usm osher lifelong learning institute o l l i n e w s l e t t e r · 2020. 7. 13. · 1. usm will...

July/August 2020 www.usm.maine.edu/olli

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

IN THIS ISSUE

[Hint: Click on these to

jump to their page.]

Advisory Board

Senior Moments

OLLI Runs on

Volunteers

Sue Schier

Retires

OLLI Excursions

SAGE Returns Via

Zoom

Walking Club

O L L I N E W S L E T T E R

USM

OLLI’s Continuing Commitment to

Antiracism

On May 31, President Cummings shared this message with the

USM Community:

Dear USM Community,

Last week our nation received an

abhorrent reminder that racism is far

more than a societal ill, soon to be

cured. Racism lies deeply embedded

in every corner of the American land-

scape. And it is often lethal.

Violent injustice has permeated our

history. Now, however, the portal of

technology brings millions of Americans to the recorded killing of

George Floyd being suffocated in the custody of

four Minneapolis police officers who ignored his desperate pleas

for mercy. He joins a four-hundred-year column of black victims

of white brutality, most recently Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery,

and Tony McDade, among many.

This incident occurs against the backdrop of COVID-19, which

has put on display how racism operates within the fiber of Amer-

ica. The virus disproportionately impacts communities of color as a

direct result of carefully-crafted racial policies in housing, health-

care, and employment.

As a university, USM stands against these injustices. We make a

collective and individual call for accountability and justice. Today,

we bear witness to the precarity of black lives, both at the hands of

individuals, and at the hands of our systems and policies. Today,

we are angry, disgusted, and saddened. Today, we stand in solidar-

ity with all those calling for an end to this legacy of racial violence.

We remember that our ultimate calling is love.

But dismantling this legacy requires more than somber reflection.

It requires action. So USM will take two immediate actions:

1. USM will require all university police personnel, as well as

all leadership staff (assistant directors and above) in Student

Affairs, to complete the Racial Equity Institute program.

(Continued on page 2)

President Cummings

http://www.usm.maine.edu/olli/olliusm

July/August 2020 Page 2

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REI will give our officers and staff tasked with overseeing disciplinary concerns a deeper under-

standing of the race-based structures of our history. To the credit of the leadership in both areas,

full endorsement to this expectation came swiftly and supportively.

2. USM will place philanthropic resources for Promise Scholars and Access to Education as one of

our top priorities for fundraising in the campaign ahead. These scholarships highlight the poten-

tial for civic leadership in our student body and help erode the financial inequities that create

barriers to higher education.

USM will also continue its Common Read Discussion

Groups of Ibram Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist, and we

call on every member of the USM Community to both read

Kendi’s book and take part in a discussion group. Sign up

here to join a group: usm.maine.edu/read.

The USM leadership team has been its own “How to Be an

Antiracist” discussion group for months. We have finished

the book and moved on to other materials, deepening our

understanding of how oppression operates and perpetuates

itself. We ask every department at USM to do the same.

Additionally, this summer 20 faculty and staff members will participate in USM’s first ever Antiracist

Institute. And I am pleased to announce that Dr. Kendi has rescheduled his postponed 2020 Com-

mencement address and public lecture for May 2021.

As Kendi states: “One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial ineq-

uities, as an anti-racist. There is no in-between safe space of ‘not racist’.”

USM stands with those committed to dismantling racial inequities. Racism not only limits—it also

kills. To stand silent in this moment is to stand with racism. Please stand as an anti-racist with USM.

Thank you.

Dr. Glenn Cummings

President

OLLI stands united with President Cummings in his condemnation of police violence against people

of color, and we are committed to continuing our communal work in becoming antiracists. We recog-

nize the structural inequities in America that continue to oppress people of color, creating both suffer-

ing and struggle. As President Cummings pointed out in the early March “Wrinkle in Time” program

devoted to “Racism in America,” becoming an antiracist is an individual journey that we all must un-

dertake. However, OLLI can provide a platform of learning to help each of step forward.

At its recent OLLI Advisory Board meeting, the group assembled a task force to explore ways in

which OLLI can continue to create programs that would inform our leadership and provide vehicles for

members to continue their own journey. At this point, we are discussing Dr. Rebecca Nisetich’s “Tools

for Resilience,” in which she provides suggestions on doing this work. Her recommendations include

the following:


Antiracism (Continued from page 1)

http://usm.maine.edu/read


Back to Page 1 ● OLLI Runs on Volunteers ●

WEB SITES

Maine Senior College Network

www.maineseniorcollege.org

OLLI National Resource Center

www.osher.net

OLLI at USM

www.usm.maine.edu/olli

ADVISORY BOARD

Susan Jennings, Chair

Steve Schiffman, Vice-Chair

Peter Curry, Secretary

Paul Doherty, SAGE Chair

Elizabeth Housewright

Communications Chair

Gael McKibben and Rae Garcelon,

Community Co-Chairs

Georgia Koch, Nominating Chair

Walter Allan and Betsy Wiley,

Education Co-Chairs

Karen Day

Matt Goldfarb

Dick Leslie

Star Pelsue

Steve Piker

OLLI members are invited to attend

Advisory Board meetings. Check

with the Chair for time and place, or

if you wish to address the Board.

OLLI NEWSLETTER

OLLI Office:

Wishcamper Center 210

P. O. Box 9300

Portland, ME 04104-9300

Phone: 207 780-4406 or

1-800-800-4876

TTY 1-207-780-5646

Fax: 207 780-4317

E-mail: [email protected]

Tim Baehr, Editor

Don King, Editor Emeritus

Gael McKibben, Contributing Editor

Mogens Ravn, Layout Editor

Please send newsletter material to the

OLLI Office, via our e-mail.

Deadline for the September

issue is August 15.

OLLI STAFF

Donna Anderson, Director

Rob Hyssong, Program Coordinator

Sue Schier, Admin. Assistant

Complete an antiracist challenge.

Do your homework.

Expand your horizons.

Engage with others.

Support those around you already

doing the work.

Get curious about disparities in

education, workplaces, and the

business community in our area.

She states that “The goal is to become an ally” of the people of

color in our communities.

[Ed. note: Her page on the USM website is here: https://

tinyurl.com/Nisetich.]

We will share more information about the work of the task force

through the summer. At the same time, we encourage our member-

ship to read Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist—USM

identified this book as a critical tool for self-exploration and

awareness of historical/cultural perspectives on racism. Kendi

states “The only way to undo racism is to identify and describe it—

and dismantle it.” OLLI takes seriously its role in furthering social

justice in the U.S.

Antiracism (Continued from page 2)

Dr. Nisetich

Notes from the OLLI Advisory Board

On June 30th OLLI had its first Zoom Mix and Mingle. We have

all been missing the social contact aspect of OLLI. The pandemic

denied us the opportunity to have our usual Mix and Mingle in

spring term. There was no face-to-face gathering—and none of the

wonderful baked goods that members always bring to share. But

the pandemic could not stop our Community Committee under

Gael McKibben’s leadership from finding a way for OLLI mem-

bers to mix and mingle. Zoom came to the rescue.

The event started with 49 participants who, after a brief welcome

from Donna Anderson and me, were divided into five breakout

sessions, each headed by an Advisory Board Member—thanks to

Star Pelsue, Matt Goldfarb, Anne Cass, Elizabeth Housewright,

and Gael McKibben. Star helped us manage the Zoom technology

to get us divided into the breakout groups, which lasted about 15

minutes. We repeated this activity, joining new breakout groups

until we ran out of time around 4 p.m.


http://www.maineseniorcollege.orghttp://www.osher.nethttp://www.usm.maine.edu/olli/olliusmmailto:[email protected]://tinyurl.com/Nisetichhttps://tinyurl.com/Nisetich



Participants talked about how they were doing in our isolated times and also gave the Board members

lots of feedback about what they liked and didn’t like about online classes—from the perspective of

both students and teachers. The breakout sessions allowed us to meet new people and hear their ideas

for OLLI now and in the future—a real mix and mingle, albeit without the cookies. Maybe we need to

suggest that members bring their own goodies next time.

Speaking of next time: There was a lot of enthusiasm for future events like this, both the casual mix-

ing and mingling as well as more structured activities with games such as Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit,

Scattergories, or Bingo. If you have ideas for future activities, please let me know via e-mail: jen-

[email protected]. And look for announcements of future events.

—Sue Jennings

Advisory Board (Continued from page 3)

Senior Moments Pat Davidson Reef

Pat Davidson Reef, longtime OLLI faculty member, has just published the third book in her Maine

Art Series for Young Readers. David Driskell was a nationally known printmaker, painter, curator,

educator, scholar, and builder of private art collections including those of Bill Cosby and Oprah

Winfrey. Driskell, who summered in Falmouth, Maine, for over 57 years, was the world’s foremost

authority on black art in America.

Pat’s book is focused on an audience of children eight to twelve

years old, as well as elementary art teachers, and she writes not only a

biography but shows the development in Driskell’s art, from early

stages to realistic to abstract, all amply illustrated in color.

David C. Driskell—Artist, Educator, Author was finished just before

Driskell’s death this past April. A friend of Pat’s, Driskell was a

great help in getting the images for this book and was able to see the

final proof before he unexpectedly died.

The first two books in her series, both about Maine artists, are Dahlov Ipcar, Artist and Bernard

Langlais, Revisited.

Though retired as a teacher, Pat has continued her journalism career as a reviewer of museum and gal-

lery exhibitions and writer of book reviews for several Maine papers as well as Art New England. Her

greatest loves are teaching and writing. She is in her twentieth year of teaching film at OLLI. At

eighty-one, she has recently acclimated to distance learning and will be Zooming into the next film

class she is offering this fall.

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]



Sue Schier Retires

Sue Schier, an administrative as-

sistant in the OLLI office, is retir-

ing. A longtime mainstay of the

OLLI office, she will be missed. A

more extensive tribute will appear

in the September newsletter.

OLLI Runs on Volunteers

A good definition of a volunteer is someone who does something, especially things that help other

people, willingly and without being paid to do so. It is also a good definition of OLLI’s membership.

All our faculty (81 last fall) teach classes and workshops, and prepare lectures, programs, and class ma-

terials without payment. Note that this is not the case for all of the OLLIs across the country where

many hire professors or other lecturers. We are lucky to have a membership full of ex-teachers and pro-

fessors, with a wide variety of interests and backgrounds and a willingness to share their expertise and

passions with other members.

In addition to instructors there are volunteers who do many things for OLLI, almost too many to

count. The chairs of our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) reach large numbers of OLLI members and

provide meaningful outlets for their creativity, artistic pursuits, and their continued desire to learn and

to share their knowledge with others. Think of the variety they offer: three book groups, three musical

groups, three athletic groups, and that is just half of the SIGs. The range of offerings OLLI provides its

members—from visiting a new scenic area for a hike to taking a stand in the community about a seri-

ous public issue—is one of our strengths. Volunteers serve on our Advisory Board and participate in

six standing committees and many ad-hoc committees. Committee members publish the monthly news-

letter and the annual Reflections. They work to plan the class schedule and other educational activities

such as “One Book-One Community” and “Wrinkle in Time.” They find other volunteers who are will-

ing to serve on the Board. They plan activities such as the recent Meet and Mingle on Zoom to bring

members together. They find wonderful speakers for our SAGE program (also volunteers, by the way).

They raise money for scholarships and other ventures and worry about membership trends and re-

sources. Other volunteers help think about how we will change to keep up with the times. They started

a Facebook page and investigated distance learning opportunities. They staff the OLLI office desk.

Volunteers also help us rise to totally unexpected circumstances. For example, when USM was closed

to on-site classes, volunteers jumped in to teach potential instructors how to use Zoom and other re-

sources and to support those instructors as they made their first ventures into the world of online learn-

ing.

Usually at this time of year we celebrate our instructors and volunteers with two lunches. Unfortu-

nately, we are not able to gather for lunch at this time, so instead be on the lookout for the Zoom cele-

bration, which we will announce shortly.

—Sue Jennngs



OLLI Excursions

Judging from the successes of the Zoom classes, many OLLI members have now adjusted to distance-

connecting for lectures, for meetings, for reunions with friends and family. Links to some wonderful

travel destinations are being found from all sorts of sources such as friends, magazines, news articles,

other links. OLLI Ex encourages you to take those trips during this summer, not to mention those invi-

tations coming directly from art, historical, musical, nature, and other sites.

Here are the final locations that bring the OLLI Ex’s 2019–2020 odyssey to a close.

A breathtaking dance performance: Bolero (long-16.36 min.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ2chcGOJgY

Installation Art:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U81Eo5u8-AA

A walk on the world’s most extraordinary bridges:

https://www.icepop.com/worlds-most-terrifying-bridges/

Richard Attenborough’s view of the world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8WHKRzkCOY

Covid-19 didn’t stop these bears:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Yu56fAxXg

And, finally, a quick peek at future air travel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bfXgOevOqE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ2chcGOJgYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U81Eo5u8-AAhttps://www.icepop.com/worlds-most-terrifying-bridges/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8WHKRzkCOYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Yu56fAxXghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bfXgOevOqE



SAGE Returns This Fall Via Zoom

The Fall SAGE series of eight presentations plus one bonus program will

be virtual, along with all OLLI classes and workshops. SAGE lectures will

look and feel like the many classes that OLLI members participated in dur-

ing the spring and this summer. As in the past, SAGE will begin at 9:30

Tuesday mornings.

The Fall SAGE series will kick off on September 15 with Jeanne Hulit,

CEO of Maine Community Bancorp discussing the role of local banks as

our economy’s “first responders.” Jeanne has had many public and private

leadership roles in Maine and beyond, including service as Acting Director

of the Small Business Administration during the Obama administration.

OLLI Director Donna Anderson will be the SAGE speaker the following

week, September 22. When originally scheduled to appear on the spring

series that was canceled, Donna planned to discuss her experiences in life-

long learning and their implications for OLLI. Now, with OLLI and SAGE

being virtual at least through the remainder of this year, Donna’s vision for

the future will be exceptionally timely and important for all OLLI mem-

bers.

On September 29, Sarah Hansen, Executive Director, and Julie Larry, Di-

rector of Advocacy for Greater Portland Landmarks, will speak to SAGE.

Sarah and Julie will discuss the role Landmarks continues to play in pre-

serving the legacy of historic buildings, neighborhoods, and landscapes.

The October and November SAGE programs will include an AARP-

sponsored session on prosecutions of scam artists and fraudsters in Maine;

an exploration of the major renaissance in board games by an award-

winning game designer; the return of Leigh Saufley, former Chief Justice

of the Maine Judicial Court and now the new dean of the Maine Law

School; a program on the power of life stories for seniors; and a presenta-

tion about inspiring programs for Vietnam veterans. Finally, in a bonus

program on November 10, OperaMaine will return with a multi-

disciplinary celebration of Maine’s bicentennial.

OLLI members can continue to register for the Fall series for just $50, the

same as for a single OLLI class. The option to “attend” a single lecture

will be available throughout the entire fall season at $10 per session.  With

Zoom Webinar, OLLI members can be fully engaged in our fall SAGE se-

ries from their favorite chair while enjoying as many cups of coffee

as they wish.  Keep an eye out for our SAGE online brochure for more de-

tails, coming soon.

Julie Larry

Donna Anderson

Jeanne Hulit

Sarah Hansen



Walking Club

After our successful walk at Evergreen Cemetery in June, we are trying several other walks this sum-

mer, trying to pick sites that will provide more space for parking and for social distancing while hav-

ing lunch. On Wednesday, July 8, we walked at Ferry Beach in Saco, and on Monday, July 20, we will

walk at Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport. Please note that the Wolfe’s Neck site and date are different

from the schedule provided earlier. On the Web: https://tinyurl.com/Walk-Wolfes-Neck.

On Wednesday, August 12, we will walk at Rines Forest in Cumberland; and on Monday, August 24,

we will try Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth. On the Web: https://tinyurl.com/Walk-Rines-Forest and

https://tinyurl.com/Walk-Kettle-Cove.

All four of these walks will start at our summer time of 9:00 a.m., and we will bring our lunch and

water to each. Wear sunscreen and bug repellant and bring a folding chair if you stay for lunch. There

is often no access to restrooms, and you should take that into consideration.

You will need to reply to my e-mails to reserve a spot on each walk. I will accept the first 30 people

who sign up, and keep a wait list for others. Keep in mind that walkers at one walk often sign up for

the next one. Please do not sign up unless you are sure you can attend, as you deprive someone who

wants to join us if you cancel. And most important: you must be an OLLI member who has re-

newed your $25 membership fee as of July 1st.

Detailed directions will be sent to walkers before each walk. For questions, call me at 846-3304 or

e-mail me at [email protected].

—Rae Garcelon

We enjoyed lunch after our walk

at Ferry Beach.

Some of the walkers

in Evergreen

Cemetery.

Sharing lunch al fresco.

14 of us had a lovely walk in Saco and even got in the water.
https://tinyurl.com/Walk-Wolfes-Neckhttps://tinyurl.com/Walk-Rines-Foresthttps://tinyurl.com/Walk-Kettle-Covemailto:[email protected]

usm osher lifelong learning institute o l l i n e w s l e t t e r · 2020. 7. 13. · 1. usm will...

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