Billy Roy, a senior English and French student, thought the atmosphere of the Bear’s Den used to be energetic. “It was a place where a lot of … older students could congregate. It was the way a pub should be,” Roy said, adding that upperclassmen should have an appealing environment in which to relax and maintain camaraderie.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Roy continues. “It is contradictory to the way a pub should be, taking things away from students makes it less appealing to them. People used to view it as an escape from the daily grind, a place to relax.”

The Bear’s Den should be a social outlet for students. I was there last week, when only international students flocked to the bar as their awareness of the town is limited. What does this say about our school and community as they come to an empty pub, empty of our own potential for culture and sociability at this university?

When I was studying abroad in Lancaster, England, I found pubs to be a great social outlet, but also an academic one. I was immersed in a world of pubs that gave students the opportunity to come together as a community. Shouldn’t the pub encourage drinks to be exchanged with professors and students alike in an academically inspiring environment?

Also there is the issue with accepting only Maine ID’s. “Why shouldn’t it be [open] to out-of-state students, when they pay more money to be here? This is simply outrageous,” said Andrew Prindle, a senior from Connecticut.

“The Bear’s Den used to have concerts as well, like the Old Silver Band, and happy hours,” said John Kastelein, a graduate student here.

If the Bear’s Den can’t make money it should advertise. Open up after or before football games and other school functions to bring fans and students together to rally for their teams and get more involved in school spirit. Sponsor more student-run meetings in the Bear’s Den. There is potential to compromise on liability issues in determining ways to respectfully promote and save the Bear’s Den. Having a happy hour or some kind of deal during the week will also shape its appeal.

A.D. Ehrenfried, president of the Class of 1944, is quoted on a plaque in the Bear’s Den: “In the 1700s coffeehouses and cafes were centers of thought and discussion and of open debate by participants, unrestricted in age and class and allowed to break free of oppressive political bias and religious dogma. Moderate and radical writings were collected and made available for study and these public houses or ‘pubs’ as they were known were given the distinguished name ‘Penny Universities.’ Many subjects were explored, free and open speech allowed and enlightened public opinion formed. Some say that these meeting places ostensibly created to offer sociability and food and beverage did in reality play an important role in the birth of democracy.”

The students of UMaine want their pub back. It has the potential to be a welcoming and inviting place geared toward the benefits of the students, where sociability and communication among all members of the UMaine community can flourish. The Bear’s Den is marked by tradition and it would be sad to see that legacy fade.

After losing seven defensive starters off of last year’s defense, those two words are synonymous with the University of Maine’s football team at the start of the 2009 college football season, especially after a lackluster season opener 34-27 win in overtime over Division II St. Cloud State.

“You move on,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove. “You just have to go to the next season, and we’ve replaced them with seven new guys. You’re going to see this group of guys improve just like those guys did. There was a day when those guys were sophomores, too.”

Despite an underwhelming performance in last Thursday’s win, the young Black Bears have their sights set on the future as they prepare to open conference play at Northeastern University on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“I’ve been telling the young guys that this is where we take a big jump from week one to week two,” said senior linebacker Mark Masterson, the team’s leading returning tackler. “Everybody’s buying into that and I can already tell that we’re really focused.”

“You got to take it as you’re going to get better every game,” added sophomore tailback Derek Session. “Last year was our first game at Iowa and I felt like that was my worst game of the season. Every game I kept getting better and better after that.”

Northeastern (0-1) comes into the first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest of the year after being thumped 54-0 by Boston College, an FBS squad.

“We felt like they’re going to be a lot like we were,” Cosgrove said. “They’re going to be disappointed in their opening game, and I felt like they might’ve been tentative in a lot of ways like we were.”

In last Thursday’s home opener, St. Cloud State came out from the outset and took control of a tentative UMaine defense, establishing their running game early, which allowed them to have success through the air (222 yards, 1 touchdown).

“We had a lot of mental things going on in the first half,” Session said. “We had a lot of first-year players, and it was their first game. I felt like we did better in the second half because everyone got their jitters out and came out ready to play.”

In the second half, the Black Bears were able to rely on their vaunted rushing attack, which produced 253 yards, despite the absence of All-American fullback Jared Turcotte who was held out of the game due to a groin injury.

The biggest bright spot for UMaine, which dropped from No. 19 to 20 in the national rankings, was the play of the special teams.

Junior wide receiver Desmond Randall, who missed all last season due to an appendectomy, returned a kickoff 80 yards for a score in the first quarter after the Huskies jumped ahead 3-0. Sophomore kicker Jordan Waxman converted all of his kicks as well, including two field goals.

“Special teams are a huge thing in this conference too,” said senior quarterback Mike Brusko. “A lot of times they make the difference between who wins and who loses. We’ve experienced that firsthand.”

In 2006 the Black Bears suffered a crippling 10-9 loss to UMass after they failed to make an extra point in the waning moments of the game. Last year, however, the Minutemen missed a late extra point to allow UMaine to escape with a 21-20 victory.

While the struggles were evident in the season opener, the 1-0 Black Bears came back on three occasions to get a hard-fought win in overtime.

“They played hard and gave us something that we just weren’t ready for and weren’t expecting,” Brusko said. “But we’re better for it to have played in a tough game and respond and persevere.”

Notes: Turcotte (groin injury), Landis Williams (hand injury) and Derek Buttles (suspension) are all expected to be available for Saturday’s game.

Freshman Taylor Phillips crossed the line first with a time of 16:33. With most top runners on both teams sitting out, the meet became more of a glorified training session for younger competitors.

“This is really just a chance for some of the freshmen to get their feet wet and get used to running in a meet,” senior runner Miles Bartlett said during the race.

Showing early promise despite running at only threshold pace were Phillips and fellow freshman runner Patrick Mullarkey, who took second with 16:36. Veteran Black Bears have pointed to the pair as runners to watch. Neither seem to feel pressured in the wake of excellent first seasons last year by current sophomore runners Riley Masters, Corey Conner and Hilary Maxim.

“It is great that Riley had the success that he did last year,” Mullarkey said. “I just want to run some fast times and contribute to the team in any way possible.”

“The freshmen are doing a great job adjusting [from high school] to college running,” Masters said. “I think they feel a little pressure, but that’s needed for them to do well. They will learn what it takes to be successful at this level very quick.”

The men’s team, led by senior captain Corey Bean, was selected in preseason polls to finish fifth. There are nine teams in the America East conference. Bartlett and Masters were the top two finishers at last year’s conference meet.

After losing Chuck Therriault and Dave Englehutt to graduation, the Black Bears will ask runners like Dave Currier to step in and score points on a more regular basis. Senior runner Chris Harmon, a consistent scorer last season, will sit out the season as he deals with viral meningitis.

On the women’s side, freshmen Whitney Chamberlain and Hope Hopkins took second and third place respectively. Chamberlain crossed the line in 20:41, while Hopkins finished in 21:25.

“I felt like I ran pretty fast, but I definitely had more in me. I can’t wait until an actual meet,” Chamberlain said. “I don’t really feel like there is that much pressure on me to make a contribution right away. I know that I’m only a freshman, and I have a lot of time to improve.”

The women’s team, led by senior captain Brenna Walsh, was picked to finish fifth in the conference as well. They also return their top runners in Conner and Maxim.

After losing their captain Stephanie Jette to graduation, the Black Bears will look to get help from runners like senior Chelsea Leeman and junior Vanessa Letourneau, who scored at several meets last season.

The Black Bears’ next meet will be the America East pre-race in Burlington, Vermont. The meet will give runners a chance to see their competition within the conference for the first time.