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University of Maine students will have a bonus day off as part of Maine Day on May 7 to participate in projects to improve the campus.
“I think the service projects is the most important aspect of Maine Day because that is what it’s all about, because it’s good to see people serve in their community,” said Lauri Sidelko, Maine Day planning committee chair and assistant director of the campus activities Board.
Maine Day was founded in 1935 by university president Arthur Hauck so students, faculty and administrators could have a day where they gave back to the UMaine community by doing service projects to beautify the campus. Maine Day allows students to give back to the campus, but also gives them a break from classes. All UMaine classes are canceled on Maine Day, except for labs and classes that meet once a week.
Groups planning events on Maine Day range from Greek organizations to residence halls.
“We decided that we wanted to do a bigblow out at the end of the year, seeing that York Village is closing next year. We wanted to do a serviceable activity and it was late enough in the year where we could start planning for it,” said Nathan Burns, York Village Hall Governing Board president.
The York Village HGB plans to coordinate sweeping walkways, picking up trash and providing a free car wash as part of Maine Day, according to Burns, a fourth-year political science major.
“The first two ideas [sweeping and removing trash] were needed to make our area look nice, and the car wash can be a fun group event and help people get their car clean,” Burns said.
Other organizations, such as Student Government, plan to participate in various activities Maine Day.
“I think Maine Day is a win-win situation for everybody. The students get a day off from classes right before finals and everyone gets a chance to participate in service for the university,” said Matthew Rodrigue, Student Government President. “I have only been here for two Maine Days, but last year I did the Alpha Omicron ‘Pi in the face.’ I scraped whipped cream out of my ear for a week. It was quite memorable for me personally. I think if everyone goes out and participates, [they] can have a memorable experience for many, many reasons. I think as you move along during your academic career, your affinity for the university grows. I hope that first-year students in particular will see how much education can extend beyond the classroom.”
Events taking place on Maine Day include the annual parade, oozeball and a campus barbecue. President Peter Hoff plans to travel around in a pink Ford Mustang to the various service projects. Sidelko said this year’s parade will begin a half-hour later the in past Maine Days.
“We have decided that this year’s parade will start at 7:30 instead of seven so students can get an extra couple of minutes sleep and service projects are coming in slowly, but surely,” Sidelko said.
Bangor Daily News