the UMSA’s efforts. One major accomplishment is the vehicle idling policy that prohibits university vehicles from idling unnecessarily. This will substantially reduce fuel expenses and pollution. Also in the works are plans to hire an energy manager who will work to maximize energy efficiency, thereby reducing UMaine’s environmental footprint.

Other projects include improvements to the composting program, which has been marked by a strong spirit of cooperation between Property Management, Facilities Management, Dining Services and the Green Campus Initiative. The amount of food waste diverted from the waste stream is on track to more than double its previous totals.

To aid in the financing of future projects like these, the Green Loan Fund has been established. This revolving loan fund will provide money for projects suggested or carried out by students, faculty and staff. Be on the lookout for more on this fund in the future. It is impossible to list all of the current projects here, and we at the UMSA want to leave some surprises anyway.

Despite all of these initiatives, much more can be done, not only by the UMSA, but also by members of the UMaine community not directly involved in the Sustainability Alliance. For instance, simple actions like recycling or – as the Green Tip suggests – riding the bus and carpooling. UMaine’s recycling rate is low, especially in the residence halls. Just take the extra few seconds to separate recyclables and nonrecyclables. If you need further incentive, UMaine is now entered in RecycleMania 2007 – from Jan. 28 to April 7 – a national competition among colleges and universities to find out who recycles the most. For more information and to see how UMaine is faring, check out http://www.recyclemania.org.

The state of the university’s sustainability efforts is profoundly mediocre, an improvement from one year ago. Just as the country has come a long way, UMaine has taken formerly inconceivable leaps forward. But there are many leaps left to take, and everyone can join the leaping.

Josh Parda is the student coordinator for the Green Campus Initiative.

Among the more annoying trends I’ve noticed recently is the willingness of many Americans to advocate widespread conformity. This is exactly the spirit behind Justin Chase’s article, “The modern day name game,” which appeared in Thursday’s Maine Campus. He suggested that parents should refrain from giving their children unique names to prevent them from becoming permanently scarred. That’s just ludicrous. I happen to be one of those poor unfortunate souls whose parents chose an uncommon name, and it definitely wasn’t the most traumatizing thing that ever happened to me. Sure, I had to hear more than my fair share of dirty snowmobile jokes when I moved to Maine my freshman year of high school, but nobody beat me up.

Most of the other scarring experiences people with rare names have to deal with – according to Chase’s little diatribe – are complete nonsense. These names don’t create a “huge hassle” when you go to places that require identification. I’m sure every receptionist who has had to find my name in a database was relieved at not having to scroll through 10,000 Jessica Smiths. When I introduce myself, people don’t forget my name five seconds later. And as I’m sending my resume off to potential employers, I’m glad to have a relatively unheard of first and last name at the top of it because I can make an impression long before the interview. If nothing else, whoever picks it up out of the pile might call me up just because they’ve never met a Polaris Garfield before. As far as I know, I’m the one and only.

Parents should feel free to pick original names for their children because anything we do to maintain some semblance of diversity in our society is beneficial. What a boring place the world would be if we were all Johns or Jennifers. Parents don’t give their kids unique names out of a desire to be cruel or because they want to imitate some “Hollywood fad.” Children are the most special and meaningful parts of most parents’ lives, so why not choose names that are just as exceptional? Individuality only becomes stupidity when people don’t bother to find out where a name really comes from. I’ve been asked many times if I’m named after dumb things like the aforementioned sleds, a submarine or – worst of all – a weapon of mass destruction. However, there are some things I don’t mind sharing my name with. The Canadian music industry gives out a Polaris Prize for best album of the year. I also have a sexy comic book superhero in my corner. All you astronomers out there will know these were actually named for the North Star. I can’t help it if a bunch of companies wanted people to associate their products with an entity that was the guiding light for mankind before the invention of the compass.

To propose that we do away with “weird” names just to save kids from schoolyard ridicule is laughable. We’d end up with a generation of pansies with identity crises. If you can take the taunting in stride and learn to love your name, you’ll be better off for it. The one good point in Chase’s article is that it is nice to have a sense of pride in family history. Many recognize Garfield not as a fat orange feline but as our 20th president, and lately I get more compliments on my first name than wisecracks. Most people have to shell out $80 to share their name with a star; my brother Rigel and I got to for free.

Polaris Garfield’s parents were hippies.

The lectures are free, open to all and will take place at 4 p.m. Thursdays in the Levinson Room of The Maples. Consisting of five afternoons this semester, three lectures will take place in February and the remaining two after spring break on March 29 and April 12.

The series will open this Thursday with a talk from Arnold Berleant on “Aesthetics and Community.” Berleant is a guest professor from Long Island University and is also the editor of the journal “Contemporary Aesthetics.”

Two lectures will focus on the philosophy of peace activist Mahatma Ghandi. The first, “Ghandi’s Philosophical Approach: Violence, Non-violence and Peace Education,” will be led by Professor Allen, taking place on Feb. 8.

On Feb. 22, UMaine assistant professor of philosophy Kirsten Jacobson will present “The Experience of Home and the Space of Citizenship.” Her discussion will specialize on the works of theorists Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari.

Iwao Hirose, a Japanese philosopher and Harvard research fellow, will talk about “Rawl’s Notion of the Separateness of the Person” on March 29. He will also be speaking on “Primary Health Care and the Market Mechanism” at 12:30 p.m. in the Bangor Room, Memorial Union.

April 12 will provide a return to Mahatma Ghandi, with a lecture on “Ghandi’s Legacy: Is Ghandi’s Philosophy Still Relevant?” This will be led by Indian philosopher, political theorist and world-renowned author Bhikhu Parekh. This lecture will take place at 7 p.m. in Room 100 of the Donald P. Corbett Business Building.

The Philosophy Colloquium Series will provide an opportunity for analysis and discussion of a range of topics within the world of contemporary philosophy.

For more information, contact Professor Douglas Allen on FirstClass or call 581-3860.

“The school that we visited in Nicaragua consisted of two cement wall buildings. One building was divided into three or four classrooms and the other building was one open space. The rooms were dark and dirty and filled with students,” recounted Timothy Sylvia, a campus minister at the Wilson Center who helped organize the trip.

Amanda Kimball, a third-year mechanical engineering major, described the predicament of the schools: “The schools we visited were ones the government cut funding for. They were in very poor areas and thus the children could not afford the travel to go to a government school farther away, so individual funding from organizations funds schools in areas where the government shut down a school.”

The delegation had brought school supplies for the students, but upon arrival realized that the schools needed more than just supplies, according to Kimball.

“When we went down, we brought school supplies with us and we noticed they needed new desks and chairs, but we didn’t have the funding at the time, so we have decided to raise the money now.”

Sylvia was given $100 in December and challenged to multiply the money within 90 days “in order to increase God’s love in the world.” Upon sharing this challenge with the Christian Student Association, it was decided that they would work together in order to raise $1000 by Feb. 26, which is enough to buy 100 new desks and chairs for the school in Nicaragua.

For the next few weeks, the Christian Student Association will have a table in Memorial Union from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., where they will accept donations with which to purchase the desks and chairs. Ten dollars is enough to purchase one desk and one chair, but the association stresses that any amount is enouraged, including spare change.

Once they have raised this money, the Christian Student Association plans to send the money to Nicaragua through a Methodist organization that has a partnership there, which will then purchase the desks and chairs and donate them to the school.

The Christian Student Association hopes to visit Nicaragua again in the future, and will soon begin selling raffle tickets for an Old Town Rush Kayak in order to raise money for another trip during the next school year.

Sylvia stressed the need to improve the learning conditions at the school in Nicaragua:

“By providing new desks for the children in Nicaragua, we are able to assist in providing them with a clean, safe place for them to learn and grow.”

Rats on the Rampage at University Store

The rats are again on the rampage at the University store. Every so often they make a raid upon the extensive stock that cannot be carried in tin cans or glass containers, and the most recent attack was on a row of new books that Manager Manwaring had just placed on a shelf high up on the south wall.

The odor of fresh binding glue evidently lured them on and the edges of some fifty or more volumes showed signs of much nibbling to get at the tempting treat. The underground tunnels carrying the steam lines afford easy means of communication between many of the buildings and in spite of constant efforts to exterminate the rodents, their dastardly work cannot be stopped.

The rats are evidently using the pipes leading up from the cellar as their means of gaining admittance into the store, having chewed off the asbestos coverings in many instances. Mr. Manwaring is considering the possibility of cement or some plastic substance to cover the cracks around the mopboards to keep them from gaining an entrance to the main floor of the store.

Trustees Entertained at Lunch

President and Mrs. Boardman entertained the members of the board of trustees and Treasurer Youngs at the president’s house Thursday, Feb. 3 at lunch.

The regular meeting of the board was held in the morning and the members returned to their homes in the late afternoon. Members of the board present were: Hon. Harmon G. Allen, president, Sanford; Thomas E. Houghton, clerk, Fort Fairfield; Hosea B. Buck, Bangor; Edward B. Draper, Bangor; State Supt. Of Schools, A. O. Thomas, Augusta, and W. McCrillis Sawyer, Bangor.

At some of the later meetings, the trustees may arrange to lunch at Balentine and the Commons.

Maine Girls Sigh for Far-Off Hawaii

Popular Seniors Take Exams for Teaching Positions There

With the idea of trying out the salubrious climate of our island territory, Hawaii, two Maine seniors, Miss Anna K. Stinchfield of Orono and Miss Inez E. Stevens of Oakland, took the Civil Service examinations for High School teachers’ positions in Hawaii last Saturday in Bangor. Miss Stinchfield has been majoring in Public Speaking and during her course has taken leading parts in the dramatic affairs produced on the campus and elsewhere. She was also president of the Girls’ Glee Club during its brief but eventful existence. Miss Stevens has majored in Psychology. After attending Colby college she joined ’27 in its sophomore year and has been one of the social leaders of Balentine.

While the results of the examinations may not be known for some weeks yet, nor does it follow that the appointments if made, will be accepted, there is no doubt but what Governor Farrington (Maine, ’91) will extend the official “Aloha” to these charming girls from his home state should they decide to locate in the Paradise of the Pacific.

January 23, 1947

Outside Winter Sunbathing is Assured by Tech Scientist

Developed by Dr. Darrence B. Clennett, author of “Testaments in Outside Orbits,” nationally-known specialist in elliptical energy, Professor of Exlaxial Physics at the University, the geocalorator promises to remove any possibility of wintertime showing up at the University of Maine.

Although this electronic device is now in operation only in the zone near Estabrooke, where unusual amounts of ice establish more than a casual challenge to the Technology students participating in the experiment, it will take only a few more days to perfect plans for University-wide airzone conditioning, according to uninformed sources.

All women are reminded of the University ruling on bathing-suits and sun-shorts.

The Maine Campus strives to produce an accurate newspaper. To report an error, e-mail Matthew Conyers at eic@mainecampus.com

On Jan. 25 at around midnight Orono police responded to a noise complaint in Building 9 of the complex. They arrived and saw Nathan Gilbert, 20, urinating against a wall. When they asked for his name, Gilbert called himself Nathan Philips and lied about his age.

Police charged Gilbert with disorderly conduct, possession of liquor by a minor, and failure to give correct name and date of birth. He was taken to Penobscot County Jail.

Fake ID identified

On Jan. 27 at 10 p.m. a man tried to buy beer at Thriftway. The cashier thought his ID looked fake and checked it. After finding that it was a false ID, the cashier asked if the man had another form of identification. He said he didn’t and the police were called. The man was identified as Logan Rackliff, 19. He was warned that he could be arrested for providing false identification and asked his name. Rackliff then told the officer who he was. He was charged with possession of false identification.

Stakeout pays off

On Jan. 27 at 10:40 p.m. an officer stopped a vehicle on Island Avenue after observing alcohol being put into the vehicle. The officer had been watching The Big Apple and had observed the driver bringing alcohol out to his vehicle car. The driver was identified as Timothy Stormann, 19. Stormann was summonsed for illegal transportation of an intoxicating beverage by a minor.

Arrest warranted

On Jan. 24 at 12:10 a.m. David Sacks, 20, was arrested at Orchard Trails for an outstanding warrant in the Bangor District Court. He was transported to Penobscot County Jail.

No insurance, no problem?

On Jan. 24 at 9 p.m. McKeag Singleton was stopped on Main Street by an officer for an expired registration on his license plate. After investigation, the officer found that the registration had expired in 2006 and had been suspended. Singleton was summonsed for operating with a suspended registration and failure to produce evidence of insurance.

Way past due

On Jan. 24 at 6:40 p.m. on Kelly Road, an officer pulled over a Chevy pickup that displayed an expired registration. The driver was identified as Ryan Collins, 21. When the officer asked about the registration, Collins said it had expired in May 2006. Collins was summonsed for operating an unregistered vehicle for longer than 150 days.

Last Day for Refund

Monday is the last day to drop a course for a full refund.

Chinese New Year

A Chinese New Year celebration will be held at the Hudson Museum, featuring traditional food and art projects. Registration is required for this event; call 581-1901.

Tuesday

Women’s Studies Lunch Series

“The Politics of the ‘Boy Crisis’: A Case Study of the Maine Task Force on Gender Equity in Education” will be presented by Lyn Mikel Brown, professor of education and human development at Colby College, and Mary Madden, UMaine assistant research professor of education and human development, part of the Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program Lunch Series. The talk will take place at 12:15 p.m. in the Bangor Room, Memorial Union.

Chancellor Candidate

The University will sponsor an open Session with Chancellor Candidate Richard Pattenaude at 2:30 p.m. in the McIntire Room of the Buchanan Alumni House.

Wednesday

Career Fair

An opportunity for students to meet with more than 100 employers to gather career information and to learn about co-ops, internships and full-time jobs after graduation. The fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Field House.

Second Chancellor Candidate

The university will sponsor an open session with Chancellor Candidate James Applegate at 2:30 p.m. in the McIntire Room of the Buchanan Alumni House.

Thursday

Socialist and Marxist Series

“Should President George Bush be Impeached?” will be presented by Dud Hendrick, a board member of Maine Veterans for Peace, and Pat Wheeler, artist and peace activist as part of the Socialist and Marxist Studies Lecture Series. The series takes place at 12:30 p.m. in the Bangor Room, Memorial Union.

Philosophy Colloquium

“Aesthetics and Community” will be presented by Arnold Berleant, professor emeritus, Long Island University as part of the Philosophy Colloquium Series. The series will take place at 4 p.m. in the Levinson Room of The Maples.

The Torture Question

The Peace and Justice Film series will show “The Torture Question” at 7 p.m., Little Hall Room 140. Discussion to follow film.

Submitting information

Submissions for The Maine Campus Community Calendar are free and can be sent on FirstClass to Brian Sylvester or dropped off in The Maine Campus office located in the basement of Memorial Union. Please include all the important information about your event. Deadlines for submissions are 9 a.m. Sunday for Monday publication and 9 a.m. Wednesday for Thursday publication.

On Jan. 20, the Northern Regional Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods (MAIN) hosted a meeting in Talmar Wood with Judd Esty-Kendall from Pine Tree Legal. Esty-Kendall spoke to the five residents who attended the meeting and addressed some of the legal concerns that they had pertaining to issues such as mold, condensation and security deposits.

According to Laura Moore, president of Northern Regional MAIN, mold is one of the biggest issues facing tenants in Talmar Wood. Moore said that oftentimes the Housing Foundation, which manages Talmar Wood and several other low-income housing units in the area, does not fix the problems with condensation in the housing units. This in turn leads to mold developing, and then residents are denied their security deposits due to the mold.

“[Esty-Kendall] looked at it, and said it was basically illegal because they were passing their responsibilities for the mold off onto the tenant.”

At press time, representatives from the Housing Foundation were not available for comment.

Moore’s daughter, University of Maine alumnae Jessica Leonard, posted an e-mail on FirstClass last week urging residents who have had issues at Talmar Wood to contact her. One of the reasons that Leonard decided to take this approach was that she was “afraid many [Talmar Wood residents] thought that they would be pressured into a tenants’ union,” which is one of the reasons she believes the turnout at the meeting was low.

In the near future, Leonard hopes to work with the biology department at UMaine to test the mold in the units to determine if it is harmful; it is a requirement for the Housing Foundation to address this issue. According to Leonard, mold testing is beyond the means of most Talmar Wood residents.

“People of Talmar don’t have hundreds of dollars to get the mold tested themselves so many are forced to just live with it,” Leonard said.

After assembling complaints from residents, Moore hopes to address their issues with the Housing Foundation in a “nice, kind, gentle way.” Northern Regional MAIN plans on contacting board members soon, including executive director Duska Hayman of the Housing Foundation, in order to arrange a meeting in March.

If they are unsuccessful in addressing the residents’ concerns through this avenue, Moore plans on working with the Housing Foundation through Community Mediation Services in Augusta.

Although there are issues between residents and the Housing Foundation that remain unresolved, the Housing Foundation does attempt to work with the residents on most issues, according to Moore. In the past, individual residents have contacted the Housing Foundation, and “a lot of the times they do come down, they do whatever they’re allowed to do.” Maintenance is limited, however, in what they can do for the residents, and at times the concerns of residents go unaddressed.

“It depends on whose story you’re listening to,” Moore said.