Composting

Campus Maps

By Garrick Hoffman

Liberal Arts Major

With the fall semester well into action and bounties of students, faculty, and staff alike still

lamenting on what seems to be a complete absence of parking spaces despite the creation of

new ones, the word “new” seems like a fitting adjective to apply to everything SMCC-related.

After a summer of extensive construction, as well as new policies and systems being

implemented, there are plenty of new features around campus.

New Systems and Policies

COMPOSTING – SMCC and Sodexo recently partnered with Portland-based

company We Compost It! to host a brand-new composting system in the Dining Hall. A

receptacle now stands by the trash and dish station in which students discard their food scraps.

Last semester, Sodexo had run a trial period to see how much waste was generated in a week

in order to determine whether a compost system would be worthwhile. Evidently it was, because

in five days, a total of 1750 pounds of waste was generated, including food and paper waste.

According to their LinkedIn page, “WE COMPOST IT! is a local organics collection and

composting company that serves restaurants, schools, hospitality, and health care facilities

throughout Southern and Central Maine. Our mission is to reduce waste and renew local soils

by transforming food scraps to compost to grow tomorrow’s food and flowers. Since 2011, We

Compost It! has converted more than 10 million pounds of organics to nutrient-rich compost.”

Rachel Fisk, Unit Marketing Coordinator for Sodexo, said, “We wanted to educate the

SMCC community on the benefits of composting and how by doing so dramatically reduces our

carbon footprint. …Let’s make a difference together one step at a time.” Thanks to We Compost

It! and Sodexo, SMCC now joins the ranks of Maine schools (including universities and K-12

schools) to host a compost system. One might say a celebration is in order.

SMOKING – Under the command of the Maine Community College System

(MCCS), SMCC finally began to install and enforce the smoke- and tobacco-free policy. Signs

pervade the campus to remind would-be smokers that this policy is now in effect. Smokers –

which include students, faculty, and staff alike – are now at risk for penalties if they are found

smoking on campus. SMCC is now the last college in Maine to put said system into effect.

According to the SMCC Facebook page, “SMCC’s new smoke- and tobacco-free

policy goes into effect…to promote a healthy working and learning environment. …[T]he

use of any tobacco product is prohibited on any SMCC property. For more info, students

and employees can go to the “Smoke- and Tobacco-Free Initiative” link on My Maine Guide

on the MySMCC portal.

The smoking ban includes more than just cigarettes (or cigars, if those are one’s cup of

tea): it also includes vaporizer pens and chewing dip. Because of this, students who smoke may

now have a reason besides the frustrations of parking to be…well…frustrated. And some have

voiced their outrage, promising in last semester’s Beacon issues that they will continue to

smoke within the perimeters of campus despite any risk of punishment, while others have

waved their flags of support. Many have questioned the efficacy of this new policy, as it is

something that now needs to be enforced by SMCC and its security team, and students will

likely continue smoking. Fortunately for smokers, smoking cessations will be made available to

extinguish (or reduce) their habit if they choose.

Smoke-Free Campus.

OBSERVING – SMCC recently received a substantial grant from the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to put towards a state-of-the-art ocean acidification

observation system. The grant totaled $85,000 and will “help coastal managers evaluate the

threat of coastal acidification from excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” according to a

headline story on the SMCC homepage.

“The system, which was deployed in April at the SMCC pier uses high-tech

sensors to provide precise measurements of seawater acidity, dissolved carbon

dioxide, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen,” the story continued. “It’s

the first time a system has been deployed to monitor water quality in a near-

shore coastal environment with the precision and accuracy to discern minute,

long-term changes in seawater chemistry. To date, ocean acidification

monitoring has been focused primarily on the open ocean.”

President Ronald Cantor remarked on the system, saying, “It gives our

students experience collecting and analyzing data and learning how the

ecosystem is changing. …Our students are part of cutting edge research on an

issue of vital importance. This is experiential, hands-on learning at its best.”

New Features

After the summer construction, new features are seemingly ubiquitous around campus.

The Learning Commons, including the tutoring center and the silent study area, have been

significantly modified to include new signs, computer stations, as well as desks and seating. The

Academic Achievement Center (AAC) now combines the writing tutors with math tutors into the

same location, whereas before the two were segregated in different rooms of the AAC. The

tutors are now one big, happy family in one big, happy living room, working feverishly with

students who seek their help.

In addition, brand-new maps of campus are found in a multitude of locations they help

guide those who are unfamiliar with it. The countdown begins until the winter drowns them in

snow, and they effectively become mini sled mountains.

New Students & MySuccess

Finally, this past summer SMCC hosted a program lasting three weeks, titled

MySuccess, that is designed to aid and prepare incoming students for their first college

semester, as well as to support them through graduation. Under MySuccess, students receive a

full scholarship to take part in the program, as well as $500 in scholarship funds toward their fall

semester upon finishing the summer program and first semester activities. Students “prepare for

college-level math and English courses, meet…advisors and peer mentors, earn [their] first

college credit, and experience college life,” according to the MySuccess webpage.

Two Beacon writers participated in facilitating the WISH workshops for two groups of

MySuccess students. Each group contained about 20 students. In these WISH workshops –

which stands for Workshops In Studying Here – students receive information that helps them

with note-taking skills, test-taking skills, and studying skills.

Each workshop lasted an hour, and the opportunity proved to not only behoove the

students but the writers themselves since they, as experienced SMCC students, felt it was good

practice for presenting before a group of people. This particularly felt beneficial to Erik Squire,

who aspires to become a high school teacher, but both writers were delighted that they had the

opportunity to help and speak before new (there’s that word again), incoming students, since

they understand what it’s like to arrive to college and feel unsure of what to expect. Because of

this, the first exercise was to have every student in the room close their eyes. The Beacon

writers then said, “Now put your wallets on the table.” When the laughter subsided, the real

question was, “Who here is nervous about college?” Those who raised their hands gave the

affirmative, and there were more than one.

New Component of “Welcome Back” BBQ

On Thursday, September 3, SMCC – per tradition, rather than new and experimental –

hosted a barbeque to welcome back returning students and to welcome new ones. The BBQ

featured lunch at no cost for everyone, tables for the myriad SMCC clubs to promote

themselves, and – as Director of Residential Life and Student Involvement Shane Long has so

eagerly awaited – a live band consisting of three SMCC professors: Mike Bove (English), Kevin

Kimball (math and physics), and Steve Strand (business). In previous “Welcome Back” BBQs,

there were mechanical bulls and “rock walls” to climb for thrill-seekers in the crowd. Long had

had the idea of hosting the band instead for some time, and he was delighted to see the show

come into fruition.

The day was hot and humid, but at least the rain decided to arrive after the band and tables had disassembled. Nature can be merciful sometimes.