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You might say the General Student Senate tackled some key issues last Tuesday, or you might say a key issue tackled them. The Senate united Tuesday to vote unanimously on a resolution voicing its opposition to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Senators also disagreed on the issue of who should pay for a lost key to the Wade Center.
TaBOR appears as Question 1 on a ballot initiative in Maine this November, and would permanently restrict Maine’s revenue increases to a statistical formula based on population growth and inflation. The resolution passed by the GSS opposed the legislation out of concerns about educational cuts and an increase for in-state tuition, calling a vote of no “imperative.” The resolution specifically cited concerns about a case study of Colorado, where TaBOR was first initiated. Colorado’s educational spending dropped to 49th in the United States after the initiative was introduced.
Another initiative, the Opportunity Maine Campaign, spoke to the senate about a proposed tax credit for University of Maine students for every year after graduation that they stay in-state, “essentially making it a wash,” said Leah Malave, a graduate student at UMaine who spoke to the senate. Jeremy Collette, vice president of the political action committee, also spoke on the issue.
“As more people with degrees stay in the state, the program pays for itself,” said Collette.
Four new at-large senator positions were also introduced in a resolution to balance representation in the Senate after some statistical changes left an improper balance of power between representatives. The four at-large senators would not be tied to any particular school within the University, but would represent the interests of the entire student body.
What may have been the longest debate of the evening wasn’t initially on the agenda: a question of whether student government should pay for replacement of a key lost by Senate President Adam Kirkland at a cost of $250.00, or three cents per student.
Kirkland had been given the keys to the Wade Center over the summer. An agreement signed by all students who receive keys stated that representatives were personally responsible for lost keys, but that they could seek out reimbursement from their groups. Because of security issues, all ten keys must be replaced, as well as locks. Kirkland says he lost the keys during the fall, when keys are usually given out to students who need access to the Wade Center without signing an agreement.
Kirkland says he went to GSS Adviser Joe Mollo to see if the keys could be covered as an office expense, and was prepared to cover the costs personally if they were not. Mollo suggested that he bring the issue up with the Senate, to see if it would replace them as an operational expense and to determine a precedent for reimbursement in the Senate.
The resolution, which came late in the evening, was proposed by Senator Gabrielle Berube. “As an employee of the student government and a student who is also represented by student government, we should support the re-keying of the Wade Center for groups to be secured.”
Senator William Pomerleau attempted twice to block discussion of the resolution because he believed that student activity fees should not go toward reimbursing senators for lost property. He noted that GSS had not specifically authorized Kirkland to have keys for the summertime and that “Kirkland was not elected.” Kirkland explained he had lost the keys in the fall, when the summer contract was not binding, prompting Pomerleau to add, “Allegedly.”
“I realize that you are all taking it on my word,” Kirkland responded.
Vice President of Student Entertainment Derek Mitchell later added, “No other person would be asked to work during the summer without access to their office.”
The vote was postponed for a week, with Mitchell encouraging senators to speak to their constituents about the subject.
