Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, took three friends and a U-Haul trailer full of supplies halfway across the country, utilizing thousands of dollars in donations to create a mobile coffee and hot chocolate stand for protesters.

The state’s governor, Republican Scott Walker, said Feb. 11 that balancing a $3.6 billion budget deficit in the state will require the slashing of collective bargaining rights, pay and benefits for state employees, including teachers.

“The Republicans are constantly talking about how they feel the unions are probably going to wane, but I don’t see that happening. There’s just such a remarkable sense of energy and dedication and determination,” Russell said Wednesday.

Russell was on her way back to Portland Wednesday night from Wisconsin’s capital, where reported crowds of tens of thousands have gathered in and around the Capitol building for more than a week now.

She said her experience on the ground in Wisconsin was “the greatest adventure of my lifetime.” Community outreach, she said, was “stunning.”

A local Indian restaurant handed out food on the sidewalk, while people with pizza and soup offered food to passers-by, Russell said.

“It was all driven by volunteers and local businesses. The small business community really stepped up,” she said. “Everybody’s so damn nice. I can’t begin to tell you how polite everybody is.”

After a Sunday Huffington Post article and a Monday afternoon interview with conservative Fox News pundit Sean Hannity, donations poured in. Russell said as of 5 p.m. Wednesday she has received nearly $3,000 in donations through PayPal on her website, solidaritywisconsin.wordpress.com.

She used $900 to buy Dunkin’ Donuts coffee for protesters and gave away 150 packages of hand warmers. Gas was also paid for with the donations.

The rest of the money, she said, is going to a group looking to raise the $140 million needed to fill the budget gap Walker says these labor changes will create.

“Yesterday, I was in the rotunda and people were saying, ‘Kill the bill’ and ‘This is what democracy sounds like.’ Now, it’s ‘Fill the bucket.’ It was amazing,” she said. “I think the vast majority of people realize that there’s a growing wealth gap and they realize that this isn’t just about unions. This is about working class people having opportunities.”

If this budget proposal passes in Wisconsin, many believe school districts and government agencies will be allowed to draconically cut their respective budgets by axing salaries at will.

Many Democratic legislative leaders have exiled themselves in Illinois to prevent a quorum vote on the bill, as they are outnumbered in both houses.

Russell said Monday that the implications of similar laws in places like Michigan and Ohio — where Republicans are also considering laws to tamp down collective bargaining — could spill over into GOP-dominated states such as Maine.

“It’s part of a broader pattern [for Republicans] and you’ll see in legislatures that have completely turned over, or the Republicans have gotten most of the control of it, they’re sort of rushing this stuff through,” she said. “My big concern is this could come to Maine.”

She said she got a phone call from a Tea Party individual who said they were asked to tell Russell by others in the rising political movement they did not support what she was doing in Wisconsin.

“They said, ‘I’m calling to tell you that I do support what you are doing,’” she said. “This is not a partisan issue. It’s a workers’ rights issue.”

Russell also said young people in Maine — especially students — should be watching the proceedings in Wisconsin.

“This is the youths’ protest — what’s happening in Egypt, what’s happening in Tunisia and Iran and Libya now — these are all led by young people,” she said Monday. “You have the longest and most vested interest in the economic viability of the state because you’re going to live in it the longest.

“My parents’ generation left my generation nothing and I’ll be damned if I’m going to leave that to you guys,” Russell added.

Citing patterns in Maine’s GOP-majority leadership in the state Senate, House of Representatives and the executive branch, Russell said her action was done to learn about the situation in Wisconsin and aid protesters.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s budget, released Feb. 10, suggested the retirement age for newly or recently hired state employees be raised from 62 to 65. State retirees will also be asked to accept lower cost-of-living increases in benefits.

Another key tenet of the governor’s budget plan is to repay debts to Maine hospitals — using $69.5 million of state money to supplement federal funding to bring $248 million to 36 Maine hospitals.

In a leaked e-mail to Republican allies, published first by Democratic-leaning blog Dirigo Blue on Jan. 28, LePage’s Director of Communications Dan Demeritt seemed to use hospital payments as political leverage in a “business plan” to make for election of Republican candidates in future state elections.

“We are probably going to pay the hospital debt through 2009 as part of the supplemental budget — about $259 million,” Demeritt wrote. “And I’ll even make sure our members know the exact day, the exact amount of State funding transferred (and the amount) to their local hospitals so our members can show up with a big symbolic check to make it a press event.”

“On one hand, he’s going to pay back the hospitals and it’s going to be a political win for him, and on the other hand, he’s going to balance the budget on the backs of our already-retired people,” Russell said in response. “We’re talking about people who already paid into the system.”

Contacted on Tuesday via e-mail, Demeritt responded to Russell’s evaluation of the hospital payments.

“If keeping your promises is a political win, I guess that is a fair characterization of the governor’s commitment to paying Maine’s hospitals the $400 million owed in unpaid Medicaid claims going back to 2006,” Demeritt wrote.

State employees will also be asked to give 2 percent more of their salaries to the state pension system. They currently put in 7.65 percent.

There is a $4.4 billion unfunded liability in the state employee pension system many Maine GOP leaders say could become uncontrollable without prompt action.

According to Demeritt, LePage does not have any plans to reform labor currently in the works.

“We do not have any union-specific proposals under development,” Demeritt wrote. “Ultimately, Governor LePage believes that working people should be free to organize and become members of workplace unions if they choose.”

On Wednesday, Russell said LePage’s announced support of a “right-to-work” proposal by Rep. Tom Winsor, R-Norway, looks to preclude a foray into union policy. This proposal would make it so those who work at unionized businesses would not be mandated to pay dues and join the union.

Democratic and labor leaders maintain that workers should not benefit from union activity without paying and any law to the contrary would weaken unions entirely.

“You can’t have it both ways,” Russell said. “You can’t say that you’re not introducing legislation that is similar to what is happening in Wisconsin … and say that you are supportive of right-to-work.”

The site, being developed by second-year political science student and independent contractor Ryan Gavin, who also has criticized Carson’s handling of the situation, was originally expected to go live at 12 p.m. on Feb. 22.

When a countdown mechanism on the site expired, nothing on the site changed and at around 6 p.m., it was replaced by another countdown indicating a March 15 launch date.

According to an invoice, Gavin is being paid $926 to build the website. The contract, provided to The Maine Campus by Gavin, details a series of scheduled dates for the contract depending on Student Government leadership regarding content generation, uploading and approval.

The contract’s timeline calls for the project to be completed between Jan. 31 and Feb. 28.

But Gavin, speaking shortly before Tuesday’s noon deadline, said he had not been provided the necessary content from Carson to build the website.

“I think he just fundamentally doesn’t understand what I was supposed to do and what he was supposed to do,” he said. “I literally have not done anything because he hasn’t given me anything to do.”

The contract between Gavin and Student Government calls for Gavin to design the site’s template and insert Student Government-created content — including the rosters of senators with pictures and biographies, the constitution, material for secondary pages, General Student Senate bylaws and other documents.

At Tuesday’s regularly scheduled GSS meeting, Gavin’s pre-planned presentation of the site’s progress was met with criticism from multiple senators, mostly directed toward Carson, who took accountability before senate debate.

“At what point did the light bulb go on that he needed content?” Sen. Allison Conners asked about Carson.

“It seems like basic common sense that you would need content to launch a website,” Sen. Alex Ortiz said. “Not having content on a website is like eating dinner without food.”

Carson said there was a “miscommunication” between he and Gavin over the full launch of the site and the responsibility placed on him to create content for the website.

“I should have sat down with him and said ‘Why do you need this content?’” Carson said. “I’m holding myself accountable. March 15 is the full launch.”

“This seems to be a case of absolute and total procrastination with zero discipline and zero pride. Period. End of story,” Ortiz said later. “All you’re saying is just words on a paper. It means nothing.”

After other criticisms, one from Sen. Mark Brunton and another from Ortiz, Carson offered the bringing of impeachment charges on multiple occasions as a remedy for any perceived incompetence.

He said because he has not become acclimated to the presidency yet, he did not feel comfortable mandating content from other executives.

“I was too worried about delegating jobs to my friends and doing work I didn’t mind doing myself,” Carson said. “I was worried about losing my friends by making them work.”

At the meeting, Gavin also announced that he would not be honoring the March 1 end date on his contract to finish the website.

“I know more than half of the people in this room personally,” Gavin said after questioning from a student. “I’m not running away with student money.”

In an interview with The Maine Campus Tuesday, Carson was inconsistent with his views on the launch of the site, saying he worked toward a launch before spring break, while planning for a March 15 full launch.

“A full launch going into spring break and [then] going into spring break is repetitive. It’s really convoluted and I think we’re not ready for a full launch,” he said. “I didn’t look that far into the future. Spring break is the perfect time.”

Carson compared the presentation of the website template and the actual full launch to the grand opening of a restaurant.

“They’re going to open it first and then they’re going to have the grand opening,” he said. “In my eyes, it works out perfectly. We have this full launch before spring break and we have two weeks over spring break — I can work with the senators and the executives, I can work with the powers that be to say, ‘What content do we need?’”

“All content now is behind my drive. It’s in my mind. I can’t do that,” Carson said. “It’s going to be so simple. All we need to do is what we planned on doing — we just need to add more content.”

Carson reiterated the discrepancy between his understanding of the website-construction process and Gavin’s understanding many times throughout the meeting.

“What I foresaw was — yes, I did plan on having the content in there today and launching it in a full campaign by now,” Carson said. “Time didn’t allow it. Whatever happened, the content wasn’t there.”

Carson also placed the blame for the website’s delay on himself multiple times Tuesday, emphasizing that Gavin had not been expected to create something from nothing.

“In my mind, all the content was supposed to be on there,” Carson said. “We’re paying Ryan Gavin to build the website. While he builds it, we distribute him the content and he needs to put content on. It’s not his fault.”

He gave a personal guarantee in senate that the website would be finished with content by March 15, which Gavin, on Wednesday, said would be a reasonable goal if he receives all content this week.

“Like I said, the responsibility lies with myself,” Carson said at the meeting. “Don’t put your anger towards Ryan.”

Gavin is contractually obligated to receive content directly from Carson. An e-mail from Carson to Gavin, provided to The Maine Campus late Wednesday night, said all content will be delivered to Gavin by Feb. 25.

“I am eager to work with you and look forward to a final project upon our return,” Carson wrote.

Speaking Wednesday, Student Body Vice President Anthony Ortiz said he and other executives have started to create content to submit to Carson for approval.

“The execs, we kind of decided that we’re going to generate the content that we would like to see representing our divisions,” Anthony Ortiz said.

The vice president also said from talking with Carson, it was apparent there was a patent misunderstanding of the website process.

“He didn’t understand, 100 percent, the process. I think some of the arguments people were saying were definitely justified in senate. I think they were not done appropriately,” Anthony Ortiz said. “I think the senators understood more what Ryan was trying to say and not what Nelson was understanding, so there was just a super mishap.”

Christopher Crosby contributed to this report.

The resolution was proposed by Caleb Rosser, a third-year political science student and a former student senator, and was sponsored on the senate floor by Sen. Peter Christopher, a fourth-year secondary education student.

“This is clearly designed to suppress and deter students from voting,” Rosser said.

LD 199, “An Act to Strengthen Maine’s Election Laws by Requiring Photograph Identification for the Purpose of Voting,” would require a voter to show a form of government-issued identification that listed a residence located within the voting district.

LD 203, “An Act to Assist Municipal Clerks by Providing Adequate time to Register Voters,” would require potential voters to register “no later than the Tuesday preceding the election in order to vote in that election.”

Current Maine state law permits same-day registration, so unregistered voters can fill out a voter registration card minutes before being handed a ballot.

“This is billed as something that would lessen the burden on town clerks,” Rosser said during his presentation to the senate. “I have looked for various complaints from town clerks saying that they could not complete the work that was put forth to them. I did not find [any]. In 2008, when I went to the caucuses for Hillary and Obama, I saw a town clerk do 600 of these in one day.

“It took a while, but no one said democracy would be fast,” he added.

Rosser said the proposed legislation would require the registration of many college students on a yearly basis due to the temporary nature of both on- and off-campus housing.

“I asked the body, student government, ‘Who here has updated their license?’ And out of everyone, like, three people out of fifty people” raised their hands, Rosser said.

“My license says Caribou, of course, because that’s where I got it, and if I wanted to vote in Orono, I’d need to go change that to my address in Orono,” he said. “That costs money to change that stuff. What I see here is a violation of the 26th Amendment, basically, which eliminated poll taxes, which were used back in the day to deter poor people — African Americans, minorities — from voting.”

By forcing residents whose addresses have changed to renew their licenses to reflect those changes, Rosser asserted, the state would be charging a sort of poll tax through renewal fees.

“The only way I can see them sort of getting around this is if they were to provide everyone with a voter registration card or something like that free of cost to everyone who needed one, which would just cost the state a lot of money,” he said.

Rosser said support spurring the bills on has suggested the two measures would save the state money and would alleviate the issue of fraudulent voting; however, he disagreed.

“One, this wouldn’t save the state money. It would cost the state money,” he said. “And two, this wouldn’t fix the voter fraud problem because we don’t have a voter fraud problem.”

Only two substantiated cases of fraudulent voting in Maine have been identified in three decades, according to Rosser, and both occurred when voters cast multiple ballots in the same election.

“That’s two cases, neither of them voter impersonation, in the last 30 years, which averages out to be 0.066 votes cast a year,” he said.

Rosser said his motivation for proposing the resolution to the student senators was to align college students’ voices in a coherent statement of disapproval.

“Voting is one of the most coveted human rights in the world. A lot of places don’t have it, and they want it, and we’re trying to restrict is? I don’t see the logic there,” Rosser said. “Why are seeing a mobilized citizenry and active voting as a liability and not an asset?”

According to Rosser, the proposed legislation would unfairly target college communities such as Orono and Portland, which both host large campuses.

He implied collusion on the part of Republican lawmakers who, he says, are consciously attempting to disenfranchise their opposition in order to remain the majority in Augusta.

“If you just take a look at the numbers from 2008 and 2010 on campus, you know, who did the majority vote for?” Rosser asked, alluding to the generally recognized liberal atmosphere of higher education. “LePage didn’t carry this district. [Republican state house candidate Zachary] Jackman didn’t carry this district, and [Republican] Traci Gauthier, Elizabeth Schneider’s state senate opponent, did not carry this district.”

While Christopher did not suggest Republican suppression of voters perceived as being liberal, he said he agreed with Rosser that the voting rights of college students need to be protected.

“I felt it was the right thing to do. I think that students need to know about the types of legislation that have gone through down in Augusta and they need to know that there are people out there who are seeking to restrict our voting rights,” Christopher said.

Christopher also expressed concern that, if passed, the bills further limit the opportunities for UMaine students to cast their ballots.

He said that if same-day registration were no longer permitted then he would be “willing to bet money that there would not be enough traffic in the Wade Center to sustain a voting center there.”

“It is not something we should be taking lightly and it’s something I felt we need to speak out about as students,” Christopher said.

Rosser cited Maine’s proportionally high level of voter turnout and expressed concern that Mainers, especially young Mainers, would start rethinking their decision to find a poll on Election Day. He compared Maine’s current voting laws to those of other states, saying a tightening of those laws would squeeze out voters.

“Maine has the third-highest voter turnout rate in the country behind Minnesota and Wisconsin,” Rosser said. “Both of those two states ahead of us have very similar legislation on the books as to what we have in regards to voting laws and rules that apply.”

Senators received Rosser’s resolution well; however, some opposition was voiced to its focus.

Sen. Alison Conners was concerned that the idea of college students losing their ability to vote was being exaggerated.

“I understand this from a fiscal point of view,” Conners said after Rosser’s presentation Tuesday. “But as far as saying this restricts voting, I think is inaccurate. I think it’s saying, ‘This, oh my gosh, makes it more inconvenient for where I happen to be,’ but that’s different from restricting voting. This isn’t restricting voting at all. It’s making it more organized and saying, ‘If you happen to be here for a semester then, yeah, we’re going to ask you to show residency,’ and if not, heaven forbid you vote absentee.”

Despite this concern, the senate voted in favor of the resolution. It will be forwarded to Gov. Paul LePage, Senate President Kevin Raye, the senate majority and minority leaders, and other prominent individuals in state government.

Christopher Crosby contributed to this report.

Though Carson acknowledged senators could remove him from office, they eventually agreed to an extension allowing the website to be finished by March 15.

Senators’ criticisms came after Carson explained he had not delivered informational content to website designer Ryan Gavin, leaving Gavin incapable of launching the site. Carson made it clear Gavin had “done his job” and miscommunication had left him culpable.

“Focus all your comments, all your problems with the website towards me. Ultimately it is my fault and ultimately I’m here to accept the responsibility,” Carson said.

Carson explained he intended Gavin to produce a website that could be easily updated with content and uploaded online. As Gavin explained, however, the software required initial content to start it up — something Carson admitted he had not known.

“It bothers me that this had to happen this way, but at the same time we can use this aggression for progression. Let’s turn this all into progress and forward focus,” Carson said. “The project hasn’t failed — we can still move on.”

Sen. Mark Brunton was concerned there were no checks in place to ensure the website would reach completion. Carson said the senate always has options dealing with the executive — including impeaching him.

“You guys have your options. I am president, I am going to work as such and that everything that I do reflects great upon you. If you guys feel that I’m doing the job poorly or wrongly, that’s where you need to step in,” Carson said. “There’s no excuse to not getting the work done. Period.”

“It’s essential for this business to get this website done and that’s why I can sit up here with a smile on my face because I know it’s going to get done and all this we’re talking about right now is ensuring it gets done because you guys are angry it’s not done, I’m angry it’s not done, the Maine Campus is angry — everyone’s angry. Let’s get it done,” he said.

“If you want me to say that I will resign on March 15 to ensure that this gets done, that’s fine. I’ll say that. But I don’t feel like I need to say that we all want it done as soon as possible,” he continued.

Sen. Alex Ortiz, however, remained unconvinced. He said he calculated that Carson had six weeks and roughly 60 office hours to work on the website.

“He’s receiving your money right now for doing nothing. He’s getting thousands of your dollars, a pay check every two weeks, and he’s not getting anything done,” Ortiz said.

This led an unnamed student to ask, “Is this usually how you represent the student body — by squabbling over a website?”

The senate then suspended their standing rules to allow allocations to student organizations.

After allocations, Ortiz reiterated that he stood by his words.

“Our entire organization looks like a joke to people on the outside. My professor was the advisor for the plane people [the Black Bearons] who came last week and he e-mailed me after, ‘I had high hopes for SG; is it always a bunch of self-serving crybabies?’” Ortiz said. “That is what we are perceived as by somebody who had high hopes for us — and we looked like a bunch of buffoons.”

William Dairyko, a prospective senator in attendance, said he felt Ortiz’s comments were too personal.

“If someone would have tested my manhood like that — that’s not business anymore, that’s personal,” he said. “I might have said, ‘Hey, listen, we can take this to the parking lot if it’s that personal.’”

“What more do you want out of him? It is what it is right now, help him fix it,” he said.

The senate also approved legislation officially opposing two bills regarding voter registration being considered in the Maine House of Representatives and gave $10,241 in seven allocations to various student groups.

Engineers Without Borders was allocated $2,400 for their spring service trip to Honduras. The funds will cover airfare ($1,000), transportation ($700) and housing ($700) for five members to attend the two-week trip. The group will be building and educating villagers in the upkeep of a sewage piping system.

The Orono Student Nurses Association was allocated $2,000 to attend the 2011 National Student Nurses Association Annual Convention held in Salt Lake City, Utah, from April 5-10. The funding will cover airfare for eight of their members.

The American Society for Civil Engineers was allocated $1,700 for their New England Regional Concrete Canoe Competition being held at the University of Rhode Island from April 15-17. The allocation will be used for motor pool ($400) and lodging ($1,300).

Women’s Lacrosse was allocated $1,200 for referee fees at upcoming home and away tournaments.

UMaine’s Woodsmen’s Team was allocated $1,075 for their home meet to be held on campus March 26. The funding will be used for competition wood ($1,000) and Porta-Johns ($75).

Students of the University of Maine In Technical Theater was allocated $1,280 after its initial allocation of $1,525 was rescinded. The new allocation was updated to reflect a change in attendance from five of its members attending a convention in Charlotte, N.C., to three.

The Nordic Ski Club was allocated $586 for student Marybeth Kelson to attend the Nordic Skiing Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Club Canada was denied an allocation for $764.34 to send 14 of their members to Montreal, Canada, from March 25-27. Club representative Stefanie Veneziano said the group discovered only recently that the university’s motor pool resources were booked for their trip, requiring them to seek transportation from an outside source.

Without the money, students would be forced to spend $211 instead of $100 for the trip. Senators Ortiz and Peter Christopher said they would support the legislation — but only if the Executive Budgetary Committee approved the allocation first. After the meeting, Veneziano said she planned to bring the proposal to EBC.

Students Thomas Conley, Kelly Smith and Randi Mosley were introduced as the newest senators. Also, students Britney McIntyre and Derek Jones were elected to the Fair Election Practices Committee as non-senator members.

Preliminary recognition was granted to the UMaine Figure Skating Club and UMaine For the Cure, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for women’s breast cancer.

Paul Paradis announced the UMaine Police Department will be undergoing accreditation to become a fully certified law enforcement agency by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement from Feb. 26-27. Interested persons can contact UMPD to express whether accreditation is warranted.

According to a University of Maine alumnus, that knowledge could be a matter of life and death.

Bruce Stanton, director of the Center for the Environmental Health Sciences at Dartmouth Medical School, sought to bring some of the dangers associated with arsenic to light Feb. 23 with a speech titled “Arsenic: A global public health crisis.”

“150,000 Mainers … drink well water that is contaminated with arsenic,” Stanton said to roughly 50 individuals gathered in the McIntire Room of the Buchanan Alumni House.

Stanton’s talk was part of the Distinguished Honors Graduate Lecture series, established in 2002 to highlight the accomplishments of Honors College alumni.

The World Health Organization, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control all list arsenic as the No. 1 agent of concern to public health, having linked chronic exposure to the toxin to increased chances of contracting several types of cancer, diabetes, childhood learning disabilities, heart disease, reproductive difficulties and other serious medical maladies.

As of 2001, the EPA lists the acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water as 10 parts per billion, or one arsenic molecule for every billion of water.

If evaluated by the standards used to regulate other toxins, the amount of allowable arsenic may still be too high — tests have concluded one in a million individuals will show negative health repercussions from as little as .045 parts per billion.

“When you expose mice to 10 parts per billion, their ability to reproduce went down by 50 percent,” Stanton said.

Stanton explained that when the EPA adjusted the level to 10 parts per billion in 2001 — for the roughly 100 years prior, it had been 50 parts per billion — a cost-benefit analysis played a key role.

“They actually wanted it to be five [parts per billion], but it would be too expensive,” Stanton said. “It would have been too expensive to treat public water supplies, so 10 was decided.”

For Mainers, the main culprit when it comes to arsenic contamination is private wells, the majority of which go untested by their owners. Stanton referred to a study that found one in 10 of Maine’s private wells have levels of arsenic higher than the EPA-accepted level.

“Public water supplies are regulated — private wells are not,” Stanton said. “So that’s where Mainers are getting the arsenic.”

That study also found wells with arsenic levels as high as 5,000 parts per billion, with the highest concentration of contamination in the Machias area. Stanton characterized wells with levels exceeding 100 parts per billion as “not uncommon.”

While surface reservoirs like lakes usually carry low levels of the toxin, Maine’s reliance on groundwater sources locked up in bedrock formations affects the amount of arsenic in two ways.

First, the water that is eventually drawn by wells comes into direct contact with veins of arsenic in the rock, a problem not usually seen with surface aquifers. Second, since many bedrock aquifers are isolated from surrounding wells, the amount of arsenic can vary drastically from location to location.

“Just because your neighbor’s well is safe does not mean your well is safe,” Stanton said.

“The odd thing is, when we move up here to New Hampshire or to Maine, we come here because of the pristine environment,” he said.

Outside of the Pine Tree State, a major player in arsenic exposure is found in one of the more widely eaten staple foods worldwide: rice.

“Rice cereals and biscuits have levels of inorganic arsenic which could easily be consumed in doses well above that found in drinking water,” Stanton said.

Rice plants utilize environmental silicone to form supporting stems, drawn from the waterlogged fields in which they grow. However, in areas where the water supply contains high levels of arsenic, the plants take up the more abundant toxin along with silicone, leaving large amounts in the harvested grain.

This accumulation can leave toxin levels in one cup of rice equivalent to that found in one liter of water contaminated with 10 parts per billion of arsenic.

The problem with rice becomes even more difficult to regulate when one considers the amount of processed foods that use the grain as a base. Stanton held up a container of organic baby food to illustrate his point: The pesticide-free claims made on the container lull the consumer into a false sense of security about the product’s safety.

Those on restricted diets should be especially aware of their food choices’ ingredients.

“Some people on special diets drink rice milk,” Stanton said. “Rice milk has been measured at 50 parts per billion.”

For those who do find their water sources to be contaminated, the case is not without hope. Stanton briefly discussed both point-of-entry and point-of-use water treatment systems, which filter out arsenic from contaminated well water.

Successes have also been seen in the agricultural sector, where silicone- or iron-enriched soils have been shown to reduce the uptake of arsenic by rice plants.

For Stanton, however, the easiest solution is the best.

“Like they say in toxicology, ‘It’s the dose that makes the poison,’” he said. “Like everything else, you try to minimize your exposure to toxins.”

This move by the MPA was based on safety concerns about air and water quality at the institutions’ pools.  The association said both the Stanley Wallace Pool at UMaine and the Leroy Greason Pool at Bowdoin have been scrutinized for years now over such problems.

Jeff Sturgis, assistant executive director for the MPA, issued an e-mail last week to high school swim coaches, prior to the meets taking place, that said problems with air and water quality in the UMaine and Bowdoin pool enclosures have resulted in the institutions adopting new policies governing public use of the facilities.

But, at the same time, the claim has rankled UMaine officials who say their facilities are safe.  Bowdoin representatives did not respond to the claims late last week.

In 2009, a ventilation failure sickened dozens of swimmers, coaches and spectators at a major competition at UMaine’s Stanley Wallace Pool in the Field House, according to the Bangor Daily News.

As a result, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention was prompted to undertake an investigation, which subsequently found participants were sickened due to overcrowding and one ventilation system having been accidentally shut off.

There have been no problems since that time at the Wallace Pool complex.

According to Wayne Maines, director of safety and environmental management at UMaine, the school fully complied with the CDC recommendations that resulted from the investigation.  He also vehemently denied there were currently any problems with air and water quality at the complex and said the facility is capable of accommodating 350 people on the pool deck and 400 in the stands.

Steps have since been taken to make exhaust fans and air intake vents more functional, and Maines said both air and water quality are closely monitored during major events such as the high school state championships.

Sturgis told coaches and others slated to participate in the events to be aware of public health officials from the CDC, who he said would be in attendance at the meets to ensure regulations and attendance rates were followed.

However, those officials never showed up at the meets and Dr. Stephen Sears, the director of the Maine CDC, said his agency was not planning to attend in the first place. Sears agreed with statements made by UMaine officials and said both schools were cooperating in promoting safer meets and better equipment.

As a result, there will be no crackdowns on capacity or other regulations at the facilities according to the CDC.

“I think our message may have gotten a little exaggerated,” Sears said.

DTAV and Patch offer apartment-style living with the convenience of living on the UMaine campus. Patch offers only four-person suites while DTAV includes four-, five- and six-person units in various combinations of double or single rooms.

Patch apartments have the advantage of an oven, while DTAV kitchens only have a stovetop. The two buildings are subject to a different, and separate, assignment process from the other residence halls on campus.

Students must apply in groups of four to six and must meet the community’s eligibility requirements — 40 completed credit hours by the previous December and prior occupation of a UMaine residence hall. The residency restrictions for Patch and DTAV are in place because this community is a privilege for dedicated students who can handle the responsibility.

“We do a lot less hand-holding around here,” said Jennifer Boynton-Allen, the Assistant Director for Residence Life and Community Coordinator for DTAV / Patch. “This is not [First-Year Experience], this is very much upper-class housing.”

Applications for DTAV and Patch are due to Housing Services by March 21 and room selection will take place on the evening of March 28. Groups of potential roommates will select apartments in order based on their point totals.

Point totals are determined by multiplying each student’s credit hours by the number of semesters they have spent in UMaine housing and adding those numbers together.

Not every eligible group will receive an assignment in DTAV or Patch. This is partly due to how quickly the limited number of four-person suites are chosen. Apartments in Patch are regarded as more desirable than those in DTAV, and smaller suites are more popular than those that house six people.

“I think there are several reasons for that. Patch is newer — and looks newer when you walk through — and has a full kitchen,” Boynton-Allen said. “It’s also easier to consider four people sharing a space than five or six.”

DTAV has recently undergone some minor renovations to convert four units from six-person suites to the more popular four-person configuration, and to replace carpeting with tile floors in all the apartments.

“I would definitely prefer Patch over DTAV because I have four people living with me, but I know it fills up quickly with seniors,” said Elyse Doyle, a second-year economics student. “It will depend on my chances.”

Doyle is also considering off-campus housing in local complexes like Stillwater Village and Talmar Wood Apartments, calling Orchard Trails “just too far and a little too expensive.”

Boynton-Allen stressed during the information session that on-campus village living is a different experience from living in an off-campus apartment. She discouraged students interested in partying from applying.

“This is so not Orchard Trails on campus,” Boynton-Allen said.

She explained that village residents are expected to act as responsible members of the community, respecting the calm and quiet environment.

“I get annoyed with loud people next door, late at night, in the dorms,” said Megan Strout, a second-year new media student. “I want it quiet when I am just chilling, trying to do homework or sleep.”

Many Patch and DTAV residents are enrolled in challenging degree programs like nursing or engineering and are seeking an environment that is more conducive to studying than their current dorm room.

“Our students govern themselves in a lot of ways,” Boynton-Allen. “We put it on them to hold each other accountable and resolve conflicts amongst themselves.”

This does not mean that Patch and DTAV residents are immune to roommate disagreements and Boynton-Allen strongly encourages all suite residents to sign and uphold roommate agreements.

“You wouldn’t think so with juniors and seniors living here, but I have seen some epic conflicts,” she said.

Boynton-Allen said the most common issues between residents involve cleaning of shared rooms, use of food and noise issues — conflicts that are shared by all roommates, on campus and off.

“It builds up and becomes a huge issue in November or February and suddenly people can’t live together anymore,” Boynton-Allen said.

Patch and DTAV apartments are co-ed and this often results in significant others living together, a situation that Boynton-Allen said should not be entered into lightly.

“I want people to go in with eyes wide open and about what happens should a break-up occur,” she said, “Some years we don’t have an open bed here and it becomes a challenge. I want people to consider these things when they sign up.”

Because village living offers some of the challenges and opportunities of off-campus living without the hassle of commuter parking and paying rent and insurance, Boynton-Allen calls DTAV / Patch a stepping stone for older students.

“We’re sick of the dorms and I personally didn’t feel I was ready for an apartment,” said Strout of her roommate group.

Boynton-Allen said that village living can be a good deal financially when one considers additional expenses of living off campus like paying utilities and cost of commuting, especially for those students who may not be prepared to pay bills or stick to a budget.

“It’s hard to budget for off-campus living whereas here you know how much it will cost you each semester and you can save over the summer,” Boynton-Allen said.

The proposed rates, subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, for living in DTAV or Patch during the 2011-2012 academic year are $4,814 for a double room, $6,538 for a single room and $7,222 for a double room converted to a single room.

She encourages interested students to make an appointment with the Office of Financial Aid to discuss their options and how their aid eligibility might change if they move off campus.

“It always depends on the student and their unique financial aid package,” Boynton-Allen said.

Resident assistants and staff in DTAV and Patch focus their programming on rewarding older students for their accomplishments thus far and preparing them for the future. Past programs have included instruction on signing a lease, purchasing a car and writing a résumé.

“We still do some social and fun programming, but our challenge is that our residents have been living in dorms for several years. We can’t just show them everything they’ve seen already,” Boynton-Allen said.

Boynton-Allen also organizes monthly spaghetti dinners in the community center and winery trips for residents over the age of 21.

“We treat them as adults because, at this stage, they are,” she said.

For Beaulieu, having more events would increase the awareness of the organization on campus.

“From what I’ve seen this year, a lot of our interaction is through tailgating,” she said. One aspect of the awareness problem has to do with the involvement of the society’s members. Each member of All Maine Women was selected for her involvement in the UMaine community, a factor one group alumna said restricts the amount of free time each representative has to contribute to organization-sponsored activities.

“These are busy, busy students,” said Valerie Mitchell, an All Maine Women alumna and a giving coordinator for the UMaine Alumni Association. “It’s a catch-22.”
Even with these difficulties, the society has managed to remain a force within the community. This past fall the society raised money to donate Thanksgiving baskets to Spruce Run, which helps victims of domestic violence. All Maine Women have also taken part in numerous events on campus, such as Take Back the Night and the tulip planting in front of Fogler Library. Additionally, each member of the society tends to be heavily involved in a slew of individual pursuits around campus and contributes to UMaine in other ways outside of official functions. “One of the main reasons we were selected to be in this group is because we are all very involved on campus,” said member Lauren Duplin. “So when asked what All Maine Women has done over the past year, I not only think of what we have done as a group but also as individuals on campus and in our community.” According to its members, All Maine Women hopes to begin changing the low awareness of the society with an alumni interest group.

The group’s mission statement sums up the efforts All Maine Women is making toward awareness on campus: “It is our goal to help raise awareness so that the name of the All Maine Women will once again strike a chord with every underclasswoman aspiring to greatness.” For members of the society, the group has been an irreplaceable part of their college experience.

“Being able to work with these women who have accomplished so much at this university has truly been an honor,” said member Katherine McLaughlin.
“I have gained the friendship of so many amazing women who I know I will be connected to for a very long time,” Duplin echoed.
The connections formed in All Maine Women and the friendships formed are for many the most important part.

“As a class, you get close to the class ahead of you and behind you,” West said. “You’re a current All Maine Woman for a year but you’re an alumni for the rest of your life.”

An altercation between a male and a female student outside the Memorial Union at approximately 2 a.m. Feb. 19 resulted in two summonses. University of Maine Police Department Detective Bill Flagg said the male student, Nicholas Jones, 19, of Orono, shoved the female student, 18, to the ground. “There were minor injuries, but she was not transported to a hospital,” Flagg said. According to Flagg, the female reported the assault later in the day. Jones was issued one summons for domestic violence assault and another for criminal mischief.

Wreck center

A 1997 Toyota truck left in the Student Recreation and Fitness Center parking lot was vandalized at some point between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Feb. 18. “It looks like somebody took an instrument and scratched it” along the driver’s side door, according to Flagg. The damage is estimated at $100.

Purloined parking pass

A theft that occurred during the first week of the 2010 fall semester was reported to UMPD at 9:07 a.m. Feb. 18. According to Flagg, a commuter parking pass was stolen from an unlocked car in the Collins Center for the Arts parking lot in August. The owner of the pass assumed it was lost and replaced it; however, $75 in parking tickets associated with the pass were noticed on Feb. 18. According to Flagg, the person in possession of the pass is now studying abroad and was not aware it was stolen property. Flagg said a deal has been suggested whereby the person in possession of the pass will pay for the parking tickets but will not face charges for the theft.

Weed racer

An officer on patrol in the south area of campus saw an unconscious male individual in the driver’s seat of a parked vehicle at 1:43 a.m. Feb. 20. According to Flagg, the officer detected the smell of marijuana coming from the vehicle and roused the male in order to check on him. Four other individuals were in the car. Three of the vehicle’s occupants were UMaine students and were referred to Judicial Affairs. The other two individuals were not students. The male in the driver’s seat, Ryan Bolduc, 21, of Waterville, was not a student; he took responsibility for the drugs and was issued a summons for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Canna-bec Hall

UMPD received a report of the smell of marijuana on the fourth floor of Kennebec Hall at 9:03 p.m. Feb. 20. An officer was able to determine which room the smell was coming from and spoke with the resident, who was cooperative. Jeremy Hyde, 20, turned over marijuana, a marijuana pipe and a grinder to the officer. Hyde was issued a summons for possession of a useable amount of marijuana and was referred to Judicial Affairs.

Frothy fracas

An officer on patrol on College Avenue was accosted by an intoxicated male at 11:42 p.m. Feb. 18. The male, who was walking along the road as part of a large group, began to yell at the officer, who was driving a UMPD cruiser. The officer pulled over to speak with the male, who continued to yell and act in a disorderly manner. Husson University student Craig Anton, 18, was issued a summons for possession of alcohol by a minor after the officer seized three cans of Natural Ice beer from him.

Brash hash

An officer on foot patrol in Androscoggin Hall smelled marijuana coming from a room on the first floor at 10:08 p.m. Feb. 20. The officer attempted to speak with a male resident of the room, who was uncooperative. The student was referred to Judicial Affairs.

Faux bro

A 27-year-old man attempting to pass himself off as an alumnus and brother was removed from the Sigma Nu fraternity house at 7:14 p.m. Feb. 20. According to Flagg, the man was not a brother of Sigma Nu and it was not immediately apparent if he was a UMaine alumnus. He cooperated with the officers and was issued a written criminal trespass warrant.

Snow skirmish

UMPD received a report of people throwing snowballs at passing cars on College Avenue at 10:37 p.m. Feb. 18; however, officers were unable to locate the individuals.

Following Tuesday evening’s meeting of General Student Senate at the University of Maine, there are few others looking out for No. 1 more right now than Student Body President Nelson Carson.

With what is sure to become an excuse to rival the Twinkie defense, Carson presented himself before his fellow collegiate politicians to defend a horrendous shortcoming on his part in regard to the absence of content — the crux of his promised website for the organization.

Allegiances have been severed, student funds have been squandered and progression has been derailed all because someone who committed to the highest standard of leadership couldn’t work up the effort to perform the job he pledged to complete.

Luckily, Ryan Gavin, a former senator, is building the website and has no plans to run away with over $900, which he could contractually do.

When you hold the title of president, oversights like this are just plain intolerable. If Carson were paying a professional a market rate, students could have tossed over $4,000 into a black hole of incompetence.

On the senate floor Tuesday night, Carson referenced The Maine Campus numerous times, even saying we were “angry” with him.

We’re not angry — we report news.

The headlines could not be clearer. They are impossible to sensationalize. Content is needed for any website to launch.

Prior to yesterday, Carson didn’t communicate to Gavin or any senators any sort of coherent plan to fully launch the website, contradicting his intentions for the site’s launch prior to the meeting and on the senate floor.

The full launch of the website, expected Tuesday afternoon, has been moved back to March 15 per Carson’s orders. When senators questioned him critically, he further contradicted himself in roundabout answers to simple, pointed questions.

To make matters worse, he even brought up the availability of an impeachment trial on multiple occasions, effectively showing the senate and the student body that he is incapable of shouldering leadership under fire.

The president is known campus-wide as a congenial man genuinely concerned about student input. Yet, on the senate floor, he also referenced the fact that he didn’t want to ask “his friends” to do work he didn’t mind doing himself.

His sensitivity and desire to be liked are reminiscent of the tragic Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s award-winning play “Death of a Salesman.”

The play revolves around the last days in the life of Loman, a man obsessed with greatness and doomed by his bizarre belief that greatness comes from being popular.

Loman’s demise was exacerbated by these beliefs. We predict the same for Carson in office.

Using terms like “my friends” can only go so far in office if not backed up by concrete action. We haven’t seen any such thing from Carson.