Less than one year after signing a two-year contract extension, Blodgett was bought out of the final year of her deal for another year’s salary, $109,772.  Money to fund that buyout came from private sources, with no tuition or taxpayer funds used, according to a university press release.

Blodgett, a Clinton native and star in her playing days in the late 1990s at UMaine , said UMaine Athletic Director Steve Abbott asked for her resignation in a meeting last Friday.

“Perhaps I was naive in my thought process that the program I helped build as a player would be willing to commit to me,” Blodgett said Thursday at Paddy Murphy’s, a downtown Bangor pub. “We will not be able to see our first recruited class graduate.”

In an article published today in The Maine Campus, Abbott cited Blodgett’s four-year coaching record of 24-94 as the reason for her firing.

“We all liked and respected her, but as an administrator it’s not my job to make decisions based on those factors rather on what’s best for UMaine. I know it’s disappointing for [the team] and I’m sympathetic, but when it came down to it, she didn’t perform,” Abbott said.

According to Blodgett, she was told by Abbott that there was “a divide” in her locker room. When players rallied behind her, she said he changed his reasoning.

“At 9:10 [a.m.] Friday morning, Steve Abbott asked for my resignation,” Blodgett retorted. “No one spoke to me about wins and losses.”

She said she refused to step down and did not receive communication from any member of UMaine’s administration until her firing Monday afternoon.

When asked if she was fired without case, she said, “Yes, I was.”

As reported in The Maine Campus, Blodgett has hired an attorney, Tom Nale of Waterville, who said she has no plans to sue the university. But, on Thursday, she declined to answer up or down on that subject when asked by a reporter.

“That’s not to discuss at this time,” she said.

Blodgett excelled in her playing days as a Black Bear, scoring 3,005 points and still holds 20 UMaine records. She played professionally in the WNBA and overseas, and was an assistant coach at Brown University and Boston University before getting the UMaine job in 2007.

Former UMaine Athletic Director Blake James, arranged the majority of a two-year contract extension in September 2010, just before Abbott took over the job full-time.

“In retrospect, [the extension] was unfortunate,” Abbott said Wednesday. “I know Blake had high hopes as did I. We were both optimistic.”

Blodgett’s team went 4-25 this season, the worst in the program’s history.

“I’m sure the record is something you’ve all written about,” Blodgett said to the media in attendance. “But what I can assure is that none of you have built a program.”

The senate’s decision took effect immediately. UMSG Vice President Anthony Ortiz will assume the presidency and a new vice president will be appointed by the senate at the body’s next weekly meeting on April 5.

Sen. Peter Christopher presided over the trial, which began with opening statements from prosecution and defense. Witnesses were called on behalf of the prosecution and were cross-examined by the defense. Both sides then delivered closing statements.

During opening statements, Sen. Sam Helmke, who served as lead prosecutor, outlined the circumstances under which the General Student Senate may remove the president. Helmke said Carson had failed to communicate and fulfill his own goals.

“President Carson, I believe, knows during his term in office thus far he has not met the requirements of his job description and his leadership has been inadequate,” Helmke said. “It is solely his responsibility, and again he has mismanaged this great responsibility.”

UMaine alumnus Andrew Johnson spoke on Carson’s behalf. Johnson said accusations against Carson were “vague” and “paradoxically absurd,” urging senators to protect a “vocal and public advocate of the University of Maine Student Government.”

Johnson said although the primary complaint against Carson was the failed website contract, the fault laid with website developer Ryan Gavin, to whom Student Government has paid almost $1,000 to date.

“Mr. Gavin’s failures being projected as faults of Carson’s administration is laughable if it weren’t so real,” Johnson said.

Johnson also argued that Gavin had lead a “smear campaign” against Caron’s administration.

“This campaign has involved his numerous radio shows, his personal website, newspaper editorials and back-door conservations with active members of Student Government,” he said.

Johnson described what he felt was a public campaign launched to discredit Carson’s presidency. He quoted a Feb. 24 editorial in The Maine Campus that compared Carson to Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman,” believing such comparisons “are good prep for a literature paper,” but “references to him being nice or friendly are not faults, but proof of the de facto hostile environment that has aligned itself against him.”

Johnson encouraged senators not to believe the accusations, saying, “You’re going to recognize in President Carson someone who gets the job done despite distractions.”

Three members of Carson’s cabinet —Vice President Ortiz, Vice President of Student Entertainment Joseph Nabozny and Vice President of Student Organizations Hannah Hudson — took the stand to say Carson should be removed from office. They all cited experiences when Carson missed executive meetings, failed to attend office hours and acted in a way unbecoming of a president, leading them to say he lacked leadership qualities.

Ortiz said Carson attended only half of his office hours and said he witnessed Carson get in “screaming matches” with Gavin. Ortiz characterized the behavior as “unprofessional.”

Hudson said Carson failed to inform her about executive meetings. She characterized the two meetings she had with him as “unprofessional,” adding she did not believe he could fulfill his duties if allowed to continue as president.

Nabozny said Carson failed to hold cabinet meetings. He agreed the president had not “served effectively and competently” during his time in office and said he warned Carson before spring break that he could face impeachment if he failed meet his goals.

“We all know Nelson is a great person — no one’s questioning that,” Nabozny said. “In my opinion, in the three [presidents] that I have personally seen, by far the worst example of leadership we have seen has been President Carson.”

Nabozny said Carson articulated his goals well but was unable to achieve them.

“It’s easy to come up with ideas and aspirations but to follow up on them is where the hard part starts,” Nabozny said.

Director of External Affairs Jose Roman was also called to testify. Roman thought Carson was involved in work “way outside his job description” and failed to delegate duties. He said the public displays of UMSG problems “centered” around Carson were “embarrassing.”

Roman and members of the executive cabinet were not allowed to vote.

Taking the stand, Carson said he didn’t believe an impeachment trial was the correct route to settle disputes he felt could be addressed in private, saying he felt “blindsided” by the accusations.

“It’s your job to back me up or take my ideas and run with them. Not a single one of you has run with them. My failure is forcing you guys with taking my ideas and passing or failing them,” Carson said.

Responding to Helmke’s question regarding office hours, Carson elaborated that his office hours were listed as “any time I was awake and out of class.”

Carson acknowledged claims that he had missed executive meetings and office hours, though he disagreed that strictly abiding by them was necessary. He explained he was often meeting with administration or engaging students on how to improve campus life.

“I reach out and go have lunch with students or see what clubs on campus are doing,” Carson said. “That’s what I feel the president should be doing — not sitting down and filling out X, Y and Z and then washing my hands of the job afterwards.”

Responding to Carson’s comment that he had never received a message from a student after missing office hours, Helmke asked, “So you’re trying to tell me the voicemail or pad of paper is an effective method of communication? The students are paying you with their money and you find it acceptable to take that money and leave a notepad?”

Carson said he didn’t.

Helmke asked whether the failure to abide by the terms of the website contract constituted a breach in a direct order from GSS. While Carson acknowledged the site remained incomplete, he claimed Gavin should share the blame.

“Where does my responsibility lie?” Carson asked. “Do I have to be on his doorstep to ensure that this gets done? Do I have to walk him through the process? I paid him $1,000 because I am a president that has other things to do.”

Carson said he felt “misunderstood” and accepted that he communicated poorly with his senators during his time as president.

“The biggest failure I think I have made is not creating an atmosphere for you guys to come in and talk to me. Students will come in and talk to me. I can talk to faculty and the administration. But for the 35 senators — that’s where I need to work on,” he said.
Carson said he knew it was impossible for him to fulfill his goals alone and asked senators to move ahead with him.

The defense did not call any witnesses.

Helmke closed his arguments by saying all of the witnesses he had called testified, “Nelson has failed to lead the organization.”

“If you want progress, you need tangible results.” Helmke said. “A vote of guilty is a vote for progress and swift action. This body needs to show it has strength.”

Johnson claimed the prosecution’s arguments were based on “secondhand” information and failed to establish the burden of proof.

“A general sense of professionalism and leadership is exactly what Nelson has been showing in the past months and four years he’s been at the University of Maine campus,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that anyone here has demonstrated an adequate description of what leadership or professional is, or how Nelson has failed that.”

Johnson also read a statement from Carson.

“‘No accusations made against me are strong enough to require my removal,’” Johnson read. “‘Pressing the “next button” to get someone new in my position will only slow us down further and will create a new strong man to attack.’”

Before the trial moved into executive session, Sen. Alex Ortiz moved to suspend the standing rules to allow UMSG faculty representative EJ Roach to witness the deliberation.  Afterward all non-senators, including GSS executives, were excluded from debate.

During deliberation several students criticized the senate.

“One of their essential points was that [Carson] was being unprofessional, and I couldn’t believe they were texting and signaling across the table,” Alex Clark said.

The trial then reopened to the public to hear the verdict.

During the senate’s regularly scheduled meeting before the trial, Gavin rose to read a text message he received from Carson earlier in the day.

“‘I would like you to be around tonight to be witness to these accusations you have made against me if you are man enough to defend yourself in public,’” Gavin read. “Well, I’m here and I’m not going to testify.”

Carson did not deny he sent the message.

In a statement after the meeting, Carson said he felt he had been “robbed” from office.

“I wasn’t able to make any changes that I was told needed to be made and I wasn’t told about these changes until now,” Carson said. “They’re happy, they’re all on the same page now. Hopefully they can move forward as an organization. My plans are still to work, to follow through with the goals I want to create. I didn’t need this position to voice for the students.

“Unfortunately I can’t do it with the backing of the student senate, but I can do it with the backing of the student body,” Carson said.

Helmke said he was saddened with the proceedings.

“I was there when we wrote our new standing rules and I never thought we’d have to use this mechanism, but obviously the vote reflects tonight that it was necessary,” he said.

Helmke noted that Carson wasn’t the only obstacle hindering UMSG, saying “everyone has room for improvement.”

“With new leadership, we hold a better shot at moving forward than what we had with President Carson,” he said.

GSS also granted allocations during its regular meeting before the trial.

The Muslim Student Association was allocated $3,000 to bring two speakers to campus for its Islamic Awareness Week from April 8-23.

$1,731 was allocated to the Animation Club to attend an anime convention in Boston. The funding will cover lodging and travel.

$1,340 was funded to the Cycling Club for an upcoming bike race in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. $520 will be spent on lodging and $820 will cover race fees.

The International Students Association was funded $1,350 for the International Graduation Dinner to be held April 30 in the Buchanan Alumni House.

The UMaine Equestrian team was allocated $135.01 for its regional tournament at Dartmouth College.

The Formula Society for Automotive Engineers and the Photography Club received final recognition.

Maine’s hypothetical education revamp — which is still not close to full development — has been described by many in state government as a fifth year of high school when college credits and associate degrees could be earned locally while still outside of the traditional college environment.

According to Commissioner of Education Stephen Bowen, he and the LePage administration are “talking in broad terms about it and getting a sense of what is out there,” while making sure they can execute the program nearly cost-neutrally due to state budget constraints.

In his February biennial budget proposal, LePage suggested higher education not receive any more or less funding than in the previous biennium.

In an October 2010 blog post on mainefreedomforum.com, Bowen, then an employee of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative think tank, proposed cutting remedial college courses, cutting non-instructional costs in higher education and redirecting resources spent on classes taken in high schools during senior year to fund the hypothetical program.

“It’s not about adding another year [to high school], but it is about providing opportunities for kids to access college courses in some way or other while they are still in high school,” Bowen said in an interview earlier in March.

Preliminary plans are built around LePage’s penchant for supporting technical education, something he has touted since the 2010 Republican primary.

In a November 2010 article in The Maine Campus, when LePage was the governor-elect, he said Maine’s K-12 education system does not focus enough on encouraging students to enter two-year vocational programs.

“No matter what happens in education in this state, not every student is bound for college,” LePage said then. “There’s got to be room for plumbers, electricians, designers, architects. These are all jobs we can build for the future, but our high school system doesn’t go down that path.”

Maine already has a number of programs in the university and community college systems that provide college credit and experience to high schoolers.

One such program, “Early College for ME” — perhaps the most logical program to combine with LePage’s technical education-heavy agenda — is run through the Maine Community College System.

The program’s director, Charles Collins, said last week that his program annually impacts from 1,400 to 1,500 students in their last two years of high school and first two years of college. He said 750 new high school juniors from 69 Maine high schools and five centers of technical educations are targeted each year. Schools nominate their own students.

Through counseling, support and other services, students in the program’s first two years are helped to make a decision on higher education based on their goals, he said.

When students choose the path they want to follow after high school, the program offers two-year scholarships worth up to $2,000 to pay for classes, books and other academic necessities.

“I think the work we’re already doing does some good,” Collins said. “I haven’t heard enough or seen enough out of the governor’s plans … to know what it is they want to see.”

Early College for ME, he said, “was never designed to get somebody a degree during high school,” as some in LePage’s camp have suggested.

“What we have done is engaged students who are not on a path to college to start thinking about it,” Collins said. “A full degree within a year of high school is a tall order.”

Early College for ME, he said, cannot expand past the schools already on board with the program due to staffing constraints. The program employs the equivalent of 11 full-time staffers — some of whom must visit schools statewide and deliver services “on the ground.”

Collins said nobody in the LePage administration has indicated that they would like to use his program as a springboard, but he would be willing to discuss it.

“Certainly, if someone sees this as a gateway or entryway into something bigger, then, yeah, absolutely, we’ll sit down and talk,” he said.

The University of Maine System features two major programs that offer college opportunities for younger students — web-based Academ-e and the oldest program, the classroom-based Maine High School Aspirations Incentive Program.

According to Ashley Burns, a graduate assistant and coordinator of Academ-e, which is based at UMaine, the program serves roughly 300 students per academic year. Burns said she has not heard of any developments in Augusta that would affect her program for better or worse.

All public high school students in Maine are eligible for nomination by guidance counselors and must have at least a “B” average to qualify for different slates of online course offerings. These courses are run simultaneously with regular college courses but with special sections for Academ-e students.

The Maine High School Aspirations Incentive Program, established in the 1980s by the university system and the Maine Department of Education, utilizes $280,000 a year in state funding to allow students, for reduced rates, to take courses at any of Maine’s community college and university campuses, including courses at distance-learning centers.

To qualify, students must be at least 16 years of age, a high school junior or senior and a Maine resident with at least a “B” grade point average and meet all course prerequisites, among other small requirements.

Under the program, the university system waives half the tuition for up to six credits per semester as the Department of Education will incur half the cost for no more than three credits per semester.

An email request for comment from LePage’s office was not returned for this story.

Amy Fried, an associate professor of political science at UMaine, said LePage’s focus on technical education has been striking compared to previous governors but that the plan is convoluted due to a lack of specificity at this time.

“If it is another year that is going to apply to college, I just am not sure how they implement that,” Fried said. “Why would they be considered to be in high school at the same time at that point rather than just being a college student? If they’re ready to go to college, they can go to college.”

Though skeptical of released plans, Collins praised LePage’s technical focus and said Maine’s higher education system has been using an outdated model from a time when agriculture and manufacturing dominated the state’s economy — a time when college wasn’t socially perceived as necessary for a better life.

“We haven’t really looked at bridging the need for higher ed. to accept a widening group of students who may not be as academically prepared as students 20 years ago were. They weren’t expected to go college [back then],” Collins said. “They were going to go out into other options. Those options aren’t there anymore.”

Reached for comment last week, University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude praised LePage for his “focus” on higher education. He also said that the governor’s focus on vocational programs was “interesting.”

“I think it is important to support all of the vocational, community college, university continuum,” Pattenaude said. “I think baccalaureate education provides the most value added for students, but for the student who isn’t interested in that, it’s useful and important to have a quality technical program.”

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in a two-part series about the relationship between the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the new Republican leadership in Augusta; Part 1 appeared in the March 24 edition of The Maine Campus.

Janet Waldron, vice president for Administration and Finance, said in a public discussion in the Wells Conference Center on March 29 that students can expect to see a 4.5 percent tuition increase in 2012 if the preliminary biennial budget is approved.

“We will be going ahead with a 4.5 percent tuition increase request,” Waldron said, adding that the proposed flat appropriation level “is a real testimony to all the hard work” by both system officials and legislators in reaching a compromise.

University of Maine System Chancellor Robert Pattenaude, in an address before the Maine state Legislature on March 30, commended moves by lawmakers and higher education officials that helped lower tuition increases.

“This year we have the smallest tuition increase in eight years,” Pattenaude said. “Affordable tuition is a key to student retention and graduation.”

In 2009 tuition increased by 9.6 percent, the culmination of a sharp upward spike in rates that began in 2004. Waldron said lower university enrollment rates during this time — down 4.1 percent over the same five-year period — were a major contributing factor to the hikes in tuition, but this trend could be coming to an end.

Waldron traced the downward trend in enrollment rates to lower high school graduation numbers across the Northeast.

“It appears we are tracking the high school demographics in the state,” she said, adding that the other New England land-grant institutions are “struggling in the same way we are with declining high school graduation rates.”

She referenced a map of the United States compiled by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education showing the projected drop in high school graduation rates from 2009-2010 to 2019-2020 nationwide. According to these statistics, Maine is facing the smallest drop at 8 percent, while Vermont could see up to 23 percent fewer high school graduates by the end of the decade.

In terms of UMaine enrollment, Waldron said these numbers could lead to 756 fewer full-time students by 2016 compared to fall of 2008. By the start of fiscal year 2012, lower enrollment rates will have amounted to losses of more than $3 million.

UMaine saw 354 fewer full-time students from 2008-10 and it is projected 2012 will see an additional 206 cut from Black Bear ranks for a total loss of 561.

“The positive news is that we are about two-thirds of the way to where we could possibly level off,” Waldron said.

Among the various campuses within the University of Maine System, UMaine carries the highest tuition. The closest campus in terms of price for in-state students is Farmington, coming in at $1,350 less than Orono in 2011.

Out-of-state students seeking a bargain would do better to look to Augusta or Presque Isle, priced in 2011 at $9,167 and $9,172 respectively.

Waldron said the higher tuition rates are “certainly for good reason because of all that we have here at the institution and [UMaine] being the land-grant research institution.”

Despite this drop in student enrollment, Waldron said the outlook for fiscal year 2012 is better than expected due to LePage’s proposed biennial budget that holds state appropriations at their current level.

Originally, the university faced a projected $8.3 million budget gap which has since been readjusted to $6 million when factoring in the biennial proposal. In order to cover this gap, the university is seeking to reallocate funds from several areas.

Several employee positions will also be either lost or reclassified in a move designed to save on expenditures. Only two employees will be laid off — one classified and one professional.

With those moves, UMaine will cut an equivalent of 22.14 full-time employee positions. Conversely, seven faculty, one professional and one classified position will be created, for a total of nine new full-time equivalent employees.

The lecture, titled “Everything Is Connected: Environment, Economy, Foreign Policy, Sustainability, Human Rights and Leadership in the 21st Century,” was attended by more than 200 people.

Watt-Cloutier is one of the leading voices in the battle to stem climate change. Born in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, in northern Quebec, her perspective as an Inuk presented a view of climate change with a vantage point from the top of the world.

For the first 10 years of her life, she traveled primarily by dogsled and was raised in the Inuit tradition, which she said gave her a grounded view of climate change.

Comprised of just 160,000 people and with a way of life that heavily depends on the environment, the Inuit view climate change differently than most, she said.

Advocating for the Inuk, Watt-Cloutier and 62 others were the first group ever to take legal action on the grounds of climate change when they alleged unchecked greenhouse emissions from the United States were a violation of their human rights.

“Together we showed the human face to the problem — a problem most people understood as only scientific,” she said.

“We wanted to ensure that [the lecture] also included the impact on human health,” she said.

The idea that climate change is more than a scientific problem was the central theme of the lecture.

Watt-Cloutier pointed out the physical toll climate change has had on the Inuit people, including communities that are falling into the sea, ice declines from glaciers that once supplied drinking water and frozen seas appearing later each year.

“They used to laugh that one benefit of climate change was it allowed them to boat in October,” Watt-Cloutier said.

She said by Christmas last year, there was no ice in the bay near her village and traditional dogsledding races had to be replaced with canoe races.

“It isn’t funny now,” she said.

Watt-Cloutier added that Inuit culture and history is directly tied to the ice and snow. Now, with warming temperatures, the loss of sea ice is forcing native peoples to forego their traditional way of life.

“Climate change is about our right and our ability to remain a hunting people,” she said. “Everything is connected, and if we can understand that connection, no matter where we are in the world, we can start moving forward.”

Watt-Cloutier affirmed that environmental struggles are nothing new for the Inuit people. In the 1980s, they faced grave health impacts when chemicals such as DDT were still in prevalent use.

“We were poisoned from afar,” she said. “In the meantime, the [chlorofluorocarbons] had weakened the ozone layer around the world and particularly in the Arctic.”

The stronger ultraviolet rays that resulted and the effects of the chemicals were harmful to the Inuit people, according to Watt-Cloutier. The chemicals affected nursing mothers and children most.

“When Inuk women in the ‘80s had to think twice about nursing their children, that’s when it was very personal,” she said.

Watt-Cloutier also cited the economic impacts of climate change, saying that financial costs have become a main part of the issue that can hit hard when a culture is at stake.

“The cost of inaction is what is going to create even more trouble,” she said. “What they were saying was, ‘Well, it costs too much money to stop harming your way of life.’”

Even with the disheartening picture painted at the lecture, Watt-Cloutier said she remains positive about her role in the pursuit for change. Recognizing the link between climate change and human rights will help to push the issue forward, and she plans to do her part to help move it in that direction.

“One audience at a time, one class at a time, and I’ll just carry on,” she said.

The one thing she urged audience members to take away was the human impact climate change has, and to remember not just satellite photos of the atmosphere but to also consider “those of us on the ground.”

“When you hear about climate change, it is not just about the ice and snow and polar bears. It is about communities,” Watt-Cloutier said. “We have to bring the human face, the human dimension, to this issue.”

A Con-Way Freight 2011 truck making a delivery to Fogler Library March 28 backed into a parked 2001 Dodge SUV in the parking lot between the library and Holmes Hall at 1:29 p.m. The Con-Way truck was not damaged and the damage to the Dodge is estimated at $600.

Burgled Benjamin

At some point between 12 p.m. March 21 and 6 p.m. March 23, a sum of money less than $100 was stolen from a backpack left in a women’s locker room in the Memorial Gym.

Hot-knoxing

The University of Maine Police Department received a report of five individuals smoking marijuana in a car parked in the Knox Hall lot at 2:16 a.m. March 25. All five admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking. Officers seized a pipe filled with marijuana. Justin Briggs, 20, was issued a summons for possession of a useable amount of marijuana and was referred to Judicial Affairs. Of the four others in the vehicle, one male and two females were referred to Judicial Affairs. According to Sgt. Bob Norman, no action was taken against the fifth individual, who was a male.

Changing courts

Officers on patrol at 12:41 a.m. March 25 noticed two males smoking marijuana in a car parked in the tennis court lot by the Student Recreation and Fitness Center. Officers seized a pipe filled with marijuana. Benjamin Jerome, 18, was issued a summons for possession of a useable amount of marijuana and was referred to Judicial Affairs. The other male, 18, was not a UMaine student and was asked to leave campus.

Maryanna or Maryjane?

Officers on patrol in Knox Hall at 9:04 p.m. March 26 detected the smell of marijuana coming from a fourth-floor room. Maryanna Hatch, 19, was issued a summons for possession of a useable amount of marijuana and referred to Judicial Affairs after officers confiscated 1.4 grams of marijuana.

Failed fraud

UMPD received a report of attempted fraud at 6:53 p.m. March 24. A UMaine student believes someone attempted to steal funds from a bank account at some point on March 23 after obtaining a debit card number. According to Norman, the student is not aware of any loss; therefore, this case is being handled by the bank rather than by UMPD.

Han-chock full

UMPD received a report of underage drinking on the first floor of Hancock Hall at 11:19 p.m. March 26. When officers arrived, they found seven people and evidence of a party, such as open alcohol containers and alcohol in a mini-fridge, in the room. One female and five males were referred to Judicial Affairs for underage drinking. No action was taken against the seventh individual.

Dope date

UMPD received a report of the smell of marijuana coming from a second-floor room in Hancock Hall at 11:18 p.m. March 24. Officers located a male and a female who both admitted to smoking off campus. They were referred to Judicial Affairs.

Alcohol by volume

Two male individuals were referred to Judicial Affairs March 26 when officers responded to a noise complaint on the second floor of Knox Hall at 9:47 p.m. After entering the room, officers saw alcohol containers. Neither individual had been drinking, but both were referred for possession of alcohol by a minor.

Littering? Lame.

Officers on patrol noticed broken glass and smashed furniture on the ground outside Hart Hall at 6:15 a.m. March 27. They located the two male individuals responsible for the littering, which had happened earlier in the morning. Both individuals were referred to Judicial Affairs.

“President Kennedy talked to me about the importance of having stability in the athletic department as we bring in a new president,” Abbott said. “I love being here. It’s a great job and a great campus. It’s the place I grew up and have a tremendous affection towards the university.”

An Orono native, Abbott has strong ties with UMaine as his father, Walt Abbott, was a former professor and UMaine football coach.

“The greatest part about working in college athletics is being a part of the UMaine community,” Abbott said. “I’m somebody who grew up in Orono. I’ve been a Black Bear fan literally my entire life and now to have the opportunity to contribute and do what I can for the success of the programs is a real honor and an opportunity I’m very grateful to have.”

The appointment goes into effect on June 1, 2011.

Abbott didn’t waste any time making changes, terminating women’s basketball coach Cindy Blodgett one day after obtaining his appointment.

In addition, Abbott has his eyes set on three major renovation projects: the installation of a new chilling system and other work to Alfond Arena, renovations to the Field House and renovations to the Memorial Gym, specifically the Pit.

“Those are critically important projects that will greatly benefit our teams and greatly benefit our students and fans,” Abbott said. “I really want to keep those going and try to push those forward as much as possible.”

The Alfond renovations are scheduled to begin as soon as graduation ceremonies are done.

“We look to complete it in time to play hockey there this fall,” Abbott said. “It’s critical to not lose home ice for any of our games. This is going to be a challenge. It’s a major renovation when you look at putting in a new chilling system. It’s a big project.”

The two-year term was determined by Abbott and President Kennedy as an adequate amount of time to get the projects fully underway, Abbott said.

“Talking with President Kennedy, [the two-year appointment] worked really well for me,” Abbott said. “I’m so determined to push those projects, and in that time frame I feel I would have the time to make a real contribution. That would give me three years and give me the opportunity to do some things to help stabilize the program and move us forward.”

The play, directed by Producing Artistic Director Scott R.C. Levy, was adapted for the stage in 1990 and opened at the Bangor Opera House on March 30.

Set in Alabama during three years of the great depression, “To Kill A Mockingbird” follows the memories of young narrator, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. Scout reflects on growing up with her father, Atticus, brother, Jem and friend Dill experiencing racial controversies and consequences among other important life lessons.

“Over the last few years, I’ve been producing pieces that explore racial issues,” Levy said, referencing last year’s production of “Spunk,” a series of vignettes by Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston. “I’ve been very interested in producing theatre that could be considered an American masterpiece. I think [“To Kill A Mockingbird”] is an American masterpiece.”

“This play is not only multi-racial, but also multi-generational,” Levy said.

He said each character’s role in the 19-member cast is equally important, despite a broad range in age. He said the generation gap gives younger actors an opportunity to interact with experienced adults, helping them learn the ins and outs of the theater world.

The show calls for three children’s roles, which are shared among five young actors. Nick Danby, 13, performs as Jem Finch, Scout’s older brother, while Ali Cottrell, 10, and Brooke Jones, 9, take turns playing Scout. Nathan Manaker, 10, and Noam Osher share the part of Scout’s best friend, Dill.

Penobscot Theatre brought in talent from New York and Washington, D.C., to play the parts of Atticus, Calpurnia and Tom Robinson, but local actors make their mark as well. Alice Philbrick, a sophomore at the University of Maine, appears in the show along with Marcia Douglas of the UMaine theater department.

Levy said both those who know the story and others who have yet to enjoy it would appreciate the play.

“I hope people who are familiar with the book have an opportunity to see these wonderful characters and wonderful story live in color,” he said. The 1962 film is in black and white. “I hope to introduce a new generation of audience to the power of theater and the power of adaptation.”

Tickets for “To Kill A Mockingbird” are available at the box office by calling 942-3333, or online at penobscottheatre.org. The show runs through April 17.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” and coinciding with Penobscot Theatre’s production, UMaine will host special guest Mary Murphy as she screens her documentary, “Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’” Murphy, a producer at CBS news for 20 years and winner of six Emmy Awards, presents her film as a part of the university’s Cultural Affairs / Distinguished Lecture Series.

Sponsored by the UMaine Humanities Initiative, the screening, followed by a discussion, is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12 at 12:30 p.m. in Room 100 of Nutting Hall.

Numerous wars of words over the body’s still-unfinished website and opinions of the former president’s general efficacy and effort have played out in General Student Senate and this newspaper.

Carson, in his testimony before lead prosecutor Sen. Sam Helmke, was right on one thing Tuesday — the president was not the only issue with Student Government. He has not seen the support of senators, but for various reasons mostly of his own making.

The former president’s defense counsel, Andrew Johnson, derided the prosecution’s arguments as utilizing “secondhand” sources.

But later, a firsthand source in the specter of Carson himself plainly said he has not communicated well with senators, did not go to many of his scheduled office hours and admitted sending at least one text message to embattled website developer Ryan Gavin, egging him on to testify at the trial if he was “man enough.”

Carson’s issues have been highly publicized. But, one story lost in the shuffle of headlines have been claims that Student Government will function better without Carson in office.

“With new leadership, we hold a better shot at moving forward than what we had with President Carson,” Helmke said after the trial.

During the trial, there was a noticeable over-awareness of The Maine Campus’ coverage of Student Government events on Johnson’s end. He read from an editorial and numerous article titles, criticizing our characterization of Carson as part of a “smear campaign” coordinated by Gavin that also involved WMEB, the University of Maine’s radio station.

Someone truly presidential should not be as concerned with media portrayals as they are with progress.

If they were, most leaders would be on the brink of insanity, holed up in executive estates buried in pages of newsprint, bombarded by search results. If editorials are truly wrong, as many are, results would show regardless.

But results were not seen during Carson’s short presidency. Now, it is time to move forward, which is the body’s largest concern at this point.

A lack of progress within the body from here on out would be a more devastating blow than any impeachment trial. If there is inaction to lead among senators, it could confirm, as Carson has said before, a senate “witch hunt” for Carson’s office.

We implore Student Body President Anthony Ortiz and his successor to the vice presidency to represent students the way Carson should have — with prompt attendance at office hours, the concise outlining and execution of plans and oven avenues of communication with senators.

The impeachment of a president is never a positive experience. If this body is to move on, Ortiz’s leadership must be reliable.

Proactive resolutions, with genuine consequences for students, must be passed. Mere attendance at meetings to give money to clubs does not constitute true representation.

On Tuesday, one day after being named the UMaine athletic director on a two-year contract, Steve Abbott made a splash on his first decision and let go the women’s basketball coach.

“We all respected and appreciated Cindy,” Abbott said. “She’s our program’s greatest player and has contributions to the UMaine women’s basketball program. But, ultimately, you have to look at performance.”

Blodgett, who excelled in her playing days as a Black Bear, scoring 3,005 points and still holding 20 UMaine records, couldn’t translate that success as a coach, going 24-94 in four years.

Former UMaine Athletic Director Blake James, arranged the majority of a two-year contract extension in September 2010, just before Abbott took over the job full-time.

“In retrospect, [the extension] was unfortunate,” Abbott said. “I know Blake had high hopes as did I. We were both optimistic.”

Unable to improve on a subpar 2009-2010 season where the Black Bears went 8-21, UMaine finished this season 4-25, the worst in the program’s history.

Blodgett declined to comment, as she expects to hold a press conference on Thursday at Paddy Murphy’s, a downtown Bangor pub, at 2 p.m.. Blodgett reportedly has hired an attorney, Tom Nale of Waterville, but has no plans to sue the university.

“She’s making a statement [Thursday] at 2 o’clock in the Bangor area,” Nale said. “I negotiated her WNBA contract a few years ago. She called and asked if I would assist her in working through this issue with the University, which I feel we’ve done and she’s going to make a statement [Thursday] afternoon.”

Blodgett will receive a year’s salary, $109,772, as a part of the termination agreement.

The remaining members of the women’s basketball team were upset with the decision and Abbott said he talked with a few of them.

“I talked to a number of the women’s basketball players and they all worked very hard under Cindy,” Abbott said. “We all liked and respected her, but as an administrator it’s not my job to make decisions based on those factors rather on what’s best for UMaine. I know it’s disappointing for them and I’m sympathetic, but when it came down to it, she didn’t perform.”

Abbott said a national search will begin immediately.