University of Maine student athletes helped staff the day of workshops designed to help students learn cooperation skills.

Maine Campus photographer Paul Perkins also attended and spoke with some students about how they feel Martin Luther King Jr.’s message affects them.

If that’s the case, the Intensive English Institute’s Conversation Partner Program is an opportunity not to be missed.

The program, which has been active at the University of Maine since the 1980s, helps foreign students strengthen their English skills by pairing them with an English-speaking student or other member of the community.

“When [international students] come here, they get a paper that asks them if they would like a conversation partner and, if so, which day works for them and which time works for them,” said Megan Webster, an English as a Second Language teacher at the IEI.

“What happens is initially, they’ll pick a time and day to meet up, and after their first meeting, often it turns into much more than just an hour a day,” Webster said.

Webster started at the IEI as a conversation partner and she assures the program is culturally enriching and eye-opening.

“It’s an amazing experience,” she said. “You’re constantly learning about their culture and it opens your world up and sort of adds that stimulation into your everyday life. Often, there become connections where it’s not just structured and regimented. It becomes [a friendship]. You have Saudi dinners, you go have coffee together.”

The program is an opportunity for foreign students to spend time with people from a country other than their own, which is often difficult for those coming to the United States for the first time.

“We have a big group of people from Saudi Arabia, and they come with their cousins and their brothers and their best friends,” Webster said. “Often, they don’t break out of their community of Saudis, so this gives them an opportunity to have that connection that is outside of going home and just speaking Arabic all the time and not learning too much about Maine culture and American culture.”

Ali Alsultan, a native of Saudi Arabia and a participant in the program, said he has greatly benefited from interaction with English speakers.

“The conversation partner helps us to speak and they correct something when I talk, like grammar or something,” Alsultan said.

Like many foreign students before him, Alsultan has formed new friendships thanks to the program.

“Last summer, my conversation partner liked [to] swim and play soccer,” he said. “Anytime, any day, he’ll text me or I’ll text him, ask him if he has free time, and we go out together.”

Lingxuan Do, a Chinese student, has also enjoyed learning about the English language and American culture through her conversation partner.

“I think this is a wonderful program because I already have a wonderful conversation partner,” Do said. “She is [an] old woman, but she is so interesting because she can tell me the correct pronunciation of the word and she can teach me many [things] dealing with my life because she’s older than me and she has more experience than me.”

Do prefers learning English this way to sitting in a classroom and taking notes because of the more personal connection created in a casual conversation.

“I think it’s more helpful than learning English with a tutor,” Do said. “This program gives me a chance to talk with the different people, someone who is not from my country. We talk about the cultures, and I learn some American culture from her, so it’s great.”

Echoing the sentiments of the foreign students, Stacia Kingsbury, a conversation partner volunteer, sees the benefits of the program beyond helping somebody learn to speak English.

“Your first meeting, you’re just getting the basic [questions], like ‘Where are you from?’, ‘What’s your name?’, ‘What do you like?’, you know,” Kingsbury said. “As you progress, it’s like you’re building a friendship, really, and you’re getting to know about their culture and you’re sharing your culture with them.”

“It’s like you’re not only helping them with English. You’re helping them acclimate to this culture and you’re a friendly face that if they see on campus, they can feel safe and be like, ‘Hey, how do I do this, how do I get this done?’” Kingsbury said.

Webster attributes much of the program’s success to its informal nature, saying, “[The foreign students] can sit and talk in a casual way and work on fluency in communication without that intimidation of [real world situations]. It gives them that comfortable setting where they can ask, ‘Did I just say that right?’”

The program also does well because it is as enriching an experience for the volunteers as it is for the foreign students. The students learn a lot about American culture, but through the whole process, the volunteers also learn about the students’ culture.

“Being in Maine, it’s kind of like a mono-culture, but being around people of other cultures is really rewarding,” Kingsbury said.

It’s not often Americans have to explain their own set of regional customs, and Kingsbury says trying to share your culture with somebody else “makes you realize your own values,” as well as those of people from other countries.

“I think the Conversation Partner Program is not only just for speaking English, we also can be friends with each other,” Do said. “We all come from different countries, so we can exchange the cultural things.”

Those looking to volunteer as conversation partners can stop by 208A Hannibal Hamlin Hall Monday through Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m. or contact Megan Webster at megan.webster@umit.maine.edu for more information.

One second-year student has arrived at the Bangor International Airport. But he’s not boarding a commercial flight to spend Christmas with the family.

Tucked into the corner of the airport’s winding runways, between an expansive hangar and fences separating tarmac from street, there awaits a glimmering Cessna 172, a small four-seat aircraft that will soon be piloted by John White, 19, a chemical engineering student at UMaine, at the cool, unassuming height of 3,600 feet.

White has never been in a Cessna 172, and he certainly has never flown a plane before. That’s not uncommon in the University Flying Club.

The club has been a fixture at the UMaine for more than 40 years. It offers students a shot at hands-on flight training and an opportunity to earn a pilot’s license.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a plane,” White said, bundled in a puffy parka jacket while waiting in the lobby of BIA’s General Aviation Terminal. “I’m nervous. Oh yeah, definitely.”

Before long, Rick Eason, an electrical and computer engineering professor at UMaine and the flight club’s faculty advisor, lumbered through the door with two mid-sized bags weighing him down. 

Eason will be White’s instructor for the day, equipped with flight maps, manuals and other necessities required to provide White all he will need to know on his introductory flight.

A typical day with the flying club has begun.

Flying ‘ain’t cheap’

Eason has had his license for “around 30 years now” and is no stranger to the sky. He has recently undertaken an effort to increase the club’s profile and attract more members.

Not long ago, the club boasted around 45 members, according to Eason. But in recent years, the number has dwindled to 25, which Eason attributes to the recession, increased competition from other area flight clubs and even some former members who purchased their own aircrafts.

“We have two airplanes now,” Eason said. “We had only one for quite a while, but people were waiting on a list to get into the club. Our insurance only allows us up to 30 people on one plane. So we said, ‘Let’s get another plane.’

“The university doesn’t own [the plane], the club owns it,” he added. “We have to pay the costs – we have to cover the costs.

“Just the fuel itself, we get to burning around 35 or 40 bucks per hour in fuel,” Eason said. “Another big expense with airplanes is you put a new engine in them every once in a while. It’s extremely expensive to buy a new airplane, so people just keep the old airplanes in the sky.”

Eason estimated that overhauling an engine costs between $15,000 and $20,000. He also said there are routine maintenance and annual inspections that cost more than $1,000.

Currently, the club charges a $174 fee to join, which covers the first month’s dues, an owner’s manual, keys for the airplanes and other materials.

Additionally, members pay a $300 damage deposit, $25 in monthly dues and an hourly rate for every lesson, which varies depending on the aircraft a student flies.

“Again, it ain’t cheap,” Eason said.

In order to earn a pilot’s license through the flight club, the total cost is around $5,000, according to Eason. However, a student can take as long as he or she wants to obtain the license.

“It’s just like you own your own airplane. It’s not like a flight school. A flight club is managed a bit differently than a flight school,” Eason said. “Flight schools have a rigid curriculum. With a flight club, it’s up to the instructor to teach what needs to be taught. They can have their own curriculum and manage things how they want.”

This, according to Eason, affords a student a degree of flexibility in paying the necessary fees that lead to a pilot’s license. The club is also open to community members who do not attend UMaine.

Eason said all prospective students simply need to fill out an online application and then arrange to meet the club’s treasurer at the airport. After contacting an instructor, students receive their keys to plane and schedule a time slot online, then they’re ready to fly.

“In reality, you could be flying this afternoon, if the treasurer can meet you at the airport,” Eason said.

But before you take off, an hour-long ground school is mandatory. 

Learning to fly

“Does the plane measure fuel in gallons or pounds?” White asked Eason in a makeshift classroom at BIA during his ground school. “How do you read the map with it stretched out in the cockpit while you’re trying to fly?”

“It can be tricky. You want to have everything in front of you and within reach,” Eason replied. “It’s gallons, they measure in gallons.”

Eason continued his tutorial by pulling a die-cast toy plane from his bags. He also used his hands to mimic the maneuvers White would be practicing on his first flight. 

During the first day of ground school, a student gets an introduction to flight maps, cockpit controls and some of the trickier aspects of flying.

Eason explained the functions of an aircraft’s rudders, which help to keep the plane steady while other components work to steer: Ailerons are flaps on the wings that help the plane stay level and the yoke is used to steer.

After examining about six handouts, reading over portions of a textbook and a question and answer session, the duo made sure to hit the bathrooms and pack their belongings before heading to the aircraft for White’s first flight.

When they reached the plane, White and Eason circled the aircraft for a 15-minute pre-flight check.

“When you’re flying for the first time, you really want to double-check hinges, nuts and bolts — all those kinds of things,” Eason explained as he stood beneath the wing of the aircraft. “You should kinda know when things are wrong.”

White followed suit with a checklist in hand, playing the part of the enthralled student.

“Like look at this, it’s the baggage door,” Eason said. “Somebody didn’t lock it. Must have been the new guy.”

Finally, when the fuel truck pulled away after topping off the puddle jumper’s two gas tanks and after Eason discovered the plane needed two more quarts of oil, it was time to buckle up and strap on the headsets for a cold December flight.

The flight

The plane — 4261 Lima, as it is referred to by air traffic control — was ready for takeoff. Soon enough, White would have his chance to take the controls.

Once the engine was primed and White ensured the propeller was clear of any objects or people, Eason checked over the instrument panel. The propeller rumbled to a start, and the plane began moving. 

White’s head was on a swivel, and the anticipation in the cockpit mounted. He was about to fly a plane for the first time.

The tower gave the go-ahead, and Eason taxied the plane to the end of the runway. Chatter overwhelmed their headsets.

Sun poured into the cockpit and the plane hurtled down the strip. Eason said he might let White take the controls during takeoff.

The plane reeled to get off the ground; the nose strained upward, and as Eason strained for more speed, the aircraft experienced a few jostling bumps.

Eason guided the plane to 3,600 feet – even Mount Katahdin, 75 miles away, stood clear on the horizon. Soon, instructor and student steered the plane toward the air space over Pushaw Lake, which serves as a practice area for pilots in training, free from the dangers of air traffic. 

After Eason demonstrated a bank in flight, White took the controls and followed the instructor’s lead. Miraculously, the turn was a smooth one – and again and again White practiced climbing, descending, turning and banking.

All the while, White laughed and talked with Eason, their voices audible through the headsets.

“Have you done this before?” Eason asked White, jokingly. “I think he’s done this before.”

In all, the flight lasted about 25 minutes, and Eason and White worked together to land the aircraft.

“That was incredible,” White said once they returned to the ground.

“I think that was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had — definitely worth it,” he added. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”

“Tell your family it’s what you want for Christmas,” Eason said.

At the conclusion of his sentencing hearing Wednesday at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor, Cheney was taken into custody and escorted from the courtroom. Family members waved to him, shouting goodbyes.

His mother, Pamela Fife, yelled, “I love you, baby.”

Cheney was convicted of manslaughter in July 2011 for Bakley’s death, but sentencing was delayed when his attorney, William Bly, contested the conviction in September based on allegations of jury tampering and asked the court to either produce the jurors or grant Cheney a new trial. Superior Court Justice William Anderson did not find evidence to support Bly’s allegations.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but the judge suspended all but seven of those years. Anderson deliberated for approximately half-an-hour after listening to hours of often-tearful testimony from members of both Bakley’s and Cheney’s families.

While addressing the judge, J.C. Bakley, Jordyn’s father, held up a small, blue velvet bag in his right hand, his back to the audience.

“This is all I have left, judge. This is my daughter. This is our daughter. This is all I have left,” he said. “This is what I have to hug.

“I will never experience seeing her graduate from college. I will never dance with her at her wedding,” he continued. “I will remember, however, Jan. 24, the last day I saw her in Orono. She was so pretty.”

University of Maine Dean of Students Robert Dana spoke to how students were affected by Bakley’s death.

“There was an immediate pall,” he said. “The circumstances of Jordyn Bakley’s death have devastated the campus and continue to do so today.”

Bakley would have graduated from UMaine at the end of 2010’s spring semester. She was studying elementary education and arranged another major in women’s studies shortly before her death. Dana said she worked in the Marketplace in the Memorial Union, adding that she was always smiling.

“When we graduated Jordyn’s class … she was palpably, of course, not there,” Dana said. “Her absence at that seminal event, even many, many months after [her death], was profound.”

J.C. Bakley also spoke about Cheney’s silence throughout the proceedings. Cheney did not speak at the sentencing hearing.

“We never heard Mr. Cheney … step into that box and say he didn’t do it,” J.C. Bakley said. “Why would you not get up there and tell us all that you did not kill Jordyn?”

At another point while addressing Anderson, J.C. Bakley turned to Cheney, who sat between Bly and Chuck Taitt, a member of the defense counsel.

“How could you leave another human being in the road for dead?” he asked Cheney.

Cheney did not respond.

“I saw no remorse. I expected none,” J.C. Bakley said after sentencing.

“It’s painful that a human being could behave in that manner,” said Louise Bakley, Jordyn’s mother, who remained silent during the hearing.

When asked if an apology from Cheney would have alleviated any pain, she shook her head.

“Not today,” she answered.

Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy initially asked for a longer sentence, claiming that suspending part of any sentence should be difficult for the court to consider based on Cheney’s conduct during the trial and subsequent hearings.

“His conduct, judge, after this trial has been over, does not speak well,” Almy said, pausing for a moment before continuing. “Or, may I say, it does speak volumes.”

He argued extensively against suspension of any portion of Cheney’s sentence.

“It is one thing to put the state to their proof. It is another to sit there and watch another person being accused of something you did and never saying, ‘Stop,’” Almy said, referring to the claims the defense made during Cheney’s trial in July that Bakley’s boyfriend, Chester Ruth, could have been responsible for her death.

Ruth denied the allegations during trial and has since left Maine, according to his mother, Karen Federle, who attended the sentencing hearing and spoke on his behalf.

She described Bakley and Ruth as high school and college sweethearts and said her son was devastated by her death.

“First there were the tears — months and months of that — and I cried right along with him,” Federle said, adding that Bly’s accusations came as a blow. “My son left Maine in a wounded state declaring he would never set foot in Bangor again.

“You see, he became a victim too.”

Bakley’s father also spoke about Ruth, saying he could not remember his daughter ever mentioning anything that could later imply Ruth could be culpable in her death.

J.C. Bakley described the phone call he received from a member of the Camden Police Department, a family friend, who told him to call Orono police Captain Josh Ewing, who informed him of Jordyn’s death.

He and his wife were shopping just outside of Boston with their younger son, J.C. Bakley said, when he made that call. He recalled standing in a shopping mall as Ewing asked him when he had last spoken to his daughter.

“We had to make the trip [home] with nothing but our thoughts. There wasn’t much conversation, as I recall. We made the decision not to tell our son what had happened until we got home,” he said.

Ewing attended the hearing but did not speak, sitting just behind the Bakleys in the audience.

“All I do is hope that this provides some sort of solace for the family,” he said outside the courthouse.

Members of Cheney’s family also spoke of pain the trial has caused. Fife said during the hearing that her son is “an exceptional human being.”

“It’s with a heavy heart that I stand here today,” she said. “I offer the tragedy of Garrett and Jordyn up to God.”

She asked Anderson to take her son’s “goodness” into account when imposing a sentence.

Travis Manning, Cheney’s older brother, and Cheney’s father, Harlan Cheney Jr., both turned from the podium while addressing the court to face the audience to express condolences to the Bakley family for the loss of Jordyn.

“I’ve watched him teaching my kids the same lessons he’s taught me,” Manning said, pausing for a moment as his voice grew strained. “As Garrett’s big brother, I cannot say enough what a wonderful person he is.

“I’m proud of him, and I’m proud to be his brother,” he continued before leaving the podium, his eyes red.

After the hearing, Bly said Cheney plans to appeal his conviction, which he could not do until a sentence was imposed. Bly said he will submit the notice of appeal but someone else will be the attorney for the appellate process.

“Mr. Cheney has maintained his innocence since Day One,” he said after the hearing. “I think this has to be totally debilitating for him.”

Cheney’s family members did not address the press after the hearing.

Bakley died in a hit-and-run accident on Middle Street in Orono, where she lived. Her body was found by a Bangor Daily News deliveryman around 5:40 a.m.

Cheney was charged with operating under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and manslaughter. Around 3:30 a.m. that morning, Cheney drove off Interstate 95 near Etna and was arrested for operating under the influence.

An integral piece of evidence in the trial was the grille on Cheney’s 2003 Chevrolet Silverado. Pieces of the grille were found on Bakley’s body, and those pieces matched the gaps in the grille still on the truck. He turned himself in to the Orono Police Department in April 2010.

The Black Bears’ five touchdowns all came on plays of 20 yards or more, showcasing their big-play abilities. UMaine beat the Mountaineers in Boone, N.C. nine years ago for their last playoff win.

The Black Bears’ offense was unstoppable, picking up 466 yards on the day. The defense allowed nothing on the ground for Appalachian State, as the Mountaineers compiled a total of 3 yards rushing on 25 carries.

“It’s a little hard, as a coach you never feel that [you dominated], especially when you study a team as much as we have,” said UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove. “And when it was 27-12, they get a touchdown and it’s a one-score game.

“The thing I like is we stayed the course,” he added. “Our guys were poised and they played with a tremendous amount of confidence. As the game went along, we clearly established ourselves as the better team. Our defense did a great job — just relentless pursuit.”

Senior running back Pushaun Brown rushed for over 100 yards and a score, while his freshman partner David Hood finished with 88 yards, most of them coming on a 54-yard touchdown.

Senior quarterback Warren Smith completed 17 of 26 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns, two of them going to freshman wide receiver Damarr Aultman, who finished with five receptions and 117 yards.

“I thought our quarterback played well for the most part,” Cosgrove said. “Early in the game when we really needed him, he was sharp.”

Mountaineers senior wide receiver Brian Quick — an NFL prospect some project to be drafted as high as the second round in 2012 — was shut down by the Black Bears’ secondary, posting seven catches for 41 yards.

“We felt going in that we had to be very good on the defensive side of the ball,” Cosgrove said. “We were aware of what they did with him by their sets. I thought [sophomore defensive back] Kendall James and [junior defensive back] Darlos James played him well. What we took away was the deep stuff. We gave him the 5-yard catch and we tackled him.”

After forcing a three-and-out on the Mountaineers’ first drive, the Black Bears proved the game wasn’t going to be a breeze for the three-time national champions, driving the length of the field for an early score.

On first down in Appalachian State’s territory, Smith faked the handoff and rolled out to the right to launch a bomb downfield, caught in the end zone by Aultman to give the Black Bears the early 7-0 lead.

The Black Bears stopped another Mountaineers’ drive and Smith went back to work, completing his first six passes of the game. The Black Bears made their way inside Appalachian State’s 10-yard line, but senior kicker Brian Harvey’s field goal was blocked by the Mountaineers’ defense.

The Black Bears forced another three-and-out and took the lead and possession into the second quarter, but Smith gave the ball away with an interception to junior linebacker Justin Lloyd.

The Mountaineers couldn’t capitalize on the turnover and had to punt the ball away again.

After exchanging possession, Appalachian State found the end zone on a third-and-nine from 20 yards out. Sophomore quarterback Jamal Jackson found sophomore wide receiver Andrew Peacock in the end zone, but the extra point was blocked, bringing the score to 7-6 UMaine.

On their next drive, Smith and Aultman connected again, this time for a 35-yard touchdown after a great post-pattern by Aultman. The Mountaineers repaid the favor, however, and blocked Harvey’s extra-point attempt, leaving the score 13-6 at halftime in favor of UMaine.

After the Black Bears punted away to open the second half, the Mountaineers botched a fourth-down punt, going just 17 yards and giving UMaine great field position.

The Black Bears took advantage, eventually scoring after Brown converted a crucial fourth down, setting up a 21-yard completion from Smith to sophomore fourth-string quarterback John Ebeling, bringing their lead to 20-6.

Another three-and-out by the Mountaineers led to another huge play, as Hood burst through the Appalachian State defense for a 54-yard touchdown, giving UMaine a 21-point lead of 27-6 with just over 6 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Mountaineers caught a break late in the third when Peacock was on the receiving end of Jackson’s fourth-down pass. Appalachian State turned the conversion into a touchdown after senior running back Tavaris Cadet scored from a yard out. The score remained 27-12 after a missed extra point.

After a three-and-out by the Black Bears, the Mountaineers regained possession with over 13 minutes remaining, down just two scores.

However, during a third-and-long, UMaine sophomore defensive back Kendall James intercepted Jackson’s pass, which led to a 21-yard touchdown run by Brown.

“We popped some big runs,” Cosgrove said. “I thought the two by Pushaun and David were really outstanding efforts.”

The Mountaineers continued to lose focus as UMaine sophomore defensive end Michael Cole sacked Jackson and forced a fumble, recovered by Black Bears senior safety Trevor Coston.

Another late turnover by Jackson sealed the deal for the Black Bears, who will travel to Georgia Southern University next weekend in the quarterfinals.