November / December 2018

During its annual meeting, the Foundation of the University at Presque Isle presented a check to Dr. Jason Johnston, UMPI Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, representing the proceeds raised during the Foundation’s Backyard Getaway fundraising event, held in the summer. The event, which allowed participants to tour seven local backyard escapes, raised $3,339 to support construction of the Zillman Family Greenhouse, being established on the UMPI campus in 2019. Taking part in the presentation with Johnston (third from left) were, from left, Foundation board members Roberta Griffiths, Brett Varnum, and Llori Keirstead, who all served on the event committee. Not pictured were Lise Collins, Foundation board and event committee member, and Debbie Roark, UMPI Executive Director of University Advancement and External Affairs.

By UMPI student Melanee Terry

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Student Activities Office hosted a Stuff-A-Critter event for community members on Friday, Dec. 7 in the Campus Center, giving local families a chance to create their own stuffed animals and take them home.

“We come every year and my grandkids really enjoy it,” local resident Ginger Grivois said. “It’s something that the kids really love doing.”

UMPI holds Stuff-A-Critter events during each semester for both community members and students. This event was held for community families only. As they entered the venue, each child grabbed an empty critter of their choice and an individual package of stuffing. There were a variety of animals available, from huskies to badgers. Once stuffed, the animal was zipped up and ready to take home and snuggle.

UMPI’s Student Activities Office has run Stuff-A-Critter and monster events for several years. These events have been a consistent hit among the students and community members.

“This event is really for the community and more specifically the children. Being a mom myself, I know time with family is very important. I enjoy watching the children get matching animals with their mom, dad, and even their grandparent,” Violet Washburn, UMPI Coordinator of Campus Engagement and International Student Services, said. “I just love being able to bring a little joy to the community and UMPI is part of the community. It’s important to show that with events like this.”

Skylar and Aryanna Grivois take their first photo with their new stuffed animals after participating in UMPI’s recent Stuff-A-Critter event.

At this year’s Festival of Trees, UMPI’s tree scene was one of nearly 70 trees featured in the St. Apollonia Pediatric Dentistry’s 5th annual event. Held Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 at Northern Maine Community College, the event raised a record-breaking $97,000. The theme for UMPI’s tree this year was “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and included a tree decorated in UMPI gold, musical notes, and CD ornaments, and topped with a gold Santa hat and sunglasses. Nestled into the tree was a gold ticket representing two Waterfront Concert tickets to see Ozzy Osbourne in Summer 2019. Nearby was a white rocking bench with pillows and a throw blanket, a white rocking horse, a guitar, a nutcracker, and an old fashioned looking stereo that played LPs, CDs, cassettes, radio, and MP3 music. All of these goodies went to tree winner Christie Ewing, pictured (left), with her mother Louise Brescia.

Special thanks to Laurie Boucher, Danielle Pelkey, Patti Hale, Elizabeth Butterfield, Sharon Roix, Wendy Ross, Gayla Shaw, Al Levesque, Stacy Thibodeau, Carrie Bossé, Nicole Fournier, Debbie Roark, Judy Roe, Scott Harrison, Bernadette Buddington, Violet Washburn, and all others who contributed to this effort.

What better way to celebrate a successful charitable campaign than to throw a pie into the face of one of four generous volunteers? This is the first-ever Combined Charitable Appeal for University Employees Pie-In-The-Face campaign.

Last year, the percentage of employees who chose to contribute was approximately 4%. If we exceed last year’s level of participation, Ben Shaw will get a pie in the face, if we get 10% participation, Chris Bell will get a pie in the face, 15% and it will be Debbie Roark’s turn, and at 20%, it will be President Rice’s turn!

Did you know that the average contribution per pay period is a mere $2-$3? It doesn’t take a lot to make a big difference so take a peek at the list of participating organizations and choose something meaningful to you. For a full list of charities and to donate, please visit www.maine.edu/ccaue. FMI, contact Melissa DeMerchant at 768-9462 or email melissa.demerchant@maine.edu or Nancy Pierce at 768-9550 or email nancy.pierce@maine.edu.

Dr. Rebecca Wanbaugh, Professor Emerita of History and Sociology here at UMPI and Dean of Women, passed away at the age of 95 on Oct. 31. Dr. Wanbaugh retired from the University in 1997.

If you are interested in making a donation to the Central Aroostook Humane Society, there are boxes for donations on the first floor of the CIL, Gentile Hall, Campus Center, Preble Hall and Folsom Hall. They are in need of cat/dog food, litter, old blankets, leashes, toys, Clorox wipes, pet shampoo and cage bedding. Monetary donations can also be accepted (could be used for medical care for the animals, etc.); make checks out to the Central Aroostook Humane Society.

UMPI’s Student Activities Office wants to make sure UMPI students are fully prepared for the winter months. If you have any new or slightly used winter hats, gloves, coats and boots in adult sizes that you would like to donate, you can either drop off your donations to the Student Activities Office in the Campus Center or put a “For the Student Activities Office” label on the bag and drop it off at the Campus Store. If you would like to make a monetary donation to help purchase items, make your check out to Student Activities Office and put ‘clothing drive’ on the memo line. FMI, contact Violet Washburn at violet.washburn@maine.edu.

The Foundation Scholarship Application for our returning upperclassman students is now available for the 2019-2020 Academic Year (for Fall 2019 & Spring 2020).

You have 2 options to submit the application:

1. You can go to this web address (on the UMPI webpage):

https://www.umpi.edu/offices/student-financial-services/financial-aid/scholarships/ –scroll down to see all the scholarships that are available and also print out a PDF application. Fill this application (either typed or written) and bring it to the Student Financial Services Office (235 Preble Hall – top floor).

2. Stop by the Student Financial Services Office to pick up an application today.

The applications are due in the Student Financial Services office by February 6, 2019 – no late applications will be accepted.

**If you will be graduating in May or not returning to UMPI in the Fall, you would not be eligible for these scholarships**

If you have any questions, stop by the Student Financial Services Office. They are open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Women’s Basketball team will once again be selling money calendars as a fundraiser. The calendars will be offered by the coaches and players for the month of November. They will then draw a name for each of the first 23 days of the month of December for cash prizes that range from $20 to $100. If you do win then your name will go back into the drawing and you are eligible to win again. If you are interested in buying a ticket, please contact either Gavin Kane at 768-9792 or email gavin.kane@maine.edu or any of the players on the team.

The UMPI Owl Relay for Life Team had another very successful silent auction this year. They had 22 more items than they did last year. There were various items that included clothing, jewelry, homemade soaps, clothing, and dishcloths, books, wreaths and household goods. Some of the items that had numerous bids were the hand turned rolling pin, a beautiful silver sand dollar necklace (gotcha, Ray!), two laser cut signs, a Norwex set, a homemade fishing basket, a homemade heavy wooden bowl, a jump starter, a retro metal chair, and 3 photo sessions with our own Rowena McPherson, among other things. They were able to raise $1,721.50 and would like to thank everyone for donating items and for bidding. With this auction, they are now only $5,700 away from their goal of reaching $100,000 raised by the UMPI Owl Team in 10 straight years of fundraising for the American Cancer Society.

Want another great reason to read through the image newsletter? Well, somewhere in this issue of the image is our very own owl emoji. Here’s the challenge: just find it (don’t tell anyone else its’ hiding place!), let our office know, and you could be eligible for a $5 gift certificate to UMPI Starbucks! A winner will be randomly drawn from all of the people who find the emoji. Congratulations to our October winner Nancy Ketch!

To let us know you’ve found it, either click on the emoji and fill out the very short form, or email Gayla Shaw with the location at gshaw@maine.edu.

Happy searching!

Are you planning to complete your degree requirements this academic year? This year’s deadline to apply to graduate in May 2019 was Nov. 30. If you have not already done so, it is strongly recommended that you contact your professional advisor to finalize your plan for degree completion. To make an appointment, you can visit the Advising Center on the first floor of South Hall, or call (207)768-9619.

The application for degree is in your MaineStreet Student Center. Here is how to access it:

• Login to the UMPI Portal (my.umpi.edu), click on the MaineStreet icon, and go to your Student Center (Student Self-Service -> Student Center).
• From the ‘other academic…’ dropdown, select ‘Apply for Graduation’
• Follow the on-screen prompts to complete your application

****PLEASE NOTE: Some students have reported being unable to select that they wish to participate in May Commencement. If this happens to you, it’s OK to answer ‘No’ to this question. This form is standard across the University of Maine System, but this question does not pertain to UMPI students because we send Commencement information to all prospective graduates.

Some of your information will be loaded automatically. If your degree information looks incorrect please contact your professional advisor.

UMPI Education instructor Polly Earl recently took her American Sign Language class to Bangor to watch the Husson vs. Gallaudet football game on Nov. 3. The game provided the opportunity for students to see American Sign Language in action during an athletics event–Gallaudet University’s football team is comprised of students who are deaf. Pictured are, from left: Earl, students Alex DesRuisseaux, Savannah Borland, Cassie Demers, Melanee Terry, and Allen Stanbeck, and UMPI alum Katy Waldron.

Judith Roe’s student Ryan Tebo, a Biology major, was awarded and completed an INBRE Undergraduate Student Summer Fellowship at the MDI Biological Laboratory in Salisbury Cove, Maine from June to August 2018. He spent his summer working in the lab of Jarod Rollins, Ph.D, and was supported by Maine INBRE funds (NIH). The title of his research presentation was “The effect of ribosomal protein knock-downs on the lifespan and health span of C. elegans.”