University of Maine - Prism Yearbook (Orono, ME)

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The Campus Operator Operator keeps people in touch by Linda Rivers For the Campus “This is an information center, not just a switchboard,” Dennis Sands said with a smile in his office at Alumni Hall. Sands has been the University of Maine’s telephone operator for 5’ i years, handling all telephone calls com- ing in on the university’s main informa- tion listing. When he took the position, the university was just changing to its new telephone system. Sands was replacing two people who had been using a large, old-fashioned switchboard. “When I started here I was green, ” Sands said. “I had only been on cam- pus once or twice in my entire life, so sitting here was a crash course. ” Now a seasoned veteran of the switchboard. Sands said nothing sur- prises him anymore. I’ve gotten all kinds of questions asked to me over the years,” Sands said. “I just try to keep up on the con- tinual changes and steer people in the right direction. ” Sands said he enjoys working for the university despite the stress that comes with the job. Most people don’t realize what it’s like to take calls one right after another,” Sands said. “It never stops. But it makes me feel good that peo- ple do appreciate what I do, ” Sands concluded. A lot of people remember to say thank you, and that means a lot.”

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The Bookstore $1.9 million bookstore features added space Houses everything from tapes to textbooks by Tammy Hartford Staff Writer After 15 months of construction, the University of Maine is celebrating the grand opening this week of its SI.9 million bookstore. The new store consists of 19,500 square feet of floor space, 60 percent of which is new construction. The store brings together all of the bookstore operations that had been scat- tered over the campus for the last few months. Included in the new store are textbooks, which were housed in a separate annex for the last 18 years. The bookstore is holding drawings and giveaways for its customers this week. Every hour, a cassette tape will be given away. At the end of the week, a drawing will be held for a compact disc player, said Sharon Cole, bookstore manager. T-shirts and book covers are also be- ing given away throughout the week, she said, and all merchandise will be sold at a 10 percent discount until Christmas. So far. Cole said, the response from both customers and employees about the new store has been positive. Cora LeVasseur, who has worked in the bookstore for 4 Vi years, said she and her co-workers had been looking for- ward to working in the new store. “We’re happy, happy, happy,” she 1. “And proud, proud, proud. It pleases me that the students seem hap- py about it, too.” Many students said the new store would take some getting used to, but they like what they’ve seen so far. “It looks really good, ” said junior Karen Barrett. There’s so much space. You can move around better to get what you want. ” “I love it, it’s great,” said student Kristin Limoge. “It’s so big, I could get lost.” Cashier Darlene Moore said having everything in one store makes her job easier. “We’ve been really bbsy, but I like it,” she said. I like everything right here so I don’t have to tell people the) have to go someplace else to get something. ” Most customers said they liked the convenience of having everything under one roof. “I’m not sure where everything is yet, but at least I know it’s all here under one roof,” Susan Smith said. Before, 1 wasn’t sure if something was at the library or in the union or where it was. ” Denise Buzynski, a cashier at the bookstore, said customers arc not the only people confused. “They (customers) don’t know where anything is, and we don’t know where anything is, either,” she said. “Nobody docs, but we’ll get used to it.” bria folk' ••I jtftr lii r.'j H SB's Mae'! IfCN :«3ti -.ks untft: ££yOX no?eo Ufat Suds s pisooc star

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The Physically Challenged 17 '•Sts Jk W I I: I f Z : mJf A '■ . y • k m |u ftl MEf mkmk M’Adwl M ilLa 24 Breaking Down by Tammy Hartford Staff Writer Have you ever thought about what it would be like to try to get around the University of Maine if you were in a wheelchair, or had to use crutches or wear a leg brace to help you walk? How would you get to class or work? Where would you park? What if you couldn’t get into the building? What if you couldn’t climb the stairs? What if you couldn’t get into the bathroom, or drink from a water fountain? Nobody thinks about having a disability until it happens to them.” said Claire Thibodeau, a senior com- munications disorders major. Thibodeau wears a leg brace, and her mobility is quite limited. Stairways arc especially difficult for her. she said, because it was because of a fall on a staircase that she shattered her femur, or thighbone. “Stairs arc very painful and uncom- fortable for me.” she said. Getting to the communications disorders department office on the third floor of Stevens Hall is very difficult, she said, because there arc no elevators in the building. The lack of elevators in some buildings poses an even greater problem for Chris Adams, a freshman majoring in English. Adams has muscular dystrophy, a condition which destroys the muscles. He has limited mobility in his arms and uses a wheelchair. This campus is surprisingly accessi- ble compared to other places, ” he said. It is one of the most accessible in the University of Maine system, but there arc things that could be done to make it more accessible. ” Besides stairs, Adams faces another barrier when he tries to get into some buildings. Usually if 1 can’t open a door, I have to ask somebody to do it for me,” he said. Most people are very polite about it. but it bothers me. It aggravates me. but I have to accept it.” Adams lives in Hancock Hall, which has a ramp and an electric door that makes it very accessible, he said. I just have to press a button to open the door,” he said. We need more doors like that on campus. ” Some facilities merely need to be up- dated, Adams said. Some places have the old fashioned lifts for wheelchairs,” he said. They’re getting out dated, and they’re difficult to use.” More handicapped parking spaces arc also needed, Thibodeau said, and peo- ple need to be more understanding about why people with disabilities need special parking places. “It’s awful when you’re getting out of your car and you have an obvious disability and you hear somebody say, It must be nice. Wouldn’t like a custom place to park my car,’” Thibodeau said. I would trade places with them any day. I’d trade my park- ing place any day for two good legs. “Maybe they aren’t aware of what they're saying, but it’s very in- furiating.” she said. Some people think that just because I have some mobility and I’m not in a wheelchair, I shouldn’t have anything to gripe about, but it’s difficult and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.” There are people at UMainc who are trying to make things easier for students like Adams and Thibodeau. One of them is O.J. Loguc. Logue is the counselor coordinator of services for students with disabilities at UMainc. I am legally deaf myself, so I understand many of the issues people with disabilities face,” he said. Part of Logue’s job is to try to make the university more accessible to all students, he said. “For the most part, the university’s reaction has been very positive as far as t. .