November 2017

Keli Marston, out Fitness/Wellness Coordinator will be offering “The 12 Days of Fitness” starting
Monday, Dec. 4, Fusion class at Noon, CC112
Tuesday, Dec. 5, climbing wall from 4:30 – 8 p.m., Gentile
Wednesday, Dec. 6, Fit Camp, 5 – 6 p.m., Gentile
Thursday, Dec. 7, coffee & cookies, 8 – 10 a.m., Gentile
Friday, Dec. 8, swimming, 4:30 – 8 p.m., Gentile
Monday, Dec. 11, walking track, 8 – 11 a.m., Gentile
Tuesday, Dec. 12, pickle ball, 3:30 – 5:30 p.m., Gentile
Wednesday, Dec. 13, hot cocoa, 8 – 10 a.m., Gentile
Thursday, Dec. 14, Fusion class at Noon, Gentile
Friday, Dec. 15, Fit Camp, 5 – 6 p.m., Gentile
Monday, Dec. 18, Snowshoeing, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 19, Circuit Training, 12:15 – 12:45
All events are free. FMI, contact Keli Marston at 768-1202, or email keli.marston@maine.edu.

Florence “Flo” Soucie, Administrative Specialist in the Emerson Annex retired in November after 36 years here at UMPI. Over the almost 4 decades she was here, Flo served countless students, faculty and staff with a friendly smile and joyful personality. Happy Retirement Flo!

The UMPI Owls Relay for Life Team held another very successful silent auction Nov. 6 – 9. All of the items were out on tables on the 2^nd floor of Preble Hall for anyone interesting in bidding and they also had online bidding available. Items that were bid on included homemade goodies, clothing, goody baskets, jewelry, gift certificates, art work, homemade mittens, homemade wooden birdhouse fences, books, and other items. One of the hot items this year was a Snow Day Kit donated by Kathy Higgins with all the goodies one would want on a snow day and Ray Rice was the lucky winner (maybe he knows something we don’t?). Overall, they made $1,242 for the American Cancer Society. Thanks to everyone who bid on the items!

Professor of English and Creative Writing Richard Zuras has had his poem “return of Lake Agassiz” accepted for publication in Nourish, a literary journal. The poem explores the horror of the Grand Forks, North Dakota Red River flood of April 1997. Zuras began a Ph.D. program at the University of North Dakota during the aftermath (1998), and has been revising this poem for years. The houses referred to in the poem were mere blocks from his house and he spent many hours walking in the valley where most of the “lost” houses remained standing.

Carol Ayoob’s Experience of the Arts class has created a “Labyrinth” of their own, after watching a film on “The Burning Man Festival,” which is a collaborative arts festival held annually in the Nevada desert. The class’ labyrinth is located behind the UMPI tennis courts, just down over the slope, and has been spray painted on the grass. In addition, students have collected stones, written articles, and created flyers to announce the Labyrinth’s opening.

Burning Man has been designed as a labyrinth, on a large scale. A labyrinth is normally between 30 and 100 feet wide, and there are a number of designs used. It is “a path of prayer, walking meditation, a crucible of change, a watering hole for the spirit, and a mirror of the soul,” according to the Veriditas Organization, in San Francisco.

Unlike a maze, the labyrinth has only one path. Walking its winding course to the center quiets the mind. This process involves three stages: purgation – a letting go of distractions as you walk in; illumination – receiving what you came for upon reaching the center; and union – a joining with the sacred as you complete the experience and walk out.

The option to explore this path of inner reflection is now available to students, staff, and the community at large. The Experience of the Arts students have visited the site several times now and they are truly excited about this offering to others who might benefit from its structure.

Congratulations to October Student of the Month Matthew Theriault, who is a senior in the Bachelor of Social Work program and is from Fort Fairfield. Theriault is a member of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, the treasurer of the University Players and president of the 100% society. He is a Resident Assistant and also works part-time at Lowe’s. Congratulations again, Matthew!

Congratulations to September Student of the Month Shea Brown, who is a senior majoring in Liberal Studies and minoring in Business and English, and is from Presque Isle. Brown volunteers at the Maple Meadow Farms Fest, has been actively involved in Mommy and Me Hike Groups, and volunteers at Quoggy Jo in the winter teaching kids how to ski. Brown was a student representative to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees and is a peer advisor in the Advising Center. Congratulations again, Shea!