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At a university, we operate on a different time span. One academic year spanned 2008 when Barack Obama was elected, and it was 2009 by the time our school began to grapple with 2008’s housing and banking crisis.

All of this happened since the start of fall semester. Looking back, it becomes apparent that we are at the end of a year of major transformation. Beyond the progression from September into May, we’ve seen the election of the first black president; we’ve seen the collapse and the uncertain future of the banking and auto sectors.

Down the line it went, from the national economy down to Augusta, where state cuts have forced administrators to examine what we all had taken for granted.

We await the anouncement of who will be among the 40 positions the University of Maine is cutting next year. UMaine has cut men’s soccer and women’s volleyball. The University of Maine at Farmington lost its dance program. Rumblings and hearsay about programs – and even entire schools – getting cut are commonplace.

There is no secret that this school year may be the last of its kind, but what will replace it is hard to say. Transformation and evolution may be hard, but they are necessary.

Next year may see a return to normalcy, but we doubt it. The changes flowing beneath the surface of this year will likely emerge in the next, and display themselves more dramatically.

• Editorial: UMaine students take charge in election year (October 30, 2008)
• Editorial: Unfair favoritism toward first-year students (September 10, 2009)
• Year in Review (April 27, 2009)
• Year in sports quotes (May 13, 2002)
• Mendall hauls in accolades during final year (November 18, 2004)

This entry was posted on Monday, April 27th, 2009, 6:12 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.