Scholars Strategy Network-Maine

Opinion: Do campaign promises matter anymore? “The research suggests Collins’ 1996 pledge is unlikely, by itself, to be the decisive issue in 2026.”

An op-ed up on the @bangordailynews.bsky.social asks a critical question during election season.

OPINION: School closures rarely save much money and often lead to test score declines Across the country, many districts are considering school closures, but closures rarely save much money. They can also lead to short-term declines in test scores and diminished college completion and ...

Mara Casey Tieken discusses school closures in her op-ed on @hechingerreport.org, which rings true both locally and nationally.

Opinion: Mass incarceration is worsening Maine’s public health emergency “Prisons and jails are known to compromise health due to poor sanitation, limited heating and ventilation, low quality diets and medical neglect.”

A contributor's op ed in the @bangordailynews.bsky.social

The Problem Isn’t Apathy. It’s about Teaching Students Where Power Lives. American politics has become so nationalized that many people—especially students—no longer know where their participation ought to be focused. Every issue feels federal, every fight existential, and ...

The most meaningful democratic work in the U.S. is happening closer to home: in states, cities, and communities.
Kathleen Cole and Robert Glover explore this in their new piece in The Fulcrum (and with co-authors in their new book), where they argue that this shift doesn't have to drive apathy.

Why a Maine Democrat says Trump officials are putting extremist imagery on ‘public display’ The Trump administration's social media posts and messages in recent months have raised eyebrows.

A short interview with Karyn Sporer shared in an article by the @pressherald.com.

A promotional graphic announces a virtual Q&A event titled “Student Civic Engagement in Action: Q&A with the Authors of ENACTing Change,” scheduled for Wednesday, December 10 at 1pm ET, featuring headshots and university affiliations of Robert Glover, Kathleen Cole, Richard Meagher, Katharine Owens, and Melissa Stimell, alongside the book cover for ENACTing Change: A Handbook for Teaching Advocacy and Civic Engagement and the Scholars Strategy Network logo.

Join us for a Q&A session tomorrow at 1pm ET with a few of the authors of "ENACTing Change: A Handbook for Teaching Advocacy and Civic Engagement." This session will provide examples of how to bring civic engagement into the classroom!

🔗 Register: scholars.my.salesforce-sites.com/event/home/s...

Holiday package thefts on the rise: Police urge vigilance, suggest secure delivery options Package theft is surging this holiday season as three billion mail pieces flood delivery networks. Officials share tips to evade "porch pirates."

Maine SSN's Karyn Sporer (Assoc. Prof and Dept. Chair of Sociology, and Director of UMaine's Criminal Justice program) was featured on Newscenter Maine, discussing how to deter holiday package thefts

www.newscentermaine.com/article/news...

Don't miss this skill-building webinar/Q-and-A that Robert Glover and his co-authors will be doing with SSN National next month on December 10th! @scholars.org

scholars.my.salesforce-sites.com/event/home/s...

At COP30, Maine delegates hunt for strategies to bring home Hope has been a major theme of the conference, despite the rate of global warming and the lack of an official U.S. presence.

Maine SSN's Anthony Moffa is featured extensively in this Maine Public article on the COP30 Climate Negotiations in Brazil. Moffa is leading a group of first-year law students to the negotiations. @mainepublic.org

www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025...

Opinion: Want less political violence? Demand leaders that condemn, not fan, it. "Our collective failure to address the menace that chills the environment where members of Congress like Jared Golden live and work corrodes our representative system of government."

Another SSN op-ed in the BDN @bangordailynews.bsky.social
from Jeff Selinger from Bowdoin: www.bangordailynews.com/2025/11/14/o...

ENACTing Change Explains the ENACT model of student civic engagement, empowers instructors to implement it, and shows them how to assess its impact.   ENACT: The Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation ai...

My awesome colleague @robglover.bsky.social and his ENACT colleagues just published a how-to guide on teaching civic engagement and advocacy. I can't think of a better person to provide insights on this than Rob. @scholars.org @mainessn.bsky.social press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Opinion: Maine can be a strategic gateway to the Arctic and Europe "As melting Arctic ice reshapes trade routes and climate change redraws the world’s map, Maine stands at the front line of a new frontier."

A new op-ed is up on @bangordailynews.bsky.social exploring Maine's potential!

www.bangordailynews.com/2025/11/01/o...

Attack on SNAP benefits weaponizes hunger | Opinion The Trump administration is playing politics with people’s lives.

An article by Luisa S. Deprez, professor emerita of sociology and social policy at the University of Southern Maine, details the effects that a lack of SNAP benefits will have.

@scholars.org

www.pressherald.com/2025/10/30/l...

Campaign 2026: As Maine Goes… Tattooed Graham Platner and a challenger to Jared Golden are roiling their races. How Maine’s political tradition shapes these contests.

Maine SSN chapter member Amy Fried (@asfried.bsky.social) and Luisa S. Deprez discuss the upcoming Senate vote in Maine, as well as the intricacies surrounding the candidates in a Washington Monthly article. (@washingtonmonthly.com)

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/24/g...

Support for human trafficking survivors must be preserved | Opinion The Department of Justice has yet to release $88 million appropriated by Congress for victim services. In Maine, Preble Street is among those being affected.

Alicia Peters, Ph.D, associate professor of anthropology at the University of New England, wrote this op-ed in the @pressherald.com.

www.pressherald.com/2025/10/23/s...

Opinion: Question 1 would make it harder for rural Maine voters to cast their ballots “Rural voters are more likely to take advantage of these convenience reforms by casting their ballots early and by mailing in their votes.”

The newest op-ed is up on the @bangordailynews.bsky.social - be sure to keep your eyes open for more of our coverage as the referendum draws near!

www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/25/o...

Okay this is a good headline

Best way to consolidate authoritarian rule is to not pay your soldiers, this has historically worked out well for everyone who has tried it.

Letter: Save absentee voting "Voting yes on Question 1 means voting to make it harder for elderly and homebound Mainers to get their absentee ballots."

One of Maine SSN’s newest members, Lucy Britt (Assistant Professor of Politics at Bates College), has a letter to the editor in the Bangor Daily News on why Q1 is about much more than voter ID—it would make absentee voting harder for many Mainers.

Opinion: Question 1 is about much more than voter ID “If the proponents wanted a referendum solely on photo ID, they could have written legislation accordingly. Instead, after getting the bill title they wanted for petitions, they added many absentee vo...

Maine SSN's Amy Fried shows why Question 1 is about much more than “voter ID” — it would restrict absentee voting, eliminate phone requests, cut early-vote days, and more.
Read in the BDN: www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/01/o...

Opinion: LBJ’s Great Society is being unraveled "Johnson’s ambitious programs generated significant backlash. Ever since the 1970s, Republicans have tried to roll back many elements of his Great Society."

Maine SSN's @rlarochelle.bsky.social argues that the Trump administration is actively unraveling LBJ’s Great Society — cutting back on popular health, education, and social safety net programs built over decades.
Read his full op-ed in the BDN ⬇️
www.bangordailynews.com/2025/09/26/o...

A picture of seven scholars from around the country who have been chosen by the organization Scholars Strategy Network to serve as "Media Fellows" in the 2025-2026 Academic Year. Circular cropped photos against a composite background of newspapers. For more information visit: www.scholars.org/media-fellowship

👏 Congrats to chapter member Mara Casey Tieken (Bates College) on being named a 2025–26 SSN Media Fellow! Casey Tieken's work focuses on racial and educational equity in rural schools.

She’ll work with mentors to sharpen media skills and enrich public conversations on these topics with research.

Research shows Question 1 would harm Maine voters | Opinion There's a lot more to the Nov. 4 referendum question than simply presenting identification to vote.

Our chapter member Amy Fried explains how Maine’s Question 1 would restrict voter access — from tighter mail ballot rules to fewer drop boxes. 📉

Read her op-ed in the @PressHerald: www.pressherald.com/2025/10/03/r...

Pictures of Dr. Rob Glover and Dr. Jordan LaBouff on an orange and yellow background. Maine Scholars Strategy Network logo in corner. 2025 Best Chapter Award in bold black letters at bottom of graphic.

The Maine Scholars Strategy Network has been named the 2025 “Best Chapter” Award winner by the national organization, chosen from 38 chapters nationwide. 🏆

Thanks to all our amazing members who make this work possible! 👏

Single-payer system could help Mainers avoid rising health care costs “Forty percent of Mainers struggle with medical debt, according to Consumers for Affordable Health Care.”

Maine @scholars.org member Daniel Bryant has a piece in the
@bangordailynews.bsky.social this week examining Maine's urgent need for a single-payer health care system. Check it out at the link below.

Opinion: An opera of loons "'Asylum' is not some quaint, Victorian word. It conjures up trauma of loved ones lost to systems that saw them as problems to be contained rather than people deserving of care."

What do you call a group of loons? Maine @scholars.org co-leader Rob Glover and Amanda Sohns say it’s time to retire “asylum” and embrace something that captures their drama and grace: "opera."

Their @bangordailynews.bsky.social op-ed dives into the power of language, history, and why words matter.

Wow. A group of top scholars at Harvard just sent a letter to its president, Alan Garber, warning against surrendering to Trump.

Signatories include Steven Levitsky, Dani Rodrik, Ryan Enos, Theda Skocpol, and Steven Walt.

Someone forwarded it to me. Read it here:

Now that the federal government is severely curtailing investments in science and education, state governments will need to step up.

This announcement from @massgovernor.bsky.social is a great development.

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

Opinion: Maine can harvest more benefits from youth in agriculture "Even if youth aren’t interested in an agriculture-based career, self employment for a few months or years can develop career-ready skills."

In today’s @bangordailynews.bsky.social, Andrew Hudacs of @umaine.bsky.social Cooperative Extension lays out why Maine should invest more in youth agricultural programs — not just to grow future farmers, but to build stronger, healthier communities.

Trump’s big bill is not the least bit beautiful | Opinion In Maine, the impacts will be especially harsh for low-income and older adults.

Maine @scholars.org member Sandy Butler has an op-ed in @pressherald.com today which maps out the likely impact of Trump's budget bill on low-income and older Mainers.