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The General Student Senate held a special meeting Dec. 14 to inaugurate its new officers. On the agenda were the yearly recap addresses by the outgoing president and vice president, swearing in ceremonies for the incoming president and vice president and approval of the new vice president of Financial Affairs.
Pearce Paul Creasman won the president’s position with 1086 votes, which was 76.4 percent of the 1422 voters. Creasman, also the outgoing president, was the only candidate running for the position.
Matthew O. Gagnon, the incumbent candidate, won the vice president’s seat with 634 votes, beating Aaron Sterling by a narrow margin of 1.1 percent. Sterling had 43.5 percent of the votes with 618.
Creasman gave the welcome address, thanking everyone for coming. He also expressed his disappointment in voter turnout during the election. Only about 18 percent of the undergraduate student body voted, according to Matthew Rodrigue, the Fair Elections Practices Committee chair.
Turnout was 490 votes less than the pervious year’s total. Rodrigue said a lack of competition for the seats this year was probably a major factor in the low numbers.
“Last year, there were 1912 total voters,” Rodrigue said. “Altogether, there were eight candidates running for presidential and vice presidential positions, which, in itself explains the somewhat higher turnout.”
Most students cast their vote via FirstClass, while a few voted traditionally because they either did not have a FirstClass account or access to one or they had a technical problem with the FirstClass voting software, Rodrigue said.
Approximately 20 people were in attendance at the inauguration, mostly senators.
Kyle Cyr’s appointment to the position of vice president of Financial Affairs was also approved at the meeting. Cyr was the former treasurer of Financial Affairs and is replacing Amy Saunders, who left the position because she is expecting a baby in February.
Creasman then gave a yearly recap address.
“I started the job in November and since then I’ve made some good connections,” he said. “I also feel that Student Government is getting back on the good side of the students.”
He also said he was proud of this year’s new senators. Twenty-five senators have joined GSS since the beginning of fall semester.
In Gagnon’s recap address, he noted this had been a turbulent term with several controversial issues, citing the Biology Club requesting funds for a guest speaker and The Maine Campus also requesting funds.
When he came into office at the beginning of the semester, stability of membership was his main priority, Gagnon said. At the first GSS meeting of the semester there were only five voting members in attendance.
“Student Government could have self-destructed had it not been for some key players,” he said. He also expressed his “sincere admiration for the work that’s been done” and “applauds the efforts” of GSS.
Matthew Rodrigue swore in Creasman as president. Creasman chose Rodrigue to perform the duty since there was no outgoing president.
In Creasman’s acceptance speech he thanked Rodrigue and the senators and congratulated Gagnon on his win.
Creasman plans to start working on the issues in his platform, as well as continue his work from the previous semester. His platform issues include better campus lighting, getting more cable channels for the campus, putting more money into book buybacks and making students aware of the risk of using their Social Security numbers as student identification numbers.
Gagnon chose his opponent in the race, Aaron Sterling, to swear him in.
“I would like to thank Aaron for a hard-run race and an extremely Florida-like election,” Gagnon said.
“When I first joined Senate, I had no idea where I was going to,” Gagnon said in his acceptance speech. “I felt a sense of awe at my first meeting. I never envisioned standing here. I feel great pride in taking the oath of vice president.”
He also thanked the senators for “providing the want” to be in GSS.
He then detailed his campaign platform. In the year ahead Gagnon plans to continue his work from last semester when he took over the position in September. Some of the things he will be working on include increasing students’ say on campus, increasing GSS professionalism, meeting with the clubs under student government and working with the Orono and Old Town Council liaisons in building a better relationship with the community, as well as resurrecting the University of Maine Organization of Student Governments, a system-wide organization.
Gagnon also plans to work on the issues brought up in Sterling’s campaign, he said, specifically working with the Theatre Department.
After the officer’s speeches, final roll call of the senators was taken and refreshments were served.
Related Posts:- Rodrigue, Gagnon win big in elections (December 5, 2002)
- Gagnon “Speared” and nude Britney (April 1, 2002)
- Reynolds drops out of VP race (November 25, 2002)
- Gagnon to leave UMaine (April 3, 2006)
- Insiders compete for VP spot (December 6, 2001)
