News

Student senators address campus lighting

By Nate Schlingmann

Posted on Feb. 09, 2004, at 12:00 a.m.

Student Body President Cortlynn Hepler is working to improve lighting on campus, he said at Tuesday’s General Student Senate meeting.

“Some areas on campus, one can’t see a person about to step into the street,” he said. “The intersection of Cumberland Hall and the intersection of Sebago and Grove Street both need extra lighting. I would also like to get a group of volunteers to inform the facilities office and Public Safety when lights are out. I have informed them before and seen the lights still out more than a week later. We can have the best-lit campus in the country, but if the lights are out and no one’s replacing them, what good is it?”

Hepler also spoke of the need to get a shuttle system on campus, an idea suggested in a recent traffic study performed by the Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System.

“Compared to other universities of a similar population, our campus is very large,” Hepler said. “On top of that, we also have one of the coldest climates in the nation. We need to set up a good, efficient shuttle system for the university.”

In the General Good and Welfare portion of the meeting, Sarah Knight spoke of the recent unapproved behavior of some student senators.

“I’ve heard that some people are having a hard time with the way things are going in these meetings,” Knight said. “Your first job is to serve the students and not serve yourself. As a student, I appeal to you to read the preamble to the constitution. There have been times when I didn’t agree with people or particularly like people, but you don’t bring that to your work when you’re representing other people.”

Knight stressed that senators need to give new members and officers time to adjust before making judgments about one another. She also said she wanted to make sure new senators know the job is meant to be fun and rewarding.

“It’s really unfair to compare who is with who was. Whoever is new is going to be different, and that’s not necessarily good or bad,” Knight said.

The University Singers requested $1,300 for a trip to Baltimore, Md., to perform. The sponsor for the organization explained the club’s activities, such as traveling throughout New England and to Europe this summer for a concert series. The group also stressed that they receive no compensation for their performances. The funding was granted.

The UMaine Woodsmen Team requested $1,180 of funding for its trip to Nova Scotia for a woodsmen’s meet. The team’s sponsor said the group holds a meet every year to raise money and have sponsors, including Stihl Chainsaw.

“They do a great job representing this university,” said Senator Ryan Clark.

The funding was granted.

Maine Paint, the University of Maine’s new paintball team, requested final approval. The president, Nathan Haskell, was asked about the purpose of the club during the approval process.

“We are here to educate and to teach other students about paintball. Many believe … everyone pretends they’re at war,” Haskell said. “It’s not like that at all, and we’re here to show others that. It’s all about just going out and having a good time. We hope to have a competition with UMaine Farmington later this semester,” he said.

The team was granted final approval.

In new appointments, Hazel Groce was appointed senator for Liberal Arts and Sciences and Jeffrey Frank was approved as Faculty Senate nominee.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2004, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.