Sunday, March 17th, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Jewett Auditorium, UMA Augusta Campus

The Â鶹APP (UMA) College of Arts and Science and the UMA Senior College will present, as part of its Forum on the Future series, a panel discussion entitled “Poverty in Maine: How Can We Help?” at Jewett Hall on Â鶹APP Augusta campus on Sunday, March 17, 2019 (snow date March 31). The forum is free and open to the public.

The panel discussion will begin at 2:00 pm with a refreshment break, followed by a question and answer period until 4:00 p.m. UMASC Forums on the Future are intended to be presentations of information and ideas, and not a debate. This presentation seeks to provide attendees with insight into problems faced by those living in poverty, as well as a better understanding of the programs that support individuals to attain independence, and how the public can support these programs. Speakers will include:

Karen Wyman is the Education and Legal Advocacy Coordinator for the Maine Equal Justice Program (MEJP). A nonprofit, this organization focuses upon many issues that affect people’s daily lives, and they are the leading experts in the state on federal and state policies for Maine’s anti-poverty programs. Ms. Wyman will speak about the functions of her program as well as how the public can offer support.

Cheryl Golek is one of the founders of the Vicarage by the Sea, a long-term alternative care home for those who have dementia. She is a dementia care specialist and has a certificate in social gerontology, and is a bold political advocate. Cheryl’s early life was marked by poverty, and this informs her understanding of the economic realities that Mainers face and a desire to find real solutions to poverty. She is a member of MEJP’s Circle, a project of Maine Equal Justice that supports Mainers who have experienced poverty to develop leadership and advocacy skills.

Susan Emmerling is a Family Services Coordinator with Head Start in Maine, where she has been employed for forty years and brings a wealth of experience from that program. She works with families of all ages (including grandparents raising grandchildren) helping them find appropriate resources according to the family’s own goals, linking them to health care options and even providing transportation at times to appointments, such as doctors and dentists.

Penny Higgins, Ed.D, R.N. will moderate the Forum. Her past experience in nursing education includes working with both patients and students from communities with diverse characteristics.

For more information about UMASC and its other activities, visit or contact UMASC at 621-3551 or by email at umasc@maine.edu.

The February forum will begin with details of the history of the Second Amendment to our Constitution, followed by the perspective of the hunter/sportsman, and will also propose ways to decrease gun violence. The forum is prompted by the many discussions taking place regarding this amendment.

The panel for this discussion will consist of the following individuals:

Dave Cheever, State of Maine Archivist since 2007, will present historical aspects. Mr. Cheever has had a varied career, including as a former teacher, sports director at Bangor television station, news director of Stephen King’s Bangor radio station, he later became Press Secretary for Governor Joseph Brennan. He has also been Editorial Page Editor for Central Maine Newspapers.

David Trahan, a former self employed logger and legislator from Lincoln County, has been Executive Director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine since 2011. His interests include defending Second Amendment rights, rebuilding the deer herd and expanding the use of our Maine outdoor attractions to a broader population.

Geoff Bickford, Executive Director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, will speak to issues of protecting Maine families from gun violence by expansion of education, advocacy and the distribution of free trigger locks. A lawyer, his previous experience includes acting as a public defender in Manhattan and clerking for Judge John Rich III of the United States District Court for the District of Maine in Portland.

All Forums on the Future are free and open to the public. For more information about UMASC and our other activities please call us at 621-3551 or email us at umasc@maine.edu.

For more information about UMASC please visit: .

The program will cover three aspects of universal health care:

1. A general description of our current health care system and what it means to people in their daily lives;
2. Economic information on the related aspects of the adoption of a single-payer or universal health care system; and
3. Information on the various avenues that could lead to adoption of a plan to provide health care for all.

The program speakers will include the following individuals:

Phil Caper, MD, a founding member of Maine All Care, an organization devoted to the establishment of publicly funded healthcare coverage for all Maine residents. Dr. Caper received his bachelors, masters and medical degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. He trained in Internal Medicine on the Harvard Medical Unit at Boston City Hospital, and taught at numerous universities. He was a charter member of the nation’s top health care advisory panel, the National Council on Health Planning and Development and founder and chairman of the Codman Group, a health care software and consulting company with an international reputation, among his many diverse healthcare experiences. He has written extensively for professional journals, and wrote a monthly health policy column for the Bangor Daily News for several years.

Jeff Dunn, MD also has extensive experiences in healthcare, graduating from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute and Albany Medical College and receiving an MBA from Temple University. He trained in General and Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Michigan. Dr. Dunn practiced Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at Temple and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. However, his experiences at the Great Ormand Street Hospital for Sick Children and the Harley Street Clinic in London, England gave him a unique experience with England’s universal and single-payer health care system. He has researched and/or written about pediatric heart transplantation, mechanical cardiac assist, and fetal cardiac surgery.

Betsy Sweet earned her BA at Colgate University, and MA in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica. She had a successful consulting business, Moose Ridge Associates, and now a thriving counseling/coaching business “Sweet Spirit”. She has long been involved in promoting many positive issues related to health care policy, women, victims of abuse, the disabled, the elderly and others. For example, Betsy helped found the Dirigo Alliance, the Maine Center for Economic Policy and she did the research that led to and then helped write Maine’s first Clean Election Law and the first Family Medical Leave act in the country. She was a pioneer in women’s advocacy in Maine as director of the Maine Women’s Lobby and the Maine Commission for Women under two governors. She recently was a candidate in the Democratic Primary for Governor.

UMASC is open to all persons 50 years of age or older, their spouses or partners. For more information, please call 621-3551, email umasc@maine.edu or check our web site at .