Coach Tim Whitehead’s young University of Maine squad learned that first hand last weekend, losing 5-0 in Friday’s home opener, and suffering a frustrating 2-1 loss the following night, despite limiting Northeastern to just 13 shots on goal.

“I thought we played really well the first night too,” senior defenseman Matt Duffy said. “It’s just tough bounces. The second night we definitely played great defense and got the dominance of the shots, and we cleaned pucks out and really took pride in our D-Zone.”

Next on the schedule for the Black Bears is a visit by Niagara University, from the College Hockey America conference. The Purple Eagles of Niagara Falls, N.Y. are coming off a season in which they qualified for the NCAA tournament, falling to top-ranked Michigan in the first round of regional play. UMaine did not face Niagara last year.

The defending CHA champions were projected as one of the top 21 programs in the nation in preseason polls. They are 2-3-1 heading in to the weekend after shutting out Hockey East opponent Merrimack 1-0 on Saturday.

“I think they’re going to be a really good team,” said UMaine freshman forward Spencer Abbott, who notched his first collegiate goal in Saturday’s game. “I think they’re going to be similar to Northeastern, and we’re definitely going to have to work hard to beat them. We can’t take them lightly, that’s for sure.”

To be successful this weekend, Abbott and his teammates know they must find a way to generate more offense. The Black Bears have scored just four goals in as many games to start the season.

“We had our share of shots. We just didn’t really get all our bodies to the net, and that’s what we’ve got to do this weekend,” Abbott said.

The Black Bears have taken 110 shots at opposing goaltenders in their first four games, led by freshman forward Gustav Nyquist with 15, but have managed just two goals in 26 power play opportunities.

“We’ve just got to work on getting shots through traffic, stepping side to side and trying to get shots through and that will help us a lot,” Abbott advised.

Abbott has certainly contributed his share to the offense in the early season, contributing a goal and two assists for a team-high three points.

“I credit it to the defense and my wingers,” Abbott said. “Everyone’s working hard. We’re just not putting up as many goals as we expected, but we will. It’ll come.”

Niagara will likely be difficult to score on, anchored by a quality backstop in senior goaltender Juliano Pagliero. Pagliero is the returning starter, coming off a year in which he was eighth in the nation among goaltenders in save percentage, 22nd in goals allowed average, at 2.33, and sixth in winning percentage. He also recorded four shutouts in 29 starts.

The Purple Eagles have compiled 13 goals in six games, while allowing 19. The forwards are led by returning team points leader Vince Rocco, who had 14 goals and 32 assists last season. Rocco was selected as the 2008 Preseason CHA Player of the Year. The senior currently has a goal and two assists on the season.

Rocco’s contribution is not currently tops for his team as he trails teammates Chris Moran and Brian Dowd, each with five points, and Sam Goodwin with four. Eight different players have contributed to the scoring for the Purple Eagles.

Niagara also receives significant offense from their blueliners, led by junior Ryan Annesley who had the most points scored by a defenseman in the CHA last year with seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points.

“They’re a well-rounded team. They’re well coached. They’re a team that is not going to be intimidated coming in here, but that’s what we need,” Whitehead insisted. “These types of challenges are going to help our young team gain the experience we need to play well down the stretch.”

Whitehead was pleased with the effort shown by his team against Northeastern, particularly in Saturday’s game, and anticipates a competitive series from Niagara.

“They’re always a tough opponent, so this is another opportunity for us to be challenged and improve and certainly we’re excited to play at home,” Whitehead said. “The crowd last weekend was absolutely fabulous, and we’re looking to earn some more respect this weekend.”

The two teams will face off for the first game on Halloween night at 7 p.m., and again Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Ngo Vinh Long, a history professor who recently returned from a visit to Vietnam, was critical of these regions governments, due to the repression he felt these groups bring to their people.

“China has generated mass pollution and has robbed the people of their savings,” Long said.

He said the Chinese government created the greatest gap between the rich and poor, while years before they had one of the smallest gaps. Long went on to speak on the conditions of workers and the problems that exist within the country.

“I would like to stress that repression [in China] started with workers,” Long said.

Problems like unemployment are prevalent in China. Long said over 300 million Chinese citizens are without work or are partially employed. He also pointed out China’s economy appears to be booming to outsiders, but economists have come to realize the Gross Domestic Product in China is actually closer to 5 percent, as opposed to the higher percentage the country portrays.

A student attending the lecture, Edward Fountaine, said he felt the American government wasn’t doing enough to help the suppressed in these areas and that big businesses would rather exploit them for the cheap labor.

Long said China was able to grow from its repression over Korea. This led to the thinking that other totalitarian regimes in the area may adopt the same model of governing, which frightened Long. He said demonstrations against the government have increased each year, reaching 58,000 in the last 12 months.

The problems of civil suppression are not limited to China; Vietnam and Korea are heading down this route as well. Long stated that the American company Nike was recently exposed for their suppression of civilians when it beat and killed Vietnamese workers. While incidents like this are not isolated to one company and seem to show the overall conditions in the country, the Vietnamese government is doing little to help its people.

Long told of a government official who bet 2 million dollars of the government’s budget on a horse race and participated in numerous sex parties funded by public money. Charges were filed against him after the story was released through the news. After being found guilty, he was jailed and soon released. Later, the journalists were brought to trial for supposedly abusing their power.

Justin Bouchard, a student in Long’s history class, enjoyed the lecture, and how it was different from what Long teaches in class.

“We usually focus on the history further back, but today was more of a modern thing that I thought was very interesting to get a different aspect of how East Asia is today,” said Bouchard.

The Socialist and Marxist Studies Series will continue Oct. 30 in the Bangor Room of the Memorial Union with a panel of speakers talking about key issues in the upcoming election.

Shortly before 11 p.m. on Oct. 25, officers responded to a call near Rogers Hall. No one was found in the vicinity, but the fence between Memorial Union and Fogler Library had been damaged. As they were inspecting the fence, the officers received another call from the Sculpture Studio, where a couple windows had been broken. When the officers arrived, they saw three male suspects leaving the area and moving toward Jenness Hall. One suspect was arrested at Cumberland Hall, where he lives. Kyle Little, 19, was charged with criminal mischief and refusal to submit to arrest; he was also issued a summons for possession of alcohol by consumption. He is awaiting trial.

Further investigation revealed damage to North Stevens Hall and the Advanced Engineered Wood Composite Center.

Early in the afternoon on Oct. 26, a passerby noticed a hole in a large pane of glass at the construction site at the Collins Center for the Arts. The glass, which measured 5 feet by 12 feet, was broken by a softball-sized rock. Joe Carr, director of University Relations, said it will take a month and almost $8,600 to replace the glass.

The vandalism incidents are being investigated and officers continue to search for the other two suspects. According to Carr, officers believe that they are all connected.

Burgers, brews and busts

A student at a tailgating party in Dunn Parking Lot was arrested after failing to cooperate with police on Oct. 25. The tailgating location is a licensed liquor area, but when a football game starts, no more drinking is allowed. Officers observed a group of males still drinking and asked them to stop. One member of the group did not cooperate. At 12:38 p.m., officers asked Chris Atwood, 23, Orono, to stop drinking for the third time. They asked him to leave the lot and he refused. Atwood was placed under arrest, charged with criminal trespassing and transported to Penobscot County Jail.

Extinguisher thief?

Police arrived at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house Oct. 25 at 5:54 p.m. in response to a fire alarm activation. Orono Fire Department notified police a fire extinguisher had been discharged in a third-floor bedroom. Officers attempted to interview the room resident, but he was intoxicated and uncooperative. The matter was referred to the Community Standards Office. The extinguisher could not be located and the estimated costs are $250 for the lost equipment and emergency response.

Determined thief

A specialized 26-speed mountain bike was stolen from outside Oak Hall where it was chained to a tree from 9 p.m. on Oct. 15 until noon on Oct. 26. The student returned to find the chains broken and reported the theft to Public Safety. An officer patrolling the Steam Plant Parking Lot observed a bike lying on the ground in the picnic area and returned it to the owner at 3:25 p.m. on Oct. 27. The case is under investigation.

Famished thief

A resident of Knox Hall left his or her MaineCard in Little Hall on Oct. 22 while in class and found it had been used when he or she decided to cancel it on Oct. 24. The card history shows a charge of $28 at Hilltop Market at 11 p.m. on Oct. 22. The case is under investigation.

Chic thief

A female left her blue nylon wind jacket and keys at Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity on the night of Oct. 24 and was unable to locate them when she returned in the morning. The case is under investigation.

Frustrated thief

A resident of Prospect, Maine returned to his vehicle in the Hilltop Parking Lot after watching the hockey game and found the door handle had been damaged as if someone had tried to gain entry. The estimated damage is $100.

Completely keyed

A student parked in Hilltop Parking Lot returned to his GMC pickup at 2 p.m. on Oct. 27 to find both sides had been keyed from headlight to taillight. The vehicle had been parked since 3 p.m. on Oct. 25. The estimated damage is $500

Burnt to a crisp

Public Safety received report of a fire burning in a trash can between the Memorial Union and Fogler Library at 3:06 a.m. on Oct. 25. By the time on officer arrived on the scene, the trash can was destroyed. The cause is unknown. The cost to replace the trash can is estimated at $50.

I’m not convinced the two are mutually exclusive. The reason one would run a smear campaign is to distract voters from the issues that affect them and concentrate on an irrelevant issue. Michael Craft, in his recent piece for The Maine Campus, claimed that John McCain and other prominent conservatives were merely telling the truth when they used Obama’s association with William Ayers as a part of their rhetoric when discussing the candidate. I don’t feel this issue is that simple. There are two important questions that need to be asked about this association: How well did Obama know Ayers, and what effect would this have on an Obama presidency?

The first question is the one that has received the most attention, but ultimately I feel the latter is the most important, as Ayers’ effect on Obama’s policy is what will affect the lives of the American people. What is known about this tenuous connection is they both served on the board of two organizations, one an education based non-profit, the other an anti-poverty foundation. Prior to this, Ayers hosted an event at his house for Obama at the beginning of his campaign for State Senate. None of these interactions appear significant.

Now to answer the question of Obama’s worldviews and the influence Ayers has had on them. This is something Craft, as well as most conservatives, has avoided answering. What reason would they have for not answering it? I feel it is because what is implied is much worse than the reality of the situation. Think for a few moments about the different associations you have had throughout your life. I’m willing to bet that you have, knowingly or unknowingly, associated with individuals with extreme political viewpoints. Does this mean that they influenced you and your own personal politics? Most likely not. Barrack Obama has stated his goals as president. None of them incorporate the radical beliefs of William Ayers. It should also be noted that there is no evidence that Barack Obama ever read “Rules for Radicals” as Craft claims.

These efforts to associate Obama with Ayers or Muslim extremists are superficial efforts by McCain’s failing campaign to paint him as a boogeyman. This technique is the definition of smear, and is primarily targeted toward uneducated people. It appeals to racism and ignorance, but ultimately serves no purpose other than to distract voters from the issues that affect them. This attack on the Democratic candidate is part of a wider campaign to trick poor, uneducated people into voting based on fear. Unfortunately, unless we can learn to look beyond the inherent superficiality in the way politics are currently practiced, this kind of mudslinging will continue to pollute the democratic system.

Ryan Page is a sophomore new media student.

The Temple of Advanced Enlightenment is a group advocating for responsible spiritual use of marijuana. The group was founded by the Rev. Kevin Loring in 2005. The highly organized group, with beliefs and practices that include a written creation story, is striving to be recognized as a religion.

Loring, clothed in a black robe with a green collar, sat with his hands clasped in front of him on the cafe table. The young man, with dark, shoulder-length hair, wire-rimmed glasses and a goatee, spoke of his mission.

“We want to raise awareness of religious intolerance, protect civil rights and become a valuable tool in the fight against drug abuse,” Loring said.

The temple is in the planning stages of petitioning the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency for a religious use exemption for their use of marijuana. They also aim to provide public education programs on spiritual use, religious freedom and civil rights.

Religious use of pot is restricted to temple members who are at least 18 years old and have completed basic religious studies of the Temple. They then may engage in practices such as the Sacred Smoking Circle, Vision Quest, Blessing of Meals, Blessing of Home, Holy Anointing and Honoring the Deceased.

Members attend an open-floor discussion twice weekly at the Union Street Brick Church in Bangor and meet for prayer and worship at Loring’s house on Tuesday at 4:20 p.m. and Sunday at noon. Other temple services include drug abuse mentoring, marriage ceremonies, funerals and instruction on compassionate care giving and medical marijuana.

According to the temple’s Web site, “Cannabis is the Divine Inheritance given to all people by Mother Earth so that we may unlock the mystery of the many and varied messages of the Pure One.”

They do not advocate for the outright legalization of marijuana because they believe use requires spiritual guidance.

“We are not trying to open a floodgate for people who just want to smoke reefer,” Loring said.

In the Sacred Smoking Circle, the clergy leads prayers as a peace pipe is passed clockwise to symbolize the passage of time. Usually each member consumes one gram of marijuana at each ritual.

Prior to the Vision Quest, a member fasts for a week. Then he or she is led to a remote location and partakes in sacrament – where water and music are used in order to reach an enlightened state of mind. Loring heard his calling on a Vision Quest in his late teens when he spent more than a week alone in the woods.

“We try to get people to not focus on the sacrament,” Loring said. “It’s like focusing on the little cracker at Catholic Church.”

The temple views marijuana as a substance that has a 5,000-year history as a spiritual and medicinal tool. They feel it aligns the mind and body, unlocks portions of the mind and transcends boundaries to bring people together. Medicinally, it is an effective treatment for pain, asthma, diabetes and mental distress, according to Loring.

One of the chief concerns about marijuana is the stance that it functions as a “gateway drug.” Police seized more than 100 pounds of marijuana in Starks, Maine on Oct. 4 during Harvest Fest, an event sponsored by a marijuana-advocacy group. In addition to the marijuana, they seized ecstacy, mescaline, cocaine and prescription medications.

“These are all groups that advocate for legalization of marijuana, but it defeats their argument when there’s more hard drugs there than marijuana,” said detective Chris Gardner of University of Maine Public Safety.

Loring, Jillian Dunton and Garrett Wozneak make up the temple’s high council. In order to be ordained, one must be a member for three years, complete 500 hours of community service, be tested by the council, sign an affidavit of spiritual cannabis use and take a vow of poverty, compassion and morality.

“Those who choose this path are choosing to step forward voluntarily and walk a very hard path that may include jail or prison time, fines or worse, if we are persecuted by the government,” according to the temple’s Web site.

Dunton, ordained in 2006, is a UMaine education student who teaches elderly aquatic exercise classes and children’s swimming lessons at the YMCA.

In addition to the three priests, two members are in the process of clergy training, and 40 to 70 people have adopted the temple beliefs.

“We are starting to have a lot more from campus. Younger minds are a lot more open,” Loring said.

Their beliefs largely stem from Native American spirituality, but they incorporate teachings from numerous religions. A unique creation story, written by the clergy, is online as a portion of their evolving religious text. They worship a single entity and capitalize on lessons of love, tolerance and respect of nature.

“A belief with a lot of followers is generally recognized as a religion while one who doesn’t have a lot of followers generally is not,” said UMaine anthropology professor Henry Muson.

Although cannabis is key to their practices, the temple does not sell it. The clergy plans to engage in voluntary reporting of their intended activities to local and state authorities, such as city governments, local police departments and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

A goal of the temple is to increase by 500 members and add 1,000 emails to its mailing list. Loring often walks the streets or campus to talk to people about the temple. People can learn more at templegreen.org.

The exact time and place were not available by press time.

“He will be here before Election Day. That’s all we’re willing to say at this point,” said Jennifer Webber, communications director of the Maine GOP. “It shows Maine is still a competitive state for John McCain.”

The GOP sent a press release at 4:23 p.m. yesterday to this effect.

“He would be a great rallying point for us and hopefully offset the inherent ideas and the lack of involvement that a lot of college students are expressing,” said Zachary Jackman, president of the UM College Republicans. “. It would probably help us more and get a lot more people energized. People are getting to the point now where they are getting sick of the campaigns.”

The announcement came less than two weeks after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s visit to Bangor.

“John McCain will be in Maine before election day to talk directly to Maine voters about his plans to lower our taxes, reduce wasteful government spending and get our economy back on track. The contrast couldn’t be more stark, and John McCain has real plans that will offer real help to Mainers, especially in these tough economic times,” Maine Republican Party Chairman Mark Ellis said in a press release.

McCain visited South Portland in July. The campaign announced it would invest more resources in Maine. This is because the state splits its electoral votes.

More information will be posted on mainecampus.com as it becomes available.

With Halloween night drawing near, students are making final adjustments to their clever costumes. One student is finishing an outfit replicating Dr. Frank N. Furter from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” while one couple is finding a way to turn Marilyn Monroe and James Dean into zombies. But it’s not all about being scary; costumes are equal parts fun and fright.

Sophomore Heather Young is taking the “lazy” route this Halloween – murderer.

“I’m just going to be a murderer because I wasn’t that creative and I bought a pint of fake blood and wondered what to do with it.”

Young hopes to benefit lame attempts at costumes, people “dressed up” as registered voters or average citizens, by squirting blood on them and transforming them into her “victims.”

Junior Tiffany Rackley will pay homage to a film that worships dressing up: “I’m going as Dr. Frank N. Furter because he is my favorite character in the movie and I can act out the song ‘Sweet Transvestite’ like it’s no one’s business.”

Rackley will attend Husson University’s popular annual midnight showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Rackley’s father attended midnight screenings and regaled her with tales when she was young. “I would think of how much fun it would be if I was alive back in the 70s and also going to the shows, and now I have the chance to.”

On a night where zombies, ghosts, witches and warlocks haunt the streets, some may be too chicken to go out. Not Stephanie Shaw, who will in fact dress up like a chicken herself.

“I got a paper bag, and I painted it white, added some feathers and some felt. That is the hat,” Shaw said. “I’ll wear some white billow chicken-like clothes, and I also bought some striped socks and a white boa. I’m going to cut a white feather boa and put it around my ankles.”

Amongst all the basic Halloween costumes at any given party, there seems to always be one person who goes above and beyond in terms of dedication and creativity.

Josh Firman is that guy – he once dressed up as a man in a shower.

“He had on a towel and a shower cap, and there was a pole sticking up with a circular piece above his head,” said Shaw, who witnessed the unique individual. “A polka dot shower curtain was draped around him. He had a hard time moving around, but it was awesome.”

In terms of creativity and cleverness, it’s hard to surpass second-year student Anthony Babb’s costume from last Halloween.

He went as a pirate – not Johnny Depp’s definition but a new-age, technological version, a CD pirate.

“Luckily, my friend had about a hundred junk Windows XP CDs that he didn’t need anymore. I sewed a bunch of them to my coat and dressed as a pirate,” Babb said. “It took me about three hours to sew all of them on, making sure they would stay on throughout the day.”

Perhaps his costume was a little too hard to make sense of. “Only a few people got it. Everybody else thought I was a CD case or something. Some people still didn’t get it even after I told them,” Babb said.

Young knows a potential “that guy” of this Halloween – her sophomore friend Evans Goff, who will dress as a magic eight-ball.

“He already kind of looks like an eight-ball,” she said. Goff shaved his head to support his mother undergoing chemotherapy, according to Young. “Everybody had been rubbing it and shaking it and pretending it was a magic eight-ball beforehand, so he said ‘Why not go as one?’”

Sharon Levasseur is so dedicated to providing a good scare that she decided to not only outfit herself, but her horse as well. Levasseur, assistant director of marketing for Campus Recreation, and her horse, Zephyr, embodied the Headless Horseman and his phantom steed, terrifying the unlucky souls who dared to walk the haunted trail at the Rec Center last night.

“We dressed in all black, and we galloped out of the darkness dragging a ‘dead body’ past the paying customers’ group. I also held a glowing pumpkin head under my arm for added effect,” Levasseur said.

Halloween is indeed a favorite holiday for some.”I’m pagan. It’s the best holiday ever,” Young said. “The idea of dressing up so spirits can’t get you, it’s great.”

The Anime Club will indulge in an evening of cosplay, or masquerading as a variety of anime characters, according to sophomore Curtis Porter, who will dress as a character from “Vampire Knight.”

Rackley feels Halloween gives everyone a good excuse to act like a kid again.

Shaw said the fun atmosphere of Halloween inspires her to dress up every year. “It’s the only time you can dress up like whatever you want to, and it is generally considered acceptable.”

In the midst of a largely politically apathetic generation, many students and student organizations at the University of Maine have stepped up to bring informative programs to campus.

UM College Democrats and Republicans have set up tables in the Memorial Union offering free merchandise, information on candidates and voter registration cards. Student political groups set partisan differences aside for the fourth annual Rock the Vote on Oct. 16 to register students and inform them about political issues. PowerVote, a youth group of green activists, sponsored a live Web cast with Al Gore in the Bangor Room this Wednesday. Additionally, the Obama Campus Coalition for Change sponsored a visit from Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean, who came to 100 DPC Wednesday to discuss the importance of early voting.

Gus Burkette, who helped organize early voting on campus, reported approximately 1,000 people turned out to vote in the FFA Room on Oct. 23, in comparison to an over-all turnout of 1,200 UMaine student votes in the 2004 presidential election.

The Maine Campus commends this tremendous student effort. In a time when what is considered to be the most politically apathetic generation in American history is coming of age, it’s gratifying to see taking serious interest in the political process.

The room was filled with chatting, giggling and lots of pink – one of the colors of Delta Zeta, the sorority that hosted the event. Other sponsors included the All Maine Women, Women in the Curriculum, Dean Angel Loredo, the Student Women’s Association, the Panhellic Council and Student Government.

De Reus was introduced by Ashley Hoskins, president of the UMaine chapter of Delta Zeta, who read De Reus’ bio and talked of how she inspired the sorority when some of them heard her speak at a regional conference in April. “She is best known for her ‘wild woman’ workshops,” Hoskins said.

De Reus – dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt and a pink jacket – joked about another translation for BITCH. “Boys, I’m Taking Charge Here,” she said.

De Reus is a self-described “wild woman,” associate professor at Penn. State University, mother and activist who spends part of her life lecturing around the U.S. with her “Bitches Without Borders: Daring to Make a Difference” lecture and workshop series.

De Reus admits that the title of the series, and her group, Bitches without Borders, is a bit shocking.

“If they can do the ‘Vagina Monologues,’ I can do Bitches without Borders,” she said during the lecture.

The title for the organization came to her late at night in a brainstorming session, she said. Instead of coming up with the organization first, she started with the name. Bitches without Borders was a play on Doctors without Borders, and she immediately secured the domain name on the Internet. She said the name does get people’s attention, but it sometimes turns people off.

“You know, it’s not like an organization like Bitches can sponsor an Easter egg hunt,” she said.

She asked the room what the word “bitch” meant and explained the context, how the word has gotten a negative connotation and how many women who are powerful are often associated with the term.

“In other words, ‘bitch’ is used to keep women in their place,” she said.

She read some statistics about women and children around the world. According to De Reus, 300,000 children in the world die every day, half of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day, and even though women are 51 percent of the population, they hold 16 percent of elected offices.

“This has got to stop,” she said. She talked about how lucky she felt. “I have a tremendous amount of privilege.”

De Reus advocates for women to “reclaim their authentic voice, resist limits and revolutionize their world,” according to her bio.

The lecture centered on De Reus’ activism and her travels to Darfur, Tanzania and the Dominican Republic. She cautioned against “hit-and-run” activism where groups do one project and never go back and continue to help, like buying a turkey for Thanksgiving, but never donating food the rest of the year.

She told stories about other “wild women” who took control of their lives and didn’t take no for an answer, including a group of teenage girls in Pennsylvania who took on Abercrombie and Fitch. The girls were upset about shirts the company was printing with slogans like, “Do I make you look fat?” so they started a media campaign that led them to meet with executives. They came up with alternative slogans like, “Your future boss,” but Abercrombie and Fitch said they weren’t interested.

“They said ‘screw you, we’ll make our own damn shirts,’” she said. Now the girls are selling their own shirts online.

Another anecdote was about a group of high school students who started their own Save Darfur chapter and raised $21,000 at a charity concert. When De Reus heard the total money raised, she was shocked by what they accomplished.

“Holy s—, we raised $21,000. Oh, and how much fun was it to write out those checks,” she said.

Her 15-year-old daughter often travels with her and is on board with her activism.

They don’t have a television, eat at McDonald’s or shop at Wal-Mart. She buys all her clothes at Salvation Army and Goodwill. “Nothing I have on tonight is new.”

Being a BITCH and doing good in the world doesn’t necessarily mean traveling halfway around the world.

“Maybe it just means that you do no harm in your own backyard.”

De Reus finished the lecture with a poem she found on the Internet.

“It’s amazing what happens when you Google the word ‘bitch.’”

After a short break, De Reus started her workshop; though it usually takes an entire weekend, it was squeezed into one hour.

She had participants list the qualities they liked about themselves and their dreams and create a plan to accomplish those dreams.

Kayla Fitch, a junior biology student, attended both the lecture and the workshop. “She’s a really great speaker, and she’s really inspirational,” she said.

She echoed one of De Reus’ messages, that women don’t support other women enough.

“It’s just nice to know that you can be the person you see yourself as,” she said. “It’s one of those things you can’t understand until you go.” She said the title did make her wary, but she was glad she went. “She’s a normal, everyday person who does extraordinary things.”

“If someone calls you a BITCH, you smile, you nod, you wink and you say thanks,” De Reus said.

The movie opens in the last 16 minutes of the state championship basketball game, which the East High Wildcats are losing. After a quick pep talk from team captains Troy (Zac Efron) and Chad (Corbin Bleu), the boys turn the game around and win.

With the state championship settled, the seniors can focus on their last high school musical. As usual, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) wants to be the center of attention, but theatrical director Ms. Darbus (Alyson Reed) quickly turns Sharpay down and says the students will write a show about themselves: “We’ll call it ‘Senior Year.’”

The characters deal with being seniors and finishing high school, choosing colleges, figuring out what to do with their lives, going to prom, graduating and saying goodbye – all of which are featured in the school’s musical.

The movie’s $13 million budget is evident right from the movie’s opening moments. The costumes are flashier and higher quality, the sets include rotating stages and flashy lights, and the sound quality is improved. Some of the song and dance numbers, like Sharpay and Ryan’s (Lucas Grabeel) Broadway number, are over the top with many scene and costume changes. Because of the Hollywood budget, the simplicity and sweetness of the first two films are lost.

The audio here is better than the previous films and the tunes are catchy, but the excess use of computer-generated music overpowers the vocals. The songs in “HSM” and “HSM 2″ are more memorable and easier to sing along to because the lyrics are easier to hear.

“Senior Year” lives up to the expectations of the fans of the series. Fans are sure to leave the theater wishing their lives could feel like a high school musical.

Grade: B+