Basketball (and family) history makes TV and newspaper news
During a 70-66 overtime win against the University of Southern Maine, Elsa Daulerio 鈥�26 became the 22nd 乐播传媒 women’s basketball player to score 1,000 career points, and the and all reported on the event. Her teammates swarmed the court after the game to celebrate Daulerio, who is the 2025鈥�26 team captain.
The achievement has made Daulerio and her mother, 乐播传媒 Associate Director of Athletics Adrienne Shibles 鈥�91, the second-documented mother-daughter duo in the country to both earn 1,000 career points at the same institution.
鈥淚t means so much,鈥� Daulerio told the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel. 鈥淚 love her so much. She鈥檚 been my idol since I was a little girl. I always looked up to her, and she鈥檚 been my No. 1 supporter, along with my family. It鈥檚 just so special and I鈥檓 honored to be up there with her. She鈥檚 the hardest worker I know.鈥�
Like her daughter, Shibles was team captain at 乐播传媒 鈥� twice. She ended her college career with 1,005 career points and went on to coach basketball at Swarthmore, Bowdoin, and Dartmouth before returning to 乐播传媒.
A 乐播传媒 alum talks to national press after her reality show jackpot
In November, Perla Figuereo 鈥�21 was featured in an after winning Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2, a competitive reality television show based on the fictional thriller Squid Game. Figuereo entered the game with her twin brother Jeffrey Figuereo and her 鈥済ameplay came down to being her 鈥榤ost authentic self鈥� and tapping into her emotions,鈥� Marie Claire reported.
The prize for winning the show was $4.56 million, which Figuereo plans to split with her brother. As , Figuereo 鈥渨as made to play against her brother Geoffrey [sic], putting them both in a difficult position. He decided not to take part, instead encouraging his sister to go on and win the game for the both of them. And she did just that.鈥�
In an, Figuereo discussed her win and reminisced on her time in Lewiston, which she calls her 鈥渟econd home.鈥�
鈥淢y strategy was just to be myself,鈥� Figuereo told the Sun Journal. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very social person. Genuinely one of my passions in life is people, so my strategy was just to get to know people like I do in my everyday life.鈥�
The show, , and , among other outlets, also covered the news.
Francesco Duina visits Maine Calling to talk about inequality
Francesco Duina, professor of sociology, was featured on Maine Public’s Maine Calling program on December 2.
Duina鈥檚 new book The Social Acceptance of Inequality: On the Logics of a More Unequal World analyzes the ways in which people think about economic inequality鈥攁nd the reasoning that leads many to accept the disparities around us. Co-edited with Luca Storti, an associate professor of economic sociology at the University of Turin, Italy, Duina鈥檚 collection includes voices from across the globe contributing their perspectives on why we justify and accept economic inequality.
Maine Calling host Jennifer Rooks asked Duina why he chose to look at the logics, or justifications, people have for the great inequality in the world now.
鈥淭he logics or the justifications, are drivers or these inequalities,鈥� Duina responded. 鈥淪o if we want to understand where they come from or why they are sustained, we want to understand why some people are okay with them. A surprisingly large number of 鈥� and diverse 鈥� number of people support, to varying degrees, inequalities. We are talking specifically about economic inequalities here. Inequalities of wealth or income.鈥�
Rooks asked Duina about his process, including how he challenges his 乐播传媒 students to consider the topic. 鈥淚 suspect that people, sometimes, if they are asked, outright, 鈥楧o you support income inequaity鈥� might have a different answer then the answer you get when you start to dig down,鈥� Rooks said.
Duina agreed. 鈥淢ost people, I think, would probably say 鈥楴o,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淭hough some people will say, 鈥業鈥檓 perfectly comfortable,鈥� for whatever reasons. But it鈥檚 also true that, as I investigate with students, and I kind of challenge them, it鈥檚 also true that most people don鈥檛 want perfect equality either. So then the question is, at what point do people become uncomfortable, and at what point do people continue to accept economic inequalities?鈥�
To listen to the full conversation, which included two guest panelists,
Marc Dixon, professor of sociology from Dartmouth College and Megan Tobias Neely, assistant professor of sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder, visit 乐播传媒 News interviewed Duina about the topic in November.
乐播传媒 football success featured in the Portland Press Herald
Head Football Coach Matt Coyne was featured in which ran in the Maine Trust for Local News publications, including the Portland Press Herald, in late October. Coyne noted that 乐播传媒 football is at a turning point this year. 鈥淲e鈥檝e played, you know, much better complementary football across the board, offensively and defensively,鈥� Coyne said. 鈥淚 think the biggest thing is in critical moments in some of those games against the top-half teams, we made the plays against Amherst and Tufts; then in some other games, we didn鈥檛.鈥� Coyne pointed to the team鈥檚 depth in both offense and defense calling out junior linebacker Ryan Rozich of Cromwell, Conn. leading the NESCAC with 89 tackles, and sophomore Carmel Crunk of Chatsworth, Calif. with 63 tackles.
In the Sun Journal, Darby Ray visualizes a community gathering spot
Lewiston community members are considering the future of The Red Shop at Simard-Payne Memorial Park. Built in 1938, the building was once a machine shop for the mill. Discussions about the possible uses for the building are underway. Darby Ray, who serves as director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships and is the Donald W. and Ann M. Harward Professor of Civic Engagement, was interviewed in a , where she shared her ideas for the future of the building. Ray imagines people coming together at The Red Shop鈥揻or family reunions and other celebrations, saying 鈥淚 think we need more spaces where folks can come together on a chilly winter day like today and maybe share ideas about something, have a forum or a conversation or a square dance. We need places to gather that are easily accessible and low barrier in terms of expense.鈥�
Kamal Kariem in The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Kamal Kariem, assistant professor of anthropology who joined the faculty at 乐播传媒 this year, was . Kariem, a graduate of Connecticut College, earned his masters and PhD at Princeton University in anthropology. Kariem is noted as a scholar of global Indigeneities and 鈥渃omparative imperial formations as these intersect with nature protection.鈥� Kariem is currently teaching 鈥淐ultural Anthropology鈥� and 鈥淚ndigeneity Today.鈥� He shared that he looks forward to working with students to consider their own engagement with Indigenous scholars, considering 鈥渃onvergences and divergences鈥� that emerged in his own work studying Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and Russia.
Muncie’s Star Press features alum’s appointment at Ball State
Bette Smith 鈥�87 was of Muncie, Ind. for her new appointment at Ball State University. Smith was named director of Ball State University鈥檚 Center for Innovation and Collaboration. Originally from New York, Smith was a Russian major at 乐播传媒 before earning a masters in sociology at University of Colorado, Denver. Smith has spent more than two decades working in higher education, and will use her experience to focus on organizational change and partnership development. In her new role, Smith will help shape the center鈥檚 initial organizational structure and expand Ball State University鈥檚 partnerships with the community and local industry. Smith has served as principal of Destra Consulting Group since 2013, supporting clients on transformation initiatives, stakeholder engagement, and leadership alignment.
Faculty Featured
Francesco G. Duina
Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology
Matt Coyne
Head Football Coach and Instructor in Physical Education
Darby K. Ray
Dir of HCCP and Donald W. and Ann M. Harward Professor of Civic Engagement
Kamal A. Kariem
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
