Black History Month remains as important as ever while there are “black people still feeling inferior,” Varner said.

“We’re talking about black history, we’re having dialogue with black and white,” Varner said of the month’s significance, particularly in a predominantly white state.

According to the latest census, Maine – host to a non-minority population higher than 98 percent – is currently the whitest state in the nation. The Bangor chapter of the NAACP boasts the largest white membership in the United States, Varner stated.

Varner began his presentation with a 20-minute solo dramatization of black history, beginning in the jungles of Africa, moving through slavery and civil rights and concluding with the commemoration of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a holiday. Varner changed characters and situations on the fly as he represented the scenarios with conviction and emotion that spoke multitudes to the historic eventsportrayed.

“Black History Month offers opportunities for dialogue and understanding of the different race and lifestyle,” Varner said. When asked what the most important part of the month is, Varner responded, “What is important is what we do with it.”

Black History Month began as Negro History Week in 1926, which was established by Carter G. Woodson, director of an organization known as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.

Varner, a 1957 chemistry graduate of the UMaine, recalled studying “Brotherhood Week” as one of four black students at the university. According to Varner, the black students would convene with students of Native American and white descent – along with others – for dialogue on the topics of race and equality.

Varner had with him a spread of informational posters and displays, including posters on the Harlem Renaissance, black history and African -American women in history. He also brought traditional African garments known as dashikis and kente cloths. Varner placed a heavy emphasis on the history of black people from their African origins.

“Singing is a great part of the black culture,” said Varner, who burst into deep, gospel-style singing several times throughout his speech. He sang of freedom, God and the challenges facing both slaves and modern black Americans. “It makes me appreciate what happened in the past and what we have today.”

Black History Month events have included a lecture by Dr. Marwin Spiller on W.E.B. Dubois’ “Souls of Black Folk,” a panel discussion on interracial dating at a predominantly white campus, a showing of “Hotel Rwanda” and a speech by Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the film on the mid-1990s Rwandan genocide.

“He’s a brilliant guy,” Varner said of Rusesabagina. Varner attended dinner with Rusesabagina and a select few from the university community.

Varner has enjoyed the Black History Month participation at UMaine thus far and looks forward to the concert by jazz and R&B group Solidarity on Wednesday, Feb. 28, which he calls the “finale” of the month.

The event is free and will be held in Hauck Auditorium at 7 p.m. The star of Solidarity is Varner’s son, Jimmy “Fingers” Varner. The elder Varner is excited for the performance, and praised his son’s musicianship.

While Black History Month has made great strides from its beginning as just one week of the year, Varner’s sentiment remains: “I just wish that it lasted longer.”

This news was alarming to the residents of those halls, who are all going to have to move out. People thought it was a bad idea. People said, “Hey, the freshmen will be living next to a brand new recreation center and a brand new dining commons!” People said, “hey, they get good parking over there!” People said, “Hey, upperclassmen who live there now will get kicked out!”

Associate Dean of Students Kenda Scheele presented the proposal two more times, once at a meeting of the General Student Senate and again at a forum arranged by Student Government President Priyanth Chandrasekar. The latter time, she was joined by Director of Residence Life Tara Loomis and Director of Connections E.J. Roach.

A disproportionately large number of students showed up at the student senate meeting to voice concerns with the proposal. And by disproportionately large, I mean people actually attended.

People asked questions, made accusations and spread rumors. Half a dozen people didn’t even get a chance to ask their questions or make their comments, because the senate was pressed for time. So Chandrasekar organized a special forum presentation of the proposal, open to all students, where they could pester the administration with every question they had. They anticipated a large student response, booked 100 DPC to make sure everyone would fit and even made a spiffy PowerPoint presentation.

Hardly anyone showed up.

I was, quite frankly, surprised. I honestly thought that people were fired up about the issue. It had been discussed not once but twice in the student forum. The question and answer period during the student senate meeting was tumultuous. People were upset. The administration was being vilified. The stage seemed set for one rip-snorting festival of accusations and name-calling. As a journalist, I embraced this atmosphere. Visions of large headlines danced in my head.

Alas for the hopes of the collegiate newspaper. Everyone either forgot about the whole thing or didn’t really care in the first place. Now, there could be a many good reasons for this. There was a good deal of press about the proposal and maybe nobody had any more questions. Maybe all the people affected by the change didn’t mind all that much, really. Maybe the whole “Vagina Monologues” discussion on the public forum obliterated any other topic. Maybe the planets weren’t aligned right.

What I do know is that a lot of people seemed angry about this proposal. And the administration, recognizing that, took the time and energy to have a large-scale presentation, in a large classroom, with cookies, and hardly anyone bothered to show up.

What do you think is going to happen next time they see that something is unpopular? Are they going to go through all that time, trouble and effort again, just for the dozen or so students who showed up to the forum? Call me a cynic if you want, but I doubt it. I’ll tell you what they’ll do next time students don’t like a proposed policy: not a damn thing.

This forum should have been a vehicle for direct, honest communication between the administration and dissatisfied students. Instead, 12 students got to share the half dozen or so bags of cookies which were provided for the audience and little to nothing regarding the proposal was resolved.

So no complaining about this new housing policy next year. You all had your chance to voice your concerns and try to address them. And you blew it.

Brian Sylvester likes cookies.

Habib Dagher and the people who work with the Advanced Engineering Wood Composite Center deserve to be congratulated by the entire campus.

After working on the Modular Ballistic Protection System, which will help protect soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan from shrapnel, Dagher and the AEWC were honored by speeches from Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Michael Michaud.

It should be noted that the AEWC finished the project before deadline and under budget. With this project, Dagher and the AEWC have helped the university gain prestige and we hope more projects of this magnitude will be assigned to them, showing yet another positive aspect to the University of Maine.

On top of that, the AEWC has developed technology that will save lives and prevent casualties to our soldiers. It is appropriate that the first batch of these panels was shipped to the 10th Mountain Division, which is composed of several Maine troops.

Debate team should get some funding

The University of Maine Speech and Debate Team earned top honors in the New England Regional tournament, and deserve congratulations.

The task alone is a notable feat, placing UMaine at the top of the heap in a competition that requires intellectual prowess and verbal skill. Unfortunately, wits alone cannot take this group to the nationals in Georgia. For that, they need money.

Going to nationals would give UMaine something to be proud of. If any sports team had a shot at the national championship, they’d find a way to get there. Student Government and the university should work just as diligently to send this group to a national competition.

The group has clearly worked hard to get this far. Getting them all the way there shouldn’t be a matter of “debate.”

“Upon his assassination, the U.S. took advantage of the opportunity to influence power,” he said.

Gaitan had socialist ideals and was “an enemy of the multi-national corporations.” He was assassinated on the eve of a delegation between the United States and Latin American representatives.

Then Secretary of State George Marshall led this summit, which created the Organization of American States, an agreement made primarily to deter communism in Latin America.

Tijerina noted that he thinks Latin America is in a time of extreme change. Because of the United States’ focus on the Middle East, Latin America has been “abandoned again,” much like it was during World War II.

Latin American governments are taking a turn toward socialist policies, despite the United States’ history of trying to influence politics in the area. When the United States was sending money to Europe to help the reconstruction effort after WWII, Latin America’s reaction was toward socialist ideologies. Tijerina said the same trend is seen today.

It is still unknown who killed Gaitan Blame has been placed on the government in power in Columbia in 1948, the Communist Part, and the CIA. In the minutes following his death, a crowd of Gaitan supporters killed a man they suspected of the assassination. It has since been called an isolated incident and no one has been convicted of Gaitan’s murder.

Tijerina said the importance of this incident is that during the Cold War in Latin America “anything socialist became a threat . any government in Latin America that was not up to par became a threat to the hemisphere.”

He said that “never in the history of Latin America has there been this many democratically elected socialist governments . it seems that the United States government has no response to this.”

He said that since the area has been “abandoned again” by U.S. foreign policy shifting focus toward the Middle East, people in Latin America are turning toward the socialist leaders because they are more in tune with the needs of the population.

On Feb. 24 at 1:20 a.m., an officer parked on Pine Street watching the Bear Brew Pub observed a large group exit the building. The officer then saw a vehicle moving up the street, the driver of the vehicle yelling at people as he passed them. The officer was able to stop the car by knocking on the window to get the driver’s attention.

The driver was identified as Nicholas Estabrook, 21, of Bangor. When Estabrook finally got out of the car, the officer noticed that he was visibly intoxicated. Estabrook was put through field sobriety tests, which he failed.

Estabrook resisted getting into the police cruiser and was eventually forced in by threat of a taser. Estabrook was charged with operating under the influence of an intoxicating beverage and was transported to Penobscot County Jail.

False name

On Feb. 10 at 1:59 a.m., an officer noticed a large group walking along MacMillan Drive. A male in the group appeared to be holding a beer bottle. The officer stopped the man and asked for his name. The man gave an incorrect name and date of birth, belonging to someone the officer later identified as the subject’s brother. Eventually the subject told the officer his correct name and date of birth. Jerrid Atwood, 19, of Bucksport was summonsed for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor.

Spat at Orchard Trails

On Feb. 10 at 10:28 p.m., the police received a report of a fight at Orchard Trails Building 8. When the officers arrived on the scene, they found a group of people standing outside in the parking lot. As a couple of officers spoke with this group, another officer went inside and spoke with a young woman. She identified the man who had started the fight as Zachary Gillespie, 20, of Calais. She then told the officer that she had recently broken up with Gillespie and didn’t want him at her residence. She eventually had to force him out of the apartment and that’s when the police were notified. Gillespie was found visibly intoxicated. The officer warned Gillespie not to return to the residence. Gillespie was issued a summons for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor.

Underage drinker at Orchard Trails

On Feb. 10 at 10:55 p.m., a man attempted to enter Building 8 at Orchard Trails. He was carrying a beer can. The man put the can on the floor in the entryway and attempted to leave the building. An officer stopped the man and identified him as Andrew Frost, 20, of Brewer. Frost was visibly intoxicated and received a summons for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor.

Face punch leads to assault charge

On Feb. 12 at 10:30 a.m., a man came into the police station to report an assault. The previous night he had been at a party and someone had punched him in the face. While at the party, the man had been speaking with a girl and her boyfriend had punched him. The boyfriend, identified as Alan Graffam, 22, of Orono, was interviewed and admitted to not liking the victim or the fact that he had been speaking with his girlfriend. Graffam also admitted to punching the victim in the face. Graffam was charged with assault.

Trying to hide the bottle never works

On Feb. 17 at 11:50 p.m., an officer was patrolling Orchard Trails Drive. The officer noticed a large group of people walking down the street. At the rear of the group, the officer saw a male and a female holding what appeared to be beer bottles. The officer stopped the two and identified them as James Stickney, 18, of Standish and Kayla White, 18, of Orono. White dropped her bottle into the snow as the officer approached and Stickney attempted to hide his. The bottles were identified as being beer containers and both Stickney and White were summonsed for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor.

Conversation with the Provost

Provost Edna Mora Szymanski will convene the second in a series of campus conversations, titled “Strategic Plan Implementation Process and Update on Progress” at 3:30 p.m. in the Bangor Room, Memorial Union.

Intro to Photoshop

Training in Adobe Suite application will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Fogler Library computer classroom. Registration is required for this event; call Gretchen Gfeller at 581-1696.

Wildlife ecology seminar

Mariko Yamasaki, of the USDA Forest Northern Research Station, will present “Investigating Habitat Relationships for Forest Managers Integrating Wildlife and Timber Practices in Northern Forest Ecosystems,” at noon in Room 204, Nutting Hall.

Tuesday

Passport day

Apply for or renew a U.S. passport. Bring two forms of ID; one must be a picture ID and MaineCard is not accepted. A photographer will be present, and an application fee of $67 to $112 payable to State Dept. Post Office will be charged. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Bumps Room, Memorial Union.

Wednesday

Women’s Studies Lunch

Philosophy professor Doug Allen will present “The Most Significant Feminist Thinker of the Twentieth Century: Have We Regressed or Progressed Since Simone de Beauvoir?” as part of the Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program Lunch Series at 12:15 p.m. in the Bangor Room, Memorial Union.

Small business tax seminar

A seminar offered by Cooperative Extension and designed for small business and self-employed taxpayers, providing navigation tips and usage guidelines, will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 307 Maine Avenue, Bangor. Call 942-7396 for more information.

Diversity dialogue

The next diversity dialogue will take place at 8:30 a.m. in the Walker Room, third floor Memorial Union. Linda Rottmann, Sara Henry and Catherine Johnson of College Success Programs will talk about socio-economic class and its impact in higher education. Coffee and tea will be available. Sponsored by the Peace Studies Program.

Thursday

Socialist and Marxist Lecture Series

“Human Rights Abuses, Indigenous Communities, Women and Economic Justice” will be presented by the Mexico Solidarity Network, featuring speakers from Red de Defensores Comunitarios por los Derechos Humanos (Community Human Rights Defenders Network). The talk will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the Bangor Room, Memorial Union.

The panels, which are called Modular Ballistic Protection System, were developed to help the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who are constantly on the move. The technology was created to go into the soldiers’ tents, protecting them from shrapnel and other ballistics.

Dagher began the presentation by discussing the mobility of the U.S. soldiers and how this technology would protect them better than sandbags or concrete barriers, and reduce casualties. Dagher also said that the project was completed in three years, which was a year ahead of schedule, and that it also came in under budget.

The first up-armored tent kit was requested by the 10th Mountain Division, which includes Maine National Guardsmen.

Sen. Collins also congratulated Dagher and the AEWC Center.

“If you need a job done, you go to Habib, and now the United States Army has,” she said. Collins also noted how it was appropriate that the first of these panels be shipped to the 10th Mountain Division because of its strong Maine connection.

She said that working together, the University of Maine and the U.S. Army have achieved excellence with the modular ballistic panels. She reiterated the importance of the technology, and said that it will help “protect those who protect us.”

In her speech, Collins mentioned how she had recently returned from a trip to Iraq and that she has seen firsthand how important mobility and force protection are to the troops.

UMaine President Robert Kennedy congratulated Dagher and the AEWC Center for their work, saying that this was “a very important moment for the University of Maine.”

Kennedy also remarked that of all the state universities he had visited, he had never seen one with more support from its congressional delegation, acknowledging the time Collins and Michaud were taking to show support for the AEWC Center and the technology it developed.

Michaud said that the work the AEWC Center has done shows the amazing team that the University of Maine has, reiterating that the project came in early and under budget.

Michaud specifically pointed out Dagher’s commitment to the project, saying that he has been a tireless advocate of the projects and technology created at the university. He mentioned how the center plays a vital role in keeping Maine’s economy strong and keeping U.S. soldiers safe.

“I’m proud to be associated with this team and its fine work.” Michaud said. “You make all of us proud in Washington. You make all of us proud in the state of Maine.”

Col. Gerry Bolduc from the 10th Mountain Division read a letter from Maj. Gen. John “Bill” Libby, also from the 10th Mountain Division, who is currently in Afghanistan.

In his letter, Libby, a UMaine graduate, said it has given him personal and professional pride to collaborate with the AEWC Center.

After the speeches, Dagher and his students demonstrated how the panels are put into place in the up-armored tent, followed by another demonstration showing how the panels are put into the press and made.

The guest speakers received miniature versions of the tents as a parting gift from the AEWC Center.

A public hearing on the bill will occur in the next two to three weeks.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while,” said sophomore finance management and economics major Sean Rankin, who presented the bill to Rep. Gary Moore, R-Standish.

“Tuition costs are something I really want to see change.”

The administrative pay cut would be a University of Maine system-wide cut that would include all levels of administration.

“These are the people that look over the universities,” Rankin said. “They aren’t faculty or anyone we see on campus.”

The actual tuition reduction is undetermined until the finer points of the bill can be discussed.

“It won’t be as much as we want,” Moore said. “But it’s a vehicle to get the topic considered. I have nothing against the UMS. I am a product of it and proud of it. I am just against the perks [the administration] gets.”

He referred to incoming Chancellor James Pattenaude, who will be making $220,000 a year, which is three times Governor John Baldacci’s salary.

“It’s a system that is totally out of whack and needs to be scrutinized,” Moore said.

Pattenaude was not available for comment.

Rep. Emily Cain, D-Orono, thinks that a different angle should be taken to approach the tuition situation in the UMS.

“I’m completely in favor of doing whatever we can to decrease tuition for students,” she said. “I think the way to go about this is a recognition of the need of a boost in base budget funding for the university.”

According to Cain, high administrative salaries such as Pattenaude’s are average in comparison to the national rate.

“If we want the best people in our administration, we need to be competitive. $220,000 is a lot of money in Maine, but nationally it is not for his position,” Cain said.

The bill is not fixing the tuition problem, said Cain, who is concerned as to what the bill could mean for universities throughout Maine.

“You have to define administration,” she said. “There could be some serious and detrimental impacts from people leaving.”

Both Moore and Rankin, who drew up the plans for the bill over Thanksgiving dinner, agree that student support will be important for this bill to be passed.

“We will be looking for support from all student governments,” said Rankin, who is confident about his bill but aware of its controversy.

“I don’t think there are any negative consequences of this bill, but there are a lot of people [in the administration], and everybody knows somebody.”

Using an impressive array of post moves and courage in the block, Bruff has career highs of 10.7 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, including 12.9 and 6.7 in conference action.

Just after leading his squad to its third straight Senior Day win with 17 points, Bruff – sporting a 2007 seniors Maine Stein T-shirt – talked about a few of his favorite experiences over the last four years:

Q: What’s the feeling walking off the floor at Alfond for the last time?

Bruff: It’s good. I think it’s a great home field advantage when you come into Alfond because the temperature always gets to every other team. This year it hasn’t as much, but you get the fans and band going and it’s a good atmosphere here.

Q: If you had to pick your best or favorite game personally over the last four years, which would you choose?

Bruff: I’d probably say Vermont last year [an 85-82 UMaine win at Alfond in which Bruff scored 26 points]. That game went to overtime and it was just a game where no matter what they threw at us, we always had an answer back for them. Freddy [Petkus] hit big shots, I got breakout dunks; Phil [Bofia] played really well down low – that was a fun game.

Q: Who’s the best player you’ve played with or against over your career?

Bruff: I’d go with Kevin Reed. There’s nothing he can’t do. He shoots the ball, he gets loose balls, he’s a leader in steals, he passes the ball really well and he finishes.

Q: You’re a guy who’s been known for some impressive, athletic slam dunks. What’s your favorite or best dunk?

Bruff: Against Harvard this year. They had a big seven-footer and he didn’t see it coming at all. It was off a rebound, and I just kind of climbed over his back and threw it down for an and-one [made shot and the foul].

Q: Being one of the shorter guys down low, what’s it like battling against the bigger centers in this league?

Bruff: It’s tough, battling with guys who are 6-5 and 6-6 and are rock solid. By the end of the game, when you see me on my knees, I’m really starting to feel it. It’s pretty tough, especially by the end of the season, but the other thing is on offense, I can get it back. The only thing I can really do on offense is keep them from catching the ball; once they catch it I usually need some help from Olli [Ahvenniemi], who’s a great defender.

Q: Opposing coaches say your quickness makes you a tough matchup offensively; What’s your approach on the offensive end of the floor?

Bruff: It’s either go around them, or use my jumping ability to shoot over them.

Q: As a communications major, what are your thoughts on career plans after college?

Bruff: I’d like to do some radio play-by-play or some video sports action. Anything like that would be good.

Q: Do you ever find yourself calling your own games?

Bruff: I do quite a bit of calling games while I’m watching other ones; I’ve always felt like I needed my own TV show, but we’ll see about that.

Q: What are your thoughts heading into the last week of your career and the America East tournament?

Bruff: This last week is going to be important for us. Obviously, they will be our last games. But if we keep up our intensity like we did in the second half today and remember how we get that and where it comes from, and how to bring it out every single game, then there’s going to be no team that can stop us.