Letter for the Incoming Students of Fall Semester 2012, Class of 2016.

Dear Incoming Students of Fall Semester 2012, Class of 2016,

It was great hearing from all of you and talking to you all this summer.  Your questions and concerns show that all of you care.  This was a great and active facebook group (way better than mine.)  You all show that you care for one another and you are looking out for each other and you haven’t even met yet (mostly). You are all carrying on the small knit community that Unity offers. From NOVA trips to Residence Halls and all the way to activities, music and club interests, you all show a deep interest for what is going on.  It is also great to see that you guys are bringing a larger diversity to Unity.  There are more of us city-kids, and more talents and other things to offer coming into Unity. But this letter is to inform you of things I learned at Unity that I wish I was told before coming to Unity.

 

If I were to give advice to any Unity student, this is what it would be: Unity is what you make it.  If you want to sit and watch Netflix all day while doing homework and classwork, by all means; go ahead.  Let me warn you: you are not using all of the potential your Unity Experience offers. Unity has so much more to offer.  Go on the OAC monthly trips.  Check out musicians playing at the coffee house and the UCCPA. Join clubs. Try new things.  Use all of what we offer.  Become part of the Student Government Association (SGA) and state your opinions.  At Unity, everything is in grasp and as long as YOU make the extra effort to do so.  We will not spoon feed you and hold your hand along the way.  You are now in college.  Get out and be active.  If you do not like the bands playing at the Coffee House nights, make suggestions of genres, or even go the extra effort and talk to Rebecca Neville to get involved in choosing some of the bands that swing by.  If you feel like we are lacking something here at the college, don’t complain about it.  Make it happen.  There are students and faculty around campus that are more than willing to help and accommodate at any means possible.  We have the facilities to get you internships and to let you study abroad.  All you have to do is talk to Nicole Collins to know how to get started.  If you do not care for your education, than no one else is going to either. 

 

Also, get to know everyone around you. Keep in mind that the best part about Unity (in my opinion) may also be the worst.  We are VERY small.  Everyone on campus, including the faculty and staff, will get to know you on a personal level to some extent.  You are not just a number here like at larger institutions. Make sure you keep that into consideration as you make decisions.  Because we are small you get to make connections and contacts.  This opens opportunities for jobs, a way to catch a ride, volunteer work, activities and many more positions.  And teachers treat you with respect and will go out of their way to make sure you are getting a grasp of what they are teaching in class.  Yet, word does spread fast around the campus due to the size.  I can guarantee by the end of one year if you don’t know someone by name, you’ll get to know their face and vice versa.

 

As far as stereotypes go here at Unity, there definitely are those.  There is that whole “hugger vs. hunter” thing.  Meaning that there are tree huggers and there are hunters on campus.  What is important to realize and remember that we are all here for the same reason; the environment.  When I was in the city I thought that going green was recycling and buying reusable water bottles and eating a healthier diet with less meat.  And yes, this does help a GREAT amount as far as day to day living goes.  But there is much more to it.  The “hunters” of the campus live off the land.  They appreciate the animals and try population control to keep them around.  That is their food.  They farm and hunt to put food on the table.  That is respectable.  They are not slaughtering animals because they like to kill.  It is a much deeper connection to nature to that than I will ever know.   And as far as “tree-huggers” go, your respect for sustainability and the whole “going green” trend is great for urban environments and is a great start.  But what is important to see here is that we all care for the environment in our own ways.  Sure, they will differ, but we are all here to solve preserve and conserve nature and be one with our eco-systems and the environment.  Even though we may not all agree politically, we are all hanging in the Student Center together and eating at the same tables in Wyman’s Commons.

 

And PLEASE, be active in the small community.  There’s tons of things to do on campus (and off campus for that matter) you just have to look and get involved.  Make what you want to happen, actually happen.  I know this group is capable of doing big things by how much I have interacted with you all through facebook.  I can’t wait to put a personality to all of the pictures, questions and comments.  If you see me on campus, please stop me and say hello!  I would love to have a conversation with all of you.  If you need information on how to get clubs started, work study, activities to do on campus, places to go off campus, or cool scenery or locations around the area let me know.  I have lived here for the summer and have been around for a full school year so I have looked into all of this myself. And if I do not know, I know someone who will.  Trust me when I say just because we are in a rural location it doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff to do.  Always ask yourself, “What is holding me back?”

 

If you have any questions about the college or student life (and I mean and stress ANYTHING) please email me at JDavidson11@unity.edu.  I’ll be more than happy to answer everything truthfully. I grew a huge love for Unity and I hope that all of you can as well. 

 

It was a pleasure getting to talk to you all and meet you on tours!!  Be safe.  Have fun. Enjoy the rest of your summer and NOVA if you have not already gone.

 

Peace and Love,

Jeffery Bourne Davidson

Farm Life Pt. 2: Entertaining Myself in my Free Time

On the farm, everything seems to be settling down quite a bit.   Now that I am fully moved into the homestead in Waldo, ME everything is quite organized now =D.  The farm is all planted and the plants are looking really healthy.  The only thing we have to worry about is a blight that took out the tomatoes last year.  All we can do is cross our fingers and wait for them to grow, though!  The weather has been quite radical and I guess very Maine-like.  Tons of rain.  Tons.  And it gets very humid.  But the scenery, just like in the winter, makes up for it.  Maine is definitely a beautiful state.

As far as living life in Maine goes, I really can’t wait to go see Moon Taxi, Dirty Heads and Matisyahu the 25^th!  Also, I hope to be on a boat August 4^th ready to listen to Mumford and Sons!  It has been a really long time since I have been to a crazy concert and I really hope that the 25^th is it.

For  those of you who like body art: I found a really awesome tattoo artist about an hour away from campus.  I am going to go get some more ink pretty soon =P!  (Definitely addicting but it has been 3 years since my last)  But also, if you want piercings there is a place in Waterville that does $10 piercings that is really awesome.  (That is where I had my lip pierced.)  Let me know if you are interested in that for details.

As far as progression in the farm goes –

We have for vegetables:  tomatoes, eggplant, green peppers, cayenne peppers, jalapeno peppers, cherry bomb peppers, pickling cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkin, winter squash, spaghetti squash, summer squash,  zucchini, carrots, radishes (which we harvested a tiny bit) peas, beans, asparagus (harvestable and in it’s 3^rd year.) onions, garlic and corn.  There is probably something I am missing in this list that I can’t remember.

For Fruits: Blueberry bushes, grape vines, apple trees.

And as for Herbs: Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, and Marjoram.

Now that everything is planted, I wish I could say I could just sit back and watch it grow.  Don’t get me wrong, the hardest part is done, but now it is just tedious maintenance.  A great amount of weeding needs to be done all the time, about once big weeding every week and a half, and in between each big weeding there is small areas we need to do by hand.

We grow food not to sell but to eat through out the year.  A great big part of the job is canning and storing.  Our basement was built to be a root cellar to store veggies and fruits. Also, other than canning we do a lot of dehydrating.  We bought cherries the other day and dehydrated them.  First you wash, then cut and half and pit, and then put in the dehydrator over night until all look very dry.

When growing your harvest, you grow not until you get through winter, but until you can next harvest and can.

It is really cool living that life style.  Not only do I get delicious organic food that I have grown from it, but I also get to live like people did back in the day.  The work is fun and rewarding.  And to say that I have the skill set to do such a thing as provide myself food for a year is incredible (I will keep in mind that it is tons of work and to do solo would be crazy.)

Coming to Unity was exactly what I needed in my life.  To expose myself to the rural setting and open my eyes to the culture Maine provides was a great choice.  Not only did I find what I wanted to do for a career, but I also noticed that my career choice brings a phenomenal social connection with others I never had: the connection between your food and how it got onto your dinner plate.  In my eyes, the said connection grows in importance every day, and I cannot wait to be the one providing the food.

I really can’t wait to start making awesome food when the harvest comes.  The radishes we harvested earlier were the best I have ever had.  I am looking forward to making some zucchini casserole, and I really can’t wait to make eggplant parm with the eggplant I grew!!

There is so much more to look forward to on the farm!!  I really can’t wait until harvest!!  But until next time, keep growing up from your roots.

Now Playing on my iPod – Song: Best of Us – Artist: Dirty Heads
“But if the sun comes steppin’ in early / And I’m waitin’ for my wallet to be empty / ‘Cause last night the stack’s level I was off my lead / I can still look at her with no anxiety because”

Green News Article of the Week – http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/44638

Farm Life. Part 1.

Along with my job here at Unity College, I am also working and living on a farm in Waldo, a town about 20-30 minutes south of Unity.  On the farm we are growing fiddle heads, tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus garlic and much more.  We are renovating the house first so I have been put hard at work.  I am learning a great amount and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.  The people I live with, Diane and Dave, are two amazing people who provided this opportunity for me.  Below is me holding up a board we were lacquering.  A great amount of work has gone into this house and I am glad I can say I was a part of it.  We haven’t done much farming yet, but once this house is done, my hands, feet, knees and face is going to be covered in soil.  Coming from a Sustainable Agriculture major – I can’t wait! 

Along with produce, we are also going to have livestock.   We are going to be purchasing a calf or two and some little chicks.  Also, we have nine hens right now.  We used to have a dozen, but a fox got into the chicken hut and killed three.  (Rest in Peace little chickens.)  We had to build a cage around the hut so the chickens would be safe.  We have chickens not only for eggs but for meat as well.  Here I am holding my first chicken on my break.

There has definitely been a great amount of ‘firsts’ working on this farm.  I am also living with my first pets.  Dave and Diane have a cat, Bob (a bob tailed cat… get it?)  and two dogs, a Cockapoo named Bogie and a Chocolate Lab named Abby.

Also, I shot my first gun.  This was a huge step.  In Maine, a large population of Mainers own guns.  Shooting at ranges and hunting are not uncommon hobbies at all.  In fact, they are very popular.  I was terrified of guns.  Since I was little, if someone owned a gun, I probably did not want to associate with them.  It is a very different life style in Maine and other rural areas.  As you can see in the picture, I shot a handgun.  A GSG 1911 .22 caliber handgun.  Before I shot, Dave gave me a long gun safety run-down of what to do and what not to do when operating the gun.  After the picture was shot and I emptied my clip, I was told I was holding the gun wrong.  But, there is always room to learn.  I was actually not that bad of a shot, though.  This was in the back yard of the house.  All neighbors near by shoot in their backyards all the time, too.  As I said, very common.  I am still so not used to this, but I am not going to lie, it was a blast (pun intended.)  I still have a lot to learn about the farming, house work and Mainer life, which is a good thing.  I have lived in a city, and I have lived in a rural setting, and I wouldn’t trade were I reside right now for anything.  I absolutely am falling more and more in love with Maine everyday.  Going to Unity College opened up my eyes and led me to experiences I would not have been able to do anywhere else.

Any Fans of Music?

If you are a fan of music, coming to Unity isn’t really bad at all.

As I have blogged about before, we have local artists come through live on Wednesdays to campus twice a month, sometimes even more. The best part about these concerts; they’re free. These are really cool events because from bluegrass to hip-hop we have local artists trying to get their name out.

Lets say you don’t like local, and you like main stream, no problem. Waterfront Concerts is a huge venue in Bangor. Yes, it is a tiny bit of a drive to get there, but there isn’t anywhere in Maine where you can go unless it is a bit of a drive. Big named artists from Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg to Zac Brown Band to Beach Boys to Jason Aldean all come here to perform.

Want more info and a line up of events? I got that for you http://waterfrontconcerts.com/

Don’t like Big Named Artists? Like Underground? No problem. SPACE Gallery in Portland has Alternative and Underground scene where artists like B. Dolan (From Providence, RI one of my personal favorites and a local to me) and Shonen Knife all the way from Japan. Also, local big names go throgh this venue frequently.

You want more information, right? No problem. I got that. http://www.space538.org/eventsbytype.php?cat=2

Okay, so you can’t find anything you want at those two venues? I understand. That is why Portland has State Theatre. Here, bands like Michael Franti + Spearhead, Atmosphere, Matisyahu, Dirty Heads, Mumford and Sons, Anthrax and Girl Talk play here.

Here’s more information on that – http://www.statetheatreportland.com/

You want to know the distance between campus and these venues? I google-mapped it all already for you:

Bangor Waterfront Concerts – 1 hour

Portland Space Gallery – 1 hour 45 minutes including traffic

Portland Stage Theatre – 1 hour 45 minutes including traffic. Right down the street from Space Gallery!

Really, that is not that bad, considering it takes about 35 minutes just to get to Waterville.

Also, word around the town is that if you pay close attention to Colby College, some great artists roll through there!

But I get it. I can’t tell you everything you need to know about the music scene. Let me refer to you to someone who can: Meg Fournier. Meg is the new Manager and Public Arts Coordinator for the Unity College Centre for the Performing Arts (UCCPA). She kindly told me where to get some information to follow great bands of all different genres coming in and out of the Waldo County area. She told me to check out an awesome blog called Hillytown.com that you should also check out. Oh, did I forget to mention she leads the team to the Belfast Free Range Music Festival? Find out more about that awesomeness here : http://freerangemusicfestival.com/.

Definitely keep track of who she is bringing in to the UCCPA here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Unity-College-Centre-for-the-Performing-Arts/38640143308

Now it is time for you to speak on this.

 

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS BELOW OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS OR ARTISTS YOU WOULD RECOMMEND!

 

Now Playing On My iTunes/iPod –          Artist: Pierce The Veil        Song: She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty

 

Which Residence Hall Do You Reside In?!?!

Since you can now see where you got placed for housing, lets see how many incoming students are where. Vote below!

Are you…..?

Are you a Marine Bio Major?!  Our Juniors for Marine Biology are in Costa Rica right now doing all types of research.  Are you now wanting to be in Costa Rica?  Can’t help you there.  But I can get close!  Follow what these students are doing there now with the blog they have going.  http://ucme.wordpress.com/

Are you interested in Sustainability Practices?!  Are you interested in Unity?  Might want to check these blogs out.  http://ucsustainability.blogspot.com/ and/or http://terrahaus.wordpress.com/ and/or http://sustainabilitymonitor.wordpress.com/ and/or http://livinggreenatunityhouse.blogspot.com/.

Are you into Search and Rescue?  We got blogs on that too.  http://ucsarmaine.blogspot.com/

Are you interested in becomming an intern?  Students here are good at that.  http://unitycollegeinternshipprogram.blogspot.com/

Are you looking for another student blog?!  We got that too.  No biggie.  http://oliviaunitycollege.wordpress.com/

Are you interested in these blogs in general? Unity is the place for you.

Are you interested in music? Now Playing on my iPod/iTunes: Deuces (Remix) Ft. Fabulous and Andre 3000 – Chris Brown”A farewell email, from a female. but I’m a playa, I aint gonna tell you all the details.  What it entails is hard to say like selling seashells by the shore.  But she ain’t a bore” — Andre 3000.

Are you interested in news?  No?  Well do you like tanning?  Or being outside?  Read This – http://www.enn.com/health/article/44418

Are you liking this blog? Yes or no, let me know!

 

Twitter AND a Facebook?!!?

I know I know!  I have conformed once again!  But it’s for all of you!

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003839809876

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JUnity15 @JUnity15 Shout me out!

 

What Major Are You Interested In?!

Done with Finals and Staying in Maine

I am happy to say that I was able to acquire two jobs in Maine for the summer, so I will be living up here and visiting the campus every week almost daily. I am giving tours this summer, so if you plan on coming up I hope to see you soon. I hope to be posting what I am doing when I am working on the farm (one of my jobs) regularly for all of you that are interested in Sustainable Agriculture so you can decide if you want to take a similar route.  

Also, I want this to be an active blog!! It would be easier for me to blog and I would blog more frequently if questions were asked. Even if you want me to dedicate a whole blog to post to something, I am willing to do so. This is for every student that is interested in Unity College and I want you to help me with topics to talk about.   

                My email is JDavidson11@unity.edu and if you would like to contact me through that I would be more than willing to answer any questions. 

 

Now Playing on my iPod/iTunes – Steady Mobbin’ – Young Money

The Town of Unity and More

As a tour guide, I hear many frequently asked questions. One of the most common would be “What is there to do off campus?!” Well, even though Unity is a very very small town in a rural setting, it provides the necessities a college student would need.

First, let’s start off with a brief history of Unity.

• Unity was first settled by Quakers
• It was known as Twenty-Five Mile Pond Plantation, until 1804 when the name was changed to Unity.
• Unity College was founded 1965.
• Unity is also the hometown of Maine’s Organic Farming and Gardening Association.
• The towns’ population is right around 2000.
• In 2008, Amish families joined the community.

Town Stores/Restaurants

• Unity House of Pizza: Often abbreviated to UHOP, is the closest pizza place serving appetizers, pizzas, calzones and much more.
• Spanky’s: This is another pizza place in town, still walking distance. This serves pretty much the same food as UHOP, but there are a great amount of differences between the two

*SPEACIAL NOTE*: If you are on a meal plan for Unity, you have money already on your card that can be used at BOTH of these pizza parlors. This is an extremely awesome part of our meal plan.

• Edwards: A grocery store filled with all of the necessities in town. Just a great, small town grocery store that has everything from cereal, to soda, to band-aids and hygiene products.
• Barb’s Place: Barbs is a great little breakfast place right next to Edwards
• China Jade: This is a great Chinese restaurant located right next to Edwards and Barb’s.

Unity is part of Waldo County, which holds twenty-five more cities and towns. In these you can find tons of nifty awesome stores and restaurants as long as you are willing to do a little driving. Also, Waterville is only 25 minutes away, and this contains anything that you would want except for a mall (to my knowledge).

One mentionable restaurant that comes to mind is Big G’s.  This is about 20 minutes away from Unity College.  This has the BIGGEST sandwiches I have every had, and there are so many options to choose from.  Also, they have a great breakfast selection.  Their cinnamon buns are as large as my head!  It is a great place and a must visit if visiting around the Waldo County area.

So even though this is a rural setting, there is plenty to do around the area. Along with all the activities that the school provides and all of the homework you will have, as a college student, you could never have a dull moment unless you make it that way. That is a promise.

Now playing on my iPod/iTunes – Day Dreamin’ – Lupe Fiasco (ON REPEAT!!!)

“Day Dream.  Fell alseep beneath the flowers.  For a couple of hours.  What a beautiful day.”

Green News Article : http://www.worldwatch.org/15-agricultural-innovations-protecting-environment-earth-day

 

Have a Good One!!!